The Regret

<br />OUTSTANDING!<br />Thats the short review/version and the word that came to my mind as I read the last word of this terrifyingly brilliant book!<br /><br />Rachel had her life ruined by a stalker many years ago, he was jailed, all she has to cope with now ( alongside her Nursing career ) is the threat of her anorexia returning and her past family regrets.....BUT coping she is, loving life with her daughter Lily and fella Konrad, life is almost perfect<br />But then the impossible happens....she begins to be stalked again, her whole life ( this time ) is targeted and manipulated and piece by piece her life just doesn’t begin to go wrong it spirals out of control....at least this time she has the support network of friends and a partner she can trust, or can she?...<br />The book then leads you through the despair, you can almost taste it, that is now Rachels existence as she tries to find out who is doing this and why <br />I loved her narrative and how she chatted to the reader and questioned herself and also felt for her as her anorexia took hold again, I have read books before where this illness is portrayed but never with such lucid explanation, remorse and feeling ( and exploring the euphoria and the hatred of an episode)<br />The book continues with plots and sub plots and I was never lost or had to backtrack as these stories all became one and the grim truth of who was the culprit was unveiled and the pure psychopathic nature of that individual became known <br />I gave a very dramatic ‘OHHHHH’ when all was revealed, this continued for the remainder of the book and all that then happened, a very harrowing, tense and superbly devised ending <br />I also loved the short chapters that dealt with computer and social media ‘fraud’ with explanations as to how and why people are conned and how easily it happens<br />A storming debut, reader friendly with reader welcoming writing brimming with characters and situations you wont forget, that I can 100% recommend as a <br />10/10 <br />5 Stars book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5<br /><br />I don't know what is going on, but I like it. I have been on a streak of really good mystery/thrillers and <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/47553662.The_Regret" title="The Regret by Dan Malakin" rel="noopener">The Regret</a> by <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/14901397.Dan_Malakin" title="Dan Malakin" rel="noopener">Dan Malakin</a> was no exception!<br /><br /><b>What it's about:</b> Rachel Stone's world was shattered when she was just a teenager by a stalker named Alan Griffin. Now she has a three-year-old daughter named Lily and has rebuilt her life, but as someone seems to start stalking her again and ruining her life as she knows it, old demons will rise again to the surface and threaten everything. <br /><br />I want to keep my summery short and sweet for <i>The Regret</i> because I think it is great to go into this book blind! There were a lot of surprises as I read it, and so many things that I never saw coming. I won't lie, this was also a really hard book to read. Rachel suffers from addiction and anorexia, and there were so many times I wanted to throttle her, but I know this is the disease that takes over a person's mind. It is hard to read, but I think it is also so important and I'm glad the author decided to tackle these dark issues. <br /><br />I also really liked the bits of technology and hacking that were spoken about in this book. Even though parts of it gave me the heebie jeebies, it was also fascinating at the same time. I really hope lives aren't as easy to mess with as they are in this book because otherwise that is just downright terrifying!<br /><br />I didn't love Rachel as a character, but when we got towards the end and things got really messed up, she managed to pull me around to her side. If you are looking for a badass female lead throughout the book it is not Rachel, but she definitely proves herself at the end which made me like her more overall. I also thought there were a couple other frustrating characters that were pretty awful, but they really make the story what it is. <br /><br />One major reason that I am giving this a 4/5 is because I didn't like the loose ends at the end of the book. I had an idea of what was going on, but I wasn't completely right, and then I was disappointed when the author didn't get into the why of it all. Maybe it is just because I am really anal and want to know the facts, but I think it would have been much better if Malakin would have included more in the epilogue. <br /><br /><b>Song/s the book brought to mind:</b> When It All Falls Apart by The Veronicas <br /><br /><b>Final Thought:</b> Overall, <i>The Regret</i> was really fast-paced and it almost hurt to watch Rachel go into her downward spiral, but at the same time it was just done so excellently. If you like a book that has darker themes, with a tiny bit of gore the <i>The Regret</i> is the book to check out! As long as you can handle reading about addiction and just how far someone will sink before they pick themselves back up again... <br /><br /><b>Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions are my own.</b>

Author, Dan Malakin, created a dynamic storyline that held me captive from beginning to end. Having taken on the lifelike qualities of a 3D image, the main protagonist was portrayed in magnificent detail. With no wasted ink merely to fill empty space, the momentum of the chilling scenes  progressed in lockstep with the heart-wrenching narrative. Just when I thought the climax was about to be unleashed, a startling twist jumped out unexpectedly and slapped me across the face like a cold, wet towel. Out of nowhere, I never saw it coming. It held everything I could hope for in a novel.<br /><br />Rachel Stone, age twenty-six, was a nurse in a London Hospital, and a good one at that. All her geriatric patients loved everything about her. In addition to being a devoted nurse, she was the single mother of a sweet, darling little girl of three, Lily, the pride and joy of her life. Not a typical picture book story, life had thrown her a curve.<br /><br />Handed down from mother to daughter, Rachel had been plagued throughout adulthood with the life-threatening condition of anorexia. If that wasn't bad enough, she was prone to drug abuse. Submitted to a psych ward for treatment proved unsuccessful in her recovery, and she appeared to be headed on a downward spiral.<br /><br />Keeping her life on a steady track proved difficult considering the tainted decisions she'd made in the past. Wishing to keep them dead and buried, they continued to haunt her unrelentlessly day and night. One day, she feared the day would come when she'd have to pay dearly for her shortcomings.<br /><br />As it turned out, the wait would not be much longer. It was time to divvy up and pay the piper. Pay dearly, she would. If you're looking for a read that's guaranteed to keep you perched on the edge of your seat, look no further. This book comes well-recommended.<br /><br /><br />

<br />Rachel Stone was stalked a few years back. It's take time and patience, but she's finally got her life on track. She's in a new relationship, has a 3-year-old daughter, and is a nurse working in the local hospital.<br /><br />Someone is stalking her again. Her phone, her emails and her social media are hacked. She's afraid that it's her previous stalker, Alan Griffith. She checks with the prison and finds that he was released just 2 weeks ago. She's really worried that he is looking for revenge.<br /><br />But no one is listening to her ... not her new boyfriend, Konrad .... not her best friend, not her friend Spence who works with her, and not her daughter's father.<br /><br />Is it her previous stalker ... or is this a new one. Could she be that unlucky? And just how dangerous is this stalker?<br /><br />This is a well-written crime mystery with twists and turns and suspense that keep the reader captivated until the surprising finale. The characters are finely drawn and memorable.<br /><br />Many thanks to the author / Bloodhound Books for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, the opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.<br />

What a fantastic read this was! I mean what more could you ask for? There's the stellar cast, a beautifully plotted story and fascinating insight into the daily life of those who have been stalked or scammed and the knock-on effect this can have on their lives for the foreseeable future. Not only this but it packed a real emotional punch too. Right from the beginning, you are drawn into a tale it is easy to immerse yourself in and losing a couple of hours between the pages was very enjoyable. I particularly loved the short, snappy chapters as it makes it so much simpler to read a couple more and then keep on reading even though you know you should sleep. There are multiple threads establishing themselves throughout but they were so seamlessly interlinked and it was a doddle to keep it all aligned in my head.<br /><br />The sensitivity and true compassion the author shows in relation to topics such as stalking, anorexia and online fraud through his words felt as though they came from someone who really understood these subjects and the complexity of them inside and out. I could relate to Rachel and felt for her quite strongly as she was dealing with such a lot. It's well written in a way that will appeal to many readers and is a captivating, harrowing and evocative read for sure. There were twists and turns aplenty and the conclusion was a surprise but also added to the visceral punch. All in all, The Regret is an excellent debut thriller, and Malakin focuses on more realistic nightmare-inducers more of us may be able to connect and empathise with. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bloodhound Books for an ARC.

WOW!!! A great psychological thriller from the first page to the last. Rachel is a recovering anorexic whose life was turned upside down as a young woman however she has gotten everything back under control until she finds out that the man who caused her to break down before is now out of prison. So is he responsible for her misery again or could it be someone else.?<br />This book is taut and has the reader on a roller-coaster of emotions. Dan Malakin's description of anorexia can be harrowing at times to read as to how it affects Rachel both physically and mentally along with her family a d friends. An excellent read and I would highly recommend it.<br />Thanks to Bloodhound Books for the ARC to review.

4.5 stars audio<br />4 stars story because I didn't think it was necessary for author to give detailed description of how to hack information online. It came off as if he wanted to show off his computer knowledge.???

The Regret is one of those books were you want to know the outcome but also do not want it to end. Gripping at its best.

Revised ! went on to read this book finally, and unfortunately I did not connect with Rachel, nor the story line. I wanted to buy this book based on a review on GR, however it seems the review I read was based on an advanced free copy, which the reviewer failed to divulge... the reviewer has since blocked me when I pointed out that this practice is perhaps a bit disingenuous! Bloodhound books should not be encouraging this kind of behaviour !

I really enjoyed this highly entertaining read. The author has written a superb debut that will have you hooked from the beginning. After a dsyfunctional upbringing and tragic events that happened to Rachel in her teens, Rachel is finally trying her best to live a normal life, (something that she has always wanted but never had) with her 3 year old daughter and her boyfriend, and works as a nurse doing a job that she enjoys. Rachel now finds her life is suddenly spiralling out of control. Who is stalking her for a second time? - hacking into her personal accounts and making her life a living hell? Is it the stalker from the past? - or is it someone else? I was suspicious of nearly everyone; the author writes in such a clever way that you really do not know who the antagonist/s is/are! ... I guessed wrong ? I thought the plot very cleverly thought out and I'm not tech minded but it didn't matter as the author's detailed writing helped me to understand the parts in relation to the hacking. I thought some parts very sad; I felt quite emotional and I could almost feel Rachel's despair. I thought Rachel very brave and I wanted her to have the normal, as normal as 'normal' can be, life, that she deserved. It really was, despite being dark in places, a gripping, spine-chilling read and it had plenty of twists and surprises to hold my interest. Books like this one are the reason why I read and hardly watch TV, but if this were to be made into a film or a TV series then I would definitely watch it! ? I enjoyed every part of the story and I was happy with the ending. I highly recommend it and I can't wait to read more from this author! Thank you x