I was a big fan of Jessie Burtons first two novels - The Miniaturist & The Muse - so was over the moon to be selected to try her newest edition 'The Confession'.

The book started off well and I found myself interested in the little mystery thriller that was beginning to unfold as the novel darted back and too in time. However, mid way through the book I began founding the general premise of the book to be rather too formulaic - quite simply its been done a million times before - so it didn't take me long to figure out where the story was going, leaving the 'big reveal' to fall flat. The 'twist' were predictable and cliché to say the least and I found myself rolling my eyes on more than one occasion.

The characters themselves were on the whole unlikable, especially our main protagonist who I often felt like shaking and quite frankly felt she just needed to pull herself together. I found the characters to be too self - centered and irritating, I couldn't relate to them at all - any of them.

A really disappointing read from Burton, but I guess she did have a lot to live up to with her previous novels, So I haven't given up on Burton yet and look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

This was just not for me.
I found the characters annoying and unrealistic.
This made the whole story very hard work and left me relieved when I finally finished it.

This is another great story by Jessie Burton, evocative and well written, an unusual setting where you find the most interesting stories.

Having loved both The Miniaturist and The Muse, I was ecstatic to learn that Jessie Burton was releasing her third novel - and that I could get my hands on an ARC no less! I had to read it immediately.

Having now finished it, I’m unsure of what to write (mostly due to the fact that this won’t be released until September and there are currently very few reviews about it). Without spoilers, The Confession has two main narratives, both exploring the concepts of family, motherhood, and being true to yourself. Alike her two previous novels, the characters were larger than life - incredibly real and relatable, which personally encouraged me to read on. However, unlike the other novels, it felt a lot less mysterious - surprising, considering that the main plot is the mystery of Rose’s mum. This lack of mystery - or hook, I suppose - meant I wasn’t as driven to read it. With The Miniaturist, I couldn’t put it down as I didn’t know what was going to happen, whereas I pretty much guessed the ending of The Confession, just by the way it was set out. I think having a twist somewhere in the middle, like in The Miniaturist, would have really boosted the story.

But that’s the only negative I have to say! Overall, it’s a very enjoyable read, and it was a pleasure to be able to read it in advance. Everyone is in for a treat. Now I just have to wait until it’s published in September so I can buy it for my gran!

I found it took me a long time to get invested in this story. I loved Burton's debut The Miniaturist it's one of my favourite books.
I just don't think this one did it for me as much. I didn't connect with the characters that well.

Although the plot was good for this book and it had a little mystery about it that made me keep reading.
Overall a good read but perhaps a disappointment compared to her other books.

In my role as English Teacher, I love being able to spend time reviewing books for our school library which I use to help the students make great picks when they visit us as well as running a library junior and senior book group where we meet every week and share the books we love and talk about what makes a great read. This is certainly a book that I'd be happy to display at the front as one of my monthly 'top picks' which often transform into 'most borrowed' between students and staff. It's a great read and ties in with my ethos of wishing to assemble a diverse, modern and thought-provoking range of books that will inspire and deepen a love of reading in our students of all ages. This book answers this brief in spade! It has s fresh and original voice and asks the readers to think whilst hooking them with a compelling storyline and strong characters It is certainly a book that I've thought about a lot after finishing it and I've also considered how we could use some of its paragraphs in supporting and inspiring creative writing in the school through the writers' circle that we run. This is a book that I shall certainly recommend we purchase and look forward to hearing how much the staff and students enjoy this memorable and thought-provoking read.

Three women are at the heart of this story set in the early eighties and in 2017. First a successful writer and her younger girlfriend, later the same writer and the girlfriends now 35 year old daughter. None of them particularly likeable, but all are compelling characters asking for compassion.

Even though none of the events or people had any overt overlap with my own life, the novel hit a nerve with me and left me devastated. Maybe it's the power of the book, maybe it had a little help from general life stress, corona anxiety, and isolation.

When I read a novel and it leaves me thinking about the themes, the characters and their life it's clear that the reading experience was totally worthwhile. I have been mulling over my thoughts and there is no doubt that this author writes a beautiful and compelling narrative.

The trajectory of the story toggles between the 1980s and three decades later where we see Rose drawn to the lady who influenced the life of her mother, Elise, a mother who mysteriously has not been any part of her life. The 1980s depicts the relationship between Elise and Constance and slowly weaves the story of how they met, where they ended up and most importantly the thing that affected the futures of all three female protagonists.

Initially I was totally engaged in the story, especially the developing story between Elise and Constance in the 1980s, I was fascinated and truth be told, I wanted more of their story above all else. I appreciated the themes laced throughout and the mirroring plot-line of unexpected pregnancy and the dilemmas this may lead to. This certainly raised thoughts and debate in my own head surrounding the rights and wrongs of people's decisions and choices.

Ultimately my biggest issue was that I did not fully connect with Rose and I think to fully appreciate this story I personally needed to feel more invested in her predicament than I did. That said, as an ensemble, the novel held my attention and my interest enough to ensure I read it from cover to cover. It was my first outing with Burton but I will definitely read her work again and would recommend this story to others, especially book club readers as it would provoke a great discussion.

What a nice find. This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

A perfect book, Burton explores her themes beautifully and crafts gripping characters. It is rare that female views and lives are presented so accurately as complex individuals with complicated wants and needs, yet Burton does so wonderfully and in doing so crafts a truly wonderful tale.

I wanted to read a book by this author to see what the hype was about...I must say I was pleasantly surprised by it.....not my usual choice of book but enjoyable none the less.

Having read and enjoyed Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist I was intrigued to receive The Confession to review via NetGalley. Unlike her previous books which were set in the past, The Confession is set in the present day and the 1980s.
Rose Simmons has never known her mother, Elise Morceau who disappeared when she was a baby. She has been brought up her father enjoying a happy childhood but has always wanted to find out what happened to her. Now in her mid 30s she is living with her boyfriend but her life is predictable and boring. She is not sure what she wants- is a child on the horizon, does she even love Joe enough for such a life changing decision?
The 1980s part of the book is about Elise’s relationship with Connie a famous novelist who whisks her off to America where one of her books is being made into a film.
This book gets off to a slow start and moves gradually through the stories in both time frames. I felt it picked up as we reached the middle of the story when Rose meets the older Connie to try and find information about her mother. Her own developing friendship with Connie was an endearing feature of the novel.
The characters were well developed although not particularly likeable. I felt most sympathy for Rose. Elise and Connie were difficult to warm to as both were quite self obsessed, particularly Connie in the 1980s. Elise was just a lost soul and very immature.
The ending was not by any means revelatory and I was unsure about the last chapter and what it added to the book.
Over all I quite enjoyed The Confession and would like to thank NetGalley for my arc.

My 1st book by Jessie Burton and what a great one to start with. The confession is all about the relationship of 2 characters; Elise & Connie. They were a couple many years ago & led quite different lives. Into today we meet Rose who is a relation of Elise's and wants to know more about her. Hence confessions and story telling. An easy read and you quickly slip into the lives the characters. Worth a look.

Another demonstration of Jessie Burton's talents as a storyteller.

Beautifully written, wonderfully paced with a protagonist you really come to care for. I think split-timeline narratives can often feel a bit clumsy but the pacing here was perfect.

Thoroughly enjoyable and I highly recommend.

I read this book because I had enjoyed The Miniaturist so much and was delighted to discover that this story starts with two women cruising each other on Hampstead Heath in the 1980s. That narrative is split between this era and the present day, as the daughter of one of the women tries to discover what happened to her missing mother. It's an exquisitely crafted story, with slow reveals that build towards the ending. The thing is though, I read this book 6 months ago and now can't remember what actually happens at the very end, which is actually perfect because it means I can read it again. In fact, I would read anything by Burton and I can't wait for her next novel.

I loved this. The Confession felt like a breakaway for Jessie Burton, master of historical novels, but I loved this as much as I did The Miniaturist and The Muse. Set across two timelines, we meet Elise in the early 1980s, and Rose in 2017. A young Elise meets glamorous, confident older woman, Connie, on Hampstead Heath in the Eighties, falls in love and follows her to Hollywood, living in her shadow. Meanwhile, in 2017, Rose is a thirty-something living on the outskirts of her own life, who takes a job caring for the elderly Connie - who her father has revealed was somehow linked to her mother, and might be able to shed light on her mother's disappearance.

The three female characters are beautifully, vividly drawn. Come for the prose, stay for the characters... ah, I loved it!

I love the library but sometimes, at 6 pm on a cold Friday evening, after a week at work, my brain doesn’t want to make decisions about what to read next. Yes, I could come back to the library on a Saturday morning but warm, comfortable sleep-ins have kind of become a thing for me. Anyway, I make it to the library as staff there are making plans to leave (thanks to Open Access I can stay until 8 pm should I choose to) and after returning a couple of books I turn and see The Confession sitting proudly on the display case.

The book seemed to call to me. You know the intuitive siren song that books have. The siren song that tells you you’ve been looking for this without knowing it. I picked it up, read the blurb and thought, sure, why not. Now, one thing to mention here is the rabbit on the cover. It makes sense to have a rabbit and once you read the book you'll understand but I don't like rabbits. They’re creepy and weird and I ... *shudder*. Thankfully, once you’ve got the book open you can’t see the cover. Ha, ha!

Once you’ve got the book open though - wow - are you in for a ride. Three incredible female lead characters who are genuine, believable, human and in no way stereotyped into what some people think a lesbian relationship is like.

Rose is an idealist but with a compassion that while a little self centered, moves away from being all about her by the end of the book.

Constance is the mysterious older woman and I don’t think there’s a human alive on the planet who hasn’t been infatuated with someone older than them at some point. Male or female. Especially if they’re mysterious and beautiful and give off that vibe where you need to know more.

Elise is 23. She does what a 23 year old does. She falls in love. She sometimes makes bad decisions and sometimes the result of those decisions doesn’t make for a happy ending. Don’t worry. That’s not a spoiler.

I’ve gone back and had a look at some of the other reviews for this book and one word keeps coming up; “triggered”and I have to tell you I HATE that word. It is used so often now as to be a non-word. It has no meaning. The frequency and the way it is used now has devalued it so far, we need something new. Anyway, some readers felt “triggered” by this book. They say the characters were “icky” and “unbelievable” but I have to wonder what other books they’re reading and what other televisual fiction they’re consuming that this is the best way they have to criticise the book.

We’re talking about Hollywood in the 80s. It wasn’t some magical fairyland and it isn’t one today. Harvey bloody Weinstein is only one example. We’re also talking about the UK in the 80s. This was Thatcher and her cronies. This was people unemployed and treated like dirt. Sure, neither of these came up explicitly in the text but just knowing a little bit of history would give you the context of how this story was potentially going to be framed. 

The problems we face these days are numerous and complex but we have so much history that shows us how previous generations dealt with similar issues. War. We have many primary sources. Plague and pestilence. Many primary sources. It’s this pretending that none of it matters because we’re modern and oh so clever that has dropped us into the pit of misery that is contemporary life in the UK. I’m not saying everyone needs a history degree to read, understand or enjoy fiction but you do need to understand that everything creative comes from the lived experiences of the creator and they are taking their inspiration from more than just what they read on Twitter, Facebook or from what Sheryl down the shops told them.

The human species needs to reconnect with their pasts. Go beyond the Blitz and war time spirit and rationing. History didn’t start in 1901. 

If you want to read an intelligent, well written, well edited and well told story, you need look no further than The Confession. If you want to keep reading trivial banalities, Donald Trump still handles his own Twitter account.

What a fabulous cover. Great concept, but I found the plot lacking in places, but I found the characters a little offputting - I just couldn't connect with them. I am a lover of anything Hollywood so this was a winner for me. Not the best Jessie Burton book, but a good read overall.

This book is amazing. I found the lives of the three women so powerful, and incredibly strong and it really moved me. It was beautifully written and kept me engrossed. I really did not know what was going to happen until the end and even then you're still left wondering. I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did but I will recommend this to everyone.

The Confession is a dual timeline novel which delves into secrets and the highs and lows of motherhood. It jumps back and forwards in time, concentrating on the three main characters, Elise, Connie and Rose. Rose wants to find answers that only Connie can help her with as she is the link between the past and the present.

I was completely immersed into the lives of the characters from the outset. They were all beautifully strong women, and their flaws just added to making them feel more real to me. I also found the settings of 1980s Hollywood and present day suburban London a pleasing contrast, with loud, sunny, in your face LA compared beautifully with the calm, understated suburbs of London. The different settings contrasted in much the same way as the personalities of Elise and Rose did, with Connie forming the anchor between the other two women, and the two locations.

The writing, as with Jessie Burton's other work, was evocative and beautifully subtle. I found myself savouring her words, and wanting to take my time reading it all to collect every nuance. This book is exceptional, and one that I enjoyed thoroughly.