BOOK REVIEW - Pretty Little Thing - Kit Duffield - Digital Book - 3*

 

BOOK REVIEW

Pretty Little Thing - Kit Duffield (Released 2024)

*book links are affiliate links which means that I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Taking advantage of Amazon First Reads again in September with a debut thriller novel by Kit Duffield. The cover was eerie and mysterious, with an ominous tag line... You Didn't Forget Me...Did You?

Hook line and sinker, I was reeled in. I've read a few amnesia, unreliable memory type books in recent months, it seems to be the way my mind is taking me at the moment,

gravitating toward this trope whether intentional or not, whether I read the blurb or not. Has that ever happened to you? Accidentally reading books with a similar theme? Anyway, I digress, on with the book reveiw! 

BLURB

Sometimes when you look into your past, your past looks back at you...

It's been over a decade since renowned author Beckett Ryan set foot in her bleak childhood hometown on the southern coast of England. When her estranged parents die within a week of each other, she reluctantly returns to bury them, only to find herself as reviled in the community as they were revered. Of course, the locals didn't really know her parents. Nobody did. 

Then a warm welcome emerges from the sea of cold faces: Leanne. Beckett's best friend when they were younger, and now a super fan. Only...Beckett is pretty sure she's never met her before in her life. 

But as Beckett battles increasing hostility from the locals and the terrifying return of long-buried childhood memories, Leanne is just what she needs: a safe harbour from the storm...Isn't she?

 

AUTHOR

This is Kit Duffield's first book. He's used a creepy childhood memory of his to zone in on one of the underlying themes of the book, and has woven a psychological thriller from that experience. His tag line on his website is great... "Stories so gripping you won't put them down. So disturbing, you'll wish that you could."

That's exactly what a thriller should do! He also mentions on his website that Kit Duffield is a pseudonym which I found interesting. Now I will spend so much time imagining what his actual name is. I'm going with Bernard Ingleston. 

Check out his website here.

PLOT/STORYLINE 

Beckett, our main character, has been AWOL from her sleepy, quaint hometown for a decade. Distancing herself physically and mentally, while trying to forge a successful career in writing. She's back, to bury her parents. But the people of the town feel abandoned by her. Her father was the prominent town patriarch, and she left him there without looking back, leaving the townsfolk feeling betrayed. Beckett's feelings about her parents, particularly her dad, are polar opposites to the residents of the town. Unravelling her family's secrets is one key element of the story. 

Leanne befriends Beckett and offers a friendly face. Leanne claims that the two were best friends back in the day, but Beckett has no memory of her whatsoever. She's an intense friend but her faith in Beckett is unwavering, which is appreciated in a sea of disdain. 

As I mentioned, Kit has used an experience from his childhood to open the door to one of the book's main concepts. That creepy half-asleep, half-awake feeling. Where you're aware of everything around you, but are, in fact, sleeping, and the strange things that your mind concocts are even more scary when you can't be sure if you're dreaming. Beckett has had some experiences like this in the past, and these memories come flooding back to her now that she's back home. 

A tale of untrustworthy memories ensues with long-buried secrets, lies, and a twisty, TWISTY plot. 

It's told mainly from Beckett's point of view, with occasional flashback moments and the odd dive into Leanne's character. 

CHARACTERS

Beckett is a little aloof to start with, she's spunky yet unsure. I enjoyed her journey very much and I was satisfied when it came full circle and she got some closure. That being said, her decision-making skills are fairly non-existent. Girl code is apparently not a thing for her which irked me. There are people in the world who do behave like that, and validate their decisions in the same way, but it didn't endear me to her. She did seem to learn and grow by the end of the book, which saved me from hating her character entirely! 

Leanne is a purposefully grey character. Part of the mystery is her telling Beckett that they used to be friends, but Beckett not recognising her at all. One thing I would say though, is that her character is a little OTT, and I found it hard to understand why, even when nobody in the town seems to like Beckett, she would put up with such weird behaviour from Leanne who's practically a stranger. I tried to put myself in Beckett's shoes, but couldn't quite get my head around some of her actions and decisions. Leanne is probably the more interesting of the two characters, and the mystery around her character is heavy from the incredibly intriguing start. 

Kai is the love interest. He's perfect. Weirdly, annoyingly, and too good to be true perfect. At the same time, he's flirting with another woman right in front of his girlfriend and everyone seems OK with it. Strange. He does play a key role in moving the story forward, especially as things start coming to a head towards the end of the book. 

There are side characters in this book, who in some ways were actually more interesting than the main ones. I would have loved to have gotten to know them a bit more. Kit's best friend back home is a fireball of personality. There's also the wealthy, altruistic widow along with the friendly, humble coffee shop owner. Sometimes it seemed that their presence wasn't necessary for the story to move forward but I did enjoy seeing Beckett interact with people other than Leanne and Kai. 

Other additional characters moved the story one way and then they were either forgotten or fizzled out. A little disappointing :(

OVERALL REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐

SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥

As thrillers go, this is mid-range for me. Some elements were genuinely creepy (all the childhood stuff, the dreams, the potential memory loss) but I don't think they were explored as much as they should have been. It seemed like I was being presented with a book that had ALOT of interesting elements and twists, but my personal preference would have been to focus on a couple of those and really flesh them out to give a bigger payout at the end.

The start had me feeling horror vibes, and I would have loved it if the book had stayed in that lane. The switch to a thriller, mystery vibe was a little jarring given how well the creepy atmosphere had been built up. 

That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, I did! It had a creepy atmosphere throughout and although it started a little slow, with a lot of buildup, the pace really picked up at the end. We had drama, revelations, twists, more revelations, chases, and hide-and-seek. It was all kicking off! 

There's some harsh language in the book, I've seen commentary in other reviews about their inclusion. I don't mind crude language and I'm not here to censor anyone's work, but as a heads up, there are a few words that would elicit a donation to the swear jar! 

Plenty of potential from this Author and I am glad that I picked it up. While it didn't quite meet some of its potential, and may be an example of cramming a little more than necessary into the pages, and it was not my favourite thriller of the year, it certainly has plenty of redeeming features for a quick, enjoyable and not entirely predictable read. 

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?

People who enjoy a creepy atmosphere, characters, and twists for days will enjoy this. It was a quick read so is worth having on the Kindle for a day when only a thriller will do :)

What was your Amazon First Read book last month? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for sticking with me, it means the world :) Remember you can follow my blog here or pop over to say hi on Instagram, TikTok or over on my YouTube Channel