Girl Interrupted Meets Fatal Attraction

OMG the character development of this girl is phenomenal. Great work by Ms. Gustafson. My first book by this author but definitely not my last.

"This book surely gets under your skin from first to last line and you cant stop reading. It awakenes all your emphatic senses! You wish you could just get hold of the maincarachter and help her.
What in your childhood and youth shapes the adult you become?
Seared carries a feeling of a closeness to cathastrophy."

"Incredibly intense story.
Sandra Gustafssons prose is precise and fascinating. Every word is emotionally charged and the book is so psychologically intense you almost forget to breathe. Magnificently written."

"She demonstrates her talent as she succeeds in maintaining vivid suspense on every page." 

"Free of complicated turns of phrase, Gustafsson's language works through the most dreadful subjects and sets forth a creative narrative that's much more dark than light."   

"With Helena, the author manages to create one of the most complex characters that I’ve read in a while. Neither likeable nor unlikeable, she is so thoroughly affected by a lifetime of events that while not exactly relatable, all of her actions are understandable./.../As for the ending, the author manages to answer enough questions about events that lead to Helena’s current situation to leave the reader satisfied, but leaves enough unanswered to keep the reader intrigued even when they’ve finished reading. This is a difficult balance to achieve and Sandra Gustafsson does it perfectly."

"I almost didn't read this book after reading the beginning. Some books that talk about sex have no story line. This one really kept me intrigued. I wanted to know why she was institutionalized. It really let you into a troubled mind. I wanted to read ahead to find out why she was there. A really good story."

"Seared is an impressive debut and one of those novels that stays with you."  

"Seared is a real page-turner and a torment at the same time, as the reader shares Helena's destructive behavior and harrowing experiences." 

"Seared” by Sandra Gustafsson really is appropriately titled, because Helena’s story stayed with me long after I finished the novel. The author truly brings the pain this character experienced to life when she tells her story.

It is easy to see how she became the person that she did. It was also difficult to watch her suffer, as it felt so real to me. This is definitely a novel that should be read by people who enjoy intense psychological stories. It is not a light read.

"In Seared, the first psychological thriller released by author Sandra Gustafsson, the reader is introduced to our protagonist, Helena. Helena is incarcerated, but we're not quite sure what she's done. Told in a unique and creative style, featuring times in Helena's present and past, as well as her innermost thoughts, the reader is charged with piecing together just what has happened to this woman to land her in the circumstances that she is in. Working with a psychologist to try to stitch together her memories and figure out the difference between reality and invention, and conversing in her mind with the man who was the love of her life, Helena must dig deeply into her own psyche if she has a chance of finding out who she really is and what she has really done.

Seared was an incredibly intriguing read. It's not necessarily an easy one; the reader will need to be dedicated to learning about Helena and her past. At times, it will feel as if the reader is along with her on her journey, trying to figure out exactly what has happened to this shattered soul. Author Sandra Gustafsson is skilled at writing in such a way that the reader will need to keep on guessing, keep on reading, to find out what happened. Seared is a book that would be most enjoyed by readers who love creative writing, a psychological thriller, or just a plain great work of fiction. This was the first book I've read by author Sandra Gustafsson, but it certainly won't be the last; I can't wait to jump into her next tale as soon as possible!"

"Seared is a psychological thriller in the style of Gone Girl, the main conflict unfolding delicately and masterfully over the course of the novel/.../Both brisk and brutally raw, Seared is highly recommended for fans of thrillers and family dramas."