The bestselling psychological thriller with a shocking ending

This book had potential, but failed to live up. There were gaps in the writing/story line that should have been addressed or a smoother transition could have taken place. Each chapter is titled by a characters name and it contains their thoughts, insights on what is happening. One chapter would end with what I would consider an explosive event and the next would begin and it would not be addressed. I don't want to give crucial plot information away so I will just say that actions/behaviors would be exposed, inflammatory statements made, and the characters would just continue on like nothing had happened.

This story starts with a wife asking her husband a question... "who else would you go for, if you could?" It's a game a lot of couples play but the answer is usually along the lines of a celebrity or other "never in a month of Sundays" person. The husband shocks the wife by answering with someone closer to home. This answer send the wife on a mission. She now sees this person as a threat as this person happens to be her best friend.
After I got over the stupidity of Rob, the husband, actually admitting this to his wife Carly, which I though was a little far fetched, I managed to settle into the rest of the story. I did have to sit with this incongruity for quite a while though as it just didn't seem to work for me. What happens next was like watching a car crash as all four lives were horrifically affected by this admission. All four lives spiralled out of control. There's not much else specific I can say here about what happens next as anything I do mention would be spoilery but I do have to mention that I thought that some of the subsequent decisions that were made also didn't sit right with me along the way, especially towards the end of the book, even taking into consideration the mental states of the characters at the time. I did a fair bit of accepting during this book I can tell you!
I am struggling also to say something nice about the characters. They were pretty much all as bad as each other and acted way out of character quite a bit along the way. You know the old adage of good people doing bad things, well I thing these people were just bad people doing bad things. Especially those who claim to be God fearing Christians! As I read, I sympathised with each in turn, several times changing my allegiance, so many times that at the end, I just despised the lot of them! Although I was definitely emotionally involved and that's a good thing.
But you know what, all these niggles aside, it was a stonking good ride. I do love it when characters implode, especially in the ways depicted in this story. I guess what I am trying to say that despite all my misgivings about character and trigger point, the story stood up well enough to get me over all this and still keep me interested and intrigued along the way. Albeit a little OTT in places! And like the car crash I likened it to earlier, uncomfortable to witness but you just can't help but watch it all play out.
Each character tells their own part of the story, picking up where another left off or telling it again from their perspective, but not in a repetitive way. More like a relay race at times, passing over the baton or "talking stick". I found this method of storytelling quite well done although a couple of times I did have to go back and check who was talking as they weren't always distinct.
And then the ending, oh my! That's all I can say here but it did initially shock me somewhat but then how else can it end?
All in all, as a debut book, it's not a bad one and I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Psychology of the characters is not believable. Story quite convoluted and drawn out. Unexplained events, such as the women's continued friendship after the initial infidelity, Carly's second lapse (why was it so devastating if she wasn't poisoned or hadn't dosed herself with pills?), Carly's intimation that she would "take care" of the Jenni problem and then leaving the reader confused as to Carly's culpability. The religious references didn't correlate to the characters' behavior. Also, Craig's penchant for infidelity and Carly's initial depression are not well fleshed out.

Writing a novel is hard. Points for anyone who tries. Robson has a soap of a story here, time worn nothing new except a format that doesn't work and shifting first-person narratives that becomes tiresome at about page 30. Writing is a craft. I sort of feel this is leaning on structural chicanery instead of craftsmanship. There is talent in the writing albeit pretty stuffed with overblown adjectives within scenes that don't do anything towards moving the story forward. Lots of fluff in this 400+ page pseudoerotic work. I bet the next one will be better.

5/5 stars

Armchair psychologists, REJOICE! This is your book! Take out your pen and paper because your skills are needed to DIAGNOSE a mental patient. The only issue is to decide WHICH character is mentally obsessive and potentially homicidal.

This book is so deliciously dark, I’m tempted to say something corny like “Your only obsession will be with this novel.” I would never say that.

BUT IT IS SO FREAKIN’ GOOD! I could not do anything else except glue my eyeballs to every page until I finished it off. Whew! You lucky reader, this mental rollercoaster awaits you. This is my kind of book, a deep character study and a sense of dread coming with each plot turn. You have no idea how this will end, but you know it is not going to be a happy one.

The novel starts innocently enough when Carly drunkenly asks her husband “Who else would you go for, if you could?” Oh Carly. Why did you ever have to ask that question? Rob’s answer is like a dagger to her heart and brain. The die is cast, fates are sealed, destiny is determined. An obsession starts growing roots.

The story is presented from each of the four character’s P.O.V. The chapters are short, but the book is long. Get ready to go in deep. Scandalous, frightening innermost thoughts are revealed and it’s not pretty. Downright uncomfortable. I find it so fascinating to compare a person’s thoughts with their contrasting behavior.

It’s been awhile since I read a psychological suspense that contained so many graphic sex scenes. But I didn’t find it to be gratuitous, since one of the characters suffers from a sex addiction and it is pertinent to telling the story. I just point it out as a minor warning if you don’t want to read sex. Besides sex and drug addiction, you may be surprised to find yourself reading quite a bit about God and religion, medical professions, and child rearing. Listen, I told you! This book goes deep. No subject is too sensitive or off-limits for this author to tackle.

I’m really excited, if you couldn’t tell, to recommend this book about two couples with a “schizophrenic” relationship between all four members. Just when you think you know who is obsessing, who is the unreliable narrator, who is just an ordinary flawed human, you have to start all over again because until the very last page, you don’t know for sure.

This is Amanda Robson’s phenomenal debut novel. It has been the #1 e-book all summer in the U.K., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. The US publication is scheduled for September 19, 2017. Many thanks to Harper Collins for allowing me to read the ARC via Edelweiss. Opinions are mine.

Published by Avon Books (Harper Collins subsidiary) & Promoted online as "the best psychological thriller of 2017". Unfortunately, it was these "testimonies" that led me, a reader who has become very skeptical of the psychological thrillers currently glutting the market, to shell out 99cents (too much) for this book. 2 very unlikable wife & husband pairs, sucessfully lusting with one another's spouses, while hiding behind religious doctrine, playing with murdering one another. Plot rolls from one disturbing action to another, culminating in a ridiculous "resolution". Author also manages to illuminate her ignorance of mental/emotional disorders. (In the event this review is not showing as a "verified purchase", it is due to fact that I bought at a website other than the store.)

Wow - what a read! The title, Obsession, was spot-on for this. A roller coaster of a ride - beginning with one small, seemingly innocuous question. The fallout from it for the two couples involved was brilliantly told. I loved the short, snappy chapters, it made the story hurtle towards its devastating ending. A real insight into relationships, and how quickly they can crumble, bringing about obsession, mistrust and dishonesty. Quite a depressing story, but one that keeps your attention.

I received this novel through netgalley and chose to read and review it.

I'm not usually a big fan of psychological thrillers but this one had me gripped from the beginning. Each chapter is spoken by a different character, which works well in taking the narrative forward as well as showing events from the different (but not always truthful) perspectives. A fast-paced story with plenty of twists and turns in a believeable domestic setting. I really didn't predict the outcome until the very end - by which time supper should long since have been in the oven!
Recommended. An impressive first novel. Looking forward to Ms Robson's next book.

The initial chapters allow you to get to know the 4 characters and their traits. As the story progresses you become more engaged by the story overlapping and told from the point of view of each person involved. Clever writing draws you in and keeps you engrossed as the story progresses until you are unable to put the book down. It was impossible to predict the ending with any certainty which kept me enthralled to the very end. Excellent book, well written and compelling reading. I will look for more from this author with anticipation. Brilliant debut publication, hopefully the first of many.

Super intense book about people who all need to stay the hell away from each other. Unreliable narrators abound. One star removed because of frustratingly unbelievable legal/police procedures. Highly recommended.

Wow! What a breathtaking read! Amanda Robson debut book Obsession stimulates the reader emotionally and mentally. It starts with Rob’s wife, Carly, asking him who he would pursue if he had the chance. It is crazy how this one simple question can ruin so many lives. Being a married woman, this book made me feel like I was experiencing my worst nightmare but I could not stop reading it. Every page left you wanting more. To me this book wasn’t a psychological thriller. It is more of a stunning erotica thriller, involving affairs between married couples and violence. It is also told from each character’s perspective; I thought that this was very intriguing, but also disturbing. All personal thoughts and actions were exposed to the reader. Throughout reading this book, I grew to hate the four main characters: Rob and Carly, Craig and Jenni. Both couples have history together as friends. They did everything together, including pregnancy, school, work, church, etc. One question, one night, one answer destroyed all the history that was built between them. It makes you second guess asking a question to your spouse if you can’t handle the answer. Carly made it her mission to destroy Jenni and Craig’s marriage by having an affair with Jenni’s husband, Craig before Jenni could have an affair with her husband Rob. Craig has an affair with Carly while his wife’s mother is dying. He later gets back with his wife, but proceeds to have an affair with another woman, Anastasia. Anastasia at the time was currently going through a divorce due to her spouse cheating on her. In my mind this does not make the relationship between her and Craig okay at all. Jenni, also known as “bitch whore” comes off as sweet and innocent, but later on turns out to be conniving, deceitful and destructive. She tries to seduce Rob and later poisons Carly. Carly has a mental breakdown and is hospitalized. Jenni attempts to fill in her role as Rob’s wife and the gospel’s (Matt, Mark, Luke, John) and Pippa’s mother. She moves away and ends up killing her husband and his mistress. She moves back after Carly convinces her to. Jenni later has a sexual encounter with Rob, although it seems like a rape but later evolves into an affair. Rob, on the other hand, leads the reader to believe that he would never be unfaithful to Carly. He ends up having an affair with Jenni and doubts his wife’s involvement in multiple murders, which later leads to her death. He was so blind to the obvious signs of mental illness, even with his profession being a doctor. There was never a dull moment between the four of them. This book also involves common life issues such as infidelity, sex, drug addiction, mental illness, and alcoholism. Obsession is very dark and has a wide variety of love and hate. The reader goes through all the ups and downs with each character just to be dropped off at the end. I thought there was hope when Carly was exonerated of all charges in court and that her and Rob was going to lead a happy marriage. The climax of events came to a sudden stop with Carly’s suicide. I felt that this ending was cliché and this book could have ended on a much more positive note. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who can handle a tumultuous series of events.

Amanda has certainly established herself as a top class author with a debut novel which keeps her readers riveted from the first exchange between two of her main characters. I read it in two days, totally obsessed with the twists in the storylines, the brilliant insights into the characters’ personalities, the creative structure whereby each chapter is told from another character’s perspective, and the in-depth understanding of how poison and evil can impact on a seemingly normal set of friends. I cannot wait for her next book. Well done Amanda,

Typical obsession story, and was able right away to figure who done it, why and how. I feel that there was a great deal of slow parts in the book and that I had to push myself to finish reading the book. I felt that this book was just okay but not a book that I would read again.

Amanda Robson's debut is a Greek tragedy for modern times - a steamy mix of paranoia, sex, human fallibility and the law of consequences. Carly asks her husband who he'd fancy if he wasn't with her - a dangerous question to ask, and even more dangerous to answer. But answer he does, and it sets four characters on a path to ruin that you can see as inevitable as you turn the final page, but is devilishly twisty-turny. All four viewpoints are unreliable as narrators - sometimes you see the same incident through different eyes and in different lights. There is some very bad stuff that you don't see coming. An exciting first novel. I picked my copy up at a literary festival.

The initial chapters allow you to get to know the 4 characters and their traits. As the story progresses you become more engaged by the story overlapping and told from the point of view of each person involved. Clever writing draws you in and keeps you engrossed as the story progresses until you are unable to put the book down. It was impossible to predict the ending with any certainty which kept me enthralled to the very end. Excellent book, well written and compelling reading. I will look for more from this author with anticipation. Brilliant debut publication, hopefully the first of many.