I found this to be a slow burn mystery where secrets, suspicions, and rumors abound when a child goes missing. Unfortunately, I really didn’t like the characters and it was frustrating getting through the story.

Little Rumours by Bryony Pearce is a thriller about three women and their children. One child goes missing. One woman is hiding a major secret. Will the child be found? Will the secret be found out in this small town? This was a quick, entertaining read, but I found most of the characters to be extremely unlikable. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Little Rumours was listed as a page turner and it was. The book is written from multiple viewpoints and gives reason to dislike some of the characters while you may love others. Little Rumours has many twists and turns to keep you reading nonstop. I enjoyed this book and did find myself reading past bedtime.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper360 for this ARC. I have given my honest opinion.

I loved this book. It was taunt and twisty and has me wanting to keep reading to find out what would happen next. Another clever and engaging book by Bryony Pearce

I enjoyed this book so much. I could kick myself for waiting so long to read it. From the very page the author grabbed my attention and didn’t lose it until the last sentence. This is definitely a “just one more chapter” read.

I don't know why, I can't put my finger on it but for the life of me I just could not fully get onto this book!

I was immediately grabbed by the cover, it was dark, it was sinister... it was SO me.

The description is exactly what you want in a thriller:

THREE MOTHERS. THREE SECTETS. ONE MISSING CHILD

.... it was everything I look for in a new book but STILL I could not get fully invested. Something just didn't click.


I think maybe it's because of the host of random plots, part of me wishes the author focused more on one than a whole mix. A childs trauma at witnessing a murder, a woman married to a Psychopath, a migrant moving to a sleepy UK town or the missing girl.... maybe me head just couldn't keep up or connect with so ,uch thrown together.

Don't get me wrong, its NOT a bad book, I'm definitely going to be in the minority. It's more of a "it's not you, its me" scenario!

Thanks to netgalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC.

I received an eARC of Little Rumours by Bryony Pearce from Avon Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
4 stars! A gripping psychological thriller told from the POV of three women who live in a small village and one of their children goes missing. This was a chilling read.

This is one of those books that pulls you in from very early on. I have been captured and held hostage. Definitely unwilling to put this down.

I loved getting to know the characters in this one. The author has really developed each of them. I really couldn’t predict how this was going to play out.

I haven’t been disappointed. We get the story from all perspectives and this really gives us an insight into what’s taking place and how the characters think and feel.

This is tense and filled with emotion. I’ll definitely be recommending this one.

A well-written, entertaining suspense novel that keeps you guessing! This is easily one that you'll want to devour in one sitting!

This thriller is set in a small town in Devon, England. At the center are three mothers, none of whom are close with one another. Naomi is a life-long local, striving f0r a perfect life. Aleema has married a local and moved back with him to take care of his mother, but as an "outsider" and a Muslim, she is not accepted despite her best efforts. Finally, Kelly is another outsider who is on the run from a traumatic past and trying her best to keep her distance from everyone else in town.

At the heart of this story is a child that goes missing, putting the entire community on red alert. What gave this thriller a fresh new perspective was the the exploration offered on how trauma impacts individuals, mother-son relationships, and being an "outsider" in a small town. Fast-paced, but not all action with no substance, I really liked this one.

This is a quintessential Mare of East Town ish thriller with red herrings, twists and turns that keep you guessing till the end. I enjoyed curling up with this on my long weekend holiday - draws you into the world of this small town with all it's secrets and stories. Would definitely recommend for triller-lovers!

11 year olds Mia ,Joe and Leon are the best of friends -although their parents- particularly their mothers don't have a lot to do with each other .
When Mia goes missing it is a race against time to find her and everyone pulls together to help look for her
But there are some people in the community who have things to hide and may not be who they say they are .

Brilliant page turner -with a great twist at the end -loved it

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review. Apologies in the delay.

What a fantastic psychological thriller that explores every parents worst nightmare!

Gripping ,fast paced and packed with suspense. This is a unpredictable rollercoaster of events with plenty of twists and turns.

We all have secrets , just some people’s are much bigger than others. And with the safety of a child on the line the truth is about to be exposed.

I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to discover more of her writing.

Published 31st March

There was a time that I got fed up of reading “child/children” missing trope in a book.

But this one is S̴o̴ ̴m̴u̴c̴h̴ ̴m̴o̴r̴e̴ ̴t̴h̴a̴n̴ ̴t̴h̴a̴t̴!̴, so much more!

Experiences and life 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 sufferings, 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, loss 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮.
And many characters in this book have been shaped.

It’s about
𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐀𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞
𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞

It’s also about cultural differences Aleema is Muslim.

Loss and recovery from loss affects us all, or will do in life. It’s inevitable.

When I reached chapter 6 I was well invested.
Noah and Aleema had come to Exton Cross from Manchester because Noah’s mum was needing help recovering from a stroke.
They have an 11 year old daughter.
Their daughter is now missing…..

Alternating chapters between different characters were not confusing at all and flowed expertly.

Naomi was born and breed in this town and nothing escapes her. She knows all there is to know and who.

Then there’s Kelly, the stranger. No one knows anything about Kelly.

It could have been anyone, or anyone passing through who took her.

When the Police got involved they were encouraging but honest with the family.

The suspects are plentiful.

Aleema prays to Allah. Could he help?


The raw emotions just 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐓 from the pages.

When the High Priority is raised the mother just fell to the floor, the emotions so evident.

Blaming yourself, blaming someone else and the consequences of those thoughts can be destructive.

That’s what I loved about this authors writing, it wasn’t just based around the missing child it was
Ｅｖｅｒｙｔｈｉｎｇ that happened in between.

I pay attention to covers and titles and often wonder how they merge in with the story. I could see the cover and why but yet to find out how the author came up with this title, that came into play around page 224/225.

I was rushing to get my chores done as I needed to finish this book, I was eager to find out more.

Traumatic events can sometimes make or break a relationship depending on how you handle it.

The author had the power to transport me into this family, this town, these people. I didn’t want to miss a thing.

So who was missing?

Mia.
The author allowed us to 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 the devastation….the emotions….and the negativity of others and the support of others and the Little Rumours that can cause much much more.

This book is a page-turner, and if you're intending on doing anything else while reading it, I'd advise against it. It gives you so many hints that you expect it to go one way, but then it pulls you in an unexpected direction, which was one of the things I like most about it.

I really loved The girl on the platform by this author and I was very excited to read another book by her.

This book is a slow burner, and it really make you feel what the life in a small village is like;; you get to know the families and understand the dynamics between them.
I enjoyed to see how everyone turned against each other when Mia disappeared, showing how fleeting relationships and alliances are.

Althought I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likeable, I was able to sympathise with them for one reason or another, so the unlikeability didn’t spoil the book for me.

All in all, a good psychological thriller that I recommend.

Thank you Netgalley & Avon Books for an eARC copy of Little Rumours!

This book follows three mothers - Kelly, Naomi and Aleema. There are also three secrets and one missing child. Who’s child will be missing at the end of the school day, and who may know why?

I love psychological thrillers that follow multiple individuals - questioning the truth and who to believe keeps me turning the pages! I enjoyed the secrets and twists that came with this one.

A really good story, that gets more and more fast paced and with a thrilling and breathtaking ending!

Thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more books by Bryony Pearce!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for letting me review this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This starts of as a slow burn as we get to know the characters. I felt this was a realistic book for me as I enjoyed the characters. Lots of secrets were to come out.

A tension filled read! Little Rumours begins slowly mapping out the lives of 3 women within a small town. Naomi has lived there all her life and knows everyone and everything, Aleema hasn't settled or made any friends since they moved from Manchester several years previous and Kelly is an outsider harbouring a secret and had recently moved there with her troubled son. The 3 women each have an 11year old child. One of the children goes missing causing rumours to swirl, secrets to be unearthed and troubling twists. The pace rapidly picks up in the final third as we race to discover what has happened to the missing child and who is to blame. A real heart-in-mouth drama! The perfect thriller binge-read. #littlerumours #bryonypearce #netgalley