Definitely a "be careful what you wish for" type book and an insight into just how far some people will go to be accepted. I did really enjoy this book. It was a little OTT on trying to show how advanced and posh the school was which made it incredibly unrealistic and unbelievable but hey, it's a fiction book so just go with it. As for the twists, they were also insane and will have your head spinning. You literally can't tell which was is up since things pivot so quickly. The characters were fine, none particularly likeable or with and redemption arcs. Just shallow, materialistic sycophants but I do think it tales some of the basis from reality and is a exaggerated look at how toxic parents and the school mums can be. This review sounds quite negative but I did enjoy the book! It's well written and there is constantly something going on. I took a while to warm up to it and get drawn in but once I was then I was really invested in trying to figure out just who was playing who and whod end up on top. If you don't take it too seriously and it's a really enjoyable book

The school gates and politics certainly have become more toxic since my days. I understand that this is fiction and a thriller but it was a bit too far fetched for my liking. The twists and turns were exciting but I just couldnt find a character I could like or identify with. The book was well written but maybe just not for me.

There will definitely be an audience for this book but sadly it isn’t me. For a while I was worried it would be a DNF (did not finish) but as I hate admitting defeat I kept on. I had to make myself sit down to read it as I knew if I didn’t then I’d spend my time mindlessly scrolling on my phone and never be able to move on to other books.
The reasons why for me this book is a thumbs down;
The plot -is quite frankly not believable. Women able to kill without any remorse at all, women able to offer up their husbands and children as bait, while swathes of the school’s parents going from shunning a woman because she was working class to desperately wanting to be her friend purely because she was wearing a badge and friends with the Head. Even the way the school is set up, with breakfast club fencing lessons, the uniform (because yes brown brogues are so easy to find in child sizes) the selective open evening? It was in my opinion an over egging of the pudding.
The characters -with the exception of Jacq all of the women are nasty, grasping and shallow. Rose is supposed to be our heroine but her lack of conscience, ability to ignore her husbands and best friends feelings and her lack of guilt over her actions both in the past and in the novel made me totally unsympathetic to anything she said or did.
We are given explanations for the reason the other members of the circle behave as they do but they still either don’t redeem themselves or redeem themselves in Rose’s eyes but switching their allegiance at the last minute but not actually switching their behaviour with it. The book centres around a school and a group of mothers but Charlie is the only child who really gets a personality, the others are faceless entities which made me feel that their mothers found them similarly unimportant as the author did. Having read the author’s note at the end I wish she’d just written the story that she says is what drove her to write this novel. A heartfelt story of motherhood in poverty, the impossibility of women ‘having it all’ would have had huge emotional impact instead the thriller style made this emotionally disconnected. Which leads me to the third reason this book is a ‘no’ from me.
Twists and turns -this book would make Chubby Checker dizzy! Thought you knew where the book was heading? BAM! A plot twist. The character explains how they got the upper hand and what they’d been up to BAM plot twist they’ve actually walked into a trap and the other character has the upper hand but what’s this? BAM! Oh for goodness sake. By the end of the novel my eyes had rolled so far into the back of my head they were in danger of being permanently lodged there.

I am giving this book 2 stars rather than 1 because at 75% the book did take off and I was reading because I wanted to know what was happening rather than out of duty. Sadly the ending didn’t make the increase in pace worthwhile.

Rose O'Connel lives across from the prestigious Woolf academy, a school that has brought much-needed improvements to the area. She longs to send her young son Charlie there to give him chances in life that she herself never had. Her own upbringing was hindered by her conman father, who never showed her an ounce of love or understanding.

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

Rosie O’Connell isn’t living the life she wanted to be. She’s happily married to Pete and has a son Charlie who is everything to her. Rosie met Pete through his sister who took her in when Rosie’s conman father died.

Rosie is a typical mother, she wants the very best for little Charlie and the school opposite her flat, The Woolf Academy, is just that.

Rosie and Jacqueline, her sister in law, go to the open evening and Rosie literally bumps into the school’s CEO, the intoxicating and formidable Amala Kaur. As they leave that night one of Amala’s team corners Rosie telling her to stay away, she’s adamant she is doing her a favour.

Jacq is reasonably a little hesitant about the school but Rosie still puts it down. The next two things to happen change everything.

Charlie gets a place in the school. The night of his home visit, Bea, the woman who warned Rosie to stay away, jumps off the top of the building.

I really enjoyed this book, Rosie felt relatable at times and I loved Jacq. Amala is multilayered and a master at giving just so she can take.

The inner sanctum of the school is the circle, noted by the pins they wear. Each and everyone in the circle has huge secrets and they are willing to do anything to protect themselves.

There was a lot of toxic behaviour and even toxic inspiration, which was interesting to read as social media tells us that inspiration and aspiration is all that matters.

This was a truly enjoyable and complex read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This such a clever and engrossing novel. It takes the experience of the working mother and sets it against the observed life of her wealthier counterpart. From this emerges the most complex and clever confidence trick imaginable.

Detailed, believable and with a compelling central figure, this is a clever commentary on our modern, materialistic lives, where competing for the best can become everything. A really enjoyable read.

It took me a while to get into the story, but the pace picked up and I started to enjoy it. It is a psychological thriller, but the story fell a bit flat to me in the beginning as it just seemed to be about a group of women who rule the school. But that all changes when Rose is invited to join after the mysterious death of one of the women.
There are a few twists and turn and it ended up being not too bad.

Rose O'Connel lives across from the prestigious Woolf academy, a school that has brought much needed improvements to the area. She longs to send her young son Charlie there to give him chances in life that she herself never had. Her own upbringing was hindered by her conman father, who never showed her an ounce of love nor understanding. She herself attended the school, before it became the Woolf, and and she suffered at the hands of bullies who taunted her with their Rotten Rosie chants.
However, all is not as it seems within the school walls. Head of the school, Amala has a small group of 'helpers', and they are collectively known as 'The Circle'. Bea, one of the Circle members is found dead in the school playground, and it is assumed that she jumped to her death from the school buildings.
Rose attends an open evening where prospective Woolf parents can view the school in the hopes of getting their child a place.
To her amazement, Charlie is accepted to the school, and Rose is invited to replace Bea as a Circle member.
Things are looking up for her and her family, but things are not as straight forward as she hoped.
One thing leads to another, and the story takes a deeply sinister turn which keeps the reader engrossed, as the pace quickens.
I loved this book and it kept you wondering how the story would evolve. There are twists and turns throughout, and it gives an insight into the devious minds of the characters involved.
I would definitely recommend this book, and will look for more books by this author.

This starts with a dead woman in a school playground and the this now leaves a vacancy at the Woolfs top table. However as the Woolf mothers know the only way to get invited inside The Circle is to never ask…….

The Circle is a clique of wealthy, connected and beautiful moms at an exclusive school. Rose receives an invitation to join The Circle but she certainly never expected to be asked to join.

However each woman appears to be hiding something and despite Roses social status being on the up is it all really actually worth it?

This was a really good book. There was a back story to Roses character which you get glimpses of but it all makes sense with the last few chapters. Great ending as well.

When Rose considers sending her son to the Woolf Academy, whose motto is More and More, she feels out of place, due to her chronic low self esteem cased by her conman father and the bullies from when she attended the school when it had a different name. When Amala, the head of the school, seeks out Rose to be in The Circle, one of her trusted insider parents, Rose can’t believe her luck and her life seems to be turning around, but you should be careful what you wish for.
I really enjoyed this book. It moved from normal competitive mummies in the playground to something altogether more sinister. With a clever ending, I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout. A highly recommended read.

A harrowing story of one woman’s battle to overcome a lack of self esteem resulting from a dysfunctional and troubled childhood with a history of being bullied. The protagonist Rose, has overcome many hurdles to achieve a relatively steady job in a bank, married to a handsome if unambitious husband and charming if insecure son. Intent on achieving acceptance for her family, and a place in the best school in the area for her son she embarks on a calculated plan to gain admittance into the inner circle of movers and shakers. The success of her endeavours spirals into a descent of chaos, blackmail, tragedy and eventually murder. An emotional story of a descent into despair at lack of success and opportunities, jealousy at the trappings of wealth enjoyed by others more fortunate into an entanglement that can only end in disaster. A traumatic conclusion from which there can only ever be one survivor in a most unusual chain of events that defy expectations. Many thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved this book so much and devoured it within a day. It tells the story of Rose who has always been viewed as an outcast where she grew up due to her father who was a con artist. The story resumes when Rose is desperate to ensure her son Charlie does not suffer the same fate and she enrols him in the prestigious Wolff Academy which was previously her school. The school is run by Amala who controls everything and everyone and invites people into the Circle - an exclusive club which can make or break a family. When one of the members mysteriously dies and there is an opening for a replacement, Rose somehow becomes favourite. Not wanting to give too much away this is a story of dark intrigue and plenty of twists along the way. Whilst reading this book I thought it would make a fabulous film.

This did not start out as a scary book. But it certainly ended that way. Seems that perfectly golden lives come at a price and that once your price is known, then you are so easily held hostage to it. An inevitably quick read as the story unfolds with a constant sense that something - on the surface good, but probably bad - is about to happen.

An unusual story looking at the impact of people in the past. Todays characters are deeply affected by their family lives but the twists are not revealed until the end.
The story also looks at the demands of social success and the effects of social media on life today.
But I couldn’t engage with the main characters.
I found the main female character hard and a poor communicator, the male was weak and feeble and I really just wanted to get the book finished.

Coming from humble origins, Rose O‘Connel is over the moon when she is invited to join the elitist circle of affluent pupils’ PTA mums at posh Woolf College, but her dream soon turns into a veritable nightmare. I was kindly allowed to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The characters are very well written, in fact I found that I didn’t like any of them, which is what I believe the author wanted, and if so, she achieved it. However, I found parts of the book repetitive (recapping the stages of the con for example), and other parts were just too far-fetched with certain events being predictable. It does, however, highlight imbalances in how ‘poorer’ people may be perceived by those more affluent, and the constant struggle some women experience to feel accepted by others.

Wow! what an opening - the impact on a posh school when a mother's dead body is found in the playground!
An entertaining read with interesting characters. Though its a school story, none of it is based in the classroom, it centers around the mothers. Its gripping because its written in such a way that we can all relate to, ie school life as in our own past and in the present with our own kids.
I thoroughly enjoyed it because I found it so original.

Who wouldn’t want their child to have the best they possible can! Lots of twists and turns in this one especially with other parents! Was a good read and enjoyed it.

Twisty, tense and terrific. It kept me gripped from beginning to end and I will definitively be reading more by Helen Monks Takhar. Just when you think you have it all figured out another plot twist flings you in another direction entirely. Perfect summer read!

A very interesting (and sinister) take on the posh-school version of the PTA (fancy badges anyone?!).
Rose herself had a poor start with a con-man father and a childhood full of upheaval, bullying and suffering. Now a mum, Rose just wants to give her child the best start- sending him to a fancy school where a group of mothers really seem to rule the roost and if you are not in then you are very much non-existent in the town.

The characters are complex but all with a hint of the overbearing parent about them and the plot just keeps on twisting right to the very end!