It pains me not to be able to give a book a good review because I can imagine how hard it must have been to write. That said, The Rumor was not for me. I didn’t care for the characters, especially Joanna, the leading lady. The plot didn’t surprise me in the least, using many different twists that have been used over and over before. I figured out the ending from the beginning, except for a detail that didn’t really make much sense to me. Some parts were too slow for my liking and felt like unnecessary details, including some political throwaway comments that were out of place. Most of all, I felt that something was off and I didn’t know what it was until reading the author’s bio and realizing that she is British. As the plot is set in America and all of the characters are American, maybe that’s what my subconscious picked up on? I’d rather read a novel set in a different country than read about my country and have little details grate at me. In any case, I’m glad to see that the book has received good reviews, it just wasn’t right for me.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine!

Joanna (Jo) moves to a seaside town with her son, Alfie, to be closer to her mom. Jo is worried about Alfie making friends at school and knows if she is friendly with the school moms, life for him will be much easier. But Jo has a hard time connecting with the gossipy, PTA mothers. So in an attempt to fit in, she partakes in a little gossip. A rumor is going around that a child-killer is living amidst them and Jo adds to the gossip. The rumor spreads like wildfire and has the community wondering—who is Sally McGowan?

When Jo tell’s Alfie’s dad, Michael, who also happens to be a journalist, about the rumor, he decides to investigate. He wants to get to the bottom of this story, but also thinks it would make a great book. So Michael moves in with Jo during the investigation and they decide to give their romantic relationship a shot—maybe now the three of them can be a proper family.

Now that Jo believes there’s a murderer living amidst them, everyone starts seeing like a suspect. And when an anonymous Twitter account starts posting creepy tweets about Sally McGowan, Jo doesn’t feel safe in her quaint seaside town anymore. Jo thought a little rumor was harmless, but boy was she wrong.

Rumors can kill—and sometimes they do.

The Rumor is Lesley Kara’s debut thriller. Originally published in the UK, The Rumor has been reworked to have an American backdrop. I wasn’t surprised to learn the story originally took place in the UK, as it didn’t feel “American.” The start of the novel felt a little confusing, as we had a lot of characters to keep track of. But after I got the hang of things, I enjoyed this one. It wasn’t a thriller, but a suspense, at best. I wish the characters were flushed out more, so I’d have felt more connected to them. I didn’t guess who Sally was, but I didn’t love her reveal. It didn’t pack the thriller punch I wanted in that regard. I rolled my eyes at the “twist” that proceeded after the reveal and I ended up skimming the last 10%. Although this wasn’t anything spectacular for me, I look forward to reading the author’s next release—3.25/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Lesley Kara for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic thriller that really keeps one guessing! Twists and turns came organically out of the plot and not left field surprises many author’s employ.

I received free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an impartial review.

Normally, a good seaside mystery will keep me entertained. Sadly, The Rumor just didn't do anything for me. I finished it only because I kept hoping it would get better. Mom Joanna has recently moved back to her childhood home with her young son who had been bullied in a previous school. Desperate to make everything right for him, Joanna begins awkward, tentative steps to ingratiate herself with the other mothers.

Meanwhile, there is the story of a released woman who murdered a five-year-old boy when she was only ten. The murderer, who would now be in late middle age, is supposedly hidden in plain sight in their small seaside community. In an attempt to be part of the conversation, Joanna perpetuates the rumor of this supposed murderer and adds details to the rumor that she has learned from her boyfriend. Fear takes over and an innocent woman is targeted as the child murderer. (What I did not understand is how this innocent woman who grew up in that small town, whose mother still resided there, could ever have been considered as a suspect.) Joanna runs through the short list of her female acquaintances and, at some time, considers whether each could be the mysterious killer. The members of her book club and babysitting circle lack individuality.

For all of her overprotective mothering, Joanna makes a few whopping mistakes. She loses sight of her six-year-old on a foggy beach; she leaves her son with women she had considered suspects; and she changes plans about end of school day without telling her son.

The ending of the novel is unexpected but it was too much work to get there.
#NetGalley #TheRumor

In an attempt to make new friends, single Mom Joanne shares a rumor with several women while attending a bookclub gathering. The rumor soon takes on a life of it's own and events spiral out of control. Soon Joanne's life is also out of control and she ends up making a discovery she would have never imagined.

Well now, wasn't this interesting. It made me think of today's social media and how things are shared when we don't even know if it's true. Joanne never thought her one little comment would have such a big impact. It reminded me of a poster that said - "Before You Speak - THINK. Is what you are going to say True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, Kind.

This was very well written and relevant. The author did a great job keeping the story suspenseful and the direction she took the story was a surprise. I'm impressed with this debute novel and will be keeping a watchful eye out for future novels by this talented writer.

My thanks to Ballantine Books and Netgalley.

Flinstead is a tiny little town by the ocean. A place where everyone knows each other. A place where you can go back to raise a family.
Joanna and her six year old son Alfie, have gone back to Flinstead. Jo's mother lives just around the corner from them. Very convenient when it comes to needing a babysitter, or a quick visit with grandma. The th6about small towns is that everyone knows everyone's business. Nothing is secret. Until now.
Sally McGavan was ten years old when she was said to have murdered a six year old boy. She plunged a knife through his heart. This happened in the 1960's. After she was set free she was placed under protection. This is so she could try and lead as normal a life as possible.
Rumor has it that Sally, under another name is living in Flinstead. Is she a member of the book club, a babysitter, a store clerk. Who is she.
When Robbie was murdered his mother swore to find Sally and make her pay the ultimate price. After she died the older daughter, Marie took up where she left off. Revenge is what she wants. Revenge for the death of her brother.
Jo hears the rumors and just like everyone else is adding her tidbits of information.
Everyone knows that rumors can kill. In this town it is already too late.
Exceptional story. Excellent ending.

This book was an average read. The twists were predictable. The character development wasn’t all that great. It look a lot of effort to keep up with so many characters. Not everyone really added to the plot however.

Gripping, can’t put it down read. Kept you reading till the very end. Will definitely recommend to my friends to check out! Suspenseful and a page turner

The Rumor is the debut novel from Lesley Kara. I hope Ms Kara writes fast because I can't wait to see her next story! I read The Rumor in less than 24 hours. I was immediately taken with the main character (Joanna). Before I knew it I was 38% of the way into the story on my Kindle and completely wrapped up in Joanna's life. Twists, turns, and surprises make this almost impossible to put down. I was given an early copy to review.

Joanna is a young single mother, who recently moved to the area. In an effort to fit in with the other mothers, she casually passes on a comment she heard, about a child killer, released from prison, who might be living in their town. Of course the rumor grows, some people think they know who it is. Joanna fears that she will be targeted as the source of the rumor. An interesting and twisty read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC for my honest review.

I was really looking forward to this book, I had read so many good things about it. Unfortunately it was very difficult for me to get through. It seems to drag on forever. Most of the story was tedious and the great revelation and wrap up seemed a bit hurried. A lot of emphasis seemed to be placed on the father of the child being black and I am really not sure why as I didn't feel that fact contributed to the story at all. Another annoying thing for me was you could tell it was originally set in the UK and changed for an American audience; it just didn't ring true, it felt off. In my honest opinion it would be better just left as the original.

I may read future books by this author, everyone deserves a second chance.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for GoodReads. Though I keep thinking about downgrading to 2.

This book started out like a Liane Moriarty -style story focused on a group of school mums interacting through and around their children and an old mystery that comes back to light.

In a Moriarty book, the women start out as superficial and one-dimensional and as the book continues the characters round out and develop into people you can like or at least understand.

We never get descriptions of characters or the setting except that Liz has a bohemian style and white hair, Alfie has frizzy hair and Michael is black and looks like Idris Alba.

I'm halfway through this book and still waiting for some character development. All the other school mums get a line or two here and there and it's not flattering or compelling. Every 60-ish woman is dangled as a potential Sally MacGowan. I really don't like Joanna and her incessant need to trade gossip like currency with everyone - her book club, the mothers at school, her boss, her boyfriend.

I got to the big "thrilling ending" and found myself able to put the book down to watch hockey because I really didn't care how it ended. The author didn't make me care enough about Joanna to be invested in her safety. I did enjoy the (finally!) detailed descriptions and imagery in that penultimate scene and it made me wish there had been more of that in the book.

Now that I've written this review, I am going to go with 2 stars. This isn't a story that I'll remember without reading the book jacket to job my memory. There isn't anything that stood out to me.

*I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.* (

Thank you so much to Random House, NetGalley and the author, Lesley Kara, for allowing me an early read of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Gossip can hurt you, even if you are just the person spreading it. The gossip ran through the community like a tornado, and there was no slowing it down once it started. While I thought that sometimes there were many characters mentioned with no real story line later on, it was a decent read and I would read another book by this author.

If you think you know the ending, you will change your mind multiple times before you finish it.

Think you can spot the actual killer in the first 3 chapters of any book? Then you need to read this one and see just HOW wrong you can be! Part psychological thriller, part mystery, this rapid page turner will have you re-guessing every chapter, and wondering just where the truth lies in this cozy seaside town, where everyone seems to be harboring a deep dark secret. But who is really after Joanna, one she brings up a rumor that opens a cavern of dark history? It's HARD to believe this is Lara's first book, but I'm sure it won't be her last! Perfect for Summer reading, this is one you'll be sharing with ALL your friends!

I really enjoyed this book. It held my interest and I didn’t want to put it down. There were plenty of twists that kept me guessing and I had a feeling it would end like it did.

Oh man... this book was pretty boring. Too many characters and too much repeating. I actually made it to about 60% and then I just didn’t care anymore. I did enjoy the author’s writing style though but this story did nothing for me. Maybe next time!

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was OK it took me a few days to get through it because it was kind of slow going through to get to the point of the book at least in my opinion

The Rumor by Lesley Kara takes the domestic thriller to a new level. This is a twisty, sometimes heart wrenching book with well developed characters. Joanne is a single mom in a small town, working as a realtor. When a rumor sprouts up in her small circle of friends, the results are devastating. It involves not only her, but members of her family. Plenty of tension, emotion, and a fast pace make this story very readable. The ending is spot on, and you will likely have to re-read it to make sure you didn't just imagine it. Loved this book from beginning to the end. Highly recommend. Thanks to Netgalley.com for an advance copy.

Wow, A very different kind of book. I was riveted. Had a difficult time putting this book down. It seemed like almost every other page made me think something else. Not at all predictable. Like I said very different. Looking forward to more books by this author. . I will definitely recommend this book to everyone! Thank you for providing an advanced copy to me

The Rumor grabbed my attention from the start, and just kept getting better! A rumor is started about a child murderer who is in the Witness Protection Program living in a small town. Everyone starts suspecting those around them, causing ramifications. Eventually the shocking truth is dramatically exposed. Start reading this book now!