To be honest, I was surprised by this book. Tessa and Andy apply to rent a cottage in Nether Appleton, and it's known as England's Kindest Village, Their motto is Just Be Kind! The story is told over different time lines using different characters. It is well written and the characters are well crafted. I found the story to be a play on the Stepford Wives, which gave me the chills and there are moments of nail biting and I wanted to say "Don't do it"! The ending came as a complete surprise to me. I will recommend this book.

I really liked the premise of this story, which felt like Stepford Wives but I just couldn’t get to grips with it. The main characters, Tessa and Andy, I thought were too naive, and why anyone would want to live in a village with such rigid tenet i really dont know. The Kindness Committee should have put the couple off right from the start. If something seems too good to be true it usually is. The idea of having to get hearts put on the tree of kindness was an Immediate red flag to me.. I did like Kath and Jayden, they felt the most realistic of all the characters. I didn’t realise who was the mastermind of all the incidents til really near the end of the story, but by that time I’m afraid I didn’t really care. Not the book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

How To Kill With Kindness is a creepy, dark thriller full of twists and uncertainty. It was a bit slower than I would have liked, and took a bit of time to get into. The ending was phenomenal though!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

How to Kill with Kindness is an intriguing read , dark and yet compelling that I did not want to put the book down.

Twists and turns keep the pages turning.

Tessa and Andy fall in love with the village of Nether Appleford that call's itself England's kindest village.

Who wouldn't want to be part of that concept.

When things sound too good to be true they often are .

Once Tessa and Andy move to the kindest village there is an undercurrent of intrigue, doubt and mystery.

I didn't know who to trust but I thought I knew and I was totally wrong.

S. R. Masters has written a very clever diabolical story and I certainly will check out his other books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for the privilege of reading and reviewing How to Kill with Kindness.

"Welcome to the kindest village in the country. If you follow their rules, you'll be ok. If you don't, they'll make you pay...”
Now, that's an attention grabbing tagline and when I saw OMC advertise "How To Kill With Kindness ", I was instantly intrigued and wanted to read the novel.
Our story starts with couple, Messages and Andy stumbling upon the village of Nether Appleford, the apparent, "Kindest Village in England", by accident one afternoon. The couple have been going through a difficult time, while struggling with IVF, and a move to the idyllic village, seems like the perfect way to commence a new start.
But almost instantly, we start to see that this seeming perfect village has more in common with the infamous Stepford (of Stepford Wives fame), than the home they desire. Despite her initial excitement, Messages is struggling to settle in and finds the kindness sermons ridiculous. Andy on the other hand, has gone from being a little hesitant to the new favourite resident.
The novel is slow to reveal the truth about the village, and it is really in the final quarter than the pace ramps up. I did find myself becoming a little frustrated with Tessa's character for not speaking up sooner - but then again, I'm familiar with being the new person to an area, and settling in, is never easy.
A fun and easy to read story, that will leave you looking at those "chocolate box" villages, with new eyes!

How to Kill with Kindness
By S.R. Masters

“Welcome to the kindest village in the country. If you follow their rules, you'll be ok. If you don't, they'll make you pay...”
“ The village of Nether Appleford calls itself 'England's Kindest Village'Overseen by the Kindness Committee, this close-knit community strives to live their lives with kindness at the heart of everything they do. Just Be Kind. It's as simple as that. But what is kindness? Is it doing something to help someone else? Is it giving up your time to help your community? Or, perhaps it's something a lot less obvious... What if the kindest thing you could do meant hurting someone? Then what would you do?”
Tessa and Andy are drawn to this community. It definitely gives Stepford Wives. Something just really seems off. I really was excited to get into this story I imagined a Stepford Wives meets Desperate Housewives situation. I did not get that level of excitement. There were some interesting moments and some creepy things happening. But the book seemed a little bit long. There are some surprising moments but I did feel like some parts were a little dull. Just my opinion some people might enjoy slower paced thriller.
This was my first book from this author. I would try to read something else.

Thank you to NetGalley, and especially to HarperCollins, One More Chapter for the arc in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter for the copy of How To Kill With Kindness by S. R. Masters. I loved the premise of the story and the characters were suitably creepy. I liked the veiled cultish aspect of the book and I wish it had been explored more. After the ‘secret’ of the village started to be revealed the book started to drag, and passages of people explaining past events went on too long. Sadly this book was not for me, but if you are looking for a book about how members of a group start to follow social mores, you might enjoy this one.

The kindest village in England…or the creepiest? Such a great premise and an intriguing cast of characters; I thoroughly enjoyed this one and was never quite sure what was going to happen next. A very satisfying ending too. Recommended!

Thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter for the ARC of this book.
I'm afraid I,didn't like this book very much. The idea of a village full of just kind people filled me with dread. I can't imagine anything worse. Reminded me a bit of TV series Good Place. I think the characters were very naive to even contemplate living there.
Not one for me.

Andy and Tessa had been together for 10 years she was a musician he was an electrician and they had been trying to have a baby but we’re on the last cycle of Invetro and as far as Tess was concerned it would be their last. On a weekend out they ran across a village proclaim to be the nicest village in England it was called nether Appleford Manor. There was so intrigued they stopped to investigate and even played a Halloween scavenger game. While walking through the village they ran across a yew tree with hearts written by villagers thanking other residents for the kindnesses they extended to the person writing said heart. Their first inclination was to make fun of the village but the more Tessa thought about the whole kindness thing the more she wanted in and even inquired as to how they could live there and filled out an application despite Andy’s hesitancy. When they get invited to see a cottage Tessa cannot believe it even has a music studio and she is over the moon especially when she learns the rent is going to be half of what they were paying in London. They are shocked when the day they move in people are there with moving gifts and a helping hand to move them in they learn on Sundays instead of church they have a kindness meeting and they even invite Tessa to give one something she declines but when they ask is she may want to make some music for a computer that will tell visitors about the lovely village . She hesitates at first and seeing the way the board is looking at her she says she will do it and even give them mates rates something the kindness board seems to be shocked at. Tessa told Andy if he moved to the village with her she would try to be better and not so negative but it seems Andy is the one who is going all Lynn while Tess doesn’t agree to anything the village has to offer except the house with the lower rent. Soon though Tessa is noticing Andy is going every night doing jobs for those in the village and now that she is freelancing and has quit her job she spends all her time at home and starts to notice strange things she even gets a recording of someone in her music room saying in a whisper I’ll kill her and this is when she sees how local cop Leo seems to work while acting like he is on the side of the 15-year-old Jaden who he believes did it he is really in Tessa‘s opinion using bullying tactics until the boy agrees yes he did it even though Tessa doesn’t believe it. That is just the beginning of Tessa‘s first impression the village of kindness may not be that kind after all but everything she wants to use as proof could go either way. I don’t want to say much more because this book is not only bonkers but it is an awesome book. I did think it was very long, but then again I don’t know what you could’ve cut out. I did think in the beginning Tessa was quite reluctant to help out those in a village she said she was moving to to be more kinder. I mean she was paying half the amount in rent in yet everything they said they were doing she wanted nothing to do with it. More than once I thought her attitude was strange but after one and a dead my sympathies were completely with a Earth I absolutely loved the ending and I highly recommend this book. If you love a good smart book with subplots that look like there’s no way they’ll all be put together then you definitely need to read this book it is so good! I want to thank harperCollins UK and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This is quite a hard book for me to review as I really can’t explain why and if I liked it or not. The story was well thought out but I couldn’t connect with the characters at all and I struggled throughout the read not to give up. On the plus side the writing was good and I wanted to know what was going to happen in the end and I think it was that part that kept me reading but overall this just wasn’t for me. I think I may be in the minority but sometimes you read a book that you just don’t enjoy so much and this was one of those for me.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Well! I don't know what to say about this book. I was really looking forward to it after reading the blurb however after getting 30% of the way through I keep looking for reasons to do anything but continue reading. From the start it is obvious the village has the Stepford Wives vibe with a darker undertone and despite Andy and Tessa's efforts and desire to fit in she at least is not going to however hard she tries. So far so good. However I think my difficulties stem from the very choppy nature of the narrative and the characters all of whom are totally obnoxious. I'm afraid this book is not one for me although I'm sure other readers will disagree.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

A very strange story with a cast of horrible characters .Not the most believable of plots with many a twist.

I received a free copy of, How to Kill with Kindness, by S. R. Masters, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. England's Kindest Village, Nether Appleford, has two new villagers Tessa and Andy. I would not describe Tessa and Andy as kind though. What a read, I did not care for the language though, but it was a page turner.

If you like Lisa Jewell you’ll like this.

I love a good psychological thriller and this one doesn’t disappoint. It’s slow to start but if you give it a chance it rewards you with tension and twists.

I really didn’t know who to trust which kept me turning the pages.

The village of Nether Appleford calls itself ‘England’s Kindest Village’. Overseen by the Kindness Committee, this close-knit community strives to live their lives with kindness at the heart of everything they do. For Tessa and Andy, this sounds like the perfect escape. An opportunity to settle down and move on from a past that haunts them. But what if the kindest thing you could do meant hurting someone? Then what would you do?
Welcome to the twilight zone!! Lol that's what this book reminded me of! It definitely takes you on a wild ride! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I loved this! It feels like forever since I’ve been able to give a book 5 stars. It is long, but I enjoyed every moment of it. I found it intriguing right from the very first chapter and it kept me on my toes and guessing throughout. I found the main character likeable and the mystery character interesting. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed reading and would look forward to reading more from this author.

2.5

All that glitters is not gold.

Nether Appleford claims that it is “ England’s kindest village” and there’s even a kindness committee to oversee the close knit community, who strive to just be kind to everyone. It’s a picture book, chocolate box village, with just fifty thatched roof cottages all with manicured. lawns. It’s maybe a bit Stepford Wives thinks Tessa as she and Andy look around. Despite that, they are drawn to the place and its ‘Kindness Tree’. They apply to move in and are accepted but things are not quite as they seem on the surface as the couple will soon discover. Perhaps it might have been wise to recall that sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. The story is principally told by Tessa and Jayden a teenage resident.

I’m on outlier island with this one, but first of all, the positives. It definitely has a Stepford Wives feel at the beginning and there are some warning shots across the boughs pretty quickly but looks can be very deceptive. Tessa picks up on these quickly, but less so Andy but that’s another story. It does have creepy moments, and those seem even more creepy given the ethos of the place. As for the residents, the less said about them the better as Tessa makes some startling discoveries. There’s manipulative if not deadly behaviour and a few bombshells besides. There are some inserts between the two points of views that are on the unhinged and chilling scale though I do figure out the author of those. It definitely enters bonkers territory and the far-fetched kind as it near the end.

However, if it is meant to be humorous, then it passes me by as it’s just too weird and strange for me to enjoy it and it becomes too much like hard work. It’s also very sweary and I lose count of the F bombs, though in one very short chapter there are ten which becomes very wearing. It’s way too long at 465 pages – seriously? It gets repetitive too which also adds to the laborious nature of the read.

Other readers like this considerably more than I do so be sure to check those reviews out, but I’m sorry to say that this one is simply not for me. Not every book suits every reader.

With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to HarperCollins, One More Chapter for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, S.R. Masters, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter for allowing me to read an advanced copy of How to Kill with Kindness in the return of an honest review. I received an advanced reader copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I did not fully love this one. The characters were not likeable. The story was weird. It had an eerie tone from start to finish, which is what made me want to complete the book. It is not one I would grab to read again, but somewhat entertaining for the plot.

This is an interesting book, somewhat different to a usual thriller and even after finishing it I'm not sure whether I enjoyed it or not. It begins with two children doing what they consider is an act of kindness, but it wouldn't be regarded as such by most people. The action then switches to new characters and we have Tessa and Andy and the story of how they move to the village of Nether Appleford. At first everything appears wonderful, they have a new start and a cheap cottage to rent and the villagers are welcoming, but this soon breaks down and more ominous signs appear as Tessa finds the kindness committee isn't all it is supposed to be.
I have to say I found the beginning of the book a bit slow and I really didn't warm to many of the characters, not even Kath or Jayden. I was intrigued to read on though and see where the author would take it, and there were plenty of twists and turns to keep the story moving along in the latter half.
So whilst I thought was a unique and interesting plot but I didn't quite warm to it.
With thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers for an early copy in return for an honest review.