I have so much to say about this book, but I do not want to spoil it with any spoilers. This is one of those stories that you will want to discuss, so I suggest you get a couple of friends to read this with you. Believe me, this one will need to be discussed once you are done. I cannot wait to sit down and have a heart to heart with a girlfriend about this book.

Have you ever felt like you are losing touch with reality? Nearest Thing To Crazy looks at what it would be like if you cannot trust your memories and you are at a loss for who to trust. Are you losing your mind? This book takes you into the world of a woman on the brink of losing her mind and leaves you as confused and insecure as she is.

The author tells her story in a conversational style while also introducing the perspectives of Cassandra and Ellie. As a result, the reader is drawn in, I felt almost a part of the story as I was reading it. I experienced all Cassandra’s confusion, never comfortable enough to trust any of the characters. I had no idea who was right and who was wrong. The author did an absolutely superb job of drawing me into the uncertainty of the characters. I read this book slowly trying to make sure I did not miss anything important.

Cassandra lives a simple life in the country, surrounded by a community of close friends. When Ellie, a glamourous novelist moves in next door, Cassandra is excited about making a new friend. All too quickly Ellie becomes the centre of attention and Cassandra finds herself on the outside looking in. Cassandra has no idea why she suddenly feels like an outsider, even within the walls of her own home. Is she losing her mind?

This book reads like you are having a chat with your girlfriends, it made me feel as if I was a part of the group, experiencing their social interactions first-hand. At the same time, I was drawn into Cassandra’s confusion, I could not decide who to trust. I had no idea where this story was going and found myself eager to find out where it would end.

The author created her characters in such a way that you only at the end of the book understand exactly what was going on. Both Cassandra and Ellie are lovely women, you like both of them even when you know that something is wrong, that somehow there is a problem between these two women. When you reach the end of this story, you understand that the author did a marvellous job with these women, she aimed to have you confused and she achieved it beautifully.

I do not include a star rating on my reviews, but this book is without a doubt a five-star read. Reaching the end of this book I am itching to sit down and talk about it with someone who has read it. It would be so easy to drop a spoiler on this one – but I won’t do that in my review. What you need to know about this book is that there is a serious message for women in here, things to be aware of and things to keep an eye out for. I loved this book; this one will stay with me. I read an eBook copy, but I will be getting myself a hard copy of this one because it deserves a place on my bookshelf, and I hope my daughters will take the time to read this.

This book is one I recommend every woman out there read at least once. This work of fiction holds some valuable lessons about truth and honesty in relationships. This is psychological fictions at its best. A brilliant read – get a copy!