This is a relatively likeable debut novel set in both 1976 and 1988. With lines that hook you in saying such as ‘Besides, if you were one half evil, wouldn't you want to know about the other half? It certainly catches your attention, but wasn’t an obvious thread.
Told from Robyn ‘s perspective both as a 9 and 21 year old it alternates from the accurately depicted summer of 1976, the year of a significant drought , to 1988 when Robyn returns to the town to fully understand what happened to her when she was a child.
It starts with a man who appears in town and gives nine-year-old Robyn a present, which her mother once she finds out about it, becomes frantic and paranoid. Holmes does a good job of conveying the confusion experienced from the limited information a youngster would receive that creates a fragmented understanding. Eventually we are told about the incident that causes the family to move away. Twelve years later, Robyn and Kit, her brother return to the home they had shared with their mother and her partner, Matthew. Robyn does not receive a very warm welcome.
The writing is full of excellent depictions and imagery, which bring the eras alive. The characters also have an authentic feel from both decades. There are clues as well as red herrings in the story intended to misdirect the reader, but I have to say I found them quite obvious and guessed who the man was and what the twist was early on in the book. This meant it did feel laboured as it slowly worked towards a reveal. It would have been more enjoyable had the information sharing been steadier from an earlier point in the book, as the reader had to be very patient for this. The denouement in contrast got wrapped up almost too quickly, which after such a deliberate slow pace felt a bit of a blur.
In all it was an enjoyable read, with a new and impressive writing style, just some timing adjustments that would have improved the reading experience for me.

It's the summer and Robyn spends her time at the Lido, in the park, and with her best friend Debbie. Everything seems normal until her mother brings home a crying woman and her young son. Robyn starts to hear whispers of her mother and what she has done and now a mysterious man in a cowboy hat is following her. No one will tell Robyn the truth but she's determined to find out what is going on. Twelve years later, Robyn and her brother Kit return to their childhood home, ready to confront the mystery that haunted her summer.

Marianne Holmes was able to weave a story of multilayered family drama that always kept me on my toes. There were times in the story where the events were so vague that it was confusing, but it made me want to keep reading to find out what was going on. Holmes is someone that you'll want to keep an eye on because I can only see good things for her in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Agora Books for the ARC.

Enjoyed this book and the dysfunctional family relationships within it. Secrets are slowly revealed, which is frustrating to begin with but begins to make sense towards the end. it made a nice change from the psychological thrillers I've been reading lately.

DnF. I could not get into this book, I’m not sure why. I think the plot was ok, I’m just a little tired of novels that layer on mysterious happenings until deep into the novel.

Coming home is not always a good thing, sometimes home can reveal things you'd rather leave in the past. Robyn and Kit have been running for what seems like their entire lives. They return home to finally find out what really happened that night so long ago when they were kids. In doing so, they have to face a past they might not be ready for.
A little Bird Told Me is a story of family and forgiveness. It held my attention very well and I found myself anxiously awaiting " the whole story"...in that it did not disappoint.

I was given a copy of A Little Bird Told Me by the publisher for an honest review. This is a great first novel from Marriane. It tells the story of Robryn and her brother Kit, who return home 12 years after their mother went missing. The book hordes between 1988 when they return home and goes back Into 1976 and the events leading up to their mothers disappearance. I found the story easy to follow and kept my interest. There are a few twists and turns along the way but not so many that you get confused. A really enjoyable read, will be looking out for this author in the future.

A Little Bird Told Me is a well-written book that catches your attention from start to finish. This suspenseful page-turner is told in the span of two different timelines and displays an intriguing story is about truth, lies, mysterious circumstances and who should pay for them. You’ll love the twists and turns. I’d love to read a sequel to this debut read especially since there were a few characters I wanted to know what was next for them.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Synopsis from the Publisher/NetGalley.com
Besides, if you were one half evil, wouldn’t you want to know about the other half?

In the scorching summer of 1976, Robyn spends her days swimming at the Lido and tagging after her brother. It’s the perfect holiday – except for the crying women her mum keeps bringing home.

As the heatwave boils on, tensions in the town begin to simmer. Everyone is gossiping about her mum, a strange man is following her around, and worst of all, no one will tell Robyn the truth. But this town isn’t good at keeping secrets…

Twelve years later, Robyn returns home, to a house that has stood empty for years and a town that hasn’t moved on, forced to confront the mystery that haunted her that summer.

And atone for the part she played in it.

To be honest, I don't think the blurb does this book justice. I was a little hesitant about reading it, thinking it might be a bit too cosy for my tastes, so I was pleasantly surprised to find an domestic thriller that forces you to read on and on and on until all the mysteries are explained.

I found the ending a little confusing, so needed to reread it to be sure of what happened, but once I figured it out, it all made perfect sense, as brother and sister Christopher/Kit and Robyn/Little Bird untangle the tangled web of their family's past. Nothing is quite as it seems.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

The pace of this book is relentless and exhausting, but it is very difficult to stop turning the pages so that other things can be done (like sleeping). Ray is truly terrifying, and you may find yourself sleeping with one eye open after reading certain scenes in this book.

This is a literary mystery story told in two timeframes, the long hot summer of 1976 and 12 years later in 1988. In 1976, Robyn lives with her mum, stepdad and brother Kit and is enjoying the school holidays that are seemingly going on forever, hanging out with her friend and brother and swimming at the Lido. Robyn’s mum gets involved in a domestic abuse incident when a mother and son come to stay with them. After the wife goes back home and ends up in hospital, the son is taken away, and father is out for revenge.
One day, a man with a cowboy hat approaches Robyn and hands her two wooden babies. When her mum sees them, she is panicked and talks about them leaving but no one explains to Robyn why. As a reader we are easily able to understand Robyn’s frustration. We soon discover that something terrible happened that summer…the family left the village, something appears to have happened to Robyn’s mum and Robyn was badly injured. The story is cleverly interwoven between the two timelines, the threads of the story gradually coming together until we find out what happened in the summer of 1976.
I loved this debut – every time I put it down, I couldn’t wait to get back to it! The writing is just so good – the summer of 1976 was evocative and reminded me of my own childhood and the freedom I had. The dual timelines worked well – the Robyn of 1976 who doesn’t really know what is going on (much like the reader) and the grown-up Robyn who is trying to put together what happened to help lay it to rest and uncover the truth. The mystery aspect is pitched perfectly…the story was paced impeccably, there is tension throughout. At no point did I feel the story dragged, the strands of the story came together seamlessly
I look forward to seeing what Marianne Holmes does next! A terrific debut!

A little bird told me that this was a very special book to read and I totally agree!!!

Beautifully written I was transfixed from the start to the finish.

Told in 2 timelines, the summer of 1976 and 1988.

In 1976 Robyn lives with her mother, step father Mathew and brother Christopher ( Kit). A strange man in a cowboy hat is hanging around the lido, he hands Robyn 2 wooden babies but when her mother sees them she panics and says they will have to leave but does not explain why.

This was a very intriguing story, the 2 timelines are joined together effortlessly and the mystery is kept going until the end. The story of friendships, relationships and secrets made me reluctant to put this book down.

A must read!! Marianne Holmes is an author to look out for. She writes in such a beautiful way that you can’t help but be swept away in her story. Looking out for her next book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

I'm not too sure what I think about this, although well--written I did find it at times predictable and a bit slow, also a bit confusing. The ending was good though. Three stars.

A little bird told me is different and it’s beautiful. You’ll warm to the characters quickly and you’ll be torn about who is bad and who is good

interesting debut novel split between 2 different period. felt however the book did get bogged down a bit though but interesting plot though

I tried to read this book twice but I was completely bored and couldn't make it even half way through.

A great little read, if a little predictable at times. That didn't stop me enjoying it though and I would recommend for those who want a light hearted book to read with just the right amount of twists and turns.

This book was pretty good if a bit predictable in a lot of ways. I think by the end there wasn't much that I actually hadn't guessed. But I really liked the characters and the plot was compelling. Sometimes I do find it nice to have a mystery story when I guess a lot of it. It makes me feel clever. Mostly though, this was just a nice relaxing read. It was a good story that I didn't have to work too hard to understand.

I liked Robyn a lot as a character. The changes between her sections when she's older and when she's younger are really well defined. It's easy within seconds of starting a chapter to know which ones are which. (They were also alternating so it's really not hard to keep track, but my concentration has been really bad this week and a couple of times I forgot and read a few sentences before I remembered). It's really great to see two different voices for the same person that have distinct differences but without any doubt that it's the same person.

The other characters were good as well. The theme of hidden abuse running through the whole story was perfectly done. The way that it was all connected together worked really well and highlighted how bad spousal abuse can be for many women and children stuck in terrible circumstances.

I thought this was a very clever story. Marianne Holmes manages to evoke some wonderful memories from the summer of 1976. It was an unusual period of time, so unremittingly hot, and the atmosphere from that scorching season is brilliantly captured. The story flips between 1976 and 1988, and neither tale turns out quite how I imagined it would. There are moments of heartbreak, but also flashes of hope and some of joy. An absorbing and captivating novel that I would happily recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This book is told over 2 time periods 1976 and 1988 (the present day). The book follows events that happened to Robyn (the narrator) and Kit her brother back in 1976. It was clear very early on that something bad happened that fateful summer and as you progress through the book you learn what that was. The characters are well written and its a very easy read I am looking forward to reading some more books by Marianne Holmes.

Plot: In the summer of 1976, Robyn passes her days with her brother and best friend at the Lido. Their home life isn’t “normal” – they’ve moved recently and suddenly to the town for reasons that are currently unclear, and their mother brings home crying women. Rumours about their mother abound, and a strange man keeps approaching Robyn. Meanwhile, we follow a storyline 12 years in the future where Robyn and her brother have returned to find out the truth of what really happened, only to find a town that still has roots in the past.

My thoughts: The premise of a mystery that took place in the long, hot summer of childhood is always one that has me intrigued, but sadly this one didn’t quite live up to the promise of it for me. Neither of the timelines really had me interested as it felt like information was deliberately being withheld in both of them to keep the mysteries going, but it just felt a bit contrived for the benefit of the story.
The writing was very good, however, and really fit the hazy hot days of the summer – it was lyrical and lilting, told with a child’s innocence in parts and the rawness of an adult in others. While I found the story too slow to keep me gripped, I kept reading for the writing.