I am so excited to be part of this blog tour for “Strange Sally Diamond” by Liz Nugent. From the moment I read and loved “Our Little Cruelties”, I knew Liz Nugent is going to became an author I will often come back to. And Strange Sally Diamond was incredible!

Synopsis

“Put me out with the bins”, he said, regularly. “When I die, put me out with the bins. I’ll be dead, so I won’t know any different.”

When Sally Diamond’s dad passed away, she did exactly what he hold her to do. She put him out with the bins.

Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police, but also a sinister voice from a past she has no memory of. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, recluse Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, finding independence, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say.

But when messages start arriving from a stranger who knows far more about her past than she knows herself, Sally’s life will be thrown into chaos once again . . .

My Thoughts:

Now, I wish I could say that putting her dad out with the bins is the strangest thing Sally would do in this book, but it’s called “Strange Sally Diamond” for a reason. After her father’s passing and the letters he leaves her behind, Sally becomes the talk of the town. There are certain things being revealed about her early childhood that could explain why she has always been different. Also, there are some anonymous letters in the mail from someone that may know her. I dived into this book blind, and can only recommend that you do the same.

The book starts slow, with a small twist, and then before you know it, you’re swimming into the deep end of a very poignant, but disturbing story. I won’t reveal anything else in terms of the plot, because I don’t want to spoil anyone’s reading experience. We have Sally’s point of view, from the day her father dies, until the present day. And we also have another person’s point of view, sharing their story from Sally’s early shildhood, also to the present day.

Reading both POVs was stressful and gripping.

I liked Sally – the way she accepted she was different and never changed who she was for anyone else. But also her willingness to keep working on herself and be the best version of herself. I loved the group of friends she had around her. They were always supportive and wanted what’s best for her, but never afraid to tell her the truth when it was needed. I also enjoyed the other POV, although it always had a darker, more sinister atmosphere. Despite all the evil, there were emotions of loneliness, sadness, fear and the need to be accepted and to belong that I sometimes felt for them.

With so many twists and turns, Liz Nugent managed to keep me on my toes yet again. And although I had my own theories and suspicions (I’m looking at you, Mark!), I was completely wrong and didn’t see anything coming until it was on my page. “Strange Sally Diamond” is a brilliant thriller with a lot of disturbing excitement. I liked the idea of the grey area between a gullable victim and an accomplice. And this is the kind of book that is about to raise a lot of moral dilemas and start conversations during a book club meeting. I warmly recommend it, with the advice to dive in blind. It will keep you on the edge of your seat and give you chills when you’re expecting them the least.

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