*Blog Tour: The Closer I Get by Paul Burston

*complimentary e-copy Today I'm on the Blog Tour for the amazing The Closer I Get by Paul Burston.

Tom is a successful author, but he’s struggling to finish his novel. His main distraction is an online admirer, Evie, who simply won’t leave him alone. Evie is smart, well read and unstable; she lives with her father and her social-media friendships are not only her escape, but everything she has.

When she’s hit with a restraining order, her world is turned upside down, and Tom is free to live his life again, to concentrate on writing. But things aren’t really adding up. For Tom is distracted but also addicted to his online relationships, and when they take a darker, more menacing turn, he feels powerless to change things. Because maybe he needs Evie more than he’s letting on.

A compulsive, disturbingly relevant, twisty and powerful psychological thriller, The Closer I Get is also a searing commentary on the fragility and insincerity of online relationships, and the danger that can lurk just one ‘like’ away…

My thoughts?

WOW. I was hooked from the very first page and found I was reading it wherever and whenever I could (it also made me look more closely at my own twitter use!)

Evie is an opinionated book blogger (with a healthy twitter following) who meets Tom, a bestselling author (who had his debut novel made into a Hollywood blockbuster with a leading actor as it's star) at a book launch. 

He writes a message in her book which she takes to mean something more than it is and believes that they're kindred spirits. She becomes totally and utterly obsessed by him. He does however slightly encourage her by offering to read the book she's working on and meet her for a drink.

Things take a turn when she begins to follow his every move on social media and in real life..she just won't let go. The story is very dark and chilling and it makes you wonder how many people you "really" know that you "talk" to on social media. 

Evie ends up in court charged with harassment and is handed a restraining order. Tom still doesn't feel safe and heads to Hastings to continue to write the book he's stalling on. Only his dear friend, Emma knows where he's gone. Emma, who has always stood by him even when he's brushed her off for caring too much.

Evie has many tricks up her sleeve and she seems to be one step ahead of the game. The dramatic twist at the end had me going OMG - I just never saw that coming! A truly brilliant read which I highly recommend.