WIsh I could have rated this more than just five stars! Kept me gripped throughout, if there is just one book you absolutely have to read this year, make it this one.

As always Fiona Neill's books have a way of gripping you from the get go. She writes about the simplest things, but also the most complicated. She writes about life, family life with all its everyday complications and The Betrayals is no different.

Two families, brought together by friendship. Lisa and Rosie have been friends for years and when Lisa's boyfriend Barney auditions for the same play as Nick, he gets introduced to Rosie and everything falls into place. Lisa and Rosie even give birth to their baby girls Ava and Daisy around the same time. It's perfect.



But things get complicated, after a disastrous holiday in Norfolk the two families are torn apart forever.


Daisy is battling OCD, all of them have stressful jobs and are struggling to cope but there's more going on in the background than meets the eye.


Some may view this book as anti climatic but I think what it is, is realistic. Passion, fear, hate, fear of disaproval can all seem like huge things in our own minds. It's easy to blame ourselves and fear it's something we did that made everything go wrong, especially when you're a child. That's why this book has such an impact because it's life inside our minds which is the truest and most scary place of all.

Excellent book. Great main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.

I loved the way the story was told from 4 points of view and how different perspectives were shown. Eye opening truth to how much a betrayal can affect the lives of so many.

My review as posted on Goodreads:

I found this novel intriguing in parts, but it didn't thrill me. After the first third, I nearly gave up.

It has family angst.
It has an interesting exploration of traditional and alternative medicine.
It explores OCD.

I think that the characters are revealed in a clever way.
I didn't give up and I'm glad, because it has some twists towards the end.

I give thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) for a copy in exchange for this review.