Member Reviews
Beautifully written story, with carefully interwoven subplots. I really liked the main characters, found them very multidimensional. Some interesting twists. Strongly recommend.
Helen and her husband, Daniel, are living the perfect life, including owning a huge Victorian house in Greenwich Park. Helen is pregnant, and it looks as though this time her body will finally be able to bring a beautiful, living baby into the world. In preparation for her impending due date, Helen starts attending prenatal classes, where she meets Rachel, an eccentric care-free individual. Although very different from herself, Helen is drawn to Rachel, and they start spending more and more time together. However, the longer she knows Rachel, the more Helen begins to suspect there is something more to Rachel than she’s letting on. What is Rachel’s secret, and will Helen discover it before time runs out?
This book is full speed ahead from start to finish. This story is told from a few different points of view, which made me question each character’s perspective on the events. It was the first time I read a book that I questioned if the main character was an unreliable narrator or not, which made me hesitate to accept some of facts right up until the end. While probably common in thrillers, I appreciated that none of the characters were fully good and straight forward. All of them had some bruising on their character - and some more than others. In addition, there were a few different story threads. As a reader, I knew that they were all going to come together in some way, but I wasn’t sure how - which is one of the things that kept me turning the pages.
I was really impressed with how Greenwich Park ended. I had (correctly) guessed one ending twist, but then the twists kept coming - even after I thought they had to be exhausted. I was really impressed with how the author weaved the tale together for maximum suspense, and the best part about the twists is that looking back, they made sense. I don’t read thrillers too often, but after reading this book, it made me realize that I might be missing out! If you enjoy thrillers with engaging characters, plenty of mystery & suspicion, and plenty of ending twists, this book is for you!
The pacing was off for me in this book, it felt repetitive and inexplicable at points and I only liked Kate. I am sure it will appeal to many! Could just be me.
Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Excellent debut! Full of twists, secrets, and surprises, I had trouble putting this book down. Great writing and character development by Faulkner, and the story flows seamlessly between various characters' POV. I never quite knew where this was going, and wasn't ever sure who to trust - and it felt suspenseful right up to the conclusion, which was extremely satisfying! Looking forward to more from Faulkner, who has undoubtedly secured her place among the top thriller authors with this debut!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for the advanced e-book in exchange for my honest review.
Helen is excited and happy. Her pregnancy is going very well. Renovations on her home are coming along. Everything is almost perfect. She even meets a friend, Rachel, at her prenatal classes. Rachel is friendly even though she can be a lot to take. She seems to be everywhere Helen goes. Helen begins to have concerns about Rachel, but reluctantly lets her stay in her home when she has no where else to go. Helen's husband, Daniel, is not pleased to have Rachel in the house. Helen's friends become concerned about Rachel's presence. Rachel is after something or someone until she goes missing.
Greenwich Park, by Katherine Faulkner is a slow burn with an explosive ending. In this debut thriller, Helen and Rachel, both pregnant, meet at a prenatal class, and despite Rachel’s careless and irresponsible demeanor, Helen is drawn to the mysterious young woman. What initially appears to be a generic story of an unlikely friendship between two women, that borders on obsession, slowly unfolds into a multilayered mystery, with revolving narrators, and complex storylines involving Helen’s closest friends and family.
Helen, oblivious to the many secrets whirling around her, is a naive protagonist, and is portrayed as a slightly unhinged outcast in her own story. Throughout the novel, it’s obvious that something is amiss with Helen’s relationships with her brothers, sister-in-law, and husband. As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that story is less about Helen and Rachel, and more about the secrets everyone around her is hiding.
This was an engaging debut thriller with many twists.
Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
This debut thriller was a spiral of twists and turns!!!!!!!!!!!! Alot of the things were a surprise but some of them were easily figured out throughout the book though. All in all this is a very good and entertaining debut.
Helen and Daniel are finally pregnant after four previous losses. He is an architect and works in the firm headed by Rory, Helen's brother. Helen is looking forward to her first prenatal class. Her brother and his wife, Serena, are also pregnant and plan to go through the class together. At the last minute Serena backs out and Daniel has to work late. Rachel joins the class and she is loud, obnoxious, smokes and drinks and always manages to say the wrong thing. She gloms onto Helen and inserts herself in Helen's life, even ending up moving in.
The story was well written but it just went on for so long. The chapters were titled 26 weeks, 27 weeks, etc but it felt like the longest pregnancy on record. I didn't like anyone. Helen was needy and had no back bone. At one point she found some things that Rachel had stolen but instead of confronting her she put everything back and Daniel just stayed absent most of the time. Serena was beautiful and had a photography studio but things were just too perfect for her. The only person I kind of liked was Katie, the girlfriend of Helen's brother, Charlie. I was interested to see how things were going to wrap up but the plot was so involved it just took away any anticipation and I'm not going to say anymore. I do feel the author shows a lot of potential so I won't give up on her yet.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Gallery books for providing me with a copy.
This book kept me guessing and I loved how the varying storylines played out.
Helen is expecting her first child and is excited to take prenatal classes with her husband and her brother and his wife, Serena, who are also expecting around the same time. But when Serena cancels at the last minute for a different series of classes and her husband gets tied up at work, Helen is forced to go alone. There, she meets Rachel, a young, single woman who seems anything but motherly. Both Rachel and Helen are already on leave from work due to health complications so Helen doesn't think much of it when Rachel starts turning up more and more. A friendship of convenience is quickly formed, but when Rachel shows up at Helen's door late one night with marks on her neck and asks to move in, the friendship shifts from strange to uncomfortable. Is Rachel simply a young mother down on her luck? Or is something more sinister at play? And what are Rachel's true intentions for Helen?
I enjoyed that the story was told from various narrators but focused on Helen. I also loved that the novel was broken down by weeks pregnant. I could envision Helen getting bigger by the day, feeling lonely and isolated while her husband worked late every night and her house was consumed by a massive reno project that they were trying to complete before the baby was born.
Rachel's whole persona gave me all the red flags but I could totally empathize with Helen's need to be kind while also allowing Rachel to slip into her life because she was so lonely. There were so many times I cringed as Helen's discomfort radiated off the page while pregnant Rachel smoked a cigarette or chugged another alcoholic beverage with no regard to her unborn baby.
Some parts of the story were more predictable than others but even still, I was always eager to pick the book up and continue reading. I don't typically like when a novel wraps everything up in the last chapter or two, but thought it was fairly well done here. The very end was also so good that it helped me overlook the final information dump. I love when a book ends on a jaw dropping note and Faulkner really hit the nail on the head here!
Thank you to Gallery and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel. To be shared on the blog on 1/27.
Greenwich Park is a debut novel by Katherine Faulkner. This slow burning thriller is told from the point of view of three different women. With a sense of foreboding almost from the beginning of the novel, you can’t quite put your finger on what is wrong, but every character seems to be hiding something.
Helen is pregnant and after suffering through several miscarriages, she thinks she will carry this baby to term. She has signed her brother and sister in law, husband, and herself for prenatal classes (her sister in law is also expecting) but when they all fail to show up, Helen meets Rachel. Rachel is not your typical expecting mom. She is a bit eccentric, drinking and smoking all the while saying she’s cutting back. Helen seems lonesome and Rachel seems very interested in Helen, so the two form some kind of odd friendship. Rachel begins to slowly integrate herself into Helen’s life but the closer she gets to Helen, the more erratic her behavior becomes.
Is Rachel’s friendship with Helen genuine or is is planned? Will Helen be able to carry her baby to term?
With some very interesting surprises, this thriller is sure to keep you guessing. Also, the ending, it was my favorite part of the whole book! It is slightly open ended, but the reader can gather what will happen.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Get your copy on January 25, 2022!!
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
When Helen meets Rachel at her prenatal classes, she doesn't mean to form a friendship with her. Rachel is brash and unpredictable, and she doesn't seem to be taking her pregnancy particularly seriously, but as their paths continue to cross they find themselves spending more and more time together. As time goes on, Rachel's behavior becomes increasingly strange, and Helen, as well as her friends and family, start to question this woman's intentions.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this book, where there's a sense that something dangerous lurks below the surface and perfectly normal behaviors seem sinister. I liked the complicated family dynamics between Helen and her siblings and their partners and the sense that you were never sure who was really telling the truth. For me, the book was bogged down a bit by the multiple POVs and a mystery narrator (especially because Helen seems so firmly established as the POV before a sudden switch), and I felt this caused the final chapter to feel a bit like an info dump instead of a dramatic reveal. Overall, I enjoyed the book and wouldn't hesitate to pick up another by Katherine Faulkner in the future.
This twisty domestic suspense book releases in just a few days on January 25th, 2022. Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the early copy!
I love a thriller although I am picky about what I like and what I don’t. I don’t mind unreliable narrators although the librarian in me used to question making book lists around that theme. Does telling you the narrator is unreliable impact your reading of the story? In this debut thriller, the story is told by three different narrators so perhaps the question becomes which narrator is the unreliable one?
Helen’s life is finally coming together. After several miscarriages, she is pregnant again and she and her architect husband are preparing their house for the cherished arrival. But then Helen meets Rachel at prenatal class and while Rachel seems a little wild and not that interested in parenting, maybe she just needs a friend. But what does Rachel know about Helen, her friends and her family? And what is she prepared to do about it?
Things I loved:
🌳The overall feeling/atmosphere of dread slowly created by the author
🌳The contrast of lives lived by Helen and her brothers
🌳The theme that getting what you want may not be best
🌳The character of Katie
🌳The role of the police in the story
🌳The way the twists are layered and revealed
I will say that this is slower paced than many thrillers and definitely character driven. On top of that most of the characters are unlikable in some way. That being said, I didn’t DNF this because I really wanted to know what was going on AND because one of my intentions this year is to read outside my comfort zone, and that includes having patience with slower books.
Thank you to Netgalley and LibroFM ALC program for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I will say that I think slower paced books work better for me on audio.
This was my first novel from author Katherine Faulkner and I know it will not be my last! I enjoyed this storyline as it has quite the original plot and very good twists and turns. It kept me guessing right up until the last quarter of the book.
However, there was some parts I really struggled with. The first quarter of the book was so slow moving. The reader is introduced to several characters, which was hard to keep track of, and on top of that I never really felt like I got to know the main characters. It moved at such a slow pace throughout the entire book. I felt like this was the longest pregnancy ever.
Each chapter alternates between the perspectives of 3 women in the story and it was so hard to keep track of who was who. For instance, there is a chapter from "Katie's" perspective. Up until that chapter, I had no idea there even was a Katie in the book and had no clue how she fit into the story. It was jarring trying to figure out who she was and where she fit in with all the others.
Then there's the believability aspect. This cast of adult characters acted like teenage middle schoolers. It was hard to believe the story could unravel the way it did. Helen and Daniel are pregnant after so many miscarriages. This is their miracle baby, so I find it odd that they both act like it's no big deal.
I won't give away how it ends, but lets just say I saw it coming and then the "wrap up" was so unsatisfying. There was really not a big "ah ha" moment that I look for in thrillers.
The author did a wonderful job setting the scene and describing the atmosphere. I loved the London settings. The plot was solid and original and the writing was engaging and easy to follow. I look forward to more books from Katherine Faulkner.
Despite my list of grievances, I did like this book and would recommend it. It was a 3 star read for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for allowing me an advanced digital copy to read and give my honest opinion. Greenwich Park is due to be released here in the U.S. on January 25, 2022 so pre-order now!
Happy Reading!
Overall, I thought the book was great especially as a debut. I did feel like the twists fell a little flat and if you read thrillers frequently you’ll most likely guess them.
✨ 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 ✨
Greenwich Park
Katherine Faulkner
4.25⭐️
It takes a lot for me to thoroughly enjoy a thriller, especially a domestic one, but this one was SO good.
Greenwich Park focuses on the story of Helen, a pregnant woman, and a new strange friend she meets in her maternity class. From the beginning the reader can tell there’s something quite not right with this character, but Faulkner does an amazing job at building suspense and doubt.
Read this if:
-you want a can’t-put-down-able story
-love an unreliable narrator and alternating POVs
-hate guessing the ending (because you won’t!)
Definitely check trigger warnings because there are a couple HUGE ones.
Thank you NetGalley, Katherine Faulkner, and Gallery Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
We meet picture perfect Helen -- beautiful husband, dream home and pregnant with her first child after years of trying. While attending a prenatal class, Helen meets Rachel, a bit of a wild card. She's single, pregnant, and still smokes and drinks. Honestly, there isn't much that the two women have in common and yet they strike up a friendship. However, Rachel begins to act erratically, something both Helen and her family notice -- is there more to Rachel than meets the eye?
A slam-dunk debut novel from Katherine Faulkner, I truly enjoyed her development of Helen, Rachel and some of the periphery characters. Greenwich Park was the perfect domestic thriller to kick of 2022!
Helen has a great life. Both she and her sister-in-law (who is a good friend) are expecting their first child. When Helen attends a prenatal class alone, she meets another woman also attending the class by herself. Rachel is out-spoken, friendly, and a bit of a train-wreck, but Helen finds herself drawn to her - maybe because Helen is a little lonely or maybe because she feels Rachel needs a friend.
Greenwich Park is a debut novel by Katherine Faulkner. For the most part it is well-written, with an interesting premise that holds several twists and surprises. However, I still had a hard time feeling invested in the story and the characters. I enjoyed the descriptions the author provided but, by and large, I found it to be a slow read, with characters that were fairly unappealing. When the pace picked up towards the end of the book, it led to a great ending that felt just right. Even though the rest of the book was a little disappointing, I think this new author has promise and I look forward to reading more from her.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.
Loved this book! The dynamics between siblings Helen, Rory, and Charlie paired with all of the twists and turns of their significant others. There’s were so many plot twists I never saw coming, totally worth the read!
The desperation is real with this one. I really felt for the main character and the frustration she felt throughout the book. I thought it was pretty easy to guess the twists and ending but parts of the story were a little unbelievable or didn’t make sense.
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If you’re a domestic thriller super fan you’ll probably enjoy the book, if you aren’t, skip it!
FANTASTIC! Highly recommend this twisty domestic thriller.
If you are like me, you love domestic thrillers but have grown quite tired of the damsel in distress heroine. It's almost painful to read as the deck is stacked against a woman who can't seem to see the problems right before her eyes! I was ready to swear off of this theme until i read this novel.
Greenwich Park delivers a strong heroine and a mysterious story that contains plenty of surprises. In this novel we meet Helen and her family. We quickly learn that all is not as it seems as Helen attends baby lamaze classes solo, missing her husband who is always at work. As the novel quickly progresses, we meet more of Helen's circle, including her brothers and wives and girlfriends and a stranger is introduced into the mix.
I was a bit confused with the flashbacks at times and thought the final conclusion was longer than needed but I enjoyed every minute of this book and count it as one of the "stayed up all night to see what happens" novels. If you like thriller and mysteries of the domestic kind I would grad this book immediately! #Gallery #GreewichPark #NetGalley