Originally published: 5 November 2020 (eBook) ; 3 December 2020 (Paperback)

Author: Agatha Zaza

Published by: Agora Books

Genre: Domestic Thriller

Page count: 304

Reading dates: 22-29 October 2020

‘I’m perfectly happy lying to myself…If it means getting to stay with you.’

Jasper is ready to surprise his brother; Holly is ready to celebrate their engagement.
Anne tags along for fear of missing out, and John might just be going for another drink.
But Edmund and Ovidia had other plans for their Saturday.
Over the course of one day, these couples must own up to the secrets they’ve been hiding from one another and the lies they’ve been telling themselves. And face the devastating consequences.
Three couples. Two exes. One day. One reckoning.

Happy ebook publication day to The Pretenders by Agatha Zara!

The book opens with Edmund obviously very upset about something as he rips down a garden house. We know something is desperately wrong for him and his partner Ovidia but have no idea what it is. Edmund’s brother Jasper has just gotten engaged to Holly, and as Edmund didn’t make the engagement dinner, they decide to visit his house along with friends Anne and John in order to celebrate with him.

They arrive at Edmund’s luxury home unannounced to find Edmund in distress and not his normal self. It is also a huge surprise for them all to find Ovidia there as no one knew Edmund was even in a relationship.

This is one of the most intriguing books I have ever read. There are so many secrets in this domestic thriller and the way they are revealed is well-crafted. I’m not going to go into the revelations at all because I think these unexpected and unpredictable secrets need to be discovered for yourself.

This is a well written and emotionally charged domestic novel. The characters are well developed and their secrets are shocking and surprising. Every detail has been put into play for a reason and although some of the themes are difficult and controversial they are handled in an accomplished way.

I really enjoyed this intriguing and character driven novel. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Agora Books for sending me a proof copy for the blog tour. You can see what others are saying by checking out these other brilliant bloggers!

About the author:

Agatha Zaza is a Zambian and Finn at present living in Auckland, New Zealand. Her writing is a departure from her work in fundraising and international development.
The Pretenders was born in Singapore, where she spent three years as a trailing spouse, where she rekindled a long – dormant love of writing. Aside from Singapore, Agatha has worked and lived several countries, among them Uganda and the then Soviet Union. While in Ireland, she earned a Master’s in Equality Studies from University College Dublin and worked in a genuine Irish pub.
Agatha’s work can be seen in the Johannesburg Review of Books and in a PEN International special edition on African writers. She has also published three short books on Amazon. She’s been a passionate slow runner for two and half decades and has recently taken up composting and staring at her new sewing machine.

Twitter – https://twitter.com/agatha_zaza