This is such a brilliant novel! It follows Lizzy who is a blogger and she shares her perfect life online; unfortunately the reality isn’t quite so perfect. There is a lot of tension with her husband, her mum and her mother-in-law; not to mention the normal trials and tribulations of her two teenage daughters. Then one day a nasty episode of bullying happens at her daughters’ school and the finger of blame is pointed at one of Lizzy’s daughters. You also get to see the other side of the story as the novel follows the mother of the girl who was so horribly bullied. It’s fascinating to see how the two women deal with the situation and how the whole thing slowly unravels. I found this book so difficult to put down once I started reading it. The multiple perspectives keeps the book moving at a pace, and the way the lives of the so-called perfect family unravels is so well done. This is such a great novel and I definitely recommend it!

Thankyou to NetGalley, Harper360, HarperCollins AU and Wendy James for the opportunity to read a copy of The Golden Child in return for an honest review.
A novel about cyberbullying and it's ramifications is always going to be a thought provoking novel. I thought the storyline for this novel was well thought out and keeps you questioning everything until you reach the conclusion.
Thankyou to Ms James for writing a novel about cyberbullying and how it nearly cost a young girl her life. While this is a work of fiction, in reality, this can and does happen.
Would definitely say this book is a "must read".

This book was not my cup of tea, if I'm honest, and I did not enjoy the story. Not sure if I would read anything else by this author.

Reality, we all get a healthy dose of it at the most unexpected times. The Golden Child is a remarkable thriller showing parental love, teenage angst and humanity in all it’s forms. The writing style provides a very realistic feeling to the story. We believe that this is how real life could manifest. How parents may not be entirely honest with themselves about knowing their children and how they interact out with their supervision, How the relationships between children and parents affects the parental relationships and how not everything may be what it seems on the outside on the inside.
This is a gripping story right to the last page and is the most unexpected diamond of a book I have come across. Definitely a 5 star read for me.

The Golden Child is a contemporary domestic thriller at its finest!

Wendy James, an Australian suspense, award-winning author, has created a tale that is as timely as it is chilling. With news of younger school shooters, children bullying one another online and in person and the suicide rate climbing in all industrialized nations, James has captured the essence of that drama and fear of every parent – “could my child do this?”

To the outside world and even to the blogging community, Beth and Dan appear to the be the perfect couple with two lovely, well-adjusted daughters who are bright, articulate, and very intelligent. What more could any family want or need? They have the usual dramas: moving across country, girls entering a new school, everyone adjusting to a different culture, but they are a close family that makes the most of these situations.

James also examines the flip side – the brilliant, gifted student and her family, who also appear to be “just a normal family,” but the girl does not have friends, is not fitting in at school and often is the target of unkind words.  Bringing these two families together, a chance meeting in the park, turns out to be a catastrophe for all involved. But no tragedy is ever what it seems and as we, the reader, discover, there is far more to the story than we are first led to believe.

From the very first page until the very last, you will be mesmerized by the innermost thoughts of the two mothers involved. Interspersed throughout the book are snippets of Beth’s “mommy-blog” as well as clips from the social media that the girls were using. This addition made the story so readable, captivating and interesting! The only reason that I hesitated giving this a full five star rating was because I suspected from nearly the beginning what the “twist” would be in the end. Never-the-less, this is a fascinating look at our society of teenagers and their families in today’s media driven world. There is a lot of introspection on the part of all involved and I found it to be spot on. The Golden Child is a perfect domestic thriller and I highly recommend it to all who enjoy this genre.