I am really excited to share my thoughts on The Rise by Shari Low and Ross King as part of the Xpresso book tour! The Rise is an exciting new glam thriller for the fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, Liane Moriarty and Jo Spain. Scroll down to find out all about this awesome book and to learn more about your chance to win a free copy of the book!
The Rise alternates between three decades, following three characters in the 80s and 90s when they are teens/young adults living on the same street in Glasgow, and in 2013 when they are each living very separate lives in LA. Mirren, Davie and Zander grew up in Glasgow with their mothers in a rougher council housing area, we learn about their teen and young adult years slowly through flashbacks and chapters set in the 80s which are interspersed throughout the novel. The majority of the story takes place in 2013 though. Mirren's 18 year old daughter Chloe is dealing drug addiction, her 17 year old son is on tour with his boy band, and her husband is cheating on her with a 25 year old, but she's not the only one whose life is suddenly getting out of control. Davie's wife has been sleeping with her female cohost and Davie has been sleeping with the adult main character on the TV show his young children star in, his career as a host and producer of reality tv is going very well until it isn't and then he quickly finds himself fighting to save his career and marriage! Zander is going through yet another rehab stint in hopes that he can get his life back on track and be able to continue starring in movies, but addiction is not so easily recovered from. All three celebs are suddenly brought back to their ominous past once a Scottish reporter starts to ask questions about a decades old secret that links these three former best friends with the disappearance of Zander's father. The timing is awful for all of them, but the impact that could come from uncovering this secret could be life changing.
Split into about 80 short chapters, this book is a pretty fast-paced read that you will not want to put down! Whenever I hear the word thriller, I worry about potentially keeping myself up at night with fear, fear is definitely not what will keep you up with this book, but this page turner is one you might just stay up reading! Though murder, rape, overdose and scandals are major parts of this novel, it is definitely not too scary for the average reader. There is a fair amount of sex in the story, but it is not overly graphic either, just enough to draw you in without being afraid to read it in a public place! I'll admit that I didn't fully understand the title, but I think that it is referencing the rise to fame? Either way, it is a captivating story that will hold your interest and leave you with just enough closure at the end.
You might remember that I participated in a Boldwood Blog read along in July (here is my blog post) with another great book by Shari Low called One Last Summer. It was my first Shari Low book and I quickly learned that Low does a fabulous job creating memorable characters who are interconnected in both predictable and unexpected ways. The Rise definitely fits that description well and despite having three main characters and several supporting characters, the story is still fairly easy to follow. I have not read any Ross King books previously, but these two authors are definitely ones I will be keeping an eye out for in the future. The Rise was released on September 13th, so it is available now!
Where to find it: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61346445-the-rise Purchase: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wXhl2K B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rise-shari-low/1141681009?ean=9781804267684 iBooks: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/the-rise/id6443079995 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-rise-27
To enter for a chance to win your own copy, click on this giveaway countdown image below! Contest closes September 22, 2023!
Thanks to Boldwood Books, NetGalley and Gisele at Xpresso Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to read this awesome book and participate in this fun tour! I can't wait to see what the other tour members thought!
Thanks for hosting today! So happy you liked it! :)