The Orchid Girls by Lesley Sanderson

What is your life was built on lies? You had to worry every day about your secrets being revealed. Is it possible to escape your past and never look back? Or will your past come back to haunt you no matter how hard you try to hide it?

I loved this debut novel by Lesley Sanderson! She knocked it out of the park. She managed to create a suspense filled read that had me captivated the entire time. Three 14 year old girls hanging out together. What could go wrong? Plenty can go wrong....

The blurb for this book sums it up perfectly. Three girls deemed The Orchid Girls by the media. One is dead, one is a liar and one is in love.  Were the remaining Orchid Girls the last to see the dead girl? Even if they were, does it necessarily  mean they know anything about it?

Fueled by jealously, lust and lies this is one suspense filled read. I flew through the chapters at the edge of my seat wondering when we would learn who really was lying. Someone must know what happened that day. The question is did the Orchid Girls really know the answer?

 The majority of the story we got to see it through Molly and Grace's eyes in chapters from the present day highlighting their point of view. Each girl took a totally different path in life. It was intriguing to see how each chose to deal with their troubled past. We also got a glimpse into all three of the girls past from diary entries filled with their thoughts and feelings. Were these three girls really as close as the media and public thought? Were they capable of killing someone? I was not really sure who to root for, I struggled to decipher the truth from the lies. So many secrets, all revealed in good time.

What a fantastic debut! I am excited to see what this author has in store for us next!

The Orchid Girls is out now. Get your copy! What are you waiting for?!

About the Author 
 

Lesley spends her days writing in coffee shops in Kings Cross where she lives and also works as a librarian in a multicultural school. She loves the atmosphere and eclectic mix of people in the area. She has lived and worked in Paris and speaks four languages.

She attended the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course in 2015/6, and in 2017 was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish fiction prize.

Lesley discovered Patricia Highsmith as a teenager and has since been hooked on psychological thrillers. She is particularly interested in the psychology of female relationships.

Lesley is represented by Hayley Steed at the Madeleine Milburn agency.

The Orchid Girls is her first psychological thriller