Abigail is returned to her parents 7 years after being abducted . She walks into a police station with another abducted girl.
Abigails family now hope they can get their lives back on track.
But there is more to this story who is telling the truth
Many twists & turns
Thanks NetGalley

Abigail had been abducted when she was eight by a busy London station and walked into a police station when she was fifteen.The story follows the messy aftermath of a missing child returning home and is told from two perspectives - Abigail’s mother Anne and Abigail’s cousin Jess. As you soon learn, there’s something that the mother and her sister have kept secret throughout the years related to the kidnapping. 

Having two narrators allows us to keep our eyes on Abigail from a child and adult point of view.  Anne is overwhelmed and stifled by her older sister and the pressure of being the perfect wife to her husband Robert and she’s determined to do get everything right as Abigail returns, from throwing a celebratory dinner to showering her daughter with new clothes. Yet, the distance between the two stubbornly refuses to shift.   
Jess on the other hand is naive and believes things to either be black or white. She had put her life on hold, as she awaited Abigail’s return and is like a blind, overjoyed puppy who finally had gotten to be reunited with their owner. 

The novel had a rocky start where there was a considerable lack of action, but the promise of a deeper mystery kept up my interest. Halfway through, albeit slowly things began to speed up. As much as I wanted to like ‘Little White Lies’ I was underwhelmed when I finally reached the end. The revelation of what actually happened on the day of the kidnapping and the reasons for it, lacked the ‘shock factor’.

With regards to the characters, it was an interesting choice to choose Anne and Jess as narrators that had the potential to work, yet for some reasons it didn’t.  I never fully connected with Annie or Jess. And what they revealed about Abigail were tidbits of information that were never fully explored. I guess the author wanted to keep things in suspense by making Abigail seem curious and not fully understood. However, even after reaching the end Abigail felt like a loose end that I never really managed to grasp.

Overall, it was an okay and suspenseful read with a somewhat disappointing ending. It has the potential to keep your attention but beware, the focus primarily lies on how the closest to Abigail feel and react to the news of her homecoming not so much on Abigail nor the kidnapper and their reasons.


**Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great idea for a story where an 8 year old goes missing and 7 years later walks into a police station with another younger child, also missing. Devastating and horrific at times when the child first goes missing, elation when she is found, over protection and control from mother to daughter and little white lies threatening exposure everywhere. 
Something had happened to do with this case in the past and snippets of information about various people's knowledge (and lies) are slowly revealed ... I wished the book had hurried along a bit but in general it is quite well written, flows well and is easy to read.
Dramatic, suspenseful and traumatic right to the very end.
Recommended

Thanks to Net Galley

I’m not even sure where to begin with reviewing ‘Little White Lies’. I’ll start by saying how fantastic this book is. From the synopsis I thought this would be a thriller but it’s more of a family drama, which usually isn’t something I’d enjoy - however, I was hooked. It’s told from two characters, Anne the mother of Abigail and Jess, Abigails cousin. Throughout you’re aware that there are secrets and not everything is as it seems. I must admit my mind went in a number of different directions so the big reveal actually shocked me. Then as the story reaches its climax, you realise there’s more and that there is a tightly woven web that is slowly unraveling. Just when you’re finally slowing down from this rollercoaster of emotions, it picks up again and you find yourself hurtling towards a cliff edge, panic clawing at you. I found myself wanting to skip ahead as the suspense was just too much and now I feel almost exhausted. The real sign that you’ve read a fantastic book, having to just sit and contemplate after. Thank you to the author Philippa East, Netgalley & HQ for such a brilliant read.

Little White Lies has such great premise, the idea of losing a child and then finding them years later. 
When Abigail comes home she is not the girl that her mum remembers, and we find out why as the book unfolds. There were some parts that I flew through, and some parts that I found a little bit slow, I guess that's why I've gone for 4 rather than 5 stars. 
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Little White Lies.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Having read the synopsis, I was keen to get reading. Right from the start the book engaged me, and kept me hooked tightly in until the very last page - literally.
I suppose you would call this book a slow burner, but not in the sense of a dragging story that needed to hurry along. The writing was imaginative and descriptive, and the writer did use a lot of words to say very little. This was a clever tactic though, as together with many little hints of unsaid thoughts, it really built the tension up, leaving the reader wondering.....wondering.....wondering.
Although the abductor was revealed quite early on, the reader was left guessing how this linked in. I felt it seemed a tenuous connection and this was my only disappointment within the book.
The build up towards the ending was dark, twisty  and disturbing, Due to the vivid detail, I felt like I was watching rather than reading, which made for breath holding unease. The very ending was almost in the form of an epilogue. This allowed for a refreshing exhale out, until...…. is everything going to be ok or isn't it?

I didn’t read any reviews before I started this book as I noticed the star rating was a mixed bag. I can honestly say I don’t know how anyone could rate this book less than four stars.
I thought it was fantastic and very much a page turner. 
You can not help but feel sympathy for both teenagers after having both their lives turned upside town at the age of eight. You really want them to get that happy ending. The question is, Will They?

Little White Lies is a satisfying mystery thriller. The writer successfully pulls the reader in to the unspoken, but often hinted at, reason for the mother’s guilt over her daughter’s abduction. Well plotted and well written and very effectively told from the viewpoints of different characters.

Anne's daughter Abigail went missing, aged 8, after becoming separated from her Mum at a tube station. Seven years later, she walks into a police station. As Abigail returns home, it is clear that she is confused and damaged. Anne is haunted by a lie she told that we only become privy to towards the end of the book. Questions are raised throughout this story, and we are kept guessing until the last moments. Complex and haunting, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

She only looked away for a second…

Anne White only looked away for a second, but that’s all it took to lose sight of her young daughter.

But seven years later, Abigail is found.

And as Anne struggles to connect with her teenage daughter, she begins to question how much Abigail remembers about the day she disappeared…

Wow what a gripping read which I couldnt put down!  Well written and thoroughly entertaining!  Cant wait to read more from this author.  Many thanks to netgalley for an arc of this book in return for an honest opinion.

WOW! WOW! WOW! what a debut! Emotional and raw, Little White Lies is an absolutely amazing thriller, and It's only the start of the year but I feel i will not read a book to match this in 2020!


Abigail White disappeared seven years ago when she was just eight years old, now 7 years later she walks into a police station  Holding the hand of another missing child.


Now aged fifteen Abigail is returned to her family, her mother Anne, stepfather Robert and her younger twin brothers but with everything that has happened the reunion is not perfect Abigail isn’t a little girl anymore, she has suffered been held captive how will she adjust to her new life?


Told through the eyes of her mother Anne and her cousin Jess, this story focuses on her return and the impact it has on the whole family, Anne is struggling and feels disconnected from her daughter and she worries about what Abigail knows and the secrets they both are holding.


Little White Lies was a thrilling and heart-pounding read and I inhaled this whole book in 1 day, when I was not reading it was constantly in my thoughts, I found this a passionate, addictive and complex look at trauma, heartbreak and the affects of crime and guilt on a victim and on the surrounding family.


In particular the authors explanation of Abigal's need for others to "feel" the fear she has to "feel" the trauma was utterly captivating, I was just in tears, put down what book your reading at the moment THIS is the book you need, get it online, or digitally but I Guarantee you will not read a better book or debut this year!

Wow. What a rollercoaster of a book. I couldn’t put it down. Completely drawn into the plot& the characters. Mothers beware, it really makes you think about your relationships

I did kind of enjoy this book, the ending was very good. But it was a slow starter with too much left unsaid. I felt like I started reading in the middle almost. 
But overall it was a good read.

Losing a child is every parent's worse nightmare but what happens when your child returns home?
Anne White had long given up on her daughter Abigail every returning back after being abducted at 8 years old but 7 years later she receives a phonecall that she had long given up on receiving - Abigail has been found and can return home.  You would imagine that this would be a joyous moment but Anne cannot escape the worry that the 'real truth' will come out. 

Told from the perspective of Anne and Abigail's 15 year old cousin Jess we get the feeling that all is not as it seems.  Abigail is withdrawn, angry and distant with her family.  Is she aware of Anne's truth?  

I found this a fascinating read as usually these types of books end up with the death of the missing person so it was interesting to see what happens when an abductee returns home.  I did feel myself feeling frustrated by many of the characters, especially Anne and Abigail but I did find Jess a very likeable character.  

The book significantly picks up pace 3/4s of the way through when the real truth emerges.  I would recommend.

The writing here is excellent, with the slow burn tension and questions for the reader, juxtaposed with well-built scenes and lots of mystery

Twisty, tautly paced psychological drama. Phillipa East’s debut novel is intense, disturbing and very satisfying. Charting every parent’s worst nightmare – what if you looked away for a second and when you look back, your child is gone? And what if they returned 7 yrs later? This novel looks at what happens in the space between. Highly recommended.

I found this really slow and difficult to get in to properly.  Lots of false suspense.  I may have another go (but unlikely).

This book kept me turning the pages. It was beautifully written, told from more than one viewpoint which can often be confusing but worked in this book. It kept me intrigued and for a change I didn’t foresee what was going to happen. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Excellent read - complex characters with complex relationships. There is obviously something brewing beneath the early narrative and this,:and more , get slowly revealed throughout the book.
Once I was half way through found it difficult to put down.
Highly recommend this - a definite 5 star read for me.

Many thanks to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a little mixed for me. 
I think East is a very talented writer, and her descriptions are excellent. She is able to bring scenes to life and the settings are very vivid.
The book built tension well for the most part, but I felt towards the end the plotting wasn't the best. 
I still enjoyed this book overall but I wouldn't likely read it again.