I enjoyed this book, and the final twist was very clever, didn't see that one coming! That said, there are parts of the book that totally immersed me, but other parts left me a bit confused as more and more inter relationships were introduced.

This is a cleverly conceived plot, full of surprises and written to capture the reader’s attention from page 1. Based in the Irish Republic, the characters in the story are also convincing. Milo, a four year old, is kidnapped. The career of another boy in his class is thought to be guilty. That triggers all kinds of innuendo and guesswork amongst other parents and the description of the mothers involved has moments of humour too. As the story unfolds, there are regular surprises as all the obvious explanations are shown to be unsustainable. What actually happened is unexpected but believable. This is an engrossing story and one that is difficult to put down. I recommend it strongly. A really good read!

I enjoyed this book, and read it in one sitting. It was a good story, and told well, but some of the characters were caricatures, and the men were quite samey.

I enjoyed this book and the various characters in it. I loved the way each character had their own small storyline as well. It wasn't just the main characters that had stories.

A psychological thriller I would recommend to anyone who like thrillers with a twist!!

Marissa Irvine, a solicitor in a small Irish town, arrives to pick up her young son Milo from a playdate with a new friend - but Milo isn't at the address she was given, and the woman who lives there is a stranger who has never heard of Marissa or Milo. And Jenny, the mother who supposedly arranged the playdate, knows nothing about it...

As more information comes to light about who has taken Milo - though not why - the race is on to find him... and, for some, to rush to judgment and to wild speculation about who is to blame.

This was a very well constructed and readable story. The truth, when revealed, came as a surprise. I suspected virtually every character of involvement in Milo's kidnapping, and that seemed like quite a lot of people - but it's safe to say I never guessed at the truth.

There was some great misdirection going on at times, which I failed to spot and am not going to point out here for fear of spoilers - but there was some very neatly done (and easily missed) stuff around Carrie's childhood. (Her mother, by the way, is one of the more despicable characters .)

Speaking of despicable characters, I liked the stereotype-busting fact that the bitchy, judgmental parents at Milo's school aren't just women. I also enjoyed that the two main women characters - Marissa and Jenny - have actual proper careers, which often doesn't seem to be the case for women in the modern genre of domestic thriller, whose lives often seem entirely domestic.

A very good read - many thanks for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

All Her Fault is the first of Andrea Mara’s books that I’ve read, but I am already seeking out all of her others as this is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year!

There are countless twists and unexpected turns that this story takes, and lots of characters introduced throughout the book. Despite this, every single loose end was tied up, and the relevance of every character to the story was explained (even those it seemed had been forgotten for a while). A very well-written and cleverly thought-out book which grabbed my attention from the very first chapter and held it to the very last page.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via NetGalley, and this is my honest, voluntary review.

A child going missing is every mother’s nightmare. If you know your neighbours and they help you out you do think you know them don’t you. You take people on face value. I really enjoyed this book and I was sorry that it ended and I have been thinking about it occasionally afterwards which is a sign of a good book.

This story made me think of a journey where traffic is flowing freely but a junction suddenly appears and then nobody knows where they are going and chaos ensues! I was completely immersed in the Yummy mummies at school, the bitchiness at the school gates, Marissa and her smooth handsome husband Peter, Jenny the new girl with her dreadful mother in law, the nannies, child minders, the innuendoes of Mums not looking after their own children! The story progresses, a child goes missing and from then on the flow of traffic gradually becomes one huge pile up of bodies! Things become incredibly complicated and although I certainly didn’t expect the clever twist I felt it all became a little overwhelming!

A stunning suspense thriller that keeps the twists coming throughout! The main characters instantly suck you into their story and make you feel exactly what they’re going through.

Marissa experiences every mother’s worst nightmare: her son doesn’t come home. She had arranged a play date with another parent by text but Jenny, the parent in question, didn’t send the texts and doesn’t have her son. The first part of the book captures Marissa’s panic and despair. The second part unravels various mysteries that surround the case. I can’t say more or I’d be giving spoilers. The final truths are shocking. I didn’t find the end totally convincing but I really enjoyed the multiple viewpoints. The police were portrayed in a really positive way. If you can cope with the concept without nightmares, this is a twisty quick read you will enjoy. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

Fast-paced and compelling plot with realistic and relateable characters . The story could end halfway through but there is more, so much more. Takes you right to the very end to understand the secrets and lies and the lengths people will be driven to for the love of their child.

It is not a secret that I am a huge Andrea Mara fan. The Sleeper Lies is one of the darkest Irish books I've read!

Marissa's pain seeps off these pages when her son goes missing, I feel it and I feel caught up in this unbelievable crescendo of a story that led me down roadways and lanes to places that weren't there! Every time another clue or bomb is dropped, I am flying through more pages to see if I have it figured out, but I don't. Because Andrea is tricking me yet again. Fooled. And I don't see it coming. I never saw it coming.

A must read for 2021.

When Marissa goes to pick up her 4 year old son from a playdate at her new friend Jenny's house she is horrified to find that Jenny doesn't live there. What's more, Jenny says she never sent the text to arrange the date and when Marissa tries the number it is out of service. It quickly becomes clear who has taken Milo but the real question is why?

This is a real roller coaster of a book. Overall I thought it was ok. Parts of it were very good indeed but the denouement stretched things a little. So I went from thinking 'Oh, this is good' to 'what on earth...?' by the end. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

What a fantastically well plotted story.

Interesting female lead characters both with slightly dubious close family members and with so many points of misdirection that I was taken totally by surprise as the denouement slowly unfolded. I was unclear as to how it would finally ‘end’ but the master stroke of the epilogue was a real thing of joy and beauty.

Huge congratulations to the author and my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

The premise of this book was both tantalising and unnerving for me as a parent of young children (one of whom is a four year old boy just like the young child at the centre of this novel ).

Marissa goes to collect her four year old son from a playdate at a school friend’s house but when she turns up, her son is not there and the woman at the house knows nothing about it. The scene is every parent’s worst nightmare and I was gripped from the outset.

Clues are dropped here and there like breadcrumbs by the author as the story unfolds, and I was prepared for red herrings, but still I was kept guessing to the very end. The author manages to maintain a level of tension and intrigue throughout that had me on edge.

Having read the author’s other thrillers, I know that she has an uncanny ability to unnerve you and prey on your own everyday irrational fears and worries. For me, the anxiety and trepidation involved in choosing the right childcare and entrusting your child in the care of someone else is captured perfectly here. Her thrillers are distinctly Irish and yet universal in theme - I loved the politics at the school gates and the bourgeoise notions of the residents of Kerryglen. A super page turner, a great read.

**All Her Fault by Andrea Mara will be published on 22 July 2021. I read an advance digital copy of the book courtesy of the publishers Random House UK via @netgalley. As always, this is an honest review.**

This had a slow start but the pace picked up nicely at around half way. Unfortunately the plot was a little too complex and I found it difficult to follow in places. But it was when the dead bodies started to appear that I completely lost interest - I felt it was a stretch too far beyond belief. I like the ending, though.

This book kept me guessing as to why and how and would it all work out in the end. The author developed the characters so you really cared about them and also made enough of them look suspicious that they were involved for you to not quite know which way it would land.
I didn't expect the ending and loved the final twist - justice and all that.

Oh my goodness. This was a really good read- normally don't go with the hype and prefer to make up my own mind. This time it was right.

I just don't know what to write in the review as everything I can think of might potentially be a plot spoiler there are so many strands. The ending is just brilliant - the epilogue even better.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own

Have you ever been punched in the face by a book? Well, I've been repeatedly and unapologetically punched in the face by this one and I have to say I loved every minute of it!

Immediately, within the first few lines I was thrown into the deep end and the anxiety didn't give way until the very end. Andrea, has so cleverly managed the tension in a way so that it went from a slow simmer which crept it's way into my chest, to that bubbling, bursting sensation where I realised I'd been holding my breath and it was time to breathe.

Not only is this a fantastically well plotted story line which kept me breathless to the very last page, the characters are just phenomenal. I loved some, I disliked some and oh my god did I love to hate others. Without giving away any spoilers, Andrea, craftily drops hints and breadcrumbs along the way. Some of these send you hurtling down the wrong road to arrive at yet another punch in the face and others give you that ahaaaa moment at the end when it all comes together.

Another compelling, gut-wrenching, face-punching sensation from the amazing Andrea Mara.

CW for child abduction.

WOW WOW WOW! I have not read a book this thrilling in ages. The four central characters were all really interesting, and credible The plot is fast moving and gripping & the twists are genuinely gripping! I can't recommend this book more & can't wait to read more from this excellent writer.