A jumbled mess
Holly has always wanted to be a spy and even got to interview with the MI5, years after rejection she finds herself having to use her old skills on someone she thought she could trust...
I really enjoy thrillers that jump between timelines to slowly reveal information to the reader as you go along. That along with a fascination of spies and I thought I Spy would be the perfect thriller for me. Unfortunately, jumping between past and present only really works if you know what's going on in one of the timelines and additional, important information is then revealed in the other one. I Spy gets rid of that convention by making both timelines confusing and vague which means you can't properly get invested in the plot or characters. I must admit after finishing the book although I feel like I got a good impression of Helen/Holly's abusive marriage to Zac, I didn't understand any of the actual spy plotline, why anyone was interested in her or her husband, what they were trying to achieve or ultimately the outcome of the events that unfolded. The story should have been straight forward but just ended up jumbled and confused from the start with a convoluted ending which felt unrealistic without proper resolution.
It didn't help that in telling the story in garbled timelines and long flashbacks I never actually felt like we got to know the main character. Although some of the domestic abuse parts of the book I found difficult to read I never really felt sympathy for Helen/Holly and I felt like I never got to know or like any of the other characters introduced either. I must admit I felt like I was just ploughing through it in the end to get it finished without enjoying it or really understanding what was going on.
Overall I Spy has a jumbled mess of a plot without strong or interesting characters to hold interest - this read wasn't for me I'm afraid. Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins UK - Harper Fictions for a chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
