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Book length - 400 pages Publisher - Hachette Books Ireland Worldwide - www.bookdepository.com Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com I want to thank Elaine from Hachette Ireland for providing me with a copy of this book for review. ABOUT THIS BOOK Two very different families ... One is loud, eccentric, rich and confident. The other is less sure of their place in life. On holidays in Portugal, a near-drowning brings the ten-year-old daughters, Jamie and Sarah, together and a friendship is formed. As the bond between the girls grows deeper, so too do the ties between their families and an unsettling closeness develops between two of the adults. Then, as Jamie begins to feel suffocated by the intensity of Sarah's friendship, cracks begin to show. What will it take to shatter the façade of friendship? The affair? The obsessive crush? And which family will be left whole? The Outsider is the compelling and unforgettable story of the complexity of friendship, marriage, hidden passions and teenage desire. MY REVIEW I wasn't sure what to expect when I started THE OUTSIDERS by Emily Hourican and I'm delighted to say I was instantly gripped by this character-driven story of friendship, family, and intense relationships. On a holiday in Portugal, two young girls accidentally meet in the pool and their lives will become entwined in such a way that it will have ripple effects for years to come for everyone in their families. Sarah is shy and insecure, an only child, who is the complete opposite of Jamie who is boisterous and confident with three older brothers, but Sarah is over the moon to finally have a friend. Both girls and their families live in Dublin but while this holiday is a once-off for Sarah's parents where money is always tight, Jamie's wealthy family are always travelling and experiencing new things. Sarah's parents love her deeply but after trying so hard to have a child, they struggle with letting Sarah breathe and are always waiting for the sky to fall in on top of their family, while Jamie's parents are loud and laid-back, giving their children independence at every turn. They certainly make an unusual group but it works and when the families return to Ireland, the friendship continues, much to the delight of Sarah's parents who worry about her constantly. As the years and summers pass, the intense relationship that exists between the girls and their families ebbs and flows, with secrets and betrayals beginning to make their mark on all involved. And when the dynamic alters irrevocably will it mark the end of so much more than a friendship? Compelling, almost hypnotic in its storytelling, THE OUTSIDER by Emily Hourican was the first book that I have ever read by this author but it will certainly not be my last. This drama that centred on friendship and relationships really sucked me in from the very beginning and I could not put it down. There is a dark edge to this novel which I did not expect but which I certainly enjoyed and while the characters are all equally compelling, I would find it hard to say they were likeable which makes this story all the more relatable. With plenty to sink your teeth into, THE OUTSIDER by Emily Hourican is a haunting story about friendship, relationships, and the pressure to be something to everyone, and I highly recommend it. AUTHOR BIO Emily Hourican is a journalist and author. She has written features for the Sunday Independent for fifteen years, as well as Image magazine, Conde Nast Traveler and Woman and Home. She was also editor of The Dubliner Magazine. Emily's first book, a memoir titled How To (Really) Be A Mother was published in 2013. She is also the author of novels The Privileged, White Villa and The Blamed. She lives in Dublin with her family. For more information: Website - emilyhourican.com Twitter - twitter.com/EmilyH71
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WelcomeHi fellow bookworms. My name is Linda and I'm a reviewer & blogger, wife & mother who loves all things books! Currently ReadingUPCOMING BLOG TOURS
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