GoodRead - Heart-Shaped Bruise

I only came across this book by sheer fluke. I was emailing Sam from Headline, thanking her for letting me have a copy of Kimberly Derting's The Last Echo to review when she mentioned Heart-Shaped Bruise. After she gave me some info about it, I thought "It sounds like the TV show Revenge meets Cat Clarke" and asked if it was ok for me to read this. She was thrilled as she thought I would adore this book.

On top of a wardrobe in the now-disused Archway Young Offenders Institution, was discovered the secret journals of Archway's most notorious inmate, Emily Koll. Emily who is unapologetic over what she did. Through her journals, we hear her side of the story. Through her words, we see how far she went to get revenge. But can we trust her versions of events? Is she showing us the truth or trying to get our sympathy?

This is a compelling read. It just demands your attention as you try and figure what Emily did that was so awful that she's in a young offenders institution awaiting trail. The quote on the front of my copy from best-selling thriller writer, Sophie Hannah, says "intriguing and compelling", don't take as a "oh, they got an author to say something good". Sophie is right!

This isn't a story of forgiveness. Let's make this clear before I go any further. Emily herself ever states in within the first two pages. But the further you read, the more complex you discover Emily to be and the more questions that pop up. Is Emily doesn't want forgiveness, then why is she writing this? Why couldn't Emily let go when it wasn't her fault? Why why why?

There's not much more I could say. Don't expect a neat ending. Because there isn't one. It's left messy and a bit of a crime scene, which (if you think about it) is very much Emily at that moment in time. Her life is a crime scene.

If you're a fan of Cat Clarke and want a dark, gripping read, this is perfect for you. I can't wait to see what Tanya writes next!