Review: Violet by S.J.I. Holliday

Violet by S.J.I. Holliday

Publication Date: November 14, 2019

Orenda Books

Genre: Thriller

When two strangers end up sharing a cabin on the Trans-Siberian Express, an intense friendship develops, one that can only have one ending … a nerve-shattering psychological thriller from bestselling author SJI Holliday

Carrie's best friend has an accident and can no longer make the round-the-world trip they'd planned together, so Carrie decides to go it alone.

Violet is also travelling alone, after splitting up with her boyfriend in Thailand. She is also desperate for a ticket on the Trans-Siberian Express, but there is nothing available.

When the two women meet in a Beijing Hotel, Carrie makes the impulsive decision to invite Violet to take her best friend's place.

Thrown together in a strange country, and the cramped cabin of the train, the women soon form a bond. But as the journey continues, through Mongolia and into Russia, things start to unravel – because one of these women is not who she claims to be…

A tense and twisted psychological thriller about obsession, manipulation and toxic friendships, Violet also reminds us that there's a reason why mother told us not to talk to strangers...

Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

After seeing all of the rave reviews for S.J. I Holliday's books I finally picked up my first one and I can finally see what all the fuss is about!

In the vein of Single White Female, it tells the story of Violet and Carrie, two strangers who are traveling together on the Trans-Siberian Express. The trip starts off promising - both are young women in search of adventure, but as the story progresses we see glimpses that one of them is not who they seem to be. It begins with small red flags but the full extent of the psychosis isn't revealed until the shocking end.

I had a great time with this book. It was intense with just the right amount of suspense to keep you intrigued and turning the pages. Despite not liking any of the characters, I thought it was a fabulous read! I will definitely be picking up her other books soon!

Thanks to Anne Cater and Orenda Books for the chance to read Violet!

About the Author

Susi (S.J.I.) Holliday grew up near Edinburgh and spent many years working in her family’s newsagent and pub before studying microbiology and statistics at university. She has worked as a statistician in the pharmaceutical industry for 20 years, but it was on a 6-month round-the-world-trip that she took with her husband several years ago that she rediscovered her passion for writing.