GoodRead - Follow Me Down

As you guys know, I kinda love Tanya Byrne. She's one of my fave authors from last year. And with her debut, Heart-Shaped Bruise, it was one of those stories that got under your skin and made you question the book long after you finished it. And after meeting Tanya twice (once last year at Foyles and the other a few weeks ago linked to the Essex Book Festival), I'm surprised she hasn't put a restaining order against me.

So, of course, when the lovely Sam from Headline told me at the Essex Book Festival event that she had sent me an ARC of Tanya's second novel, Follow Me Down, you can imagine how excited I was. And after reading my secret read (review for that book coming soon-ish), I dived into this...

When Adamma Okonma move from New York into England, she's a bit unhappy. She's moved away from her friends, her boyfriend, all because her father is Nigerian diplomat. So when her family put her in Crofton College, a boarding school in the middle of nowhere, you can guess her reaction. So when she meets Scarlett, she begins to think things are looking up. But Scarlett is secretive, wants to be center of attention, runs away without warning. Their friendship becomes destructive. And then something comes between them, tearing them apart.

Told in two timelines - Before and After - we see Adamma become friends with Scarlett and their friendship grown then destroy itself and then we see Adamma after something unspeakable happens.

So, you're probably wondering: is this book as good as Heart-Shaped Bruise? Or is it, as Tanya feared when she was writing this, a one hit wonder?

Oh, Tanya. Why did you worry? This book is just as dark, twisty and as addictive as Heart-Shaped Bruise. And, at the same time, it is very different from Heart-Shaped Bruise. Adamma is so different to Emily Knoll, as is Scarlett. Follow Me Down is very different from Heart-Shaped Bruise as Follow Me Down has two mysteries slowly intertwine together while Heart-Shaped Bruise is a dark revenge plot. The two mysteries - what happened to Scarlett and who is Adamma romantically involved with - will have you turning the pages and will have you guessing to the last page.

I loved this. I loved how this thriller kept me on the edge of my seat, staying up late at night and guessing till I closed the book. I think you guys, who love dark contemporary thriller, need to get your mitts on this. And when you do, NO JUMPING AHEAD TO THE END!