The plot is well set-up and the twists are very well done; unexpected and believable. The story builds tension from about 20% of the way in and ramps it up in the last 10%. The dual timeline is not confusing, it's well controlled.

Ros and Adam have a lovely holiday and Ros chats to a single mum, Lottie, on the same holiday. She and Lottie go out drinking and the next day, Ros cannot remember what happened during the evening. It doesn't matter, she'll never see Lottie again.....until Lottie turns up in the school playground on the first day back of term. What is she doing there? Is she stalking Ros and Adam? Is she trying to harm their daughters?

The narration was mostly excellent, but I'd recommend checking the pronunciation of place names you're unfamiliar with. It's quite grating to hear places referred to incorrectly.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the free audio book in exchange for an honest review. This is narrated by Charlie Norfolk who does an excellent job of reading this story! I highly recommend the audio version!

Ros and Adam are on vacation with their daughter Caitlyn. They meet Lotte who invites Ros out for a girls night out. Lotte ensures that Ros is plied with plenty of alcohol and their are hot men to dance with, all of which is way out of Ros's comfort zone. As most people do after a lot of drinking, Ros spills her secrets to Lotte. The next day, albeit hungover, Ros hopes that is the last her family sees of Lottie. Upon arrival at home, Lotte has moved from London to Ros's northern area and not only that, she lives less than a block away. She even enrolls her daughter in Caitlyn's same home room class, and asks Ros, a headhunter, for help finding a job. What??!!

This is a psychological, suspenseful read! There are several twists and turns after a bit of a slow start to the book.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley for this fun and wild read. This was fast paced and unpredictable. Read this if you want to be engrossed in a book.

On a much-needed holiday, Ros lets her hair down, has a bit too much to drink, and lets slip a secret to Lotte, a woman she’s just met. And this isn’t your run-of-the-mill secret, it’s literally the kind of secret that will destroy her life if it gets out. When Lotte moves into Ros’s neighborhood she drops lots of hints about the secret, saying he’ll never tell, but Ros believes otherwise. And Ros will do almost anything to make sure that her secret never sees the light of day. A satisfying domestic thriller

Wow, what a ride.. once started could not put it down.. Read in one day.. lots of twists and turns, did not expect the ending..Hope there is a follow up.. Great listen, thank you..

A very well written mystery, unexpected twists & gripping plot. All highlighted with the amazing narration.


Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

This book has some curveballs I didn't see coming. There certainly may be triggers for some (child abuse, etc.) The book starts out slowly and it was harder to follow at certain points as it jumps from present to past without really stating it plainly, along with the jumping from person to person. I enjoyed the twists, turns and the heartbreak. Overall it was a solid read.

Not gonna lie - I chose this book for the title and cover and didn't read the premise. At about the 48% mark of this audio arc, I started to question my life choices. Should I really continue requesting new books from Netgalley? Should I stop using only the cover art as the basis for reading? Can I vacuum and kinda hear the story in my earbuds?

But, since I committed to reading and leaving a review, I persisted.

And boy, am I glad I did. The Mother at Number 5 blew me away with the ending. Multiple times. It wasn't one zinger I missed, but multiples. Hands down, happy to say, give this one a listen. It's a perfect beach read.

This is my first Jill Childs novel, but I'm now peeping her previous works. That is the best kind of positive review a reader can give.

The book releases on June 21st and should be in beach bags everywhere.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Legit finished this in less than a day listening non stop.
The beginning started off a bit predictable but then the twists and turns started after the first few chapters.
Up until the end I found Lottie to be a really unlikable character. Raz I wasn’t a huge fan of.
While some parts throughout were predictable, the ending totally saved that for me because there were a couple things I didn’t see coming.
Narrator did a great job.