‘The Woman on the Bridge’ by Holly Seddon | @hollyseddon @Tr4cyF3nt0n @orionbooks | #CompulsiveReaders #20BookOfSummer

Delighted to join the blog tour for The Woman on the Bridge today! My thanks to Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to join and to Orion for the review copy, which I received via Netgalley. All opinions are my own!

Author : Holly Seddon
Title : The Woman on the Bridge
Pages : 320
Publisher : Orion
Publication date : July 7, 2022

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

On the worst night of her life, in the middle of nowhere, lonely Charlotte Wilderwood saves a runaway bride from falling to her death.

Soon Maggie is staying in Charlotte’s home, safely hidden from the man that she was so desperate to escape. The immediate bond between the two women eclipses anything they’ve ever known and before long they will go to extreme lengths to protect each other.

But is Maggie the best friend Charlotte has always dreamed about, or the nightmare she never saw coming.

| MY THOUGHTS |

Charlotte and Maggie are both having an incredibly bad night when they meet on a bridge. But when Charlotte saves Maggie from falling to her death, an immediate bond is created. Charlotte has always pretty much just had the one good friend and she has just betrayed her. She sees something in Maggie. Could she possibly be the best friend Charlotte has always dreamed of? So Charlotte decides to take Maggie home with her, a decision which will impact both of their lives.

See, now this would never happen to me because trust issues like you wouldn’t believe but I mean, really, have these people never heard of Stranger Danger?! Anyway!

There’s quite a bit of back and forth throughout this story. Not only is the tale told via Maggie and Charlotte, but there are also flashbacks. I have to admit that it took me a minute to get to grips with that, but it was definitely worth that extra level of concentration. As soon as I picked up Holly Seddon’s latest book, I knew I was going to have a hard time putting it back down again. It’s so immensely intriguing that even when I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about it and trying to figure things out.

Yeah, good luck with that. Needless to say things happen and the bond between Charlotte and Maggie only intensifies. But things are rarely what they seem and ‘The Woman on the Bridge‘ has to be one of the most unpredictable books I’ve ever read. I have undoubtedly added years of wrinkles to my forehead from all the frowning I did while reading, but I loved every second of it. There are so many vibes to pick up on. Something like a sense of doom, a kind of malice, this feeling that whatever is going on will not end well and danger lurks around the corner. You know, deep down, that something is off. But you also know you’re missing some pieces to complete the puzzle. On any other day, that would drive me batshit crazy but here, I gladly let the author guide me wherever she wanted me to go.

There’s a central theme to ‘The Woman on the Bridge‘ by way of toxic relationships in various shapes and forms. From the married couple to the life-long friends, to children and their parents. After all there is a reason why Maggie is on that bridge. Her story in particular often filled me with sadness. And Charlotte may not know it yet but there are quite a few events that led her to be where she is now. Both of their lives not entirely shaped by their own choices, but by choices made by others.

I thoroughly enjoyed this character-driven psychological thriller. It’s full of suspense, immensely intriguing like I said earlier, and it held my attention from start to finish. It is so cleverly plotted, addictive, offering fantastic psychological insight and, I also said this before but it bears repeating, unpredictable. The tension builds up as the story goes on and I was utterly unable to work out how things would end. Speaking of the end, holy fudge, … so brutally chilling, it sent shivers down my spine!

I loved everything about ‘The Woman on the Bridge‘. It’s as simple as that. Recommended!

Bookshop UK

| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |

Holly Seddon is the international bestselling author of TRY NOT TO BREATHE, DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES, LOVE WILL TEAR US APART, THE HIT LIST and THE WOMAN ON THE BRIDGE. 

After growing up in the English countryside obsessed with music and books, Holly worked in London as a journalist and editor. She now lives in Kent with her family and writes full time. 

Alongside fellow author Gillian McAllister, Holly co-hosts the popular Honest Authors Podcast. You can find her on Twitter @hollyseddon, Instagram and Facebook @hollyseddonauthor.

20 Books of Summer : 7/20