I Told You So by Sarah Asermilly

 Intriguing, Gripping, Captivating

Genre: Romance/Family Drama/Themes of suicide, murder, sexual assault and late term pregnancy loss

I Told You So by Sarah Asermily - Author

Lee Anderson, once again, found himself in prison for a second time, only difference was, he knew he wouldn’t be getting out. He spent his days pondering over whether he had taken the only course of action open to him, but then, he had to keep the promise that he had made all those years ago, and he had done that at least. Where he’d ended up this time, no one cared what crime he may have committed, where he had been or where he was going…..apart from one unexpected ally, someone who was actually interested in his story. He was aware of the burden he might leave with the young’un, but that couldn’t be helped if he wanted to know. Lee is puzzled at his curiosity, but only too happy to tell him.

I was excited to be asked to be an ARC reader for this author and read ‘I Told You So’, as I was planning to purchase this novel anyway. I follow Sarah online and having read some of the synopsis and having a morbid fascination around crime and prisons, this book jumped out at me as a book I might well be entertained by. I have read Sarah’s previous work and loved it. I thought the little illustrations of Apricots through out the book (I read it on Kindle) were adorable, and of course very appropriate.

The first thing to strike me as I started to read, was the very obvious accent of the characters. Without reading where they were from, it was immediately clear, which is evident of how good the writing is. I likened it a little to Forrest Gump, using phrases like ‘Can’t fix stupid’ which made me laugh. The main character does however come across as a little brighter. Lee is an extremely likeable character. He is very aware of his class and where he stands in society and is quick to pick up on any misgivings someone of a higher standing in life may have about him. He is very self aware, to the point of being self-deprecating. He also comes across as an exceedingly caring individual too. This is shown in the way that he makes allowances for Mr Novak’s frankly appalling behaviour, and the way in which he attempts to second guess how his father will be feeling when he and Delilah go to visit him in a time of tragedy, which hits Lee hard. He was clearly of this disposition from being a child, as is demonstrated in his actions towards the mistreatment of Ruth Anne. I loved the relationship between Lee and Delilah. I played her by way of my internal dialogue as a sassy young girl and imagined her as Betty Boop. She has some of the best one liners, asking Lee if he is a savage when he wipes her lipstick off his face and onto his tuxedo. and she never fails to put Lee in his place, not to mention her over bearing opinionated father. The only thing that occurred to me as strange in that whole dynamic, was Mr Novak’s polite, but sneering way of telling Lee that he would not support a union between him and his daughter, which by the way, was a great scene. I loved the dialogue being so in keeping with the kind of person that I imagined Delilah’s father to be, but then apparently being there to give her away at the wedding I thought was odd. I was puzzled by that, as I would not have thought that he would have agreed to attend, unless of course, saving face and keeping up appearances was more of a priority.

The first major plot twist after Lee and Delilah experience heartache, for me, hugely changed the feel of the narrative and I felt that I had lost a great character dynamic and the enjoyment of bringing Delilah to life. The introduction of Louise’s boyfriend was a real plot twist, and I was kind of disappointed in Delilah’s decision to make such a drastic change to the life that she had built with Lee. Lee once again shows his understanding and caring nature, as well as his deep love for his wife by going along with her wishes. I’d had a very different vision of the main character prior to reading the book, expecting him to be some hardened criminal, and was very pleasantly surprised with the character that Sarah has created. From this point, I thought that I could see where the story might be headed to explain why Lee was in prison, particularly when Aurora makes her big announcement that Lee and Delilah are all too aware will upset Dale. I’m pleased to say that I was in fact wrong, and the second and last plot twist came as a very cleverly devised bombshell, I certainly hadn’t even entertained. However, as I have been dumbstruck by the conclusions in Sarah Assermily’s previous books, this didn’t strike the same note for me. I felt personally that I needed Lee to have found out the circumstances surrounding it before dealing with the fall out. The re-telling of Lee’s past, terminated a little too soon for me, but then that clearly means that I wasn’t anywhere near ready to leave that part of Lee’s life behind.

The only part for me that had me slightly confused was the timeline and when the story was set, with little details not quite adding up to one definable time period, but then I guess that is down to the reader to maybe decide for themselves and where artistic licence comes in.

This is an engrossing tale, that I hugely enjoyed, with a cast of likeable, vivid characters, re-telling one man’s devotion to the love of his life at any cost.

Available from 29.10.24