He Said/She Said: A Novel

Erin Kelly

Jun 2017 · Sold by Minotaur Books

About this ebook

"A tour de force – a gripping, twisting, furiously clever read that asks all the right questions, and keeps you guessing until the very end. I loved it." — Ruth Ware

"Haunting. Mesmerizing. Unforgettable." — Gillian Flynn

In the summer of 1999, Kit and Laura travel to a festival in Cornwall to see a total eclipse of the sun. Kit is an eclipse chaser; Laura has never seen one before. Young and in love, they are certain this will be the first of many they’ll share.

But in the hushed moments after the shadow passes, Laura interrupts a man and a woman. She knows that she saw something terrible. The man denies it. It is her word against his.

The victim seems grateful. Months later, she turns up on their doorstep like a lonely stray. But as her gratitude takes a twisted turn, Laura begins to wonder—did she trust the wrong person?

15 years later, Kit and Laura married are living under new names and completely off the digital grid: no Facebook, only rudimentary cell phones, not in any directories. But as the truth catches up to them, they realize they can no longer keep the past in the past.

From Erin Kelly, queen of the killer twist, He Said/She Said is a gripping tale of the lies we tell to save ourselves, the truths we cannot admit, and how far we will go to make others believe our side of the story.

Ratings and reviews

I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a great thriller. More twists and turns than you can count. Keeps you guessing until the very end. And I do mean the last sentence. The very beginning was a tinny bit slow. I just didn't see how they were going to create a thriller out of it. They saved a lot until the last quarter of the book. As you get more details on the brutal attack you are forced to think about it from every angle and each persons perspective. Throughout the book you are trying to guess who is telling the truth and who might be exaggerating. You realize how hard it is to gather all the facts and be able to make a best decision in a trial. It was very enlightening and helps you realize things are not as black and white as we would like to think. The characters are very well developed. I don’t want to give any spoilers. There was only one part that I didn’t feel the actions of a character were well supported. It didn’t feel believable and it was a large part of the story. It did not deter from the book. One thing I didn’t like was the excessive use of British terms. Most readers won’t be bothered by this and it is appropriate because it fits with the setting and the characters. I wouldn’t say it is exactly like gone girl. But, it does have a Gone Girl ending. This would be a great book for a book club. There is plenty of material to discuss.

He Said/She Said has all the ingredients that are essential to me for an astonishingly spectacular psychological suspense novel that is sure to be one of my top reads for 2017. Filled with so many twists and turns and filled with tension, it gave me no choice but to hang on for dear life as I traversed the inner workings of this story. Not only was it intriguing and suspenseful, there was a moment that took me completely off guard and my jaw literally dropped from the sheer cleverness of this author’s writing talent. Highly addicting and absolutely riveting, this story consumed my every waking moment – needing to know the truth….who to really believe. Erin Kelly is a remarkably good storyteller and her talent shines through in this well-crafted novel. Guaranteed to keep you guessing throughout, this is one novel that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys psychological suspense stories. Check it out and let me know #WhoDoYouBelieve?

Great read with a nice twist.. I didn't really like Laura's character for some reason even though I knew everything that happened was beyond her control. The ending made me feel a little better about not liking her though. I coincidentally happened to be reading this the day of the eclipse! Made me view it in a different light, so to speak.

About the author

ERIN KELLY is the Sunday Times bestselling author of He Said/She Said, The Poison Tree and several other standalone psychological thrillers. She also wrote the novelization of the award-winning TV show Broadchurch. Her work has been critically acclaimed and translated into thirty-one languages. Erin also works as a freelance journalist and creative writing tutor. She lives in London with her family.