After sneaking out to a party and getting caught, fifteen-year-old Olivia vows that she'll never speak to her mother again. As the silent treatment drags on, it becomes obvious that Olivia is hiding things from her mother. Hannah is hiding things from her daughter. The author is also hiding a lot of things from the reader. Sometimes it's through misdirection and sometimes it's by leaving out a huge important detail of what was happening in a scene. When things finally did become clear, I felt cheated. This book honestly left me wondering what the "rules" of writing a psychological thriller are and how far the author is allowed to stray from them in order to create that shocking twist.

I liked this book and very much enjoyed this tightly plotted story with all its twits and turns. The characters are well drawn and believable.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a dark & addictive story which I flew through. First I’ve read by this author but will definitely be reading more. Would highly recommend this book.

When you read the blurb of this book, you’ll be inclined to think that it’s your typical story about family angst gone wrong. Well, it certainly starts out like that. Hannah seems to be a rather over-protective mother when it comes to her teenage daughter Olivia. She feels that she’s lost all control over her and wishes she could be more like her younger sister Rosie who’s still naive and willing to listen to everything her parents tell her.

Slowly though, it becomes clear that there’s more to the situation than meets the eye. As Olivia starts to describe what her life has been like and how ‘different’ she’s always felt from other kids, one can’t help wondering why she feels this way, and what has made her feel so very alienated from her peers. As the story slowly unravels and as we watch the interactions between this family, we understand that something is drastically amiss.

This slow burner veers off into vastly different territory to what’s expected! It begins as a family noir and then develops into a deeply dramatic, and disturbing psychological thriller. What lies at the heart of a household where control and domination are the sole aims of those at the helm?

Ms Jenkins expertly keeps her readers guessing, leading them along down precarious pathways before pouncing out at them when they least expect it! Her plot starts off ordinarily enough before taking an alarming turn, from which it doesn’t stray until the very end.

This is a gripping 4-star read.

I had mixed feelings about Victoria Jenkins’ previous stand alone novel, The Divorce. In some ways The Argument resembles its predecessor - a small cast of characters, a tense and claustrophobic feel - but I enjoyed it quite a lot more.

At first sight, this looks like a story of a mum struggling with the increasingly difficult behaviour of her teenage daughter, a situation familiar to many of us. However, it soon becomes clear that there is something stranger and darker at the heart of this family. What that is, though, takes quite some time to reveal itself.

Mum Hannah seems scarily self-controlled. She has never once, in the entire history of her family life, raised her voice or lost her cool, which seems a bit... not entirely normal. I don’t know, maybe there are people out there like that. I think I’m relatively laid-back, but I’m definitely not among them. Daughter Olivia has never been the easiest child, but teenage years seem to have brought things to a head. She seems angry and troubled, vowing never to speak to her parents again following an argument about a party she wasn’t meant to go to. Younger daughter Rosie is a good girl, unlike her older sister, obediently following the rules she’s been set. And dad Michael, well, he’s away a lot.

Ultimately credibility was rather stretched (and one final twist was entirely predictable), but the author does a good job of leading us up the garden path for much of the story. I probably enjoyed the buildup more than the denouement, even being reminded, on occasion, of the queen of claustrophobic domestic suspense, Celia Fremlin - which is high praise indeed.

I enjoyed this book. The plot is dark, addictive, and had just the amount of tension and suspense to keep me turning the pages. This was one messed up family and while I had a few theories about what was going on, the twist completely shocked me. If you like thrillers centered on family drama, then this is the perfect book for you.

Wow, wow, wow, I loved this book! I don't tend to read a lot of thrillers but the blurb really intrigued me and I'm so glad I requested it. I could not put this book down- meaning I finished it in 24 hours! This book follows the story of Hannah and her daughter Olivia. At first their relationship seems strained but typical of a mother/daughter relationship, however as you read more you discover that this couldn't be further from the truth. I loved that this book flipped between Hannah and Olivia's point of view with each chapter. By doing this Jenkins allows the reader to understand both Hannah and Olivia's reasoning behind their actions, and their reactions to events within the story.
There were so many twists and turns in this book that I loved. Every time I thought I knew where the story was headed, another plot twist completely changed the direction of the story and revealed more secrets within the family.
I loved this book and can't wait to read more from this author!

The Argument, 3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4.
Hannah and Michael have been married for quite a few years, they have two daughters. Eldest daughter Olivia is fifteen and starting to rebel against rules her parents set out for her. We start with Olivia in trouble for sneaking out and going to a party she was told she couldn’t go to, she arrived home drunk and only Hannah was there to deal with it as Michael was away with work for the night. Olivia’s behaviour gets worse and doesn’t speak to her parents for the majority of the book but why and what reason does she have to be behaving in this way.
This was an ok read, I feel the first three quarters of the book was more domestic family drama than psychological thriller, the last part of the book was the best and it was neatly done how I had been led down the garden path.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

THE ARGUMENT is a psychological thriller by Welsh author, Victoria Jenkins, who has made a name for herself writing the highly popular Detective King and Lane series of novels. This is a standalone novel that tests the limits of a family before it breaks.

Fifteen-year-old Olivia is everything her younger ten-year-old sister, Rosie isn’t, wild, stubborn and always questioning everything. Her mother, Hannah has her hands full. Hannah is home alone with her daughters while her husband, Michael is always working.

One hot summer night, Olivia comes home late from a party she was strictly forbidden from going to, and she and her mother, Hannah, start arguing. Soon Olivia speaks the words that every parent has heard from their teenage child:

‘I hate you. You’ve ruined my life. And I’m never speaking to you again.’

Olivia has never been an easy child, a sharp contrast to her easy-going, happy-go-lucky little sister. But Hannah thinks Olivia’s outburst is the end of a normal family argument. In fact, it’s only the beginning of a nightmare…

As a mother she can only hope her pre-teen will grow out of this phase quickly.

And so, begins the days of silence, as Olivia refuses to speak and as the days increase, Hannah starts to feel anxious and knows that Olivia is hiding a bigger darkness – something that could threaten to tear their precious family apart…

Hannah is more than determined to keep her daughter safe even if she has to go through this silent treatment.

Then the house is broken into and other weird things start to happen in this family drama.

The novel alternates between Hannah and Olivia’s POV’s…but only one is truthful. Not everything is as it seems.

I enjoyed this book with its dark, addictive plot, engaging characters and increasing level of suspense through its many twists and turns to a final shocking twist.

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for my digital copy.

Hands down, this is one of the most twisted books I have read in recent memory. The author does an incredible job of keeping the reader guessing as to the true identities of the protagonist and antagonist. Is Olivia an annoying, misbehaving teenager, or is Hannah an unusually overbearing mother? Or is there something deeper going on? You’ll have to read the book to find out because I can’t do the plot of this story justice without giving away spoilers. Go and grab it now! For a complete review, visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. This review was written based on a digital, pre-release copy of the book.

I flew through this book. I liked how the chapters alternated between mother and daughter. It was a bit of a slow burner at first, but after a few unexpected twists, it definitely picked up. I liked how the authors writing style made you really connect with the characters, I felt the emotion! Would definitely recommend.

It was a very insightful novel, with a strong cast of characters. I enjoyed the story line very much and would definitely recommend this book.

Woo, well I couldn't put this down, I was enjoying it already and then bam! More greatness...
Secrets, lies and mystery are rife within this book and if you like a book that shocks, this is it!
Highly recommended

I enjoyed reading this book very much. It held my attention from the start. I didn't want it to end and found myself reading faster to see what was going to happen next. I love when books do that. The author did a great job with this one.

When the cover of this book says it has a shocking twist, it sure does mean it.

This book begins with Hannah catching her daughter, Olivia, sneaking back into the house from a party she explicitly wasn't allowed to go to. They have an argument, and Olivia promises to never speak to Hannah again.

That's all the synopsis gives away, so I won't say any more than that, but this book really did so many things in its short 230 pages!

I thought the plot was very intriguing- I couldn't wait to find out how all of the mysteries of this family fit together. I also loved that we got both Hannah and Olivia's perspectives; seeing the events of the book happen from both of them was very eye opening and left me with even more questions.

I will say, I wish this had been longer. I don't think it needed to be a 400 page long thriller, necessarily, but an extra 50 or so pages of character building and set up for the twist would have made it so much more shocking. I think we as readers don't have very long in the story we're given before it's changed completely, so for me it felt like it came a little out of nowhere.
I will say, the twist did catch me off guard, which doesn't always happen! I definitely had my theories, and while I was close in some of them, there's no way I would have been able to guess that.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

TW: rape, domestic abuse, parental abuse, bullying

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I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. This book was crazy with all the twists and turns. Typical family of mom, dad and two daughters. As you are reading it, they all seem a little strange. But the ending, crazy!!! Who in the world treats their children like that and goes on to say they never abused them and gave them the best of everything! Crazy

Hannah is a stay-at-home mom with two beautiful daughters, a beautiful home, and a loving husband .Hannah is home alone while her husband is away working when she catches her rebellious 15 year old Olivia sneaking back home after a late night party.

When Hannah smells alcohol on Olivia it triggers the argument between the two which results in Olivia not talking to her mom for several days . Then the house is broken into and other strange things start to happen and secrets are revealed.

The Argument by Victoria Jenkins is a psychological family drama alternating between Hannah and Olivia’s POV’s and only one of them is reliable.I did feel it was a little slow and repetitive midway but then it picks up pace and there are plenty of twists and turns after that thus making it a highly entertaining read .

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

Hannah and Michael appear to be an ordinary married couple with 2 daughters.. Yes, it is obvious that there is a secret between the pair that neither wants the children to find out about, particularly 15 year old Olivia. Then there is a break in at the house and the word 'Liar' is painted on a kitchen cupboard. Michael and Hannah both think that Olivia is behind the incident and do not go to the police but who in the family is the accusation aimed at?
Olivia is clearly different from her school mates and appears determined to stand out. As a result she makes some strange decisions that do bring her attention but in a rather negative way. Olivia feels very unloved by her parents, her Mum especially and the only real friend she has is her younger sister Rosie.
I thought I was 'clever' by guessing why Hannah loves Rosie but not Olivia, when both are her daughters but oh, how wrong was I?! I thought it became clear why love can manifest itself in different ways and how past decisions can affect present attitudes but oh my goodness, I was so SHOCKED by the reality that emerged three quarters of the way through the book. I literally carried on reading with my jaw slack and the thought in my head, 'how can you be so naïve?'
An incredibly readable, cleverly written and absorbing read that ultimately I was shocked and then deeply saddened by.
How easily we miss the signs that point us in another direction, all because we can be too willing to think the best and avoid the worst, in all its ugly reality.
READ IT!

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. A brilliant read. Teenager Olivia defies her parents and sneaks out of the house to attend a party. She falls out with her mother who catches her sneaking back home and treats her to the silent treatment for the next week. Why is Olivia so unhappy and why is her mother Hannah overreacting to Olivia leaving the house.The book is full of twists, and is told from the perspective of both mother and daughter. If you read one book this year make it this one. Utterly unputdownable.