Read my full review and others at:
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Fast paced novel with a great, twist of an ending. Don't miss this one!

check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

Olivay endures a tragedy at the beginning of the book and this tragic event will shape the person she is for the rest of the book - her husband dies almost right in front of her and she has to put the pieces of her life back together. A year later a man enters her life and he will send her life reeling out of control.

A combination of love story with a political thriller this was an interesting read. With bombings and potential terrorists, this book made me think of those who are there when these major events happen - those in the city on 9/11 or in Boston during the marathon; these people who are caught up in history and are on the news but would rather not be newsworthy. I really enjoyed thinking about the people behind the new stories, the family of the accused of massive shootings or those who are just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Title: Olivay
Author: Deborah Reed
Series: n/a
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: July 2015
Genre(s): Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
Rating: 4 stars

Opening Line:

Those who saw what happened that morning never said a word about Will's long stride when he walked down the sidewalk, or the way his legs bowed slightly with every step.

Olivay’s entire life changed in a single moment. After a tragic accident that left her widowed, Olivay plunges into a dark depression. She confines herself to solitude and slowly tries to heal the gaping hole left after her husband Will’s death. A little over a year after the accident, she finds herself in the presence of Henry at a local coffee shop. Henry is perfect – charming, beautiful, smart, funny. Best of all, he seems to help her forget about Will. The morning after what was supposed to be a one night stand, Olivay finds herself trapped with Henry in her home following a brutal terrorist attack right outside her front door. With the city in pandemonium, Olivay begins to wonder just who is this man that she’s stranded with, and why is he acting so skittish and mysterious? As Olivay begins to unravel the mystery of Henry, she realizes her life is about to once again change in an instant.

Olivay wasn’t necessarily the best thriller I’ve read, but it was certainly an interesting read. First of all, let's just take a moment and appreciate the gorgeous cover.
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Sorry, I just really love it. Okay. So, the premise was really interesting and hooked me right away. I got this feeling while reading it, though, that I sometimes get during books and it’s really hard for me to explain, but basically I felt like nothing really happened throughout the entire novel. Obviously things happened, but I felt like a lot of the novel was inner turmoil, flashbacks, and thoughts. Not that that’s a bad thing, but it just felt like there was a lack of events occurring. Yet at the same time, I blew through the novel hoping to solve the mystery. The mystery of Will’s murder was very lackluster for me. The mystery of Genevieve was a lot more interesting. Both mysteries, however, were incredibly gruesome and sad, and it kind of made me sick to read about them. I have to say, this book definitely tugged on my heartstrings with these incidents. The mystery about the attacks were also a little lackluster and a little under-explained for my taste, but I thought it was creative. Oh, and the ending was pretty cool. I liked that the chapters kept getting shorter and shorter. It really helped keep me on the edge of my seat. And the ambiguity of the ending was a nice touch, although part of me really wanted to know what happened next. I can assume, though, nothing good.

Olivay was an interesting character. The novel is told in third-person omniscient, so even though Olivay is not the narrator, we’re still getting her thoughts and feelings. I would have to say she’s a very unreliable character. First she’s in love with Henry, then she’s suspicious of him, then she’s really suspicious of him, then she’s in love with him, etc, etc, etc. The story is pretty much seen through her eyes until Part Two, where we get chapters (still in third-person) from Henry’s perspective. It’s interesting how my perception of Henry changed once I got to read about his life, thoughts, and feelings. I think Part Two completely changes how you feel about both Olivay and Henry. As the novel continued, I liked Olivay less and Henry more. But that’s all personal preference, I suppose. Really these two characters are the main characters and pretty much who the story revolves around.

I’ve never read anything from Deborah Reed, but it looks like (from her “About the Author” in the back of the book) she’s written a few other novels that have gained her some success, and she’s even written under the pen name Audrey Braun. Olivay was a pretty good book. I liked the writing style, and even though I didn’t love it, I would still say Reed is pretty good at writing thrillers. I can honestly say I was eager to get home from work last night to finish the last portion of the novel. This book has been sitting on my shelf since late last year, and I'm glad I finally found time to read it.

Favorite Quote(s): “It was impossible to fully know another human being.”

“I was aware of the feeling while I was feeling it, and ended up deciding it was a kind of nostalgia … but I understood even then that is also applied to things that weren’t yet lost. … I remember feeling that way at random moments, like holding a book in my hands, imagining it already read and gone…”

“Existence is a finer line than anyone cares to consider.”

Check out this review and more on my book blog: theultimatebookgeek.wordpress.com

Goodreads asks "What did you think?" and I'm just not really sure. I loved the concept of having a one night stand and ending up trapped in your home with him the next day. This is what happens to Olivay, who was widowed one year earlier when her husband died in a freak accident on the sidewalk in front of their building. Olivay slowly but surely came out of her self-imposed seclusion and meets Henry in the coffee shop she frequents. Her conversation with Henry is enjoyable and they end up talking the afternoon away, going out for dinner, and then back to her apartment for the night. The next morning a bomb goes off nearby which shatters the windows of Olivay's apartment and sends foreign objects flying in causing much destruction and a serious injury to Olivay's knee. Henry is okay because he was quick to take cover. Henry and Olivay are now stuck in the apartment building and basically cut off from the world for awhile as phones, wifi, TV, etc. do not work. Olivay begins to realize that she doesn't know this man and she isn't sure she can trust him. Some of the things he says and does cause her to question who this man really is and if he is hiding something from her.

So that right there makes for a pretty exciting book.

Ah, but there is more. As the story moves along we are provided flashbacks of Henry's life and I found these flashbacks so weird. The way the situation is described, I couldn't help but picture it taking place in the 1940's. I had to remind myself each and every time the chapter switched to Henry's flashbacks that it should take place in the 2000's and consciously erase the image of Geneieve and Henry looking like Liesl and Rolf from the Sound of Music.

And then there is the ending. I was lost and had to re-read it - I was sure that I had missed something. No, that's really how it ended. And THAT is why I don't know what to think.

The ending was a little disappointing, but overall this was fun.

I just realized that I never posted this review! I actually did the review for the Daily Bruin, Los Angeles' third most circulated newspaper, which was sent a copy of the book by the author. I gave this book a 2.5 for the Daily Bruin, but since that's not an option on Goodreads, I rounded down to 2. The full review can be found here. I'd really appreciate it if you checked the whole thing out. The following is an excerpt:

In large, boldfaced text at the top of the back cover of “Olivay” by Deborah Reed are the words, “We don’t believe that our lives can change in an instant – until they do.”

It is an elegant statement that, at first glance, promises depth and profundity. However, upon a closer look, its meaning is shallow – an accurate representation of the impression left by the novel as a whole.

While some readers may enjoy the opportunity to interpret the novel and the questions it raises in one’s mind as they wish, many will find it frustrating to sift through the philosophical queries 'Olivay' boldly poses but, ultimately, does not answer within its own strange world of fictionalized reality.

I didn't like this book. It just wasn't interesting. At the beginning I thought that I will love this book, but that's not how it turned out. I'm really sad now. :(

Olivay is a book that draws you in and makes you want to find out what happens to the protagonist. From the first page we get the feel that this story won’t be an easy read. Something horrifying happens in the first chapter and filters the lens for Olivay. Every thing else stems from that.

Olivay has lost her husband to a hit and run. She lost him and a clip of her reaction went viral, and her fame has kept her inside trying to mentally recover for the past year. She gathers up the courage to go out one night and she meets Henry. They get to know each other intimately and the next day he seems eager to leave. Thinking this is a one night stand, she lets him go. Henry comes back and reveals that he told her a big lie last night. She is hesitant but she lets him to try to explain. Just thena all hell breaks loose in the city. Bombs go off outside of Olivay’s apartment and she becomes wounded. Henry and Olivay are stranded together in her loft apartment. The city goes into lockdown and Henry’s other lies unravel under scrutiny. Why does he keep the truth from her? Could Henry have something to do with her husband’s death or could he really be the man behind the terrorist behind the bombs outside?

The first chapter of this book had me on the hook. Olivay is a very mysterious character and acts unpredictably. I don’t know how I would act if my husband’s death went viral. Her reflex reaction is to distrust those around her. I might be the same way if people just wanted to tell my story, a very personal story, of how I am living as a widow. This story is told entirely in Olivay’s POV. She isn’t a good historian either, because at some point she gets a concussion. We don’t really know what is real, and what is her overreacting. Almost this whole story takes place in Olivay’s loft and Olivay is unable to walk during most of the scenes. The writing is a bit lyrical. Olivay almost thinks in prose, so this made the reading interesting.

So Olivay is very vulnerable at this point in her life and Henry is her caretaker. She is in pain and being defensive is a normal thing for her. This is good to a point, but then it just gets annoying. For me, Olivay was too much. She kept saying these awful things to Henry and then she would ask him, “what’s wrong?”, like that didn’t just happen. Her story was sad, but the way she treated Henry at times made me really question her sanity. Besides the fact that Olivay is unpredictable during most of this tale, I didn’t like the pacing. The story starts off really fast and then it slows to an almost stop. We get a lot of details about her previous marriage, many stories of Henry’s past. It was almost too much for me, but I had to figure out what happened with Olivay and Henry. I wanted more of the details of what was happening outside of the apartment. By the time I was ready to quit this read, the author flips the script and I realized that nothing is what it appears.

So weighing out the good and the bad, I am giving it three stars. This book will appeal to people who like psychological suspense.

The review was first posted on For The Love of Fictional Worlds as part of the Blog Tour hosted by TLC Book Tours.

"For all the times she'd wanted to die, she now understood how badly she wanted to live."

A year ago, Olivay, was was married content if not happy. She was working as an architect, in love with her life. A year later, she is a widow, her life and her husband's accident became a media spectacle and she has now become a loner.

She is in two minds about living her life again and the one morning she does go out for a cup of coffee, she meets a man, Henry. Now Henry, appeals to her, not just physically but there is a connection between them, that was palpable even to the reader.

She bring him back, they spend a night together and the next day everything just blows up, literally! There is a terrorist attack, and now they are stuck with each other and all the secrets that is between them!

"People are capable of doing all kinds of things, Olivay. The "why" doesn't even matter."

Olivay is a book that stays with you long after you are done with it - you keep thinking about the various connotations of each and every revelations that you just have to go back and check whether your perceptions were right or not.

The book starts off a little slow and it's only when the book is done 60%, is when it starts to pick up pace. But that doesn't mean it detracts from the plot, in fact the slowness of the plot is perfect buildup for the scenarios that take place.

I, personally would have loved Henry's POV from the start, rather than only 40% of the book - it would have made it more clear as to what was happening and the secrets that Henry was keeping and the reasons why!

I also think, the author had left it to readers to their own interpretations when it came most of the plot twists - she only gives only vague clues as to the secrets and it's on the reader to figure out what is happening, or what has happened. This is a bloody brilliant move on her part, especially since it's one of the major reasons why I am still hung up on this book!

I will definitely check out Deborah Reed's books - but I will give it at least a month in between her books, especially since I can't afford be to be hung up on books when I am supposed to be studying for my Doctorate :D

Read my review on my blog at
http://palmerspageturners.blogspot.com/2015/07/tlc-book-tours-olivay.html
This book is so bizarre! I'm having a hard time putting into words how I feel about it because it was so different and so crazy--but in a good way. Reed's writing was fantastic. It's what I liked most about the book! I also really liked the character development in the novel. The plot did move a bit slowly for me at times, and I kept asking myself "where is this story going?' Regardless of my questioning, the book still sucked me in and kept me reading. The book definitely gave me enough to stay engaged in the story, but still left me confused and wondering what was really going on and where things were headed. The psychological thriller aspect of the novel was an aspect I loved as well. I couldn't figure Henry out--figuring out what was going on with him kept me reading and kept me guessing!

If you looking for a suspenseful book with beautiful writing, this is a great book for you! My rating: 3.5