I can honestly say I've never read another book like this one - it's the perfect mixture of warm and friendly on the surface while evil lurks below . . .

Three families, all from very different walks of like get to know each other through their children and friendships are struck; as they begin to spend more and more time together they focus more on each other and less on the children. Recipe for disaster? What do you think?

I warmed to this novel very quickly; I can only imagine that a lot of work went into making this such an easy read. The characters are all very different and each family has their own particular style of parenting. There is plenty happening and the story builds piece by piece, with suspense mounting throughout. A gripping read, well written and it certainly kept my attention all the way from beginning to end. Some of the revelations shocked me, others I had an inkling about. Even so, this is well worth four stars and a good recommendation.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is my honest, original and unbiased review.

Eve tutors children with dyslexia. The kids and their parents soon become friends. And soon, Eve and her husband start socializing with the families. The children were often allowed to play without supervision. Eve had invited them all to Greece to celebrate her birthday. This is where a tragedy took place that left the group reeling.

I was hooked from the first page. It covers: domestic abuse, racism and bereavement. There is a lot of characters but the author made them all feel realistic. You do have to concentrate to try and remember which couple the child belonged to. The story is told through multiple points of view. This is a well written, dark and gripping read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK, Michael Joseph and the author Jane Shemilt for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a slow burner mystery about 2 families and their children. It was slower than I'd like it to be, but well written. Eventually, the author did a good job of what she wanted to do, and the book delivers on the premise.

thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

#LittleFriends #NetGalley
Every parents'worst nightmare is here. Brilliant plot.
Poppy, Sorrell and baby Noah are children of Eve and Eric.
Izzy is the daughter of Melissa and Paul.
Charley and Blake are children of Grace and Martin.
They all mixed up together and their children were doing amazingly well with each other and then a tragedy happened.
Although the pace of this book is slow but it's plot is intersting. Its definitely a good read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph for giving me an advanced copy.

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Little friends was a deeply disturbing story about three families who met when their children began attending private tuition lessons.

Eve was married to Eric and they had three children, Poppy, Sorrell and baby Noah. Poppy was struggling with dyslexia so Eve decided to provide extra help during the summer holiday. Also on the course was Izzy and her parents Melissa and Paul. Grace, her husband Martin and their children Charley and Blake.

The children and adults got along like a house on fire and the children were encouraged to play unsupervised in the large grounds of Eve`s cottage. The families get along so well Eve invited them all to Greece to celebrate her birthday. However behind the happy facade, racism, adultery and domestic abuse were bubbling under the surface. The adults were too busy to notice what the children were doing unsupervised. All this culminated in a tragedy which left the group reeling.

It took me a little time to remember who was who but once I got that I was hooked. The book was told from the POV of Eve, Grace and Melissa. The plot was slow paced and I wanted Eric to do something when he saw his marriage crumbling.

Without giving too much away the plot was tense and I was angry that Grace did not ask Blake about his injuries sooner. However I was completely wrong footed when the story took yet another darker turn. The closing chapters were chilling and left me numb with shock.

I highly recommend this book.

This book follows 3 families who initially meet when Eve begins tutoring their children at her home. Both adults and children form new friendships and relationships and over the course of the book we learn that not everything is as perfect as it seems.
I’m not going to lie. I found this story very confusing from the start as we are introduced to ALL the characters at once. I struggled to remember which children belonged to which adults however it does become clearer after the first few chapters. I found the first few chapters a hard slog and had to force myself to continue reading but I’m glad I did.
I enjoyed the storyline and while it was pretty clear what was going to happen it was an interesting read.

Three families come together, initially for tutoring of their children, but they quickly become friends. They are very different families but all seems to be going well, and the children are getting along amazingly well. But the tragedy strikes. The families search for answers, with a few twists and turns along the way. Evil has appeared to have crept into their safe little world.
This book was not for me. I found it really slow and nothing excited me about it. At 20% of the way in I found the story hadn’t moved far at all and I struggled to read on. Not one I would personally recommend. Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to read this.

Three families are brought together by their child’s learning disability "Dyslexia" as they are tutored by Eve. With the children spending so much time together the parents soon find themselves thrown together "commune like" despite the differences in their circumstances.

There was so many interesting and important topics covered in this novel that people are challenged with in the real world, it portrays strength and determination in the face of diversity.

A slow burn to start with but the pace picks up the more the story unravels with an ending I suspected but challenged along the way.

An interesting, suspenseful read into three very different families, all wanting the best for their children. A great story with tragic consequences with amazing char who you will still be thinking about long after the book is finished.

OMG! OMG! OMG! Jane Shemilt is a master puppeteer. She pulled me so cunningly into this book that I never understood when I was snared. My breath hitched, my pulse raced, there was a weird energy in me. The only words my brain screamed out was - TELL ME THE FREAKING TRUTH. What happened to the kids?

Eve wanted to help kids with dyslexia. Kids of 2 families came to her for tutoring. Soon they became friends. Everyone was happy, or so they appeared to be. The children were supposedly great friends, but something insidious was happening. None saw the truth until it was too late.

My first book by author Jane Shemilt, and I was hooked. The claws of the story soon got a foothold in me after a rocky beginning of too many characters, and it inveigled into me one chapter at a time. The author used the power of her words to create a dual atmosphere where everything appeared honky dory, but that was just a mask. Pull it down and the aura of evil could be felt.

It oozed, spreading its dark tendrils so deep into the characters that it caught the children and adults unawares. The scenes were brilliant, something felt off in all as if every character was playing a different character in their fictional life. Abuse was hidden well, giving me glimpses of it as hints initially then it blew in like a gust.

A dark petrifying read, it was uncomfortable with its chilliness, where truth was the core, and the action was its effect. Ms. Shemilt has written a brilliant slow burn thriller which kept growing as the pages turned.

A compelling read, indeed. I had to take a few deep breaths at the end of the read as it was difficult to let go of the final reveal.

A stunning narrative with a breathtakingly shocking plot…

Little Friends is a psychological thriller that centres around three women and their families. Eve is married to Eric and they have three children: Poppy (11); Sorrell (6); and Ash (2). Melissa is married to Paul and they have one daughter: Isabelle (a little older than Poppy). Grace is married to Martin and they have two children: Blake (11); and Charley (9). Eve gives extra tuition to children with dyslexia: Poppy (her own daughter); Isabelle, and Blake. To varying degrees, all women are trapped in unhappy marriages and it is this simmering cauldron of discontent that allows the adults to take their eyes off the ball.

Split into six parts, the novel is structured around alternating third-person focalised narratives of the three women; there are also sections that focus on the children. Structuring the narrative in this way adds lots of tension and dramatic irony. There is a great deal of juxtaposition and conflict going on between the different perspectives and the third-person narrative works really well in dividing the reader’s loyalty – just who can be trusted? Can any of them be trusted?

The story starts with Eve, who comes across as a mother-earth type character. She has a gorgeous rambling home with a huge garden and spends her time baking bread in her cluttered and homely kitchen, whilst her children play contentedly in their bedrooms or outside in their sprawling garden. Or so she thinks! Reading Poppy’s take on things really made me laugh out loud. How a mother sees things, and then how her daughter sees things so very differently. The author has absolutely got this spot on and this will resonate with parents everywhere. Having inherited her childhood home, Eve is adamant to give her own children more freedom than her own confined childhood allowed. But just how much is too much? Eve is an averagely likeable but flawed character. Eric, Eve’s husband, is a nice enough bloke but he takes Eve for granted; and mix that with Eve’s germinating boredom and sparks soon turn to flames!

Next we meet Melissa and her daughter Izzy. It is clear that exercise-mad Melissa has issues with self-esteem and is in a controlling marriage. There is something that happens very early on (I’m not going to say what!) that made me wonder whether it was relevant to the plot or whether it was a red herring. As the plot became more twisted, I was convinced it was a red herring. Then wham; it turns out it was hugely relevant. So, I will keep you guessing on what that is! Like Poppy, Izzy also has issues with her mother. However, whereas Poppy is no different to a lot of girls her age – just a bit stroppy and trying to be popular with her peers – Izzy has her father’s controlling streak and is in a different league altogether. Think of the character ‘Jack’ in Lord of the Flies!

Grace is the most likeable of the three women; and as well as having her own voice through the alternating third-person narratives, she is also the first-person narrator of each prologue-style section at the beginning of each of the six parts. Grace is from Zimbabwe and met Martin, her English booker-prize winner husband, when he turned up at the bar where she was working. The couple fell in love over their joint love of literature; but now several years and two children later, Martin slobs around on the sofa all day whilst Grace holds down a full-time job, snatching precious free moments to write. With few friends of her own, Grace was looking forward to making a friend in Eve; but as she works all hours to make ends meet, Martin is the one who takes Blake to his extra-curricular tuition, and Martin is the one who becomes friends with Eve.

As the children and the adults all get to know each other better, dented egos and neglected relationships fight for attention. It really is a case of not knowing who's the worse – the children or the adults!

What I like about Jane Shemilt’s writing style is its clarity, both in terms of language and structure. Whilst the plot is an intricate one full of twists and turns, the narrative is so cleverly crafted, the story is still easy to follow. Although this is a third-person narrative, there are times when the author zooms in so close, you really feel like you’re in the character’s head. And whilst most of the characters do some pretty selfish things, they are so three dimensional it is hard not to empathise with them. Except Melissa’s husband – no empathy for him – but will he get his come-uppance? Well you will just have to find out for yourself!

Little Friends is yet another brilliant read from Jane Shemilt. I’ve made no secret of the fact that Daughter holds pride of place on my All-time Favourites Shelf and it looks like she will now have another member of the Shemilt family to keep her company! I would recommend this book for anybody who likes Jane Corry, Lisa Jewell or Emily Koch.

Another fabulous captivating read by Jane Shemilt. This latest psychological thriller is so gripping and intriguing that I didn’t want to put it down.

The story is based on three families from different walks of life and each with their own secrets and lies. At first some characters come across as fairly normal if not a little eccentric but quite quickly I discovered that the odd behaviour of the adults and children highlighted just how messed up they are. Despites this the women bond and become firm friends supporting each other through tragedy and infidelity.

This dark novel is a great read which needed my full concentration in the beginning as I learned who was with whom in the families. My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

A tense,gripping psychological thriller, that will certainly keep you on your toes. I have to admit, this style of book isnt normally my preferred choice,but when I am given the opportunity to read another genre, I always like to give them a chance, This is well written, it doesn't shy away from difficult topics and there is an unease about it, but that's what will keep you reading on if you are into suspense novels.

Well written and a very intelligent story. As always the author writes amazingly well. A very unique story x

Little Friends
Jane Shemilt
Publisher Penguin Uk - Michael Joseph
Publication Date: 29 February 2020

The tension and sense of foreboding builds to a stunning climax. Bereavement, Domestic abuse, racism and the plight of refugees all covered. But the overriding theme of friendship shines through. I read it on holiday with a growing sense of dread as the tension built. The ending did not disappoint.
Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Jane does it again with another story, set in the ordinary with extraordinary happenings.
A tale with a number of twists to keep you guessing right to the end.
Would recommend.

This is an amazing twisty thriller that will keep you reading all night with a feeling of dread but you just have to keep going. Loved the writing style & would recommend to anyone.

Oh boy ....u kinda feel what's coming ,dread what's coming and every page u feel the menace building .
U may guess, for me wasn't bout who more bout oh wat will they do next !?
Parents that are caught up in their own trial and tribulations lies and survival miss whats going on and then tragedy's ensue .really felt for some and not so much others and b very carefull with being good parents and good people if u are not u may help to create monsters
Enjoyable thriller with alot of dripping dread
Ty netflicks and publishers for advanced copy

Marital affairs, shocking violence, bullying children - it does sound a little like Big Little Lies, although I didn't really find it was like that at all. While the writing and setting is vivid, the characters are pretty self-absorbed. The story is about three couples who are so self-involved they forget to look after their children, with tragic consequences.

Initially I found it quite confusing, as there were multiple perspectives and a whole lot of characters, however, the beautiful, atmospheric writing soon took over and I enjoyed the story. It's definitely a slow burn, but as a reader you know that the playground is so filled with evil that it feels a little like watching a slow car crash before it comes to a satisfying (although disturbing) conclusion.

Certainly not a light read, but one that might make you keep an eye on your children, even when your own life is spinning out of control. I would recommend for readers who enjoy contemporary fiction.

This novel delivers a masterclass in tension-building which, while giving you the feeling of being a witness to a slow, inevitable car crash, has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. Three women, three families and three sets of children are brought together by the lovely Eve’s plan to offer shared, private tuition. She’s following her heart with her brain - and those of the other distracted and flawed supposed grown ups - out of gear. As a reader, you are perfectly aware that her apparent Eden has a roiling mess of snakes dripping from every tree and coiling behind every flower. It’s not so much the Babes in the Wood that Eve is determined to see, as Lord of the Flies. There were times when I found the tension a little too relentless - get introduced to a soft, furry innocent and hold your breath as you wait for it to have its guts ripped out - and became conscious that every available trick was being used to keep me on edge. Readers who enjoy watching a story unfold from behind their fingers, like their psychology dark and their writing rich with metaphor, will love this. It’s not a whodunnit, more a ‘bloody hell what will they do next’.