It often surprises me how easy it is to fool someone or to be fooled.

When you are in a certain situation for the first time, you assume things like : oh those people must be siblings or those people are a couple or those people must be friends. When nobody denies your thoughts, you are convinced they are correct. You never, though, realise they did not confirm them either...

It does not only happen in books, but I allow myself to fall for it too when I read it in a book. That makes it all so much fun when the penny drops and I see how clever it all was. 

I was totally and utterly wrong footed and I applaud the author for writing such a clever story. Sometimes you feel for someone and then it seems you were barking up the wrong tree...

A wonderful story. More than once I was gasping and thinking: no! There were quite a few things I never saw coming. 5 stars

Thank you

This was one of those “everything is not as it seems” books! Love that! We can’t trust the MC or anyone around her. This made for a really twisty ride.

From the beginning you guess who the antagonist is, because it’s obvious. However, you wont guess why! It was neat reading this story as the pieces started to fall into place.

Dani recently learned of the news her friend from high school passed away, she gained a new friend in her daughter’s play group and all of these crazy things started happening. How does it all connect?

It took me a while to read this book, for no particular reason. I am glad I did. I will say this would have been a five star book, but Dani’s and Adele’s thoughts became super repetitive after a awhile.

Either way, this was a great read and I would recommend.

This was a gripping and engaging read from the first page and I raced through it because I didn’t want to put it down, a fantastic thriller I would highly recommend

A bit of a slow burner to start but then totally gripping !! Told from the POV of the two main characters, each chapter left you wondering which way the storyline was going and I definitely didn’t see the conclusion! A good read !

A gripping read! I raced through it and read it in one evening. I loved the twists and didn't see them coming.

Unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me. It felt very underwhelming and I really struggled to connect with it at all. Just not on I enjoyed

I've read all of Jenkins books. This is probably my favorite one I've read from her. I would give this 4.5 stars.

Loved it…. What a gripping read and one that has you from page one, it didn’t let up, a fast paced book with a fair few twists and turns, what more could you want!!!! Defo a must read!

This book was addicting. I found Dani to be a bit frustrating as a character which may have affected my rating. The ending was a bit disappointing for me also.

I really enjoyed this thriller. This was the first book I had tried by this author and I was very impressed. There were plenty of twists and turns in the storyline to keep me enthralled.

Many thanks to netgalley and Victoria Jenkins for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

This domestic psychological thriller is told from the perspectives of two very different women. Dani is a young single mom living at home with her mother and still trying to find her footing career-wise. On the other hand, we have Adele, an older mom living a much posher life - wealthy husband, big, beautiful house. The two meet at a local playgroup and hit it off instantly. But all is not as it appears to be as both women are keeping secrets.

If you're familiar with Victoria Jenkins, then you'll know she does a brilliant job of tricking you into thinking something is a certain way when it's really not. Dani and Adele are both keeping secrets, however, one is hiding a lot more than the other and something just isn't quite right. Who is the bad guy in this dark tale of revenge? The suspense builds to a surprising reveal, one I definitely did not see coming. If you like thrillers with the unreliable narrator trope then this author should be on your list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was given a copy of The Playdate by Victoria Jenkins by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The book is told by Dani a young mum to Layla who is 2, and Adele with a child of a similar age. The two become friends. It is clear both have their own problems. Dani begins receiving strange messages. I loved this book, a fantastic story which really gets going in the second half of the book. Great for fans of psychological thrillers!

Phew...I'm exhausted after reading that. This story took so many turns (in a good way)!! Dani is a young mother, unsure of herself, convinced she is doing nothing right, and she has a very precocious child who has hit the terrible twos. In her playgroup she makes a new friend who is older than her but also has a young child. Her new friend, Adele, is very sympathetic and empathetic, and Dani finally feels she has someone she can engage with. Some disturbing things start happening to Dani, and she isn't sure who is behind it, but she has a few ideas that lead her to make quite a few wrong turns and assumptions. All is not as it seems and back stories are slowly revealed, leading to a very interesting and somewhat shocking conclusion.

The Playdate by Victoria Jenkins was another excellent read and I was gripped within the first few pages. Victoria's books just get better and better always with lots of twists and turns throughout that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat.
Victoria's books are a must to read. She has a way of drawing you in and then you want to find out what happened. The only drawback I found was, they're not a book to start to read when you are just about to go to bed or you have plans for that say You will be hooked!

I highly recommend all Victoria's books.

Big Thank you to Victoria Jenkins, Bookouture, and NetGalley for a copy of this book for a review.

Dani is still adjusting to her daughter Layla being in a playgroup at their local church, but meeting a new friend just might help the both of them become more acclimated. Introduced to someone she has seen a couple of times already, Adele, mother to another toddler, couldn't come at a better time for Dani. Dani had recently received some bad news, so meeting for coffee might be helpful to Dani.

With regard to Adele, she is glad she made the choice to take her daughter Ivy to play group. As this story progresses, it flows between Dani and Adele's points of view. They could not be more different for several reasons. Add to that they both have secrets, and as they unravel in this thrilling story, things get off-balance real quick.

For Dani, she is receiving threatening letters. For Adele, she is having marital issues with husband Callum. Dani and Adele go beyond the playgroup and arrange a playdate for their daughters. However, although their friendship begins to thrive as they spend time together, Dani begins to wonder who is behind the notes she is getting, and she starts to wonder who she can trust.

With shocking twists that take this story in surprising directions, especially as the secrets that these women hold start to slowly reveal several layers, much like pieces of a puzzle that engaged me and had me trying to put it all together. As always Victoria Jenkins has written a story that drew me in from the start, gave me a lot of pause, and floored me with the conclusion. As always, I loved this book, even though she gave us characters that could barely be tolerated. This only made the book better, so much so that I simply could not put it down.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This book centres around two characters. Dani, is a young mum to Layla and lives with her mother with who she has a difficult relationship. She is a trainee hairdresser but finds it really difficult to make friends. She starts attending a playgroup but soon feels the odd one out until Adele turns up with her little girl Ivy. Adele is an older mum with a nice home but she has an abusive husband and Dani finds that she can talk to Adele. But Dani needs to watch her back as someone is out to ruin her life. Both Dani and Adele have secrets that they are not willing to share until tragedy strikes. The story is told from both their points of view In alternate chapters. The tension builds and culminates in a jaw dropping, totally unexpected conclusion.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you so very much to NetGalley, Victoria Jenkins and Bookouture for an early copy of this read, for my honest review.

This book is exactly what I love to ready--suspense, drama, characters that don't disappoint and an ending that you really didn't see coming.

I will gladly add this author to my favorite list and watch for the next one to be released.

*thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Victoria Jenkins for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


3.5 stars.

Well this took a surprisingly interesting turn that I wasn't expecting. A well told story that kept my interest.

At the beginning I was wondering which mother was going to be the one who was going to be the one to watch out for. I hadn't expected the path this story took so I ended up reaing basically the whole second part in one go.

So while 3 5 star rating from me is equivalent to being just shy of 'very good' was because I feel something was lacking but I can't quite place it. Maybe it's because I didn't feel a strong connection to the characters. I didn't really like any of them a whole lot.

Nevertheless it was a great story and I would recommend it.

This could be one of my favorite psychological thrillers of the year!

This author will have you rolling along, but I am going to say that the twist… that crazy, “oh. my. gosh!” moment, that left turn out of nowhere moment, is one that I’d venture no one will (or would) see coming! Definitely worth your time, money, and health check (this will ramp up the pulse and blood pressure a bit!)

This was a 4 to a 4.5 stars out of 5 stars read for me. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone that likes psychological thrillers, and a “betcha didn’t see THAT one coming!” type novel.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley, the publisher and author for the electronic ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

An emotional and thrilling up and down ride through the lives of danni and Adele. You can’t even begin to imagine where this will end when you start reading… enjoy the journey! Compulsive reading