Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“She’ll be whoever she needs to be.”

I pretty much went into this book blind and I’m so glad I did! I love discovering incredible debut authors and their books, and this one is absolutely one you need to add to your TBR! And when you add it, you need to bump it up the list! A beautifully written, addictive thriller that you won’t want to put down. So happy to be sharing my review for The Artful Anna Harris by Tracy Maton!

About the book

When the vivacious Sofia Carstairs arrives in her sleepy country village, Anna knows her life will never be the same again. Her new best friend is carefree, elegant and intoxicating. Her life doesn’t revolve around church flower arrangements or Sunday lunches with the in-laws. Sofia reminds Anna of the person she used to be, before she worked so hard to fit in that she practically disappeared.

But is it enough to just be Sofia’s friend? Anna wonders what it would be like to be Sofia, if only for a little while. But once Anna starts pretending, she finds it easy to pretend the rules don’t apply to her. How far will Anna go to get what she wants? And what will she do to those who stand in her way?

The beginning

Excuuuse me, I did NOT expect such beautiful words when I started reading this! Wow. I do have to admit though that even though the writing was gorgeous, it took me longer than expected for me to properly get into this book. I don’t really know why because it’s been a while since I’ve read something so striking! After a few chapters in though, I really started to get into it. Anna Harris lives in a quiet village with her soon-to-be husband Ben, and the suffocating nature of his family. She’s a teaching assistant at a school and also helps out at the local church. When the mysterious Sofia Carstairs walks through those church doors one day, Anna befriends her instantly. Sofia is everything Anna is not. She fascinated me from the second she appeared on the page and I was as intoxicated by her just as much as Anna was. She was a carefree soul. Anna is desperate to be in her presence as much as possible. At first, it’s the female friendship we all want. But I soon realised something felt a little off with Anna. My curiosity was piqued early on. I knew things were about to get dark…

“I have let down my guard and Sofia has seen inside and knows me to be a limpet, attaching to the sturdiest rock, moving only when in sight of a safer home. Truly, I am nothing without someone to stick to.”

There was a pivotal moment where these characters clash. Sofia becomes distant, like she can see underneath Anna’s exterior, glimpsing inside her mind and seeing her obsessiveness. At times, it seemed Anna wanted to be Sofia. Have the life and the family she had. After a heated discussion, the pair go their separate ways, but Anna later discovers there’s been an incident that would change everything. It felt like such a shocking moment, but it also became the moment I was so desperate to learn more about Anna and the hints of her past. By this point, this book became that ‘one more chapter’ kind of book. There was always that intrigue that kept me reading. Now Sofia wouldn’t be around, the world needed someone charismatic, someone as elegant and as carefree as she was. So Anna decides to take her place. The book is inspired by The Talented Mr Ripley, and even though I’ve not read the book or seen the film, I know the gist of the story. This was so exciting to me and I loved the idea of Anna pretending to be someone she isn’t for her own personal gain.

The middle

Anna is self assured, confident. And this newfound confidence helps her get what she wants. She introduces herself as Sofia when she meets charming Mark. She says the things Sofia would say, acts as Sofia would, wears her clothes. And she finds herself going down the unexpected path of a whirlwind affair. She balances two relationships, a rather tame, mundane one with Ben, and a fun, adventurous one with Mark. And it was absolutely insane. The contrast and how she lives a double life was excellent and written brilliantly, even though it pretty uncomfortable watching it all play out. I was drawn into this new life of hers, fascinated by what she was doing and her reasons for doing so. At times, her secret was scarily close to being uncovered which had my stomach in knots. But did she even care if she was caught? There was something inside her that was the cause of all this, perhaps something that had happened in the past, or her upbringing that couldn’t have been as far from the one Sofia had. Her immoral actions made me anxious and my head was spinning!

“I don’t understand this feeling. I am Anna, living with Ben. I can’t simply step out of my skin and into Sofia’s. Or can I?”

Knowing a thing or two about lies and deceit, Anna discovers her secret lover is just as much of a liar as she is. There were so many layers to all this and it was all very cleverly put together. How Anna starts her own investigations into the real Mark (was that even his real name?) had me completely hooked. The author’s writing continued to be as beautiful as it was witty and it all felt incredibly engaging. It was so easy to lose track of time with the short chapters, too! Anna’s detective work leads her to new characters that I absolutely adored, especially Jan, and elderly woman who is connected to Mark. The truth about this connection not only made my blood boil, but it also sets Anna’s alarm bells ringing. But things get worse. After Anna decides she never wants to see him again, he starts to learn more about who she is and what she’s been lying about. He learns her real name. He knows she has Ben. He knows where she lives. There are many tense moments where it seems he may appear at any time and spill their secrets to Ben, his family or her friends. So anxiety-inducing!

The end

A plan begins to develop in Anna’s mind, a way to get herself out of this mess, a way to ensure Mark never bothers her again, never interferes in her life going forward. She feels vulnerable in his presence. At any moment, he could turn. I wasn’t sure what he’d be capable of… I wasn’t even sure what Anna was capable of, but my god I was desperate to find out! I held my breath in places, the author perfectly building up tension. It was suspense-filled and uncertain. It all had to end one way or another, and I genuinely couldn’t fathom out which way it would go and how Anna’s problems would be solved. There was a wonderful sense of urgency and I began speed-reading to the end, the kind of reading where you are so immersed and nothing else matters. There are some real nail-biting moments and I continued to love where all this was going. We finally get some more detail about Anna’s past here which I was really looking forward to, but I found this detail a little sparse. I wish there would have been more to explore, but what we do discover is pretty shocking and explains a lot.

“If I were a complete idiot, I might consider a little outing to see her in the flesh. Only, that is, if I were a complete idiot.”

I’ll admit, I really felt like I needed more from that ending. I seemed to be holding on for that big twist, something to catch me unawares but it never came, and it all seemed to wrap up a little too nicely. However, part of me did appreciate the simplicity of it, how it did reveal some important information and how we do get some closure. But with the strength of the rest of the book… I don’t know. I just had bigger expectations, I guess! But aside from that, this book was brilliant, written beautifully and was really engaging for the most part. One of those books you think about long after finishing, one that really stays with you. I really love reading a debut like this, how you just know that whatever comes next from the author will be just as good. If you like a thriller, but need something a little different, or even if you like literary fiction, I think this has a bit of both. It’s quite hard to place this in a single genre category, but whatever it is, I think it’s a must read for so many of you! Very excited to read whatever comes next from Tracy in the future!

Overall thoughts

The Artful Anna Harris is a brilliant debut, a clever, witty, anxiety-filled whirlwind of a book that I couldn’t get enough of. I felt so on edge through 80% of it and there was so much unpredictability that it was difficult to put down at times. We meet Anna, a teaching assistant and church-helper, partner to kind, attentive Ben, an all-round good member of the community. But when Sofia walks through those church doors one day, Anna’s whole world shifts. She reminds her of who she used to be, before she worked so hard to fit in. She loves Sofia so much that she becomes her friend. So much that she wants to be her. So much so that eventually, she does exactly that.

Lies, deceit and secrets swirl around such an engaging storyline, and things escalate to the point where Anna’s whole life could come crashing down if she took one wrong step. The tension and unease I felt as she leads a double life, reinvents herself and discovers that she’s not the only one who is a good liar, really sucked me in. Even though Anna wasn’t a likeable character by normal standards, I couldn’t help but be fascinated by her and her flaws, as well as everything she was doing. It’s deep, compelling and so incredibly addictive, especially the second half. The book is inspired by The Talented Mr Ripley, so if you love the idea of a modern twist on the classic, you will love this! A brand new author on my radar and I am very excited for whatever comes next from her!

Huge thanks to the author, Tracy Maton, and the wonderful team at Viper Books for my proof copy! You can order your copy of The Artful Anna Harris right now on Amazon or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following the author over on Instagram for more updates!

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