Scan barcode
helloitslauren_'s review against another edition
5.0
OMG.
Well this was my first book by Dorothy Koomson so I didn't really know what to expect from her as I haven't heard a lot of people discuss her books.
Overall, the pace was slow and steady throughout the book which was helping with the ending. I enjoyed the build up to the three secrets and how each character had its development. The plot was quite clever and never gave anything a way, which some thrillers do. I definitely wasn't expecting the ending.
Well this was my first book by Dorothy Koomson so I didn't really know what to expect from her as I haven't heard a lot of people discuss her books.
Overall, the pace was slow and steady throughout the book which was helping with the ending. I enjoyed the build up to the three secrets and how each character had its development. The plot was quite clever and never gave anything a way, which some thrillers do. I definitely wasn't expecting the ending.
liz_ross's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I am kind of disappointed, you know? I used to love Koomson's writing style but this time it was even hard to like it.
And same goes to the story. I only actually started to like it way after the 50% mark. The story just wasn't it. Yvonne was obviously too perfect for it to be real. The friends were suspects far too obvious to be the ones who commited the crime. And the real person who attempted murder was just too indifferent - appeared literally twice before Cece discovered it - for anyone to guess. It's ridiculous.
The one other plot twist also didn't feel surprising because just like Yvonne, Hazel's boyfriend was too perfect to be true.
Other thing I didn't like was how the timeline wasn't linear. We are in the present, go back to the past, come back to the present, sometimes more than once in the same chapter and when we go back it's not always for the same moment or even year as a matter of fact. That alone would alreadybe confusing, but each chapter belonged to adifferent character, making everything even harder to follow.
Not to mention how sexist this whole thing felt. In the entire book I never once saw any child being taken to school by a father. It was always the mother who, by the way, did nothing the rest of the day aside from gossiping. There's nothing wrong with the mother staying at home taking care of house and children, especially if there's no need for both to work. But it bothered me that Koomson couldn't introduce in the entire book one single family whose income came not from the father's job, but the mother's; one single family with both parents working somewhere that is not home. It bothered me a lot.
Full review coming soon!
And same goes to the story. I only actually started to like it way after the 50% mark. The story just wasn't it. Yvonne was obviously too perfect for it to be real. The friends were suspects far too obvious to be the ones who commited the crime. And the real person who attempted murder was just too indifferent - appeared literally twice before Cece discovered it - for anyone to guess. It's ridiculous.
The one other plot twist also didn't feel surprising because just like Yvonne, Hazel's boyfriend was too perfect to be true.
Other thing I didn't like was how the timeline wasn't linear. We are in the present, go back to the past, come back to the present, sometimes more than once in the same chapter and when we go back it's not always for the same moment or even year as a matter of fact. That alone would alreadybe confusing, but each chapter belonged to adifferent character, making everything even harder to follow.
Not to mention how sexist this whole thing felt. In the entire book I never once saw any child being taken to school by a father. It was always the mother who, by the way, did nothing the rest of the day aside from gossiping. There's nothing wrong with the mother staying at home taking care of house and children, especially if there's no need for both to work. But it bothered me that Koomson couldn't introduce in the entire book one single family whose income came not from the father's job, but the mother's; one single family with both parents working somewhere that is not home. It bothered me a lot.
Full review coming soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Infertility and Domestic abuse
natashaw's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first Dorothy Koomson book I have read - I know she has written a lot of books but to be honest I always assumed it was light weight 'chick lit' which isnt my thing.
However, I am so glad I gave this a try! This was a gripping read, lots of twists and turns... with relatable, likeable characters.
I will definitely be looking out for more of Kommsons books :-)
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.
However, I am so glad I gave this a try! This was a gripping read, lots of twists and turns... with relatable, likeable characters.
I will definitely be looking out for more of Kommsons books :-)
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.
sarahward88's review against another edition
5.0
Back to her best
This book is brilliant and very difficult to put down! I loved it and recommend it to anyone who wants a new read.
This book is brilliant and very difficult to put down! I loved it and recommend it to anyone who wants a new read.
weekatsie's review against another edition
2.0
Normally I love Dorothy Koomson books, and find them real page turners, so I was looking forward to reading this. The fact that I read it in March but actually forgot all about it until now probably gives you a good idea of how I found it.
Too many characters are introduced very early on, with no real distinguishing features - I found myself having to make a real effort to paint a mental picture of each character, to avoid confusing them with another of the dull characters we're introduced to. I didn't warm to any of the characters, at least not their present-day, wealthy, materialistic selves. I didn't even find them as well-drawn as Dorothy Koomson's characters normally are. Something about the way they spoke and interacted just seemed off. Maybe that was intentional, given all the secrets they were hiding, but with so much unattractive falseness on display, I didn't like, or root for, any of them.
The second half of the book was better, as back stories were revealed, but it still wasn't enough to keep me interested. Honesty, the only thing that kept me reading was the desire to finish the book, as I hate to give up halfway through.
Even the ending was pretty disappointing, and unrealistic. Such a shame, as I had been looking forward to this one.
Too many characters are introduced very early on, with no real distinguishing features - I found myself having to make a real effort to paint a mental picture of each character, to avoid confusing them with another of the dull characters we're introduced to. I didn't warm to any of the characters, at least not their present-day, wealthy, materialistic selves. I didn't even find them as well-drawn as Dorothy Koomson's characters normally are. Something about the way they spoke and interacted just seemed off. Maybe that was intentional, given all the secrets they were hiding, but with so much unattractive falseness on display, I didn't like, or root for, any of them.
The second half of the book was better, as back stories were revealed, but it still wasn't enough to keep me interested. Honesty, the only thing that kept me reading was the desire to finish the book, as I hate to give up halfway through.
Even the ending was pretty disappointing, and unrealistic. Such a shame, as I had been looking forward to this one.
belcherbird's review against another edition
4.0
It took a while to read but I did really enjoy this. There were a fair few characters so it did get a bit confusing at times. I do like this author, this isn’t my first by this author nor will it be my last.
booklady72's review against another edition
5.0
After her husbands promotion Cece arrives in Brighton with their three children, ready to start afresh.
Three weeks earlier, Yvonne, a popular parent was nearly murdered at the local school - the very same school that Cece has enrolled her children. As she is anxious about making friends with parents that are cliquey she is worried about her children’s safety. By chance she meets three mums, Anaya, Maxine and Hazel and they all make her feel welcomed, this is until the police believe one of her new friends tried to kill Yvonne. Reluctant to spy on her new friends but determined to find out the truth Cece must uncover the potential murderer before they strike again.
I haven’t read a book By Dorothy Koomson book for a very long time. Starting this, I realised what a fantastic writer she is and how much I enjoy reading her books. It’s been a long time where I was excited to get home and start reading where I left off, looking forward to some ‘me time’ to get a few more pages in. I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. Thank you Dorothy for making your books such a pleasure to read.
Three weeks earlier, Yvonne, a popular parent was nearly murdered at the local school - the very same school that Cece has enrolled her children. As she is anxious about making friends with parents that are cliquey she is worried about her children’s safety. By chance she meets three mums, Anaya, Maxine and Hazel and they all make her feel welcomed, this is until the police believe one of her new friends tried to kill Yvonne. Reluctant to spy on her new friends but determined to find out the truth Cece must uncover the potential murderer before they strike again.
I haven’t read a book By Dorothy Koomson book for a very long time. Starting this, I realised what a fantastic writer she is and how much I enjoy reading her books. It’s been a long time where I was excited to get home and start reading where I left off, looking forward to some ‘me time’ to get a few more pages in. I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. Thank you Dorothy for making your books such a pleasure to read.
lucyp21's review against another edition
4.0
I read an interview with Dorothy Koomson recently and when I saw some of the summaries of the books she'd written, I knew I had to add her to my author to-be-read list. This is the first book of hers that I have read and it was a great start.
Cece moves down to Brighton to be closer to her husband and makes friends with a group of women at her sons' school. Then she finds out she is taking the place of Yvonne, a woman who was attacked at the school and is now in a coma, and her new friends are the prime suspects. This story is told from four different points of view, Cece and each of the three women, Hazel, Maxie and Anaya, all of which have their own complicated lives. These women are united by the fact their children all go to the same school but the book is really about the women themselves as they try to hide the secrets they are so ashamed of as well as trying to find a way to live with the lives they created.
This book started off a little slow but when it got going, it really got going. I raced through the second half of the book as things got more and more interesting and secrets are revealed along the way. This is a thriller which deserves the name as I wondered who it could be and then was completely surprised at the end by who it did turn out to be. Cece was a main character I adored, especially as she talked about her past (with Gareth), Harmony's father and her old job she had before she moved to Brighton. I loved how she dealt with her husband's insulting remarks about her being a stay-at-home mum and how she reacted to her new friends' pasts.
Koomson is a black woman as well, which makes this book own voices for Cece, and it was really interesting to see how Koomson made it obvious that racism was still a part of this world, even if it wasn't the main storyline. My heart broke at Cece's backstory and it made me really dislike Gareth as well.
I recently got another book of Koomson's out of the library and after this book, I can't wait to get around to it. The Friend blew me away and I hope the rest of her books live up to expectations. 4.5 stars!
Cece moves down to Brighton to be closer to her husband and makes friends with a group of women at her sons' school. Then she finds out she is taking the place of Yvonne, a woman who was attacked at the school and is now in a coma, and her new friends are the prime suspects. This story is told from four different points of view, Cece and each of the three women, Hazel, Maxie and Anaya, all of which have their own complicated lives. These women are united by the fact their children all go to the same school but the book is really about the women themselves as they try to hide the secrets they are so ashamed of as well as trying to find a way to live with the lives they created.
This book started off a little slow but when it got going, it really got going. I raced through the second half of the book as things got more and more interesting and secrets are revealed along the way. This is a thriller which deserves the name as I wondered who it could be and then was completely surprised at the end by who it did turn out to be. Cece was a main character I adored, especially as she talked about her past (with Gareth), Harmony's father and her old job she had before she moved to Brighton. I loved how she dealt with her husband's insulting remarks about her being a stay-at-home mum and how she reacted to her new friends' pasts.
Koomson is a black woman as well, which makes this book own voices for Cece, and it was really interesting to see how Koomson made it obvious that racism was still a part of this world, even if it wasn't the main storyline. My heart broke at Cece's backstory and it made me really dislike Gareth as well.
I recently got another book of Koomson's out of the library and after this book, I can't wait to get around to it. The Friend blew me away and I hope the rest of her books live up to expectations. 4.5 stars!
julia_wagner's review against another edition
4.0
A juicy and fast-paced novel about a group of mothers in Brighton. Friendship, secrets, lies, betrayals and playground politics. Very entertaining!
neareads's review against another edition
5.0
Mrs. Dorothy Koomson does it again. She has the ability to get you hooked and keep you reading. I could not put this down. The only reason it took me as long as it did to read this, is because I was working all kinds of odd hours volunteering for an event.
I have to say I wasn’t certain who did it until right at the end. I had a few suspects, ok maybe 2, but I wasn’t certain.
One of the many things I love about her writing is that her characters are so real. They have real lives, real faults, real challenges. Some things that happened are CRAZY but the picture that she paints of them makes it so realistic.
The ending.... perfect. Absolutely PERFECT!!!
Please don’t ever stop writing Mrs. Koomson!
I have to say I wasn’t certain who did it until right at the end. I had a few suspects, ok maybe 2, but I wasn’t certain.
One of the many things I love about her writing is that her characters are so real. They have real lives, real faults, real challenges. Some things that happened are CRAZY but the picture that she paints of them makes it so realistic.
The ending.... perfect. Absolutely PERFECT!!!
Please don’t ever stop writing Mrs. Koomson!