Thanks to NetGalley for sharing this book.

I loved the book. Will recommend this to anyone.

I was unable to put down this book.  I loved all the characters (except 2).

After reading I was bit confused on the ending. At times I feel it's incomplete. But in fact, it was a beautiful way to end the book. 

Sometimes, its better not to know what had happened in the past and its better to let go. I would have preferred not to know what happened. Its so terrible. But Robyn was so brave to face it and find a solution.

I enjoyed reading this book. I might modify the feedback later once my mind is settled with all the thoughts about Jemima, Robyn and Ray.

A really gripping story which draws you in as you read through the novel.It was  a very easy read and I attempted it in one session and nearly succeeded.I liked the fact that there weren’t too many characters to try to get to grips with and although set over two summers years apart it wasn’t too diffivpcult to move from one era to the next.Sometimes when a novel is set over different time periods it can be a little unnerving and confusing. This story didn’t do that and is all the better for it.You definately want to guess as to what is going to happen in the story but there are complications as the story progresses with intriguing  twists and turns.I was definately caught out at the conclusion of the events.An enjoyable simple to read pass away a few hours in the heat of the summer or by the swimming pool.

A very confused and muddled tale which was, despite all, well written with good descriptions.  The book covers the summer of 1976 when the actual story happened and the main characters (Kit and Robyn) were children and also jumped forward to 1988 when they were young adults.  The plot was good but executed rather poorly and I found the main character Robyn rather exasperating and weak, she always seemed to be wanting 'to tell the truth'  as an adult, but didn't, and as a child kept wanting to know the truth, probably no one told her as she was a bit of a loose cannon.  

I'm afraid I didn't really take to it as a book as it was slow to start, gathered pace to be all rather unbelievable ending.  There are a lot of irrelevancies that crop up and never fully explained and a number of loose ends. 

I find I'm only giving it three stars and that really is more for the descriptive writing than the actual book.

Robyn and her brother, Kit return to their old home after twelve years away.  It has stood empty for all those years after a long hot summer, when there was a tension not only in the house but within the town. Who knows what happened that summer, who is not telling the truth and can Robyn lay rest to everything that has haunted her since the day they left.

This was a very good read.  It was intriguing as the author told the story of Robyn and her brother and the circumstances of their lives and the town that didn't seem to be able to move on from past events.  Robyn and her brother Kit always seemed to be running from danger and finding the secrets of their past and what a past that turned out to be.  I liked how it moved from 1976 to 1988.  It was only at the end after many twists and turns that the truth was revealed.  I was captivated by the story Marianne Holmes presented us with.  An excellent debut novel and a captivating read.  I look forward to reading more from this author.

A very enjoyable story told through the eyes of a little girl, and as an adult 12 years later. The author’s characterisation and descriptive language is superb and I loved the little ladybird appearances through the book. The present tense narrative took a little getting used to, but just meant I got swept up in the story almost as if I was a spectator at their kitchen table.  I didn’t see the twist at the end happening, which is always good. I devoured the book in a couple of days and would recommend.

The plot and characters in this psychological thriller were intriguing and I found it a quick and page-turning read.   At the start of the novel Christopher (Kit) and his younger sister Robyn arrive by train to somewhere that featured significantly in their past although it is some time before we know exactly why they are there.   It is apparent that Robyn wants to find someone who has disappeared and clues as to who this might be pop up and then are burst like bubbles.   The narrative flits back and forwards between 1976 and 1988.   I am not sure why the author chose these two years as it could just as easily have been 2006 and 2018.   In 1976 the siblings' mother, Jemima, offers shelter and assistance to women who are victims of domestic abuse and this causes resentment amongst some of the townspeople.   This is developed as a key to the 1988 narrative with threats and violence never being far from the surface.   All the characters seem to be either bullies, victims or both and this is perhaps one of the main themes of the book.   As I wrote above I found this an easy and enjoyable read but there were aspects of the plot I felt were neither fully explained or developed.   This is Marianne Homes' first novel and I would look out for further titles from her.

I wasn’t sure what to make of this book at the beginning but by the end I was hooked. I couldn’t turn the pages quick enough. I had a feeling what the relationship would be for Jemima but the book just drew you in. You really feel for Robyn and Kit and the impossible situation everyone is in where they’re all trying to protect each other but not really protecting anyone. An excellent read

I found this book description intriguing but found it a bit slow & felt it could have been better.  I did enjoy it though

A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME
by

MARIANNE HOLMES

	Robyn was a carefree and rather naive child who enjoys playing by the river under the watchful eye of her brother Kit.  Her mother had open doors for abused women, stepping over the mark at times, perhaps due to events in her past and Matthew, the man of the house, is a gentle caring man, but Robyn desperately wanted to find her real father. A mysterious man targeted her secretly when out playing brought their childhood to a disruptive finale. 
	Now Robyn and Kit have come back to what was their  home many years ago.  The atmosphere in the town is not welcoming and Kit is only there to please Robyn who appears to be obsessed with the past and solving what really happened.  Her behaviour is very haphazard and vaguely irritating and Kit appears just to drift along with her and her neurosis.  It is all very vague and short on gripping.
	There are many strands to this novel but they do not always tie up.  Inside this excellent idea there is a nugget of a really good thriller but I felt  the writer could not decide the direction she wanted the story to take.  The result is a  cocktail of conversations  of events that do not always connect, can be repeated and occasionally are not relevant to the main theme.
	The final chapter clarifies many of the readers’ questions but is a little contrived.
	As a debut novel this writer shows great promise.  There are lots of fine scenes in this novel but it is a bit disjointed and lacks flow as the tale flirts all around the place. The links between the disparate threads could have been stronger. Some sharp pruning and editing,  sticking to the original main theme of what brought them to this place would have given this book more bite.

Intriguing and a very enjoyable mystery read, keeps you guessing until the end. I  recommended this debut novel, a very interesting & well written book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It is, I believe, reviewers' etiquette to begin any comments with a focus on the positives; here goes. Holmes captures some tangible moments and her use of sensory language paints scenes that the reader can almost taste, including water "curdled with yellow from the car's headlights", the "skin under Matthew's right eye pulsing as if there is a miniature heart under it" and pleasing "fat juice drops of rain" that "start to beat a tattoo on the roof".

Unfortunately, I found little else praiseworthy.

Returning to a small town they've fled as children hoping to uncover the reasons behind their mother's disappearance, Robyn and Kit encounter an unlikely (and increasingly laughable) number of familiar faces-"You're  Dany Mace?"; regular clumsy 'clues' implying previous violence- "I pull my waistband away from my scar", cringeworthy summaries of their present state of mind-"We both know about betrayal-we're both guilty of it too" and glaringly unsophisticated attempts to capture characters' speech patterns-"They're mine, and I'm gonna have 'em."

Suffice to say, I only wish A Little Bird (had) Told Me" NOT to read this book. You have been forewarned.

The discription seemed very interesting, though after starting it, it was too slow and dint keep my interest; didn’t finish.

I thought this was a great holiday read! Intriguing enough to keep me wanting to read more, but not too heavy going.
I will look out for further books from this author

I neither loved or hated this book therefore award three stars.  The story didn’t really grab me and I found the denouement a little contrived and unbelievable.  I won’t be posting a review on social media as I feel it would be unfair to the author and to the many people who may not share my view.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

If you were one half evil, would you want to know about the other half?

A beautifully laid out mystery taking place during the summers of 1976 and 1988 with varied pace and vivid imagery, it was only the knowledge that the baby would be awake soon that had me putting this novel down; I could have easily devoured it in one sitting. 

A Little Bird Told Me centres around siblings Robyn and Kit, their encounter with a sinister stranger in 1976 and their prodigal return to put things right in 1988. That there was much intrigue was clear from the first chapter, and so I was hooked from the word go. Holmes’ ability to conjure up the heat and hues of the mid-70s using succinct descriptions made it easy to picture the scenes playing out before me, and she does not rely on continual cliffhangers to keep the reader engaged. 

The relationship between Robyn and her older brother is strong, realistic and serves to explain why so many secrets were kept from her - he had always known the truth would be more harmful to her than the lie, and so we are taken along on the, often frustrating, journey of a 9-year-old slowly realising the truth of her beginnings.

Whilst I found this an enjoyable read with a twist I did not see coming - a rarity for someone as used to the well-worn tropes of mystery/thrillers - I did at times get frustrated with the pacing and how far into the novel we had to delve for any hint of the truth. I could have used a few more breadcrumbs along the way. I also feel the sense of Robyn as a town pariah upon her return in 1988 was never fully explained - as a child, she could not have been held responsible for anything that took place in the summer of 1976, surely?

As a page turner, this delivered beautifully and I would highly recommend for anyone who is more patient when it comes to finding out twists than I am!

For a debut novel Marianne Holmes had set herself a very high standard to keep hitting but I feel (I know from one book) that she has a talent that will keep her publishers busy and rewarded for a long time. Plus her readers/fans on tender hooks for years to come
This is a story about Robyn (little bird) and her brother Christopher (Kit) who return to their childhood home in 1988 to find the truth of the awful events that took place in the Heatwave of 1976. The chairs alternate between the two years and the suspense build with each chapter and you will not want to put this book down. Kit wants to protect his younger sister who just wants the truth and the home town folk don't seem over I to see them again apart from Eva their Mums best friend but s she is pregnant surprised to see her even if well I let you read about that rather than spoil the story but this is not a big part but there is so much here that it needs to be read in order like all good novels. The bad guys are nasty the hero and her brother are characters you want to succeed and will love and grow to understand more and more. The years may change people but the truth remains all the same.
I'm grateful to Agora Books and NetGalley for this copy and hope you get this amazing book and enjoy it as much as I have our more even. Don't let the price fool you this is a top read and I'm sure you will have to pay a lot more for her next books.

This book completely failed to hold my interest.  It was a frustrating read, the story was muddles and very hard to follow, so I had to keep going back over previous pages.  The synopsis was interesting and sounded like it would be a good mystery but I just wanted to finish it as quickly as possible.  Not for me and would definitely not recommend.

Such a protracted and muddled telling of a story, that was not an enjoyable read. I persevered with completing reading, but it felt like an onerous task.

A very well written story, however I found it really frustrating. The story is told in present day with flashbacks to things that happened in the past. You are never quite told all the details which is obviously to keep you guessing, but I just found it confusing. I could never quite tell who was who and if I was supposed to know something that we hadn't yet been told. I spent a lot of time going back to re-read chapters in case I'd missed something.
In the end the finale was a bit of an anticlimax. Bit disappointed by this read.