disclosure:  we were sent the item mentioned for the purpose of review

Over the summer I read my first book featuring the Coronavirus pandemic, I’m sure it won’t be my last, but it’ll be a hard act to follow.  56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard was published through Corvus in August and it’s a cracking read.

56 Days is set in Dublin and features Ciara and Oliver, two young people who are thrown together as the first lockdown is about to take place.  The story flips between a countdown from 56 days beforehand and the present day and tells the story from both of their viewpoints.  This thriller really is beautifully written and the storyline feels believable and kept me hooked from the beginning.

56 days ago these two young people didn’t know each other until they meet in a queue in the supermarket.  A brief encounter discussing a space-themed bag will change both of their lives forever. They seem to get along well and when Oliver suggests that Ciara moves into his apartment when lockdown restrictions are put in place, it seems like the perfect solution.  But is it?

It soon becomes clear that Oliver has secrets that he is desperate to keep.  As the story unfolds you think you know exactly where the plot is heading, but I was wrong on a number of occasions as I kept turning the pages.  In the present day, it’s the police investigation that is telling the story as a body is discovered.  But it’s not until the very end of 56 Days that everything becomes crystal clear and the true story is revealed.

I thought I knew exactly where this novel was heading but I didn’t.  I was totally drawn into the storyline and I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.  It’s one of my top picks for the year so far.

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