Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“How far would you go to correct your worst mistake?”

Where the hell has this author been all my life?! I think I could go on all day about how utterly brilliant this book is and it really does give an exceptional reading experience. The plot explores everything from guilt, obsessiveness and a deep desire for revenge as well as a beautiful, complicated and somewhat unhealthy friendship between two opposites. It just works! I’m honoured to be taking part in the blog tour for this perfect book – make sure you check out the reviews from all these other brilliant book bloggers!

When Chloe goes to university and meets wild, carefree Zadie, she is utterly seduced by her and her lifestyle. It doesn’t take long for Chloe to ditch her studies in favour of all-night parties at Zadie’s huge house off campus.

But when something goes badly wrong one night and Zadie disappears in the aftermath, Chloe knows she should have done more to help her friend. It’s something she’ll always regret.

Fifteen years later, Chloe finally gets the chance to make it right. But in order to do so, she’ll have to put everything at stake…

The beginning

I knew I was going to love this book as soon as I got a few pages in. The mystery and the feeling that something much deeper than we know is going on just radiated through each paragraph – I absolutely LOVED how much we’re kept guessing! The characters we meet at the start, Chloe and Rav, were some of the most relatable characters I’ve known and I knew there was so much more for us to learn about Chloe in particular. The way she acts when an old friend of Rav’s, Max, is mentioned set those alarm bells ringing, and the mention of Zadie really piqued my curiosity. The author makes us desperate to find out more about these characters and the opening to the story was flawless. The author’s tone was a little lighter than I’d expect for a suspense/thriller, but I knew this would just add to the experience. There was definitely something unique about the author’s approach in this book, and I loved every single word.

I found Zadie such a fascinating character; she had confidence that was almost contagious and she’d quite obviously made an impact on Chloe too. I knew their unusual first meeting would be the start of a beautiful friendship, and potentially an unforgettable adventure. We learn Zadie and Max are in a relationship, which made me think back to earlier in the book where we learn of Chloe’s views on him in the present. I couldn’t help but think of the reasons why she might begin to dislike him after a while, but I knew this would be explained later down the line. We’re kept guessing a lot which I loved, and everything seemed to unravel at such a perfect pace. There seemed to be something pulling me into the story and I was already sold on the book only a few chapters in. Everything from the tone, the characters’ personalities and the start of the book’s plot was simply perfect to me.

“Chloe felt herself burn with an anger she had spent fifteen years trying to extinguish. He really thought he had got away with it.”

Swapping between then and now was a really nice angle to take and it seemed to complement the book so well. I enjoyed flicking between the past and present, but readers are still left wondering what on earth happened to Zadie. We get the impression she just disappears, and as the book is set both before this event and after, we’re still waiting for that moment where each piece of the puzzle fits into place! With Chloe and Rav on their way for dinner with Max, I was hoping we’d soon get a bit more information about what happened to Zadie and just why Chloe seems to have something against him. Could he have done something to her that could never be forgiven? The author had stumped me with this plot and I had no idea which direction it would go, but I was so so excited to find out more. The more I read, the more I loved the author’s work!

My stomach lurched as we get the tiniest clue about what happened to Zadie, and I could just tell I’d have a couple of late nights reading this book! The addictive quality in the author’s words make the book difficult to put down, especially when the cliff hangers started at the end of different chapters. We don’t know too much about Zadie at this point in the book, but I felt surprisingly attached to her and quite sad about what Chloe seemed to have gone through for years after her disappearance. Max was also beginning to make me suspicious – how exactly had he played a part in what happened fifteen years ago? I was very pleasantly surprised to see more chapters from Zadie’s perspective and my eagerness for answers just escalated off the scale. The author had literally written everything right and even so early on in the book, I was sold completely. I knew the rest of the book would be just as thrilling!

The middle

I didn’t think it was possible, but I very quickly became even more immersed in the story as we’re taken back to one of Chloe and Zadie’s first big conversations. Zadie and Max had had a fight, and it was so interesting learning more of their relationship and more about their lives that we didn’t know before. Chloe’s feelings for Zadie are so deep, so complex, that I was fascinated by every word – Chloe loved Zadie’s attention when they were room mates, but she was also craving the attention from Rav. I thought this part of the book fully enables us to connect with Chloe’s character as well as Chloe and Zadie’s friendship, and the author has written this so beautifully. It isn’t long before we’re back in the present, and Max was well and truly at the top of my list for the reason Zadie disappeared. He became repulsive and I felt sickened by some of his actions and the things he was saying. The author easily forces you to hate this guy – was he hiding something?

Reading the book from Chloe and Zadie’s perspectives made me realise that each one kind of craved a life that the other had, even if they didn’t mention it; one rich and living a life of luxury, and the other normal and free from certain rules. There was something in the back of my mind that made me think Zadie was not being 100% truthful with Chloe, and after certain comments from Max, this just made me more and more concerned. As we travel back to the now, there’s progress on the search for Zadie that made me feel so much emotion, that made my stomach feel tighter. Something that had me racing through the book for answers! Still, it was difficult to know the outcome of the book which I appreciated, and I was more than happy for the author to keep this up – the mystery and suspense was crafted perfectly, with nothing out of place. I was constantly in awe of everything I read.

“Don’t listen to Zadie too much. The thing you need to remember about her is that she really doesn’t like sharing her toys.”

I was so impressed with the development of each character and how my opinions of them were forced to alter slightly as we get deeper into the book. I questioned motives, felt emotional in certain scenes and even conjured up some theories of my own with everything I’d learnt up to this point. With present day Chloe having a plan so unexpected to put things right, I felt like I needed to tell her to be careful or to not go down a path she was obviously choosing. It’s easy to put yourself into Chloe’s shoes, and it almost felt as though we were thinking Chloe’s thoughts as our own at times. I could feel the story was about to get darker the more information we unravel and I was still as excited as I felt in the very beginning of the book! Was Chloe as innocent as we first thought, or was she willing to do absolutely anything to put things right on her terms?

It was at this point in the story where I was completely gob smacked – Chloe means business and she was going to seek justice by any means necessary. The present and past intertwine in such a clever way, portraying feelings of guilt on Chloe’s part, a sense of betrayal due to the information Zadie keeps from Chloe and the increasing feelings of anger and frustration towards Max. Would Chloe risk going to extreme lengths to bring him down for what he apparently did, even though, as a reader, we aren’t quite sure what this is right now? I still felt as though there was a lot to discover about Zadie and I loved how deep the story had become – layers and layers made up the plot so well that it was pretty overwhelming at times (but in such a good, unforgettable way!) I was dying to see how this story ended and just how Chloe will approach a number of things.

The end

We hear a lot about how Max’s birthday was the day everything changed, but we’d not yet visited this scene in the book. When it got closer, I became more excited for what we were going to discover, and I knew we’d soon get the answers I’d craved for so long. Chloe also finds herself needing revenge, and the author seemed to have pulled out all the stops to make this such a gripping and crazily good ending! I felt myself reading faster and faster than I had in a long time, but at the same time, I felt desperate to savour each moment and enjoy it to the fullest. I became worried for the characters I’d grown to love and admire, but I was also aware that the whole situation needed settling once and for all. The ending started out brilliantly, gripping me to the core and making it impossible to tear my eyes away from the pages.

Max’s 21st birthday party involved some compelling scenes, some of my absolute favourite in the whole book. We learn so much about the real Zadie and just how much she was struggling underneath all that confidence and lively personality – it really was saddening to read, but this just made the whole book so much more powerful and impactful to me. We also finally find out more information about that moment where everything changed, and just why present day Chloe was so desperate to get justice. As much as I was shocked at Chloe’s accusations I found myself siding with her, and I hoped her plans for revenge would bring the right person down for what he did. Saddening, frightening and just completely captivating, I knew the ending of the book wouldn’t let us down and I just knew I’d be desperate for more once I finished the book!

“I know it wasn’t your fault. I know it was him. I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive him.”

Oh my GOD what did I just read?! The twist of all twists is revealed and I did not know what to do with myself! I just sat in silence for a good two minutes simply trying to process everything I’d just read, wondering what this meant for Chloe. I couldn’t bear to see how she acted and my opinions of characters instantly changed. The story turns so dark and unexpected, and it was really quite emotional seeing Chloe pick up all the pieces. There was so much pain and suffering and comparing this part of the book with the start was just mind-blowing – things had developed so much and the author has written this so well. It seemed the final few chapters would be unexpected and perhaps not the happy ending I’d usually want in the book, but then again, anything was possible here! I couldn’t wait to see how the author ended things.

The ending of the story made me think an awful lot, not just about the outcome of the characters in this story, but of life in general. Trying to apply different characters’ feelings to your own life was easy thanks to the author’s incredible talent for writing, but it was so emotional doing so. I was grateful we learnt a few more details about Zadie and the fifteen years that had passed, but afterwards, I found my eyes were filled with tears. The ending of the book was perfect in my opinion, saddening, but just right for the story, with one final twist that I couldn’t tell was a positive or negative for Chloe! A glowing five star read that I cant wait to read again. (I bought the paperback about halfway through so it will always take pride of place on my book shelf!)

Overall thoughts

Hands down, this is one of my favourite books in recent years – there is no doubt about it! Reid is one of the best writers of suspense and tension building that I’ve come across, and I couldn’t tear myself away from this book. The characters are fantastic and their lives are so complex that learning each detail is mesmerising. The plot gets deep and intense, so if you like a book that will keep you thinking and guessing constantly, this is the perfect one for you. This one has still got me thinking and would 100% recommend to lovers of suspense, thriller and even coming of age romance. I honestly can’t wait to read this one for a second time, it’s absolutely phenomenal.

A huge thank you to the author of the book, Rebecca Reid, and Emma at Damp Pebbles for a copy of the book and my place on the blog tour! You can buy your own copy of Two Wrongs over on Amazon now, available on Kindle and in paperback. Make sure you follow the author over on Twitter and Instagram for more updates!

Looking for book reviews?

If you’re in need of reviews for your own book, do get in touch to get on my submissions list! All the information you need is on my book reviews page.