#BookReview: Can You See Me? by Lee Lynne @LynneBarrettLee

Hi everyone, as well as a special announcement (see my reblog today for Story Empire), I have a great book review for you today. This one I picked up after a recommendation on someon’es blog late last year, but I can’t remember whose, lol. Anyway, I’m super-thrilled I followed this book up. Here’s my review >>>


About the Book:

Would you know if someone was watching you?

In the dark days since the sudden death of her surgeon husband, Julia’s main worry has always been Tash. Her student daughter was broken—she worshipped her father. But six months on, Julia thinks the light is returning. She is about to find out that she’s wrong.

When she saves the life of a boy who’s been hanging around her beach cottage, the questions start. All she has to go on is the butterfly tattoo on his wrist, but who is he? What was he doing there? And why was her late husband’s watch in his bag? Julia wants to believe it’s a casual theft, but an ominous arrival in the post confirms her suspicion that there is more to it than meets the eye.

As Tash remembers a string of strange incidents she had previously brushed off, Julia realises they are both being watched. Someone’s been toying with them, trying to frighten them, but why?

Determined to protect her daughter, Julia races to discover the boy’s identity. But what she doesn’t realise is that the truth is right in front of her. Will she see it before it’s too late?

And a bit more From the Editor …

Every now and then a character turns up in fiction who changes the game. Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. Lyra in His Dark Materials. Amy in Gone Girl. Eleven in Stranger Things. They fit themselves into your life, some demanding to be heard, others simply not going away.

This striking debut from Lynne Lee has one of those characters. As soon as I read the first “moth” chapter and encountered that deeply intelligent and viscerally angry voice, I knew.

Fortunately, Lynne has crafted a book that is big and brilliant enough to accommodate this unforgettable voice. Julia is our safe place—the tiger mother who discovers that she and her daughter are being watched. She will stop at nothing to protect her, but she also wants to understand. To see.

I don’t doubt that you will want to understand too—and I hope that, like me, you will feel your eyes have been opened to the borders of life just a little bit more by this dark and profoundly human tale.

My Review:

 

 

 

 

 

I loved this book. Lynne Lee is now one of my top authors of 2020, and I will be reading more of her books, which by the way, are written under the name Lynne Barrett-Lee. [Lynne Lee is a pen name.]

First up, one of my fave lines from the book: ‘… it hits me that our past is all so much debris clinging to the tideline; ..’

I connected with each and every character in this book. I could relate. They were all real and believable. The narrative hooked me and pulled me right in, much as a moth to a flame … and there are a lot of moths in this book, which made my skin crawl. But that was the whole point.

I guessed–tentatively–who the main agressor was by about the 60% area of the book, but I still couldn’t be a hundred percent sure until later on. And, then, of course, there was still a big shocker involved in that denouement. The author did such a skillful job, I even felt sorry for the antagonist as well as all the protagonists. And the MC felt real and sensible and didn’t do stupid things, even though a lot of the time she had no clue what was going on or why–she used her head and analytical skills.

I find myself not wanting to say too much more because I don’t want to put in any spoilers. All I can say is, Go Read This Book!

As you’ve probably guessed by now … Can You See Me? gets a resounding five stars from me.

***

 

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

 

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.

4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.

3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.

1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

 

If you’re interested … Amazon buy links … UK and US

please note, these are NOT affiliate links


©Harmony Kent 2020

14 Comments on “#BookReview: Can You See Me? by Lee Lynne @LynneBarrettLee

  1. This is a new author to me and your review definitely piqued my curiosity, Harmony!

  2. I love it when someone reads a book and then is so passionate about it. That’s how you know it’s a good one. Thanks for sharing.

  3. This book sounds very interesting, Harmony. Thanks for this review.

  4. This sounds like a book I would definitely be interested in reading. Adding it to my TBR list. Thanks for the review, Harmony!

    • I’ve added Lynn Lee to my must-read list. I’m sure this would be right up your street. Thanks, Joan 🙂