What She Left Behind

Name: What She Left Behind
Brand: Hachette UK
Availability: InStock
Author: Emily Freud
ISBN: 9781529423624

Author: Emily Freud

Narrator: Sofia Zervudachi

Unabridged: 12 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Quercus

Published: 05/12/2022

Categories: Fiction, Suspense & Thriller, Psychological

Synopsis

'Tense, creepy and utterly chilling' Charlotte Duckworth

'Sly, tense and heartbreaking' L V Matthews

Lauren can't believe she's escaped her old life in London for a new start with her partner, Paul, and his two young children. Haunted by her past, Lauren knows how lucky she is: a dream home, a ready-made family. And she also knows how much she could lose.

But as Lauren struggles to adjust to motherhood, her fears grow. She'll never live up to the ghost of Paul's perfect wife, or help him forget his grief over her tragic death. And as village rumours begin to swirl about their house in the woods, Lauren feels ever more isolated - despite Paul's reassurances. She wants to trust Paul - she owes him everything - but how can she, when she can barely trust herself?

PRAISE FOR EMILY FREUD

'An emotional page-turner' WOMAN'S WEEKLY

'Insightful, nuanced, authentic' IRISH INDEPENDENT

'Moving and compelling' CHARLOTTE PHILBY

'A stunning debut' CATHERINE COOPER

(P)2022 Quercus Editions Limited

About Emily Freud

Emily Freud is the author of My Best Friend's Secret, What She Left Behind and Her Last Summer. She has worked on Emmy and BAFTA award winning television series including Educating Yorkshire and First Dates. Emily lives in North London, with her husband and two children. Her latest novel, The Cliffhanger, publishes in 2025.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Pat on August 18, 2022

It took me a little while to get into this book but then it got really good. Lauren was recovering from a terrible accident. While her body had largely healed she was still suffering from amnesia and mental trauma. Psychotherapist Paul Bloom starts to work intensively with Lauren to heal her fractur......more

Goodreads review by Ceecee on April 02, 2022

3.5 rounded up. Paul and Lauren, along with Paul’s young children Margot and Jesse are moving to the countryside. They’ve not known each other long, in fact less than a year and Lauren is tingling with happiness and anticipation at the new beginning in the impressive architect designed house, deep i......more

Goodreads review by this_cat_lady_reads on July 10, 2022

Thank you NetGalley, Quercus Books and Emily Freud for letting me read “What She Left Behind” in exchange for an honest review. “He gave her everything. But can she trust him?” 4,5 ⭐️ A woman standing on the second floor of a darkly lit building. Outside? Inside? I can’t really tell. What I like is th......more

Goodreads review by Kristine on June 09, 2022

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and finished it within a day. The book is set in a glass house in the remote English countryside, with an odd couple with coercive control and two kids in the middle. Count me in! The plot of the thriller is interesting, kept me engaged and I really enjoyed getting to......more

Goodreads review by Amanda on September 17, 2023

Paul and Lauren, along with Paul's young children Margo three and Jesse four are moving to the countryside. They have only known each other for a year and Lauren is excited to start a new life in an impressive architect designed house. Lauren had been involved in an accident, she was referred to psy......more

Quotes

With all the ingredients needed to be turned into a cracking ITV thriller, get ready for a creepy, twisty ride Heat

What She Left Behind is a masterpiece in the suspense thriller genre. Sly, tense, and heartbreaking in equal measure. I absolutely loved it L V Matthews

Dark and menacing, What She Left Behind is a pacy, accomplished thriller that kept me reading on as the tension built with every page, until I had devoured it in a single sitting - never guessing the final twist Charlotte Philby

[A] nerve-jangling thriller Peterborough Telegraph

Emily Freud's What She Left Behind is a twisting evocative story which I devoured in just a few sittings. Brilliantly written and with a chilling isolated setting - I loved it! Lia Middleton

Unsettling and unputdownable - I whizzed through this Harriet Walker

I raced through this compelling novel in just two days. Tense, creepy and utterly chilling. What She Left Behind is easily the best thriller I've read this year. It's a proper page turner. So creepy and clever Charlotte Duckworth

Set against the backdrop of a 'normal' life, this story simmers with foreboding and menace. The build-up to the ending is perfectly paced and executed. A highly recommended read for lovers of dark domestic noir thrillers. 5 stars from me J. A. Corrigan

What She Left Behind is the perfect domestic thriller, truly gripping and shimmering with a dark undertone. My heart was in my mouth as I raced to the end. Mind-blowing and utterly compelling Vikki Patis

A claustrophobic and very clever domestic noir thriller with a great sense of setting, believable characters and an excellent twist - I raced through this Catherine Cooper