A dark and brilliantly written debut, A tense and disturbing relationship between mother and Daughter, a life full of secrets and lies. What a gripping book, I couldn't put it down. Exited to she what the author write next

Such a great thriller! This was just what I needed to get out of my reading funk!
The writing was amazing and held my attention throughout it all!
The characters were good as well which made for an awesome read!

Rachel and her daughter Vivian fled London after the death of Rachel's mother and an incident involving Vivian which is touched upon but not fully explained until the end of the book. Vivian is now 15 and best friends with 4 girl's from school. A lot of teenage issues discussed which made me wonder if this book was for ne, but I'm glad I persevered as by half way through I was engrossed. A gripping thriller with secrets from both mother and daughter. All tied up with an exciting ending
Received this book from Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this story, but I did not love the characters. I felt so bad for Rachel the mother, dealing with a teenage daughter that seems so unable to love or show love or empathy or anything. I really felt for her and could only imagine what that would do to a mother. You love your children more than anything in the world, but what about if that child is so not nice?

The story is told from 3 points of view. 2 in the present, first person by the mother Rachel and first person by the 15 year olf daughter Vivian, and then there are third person chapters about what happened in London years ago, when Vivian was just a small child.

I loved the first person narration as that really gets you inside a character's head and boy what a character this Vivian was:
"I don't see the point of grief: everyone dies eventually."

And her mother.... always in denial about what her daughter is really like:
"It doesn't mean anything. She's her own person. There's not a problem."
Imagine as a mother, repeating that again and again whenever something strange happens around your child or when your child behaves in an unexpected manner.

Brilliant story and exciting until the very end. Will be looking out for more books by this author.

I loved this book and was hooked from the start, I would love to purchase this book and add to my collection.

Rachel knows deep down inside that something is wrong with her daughter Vivian. There has been a past event that has brought them to move from London. In the middle of this, a boy shows up at her art class and involves himself into both of their lives. I like that the book went back and forth between the mother, daughter and the past. It created a good build up for what was happening in the book. I struggled a bit understanding Rachel as a mother and found her to be self-centered and just blase about both the present and past. Vivian is just left to her own devices to create what she sees from her own slanted view. I liked the writing, but was not really crazy about the tone at times. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

This is a great psychological thriller about secrets and families. The story deals with life-or-death secrets between smother and daughter.

Wowww! I LOVE this book! I'm glad I had a free afternoon to read it because I did not want to put it down, and it didn't disappoint!! Vivian is probably one of my fave characters I've read in ages, and the ending is !!!! Thanks Netgally for the arc, and I can't wait to read more from this author...

A gripping psychological thriller filled with secrets, both past and present which of course can only end badly. Question is, who for?!

Oh my goodness. Safe to say I wasn't ready for that - Disturbing with a capital D!

What a read; So creepy and unnerving but SO GOOD! So good infact I started and finished it within a few hours, just couldn't bring myself to put it down. I'm voting for a movie release! 🎥🙊

Very much looking forward to future books from Sarah Lawton!

Thank you to NetGalley & Canelo for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review 📖

Seriously dark and with tensions that keep mounting, with that deep nagging feeling that something is not all that it seems here. The first part of the book I did (briefly) wonder if this was going to be for me as it concentrated on the complex relationships and friendships between teenage girls but soon the full extent of the plot started to be revealed. The family ties between mother and daughters are also intrinsic to the story which I found very thought provoking and with their loyalties stretched to the maximum, poignant and heart wrenching. I thought the deep and mysterious character Alex was cleverly built upon and didn’t guess the ending which is always a bonus. An excellent and gripping read.

Oo y’all this one was so great!’ I had a feeling it would be an awesome thriller just by its title, and it was! The characters are amazing and really make the book come to life.

This book took me a while to get through, it was good and enjoyable to read but I wasn’t compelled to pick it up every spare minute I got.
It’s a good story and twisty but I think maybe not for me.

Thanks you Netgalley and Canelo for the eARC.
This was a very tense ride. I know a book is good when I can't wait to get back to it!
Rachel and her daughter Vivian have left London to start a new life in a small town. Rachel is worried about Vivian, but at first things go quite well and she's happy to see Vivian seems to have found friends at school and life feels good.
Then things start falling apart slowly but surely, but Rachel keeps telling herself everything is ok ... she's in denial.
I don't want to go into the details and spoil the story. Neither of the characters are likeable, one of them in particular is quite disturbing. There are secrets from their London life that loom large and history seems to be repeating itself, making the story unputdownable. I could feel the ending would be uncomfortable, vaguely guessing what would happen. That did not spoil things at all. I think this is the author's first novel and I'm impressed. I'm rounding up my review to 4.5, not liking either character stopped me from giving it 5 stars. Highly recommended!

This one is so messed up!

The story starts slow and it will sound like it's just another teen drama. But. Yes, keep on reading the book. First, because the characters are convincing and the writing doesn't make anything boring. Did I just mention that word? Because it doesn't fit here.

Of course, you will come across the characters as unstable, immature but, as transparent as the story seems, you will not be able to figure out things until 80 percent of the book as why the story goes on the way it does.

But trust me, things make sense in its own weird, senseless, psychological thriller kind of way towards the end.

Get ready to get acquainted with one of the most unforgettable character in 2021.

I finished up the book in just a few hours. I read each and every word cover to cover. It's that good!

I want this as a movie please!

Thanking the publisher for this advance reading copy.

I haven't read something this creepy and interesting in a very long time.

Did you say it's a debut?

I mean wow! Kudos, new author!

I am so ready to read whatever the author writes in the coming future. I am so impressed.

Wow!

If you ever wanted a mother and daughter book that compares to “We Need to Talk About Kevin” you found the right book! Of course there are many differences including the ending but the writing has the same about on intensity and darkness around a family theme that “Kevin” does.

I think the book worked with flipping from mom and daughter and to the past. Flash backs have to be done right and I think the author has mastered it because I was never confused and I was actually looking forward to the flash backs to London.

The one thing I could do without was the descriptions when it came to sex or the characters thinking about sex, I don’t think it helped the book at all to be graphic about sex but when it came to Murder or hurting someone it was blasé. I felt uncomfortable during Vivians descriptions and honestly leaving them out or taking them down wouldn’t hurt the plot

Really enjoyed this - a very clever psychological thriller that left me wrong-footed at every turn. Single mother Rachel's life is turned upside down when she starts giving art classes to a handsome young man, Alex. Rachel and her teenage daughter, Vivian, have been living in a small village ever since leaving London when Vivian was still in primary school.
Rachel and Vivian are both hiding secrets. But unknown to both of them, Alex has his own secrets too. As Alex grows closer to mother and daughter, the new life they've created together starts to fall apart - with devastating consequences for all three of them.

Terrifying thriller about a psychopath who, as all psychopaths do, thinks everyone is fooled. But as this story unfolds, it turns out that the psychopath is exposed in all their ugliness. A decent story, albeit with relatively flat characters and a predictable denouement.

I received an advanced readers’ copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book. I didn’t know where it was going half the time but that was a good part of the fun. The teenage female protagonists/anti-heroes are great girls to spend time with and I didn’t want to let them go. Can’t wait to read more from this author

5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
A totally gripping fantastic book full of lies, decent, betrayal, murder and so much more for readers like us that love a twisted tale. I absolutely loved it! Highly recommend

#AllTheLittleThings #NetGalley
A good read.
Rachel has made poor decisions in the past, but she has always tried her best for her daughter. When Vivian needed a fresh start, Rachel didn’t hesitate to move them far from London. She just wishes she could shake the nagging doubt that Vivian is hiding something.
Vivian isn’t like other teenagers. On the surface she seems the same as her friends, but she knows she is different. When enigmatic Alex takes an interest in her, Vivian’s cool demeanour hides an intensity of feeling she has never known before. His touch sets her skin on fire.
Mother and daughter are both keeping secrets.
Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for giving me an advance copy.