Shiver by Allie Reynolds [BOOK REVIEW]

★★★★★

Shiver by Allie Reynolds is one of the most intense thrillers I have read this year, and I am so glad I came across it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher – Headline, for approving me the ARC copy. Also thanks to the team at Tandem, for letting me join the readalong and chat with amazing people while reading the book.

Synopsis:

When Milla is invited to a reunion in the French Alps resort that saw the peak of her snowboarding career, she drops everything to go. While she would rather forget the events of that winter, the invitation comes from Curtis, the one person she can’t seem to let go.

The five friends haven’t seen each other for ten years, since the disappearance of the beautiful and enigmatic Saskia. But when an icebreaker game turns menacing, they realise they don’t know who has really gathered them there and how far they will go to find the truth.

In a deserted lodge high up a mountain, the secrets of the past are about to come to light.

My Thoughts:

Shiver is set in two timelines; one in current day, and the other 10 years ago. The story is told from Milla’s point of view, but we get to read about all the other characters in great detail. As you dive into the book, you start to get a very good idea of what goes in people’s heads and what they are like.

I used to be a professional karate athlete for the Macedonian team for many years. This experience made me feel connected to Shiver in a much deeper level. The competitive spirit, the rivalries, the effort they put into everything they do – it all came back as a deja-vu to me. Even their fears of failing and their anger when injuries prevented them from competing.

The winter setting is so well written.

I could picture them on the snow so easily, imagine their jumps and their warm sports gear. The snowboarding setup for the competitions, the people watching, the ice rink, and the glaciers – it was so vividly written!

“There’s something about fresh snow that brings your inner child to the surface.”

The mystery was amazing as well, and it was also my favorite part of the book. To gather a group of people and be around them alone. All while knowing one of them is capable of doing horrible things is quite scary. And this feeling lingered throughout the whole book. I had many different theories of the ending and the reveal, and they kept changing as I was reading. In the end, I did manage to predict it, but it still caught me off guard when the reveal happened.

I also enjoyed the romantic element in Shiver as well. I didn’t expect a romantic part, but it was quite pleasurable to read about. It brought a nice balance between the many intense moments. And it wasn’t too much as well, which I also liked.

I loved Shiver and would never have guessed this was Allie’s debut novel. If you love winter, snowboarding, thrillers and people that are quite good in keeping secrets, you shouldn’t miss this one!

Purchase Links:
Amazon UK | Amazon US

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