For me it was an entertaining read but I really struggle with it being pitched as a thriller. It was an intriguing mystery with some twists but it didn't have the dark, goosebump tension I'm looking for from a thriller. Some of the twists were telegraphed, others well concealed. The characters were all a little suspect, not being sure who you could trust, but I think that added to my enjoyment as it made me question everyone. Katie was my favourite as she seemed the most normal amongst them. A slow build led to a very quick conclusion & left me questioning some of the characters, but I found it very readable.

I liked the setting of the first meeting as the antenatal class. I remember at mine feeling a bit overwhelmed, vulnerable, nervous & obviously couldn't reach for that wonderful social aid of a glass of wine or two 😂 thankfully mine only had one crazy lady in & she became one of my best friends.

This is an extremely well written book with great tension which builds all the way through to an excruciating climax. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters and in fact found Helen very irritatingly weak and pathetic. However I was intrigued and hooked by the end of the first main chapter. I did find the chapters that were in italics a little confusing and couldn’t work out what they brought to the party. A thoroughly good read.

Greenwich Park was a compelling and taut thriller which will be hard to review as I don’t want to give anything away.

The story centers mainly around two expectant couples and an interesting lady called Rachel who Helen befriends in antinatal classes. The mention of pregnancy and anti natal classes always makes me anxious so I was immediately on edge from the beginning of this book. It becomes obvious from the start that nothing is as perfect as Helen thinks which I thought very intriguing. I found I had to keep reading to find out what happens.

The story is told from each of the characters point of view which allows the reader to get to know more about them. I enjoyed slowly learning more about them and their past as the story goes on. None of the characters are particularly likeable and I found I didn’t warm to any of them through the book. I felt maybe slightly sorry for Helen at times but she also annoyed me with her niavity and clinginess. I felt like giving her a shake at times as she just didn’t seem to be getting what was going on.

The tension in the book slowly creeps up as the story goes on until I found it impossible to put the book down. There are definitely some odd things going on and I think I thought of every scenario in my head as I tried to unravel what was happening. There are quite a few false leads, especially towards the end which I always enjoyed and I definitely didn’t guess the ending which is always a sign of a well plotted book. The ending was very well done and I liked the way it ended. One particular bit had me cheering as I was so pleased things had ended up that way. I did have a few questions about what happened but I think if the author has tried to answer everything it would have seemed too perfect.

This is the author’s debut novel and I’d definitely be interested in reading more from her in the future.

Huge thanks to Bloomsbury for my copy of this book via netgalley.

What a gripping thriller.

This was a very disturbing but good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

Greenwich Park tells the story of four friends, Helen, her husband Daniel, her brother Rory and her sister-in-law Serena. From the outside looking in Helen seems to have it all, then comes the arrival of Rachel.

Helen meets Rachel at her first antenatal class, she has booked the classes for the 4 of them, as Serena is also pregnant. However, Daniel, Rory and Serena all fail to show, so she is left in the company of Rachel, a brash, unsettling single mother to be, who wants to know everything about Helen and her family.

I loved that this book built the tension from the beginning, you knew that Rachel was no good, but you didn’t know what her motives were and why she was so invested in a friendship with Helen, you needed to keep reading to see it all unravel. The story was told from 3 viewpoints, each adding to the story and the building suspense, and adding different perspectives. The characters were all well written, and whilst I loved Helen her naivety through the story frustrated me slightly, is anyone that naïve?

I thought I could guess the outcome but whilst I did predict some of the storyline, I didn’t see the twist at the end.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thriller.

A great read, I was constantly changing my mind as to who to trust and who not to. A definite recommendation for anyone who loves a psychological thriller.

Review

This novel will sit well in the psychological thriller/crime section of any bookshop. I enjoyed the ride, and didnt see the final twist coming. It is essentially aimed at the middle england yummy mummy market, propped up by references to Seedlip drinks and other yummy mummy desirable items - there should have been an advertising warning perhaps.

The relationship between the 4 main characters is very claustrophobic and intense. This family dynamic was created and thought through very well, though Helen calling her parents Mummy and Daddy throughout the book did grate a little. It is these relationships, and the introduction of their siblings, and an event at university some decades earlier which is the foundation of the twisted events that take place today.

It is worth a read, and as a debut, i am looking forward to the next book from the author.

⅘
#GreenwichPark #NetGalley

Helen, Daniel, Rory and Serena have been a close-knit group from their days in Cambridge. Helen and Serena are both pregnant but Helen always feels second to glamorous Serena. When Serena fails to attend the NCT class she has booked, Helen meets Rachel. Rachel is just that little too intense and clingy as she inserts herself into Helen's life but when she disappears Helen's nightmare is just about to begin.
I am sure there will be legions of fans of this book but it just left me cold. The plot is quite clever but the extraneous descriptions which are squarely aimed at the 'psychological thriller about yummy mummies' readers made me feel manipulated and frustrated - do I really need to know about Seedlip drinks etc? Mot for me

A really gripping debut novel. Lots of twists and turns as three siblings living in London, three pregnancies and a new friend for one of the group. Lots of secrets and twists. A really fantastic ending.

I lived in Greenwich for a while about ten years ago, which is partly why I picked this book up and it does a good job of establishing Greenwich as a setting, through mention of some of the landmarks and shops. It would be cruel to judge the book on that alone though as despite the name of the novel it's setting isn't that important it's the mystery at the heart of the novel that makes this book interesting.

Helen is a mum to be for the first time attending antenatal classes. Her partner cannot attend and neither can her best friends who are also expecting, so Helen is all alone until she makes friends with Rachel an odd, unsettling, person.

What follows is a dark novel which unfolds slowly and has some nice twists, there's a nice counter point to the main story; a rape trail, which dovetails back into the main plot at points.

The chapters being about and being voiced by different characters reminded me a little bit of the hunting party by Lucy Foley, though I think this novel is a bit more accomplished in how it does this. It's characterisation is strong.

The problems the novel has are sadly seemingly inherent to the genre, all the slow build up is slightly wasted as it rushes at the end, and the perpetrator is predictable if only because it has to be one of the characters we know and in a book with a relatively small cast that becomes even easier.

Despite its flaws though, I did enjoy it and especially liked the subplot.

Wow this was such a twisty and full of turns read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Read this people if you love a good "characterful" book that just keeps giving.

It did take me a few chapters to get properly into this book but once I did, I just needed to keep reading. I love a book where I am fully immersed and completely engaged within the story that I stay up way later than I should be doing.

The story follows Helen who is pregnant with her rainbow baby and when she attends the prenatal classes she meets fellow mother to be Rachel. They get on like a house of fire and Helen enjoys the way Rachel is.....that is until Rachel starts to act strangely and threatens to unmask a deep, buried secret.

If you enjoy a relatable and character driven read then do give Greenwich Park a read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Katherine Faulkner and the publisher for giving me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion. I give this book 4 and a half stars.

Wow!! I absolutely loved this book. It focuses around a group of friends, three of these are siblings. Helen and Serena are pregnant and due around the same time. They'd made arrangements to attend antenatal classes with their husbands, Daniel and Rory. Helen is the only one out of the friendship group who attends the class. There she meets Rachel, and that's where the nightmare begins. Rachel turns up wherever Helen is and eventually manages to stay at Helen and Daniel's home. But why is Rachel stalking Helen? And why does Helen find Daniel's missing laptop in Rachel's room along with red envelopes that match the one Helen found in Rory and Serena's bathroom?
Some reviews say this book is slow, but if you find that's the case, my advice is stick with it as it does become fast paced once you're half way through. The twists are great and the end is brilliant!! I read the end a few times as it was the best ending!
I'll definitely be reading more books by Katherine when she releases them.
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of the book for an honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Bloomsbury Publishing UK and Katherine Faulkner for my copy. I hugely enjoyed this fast-paced psychological thriller; the characters were so well-drawn and the plot was absolutely gripping. The final chapters were brilliant and the twists were excellent. Really good; highly recommended.

A dark and twisted psychological thriller that kept me guessing til the end. The debut novel of an author I will read more of in the future.

Wow! What an ingenious, dark, captivating book!!

When you think everything is so perfect, you need to look a lot deeper to find out it´s nothing but. A fabulous thriller with superb characters. It´s racy, fast paced with completely unexpected twists and turns. Wonderful!

A brilliant debut by Katherine Faulkner, I can´t wait for her next novel!

My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for giving me the opportunity to read and give an honest review in advance.

Greenwich Park, the debut novel by Katherine Faulkner, is a clever and twisty thriller that will hook you right in. Helen meets Rachel at an ante-natal class where they are both alone and start chatting. Rachel then starts popping up everywhere and Helen can’t seem to shake this new friendship off. The story is told from a few different POVs. I had an idea where the story was going but couldn’t fully work it out so it kept me guessing and the ending was great.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a brilliant and imaginative plot. The story unfolds as you read through and you really don't know what to make of the characters - they all seem like they are hiding something but it's all explained at the end, which was nothing like I expected but all the better for it.. It had me gripped from the beginning, trying to predict the storyline but the end was both surprising and shocking,

Pregnant Helen lives with her lovely husband in a Grade II-listed house, inherited from her father, a fêted architect. Just around the corner is her best friend from Cambridge, Serena, also months away from having a baby. It all seems so perfect. Until unpredictable mum-to-be Rachel bulldozes her way into her life and Helen starts getting calls about a remortgage she didn’t apply for…
Putting houses in jeopardy rather than people seems to be a popular plot device at the moment - think Louise Candlish’s Our House and Those People. And it makes sense - because if there’s as unsettling as murder to privileged Londoners, it’s losing your footing on the property ladder.
I really enjoyed this compelling, twisty page-turner. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Raven Books for the ARC.

Total end of your seat stuff right here, a really fast paced thriller that sinks its hooks into you from page one, so full of twists and turns it will send you dizzy! Really enjoyed this one and the big twist at the end is a killer! Cant wait for more form the author and I’m hoping it lived up to this one cos if it does I’m in for a treat 😉

This is a gripping and dark psychological thriller with a first-rate plot full of unexpected twists and turns that will keep you guessing until you reach the conclusion. I enjoyed the short chapters and that they are written from the perspective of different characters. I was completely immersed in this book and read through the night to finish it. Highly recommend.