Member Reviews
๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐พ๐ช๐ข๐ข๐๐ฃ๐จ
I was instantly drawn to the cover of this and intrigued by the synopsis. We are bought the POV of one of the sisters Sara (now Catherine) and the girlโs best friend Brinley, both in the traumatic, emotive past and the present. This is a really twisted, sinister and gory thriller that delves heavily into childhood trauma and abuse, and looks at both the physical and psychological scars the girls carry as adults.
I was a bit confused at first between the different characters and how they connected to one another but the stories soon came together and I could not put this down. Iโm not sure if this is a Netgalley thing but I do wish the chapters had the name of the POV weโre reading from, especially as the two sisters had very similar names - I found myself having to read the first few paragraphs to figure out who we were with and then starting the chapter again.
However I can really appreciate the time that went into this book - itโs such a fast-paced rollercoaster ride full of twists and turns. I think anything that explores child crime has a sort of dark fascination to it. We have the thought provoking, devastating back story, lots of twists, secrets, gore, a horrendous crime. each page was so captivating and just when you think youโve figured things out the author spins the story another way completely. I thought the twist at the end was just perfect- some of the story line was a tad far-fetched but also stayed within the realms of believable in my opinion. Highly recommend this book!
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๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ + ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐!
Read April 2021.
Catherine has a secret. Her real name is Sara and aged 10 she killed her parents. Now many years later her older sister, Shannon, is featuring in a new documentary about the murders and their family, hoping to reconnect with Sara. This news incites a renewed media interest in the case, interest that soon leads to the revelation of Catherine's identity. most crucially to her formerly clueless husband and teenage daughter.
The book has three narrators: Catherine/Sara writing in third person, mostly alternating with Brinley, the sisters' childhood friend turned journalist in first person, with additional chapters by a politician who is in trouble for remarks he made about the case on live radio. There are also frequent flashbacks to the girls childhood.
The base story was intriguing with plenty of twists. The key them seems to be you never know what's going on behind locked doors. I felt that the storyline with the politician was overall pointless, it felt like you could cut it completely with no impact to the rest of the story. The writing style was easy and readable but a few "medical" based scenes were weirdly detailed. I also wish the ending was more complete.
This was a great book, with some amazing twists and turns. It left me guessing right to the very last page. I really enjoyed myself and I love the cover as well.
This book is paced superbly. The characters are well developed.
It is filled with many twists and turns.
This book was amazing.
Shocking and dark and sometimes hard to read if triggered by abuse or bullying nevertheless this book is a treat ! The ending in particular is fabulous - love anything by this author
Really cleverly written with plenty of heart in your mouth moments and edge of your seat chapter endings. I raced through this book as I was so desperate to know what was going on. I love a tense thriller and When I Was Ten is certainly that!
I am a huge fan of Fiona Cummins her work always thrills and chills while I find her style very readable. When I was ten was no exception it once again was a multi layered, complexly plotted tale that held me captive from the first page. I am in awe of Cummins ability to write a sentence that she drops at the end of a chapter one that leaves your mind reeling and your jaw flapping. I always have to re read these as they give me that delicious adrenaline rush that thriller readers like myself literally get high on and canโt get enough of.
I adored the varying POVโs and timelines, these for me help build the suspended and tension to perfection, slowly unraveling the backstory while we the reader clamour to piece together itโs relevance to the present situation... This is what keeps those pages turning at breakneck speed. If you love a tense, compelling read that picks you up and doesnโt put you down then
read this one ... I guarantee you will stay up way past your bedtime
The story starts with a girl running away from a terrible nursery scene which is twelve year old Brinley Booth. Her best friends are Shannon and Sara Carter who live next door and the murder victims are their parents. This is the infamous โHill Top Murdersโ for which ten year old Sara is convicted. Fast forward twenty one years to December 2018 to Catherine and Edward Allen and their daughter Honor who are living a happy life. A news item catches Catherineโs eye and their precious family life will never be the same. A documentary team has tracked down one of the sisters, persuading her to speak about the events of that night for the first time.
Her explosive interview sparks national headlines and Brinley Booth, now a journalist, is tasked with covering the news story which brings to light fresh evidence. This is a fascinating read which I couldnโt put down, it dark and twisted and shows that sometimes you just donโt know what goes on behind closed doors.
I enjoyed parts of this book, but found it hard going in others. Partly because of the abuse which made for hard reading, and partly because it just wasnt gripping me. It picked up in the second half and I certainly enjoyed the end.
This author is really great. I really loved this book. This tale was highly engrossing and highly recommendable!!
A difficult read. The early reviews were mostly positive so I was keen to pick this up, but the descriptions of bullying and abuse were difficult to get through.
Shocking......
What would make a 10 year old want to kill there parents so brutly.
Then how to tune there life around.
Mind blowing shocking dark twished
Very well writen.
Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didnโt love this book and therefore didnโt finish, I just didnโt connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.
A spooky thriller! Honestly one of the best I've read in a long time, the audiobook is also another great medium to read it with.
It's always hard to review a mystery or thriller novel without describing the plot too much, but I will try my best not to reveal too many details. This may result in a bit of a vague review so I apologise for that.
The novel is set several years after the murder of a couple, a husband and wife, known as the 'Hill Top Murders'. The murderer? One of their own daughters, Sara Carter. We follow Catherine after she has made a new life for herself as an adult, as well as the sisters' childhood friend, Brinley, as the story is revisited in media. More and more details of the murder come out, and shocking truths are inevitably revealed. It's a truly gripping story and I was taken by surprise multiple times. Catherine's daughter is in danger and another murder has taken place, years after everyone thought it was all over.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was pleasantly taken aback by some of the plot twists. It was fascinating learning about the crime, and understanding the circumstances that led to it. There are some dark topics covered that people may find difficult to read, but I'd definitely recommend it to fans of dark stories and thrillers. 5 stars from me.
When I Was Ten - Fiona Cummins โ๏ธ
I was very lucky to get a copy of this last year from @netgalley but unfortunately didnโt get chance to read it. I then started listening to it through @borrowbox yesterday morning and then spent the evening flying through it on my kindle and finishing this morning listening to the audiobook again while I workedโฆ I was hooked right from the start! Incredible writing and a story that pulls you in and keeps you guessing right from the start. Thereโs lots of blood and it does make for some uncomfortable reading in parts of the book but it all adds the dark and twisted nature of the story. I couldnโt put it down, was completely taken by surprise right until the very end! Incredible ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ
Great thriller, unlike any other thriller I have read. Fantastic writing, the plot kept me wanting more and at the edge of my seat
This was my first Fiona Cummins novel and Iโll definitely be reading more! The author drew me in immediately and delivered a cleverly laces and plotted mystery with shocking twists that still remained believable. I read this in one sitting and could not put it down!
I was in and out of this. Part one I liked but was kind of bored. Part two gripped me. I got lost in that part. Then part three I went back to how I did in part one.
I can't really put my finger on what it was about those parts. Maybe it was some of the POVs. Geoffrey for example did nothing for me. Some side storylines felt irrelevant and took me out of the story a little.
Part one and three lacked the excitement and intrigue that part two did. Part two felt so much darker and more intense.
The twists, especially the who done it, felt predictable. It played part in taking out the excitement intrigue from the story as a whole.
I listened to the audiobook and had no issue just listening despite it feelings a little dragging at time.
I canโt believe I took so long to read this book. Itโs brilliant. Told in two timelines by two people.
A girl kills her brutal parents and is sent away. Years later reporters resurrect the story. Causing people to face home truth of what happened the night Dr and Mrs Carter died.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.