So much darker and twistier than I was expecting, this is a fantastic well-crafted thriller. I was hooked!

Another amazing twist by fiona Cummins.
The story about childhood, abuse , friendship and family and the lies people live with which all cumulate in an amazingly gripping read.
As an adult Catherine has to face up to her childhood past when her sister reappears in her life and opens the wound which stand to tear Catherine’s family apart.
Good plot twist and story which I couldn’t stop reading!

This a superb, dark thriller, the last 1/3 of the book in particular had me racing through. It tackles a difficult subject but the author does it well.

The book tells the story of two sisters. When they were younger, one of the sisters murdered their parents with a pair of scissors in cold blood and was sent away to a secure unit. The other was put into foster care and they lost touch with each other. In present day, it is the anniversary of the murder and the secrets from that night can’t stay buried for much longer.

This book isn’t just a story about children who kill, but a story of sisterhood and friendship. The story has multiple timelines, changing between present day and the days leading up to the murder of their parents. My favourite parts to read were the story of the girls’ childhoods, it was incredibly emotive yet disturbing.

It was a slightly slow start and I was a tad confused at first. There’s a lot of different voices and tenses in this novel and at first I was confused who was who. However the book really hit its stride 50 pages in and it starts to make sense.

It’s a really well done, well researched thriller and had me hooked. Would have been five stars but I’ve knocked a bit off for the slightly confusing start.

Thank you to Net Galley and Pan Macmillan for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #WhenIwasTen

I really enjoyed this book. It was gripping, thrilling, twisty and turny, it kept me guessing and was generally a great read. Would definitely recommend!

Wow just finished this gripping and very involving read. It's got so many elements to it - tabloid journalism, juvenile killers, friendship, sisterly love and loyalty. I was never quite sure where it was going which was good or who I should be rooting for. I will definitely be looking out for other books by Fiona Cummins and will be enthusiastically recommending this to friends and family.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to have this advance copy of the book in return for an unbiased review.

When I Was Ten is a chilling read. It tells the story of Sara and Shannon Carter. Two sisters involved in the brutal murder of their parents. One was charged with the crime, dubbed "The Angel of Death" by the media and sent to a child correction facility. The other sent into foster care.

The story shifts between the events of the murder and the present day, where one of the sisters is living her life in secret haven taken on a new identity who husband and child know nothing about. That is until the sister she hasn't seen since that fatal night decides to draw attention to the infamous killings by agreeing to be interviewed on national TV. Now a journalist, their childhood friend Brinley is given the task of covering the fresh interest in the case.

I really enjoyed this novel. Cummins does an excellent job of telling a story that is both gripping and reflective. Inspired by the experiece of child-killer Mary Bell, when her secret identify was discovered by the press this book asks questions of its reader. At what point should a child who kills be allowed to move on from their crime? Are children who kill evil or do we do them an injustice by ignoreing the life circumstances that often influence children to commit to these acts? Are children who kill victims of a society who has failed them? If you like crime thrillers I would definitely recommend pre-ordering this title.

Thank you to @netgally and @macmillanusa for my ARC for this honest review.

Yikes a book that is so full of twists and turns! I was intrigued from the start by the story of the three little girls who got caught up in such a terrible act. I guessed some of the story but the majority of it kept me guessing and the author kept me engaged from start to finish. I will be looking out for more by this author.

I really enjoyed reading this book and was hooked until the end. The book is not just a thriller but touch on the power of friendship between girls, guilt, secrets, finding your place as a mother, a young woman who is not size 10, as a daughter looking for roots in her extended family. It is a women books in the sense that all main characters are women. It is fascinating in the way it is told and distilling nuggets or information. All the characters are fully formed. Love d it.

My first Fiona Cummins novel and a very solid starter. I’ll admit, I wasn’t hooked by this one until nearly half way through - I was intrigued certainly but not stay-up-late obsessed. That changed very quickly at the 40-50% stage; When I Was Ten went quickly from appealing to unputdownable! The last half of this was easily 5 stars for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride: this is dark, twisted and compelling. The kind of read that absorbs you so thoroughly that it took my partner shaking me to realise he’d been speaking to me. Filled with twists and turns, the last of which I did not see coming, this is a superb choice for lovers of all things thriller. When I Was Ten leaves you with an unsavoury taste in your mouth, knots in your stomach and yet a sense of urgency to get to the ending that I’ve not felt in the last few thrillers I’ve read. The Carter’s sisters tale proves just how little we know about what goes on behind closed doors - get reading!

Definitely my favourite book by this author. A dark and disturbing look at the ghosts we carry with us. I loved the alternating chapters. A great story.

On the verge of perfection! When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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What prompts a child to kill? Are children born evil? These and plenty more are the questions raised after the Carter sisters were found in the pool of their parents’ blood.⁣
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Twenty years on, it’s their childhood friend-turned-journalist who’s tasked with getting to the bottom of the most controversial of crimes.⁣
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Without a doubt, this superb execution of suspense has become an instant highlight among my 2020 reads.⁣
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Alonside the thrill of a truly gripping plot, it offers emotion so raw, it’s almost tangible — the pain, the loss and the secrets worth keeping 💔⁣
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Having found myself sighing and clutching the Kindle in anticipation, I couldn’t get through the pages quick enough.⁣
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By far, this is Fiona Cummins at her best — and one to get your hands on when it’s published in April 2021 🥂⁣
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➕ Characters to feel for — strong-willed, thought-provoking and utterly real.⁣
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➕ An unpredictable journey, guaranteed to move even the harshest of critics.⁣
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➕ Both heart-warming and heart-breaking, the multilayered narrative of When I Was Ten is bound to linger on long after it’s read.⁣
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❗️ Is it worth a read? Obviously 🤯

A really enjoyed this thriller, which managed to stay on the right side of just about plausible! A few good twists and a really gripping part 2 meant I read this all in one day.

A perfect escapist read with a good structure and interesting characters.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the first Fiona Cummins book I have read, and it won’t be the last, a great finish to my 2020 reading challenge!
The book is set over 2 time periods 1997 and 2018 and is told from a few viewpoints Sara, Shannon and Brinley. Sara and Shannon are sisters and live at Hilltop house with their abusive parents and Brinley lives next door. On the fateful night one sister murders her parents stabbing them with scissors 14 times! Sara admits the murder and is sent to a secure unit. Fast forward to 2018 and Shannon goes to the press and Sara’s world comes crashing down. This is a fast paced book that had me gripped and the build up to the finale was great. Highly recommend.

Oh my what a book, refreshingly meticulously researched. It makes you feel like a fly on the wall within the story and has a tremendously shocking twist you don’t see coming, no matter how much you try and work it out. It makes you realise that family life isn’t what it seems. Buy it, read it and try not to have nightmares about what goes on in other families homes.

Outstanding!!

Brilliant book, could not put it down!

My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for allowing me the opportunity to read and review honesty.

There are very few books that can keep me glued to the sofa, frantically turning pages, desperate to reach the end. When I Was Ten is one of them. A truly compelling thriller, inspired by Mary Bell, this is a show-stopper of a novel that keeps you guessing until the very end. I loved the writing, I loved the characters (ESPECIALLY the blundering MP), and the story itself is captivating. A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC - this is one not to be missed!

I absolutely could not put this book down. I've read a few of Fiona Cummins, but this was by far my favourite.
I loved all of the characters, a brilliant story line - children who kill - and the psychology behind it was superbly done.
Best Cummins book so far - great job, great read!

🎄BOOK REVIEW🎄⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
#wheniwasten by #fionacummins @netgalley

Another net g book completed ✔️

This one is another book that has a very dark and interesting plot, it took me a little while to get into, but once I did I ate up the pages!

I enjoyed the shifting points of view and the separate parts of before and after which all merged together seamlessly.

The characters had all the right ingredients and worked your emotions well.

So every review I’ve seen is raving about this book which I agree with on the whole but I’m just going to add a little something... (unpopular opinion alert 🚨) I did feel there was a drag in the last third of the book - I was more than ready to be getting on with things. I also felt although the plot was very good, it was pretty predictable and that just took the shine or shock factor away which I felt would have made the book great.

Maybe I read too many thrillers and I’m too hard to shock anymore or maybe it’s just me! Anyway otherwise an excellent and enjoyable read.

I will defo be catching up with this authors other books!

➡️for synopsis

Thank you to author #fionacummins #macmillanbooks ant #netgalley for allowing me to read this one early!

This book is out April 15th 2021! 👀

-Emily

It’s a chin dropper, eye popper, heart beater, hand shaker, mind blowing, breath taking, goose bump inducing rollercoaster of a book. This book was dark, twisty and awesome.
We start this amazing story in April 1997, a young girl running away from a murder scene is struck by lightning leaving her with scars on her back. The young girl is Brinley whose best friends are sisters Shannon and Sara. The murder scene she was fleeing from was the girls parents Dr Richard Carter and his wife Pamela, stabbed to death by a pair of scissors. Sara is found guilty.

It’s now 2018, Catherine and her husband Edward live in Essex with their 12 year old daughter Honor but their lives are about to be turned upside down by a newspaper article that will reveal Catherine’s secrets and will change their lives forever.

Told from two timelines from Brinley and Catherine’s perspectives. We discover that Sara and Shannon’s childhoods are not as idyllic as what they appear to be on the outside, their father a respected Dr living in the beautiful house on the hill. The murders are named “The Hilltop Murders” with press saying that Sara was “An angel touched by death”

It’s the anniversary of the murders and one of the sisters is ready to talk about what happened that fatal night. Brinley a journalist travels back to her childhood home to cover this story. But she has her own secrets that she does not want revealed.

This highly addictive book drags you in from the first page keeping you captive long after finishing the book.

I am a huge fan of Fiona’s and had the absolute pleasure of meeting her last year and for someone who writes such wickedness shes so smiley and lovely .

I had heard lots of praise for this book and was gutted to hear the date was being pushed back due to coronavirus. But luckily I was approved to read on netgalley so a big thanks to the publishers .

I absolutely loved this dark and chilling book.
Thought provoking and moral questioning and will demand to be read in one go!
Compelling,addictive and deliciously disturbing.

This will get right under your skin and inside your mind.

As someone fascinated with nature v nurture as a psychology student this was a absolute treat to read.

I wish Fiona every success and have no doubt this will be flying off shelves!

Published 15th April