One Step Too Far
3.8
29
5
1
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780062340078 |
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| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 01/27/2015 |
| Pages: | 304 |
| Sales rank: | 1,285,705 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.30(d) |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
One Step Too Far: A Novel
3.8 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
29 reviews.
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Suspense novels about disappearing spouses, from Gone Girl to the recent blockbuster The Girl On The Train, are all the rage, and Tina Seskis' novel, One Step Too Far, is a worthy addition to this genre.
Like The Girl On The Train, One Step Too Far is also set in London. As we meet Emily, she is on a train running away from her husband and young son, but we don't know why. We learn that she is a twin, and her sister Caroline has led a troubled life, in comparison to Emily, who was always the good girl.
Caroline always felt that her mother didn't love her as much as she loved Emily, a feeling that is based in fact. Their father Andrew is a womanizer, and had a distant relationship with his daughters.
When Emily met Ben, they fell in love and began a wonderful life together. Their wedding was beautiful, until a drunken Caroline ruined the day, and Andrew slept with Caroline's friend. But Ben and Emily did their best to not let family bring them down.
Something bad happens, we don't exactly what it is, but it causes Emily to run away to London, change her name to Cat and move into a disgusting flat with several other strangers. Angel, a flatmate, can see that Cat is fragile, and takes her under her wing.
Cat gets a job in marketing, and works her way up the ladder. She also drinks too much and uses drugs to mask her pain. What happened to Emily to drive her to abandon her old, happy life?
My initial thoughts had something to do with her twin sister, and I kept looking for clues along the way to confirm my suspicions. But Seskis does a marvelous job getting the reader turning the pages to find the answer, and the tag line on the book's cover- "No one has ever guessed Emily's secret. Will you?" is pure genius, keeping that uppermost in the reader's mind. Kudos to whomever came up with that one.
We are drawn into Cat's new world, feeling her pain as she tries to start over and forget whatever it is she is running from, while Ben searches frantically for her. Although we are constantly wondering what caused Emily to run, she is such an interesting character, and I found her journey, particularly her determination to decorate her new room, completely engrossing.
When we do find out what happened to Emily, I confess to being totally shocked and gasping audibly. I was reading on a beach, and I could see heads around me turning when I found out, wondering what I was reading.
One Step Too Far is a perfect beach or airplane book. It's a propulsive page-turner that is best read when you have uninterrupted time because you will become obsessed wondering what caused Emily to run. But it is not only the plot that will move you; Emily/Cat is an unforgettable character and you will pull for her to find peace.
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An Interesting Book Contemporary, Mystery, Romantic Elements
London & Manchester England
Emily Coleman had a happy marriage, a lovely home and a beautiful family. At least she did until one morning when she walks out on all of it and right out of her life. She wants to start a life as someone new.
Emily is now Cat and is working at a hip advertising agency in London. She has a new friend, Angel that she is living on the edge with. Cat has done everything possible to bury her old life and self. If fact she has managed to do it so well that no one can find her. What she can’t do is truly bury the past nor can she forget her memories.
Soon she will have to face the truth of what she has done. It is a revelation so shocking it just might push her one step too far.
This is a story the expertly weaves the past and present together in such a way that the reader slowly gets the whole picture. It also keeps readers guessing just why Emily walked out of her life. The story takes the reader on a wild ride with Emily as they work to figure out just what caused all that Emily does. Just as the reader thinks they have it figured out another clue is tossed out to make them guess again. This is an emotional story that pulls the reader in and keeps them captive until the very last page when the story ultimately comes full circle. It is definitely worth reading and getting lost in the story.
Received a review copy
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Loved this book...did not see it coming and the twist made the book for me.
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I was completely engrossed in this book from the first chapter on...I was trying to guess what the twist might be since the characters are so vibrant but the author did a brilliant job of setting it up without giving it away. I hope Tina Seskis is planning on writing many more novels!
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Gripping from the start and completely unpredictable. Fabulous!
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Loved all the twists and turns in this book. Really difficult to put down. Just finished and will be reading again!
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The story opens with a woman who's decided that she is going to run away from her current life and start anew, without the benefit of any family or friends. By the time the main character, Catherine Emily, has come full circle, the author has explored greed, poverty, adultery, fame, fortune, divorce, marriage, drugs, life and death just to name a few.
From the start of the book, you become engrossed to the point you don't want to put it down. The author does this by telling each persons' point of view; thereby giving the reader a perspective she may not have considered, had the author decided to focus on Emily alone. From her parents marriage, to Emily and Carolines birth, to Cats' end and Emily's beginning, the reader continues to question what happened until the end when you finally learn the unexpected.
I think this is a story, which the reader may take away several different ideas. For me, I found the most significant meaning to be selfishness. It made me think how as a society today, most of us place our wants and needs above those around us, to the point that we may even consider our lives more important than that of the stranger we stand beside each day. When I thought of the friend inviting Emily and her husband to her wedding, risking it being ruined by an embarrassing outburst, I found myself thinking how the best things, the moments we truly cherish and remember come when we choose to place anothers needs/wants above our own.
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Caught me from the start. I really enjoy books that keep me guessing. This story was completely engrossing and unpredictable. A plot more like real life with it's mix of misery and happiness. Great story all round.
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After reading the B&N book description it sounded interesting so I read the e-book sample and thought it sounded really intriguing. Of course, the minute I paid the $11.99 the book got so boring I flipped through the majority of pages hoping it would get better - it didn't. I only finished it because I paid for it. You won't find out why she left until about page 290 out of 317 pages or so and she's so unlikeable, you won't even care!!!
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This book is well worth reading with its unpredictable twists and turns, joys and sorrows. It is so close to real life that you will be drawn into the emotions and drama as each chapter reveals itself.
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Emily is a wife and mother. She has a twin sister and divorced parents and one day she just walks out of her life. She moves into transitory housing and befriends someone named Angel. She gets a job, works to move up in the world and picks up some very bad habits, all while we, the reader, try to figure out why she would have left her life before this.
I had a lot of trouble getting through this book. Usually I would have loved a mystery that heralded a fantastic gobsmacking twist in it where you were told as the reader you'd NEVER figure out what was gonna happen. Yep, that's true, the twist was unforeseen but getting there was so painful that I stopped caring how or why the characters got there. I found myself reading just to get to the end and I hate doing that. It felt like a waste of time and since there are so darn many good books out there, I feel offended when a book holds me hostage.
I had so much trouble having any sympathy for any of the characters. I wish I had felt like I cared about them at all. It all felt too superficial and I just couldn't connect to Emily. For that reason and the fact that the ending left me annoyed, even more frustrated than before and just overly angry I have to give it a 2 out of 5.
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Great read with a clever twist.
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Could not put this one down. Incredible and powerful suspense read.
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As+another+said%2C+read+the+sample+and+got+my+interest+so+I+purchased.++From+that+point+it+has+gone+downhill.+I+am+on+page+90+and+have+grown+so+bored+I+cant+bring+myself+to+keep+reading.++I+dont+even+care+why+she+left.%0A
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I+didn%27t+want+to+stop+reading%2C+once+I+started.+This+book+doesn%27t+disappoint.
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I cannot believe I wasted actual money on this book. It is poorly written, the characters are under developed and the writers' run on sentences make absolutely no sense at all. 100 pages in and I'm completely bored with it. This is the first book in years that I have not finished. I already know it's going nowhere spectacular.
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Characters are complex and the relationships are prickly and strained. Tragic and a rollercoaster ride through an emotional mess. Very well done.
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Great read. Hopeu continue writing
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This book was a dreadfully sad read, with numerous unlikeable characters
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I received a copy of this book as an ARC and I am sorry to say that it took me this long to finish it. I had all good intentions of getting it read in a week or so but life, etc. kept getting in my way. So now, once I did finally resolve to finish it, I can honestly say that I am glad I did. I got into the lives of the characters and found them a bit more real than I was comfortable with. What happened to them concerned me and I spent most of my time trying to figure out what motivated them. I think I may have over-analyzed them a bit because the true ending, tragic though it was, was not as dramatic as the endings I had imagined.
Having lost a child myself, I was torn up by Emily's grief and Ben's apparent coldness. I experienced both at the time of my loss and unless one has been there, they cannot understand the depth of the pain. All of Emily's actions while she was Cat are understandable, if not forgivable.
This book has likable characters, even if some are not exactly functional. It has enough suspense and mystery to maintain the reader's interest. I gave it four stars (because five stars requires a knockout punch). Tina Seskis is an up and comer. We can expect much more from her.
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Just when you think you really don't like emily, you come to find out why she abandoned her family. Lots of twists and turns.
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There are some twists and turns that make this enjoyable .
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