Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“She had everything. Until he took it away.”

This book has been marketed as a ‘messed up thriller’ and I can confirm it definitely lives up to that statement! I was so excited for this book as soon as I first heard about it, and it really didn’t disappoint. It goes much deeper than you’d maybe expect, it’s written so incredibly well and the character development is absolute *chef’s kiss* I’m so happy to be sharing my review of Cuckoo ahead of its paperback release next week!

About the book

When Claire surprises her fiancé, Noah, at work for their anniversary, she’s the one who ends up being shocked to her core …

Because Noah left the company nine months ago, and she had no idea. How can she not have known?

Now he isn’t answering her calls. He won’t respond to her messages. He’s disappeared.

As Claire desperately tries to find her fiancé, her world begins to shatter as the truth about who Noah really is starts to emerge.

And things are about to spiral dangerously out of control . . .

The beginning

Claire and Noah are in the honeymoon stage of their relationship; they’re celebrating their first anniversary together, a time where things should be exciting and fresh and romantic. But when Claire decides to surprise her fiancé at work with his favourite lunch, she’s shocked to find he’s not there. In fact, he hasn’t worked at the company for nine months. Where the hell is he?! The opening to this book had all my bad guy senses tingling and I was intrigued. My instinct was to suspect Noah. Why was he lying to her? I liked the conversational tone of the book straight away and found it really easy to read and get lost in. I can’t say I liked Claire very much though. She seemed almost immature, like a teenager would act around her first crush. If I was Noah, I’d probably get a bit fed up of her too (joking, of course – or am I?) I loved how we hear from Claire in not only the normal chapter format, but also in the form of diary entries from (mostly) one year previously. We get to know how the pair met (which was cute, ngl) and there are hints about something which happened in that same week. Was there more to Claire than what’s on the surface?

“My heart is hammering in my chest and my fists are clenched, but it’s not from anger anymore. It’s determination. I am going to get to the bottom of this. I am going to get my fiancé back.”

I loved the variety of characters we meet. Aside from Claire and Noah, we’re taken back to Claire’s memories about her mother, someone who seemed cruel, strict and unsupportive as she was growing up, talking down to her, bringing random men home, excessive drinking. She wasn’t the best role model for Claire, and I couldn’t help thinking about how this upbringing had shaped her personality as an adult. There’s also Sukhi, Claire’s friend from work who seemed just the right amount of crazy. I loved her! She’s the perfect social media stalker, trying to find out all she can about Noah’s life, the things he’s keeping from Claire. She’s also her protector when they finally track him down and confront him… At this point, I think I could see where things were heading. It seemed very clear to me early on, but were my suspicions correct? Even if they were, I was really excited for how the author would use this to shape the story. I was completely flying through chapters and it was just a really good, easy read for me so far. I always looked forward to picking up the book every day!

The middle

After a while, Claire seemed to be developing an obsession with finding out Noah’s truths, what he’d been hiding from her, his ‘other’ life. I just loved this development in her character! Claire can’t stop herself from staring at his social media updates, following every part of his life, finding out where he’s living, who this mysterious blonde is that he’s photographed with. I loved how my thoughts about Claire continued to change over time. She was turning into a stalker almost, and I developed a weird liking for this side of her. We love a flawed, slightly crazed character, don’t we?! She seemed to be slowly morphing into a version of her mother which I was completely in love with. I became so invested in her character, and I never knew how she’d act. She became the definition of unpredictable! Claire’s relationship with her mother continues to be explored in such a brilliant way. The way Claire was treated by her, even when she moved into her own place, had me disgusted. But deep down, there was love there. It was a very complex relationship written incredibly well.

“Strangely, and for the first time in a long time, I feel nothing at all. Does this make me a monster or is it how shock works?”

The pacing was so brilliant, especially as the faster pace seemed to coincide with Claire completely losing it. The second half of the book was quickly turning into a complete and utter shit show for these characters. Claire’s temper escalates in the worst possible scenario. Things get juicy. Things get dangerous and out of control. And just when we’re on the cusp of discovering the truth, shit hits the fan. I loved how dark things got and how I could never really predict Claire’s next move. But at the same time, I was really rooting for her. It was quite a strange experience! 😂 Part two of the book had a completely different feel to that first half, set 8 months after *that accident*. Prison. A trial. Could she really be put away for years for something like this? The whole courtroom experience was fantastic, and as different characters are brought into the mix to give more information to the jury about the sort of person Claire was, I had a feeling we were about to learn some things about our main character that we didn’t expect… I was so ready for what was to come and I could not stop reading!

The end

I was desperate to hear from Noah, as I felt this would really make us understand what had been going on over the past year, what the truth about their relationship was. What lies were being told or what information was being kept from us. I continued to love how characters were brought into the courtroom to have their say, even characters I didn’t even give a second thought to as I was reading part one (I’m mainly talking about you, elderly neighbour!) But the character I really wanted to hear from in the witness box was Madeline Choi, a woman who – it seemed – was yet another person linked to Noah. I loved the different layers, how everything wasn’t as it seemed for Claire for so long. The book was so bloody addictive here! My mind seemed like it was thinking up every possible reason for Noah’s lies, but I was still sticking to my guns though – and my predictions from the start ended up being right! Despite the twist not being much of a surprise, the way the author has written it all was really great. Sometimes, it makes all the difference!

“And then the painful realisation hits me; Maggie will leave court today and forget about me, perhaps occasionally bringing me up as a piece of dinner-party entertainment, an anecdote to laugh at. The thought that I am worth nothing more than that makes me feel hollow inside.”

I began to feel such a strong sense of sympathy for Claire and her life. Her situation. What the future has in store for her. And I’m so glad we explore things a little after the trial has ended! The denial, the lies and the truth was intertwined so brilliantly, and when the epilogue came, it felt so impactful, forcing us to think of what could happen beyond the book. The author has taken such a brilliant concept and although it wasn’t a surprising twist for me, she’s written it in the most flawless of ways. The ending chapters cover quite serious, sensitive topics which become such an important part of the plot, but the author tackles it in a brilliant way that’s really thought-provoking, especially in the final couple of pages. This is another one of those books you can’t help but think about for days and days. It is surprisingly emotion-filled at times, especially when revisiting Claire’s childhood and experiences. Such a powerful read! If you love a psychological thriller, get this on your TBR immediately. If you’re not a thriller reader usually, I still think you’d really enjoy the ride!

Overall thoughts

Cuckoo is a clever, twisted and complex novel that will take you on one hell of a journey! It’s brilliantly layered, with some of the best character development I’ve read and a storyline you’ll instantly sink into. The book explores a deep obsession, a love so strong and a dark, somewhat haunting truth hidden beneath the lies and deceit. I did guess the twist pretty early (maybe I’ve just read too many thrillers by this point 😅) but I didn’t even care – it’s so deeply explored and you’ll be constantly questioning who the unreliable characters are. A brilliant example of an addictive psychological thriller, and I guarantee you won’t be able to put it down before that glorious epilogue. Intense, brilliantly paced and completely thrilling. Let me know if you plan to read this!

Huge thanks to the author, Callie Kazumi, the lovely Rachel Quin and the team at Cornerstone for my proof copy and extra goodies! The eBook of Cuckoo is out right now, with the paperback releasing on the 13th March, available to pre-order on Amazon or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following Callie over on Instagram, Bluesky and X/Twitter for more updates!

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