Thank you so much to team BKMRK for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review (ad-gifted).
Goodreads Synopsis
Nora O’Malley’s been a lot of girls. As the daughter of a con-artist who targets criminal men, she grew up as her mother’s protégé. But when mom fell for the mark instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con: escape.
For five years Nora’s been playing at normal. But she needs to dust off the skills she ditched because she has three problems:
#1: Her ex walked in on her with her girlfriend. Even though they’re all friends, Wes didn’t know about her and Iris.
#2: The morning after Wes finds them kissing, they all have to meet to deposit the fundraiser money they raised at the bank. It’s a nightmare that goes from awkward to deadly, because:
#3: Right after they enter bank, two guys start robbing it.
The bank robbers may be trouble, but Nora’s something else entirely. They have no idea who they’re really holding hostage…
Review
Before I start please be aware that this book has trigger warnings which you can read about here on Tess Sharpe's website
This was the easiest five stars I have ever given a book! Honestly this book was just perfect and everything I wanted it to be! This book just flowed smoothly and I loved seeing into Nora's life. I'm a sucker for a morally grey, badass character with an interesting back story that has you needing more and that is exactly what Nora is.
Nora is doing everything she can to live a normal life and recover from the traumatic childhood she had, including the multiple personalities her mother forced upon her. Not only is she such a brave and fierce character, she's also a young woman struggling with everyday things such as love and friendship. She doesn't trust easily thanks to her past and she's finally found people who truly care about her but she's scared to lose them by telling them the truth and placing her trust in them.
Tess Sharpe has touched on important and difficult topics throughout this book but has done is so respectfully and sensitively. She has not covered up anything, including the dark and gritty which I think makes this book more intense and gripping. Told in both the present and the past I was scared that I was going to get confused but it never came. Instead I fully embraced this switch between the two as it helped developed Nora's character and helped explain her actions.
Honestly, I could go on about this book for hours because I loved it so much. I loved the characters, the premise and Tess Sharpe's storytelling! I really recommend picking this one up if you love mystery/thrillers full of twists and turns! I cannot wait to read more of Sharp's work!
Rating: 5/5 stars