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leawise's review against another edition
5.0
So many twists and turns! If you want a book where you DONT guess what turn is coming up, read this one. Really kept me on my toes and I had to keep reading to see what happened next. This is my first by this author and I look forward to reading another, hopefully a new favorite author to add to my list!
brenda4346's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a gripping book. So many twists and turns you wouldn’t see coming.
sarahs_bookish_life's review against another edition
5.0
Wowzers!!
Tom Bale is an author who certainly likes to make an impact on his readers.
All Fall Down is yet another story by the author which starts off pretty much with a bang and has you engrossed from start to end. Rob and his family could be any of us. They are your normal and somewhat dysfunctional family, who after trying to help someone, put their lives at risk.
I had no clue where the author was going with the story line after such a dramatic start to the book. He well and truly had me grasping at straws as to what could possibly be going on which lead to being left quite shocked in certain places when it actually dawned on me what was actually happening.
The story really picks up pace when the family go on a planned holiday which was supposed to a relaxing time for all but ends up being anything but. Events start to get even more sinister and in parts made for some really uncomfortable reading yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the pages as I was dying to know what would happen next.
The family are quite a mixed up bunch of characters though the main ones that stand out are Rob and his wife Wendy and their adopted daughter, Georgia. Georgia had to be my favourite character as she is quite flawed yet I loved her underlying strength and her overall sense of family and belonging.
All Fall Down is a thriller that grabs you and drags you into it’s pages, not letting go until you’ve reached the very end. Hold on tight and enjoy the ride!
My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Tom Bale is an author who certainly likes to make an impact on his readers.
All Fall Down is yet another story by the author which starts off pretty much with a bang and has you engrossed from start to end. Rob and his family could be any of us. They are your normal and somewhat dysfunctional family, who after trying to help someone, put their lives at risk.
I had no clue where the author was going with the story line after such a dramatic start to the book. He well and truly had me grasping at straws as to what could possibly be going on which lead to being left quite shocked in certain places when it actually dawned on me what was actually happening.
The story really picks up pace when the family go on a planned holiday which was supposed to a relaxing time for all but ends up being anything but. Events start to get even more sinister and in parts made for some really uncomfortable reading yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the pages as I was dying to know what would happen next.
The family are quite a mixed up bunch of characters though the main ones that stand out are Rob and his wife Wendy and their adopted daughter, Georgia. Georgia had to be my favourite character as she is quite flawed yet I loved her underlying strength and her overall sense of family and belonging.
All Fall Down is a thriller that grabs you and drags you into it’s pages, not letting go until you’ve reached the very end. Hold on tight and enjoy the ride!
My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
bookdeviant's review against another edition
4.0
See more of my reviews on my blog the Book Deviant
I would like to thank the people at Bookouture for allowing me to have an ARC of this book via NetGalley.
It's hard for me to put my feelings down in text for this book, and for that, I don't know why. My feelings weren't over the top or disappointed-in fact, I was quite happy with how this book turned out. But, for some reason, I can't figure out just how to say what I need to say.
Plot twists and surprises GALORE
After about 50% in, that it. The beginning started fast, going from one thing to another and it was just so refreshing. In all my time trying to find good thriller/mystery novels, I usually end up finding them with such slow beginnings and even slower endings, with everything in the middle one huge lump of confusion.
In All Fall Down, it's different.
While it does slow down considerably in the middle (opposite of what I usually find), when it hits the 50% mark, you will not want to put this book down. One thing after another after another were revealed, each and every one of them seemingly coming from nowhere. And the best part? There were hints and foreshadowing all through out the beginning and middle-ish part, pointing towards what was happening. But everything I guessed ended up being wrong.
A real family with the full, not perfect, package
Meaning-the children bicker, the parents don't get along 100%, and there are arguments, fights, and disagreements. But in the end, they still loved each other, and that was what really made this book amazing.
No one was perfect-Rob had anger issues, Georgia was in the moody teenager faze, and Josh and Evan weren't all buddy-buddy just because they were twins.
This book felt so life-like, while at the same time making me feel "That can't happen. Oh, no, that cannot happen." The funny thing is that exact reasoning was debated within the book-the Turner's used that reasoning to comfort themselves.
4 and a half stars - Overall?
Overall, this is probably the best thriller novel I have ever read. Except for the really slow part between 25%-50%, I loved it. I found very few problems with it, except for one or two things that irked me. Normally, the addition of those things would have dropped it down to a full 4 star rating, but the ending was just phenomenal.
Would I Recommend?
I will most definitely be checking out more of Tom Bale's books after reading this one, and will be recommending it friends and family. If you are looking for a heart-stopping thriller, look no further.
I would like to thank the people at Bookouture for allowing me to have an ARC of this book via NetGalley.
It's hard for me to put my feelings down in text for this book, and for that, I don't know why. My feelings weren't over the top or disappointed-in fact, I was quite happy with how this book turned out. But, for some reason, I can't figure out just how to say what I need to say.
Plot twists and surprises GALORE
After about 50% in, that it. The beginning started fast, going from one thing to another and it was just so refreshing. In all my time trying to find good thriller/mystery novels, I usually end up finding them with such slow beginnings and even slower endings, with everything in the middle one huge lump of confusion.
In All Fall Down, it's different.
While it does slow down considerably in the middle (opposite of what I usually find), when it hits the 50% mark, you will not want to put this book down. One thing after another after another were revealed, each and every one of them seemingly coming from nowhere. And the best part? There were hints and foreshadowing all through out the beginning and middle-ish part, pointing towards what was happening. But everything I guessed ended up being wrong.
A real family with the full, not perfect, package
Meaning-the children bicker, the parents don't get along 100%, and there are arguments, fights, and disagreements. But in the end, they still loved each other, and that was what really made this book amazing.
No one was perfect-Rob had anger issues, Georgia was in the moody teenager faze, and Josh and Evan weren't all buddy-buddy just because they were twins.
This book felt so life-like, while at the same time making me feel "That can't happen. Oh, no, that cannot happen." The funny thing is that exact reasoning was debated within the book-the Turner's used that reasoning to comfort themselves.
4 and a half stars - Overall?
Overall, this is probably the best thriller novel I have ever read. Except for the really slow part between 25%-50%, I loved it. I found very few problems with it, except for one or two things that irked me. Normally, the addition of those things would have dropped it down to a full 4 star rating, but the ending was just phenomenal.
Would I Recommend?
I will most definitely be checking out more of Tom Bale's books after reading this one, and will be recommending it friends and family. If you are looking for a heart-stopping thriller, look no further.
labalkana's review against another edition
3.0
Ein hilfesuchender Mann, offensichtlich verletzt und verängstigt, platzt in das gemütliche Barbecue der Turners.
Als die Familie durch anonyme Briefe, unerwartete Begegnungen, seltsame Geräusche und Gerüche im Haus verunsichert wird, ist klar, dass irgendwas nicht stimmt.
Wendy ist schon lange nicht mehr glücklich und Rob befürchtet, dass Gläubiger seines Geschäftspartners nach dessen Unfalltod auf ihn zurückkommen. Beide wollen verhindern, dass die Geschichte ihrer adoptierten Tochter Georgia ans Licht kommt, die schon Schwierigkeiten mit zickigen Mitschülerinnen hat.
Im lang ersehnten Urlaub sollen alle mal abschalten aber es läuft ganz anders als gedacht. Denn Josh, der die Familie meidet ist verschwunden weil er sich selbst Feinde gemacht hat und Turners haben keine Ahnung, dass sie ins Visier der Brut geraten sind, die erzogen wird um gezielt zu zerstören.
Zu Beginn ist man direkt gefesselt und es kommen viele Fragen auf. Was verbirgt die Familie? Warum reagiert Rob so paranoid? Was ist Georgia passiert? Warum weigert sich Josh nach Hause zu kommen?
Dazwischen die Geschichte des Anführers, der seine Brut erzieht.
Dann wird es ruhiger. Man kann spüren, dass hier Einiges falsch läuft. In der Familie ist viel los, jeder hat seine Geheimnisse und Probleme und viele kleine Stränge entfalten sich gleichzeitig.
Und dann ist zu viel los, die Geschichte ist überladen von Konflikten und offenen Fragen. Durch das Überladene ist es dann zäh und verwirrend. Dann bestimmen Zufälle den Verlauf, was es unberechenbar macht, es wird dramatisch und wieder spannender aber unübersichtlich.
Während die Probleme der Familie schon authentisch dargestellt werden, konnte ich keinen nachvollziehen und keiner war mir sonderlich sympathisch. Die Brut, natürlich nicht sympathisch, ist interessant dargestellt und das kranke Spiel ist brutal und schockierend.
Das Ende überrascht definitiv und wirft nochmal ein ganz anderes Licht auf die Geschehnisse. Aber insgesamt ist alles zu viel und zu lang obwohl es mich weitgehend fesseln konnte.
Als die Familie durch anonyme Briefe, unerwartete Begegnungen, seltsame Geräusche und Gerüche im Haus verunsichert wird, ist klar, dass irgendwas nicht stimmt.
Wendy ist schon lange nicht mehr glücklich und Rob befürchtet, dass Gläubiger seines Geschäftspartners nach dessen Unfalltod auf ihn zurückkommen. Beide wollen verhindern, dass die Geschichte ihrer adoptierten Tochter Georgia ans Licht kommt, die schon Schwierigkeiten mit zickigen Mitschülerinnen hat.
Im lang ersehnten Urlaub sollen alle mal abschalten aber es läuft ganz anders als gedacht. Denn Josh, der die Familie meidet ist verschwunden weil er sich selbst Feinde gemacht hat und Turners haben keine Ahnung, dass sie ins Visier der Brut geraten sind, die erzogen wird um gezielt zu zerstören.
Zu Beginn ist man direkt gefesselt und es kommen viele Fragen auf. Was verbirgt die Familie? Warum reagiert Rob so paranoid? Was ist Georgia passiert? Warum weigert sich Josh nach Hause zu kommen?
Dazwischen die Geschichte des Anführers, der seine Brut erzieht.
Dann wird es ruhiger. Man kann spüren, dass hier Einiges falsch läuft. In der Familie ist viel los, jeder hat seine Geheimnisse und Probleme und viele kleine Stränge entfalten sich gleichzeitig.
Und dann ist zu viel los, die Geschichte ist überladen von Konflikten und offenen Fragen. Durch das Überladene ist es dann zäh und verwirrend. Dann bestimmen Zufälle den Verlauf, was es unberechenbar macht, es wird dramatisch und wieder spannender aber unübersichtlich.
Während die Probleme der Familie schon authentisch dargestellt werden, konnte ich keinen nachvollziehen und keiner war mir sonderlich sympathisch. Die Brut, natürlich nicht sympathisch, ist interessant dargestellt und das kranke Spiel ist brutal und schockierend.
Das Ende überrascht definitiv und wirft nochmal ein ganz anderes Licht auf die Geschehnisse. Aber insgesamt ist alles zu viel und zu lang obwohl es mich weitgehend fesseln konnte.
stealingpages's review
2.0
As far a thrillers go...I didn’t find this particularly thrilling.
The plot was thin, overly dramatic and had far too much going on to try and build a good story line and it all fell very flat.
It was so far fetched and completely unbelievable.
The characters were all unlikeable and very thin. You aren’t given any reason to like them for feel sympathy towards them.
Dramatic and abusive past of an adopted child who ends up being a horror.
The perfect son gone rouge and his twin brother.
Potential divorce of the parents which ends with a hoot resolution.
It done nothing for me.
The plot was thin, overly dramatic and had far too much going on to try and build a good story line and it all fell very flat.
It was so far fetched and completely unbelievable.
The characters were all unlikeable and very thin. You aren’t given any reason to like them for feel sympathy towards them.
Dramatic and abusive past of an adopted child who ends up being a horror.
The perfect son gone rouge and his twin brother.
Potential divorce of the parents which ends with a hoot resolution.
It done nothing for me.
rachyc85's review against another edition
4.0
After reading See How They Run I was very much looking forward to more from Tom. All Fall Down did not disappoint. Initially, for reasons unknown, I struggled to really connect with the novel. Eventually, however, the Turner family and their hidden pasts hooked me. Tom has a seemingly effortless ability to create an aura of fear and anticipation somewhat akin to Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn. All Fall Down is a gripping thriller and one to watch out for this year.
elvang's review against another edition
3.0
This novel begins innocently enough. A family is relaxing in their backyard, enjoying a barbequed meal together when they hear someone banging on their back gate. A man, beaten and near death falls into their yard setting off events which will impact everyone present and not in a good way.
The family in question appear to have many secrets. Rob has had troubles with his business partners leading to near bankruptcy and the need to secure some less than savory sources of capital to stay afloat. Wendy is dealing with her failing relationship with Rob and her challenging youngest daughter's rebellious nature. One son is off at college reluctant to spend any time with the family much less return text messages or phone calls. And now the police are asking questions and trying to understand why this total stranger would choose their yard to stagger into and die.
Suspense begins to build. Odd things are happening in their home like windows left open and things going missing. Some members of the Turner family think they may have someone watching them. Good thing they are all heading off to spend a week at their holiday home so they can leave this random event behind for a few days. Or can they?
I enjoyed this psychological thriller but it didn’t blow my mind or socks off. We learn some background about each family member and those who may be stalking them but not enough to care, especially Rob who comes across as weaker than his three kids when faced with adversity. When the book reaches its climax, the events are not as dramatic as I would have expected based on the buildup. Too neat and too convenient. Maybe I have a sadistic streak but I assumed some dues would be paid for past transgressions by the main players.
ARC received from Bookouture via NetGalley for review.
The family in question appear to have many secrets. Rob has had troubles with his business partners leading to near bankruptcy and the need to secure some less than savory sources of capital to stay afloat. Wendy is dealing with her failing relationship with Rob and her challenging youngest daughter's rebellious nature. One son is off at college reluctant to spend any time with the family much less return text messages or phone calls. And now the police are asking questions and trying to understand why this total stranger would choose their yard to stagger into and die.
Suspense begins to build. Odd things are happening in their home like windows left open and things going missing. Some members of the Turner family think they may have someone watching them. Good thing they are all heading off to spend a week at their holiday home so they can leave this random event behind for a few days. Or can they?
I enjoyed this psychological thriller but it didn’t blow my mind or socks off. We learn some background about each family member and those who may be stalking them but not enough to care, especially Rob who comes across as weaker than his three kids when faced with adversity. When the book reaches its climax, the events are not as dramatic as I would have expected based on the buildup. Too neat and too convenient. Maybe I have a sadistic streak but I assumed some dues would be paid for past transgressions by the main players.
ARC received from Bookouture via NetGalley for review.
itsallaboutthebooksuk's review against another edition
5.0
Tom Bale has gone and done it again, another breath taking story that had me totally gripped from page one.
How can an ordinary family barbeque end up so un ordinary? Well in All Fall Down we find out and its roller coaster of a ride. Mr Bale has a way of writing a story that feels so real, we have an ordinary family who have flaws and secrets and their life is turned completely upside down. Each character feels real, and well described and are easy to get to know quite quickly. Unlike See How They Run who were a family with a baby the Turners in All Fall Down have older children which gave this book a different pace.
Opening with a bang I found the story slowed down a bit and gradually built up keeping me intrigued and it really was a guessing game all the way through which I loved. I’d say the first half of the book we are getting to know the characters, a piecing together if you like and the second half is a close your eyes and hold on for your life kind of read.
I often wonder how an author will fair with a second book when the first is such a big success but Tom Bale has produced another cracker of a read. It’s suspenseful, realistic, breath taking and just blooming brilliant.
How can an ordinary family barbeque end up so un ordinary? Well in All Fall Down we find out and its roller coaster of a ride. Mr Bale has a way of writing a story that feels so real, we have an ordinary family who have flaws and secrets and their life is turned completely upside down. Each character feels real, and well described and are easy to get to know quite quickly. Unlike See How They Run who were a family with a baby the Turners in All Fall Down have older children which gave this book a different pace.
Opening with a bang I found the story slowed down a bit and gradually built up keeping me intrigued and it really was a guessing game all the way through which I loved. I’d say the first half of the book we are getting to know the characters, a piecing together if you like and the second half is a close your eyes and hold on for your life kind of read.
I often wonder how an author will fair with a second book when the first is such a big success but Tom Bale has produced another cracker of a read. It’s suspenseful, realistic, breath taking and just blooming brilliant.
bryonyreadsbooks's review
4.0
This book was so gripping. Honestly, the first half felt a little slow but at about a third of the way through, it started putting little mysterious moments into the story to help build up into the second half. As soon as you reached halfway BANG, everything went crazy. There wasn't one page where you could just relax. I felt on the edge of my seat all the way until the end.
The family were great and I enjoyed their individual developments and seeing the various personalities of them all. I also really liked the setting as it seemed tranquil and calm until everything happened.
The plot was fab and I think the author did a great job of executing it. I can't wait to read more of Tom Bale's books!
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The family were great and I enjoyed their individual developments and seeing the various personalities of them all. I also really liked the setting as it seemed tranquil and calm until everything happened.
The plot was fab and I think the author did a great job of executing it. I can't wait to read more of Tom Bale's books!
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.