In the heat of the 1976 summer, Robyn and her brother Kit spend a lot of time as the Lido.  Their mother knows where they are and can get on with her own busy life bring another woman back to their house.

Throughout the hottest of weather, there is a man following their mother and the town is gossiping.

Fast forward 12 years and Robyn is back at the family home.  |Now it is deserted.

This is a great debut novel and intricate layers of a family drama told so well by the protagonist Robyn.  There is a twist at the end but it is well worth reading that far to find out what this is.

I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are all my own and completely unbiased.  My thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity.

A Little Bird Told Me' is a heartfelt debut from Marianne Holmes. Holmes has crafted an evocative narrative and a dark, twisty and unpredictable story. I was quickly immersed in the story and characters, and the atmosphere Holmes created was fabulous and compelling , posing lots and lots of questions. In fact, she was so good at engaging me with unfinished loops and threads,  the ending left me disappointed with lots of unanswered questions and a smattering of confusion. Let's put it this way, I had a frown across my forehead as I searched for more pages and an even deeper one when I realised there weren't any! Was this a mistake I wonder, or are we angling for a sequel? Hmm, I shall ponder that one.

The POV's were well done, believable and engaging, not easy with so many characters for a debut author but brilliantly done . The story is told from the POV of Robyn, as a young woman and an adult, the chapters alternating between past and present so you have to concentrate or you will find yourself having to go back and reread previous chapters. However, I found these to be irritations rather than problems and they certainly didn't stop me appreciating how well this author writes.  I loved the vast cast of characters and felt she pulled them off brilliantly.

 I liked most of the pacing and the narrative flow and some of the descriptions were breathtaking.  In conclusion, this is a heartfelt story about family secrets and the devastating consequences of these being unravelled and discovered.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my pre-publication copy.

It's a little tricky for me to write this review. I suffered from a considerable lack of motivation when reading A Little Bird Told Me - but I can't quite pinpoint if that was due to my mood at the time or the book... It's fair to say that this was a book I only dipped into over a few weeks, rather than really got stuck into so that might have something to do with it.

It was easy to read in terms of the writing style, there was a lyrical tone and for a murder mystery, it had an almost cosy feel. The hot summers of the 1970s and 80s (where the dual timeline is set) were clearly evoked and you felt transported into Robyn's world. So yes, this is the story of Robyn Mace and her brother Kit. After a decade away, they return to the small town they grew up in to finally find out what happened to their mother and for Robyn to face up to the truth of what happened all those years ago. They grew up mainly without their father who is not a good egg - as it is so tantalising worded, "if you were one half evil, wouldn't you want to know about the other half?"

You might be thinking that sounds like an intriguing plot - and you'd be right, it is! It's just that the pace was too slow for me to get engrossed. I guess because I wasn't continually reading it sometimes felt that nothing was moving along in the plot. Robyn was still not finding anything out and although snippets of her past were being revealed, it just felt very drawn-out and the ending left me a a little deflated. BUT, like I said, this may be because I had a disjointed reading experience. If you do read this one, I'd be really intrigued to know your thoughts as I think it's definitely one I'll come back to one day to give it a fairer chance!

I don't know why I was so bot into this book from the very first page. I tried so hard  to like it but the  story progressing made me bore and dizzy. Moreover the suspense took a lot of time to be built and there were some plot confusion .  Why a woman didn't keep  herself low rather than made her and her family a centre of attention where she flew away  from something is very unusual .     Though the character development of kit and robyn is praisable.     
★★★     from me!

This multi-layered book from Marianne Holmes is a family drama told through the eyes of Robyn, aka "Little Bird". In 1976, Robyn watched her mother bring a crying woman home and an angry husband burst through the front door. This creates a series of visits from the police and erratic behavior from her mother. In addition to all of this, a strange man in a cowboy hat starts visiting Robyn and giving her small gifts.

In 1988, Robyn returns to her childhood hometown to solve the mystery of her missing mother. Her bother Kit watches as Robyn unravels the mystery and researches her past. 

There are so many little nuances and twists in this story of a disrupted childhood. Highly recommended for readers who love family dramas and family mysteries. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I struggled to finish this book. It's not a bad read, just, slow and frustrating as there's no real tension or plot to be revealed, rather a story about a dysfunctional family living in the 1970's and the story switches from a young narrator to one who is mature (in age, rather than behaviour).

Robyn is the narrator and with her brother, Kit, they return to their hometown to find answers to childhood issues. I really wanted to like it, but, just found it hard going.

It is worth sticking with as it's got a well wrapped up ending. I just wish it had been a more satisfying read.

2.5*

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Agora Books for a copy in exchange for a honest review.

Told from Robyn's point of view as a child and a young woman this mystery of family secrets, relationships, friendships and violence plays out in the historic heatwave of 1976 and reprises twelve years later when Robyn and her brother Kit return to the town where that life-changing Summer took place.

The characters and setting are realistic and vivid if you lived through the 70s and 80s the ethos and events will be recognisable. The childhood characters make this story memorable. Significant events are glossed over, and smaller ones assume prominence through Robyn's eyes, adding to the mystery and suspense of this family drama.

Parts of the story is slow and confusing, but this is intentional, to reflect the child who is living through and observing adult behaviour that she doesn't fully understand. The mystery once revealed is tragic if not entirely unexpected, and there is a good resolution of most of the questions this story raises.

Perfect for those who appreciate literary fiction and enjoy authentic characters and settings.

I received a copy of this book from Agora books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

If you were familiar with the 70's and 80's you'll enjoy this little beauty by Marianne Holmes.
Set in the Summer of '76 Robyn enjoys swimming while her brother tags along.
It's so much fun if only their mother would stop bringing home a crying lady.
Tension begins to rise along with the blaring heat waves.
This gossiping town is sure to keep talking even if Robyn can't get to the truth.
Robyn's part in history is about to be sealed considering nothing has changed in twelve years upon her return as the town is still stuck in the past .
Will this mystery ever be solved?
A wonderful new read.
Thank you Marianne, her publisher, NetGalley, and Aldiko for this ARC in exchange for this honest review

'A Little Bird Told Me' is a heartfelt and wonderful debut from a strong new voice in the fiction genre, Marianne Holmes. With a truly beautiful cover, an evocative narrative and dark, twisty and unpredictable story. This book is deceptively dark, and significantly moreso than the synopsis indicates. I was immersed in the story and characters from the word go, but I did find that I had many unanswered questions by the time I reached and read the conclusion, which also left me feeling deflated. I didn't really feel it was a strong way to finish the novel.

I know that more than a few people felt that the perspective had the potential to confuse the reader. It is told from the POV of Robyn, both as a young woman and as an adult. It moves between past and present each alternate chapter, so I didn't find it confusing or that the story was convoluted in any way. It was a little disjointed, and I can understand some of the issues other readers had with the book. However, I found that these minor problems didn't take away from my overall appreciation of the novel. There were also a whole cast of characters, a routine mistake debut authors tend to make, and I hope in future books Holmes holds back a little more.

Holmes does approach important topical issues sensitively throughout the story, but I felt the narrative flow couldn've been better leading to a more engaged reader. There is definitely an opening for a sequel as the tale certainly does not appear finished to me. Should there be a follow-up, I would definitely seek it out in the hope that it will answer my questions. By the end not only did I have many questions, but I felt that the whole book comes across as rushed and purposefully vague. I feel many of the twisty surprises fell a little short of the mark, although there were a few I didn't predict. At its heart, this is a story fundamentally surrounding family secrets and the utterly devastating consequences of such secrets.

Many thanks to Agora Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Very scrappy in parts, jumps about too much. I had trouble keeping interested and nearly discarded it before finishing it.

I know they say don't judge a book by its cover, and I stand by that mentality when it comes to books (in fact the majority of books I enjoy have really uninteresting covers actually!) but can I start off by saying this cover is so pretty and really intrigued me. I was very excited when I was asked to take part in this tour because when I looked at the cover I was instantly interested.

This story is a very good example of the type of story I enjoy. I love a good twisty novel and there were certain parts I definitely didn't see coming (anyone who's read it will know exactly what I mean).

This is told in the perspective of the past and present which could lead to confusion if you're not paying attention. I get the impression that if this isn't your type of thing you'd have to be in the right mood for it, as it does require a certain amount of concentration to really understand what's going on.

This story has a very strong hook and I personally really enjoyed it. I think there may be some people who find it a little too dark or confusing but I really enjoy that sort of thing! Make sure that if you're interested in novels with a bit of mystery to them, definitely give this a try!

I was intrigued by this book and the beginning kept me turning the pages. I did towards the middle find well not exactly plot holes but I had questions. 
I struggled with the time hop especially when the narrative was little bird as I didn’t know if it was the past or present but I think his is more to do with her being very young minded like she was stuck at her age in the past and can’t move on. 
However it kept my interest and I wanted to finish the book to find out what happened and why, at the end I did find the reason behind the incident weak and I finished the book with a lot of questions and confusion. To be fair this could be because towards the end I read faster to find out and maybe I missed key words etc but I did find the end disappointing. It’s written well but feels rushed at certain points and sadly that lets the book down. Shame as the basic plot line is interesting and I felt many emotions but sadly after putting the book down confusion is the lasting feeling BuT like I say it could just be me. 
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this book for a honest review.

What a beautiful debut novel. I love reading new authors and this one was so beautifully written, I enjoyed every word and was thoroughly immersed in the characters and settings. This book effortlessly switched between time zones and spun a picture in my mind easily of each. I loved this and have been recommending to everyone.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

This story is told from the point of view of Robyn as an adult, however, the storyline actually starts in the past when she was a young girl growing up with her brother, Kit, her mother and step-father.  We get alternating chapters between past and present as the story builds.  Back in the summer of 1977 during a record breaking heat wave, Robyn remembers her mother taking in a neighbor and her young son as her husband was physically violent and she had just been assaulted.  The husband is held by the police and the town becomes divided over Robyn’s mother’s involvement in what was considered “a personal matter”.  With the heat wave on, it also does not take a lot to escalate tensions.  It also appears that Robyn’s mother and step-father are keeping secrets and with Robyn being young, there is a lot that she doesn’t understand due to her age.  Years later we learn that Robyn’s mother disappeared that summer and now Robyn and Kit have come home to finally get some answers as to what happened all those summers ago.  

I really enjoyed this book – I found it intriguing and it held my attention all the way through.  Highly recommend this gem of a book and I look forward to seeing other books in the future from this author.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Set during 1976's heatwave, nine-year-old Robyn and her older brother Kit spend their carefree days with their friends at the local lido and park. One day, the arrival of a mysterious man, in a cowboy hat, intrigues Robyn, but disturbs Kit and their mother, Jemima. As the story progresses, with chapters alternating between 1976 and 1988, when Robyn and Kit return to the village as adults which they fled as children, we find out the truth as Robyn turns investigator to find search for the truth.

Unfortunately, with the alternating chapters being told by a child, I did find the story a little slow and disjointed, and found I didn't have a clue what was going on for half of the story; I felt like maybe I had missed something important and wondered if I should start reading again. The story only sped up for me three-quarters of the way through when everything started happening at once, both in 1976 and 1988. There were also a few too many characters, who I struggled to keep up with.

Despite this, there was a twist at the end which surprised me and had me on the edge of my seat.

I found this book very difficult to get into and stick with. I don't think it's the quality of the writing but, rather, the characters. I felt drawn to no one. As a matter of fact, some annoyed me. It also reminded me of reading A Wrinkle in Time - good writing perhaps, but I just couldn't take the characters so halfway through abandoned the book - as I ended up doing with this one, unfortunately.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Struggled with this book, couldn’t seem to get into the story, or connect with the characters, attempted to persevere and get through it but in the end had to give up.

Although I did not except to at the beginning I read this book to the end, becoming increasingly drawn in as I went. It is a good story, if somewhat self-consciously told. Big subjects are tackled ambitiously but not entirely successfully, partly due to the complicated way the story is sold…which sometimes feels a bit chaotic.

I was not too keen on the gushing introduction, feeling the book should be allowed to speak for itself, and that more editorial effort might have been spent elsewhere.

I had to finish this book to find out what happened but found it hard going as it seemed to be disjointed and didn't seem to flow well. I wanted a bit more information earlier on to know what the mystery was that Robyn was trying to solve and unfortunately the "scary" bits didn't scare me.

A new author and a debut novel.
I found this book to be a slow burner but I had to keep reading to find out what happened.
I am still confused, why did Robyn and Kit the two main characters return to the town and the house where so many bad things happened?
What does the man in the cowboy hat really want?
A dysfunctional family and it is set in the 70's and 80's. We get snippets of what actually happened all the way through the book until the very emotional ending.
I still have many questions What will happen when Ray returns, we know Robyn was hurt but who did IT?
Personally I think that there needs to a sequel as the story is not finished.
I would like to thank the author Marianne Holmes, Agora Books and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.