Four friends; Dan and Sasha, Josh and Hannah. Two couples who are the best of friends, their daughters are the same age, they share the same interests, they laugh together, eat together and enjoy each other's company. Despite the fact that Dan and Sasha live in a more expensive part of London, in a bigger house and that Sasha doesn't work but spends most of her time spending Dan's hard earned money, they really are the best of friends. Josh and Hannah work hard in ordinary jobs and struggle to fit everything into their tiny flat but Dan and Sasha are generous friends; helping out with childcare at the last minute, treating them to lunch and weekends away - doing what friends do. When Dan shockingly announces that he is leaving Sasha after eight years of what seemed to be a happy marriage, the other couple are put in a really difficult position. Determined not to take sides, both Josh and Hannah struggle to come to terms with the breakdown of their friend's relationship. Very quickly, things spiral out of control. Bitterness and resentment, accusations and hints of violence begin to take over the lives of the two couples. Dan and Sasha's crumbling relationship exposes cracks in Josh and Hannah's marriage too, making them aware of their own faults and problems. Eventually none of them know who or what to believe, or just how this is going to end. Tamar Cohen has written a brilliantly gripping and chilling story in The Broken. With clever twists and turns in each chapter and the addition of pages from the diary of a small girl dotted in between the current happenings, she leave the reader on a knife edge throughout. I found myself frantically turning the pages, whilst holding my breath with anticipation of what was going to be revealed next. As with her previous novels, Tamar Cohen has created characters that are flawed and often unreliable, but always incredibly realistic. Each of the four main players can appear selfish, annoying and at times weak, however this only adds volumes to what is an excellently crafted novel that packs a punch that left me reeling. Many readers will recognise the effects that relationship failure can have on people who we really thought we knew inside out, and also how this can affect our own feelings, emotions and relationship. The hysterics, the grieving, the battle to get back what is lost and the depths that people will go to to hurt each other are all played out in this incredible battle of the spouses. There is a darkness that lurks just beneath the surface of the main plot line of the story, with evidence that both Sasha and Hannah have experienced trauma in their earlier lives, and it is is knowledge that makes the reader question almost everything that is said and done by both characters. The revelation at the end of the story delivers an almighty OMG moment that ultimately changes the whole story for the reader. Tamar Cohen is an exciting author who can build suspense expertly. Her characterisation is brilliant, her imagination and plotting is almost genius. The Broken is a superb psychologist suspense thriller, I loved every page of it.

WHEN CLOSE FRIENDS SPLIT, BE CAREFUL WHOSE SIDE YOU'RE ON. Dan and Sasha had been married for nine years with a young daughter. Dan and Sasha had only just finished moving the kitchen up to the top level of their beautiful art deco-style house. Their best friends Josh and Hannah had just been to a dinner party to celebrate the new kitchen. Sasha and Hannah were both pregnant together and their daughters have grown up from birth knowing each other and are best friend always playing together either at Sasha's house or Hannah's flat. After dinner in secret thirty-four-year-old Dan confines in his best friend Josh that him and Sasha are not good together anymore and that he has fell in love with an gorgeous, smart and funny young model. When Dan leaves his wife their break-up becomes very bitter. Dan has no where he can stay and takes up by sleeping on the couch in his best friend flat. Josh could not find it in his heart to turn his mate away. Josh explains clearly that Dan can sleep on the sofa but he is not taking sides to Dan and Sasha's split, but Josh and Hannah find themselves sucked into the split that is spiraling out of control. I totally could not put The Broken down I was totally gripped from the very first page right to the very end. I loved all of the characters that clearly seemed very real to me. The Broken is the best book that Tamar Cohen has written. What readers can expect from this story is a huge mixture of a believable relationship with a chilling psychological drama. If you like reading about relationships with a psychological twist then The Broken should be in your hands to read. Review by ireadnovels.wordpress.com