Such a complex but intriguing read. The characters were quite complicated but not in a bad way. I kept reading late into the night because I needed to know more.  Clever writing by the author and touching at times

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review copy of this book. 

Based on its description, I thought I would love this book--a child narrator, an evocative sense of place, an unsolved mystery. In reality I found myself questioning the main character's decisions and wishing the storyline moved faster. Still--a good read.

Took me a little time to get into this story but when I did I throughly enjoyed it. Slow start killer finish!!

A Little Bird Told Me is an engaging story, and I enjoyed seeing parts of the narrative through the eyes of a child. This really helped to build the tension as the reader tries to piece together what happened that fateful summer.

Robyn is an interesting protagonist, and while the early and mid-stages of the story did at times feel slightly vague, the conclusion was exciting and satisfying. An enjoyable read.

This title started out strong, but sort of lost me toward the end - told in alternating perspectives between the summers of 1976 and 1988, the book lays out the workings of a particularly dysfunctional family. The writing itself is lovely and compelling, but as the book went on I found myself getting more and more frustrated at how drawn-out the suspense was and how unrealistically the characters behaved toward the end. It was enjoyable as I read it, but I found myself disappointed by the ending and ultimately unsatisfied.

I ended up liking this book after it picked up about half way through. The first few chapters were a bit too slow for my liking, although I understand that they need to set the scene and atmosphere. For me, there were too many questions being set out at the start, and I was left feeling more confused than was comfortable.

Afterwards though, when the narrative picked up and I was introduced to the main characters, I began to piece together the puzzle. I love mysteries, and this was right up my street. It had so many different elements to it and a lot of twists that I didn’t anticipate, which kept me hooked right until the very end. Even the very last page held a secret that I hadn’t worked out.

I really liked the creativity behind the story, it took such a simple story but twisted elements and made it her own. In this way it was so unique and I really admired that. The only slight niggle I had with it, was that it was one of those stories where if people were actually honest, and just told others what was going on – then nothing would have happened!

The characters themselves were investworthy, and cemented the story. The tone of Robyn’s voice was so insightful, we could hear and feel all of her emotions and her confusion. I especially liked that over the two timelines, you could really subtly tell the difference between when she was young and older, just by her use of language. I loved the chapters from her childhood, as it really made me feel that I had gone back in time. Her writing was so creative that I felt as though I was seeing it all through a young person’s perspective, and it was purposefully indecisive and vague at times to make our confusion like hers.

It was a very genius, unique story which was heartbreaking and confusing at times. Knitting together family drama, crime, mystery and family dynamics. I recommend it to everyone as I ended up really enjoying the slow burner of the story.
Rating: 3.5 Stars

A Little Bird Told Me was an enjoyable read for me, it wasn’t particularly fast paced but it kept me intrigued all the way through. 
Robyn is the main character and it was nice to follow her on two separate timelines, those being the hot summer of 1976 and 1988. This book was a different read to what I usually read but it held my attention and the characters were likeable. It was a weird pleasure as well to read something that had no mobile phones, WiFi, internet, laptops, tablets etc in and I have to say I cant remember the last book I read that didn’t have any of that. It was interesting following Robyn’s journey and discovering that the people in the village never really forget or forgive anything.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Agora Books for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

It was ok. I did read this pretty fast but had a hard time really getting into it. I didn’t really connect with the characters. After reading the description I thought this book would be something I really enjoyed but it just wasn’t.

Brilliantly written. Had me drawn in from the beginning with lot so of twists and guessing. Characters were well written so I felt like I knew them. Was nice for a change not to be able to work out how the story would finish until almost the end. Recommended to several friends and will be looking out for Marrianes next book.

Set in the long, hot summer of 1976 and also in 1988, this is a quirky, slightly unusual book. At the centre of it are secrets and a tragedy, which nine-year-old Robyn only partially comprehends, so 12 years later she returns to the house where she spent her early childhood to attempt to make sense of what happened and to solve the mystery. Some of the writing in A Little Bird Told Me is accomplished and quite lyrical, but there’s also an unevenness to it, and for me the resolution doesn’t really come off, but having said that it’s a very likeable novel and kept me reading.

This was a haunting story, beautifully told. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

A Little Bird Told me is a sensitive and lyrical coming of age debut novel,  the characters are rounded and well-crafted and it is woven with mystery and suspense.

The multi-layered story moves fluidly between 1976 and 1988 and the narrative is both intriguing and compelling.

I highly recommend it.!

Excellent writing. I just couldn't put this book down once I'd started it. Hard to believe it's a debut novel. Just great.

In the scorching summer of 1976, Robyn spends her days swimming at the Lido and tagging after her brother. It’s the perfect holiday – except for the crying women her mum keeps bringing home.

As the heatwave boils on, tensions in the town begin to simmer. Everyone is gossiping about her mum, a strange man is following her around, and worst of all, no one will tell Robyn the truth. But this town isn’t good at keeping secrets…

Twelve years later Robyn returns home, to a house that has stood empty for years and a town that hasn’t moved on, forced to confront the mystery that haunted her that summer.

And atone for the part she played in it.

This one was a very slow starter for me.  By 25% of the way inI still hadn’t found much of an interest with either of the 2 main characters.  Ive read a lot of time flipping novels but this one didnt feel to me as if Tey were very connected.  I obviously knew they would be but with only snippets of the past story there wasn’t enough to grab me to want to find out more.  I dont think the pieces of the story from the past were long enough to get hooked into it, so I felt like I was asking a lot of questions, like why had the 2 siblings returned home in the first place?
The ending was good as a story but felt it wasn’t really explained.  Just one that wasn’t for me, but remember just my own opinion.  Give it a try you may disagree.

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

Not the fast paced, page turning heart racer I’m used to but a good book nonetheless. I enjoyed it being set in the 70’s and 80’s, took me back and a refreshing change to not have mobiles and the internet involved. In a nutshell, Robyn and Kit return to their hometown to try and find out exactly what happened to their Mother 12 years ago. Robyn will learn that people in a small town either have long memories or [pretend to] remember nothing. This felt like a gentle mystery though there are unsavoury elements inside, it also shows, thankfully just how far we have progressed when it comes to domestic abuse and the attitudes towards it. Highly recommended and my thanks to Agora books and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Both timelines interested me and I couldn't put the book down. A compelling read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

This was a cracker of a book. Well done to the author for keeping me gripped to this story line. It did more than I thought it would  at  the start and it led me different ways than what I imagined. Thank you.

A book I   probably would not have discovered without the help of NetGalley,which would have been my loss.  Well written story weaving together two summers in the life of a strong woman protagonist.  I enjoyed it quite a lot and look forward to reading my of Marianne Holmes' work.

EXCERPT: What Kit knows and what I know is not the same. I have become my own secret curator of the facts. It's all in the suitcase I keep under my bed along with all the other monsters. 

Matthew and Kit think they can protect me even now by keeping the past hidden. But they’re wrong. I already know more than they think. 

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Besides, if you were one half evil, wouldn't you want to know about the other half? 

In the scorching summer of 1976, Robyn spends her days swimming at the Lido and tagging after her brother. It’s the perfect holiday – except for the crying women her mum keeps bringing home.

As the heatwave boils on, tensions in the town begin to simmer. Everyone is gossiping about her mum, a strange man is following her around, and worst of all, no one will tell Robyn the truth. But this town isn’t good at keeping secrets…

Twelve years later, Robyn returns home, to a house that has stood empty for years and a town that hasn’t moved on, forced to confront the mystery that haunted her that summer.

And atone for the part she played in it. 

MY THOUGHTS: This is one of those reads which is not going to fit neatly into any one category. The story is told over two timelines, 1976 and 1988. Historical fiction? Not to me, I lived those years, but I suppose to some they may qualify A Little Bird Told Me as historical. There is family drama, mystery and crime. But just what happened and to whom is not made clear until the final chapters of this intriguing book. 

A Little Bird Told Me is beautifully written. The characters are 'real'. I could feel Robyn's fear and her anger, her confusion and determination. The author writes in a determinedly vague fashion, so that at times the reader is also confused. But remember, you are seeing parts of the book through the eyes of the child Robyn was at the time. And she doesn't understand a lot of what she sees and hears. 

This is a slow burner of a book. It is a book that is, in places, eloquent and lyrical, in others, brutal and raw. It is a book that I enjoyed immensely, and I will be watching for more from this author. 

And please don't skip the publisher's foreword. It is a delightful story about how they came by the book and published it. I'm glad they did. 

THE AUTHOR: Marianne Holmes was born in Cyprus to RAF parents but is now firmly based in London. After a sensible career in marketing, Marianne is now focusing on her love of language and writing. 

A Little Bird Told Me is her first novel.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Agora Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of A Little Bird Told Me by Marianne Holmes for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. 

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

The story is chilling. Gripping. And I couldn't put the book down. The author uses a lot of lovely, almost poetic, description to describe the settings and I felt like I was there at times.

My only one negative for this story was that sometimes it was hard for me to follow what was going on. There was a few times that I had to go back and re-read a section to make sure I followed. 

Overall I enjoyed this book. It has some interesting twists and kept me reading to the end.

Thanks for the advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review.

A Little Bird Told Me is Marianne Holmes debut novel.  It moves back and forth between 1976, when Robyn and her older brother, Kit, were children and twelve years later, after a series of events have left more questions than answers.  

The relationship of the siblings is one of the things that makes this a good book.  Kit, with an older brother’s perspective, knows and remembers things about their childhood that Robyn doesn’t understand.  They return to their hometown in order to find answers to the events that led up to their escape from the town.  At times the writing is magical and evocative, the story, told from Robyn’s perspective, unfolds slowly and the suspense continues to build to the final chapters. And, all the while, there is a sense of doom hanging over a small, gossip-ridden town that hasn’t changed very much since Kit and Robyn were children.

There were times I felt the story dragged a little and it seemed to stall now and then, but for a first attempt it is a well-thought out and well-written mystery.  It deserves a 3.5 and I look forward to more from Ms Holmes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.