On a run early morning, Fran found a child alone. Soon her mother came rushing down the path. But something felt off. Fran befriended her. Suddenly the child and her family vanished. Fran had to find out what happened to the child.

Having read Author Sarah Denzil’s works, I was excited, and it was completely justified. There was the right amount of intrigue for my interest to be spiked up. The writing was smooth, flowed well.

Fran drew my empathy; her reasons for searching for the strangers at any cost, bordered slightly on obsession, but I got it. She went to great lengths, even traveled wide and far, in search of them.

But… The onus here is on me. The topic the book delved into, once Fran got the clue, was not my favorite. In fact, I stay away from such topics in most books, nothing triggering, but not interesting to me.

I skim read those parts. And finally, there were two major twists, extremely shocking that perked me up. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had to think back to see if there were clues that I had missed.

All my love for the book was stored at the beginning and the end.

They were living with the enemy and they did not suspect it! A riveting story, full of lies, deceit, and a plot is so well woven that it keeps the reader tight in the seat from the beginning to the end. It´s a story that we have seen happening most, unfortunately, more than once in real life. People get lured by false messiahs and follow the most absurd rules in exchange for a false feeling of happiness, togetherness, and love. Really entertaining and worth reading!

I've read a few books by this author in the past and was very eager to delve into this one. I quite liked it overall. However, some of the twists were beyond belief and I began to lose interest at certain parts.

This books a crime thriller about a family who are a little different, who move into a small village where the residents don’t take to kindly to them being a little different, one resident Fran tries hard to be friends with the mum and her child, losing her own child seemed to draw her to them.
The characters were strong however Frans obsession with the Whitaker family became a little annoying and I wanted to shout at her go back off. I preferred the characters in the cult, creepy and more fitting for the plot.
I absolutely loved this author last book and I really enjoy her writing style, unfortunately the plot felt a little far for my likening on this one.

🌼Little One is the first book I’ve had the chance to read by British writer @sarahadenzil.🌼


🌼Little One starts off with a young girl named Esther being found in a park one morning before the sun rises by a local woman named Fran. Within a few minutes of Fran finding her, Esther’s mom comes rushing towards them, pulling her daughter into her arms. After the two are reunited, they leave Fran in the park with a feeling that something just isn’t right. As if Esther and her mom have something to hide. Fran immediately becomes intrigued with the welfare of Esther and she begins poking her nose in places she shouldn’t, becoming overly obsessed with the mother/daughter duo. When Esther and her family up and leave without telling anyone, Fran is determined to find them.🌼

🌼Initially, I was under the impression the book was focused on a child who goes missing. I was wrong and a little disappointed. Instead, the story follows a small family who recently moved to an area where the family is seen as outsiders because of the family’s awkward demeanor, their interaction with others, and the way they are dressed; as if they walked off the TV show Little House on the Prairie. The people in the community will do whatever it takes to get them to leave and go back to their hometown. It’s not until after the family returns home that the reader learns that the family is part of a religious cult. A lifestyle that I was not expecting when I began reading this book. I haven’t read many books geared towards cults, nor am I religious. Both of those ideas, unfortunately pushed me away from the book. It wasn’t until the plot twist, that my mind was blown and I was in complete shock. I do believe the book was well written and based on the storyline of the book, it shows the writer did extensive research on religious cults. If you’re a reader who has an interest for cults, I would recommend adding this book to your 2021 -to be read- list.🌼

🌼Thank you @netgalley for an eARC of Little One (which was released Tuesday, January 12, 2021).🌼

Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#sarahdenzil #littleone #bookreview #bookstagram #netgalley #ilavabooksreviews

It's necessary to think about Little One in two halves. The first half introduces us to very different characters, building up a sense of intrigue and creating the stage for the second half to come on and really perform. The energy and pace were much more intense in the latter half of the book, and it concluded in such a way that I felt was satisfying but also allowed the reader to form their own opinion on the outcome.

I applaud the author for being able to successfully replace the central setting halfway through the book – this is definitely one where it pays off to stick with it and keep reading.

Thank you for the ARC.

Review posted on Instagram, Twitter, Amazon and Goodreads.

A jogger comes across a young girl alone in the park at 5.30 in the early morning. She is told that her daddy is coming to get her, when her mother rushes over to take her back home. So begins a connection of two different families and an eventful meeting that unleashes unforeseen consequences. The history and happenings from across the ocean are revealed. The tension builds in this psychological thriller to a dramatic climax thanks to the coincidental meeting that day. With good characters and illuminating narrative, this haunting tale comes with a four-star rating. With thanks to NetGalley and the author for a preview copy for review purposes.

I've really enjoyed this author's books in the past and I didn't dislike this one. However, some of the twists were a little over-the-top. My suspension of disbelief bridge isn't that strong.

This book really got me hooked from page one! It opens right as Fran finds Esther and immediately I was interested.
The story was paced well with enough mystery to keep me interested.

I liked Fran as a character and how she went out on a whim for the young family. I also loved Mary as a character and Esther.

I didn't expect this book to take the turn it did and admit you may have to suspend belief a little towards the end, but that was okay with me and I still really enjoyed it!

This book was a four star read for me and it's out today!

Thanks to the author, Sarah Denzil, the publisher Victory Editing and NetGalley for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Wow what a gripping read I literally could not put this book down.

On her early morning run, retired journalist Fran stumbles across a young girl seemingly alone in the local park. After a few minutes of wondering what do with the child to reunite her with her parents her young mother, Mary arrives explaining that Esther had sneaked out of the family home. Mary mentions that herself and her husband, Elijah are new to the area and from America.

The couple cause quite a stir in the close knit village in Derbyshire due to their almost Amish lifestyle and strict following of religion and suspicion and gossip starts emerge. Fran befriends the couple but it did feel almost to obsessive levels and starts to believe that all is not well within the marriage. After the unwelcoming behaviour of the locals the couple disappear seemingly back to America, however, Fran receives a message from Mary which would appear to be a cry for help. Maybe it’s the curious journalist in her, but Fran decides to find out what happened to the couple and more importantly if Mary and Esther are ok. This is where the story becomes very interesting with Fran trekking over to Arizona in search for answers.

This book really surprised me as it was not what I was expecting to read however, I was gripped straight away.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Totally enjoyed this read. The beginning hooked me right away, although Fran’s obsessive need to know more about Mary and Esther seemed unrealistic to me. Enjoyed learning more about Mary but never warmed up to Esther. Fran leaves her husband behind and follows their trail across the ocean. Plenty of lucky guesses later and their reunion is apocalyptic. The dramatic twist at the end was a total shock. Loved the inclusion of the cult as it lent another layer of mystery to the story. The passages with Caleb and Fran opened my eyes to the mysticism of cults. This read is totally engaging.
Many thanks to Sarah A. Denzil, Kindle Edition, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this book, publishing tomorrow. Don’t miss this one!

I have truly enjoyed ''Little One'' even though there were times where I was a bit bored.

I do have to say that this book has finished differently from what I was expecting and I guess this is what we are looking for in a book. We are making speculations and we might have the tendencies to say to ourselves 'oh well, I know how this book will end' for the author to surprise us.
For the time being, I have read quite a few books where I guessed (I assumed) the ending of the story and when Sarah A. Denzil played me, I was surprisingly happy. 

Moreover, the characters are so rich and different that you cannot forget about them. They are so specific that in a way you actually start to like them from the first page.
But, I do have to say that if it bothers you to read about cults - you will not like it.
At first, I thought - wow another book with cults in the background but as I was flipping on the pages I started to thinking otherwise.

Nonetheless, I do recommend you reading this book as it's an interesting novel and a good page-turner.

3.5 stars

Little One by Sarah A. Denzil is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Victory Editing, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

While out for her early morning run, Fran finds a child by the swings.  Esther is 7 years old, and wearing a rather old-fashioned hand-made dress.  She says she is waiting for Father.  When her mother appears, she tells Fran that they have just moved to the area, and the "Father" that Esther is waiting for is her imaginary friend, God.

Fran can't get Esther out of her mind, and tries to befriend the family.  This isn't easy, as Fran and her husband seem to be a little strange.  Esther is stranger.  Fran has never met such a dour young child.

When the family just disappears, Fran knows something is wrong.  She will do whatever she can to find them.  Fran's husband is not quite as open to this idea.


My Opinions:   

Okay, this was different, or it might just be me.  I am going to try and not judge too harshly, but when you don't like ANY of the characters, that is rough.  I found Fran to be very self-centered and over-bearing.  The rest were very weak-minded.  Esther was a nightmare (and her actions were far older than that of a seven year old).

I felt the book moved very slowly, and then, over half way in, it got quite good.  However, that is a little late for me.  Up to that point, I was barely interested.

As well, I found the first part of the book foreshadowed the Arizona happenings, and although I had suspicions, the final couple of twists did surprise me.

Wow. That was a rollercoaster ride. I've got to say that from the synopsis you think this might be a missing child type thriller. It's not. The synopsis gives nothing away as to what this book is about. And if it gave any more details then it would spoil it (plus, who wants a review that regurgitates the synopsis?). With this in mind it is quite difficult to write a review without spoiling anything for those who have not yet read it.
The first half of the book was enjoyable but kind of plodded along, you really got to know Fran and build a relationship with her.
By the midway point I had an idea of where the story might be going and what some potential plot points could be but I was still unsure. My ideas of where the story might be going - completely wrong! Those potential plot points - nope!
You hi the midway point and this novel takes a turn and becomes an unputdownable, non-stop thrill ride. I absolutely loved the second half and cursed anybody who interrupted my reading time. It was all bam, bam, bam action and twisty, twist with plot twists. There is no way anyone hitting the half way mark would have predicted what was to come.
The final twist - SO GOOD!!! and so well written, completely believable and not just thrown in for shock value.
I will be looking up Sarah Denzil's other books and will definitely be buying more of her work in future.

Thank you NetGalley, Sarah A. Denzil and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review.

This is definitely the type of book I enjoy with plenty of mystery, secrets and a very unexpected plot twist. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that the twist did seem beyond believable to me at first. However, as the details unfolded I was able to see how it was possible.

This book reminded me a lot of Alex Hart's 'Take Me Home' that I read in October. To be honest, it didn't really add much in my opinion to make it different.
I predicted the way the story was going fairly early but it was executed well, and I did get very uncomfortable reading the last hour of the book.
If I hadn't read the Hart book fairly recently, I think this book would have grabbed my attention and held onto it, much better.
The characters were likeable, although I was a little confused about Fran's developing obsession towards the Whittaker family. She just came across as interfering!
A good read overall, and I'm sure other readers will like it more.

What a bloody brilliant book. Sarah's characters are so well thought out and "real", and you find yourself totally in it our main protagonist, wanting to know more and to save the day. When she makes some questionable choices and goes way above and beyond on her quest for the truth, you are cheering her on and telling her to go for it! I Loved the small English village setting at the beginning of the book and all the busybodies that come with it, and the transition from there to the hot, humid and sprawling landscapes of Arizona. So well described you can feel the heat resonating from the page.

For me, a 5 star thriller is usually dependent on the the twist reveal, and this one was a full body goosebumps moment. Loved it!! HIGHLY recommended

This book definitely caught me off guard, it was a little slower at first, and then cascaded into a world of twists and turns around every corner. A fantastic tale of suspense that will have you turning page after page trying to figure out what happens next.

From the description of the story, I was anticipating it to turn out a certain type of way. Upon reading the book, and getting further and further in, at first I thought that maybe it wasn't as suspenseful as a book I had first imagined, then like a runaway freight train hurtling down the tracks, the pieces of the puzzle started falling into place, and the story propels you into the center of a mystery that you were not expecting at all.

I’d like to thank Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Little One’ by Sarah A Denzil in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

As Fran is out on her early morning run she comes across a little girl dressed in an old-fashioned yellow dress and white socks standing on the village green. The girl, Esther, is returned to her mother Mary Whitaker who has recently moved to the village of Leacroft from Arizona with Esther and husband Elijah. Fran can’t help being concerned as Mary and Esther are very quiet and subdued and have unexplained bruises. When they suddenly disappear from the village Fran knows something isn’t right and has to find them for her own peace of mind.

‘Little One’ is a well-written and interesting though unusual story that I found hard to get into until half-way through when the story moves from England to the other side of the world and starts to gather momentum. The descriptions of the characters are good but the story didn’t grab my attention although the unexpected twist at the end was dramatic. I’m sorry I didn’t enjoy reading this book as much as I’d expected but this is purely my own opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

This story takes you from a small English village to the Arizona desert. The story is about Fran’s need to save an American family who has arrived in the village under mysterious circumstances. Fran herself is grieving the sudden loss of her baby daughter Chloe. One early morning while out on her run, Fran comes across the child Esther all alone on the village green . This is a quiet child who refuses to speak to anyone but her mother and father. Esther believes her father is God and desperately wants to go back to her home in Arizona. Fran is convinced that there is something not quite right with this family and Mary the mother seems much too young to have a child Esther’s age. The villagers make life unpleasant for the family and vague rumors abound so one morning they disappear and go back to Arizona . Fran much to her husband’s displeasure follows them to try unravel the mystery of who they really are and why they ended up in an English village.

This is a psychological thriller with twists and surprising turns. The book is well written with good character development , however the writing style is unusual and does take some getting used to. This is a good story which did keep me interested 4 stars.