My first read of 2022, and starting the year off with a bang! “Little Rumours” by Bryony Pearce knocked my socks off! This is the story of a small Devon village, close knit and insular, where everyone knows everyone and “incomers” are decidedly unwelcome. Told through the eyes of three women who see each other daily at the gate of the village school and have little in common, but whose children are the best of friends. Naomi is the PTA president, Aleema is a Muslim mom whose daughter is the only child of color in the village, and Kelly is an incomer with a dark secret to hide. When Aleema’s daughter Mia goes missing, the villagers band together to search for her but also turn against each other as “little rumours” start flying and the secrets and agendas that were once hidden start coming to light.

This novel is a tightly-woven, tautly-paced thriller that also delivers some meaningful lessons about bullying, intolerance, abuse, and inclusivity. The characterization is on point, nuanced and sympathetic, with even unlikeable characters being relatable. This novel grabbed me from the very first chapter and didn’t let go until the satisfying epilogue. It may be cliché to say I couldn’t put it down, but I tore through this book in about a day, it’s just that good!

If you liked “Big Little Lies”, then you will LOVE “Little Rumours.” Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this fantastic book.

This is the first book I have read by Bryony. Despite enjoying the read, the story line felt rushed, with multiple unsuitable storylines meshed together, which meant it was difficult to follow at times. That being said, I did really like the relationships between the main characters.

My biggest gripe with the storyline was that it was obvious who was responsible for the disappearance of Mia however, what never became clear to me is why she was taken in the first place. The reasons which were given were provided in the mist of a conversation between characters but this felt forced and rushed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the advance read publishing 31st March 2022.

Loved that it was narrated. Y three different woman. I guessed some things but overall this was a good story!

Little Rumours from Bryony Pearce is the first book from the author that I have read.
Three mothers live in small village call Exeton Cross in Devon. Where everyone knows your name. Naomi has always lived in the village and Aleema moved down from Manchester with her husband Noah but feels like an outsider and not made any friends and Kelly is the new mum in town. She is under witness protection as her husband killed and was convicted of murder.
When Aleema’s daughter Mia goes missing there is mistrust between the mothers. Someone must know what happened to Mia? When they find out who Kelly is. They are first to point a finger to Kelly and her son Joe. The rest of the mom’s start a hate campaign against the pair. Even getting the media involved to say that they have taken Mia and angry that the Police are not arresting them for the crime.
Thank you, Avon, for a copy Little Rumors. I like the premise of this story but, I found it hard to connect to the characters. I did not like them very much and after all went on I the ending was a bit disappointing.
Three stars from me.

Mia, Joe, and Liam are three young friends-until one of them go missing. Their mothers are total opposites of each other, each facing their own problems, leading to them handling the situation differently.

Kelly is the ex-wife of a serial killer who haunted the UK, and is now in identity protection, hiding in Exton Cross. She is Joe’s mom, and only knows one thing-her son did not take Mia, regardless of what the people in her town say. She is a newcomer to Exton Cross and has not made any efforts to fit into the town atmosphere or make friends, which helps add fuel to the angry PTA mom’s fires.

Aleema is Mia’s mom, who is also a newcomer to Exton Cross, tries to make friends. But there is one barrier in the way-she is a Pakistani and almost everyone keeps a distance from her in the town. As she grapples with the disappearance of her daughter, she does things she never would expect her to do.

Naomi is an Exton Cross native, she leads the PTA mom’s and the crusade against Kelly. Naomi is Liam’s mom and will do anything to “protect” her son.

As these different people converge, who took Mia?

Exton Cross is the perfect small town to go unnoticed. At least that was what Kelly hoped for when she and her son Joe moved there. But when little Mia, a friend of Joe, vanishes from the playground, her past is threatened to be revealed. While Kelly is still worried about what might have happened, Aleema, Mia’s mother, fears for the worst. She never wanted to leave Manchester in the first place, but with her mother-in-law ill, they thought it was the best. And now her daughter is missing. Naomi on the contrast, has always lived there, she knows everything about everybody – at least she thinks so. Even though she is worried about the girl, she is also eager to protect her neighbourhood from foreigners and her lifelong friend who recently moved back will help her.

Bryony Pearce’s psychological thriller incorporates everything I hate about rural or small town life: your neighbours not only eye every step you take and nothing remains private. Gossip is part of everyday life and everybody knows everything about each other. As a newcomer, you will never fit in, the ranks are closed and the locals will speculate and spread rumours without hesitation, especially if you differ. The story is told alternatingly from the three women’s point of view thus illustrating how their “Little Rumours” come to life, are spread and what they do to those they affect.

I totally adored the thriller. First of all, the mystery about the vanished girl is not easy to solve, even though at some point, characters tend to become suspicious, there are several leads all likewise probable. Second, I love to hate those small town characters like Naomi, limited in their world-view they spring at anything unknown and believe themselves right in any respect not perceiving what harm they cause. Third, the female characters could hardly differ more. They are well portrayed, each unique in their struggles and fears and thus, it is easy to follow their line of thoughts. You quickly come to form an opinion about the characters and then, while reading, you have to modify your views since they are more complex than you gave them credit for in the first place.

A suspenseful thriller with some unexpected twists and a modern day witch hunt of the evilest type.

Oh my goodness, I don't know where to start...
This book really resonated with me: seeing things as a child which were horrific, trying to live a normal life when everyone around me knows nothing of my terror and being thought of as being like him; I'm not.
I cried, I laughed out loud and I was genuinely worried for the families involved in the horror that they were living through.
The author made the characters very real and believable throughout the book. I simply couldn't put it down. and really want to read the next book...hoping there is one...

An angst ridden plot that has undertones of loss, loneliness and grief interspersed with secrets and intrigue.

Naomi, Kelly and Aleema reside in the same community where Naomi is a local and, Kelly and Aleema are incomers. While their 11-year old kids, Leon, Joey and Mia are thick friends, the three women have next to nothing in common amongst themselves. But when one of their kids go missing, they have to come together to help protect their children from an unknown danger that hides amidst them.

The book is off to a slow start, introducing each protagonist and their backstory, while deftly threading in strands of suspense, enough to keep one hooked. Each character - be it self-righteous Naomi, guarded Kelly or agonised Aleema - has been so well-crafted, that even when their words and actions seem rash and selfish, they tend to be justified. Having said that, Naomi was my least favourite character.

The author has thrown in a melange of tropes to churn out this fine thriller - missing child, coercive control, racism, homophobia, etc. Despite all this, the identity and motive of the kidnapper is obvious quite early on. The plot hurtles to an adrenaline packed climax after about 60%. The denouement seemed fitting - not a clean ending, but rather a hope for a better future for each of them.

Overall, an engrossing read. Thanks to Netaglley and Avon Books for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A great domestic thriller set in the suffocating surrounds of a small town. Pacey and gripping with twists to keep you engaged this is a very enjoyable read.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I was hooked!
I loved the storyline although getting to know the characters always takes time so was a little slow to start off with. By the end of the book I was racing to find out what had happened and to discover the truth. Well written and addresses lots of social issues. Recommended reading

I was excited about this and loved the premise. I found that didn’t like or connect with any of the characters. Pretty good book but didn’t stand out all that much for me in a heavy thriller genre era. Too wordy, in my opinion. Too much information that doesn't lead anywhere.

The drama starts in a small town in Devon and involves four very different women who all have baggage which is very different to one another. They all have school age children. Naomi is into everything including the PTA, any other organisation she can be useful (or bullish) but her prime concern is to make sure her son, Leon, is safe in his environment to great extremes. Abi has been away from the town for several years but was a great friend of Naomi and Naomi is so pleased she is back with her son Seth who is 15. Leon’s friends are Joe and Mia. Mia is mixed race and a very happy child and is delighted with her friendship with Leon and Joe. Mia’s mom, Aleema is not happy in Exton. Noah, her husband, made them move back from Manchester as his mom had a stroke but Aleema just cannot settle and feels that her mother in law is not as ill as she maintains which stops Noah, Aleema and Mia returning to Manchester. Aleema is ignored at the school gates and is desperate for friendships but this does seem to happen and feels the moms are always talking about her. The last is Kelly. Kelly is Joe’s mom and has been in Exton for a couple of years or so but is very lonely mainly because she keeps herself to herself. She does not make eye contact at the school and worries about her life and whether her deep secret will come out. Mia leaves school one day to go and help her grandmother do the flowers in the Church. She asks whether she can go to the park to play afterwards with her friends and Aleema agrees as they are in the last year of junior school and she feels she needs to let go a little although it is against her nature. Then the drama really begins. Mia does not come home on time and panic sets in. The community rally round to search for Mia but she is not found. As the story progresses the secrets spill out and the community becomes toxic. Kelly is the one most vulnerable as her secret causes her and Joe the worst of problems. Naomi is the catalyst to causing the trouble for Kelly but all the community do not help the situation. Enough of the story, you need to read it. I really enjoyed the book and can see how things can get out of hand in a small place. I liked the women for different reasons and felt if allowed they would be friends in another story. I could picture the children together and being happy as their story was well written as was the rest of the book. A lovely read

I found at the beginning I couldn't get in to the book with characters but after a few chapters I found that the book picked up pace and I really enjoyed it can't wait to read more by this author.

A dark gritty read in a small town setting. Everyone knows everyone… but do they really. You can’t see where the next secret will be coming from. This book keeps you on your toes and gives you chills. The atmosphere was so well done. The characters were well developed and relates me a great read

Well written, it is a bit of a slow burner as I initially struggled to get into the book. However, in the latter stages it becomes much more fast paced and gripping, as you get closer to unveiling the culprit. There’s a few twists and turns along the way, some I predicted, some that were unexpected. The characters were well developed and their motives / involvement believable. Overall, it was an enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an advanced copy.

I was very excited to start reading Little Rumors - the premise sounded intruiged me straigh away and I imagined Big Little Lies only darker. In reality, I found Little Rumors a very hard read that I kept on pushing away. I didn't want to go back to it because I couldn't handle the inner monologues of the three main women that the story revolves around. Instead of making the crime aspect of the book more exciting, Bryony Pearce gives us hunders of pages of the women's same thoughts over and over again. At first, this made me understand and connect with the characters but after 100 pages of it, it made me loose interest.

The ending didn't help either. It was obvious who was responsible for the dissapearance of Mia; what wasn't obvious and never really became that clear to me is why. The reasons were given in the form of a mediocare conversation, they just never made sense to me.

I don't like giving books such low scores and I hope most people love the book when it comes out. I just have very high expectations when I'm pormised a dark whodunit story.

I received this arc through net galley in exchange for an honest review.

I found the start of the story very slow and I struggled to get into it. I’m glad I kept going as it was a really good story once it picked up a faster pace.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced reader copy of this book.

Three mothers, each with their own struggles and secrets. One of their children go missing and the whole town bands together to find the missing child. Can these ladies be friends and get to the bottom of where this child is?

A great storyline, with plenty of depth for each character. With trusts and turns there are mostly unexpected, the ending wasn’t overly surprising. A good end to the book still.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book was better than I expected. The plot seemed like it was going to be somewhat similar to many others I read but I was wrong, A small town with lots of prejudices, four mothers with secrets, and a missing 11 yr old girl. There was character growth and development and people I ended up caring about.

I really liked the premise of this book and jumped in as soon as I received it. I found it to be a quick read and kept me interested. I had trouble connecting with any of the characters though which left me not as invested as I’d hoped. I predicted the “bad guy” fairly early on and just had to wait to reveal if I was correct. This book takes on the feel of a witch hunt in searching for the missing child.