Really enjoyed Close To Me by Amanda Reynolds, wasn't sure what to expect this being a debut author but I certainly wasn't disappointed. To be fair Jo has every right to be upset after everything she's been through but Sasha has NO excuses! What a dreadful woman. What if you couldn't remember the last year of your life? And the people closest to you were lying about what really happened? Close to me delves into the dynamics of family and the resulting aftermath when things ultimately implode. Wife and mother Jo Harding ( Gladiator's Connie Nielsen) has to recover a year’s worth of missing memories in Channel 4’s Close To Me following a fall down the stairs that left her with nasty bruises, a grisly head wound and amnesia.

Close to Me | Stream free on Channel 4 - All 4 Watch Close to Me | Stream free on Channel 4 - All 4

This is novel about a dysfunctional family whose members don't love each other the way they should. We don't really know why or if they ever had a good relationship except for in their holiday pictures. We only know that they seemingly ignore this fact and they keep on interacting with each other until the situation becomes unbearable.I’m sorry to downmark, the authors writing is fine, but the storyline has been done so many times before and so much better. Close to Me is a British television psychological drama based on the book of the same name by Amanda Reynolds. It stars Connie Nielsen as a Danish translator who loses a year of her memory following a fall. Christopher Eccleston, Susan Lynch, Leanne Best, Rosy McEwen, Tom Taylor, and Ellie Haddington also star. The six-part series commenced on Channel 4 in November 2021, with all episodes made available for streaming concurrently. [1] Synopsis [ edit ] Rob denied pushing her, and then begged her not to leave him. He confessed that they had argued (and said some pretty awful things to each other) and that she had stumbled near the top of the stairs as she went to leave him but he had caught her, before she slipped out of his grasp. Jo realised he was lying to her – and that on that fateful night he had let go of her hand on purpose. Close to me is told in two parts, real-time and snippets of the past year, though it has a slow build this is not a bad thing as you get to understand Jo's life and how she is the person she is. You know those characters whose thoughts you don’t mind fishing around in? Well, I was kind of bored with Jo’s and didn’t really connect with her. Her thoughts were on a loop that I couldn’t wait to exit from and the conclusion was unsurprising.

Close To Me by Amanda Reynolds | Goodreads

Where is Close to Me filmed? Location guide to Channel 4 thriller". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021 . Retrieved 6 December 2021. Jo was relatable. She and her husband had been married for over twenty years, their kids had left home and started their own lives, and Jo and her husband were adjusting to their new lives. Jo started to suspect that things were not as perfect as she was led to believe, and she started to followup on her suspicions.

She is the author of further psychological suspense novels, Lying To You and The Hidden Wife. Amanda has a new psychological thriller titled The Assistant, publishing with Boldwood Books in 2023 and a further psychological thriller to follow.

Close to Me (TV series) - Wikipedia

I turn away from my husband, shifting my weight on to my side, as far from him as the bed will allow. The movement is instinctive, dulled by the fact I'm only half awake, in the place between reality and unreality."The story moves easily from past to present and it really worked as the reader gets to learn the events of the past year before Jo actually remembers it and this really adds to the momentum and tense atmosphere of the book overall. There were a few times where I felt that the story dragged out just a little bit, but overall it was a well-paced and riveting read. If you like psychological thrillers with plenty of creepy undertones, then you should definitely read CLOSE TO ME by Amanda Reynolds. Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. And why on earth can't she remember volunteering at a drop in centre with a lovely lady called Rose, whose messages she has found, and who seems extremely concerned about Jo.

Close to Me - Is the Channel 4 drama based on a book?

This is definitely more of a "diving inside the mind of the character" type mystery. It's a slow burning mystery/thriller and I felt that Reynolds did a good job pulling me along through the novel. What happened to Jo? I couldn't imagine not knowing what happened for a year of my life and having everyone around me feel foreign. I know that this won't be for everyone - if you're looking for a fast-paced thriller then this won't fit the bill. However, if you like the slow build of tension with a faster paced ending, then you'll have to grab this debut! This is a very addictive read. It isn’t as original as some of the books in it’s genre but the writing is fabulous - engaging and engrossing. Really looking forward to Amanda Reynolds’ next book! Our protagonist Jo has had a fall which means she is unable to recall the last year of her life - we follow along with her as her memories slowly return and reveal all is not well with her husband and family. Sunner, Amber (7 November 2021). "Where to look for the Close to Me filming locations". BristolLive . Retrieved 6 December 2021.

This is a story of lies, secrets, families and betrayals. The chapters alternate between before and after the fall. The characters are believable but mostly they are unlikable. The book is fast paced, tense and with just the right amount of drama. The twists and turns will keep your attention. The ending for me was not unexpected. All in, it's a really good debut novel.