Having read the synopsis for this book, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, it never lived up to my expectations for a number reasons.

Firstly, I took a severe disliking to the main character who is self-centred to the extent that despite having a husband and young family her attention is purely fixated on her own needs.

Then there is the espionage element of the plot line which to say is confusing is an understatement. Essentially, Anna’s boyfriend at the time Harry persuaded her to act as a spy to bring down her future father in laws business empire. It’s hard to understand who Harry is working for, what the aim of the organisation is, why they are paying Anna these large sums of money. At first we are led to believe that Harry works for a government intelligence agency, which appears to be what Harry is thinking, but then this changes near the end of the book.

The ending was disappointing as there were a number of unanswered questions, which makes me think there will be a follow up book, which despite my negative review I will probably read it as this book had the potential of being really good.

The positives are the book was well written and the character descriptions were good.

I’d like to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. (less)

I loved this book.

This is perfect for fans of big little lies, which i was a huge fan of.

It is a thrilling read. It was so captivating and did not take me long to get through.

It was weird that I could see traits in the characters of people around me, but I like being able to relate to books.

I really liked this and cannot wait for more by the author.

An excellent debut!

Such promise from a writer with an interesting background. Unfortunately being the granddaughter of the notorious spy, Kim Philby, does not guarantee a good result.

Anna, Meg and David have been friends since meeting at university; David, shunning his father's successful company goes to work in the City, whilst the girls work at a fashion magazine. David is obviously smitten with Anna, but she's oblivious, and once Harry is on the scene David has no chance as Anna becomes besotted with Harry. Meanwhile Meg mysteriously packs her bag and takes off with no explanation.....and Anna and David get together. Hang on – what? Yes, Anna and David get it together and produce twin daughters, but all the while Anna has been leading a double life – spying on David's father's company which is involved in Dirty Dealings. But who is her Handler? Harry, who disappears more often than a rabbit down a burrow.

I struggled with this book. Anna is probably one of the most unsympathetic and unlikeable characters I've come across; she is so self-absorbed, so pathetic and self-pitying, it's all about Anna. I found it difficult to accept that, given her lack of interest in David, she would dive into a relationship with him and produce children. She fails to bond with them and is so lacking in anything but self-pity, I could have hit her. No wonder David is moody and unpredictable, one minute declaring his love for her, the next speaking to her in a most disparaging way.

The book is written from two points of view – Anna, and Maria, a young Greek woman, who has known David since they were both children, and is now working as a nanny for the Anna's children, because Anna Can't Cope. All is not what it seems with Maria, who is obviously also leading a double life. The construction is odd as there are endless short chapters all headed Anna, followed by the same for Maria. Certain phrases and terminology irked me, as did occasional clunky writing.

One would think that given the themes of this book: domestic thriller, spies, and the odd bit of romance chucked in, you'd have an interesting book, but I found it boring and confusing, hopping about with no warning, nothing in the text to indicate that certain bits are memories. It actually feels as though two people have written this, as the beginning was really attention-grabbing. Unfortunately the author(s) couldn't sustain it and by the time I got to the third part I skimming through to the end, which was a disappointing fizzle and left me thinking Ms Philby struggled to find a suitable ending.

This book is about as exciting as clipping your toenails.

Really unique story and one that kept me going right to the very last line. Definitely recommend this book.

I was surprised by how much this book hooked me. All the other reviews of this I've seen either tend to be very positive, or very negative, and I can see both points of view. The positive aspect, is that the protagonists are very well rounded, three dimensional, and intriguing. They reel you in with their good intentions but push you away with their bad decisions. It's a constant to-and-fro of liking and not liking them, and you spend the entire book unsure of what's going to happen. This for me is a great thing, because I like to be surprised. I don't enjoy predictability in my books, and the ambiguous ending didn't disappoint.

Now for the negatives - it's a bit of a whirlwind. You have to accept this new state of unsurity to truly enjoy this book. If you're someone who likes things tied up in neat bows, this is not the book for you. There are moments where it jumps from one situation to another seemingly random one, until you read on and discover why. There's a LOT of jumping between time periods and at times it can get a bit difficult to keep up, but that might be the point of the book. To keep you in that constant state of confusion, the same thing that Anna feels throughout.

I think I liked this book, but I'm not really sure. It kept me hooked throughout but I can't recall what it is about the book that did that. It's a confusing one. It is well written and easy to visualize the locations, and the characterization remains constant throughout, and there was a clever ending, but it doesn't leave you feeling satisfied.

3/5 stars.

One to read on the beach perhaps? Maybe not the most believable of stories but the intrigue and secrecy draws you in but at the same time you think 'really'. I did enjoy it though.

An interesting read that could have been much more for me but unfortunately i just couldn't connect with the heroine.
Like a mother, yes i would do anything for my family but this story is so much more than just what one would sacrifice for her family.
The added suspense between her former nana and the heroine, the secrets that are unveiled and all the cold heart and hard-headed woman, didn't make me think that these women are strong as it should be or as i think is the outcome for their story.
Overall i found the story interesting and i will read other books by the author as the writing was quite good and the plot is entrailing.

Excellent Debut Novel

Although I thought this a little slow to start with, the tension builds into a taut thriller where you are never quite sure who is telling the truth.

With two strong female characters and a 3 dimensional supporting cast, once the book picks up pace you are faced with a page turner that kept me up late through to the powerful finish.

I wouldn't classify this as espionage, and anyone expecting trade craft secrets passed down by Philby's grandfather will be disappointed, however this is a richly drawn portrait of of deceit and secrets.

Recommended.

This book had me hooked from beginning to end. It had many twists and turns with a very good pace. The end was shocking and I really enjoyed it as a summer read.
Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

As the book title says, this book is about the most difficult thing(s). Filled with suspense, twists and turns, the momentum doesn't let up even on the last page... which is why I felt like I had hit a brick wall as I read the last sentence (consider yourself warned). I'm off for a lie down in a quiet room until I recover from reading this book.

This is the debut novel from Charlotte Philby and I found it a compelling read. This story is full of intriguing characters and nobody is who they appear to be, and I loved the way the scenery moved around the world particularly appreciating the Greek input from Skiathos.

The novel is told from two viewpoints, that of Anna (who we know has secrets) and Maria, a Greek born woman who we learn is spying on others. Although initially the main plot evolved from Anna, I felt the movement between the two women and the storyline from different timeframes kept the plot alive and interesting. I’m still not sure that I have worked out exactly who was who, what was happening and who was working for which organisation, but it certainly kept me engrossed from beginning to end.

Anna, David and Meg meet a university and Anna is keen to pursue a career as a journalist. These three meet Harry, in a bar, just after he has been fired from an investigative journalist position even though he is not honest about this up front. The relationships between these four main characters is complex and unfolds gradually with the plot intermingled with the other characters who are all strong. Anna is attracted to Harry, David is attracted to Anna and Meg seems to be friends with all of them.

The relationship between Anna and Harry is one of obsession on Anna’s side and this keeps coming in and out of the storyline even after Anna marries David, has twin girls and enjoys the opulent lifestyle David’s family belongs to. Maria arrives in the storyline on a visit to, David’s father’s beautiful house in Skiathos which is looked after by Maria’s mother.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, Harper Fiction, The Borough Press and Charlotte Philby for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Really good read and highly recommended.

Charlotte Philby found the inspiration behind her debut novel in a question that arose from her grandfather’s notorious defection to Russia in 1963: what kind of person walks out on their family?

Charlotte Philby recruits a young woman as her spy in The Most Difficult Thing, exploring the relationships she has, how the lines blur between what is real and what might be role-play, or even manipulative behaviour, on someone else’s part. When that woman becomes a mother, she examines whether maternal instincts automatically kick in, especially where childbirth and the postpartum period aren’t easy. She also considers the decision to break ties and whether it’s any more difficult for a mother to leave her children than it is for a father to walk out on his family.

The actual business interests that form the subject of the espionage were a little sketchy and confusing at times but this didn’t bother me too much because I found them to be of secondary interest to the web of relationships around Anna, who is at the heart of the novel.

This is where The Most Difficult Thing works particularly well and comes into its own. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to untangle all the relationships and work out who was playing it straight, who was not to be trusted or potentially spying on someone else or possibly even playing a double game, who might be paranoid or controlling, or who might simply be concerned for the children of the house and/or someone else’s welfare.

It’s difficult to work out if or how far Anna goes native, to what extent she makes conscious decisions affecting her life, and how much she remembers she has been recruited for a specific purpose. It’s also hard to gauge how much others suspect or know what she’s doing, who for and why. It was satisfying to see how it all unravels by the end. The Most Difficult Thing is an edgy family drama with its tangle of relationships unspooling in a clammy climate of deception and mistrust.

Anna is now a vulnerable, insecure magazine editor, whose life has been blighted by a traumatic event in her youth.
When she went to university and then to London, she had the chance to reinvent herself, and became close friend with Meg, another journalist, and David, the son of a rich businessman. While it was clear David loved Anna, she became infatuated with Harry, a freelance journalist working on an investigation into David’s father’s business.
Harry appears very manipulative, and persuades Anna to spy on David’s business by becoming very close to him.
As Anna is dragged deeper into the deception by Harry, she starts to question the motives of everybody and feels constantly guilty.

Maria is a close friend of David’s family, who is employed to help his family in London, and has her own doubts about David’s father.

The narrators are Maria and Anna, which gives the author a chance to show different views of the same events.

This isn’t in the Le Carre league, despite the publicity for this book, and is over-long in places (especially the description of the African businesses), but is a fast-paced read with some clever twists, although the ending seemed rushed.

Notwithstanding, I’d recommend the book, and look out for further tiles by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Borough Press, HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this book.

I was very disappointed with the ending of this book. It started off well and had me hooked with the easy to read characters, short chapters and intriging story line but as the ending neared, it started to get confusing and it ended quite quickly. Left me guessing how things went or what happened next. Other than that it was a good read

After reading the synopsis and reviews published I so badly wanted to enjoy this book and was excited to recieve and ARC.

Unfortunately I just found it lacking, in what I cant quite put my finger on but I feel that because the book doesn't quite fit into a certain genre and covers spy, physiological, thriller.. it just didnt fit with me.

Hats off to Charlotte for the descriptions of characters though, they were extremely well written and intriguing.

Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

When Anna meets Harry when at university she was immediately attracted to him.
What secrets does he hold?
Harry keeps coming and going through Anna's life with her friend Meg and David, after landing a job in a magazine Anna's life starts to settle down and starts dating David.
Harry returns back in Anna's life and asks for her help to uncover the truth about David's dad Clive a multi billionaire and according to Harry not a very nice person.
Anna agrees but before long she becomes pregnant and her and David marry giving her more access to Clive and his business dealings.
Does Anna really know what she is getting into and how much danger has she put herself in.

More fevered domestic drama than spy tale, this is one of those books that might work well while lazing in the sun or on the commute - but it doesn't bear up under too much critical scrutiny.

There are certainly The Night Manager vibes along with lots of tropes from commercial 'how well do you know those closest to you' psychological thrillers. I'm afraid I giggled more than I was thrilled as revelations pile up on revelations... and top secret paperwork is thrown out in the recycling!

One to read fast and discard - flight or pool would be the perfect setting.

A proper spy story in the Le Carre mould with a more modern psychological thriller twist. It is atmospheric, Moody and convoluted. Some of the characters are rather two dimensional, and sometimes the time shifts are hard to follow, but on the whole it is a satisfying read.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

The Most Difficult Thing by Charlotte Philby focuses mainly on the character of Anna who finds herself immersed in the world of espionage whilst dealing with the difficulties of being a new mother to twin girls. She finds herself having to lead a double life never truly knowing who to trust.
The Most Difficult Thing is a fast-paced psychological spy thriller that has the reader on the edge of their seat from the very beginning. With a dizzying amount of twists and turns that I never saw coming.
This book is beautifully written and I found myself totally immersed from beginning to end.
Recommended!!

Mixed feeling on this one. It's a fast-paced thriller and has lots of unputdownable moments but certain elements were lacking for me. I found the characters hard to empathise with because their motivations were not fully clear. The main character has a past, but this never really seems to explain how cold, nor how naive she is. I found the time jumps slightly too jarring and confusingly done. Am also not a fan of the 'if only I had known what was to come' trope, which is used frequently. Was very confused by the ending.