Book giveaway: In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

I loved In a Dark, Dark Wood, which I found utterly compelling. The glass house, and Ouija board are the stuff my nightmares are made from.

I feel the author did such a fantastic job of creating such a creepy, isolated and bleak setting, that she let herself down with the characters, who I felt were unrealistic, and under developed.

Sorry to re hash this thread but I'm on holiday and I'm halfway through it. Did anyone find their ages 26 a bit unbelievable? It would've been more realistic if they were about 30.

Many thanks for my free copy of this book.

I had heard the good reviews of it and had high hopes for a tense, chilling novel. Unfortunately it didn't quite tick all the boxes for me. Some of the elements of the storyline were just a bit far-fetched and unbelievable really and some of the characters rather juvenile. I did find myself wanting to slap Nora and say 'get a grip, girl!'

I thought Nina was a great, well-developed character, but many of the others were rather stereotypical - the doting new mother, the gay actor, the manipulative golden girl etc.

It's a pretty good debut novel, but I'm not sure I'd compare it with the likes of Gone Girl or Girl on a Train.

I loved the setting and premise of this book; a disparate group meeting up for a hen weekend in a glass house in the woods and for about two thirds of the book, the tension racheted up nicely but then the story sort of petered out and was a bit disappointing in its predictability.
It was still an enjoyable read but not quite as gripping as I was hoping for. I think this book was chosen as a Richard & Judy read so will no doubt prove very popular and be discussed in book groups throughout the land!

Thanks for my copy of this book. I found it really gripping and engaging and, even though I did correctly guess the identities of the individuals involved towards the end of the book I enjoyed all the tension and twists and turns throughout the story. I particularly liked the hospital scenes and the way in which the information was gradually drip fed to me as the reader.

To those who found the attendance at a hen party for somebody you haven't seen in years to be implausible, I would say that I would find it hard to resist going - purely out of curiosity!

A very enjoyable read overall and one that I would be happy to recommend to anybody who likes a good thriller.

I was very pleased to be told that I had won a copy of "in a dark dark wood" and once I started it, I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed it immensely, it was well written, fast paced & believable. I shall now pass the book on to my sister, and would recommend it as a great read to any crime thriller lover!

I've finished reading my copy of this book now. Overall I thought it was a good entertaining read, it did a good job of building up the tension and had me wanting to know what happened.
I wasn't sure i believed in the motive behind the murder though. And I didn't really understand why Nina went to the hen party in the first place, given how thoroughly she'd cut Clare out of her life a decade ago.

A fast and gripping book,with lots of tension and a sense of dread.Disturbing at times,but only in the best way.I do love my psychological thrillers!Glad it's part of Richard and Judy's Book Club.

Thank you very much for this. I enjoyed it very much. It was hugely entertaining. I guessed what was happening but not until very close to the end! I stayed up late to finish it, it was so good. It was well written, with properly drawn characters and the pacing was good, very exciting.

I haven't finished the book yet although am enjoying it so far. I don't find any of the characters particularly likeable but am finding the dynamics between them interesting and am willing the main character to stop going running in that bloody wood ;)

Thanks for my free copy! Not my usual genre of books but always like to try something different.

I thought it was a real page-turner and I read it very quickly over half term. Not as scary as I'd imagined it might be but certainly very tense at the end.

Would have enjoyed it more had the characters been slightly more in depth but I guess that might have compromised the readability.

Overall I enjoyed it!

I posted a review just a few pages in but I have now finished the book.

After a gripping start the book did slow a bit in the middle and I found myself willing it on a bit, partly because of the slow pace but also because it had started well and I was intrigued enough by the mystery that I was keen for the story to unravel the mystery at it's heart.

Overall I enjoyed this book and for anyone keen on murder mysteries/thrillers it should provide a compelling and enjoyable read. A good first novel and I'd certainly consider reading future books by Ruth Ware.

Many thanks for my copy. I read the book very quickly and was very keen to find out what happened to all the characters. The author maintained the tension pretty well, and I am glad to say I didn't find the novel scary (I don't like anything too scary!).

I did find the main character quite juvenile, particularly in the way she was still fixated on a teen romance ten years later. I also didn't really warm to her, she didn't seem to like anyone very much; and it really bothered me that her mother didn't fly to her side near the end of the book! The characters all just seemed quite cold and thinly drawn.

Another annoyance was the naming, two of the characters have 4 letter names beginning with N - Nina and Nora, why? This makes it confusing for those of us who read a little too quickly and then get confused about who is in the action .

All in all, I think it is a very promising first novel for this author, and I look forward to reading her future books.

This is not the type of book I would normally read but I was hooked from the start and couldn't put it down. It was very easy to read and kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen next. I also thought it was quite obvious who the killer was but there were enough twists and turns to make me keep doubting and to keep me engaged. I would read another book by this author, particularly if I wanted an easy holiday read.

Won a copy and it didn't disappoint!

I was lucky enough to also win a copy . Congratulations to Ruth on her debut novel as she can certainly maintain and hold the tension and
suspense . Like the others I was able to predict who done it but the plot twists and characters were spot on

I loved this book! I too was lucky enough to win a free copy & read it within a couple of days (I'd have been quicker but don't read very fast with 3 under 5 any more!). It was brilliantly tense & a fab debut. I wouldn't be surprised if the author is also a Mumsnetter...I could imagine the threads about the toxic friendships & horrendous hen night! Really looking forward to reading more from her.

I was very pleased to receive a copy of this book. It was certainly a page turner and also well-written with some believable characters - we've all met a Florence! But I was a bit disappointed that the culprit, and even the motive were signposted early on. I know now everyone is used to spotting twists, but this book did need more. However, still a good read, and I will be looking for her next one.

Not finished it yet.. reading opportunities have to be grabbed when possible around these parts but absolutely loving the twists and turns.

I found this book very gripping - I started it last night and finished it at 3.15am! It kept me guessing right until the end, but I didn't warm to any of the characters although I still wanted to know what happened to them.

Thank you for the copy of this book which I have just finished. It was a very atmospheric thriller that was hard to put down. The setting of an old house in the woods, cut off from civilisation with a group of people the character doesn't really know anymore all add to the tense build up of the story. I like the way the story switched from the build up to the aftermath of what happens. This increases the dark atmosphere of the story as we know something bad has happened but not what until the story unfolds. A very good book, highly recommended to fans of atmospheric thrillers.

I was lucky enough to be given a free copy of this seriously creepy thriller. From the first page it snared my interest. I found myself reading this book every minute I could spare and thinking about it whenever I was forced to put it down (ie: due to lack of sleep, etc. A sign of a good book!) The characterisation was very believable and the build up of tension amazing. I must admit, I never saw the twist at the end coming at all but this only added to my enjoyment of a book well written. I definitely recommend reading this book and will be looking out for more books in this genre by the author.

Well, I was lucky to win a free copy and as soon as it arrived I was very taken by the look of the book. I would have been drawn to this cover on a book shop shelf. I started it yesterday and have just finished it. Which is basically to say I couldn’t put it down! I have got out of the habit of reading novels since having a family and so this is unusual for me and really felt good. I was totally gripped by the characters and the situation. I thought the clues were good, and kept me guessing to the end. I would really recommend this book, it isn’t too heavy, it’s gripping and well written. I will definitely look out for more by the same author.

I've received my copy of this a few days ago. I'm about a quarter of the way through, enjoying it so far. Will report more when I've finished reading it.