The kindest village in England…or the creepiest? Such a great premise and an intriguing cast of characters; I thoroughly enjoyed this one and was never quite sure what was going to happen next. A very satisfying ending too. Recommended!

Thanks to Netgalley and One More Chapter for the ARC of this book.
I'm afraid I,didn't like this book very much. The idea of a village full of just kind people filled me with dread. I can't imagine anything worse. Reminded me a bit of TV series Good Place. I think the characters were very naive to even contemplate living there.
Not one for me.

Andy and Tessa had been together for 10 years she was a musician he was an electrician and they had been trying to have a baby but we’re on the last cycle of Invetro and as far as Tess was concerned it would be their last. On a weekend out they ran across a village proclaim to be the nicest village in England it was called nether Appleford Manor. There was so intrigued they stopped to investigate and even played a Halloween scavenger game. While walking through the village they ran across a yew tree with hearts written by villagers thanking other residents for the kindnesses they extended to the person writing said heart. Their first inclination was to make fun of the village but the more Tessa thought about the whole kindness thing the more she wanted in and even inquired as to how they could live there and filled out an application despite Andy’s hesitancy. When they get invited to see a cottage Tessa cannot believe it even has a music studio and she is over the moon especially when she learns the rent is going to be half of what they were paying in London. They are shocked when the day they move in people are there with moving gifts and a helping hand to move them in they learn on Sundays instead of church they have a kindness meeting and they even invite Tessa to give one something she declines but when they ask is she may want to make some music for a computer that will tell visitors about the lovely village . She hesitates at first and seeing the way the board is looking at her she says she will do it and even give them mates rates something the kindness board seems to be shocked at. Tessa told Andy if he moved to the village with her she would try to be better and not so negative but it seems Andy is the one who is going all Lynn while Tess doesn’t agree to anything the village has to offer except the house with the lower rent. Soon though Tessa is noticing Andy is going every night doing jobs for those in the village and now that she is freelancing and has quit her job she spends all her time at home and starts to notice strange things she even gets a recording of someone in her music room saying in a whisper I’ll kill her and this is when she sees how local cop Leo seems to work while acting like he is on the side of the 15-year-old Jaden who he believes did it he is really in Tessa‘s opinion using bullying tactics until the boy agrees yes he did it even though Tessa doesn’t believe it. That is just the beginning of Tessa‘s first impression the village of kindness may not be that kind after all but everything she wants to use as proof could go either way. I don’t want to say much more because this book is not only bonkers but it is an awesome book. I did think it was very long, but then again I don’t know what you could’ve cut out. I did think in the beginning Tessa was quite reluctant to help out those in a village she said she was moving to to be more kinder. I mean she was paying half the amount in rent in yet everything they said they were doing she wanted nothing to do with it. More than once I thought her attitude was strange but after one and a dead my sympathies were completely with a Earth I absolutely loved the ending and I highly recommend this book. If you love a good smart book with subplots that look like there’s no way they’ll all be put together then you definitely need to read this book it is so good! I want to thank harperCollins UK and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This is quite a hard book for me to review as I really can’t explain why and if I liked it or not. The story was well thought out but I couldn’t connect with the characters at all and I struggled throughout the read not to give up. On the plus side the writing was good and I wanted to know what was going to happen in the end and I think it was that part that kept me reading but overall this just wasn’t for me. I think I may be in the minority but sometimes you read a book that you just don’t enjoy so much and this was one of those for me.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Well! I don't know what to say about this book. I was really looking forward to it after reading the blurb however after getting 30% of the way through I keep looking for reasons to do anything but continue reading. From the start it is obvious the village has the Stepford Wives vibe with a darker undertone and despite Andy and Tessa's efforts and desire to fit in she at least is not going to however hard she tries. So far so good. However I think my difficulties stem from the very choppy nature of the narrative and the characters all of whom are totally obnoxious. I'm afraid this book is not one for me although I'm sure other readers will disagree.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

A very strange story with a cast of horrible characters .Not the most believable of plots with many a twist.

I received a free copy of, How to Kill with Kindness, by S. R. Masters, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. England's Kindest Village, Nether Appleford, has two new villagers Tessa and Andy. I would not describe Tessa and Andy as kind though. What a read, I did not care for the language though, but it was a page turner.

If you like Lisa Jewell you’ll like this.

I love a good psychological thriller and this one doesn’t disappoint. It’s slow to start but if you give it a chance it rewards you with tension and twists.

I really didn’t know who to trust which kept me turning the pages.

The village of Nether Appleford calls itself ‘England’s Kindest Village’. Overseen by the Kindness Committee, this close-knit community strives to live their lives with kindness at the heart of everything they do. For Tessa and Andy, this sounds like the perfect escape. An opportunity to settle down and move on from a past that haunts them. But what if the kindest thing you could do meant hurting someone? Then what would you do?
Welcome to the twilight zone!! Lol that's what this book reminded me of! It definitely takes you on a wild ride! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I loved this! It feels like forever since I’ve been able to give a book 5 stars. It is long, but I enjoyed every moment of it. I found it intriguing right from the very first chapter and it kept me on my toes and guessing throughout. I found the main character likeable and the mystery character interesting. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed reading and would look forward to reading more from this author.

2.5

All that glitters is not gold.

Nether Appleford claims that it is “ England’s kindest village” and there’s even a kindness committee to oversee the close knit community, who strive to just be kind to everyone. It’s a picture book, chocolate box village, with just fifty thatched roof cottages all with manicured. lawns. It’s maybe a bit Stepford Wives thinks Tessa as she and Andy look around. Despite that, they are drawn to the place and its ‘Kindness Tree’. They apply to move in and are accepted but things are not quite as they seem on the surface as the couple will soon discover. Perhaps it might have been wise to recall that sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. The story is principally told by Tessa and Jayden a teenage resident.

I’m on outlier island with this one, but first of all, the positives. It definitely has a Stepford Wives feel at the beginning and there are some warning shots across the boughs pretty quickly but looks can be very deceptive. Tessa picks up on these quickly, but less so Andy but that’s another story. It does have creepy moments, and those seem even more creepy given the ethos of the place. As for the residents, the less said about them the better as Tessa makes some startling discoveries. There’s manipulative if not deadly behaviour and a few bombshells besides. There are some inserts between the two points of views that are on the unhinged and chilling scale though I do figure out the author of those. It definitely enters bonkers territory and the far-fetched kind as it near the end.

However, if it is meant to be humorous, then it passes me by as it’s just too weird and strange for me to enjoy it and it becomes too much like hard work. It’s also very sweary and I lose count of the F bombs, though in one very short chapter there are ten which becomes very wearing. It’s way too long at 465 pages – seriously? It gets repetitive too which also adds to the laborious nature of the read.

Other readers like this considerably more than I do so be sure to check those reviews out, but I’m sorry to say that this one is simply not for me. Not every book suits every reader.

With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to HarperCollins, One More Chapter for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, S.R. Masters, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter for allowing me to read an advanced copy of How to Kill with Kindness in the return of an honest review. I received an advanced reader copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I did not fully love this one. The characters were not likeable. The story was weird. It had an eerie tone from start to finish, which is what made me want to complete the book. It is not one I would grab to read again, but somewhat entertaining for the plot.

This is an interesting book, somewhat different to a usual thriller and even after finishing it I'm not sure whether I enjoyed it or not. It begins with two children doing what they consider is an act of kindness, but it wouldn't be regarded as such by most people. The action then switches to new characters and we have Tessa and Andy and the story of how they move to the village of Nether Appleford. At first everything appears wonderful, they have a new start and a cheap cottage to rent and the villagers are welcoming, but this soon breaks down and more ominous signs appear as Tessa finds the kindness committee isn't all it is supposed to be.
I have to say I found the beginning of the book a bit slow and I really didn't warm to many of the characters, not even Kath or Jayden. I was intrigued to read on though and see where the author would take it, and there were plenty of twists and turns to keep the story moving along in the latter half.
So whilst I thought was a unique and interesting plot but I didn't quite warm to it.
With thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers for an early copy in return for an honest review.

It was certainly better than I was bought it was going to be I thought at first it was very slow but that wasn’t the case at all Tessa and Andy move to a village where everything you do must be kindness they even have a kindness tree where all the good things people do is put on the tree.

The people who live there are not what they seem and lots of weird things start happening.

I really enjoyed the story thank you to Netgalley Harper Collins and One More Chapter for an ARC

I loved the blurb on how to Kill with Kindness by S.R. Masters and was very keen to read the book.

Tessa and Andy stumble upon the picture postcard village of Nether Appleford on a day out. They wander around the village, dine at the local pub and marvel at how the locals seem so content. They really can see why the village calls itself ’England’s Kindest Village’.

In contrast their life in London is fraught, money is tight, there have been disappointments. So, when the opportunity arises for them to move to Nether Appleford, they seize it with both hands. It’s a fresh beginning that could save them. However, all that glistens is not always gold……

The story chronicles Tessa’s and Andy’s time in the village and it’s is spliced with a back story of the founder of the village and they arrived at the rules for the village.

I thought it was a really interesting read. It made me think about the morality of being good and how people justify their actions in relation to being good e.g. for the greater good, etc.

I was drawn to Tessa as a character because I suspect my journey in the village would have been like hers! I am naturally suspicious and sometimes ask too many questions!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Harper Collins/One More Chapter, for making an e-ARC available to me to read in exchange for a fair and honest review. I can’t wait to read more books by S.R. Masters.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

I'm still unsure even after finishing if I enjoyed this read or not,something made me continue to read to see where the story was going and I did like the ending but the jury is still out for me on this one.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK One More Chapter for the ARC.

Andy and Tessa's move to Nether Appleford is partly due to the village's reputation of being the kindest village in England. After all, how many places have a kindness committee?

But as is so often the case, things are not quite as they expected. There are small signs to indicate this along the way, but the realisation is still a shock. Because the truth is, sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind, and what Tessa and Andy get once they've moved to Britain's Kindest Village is very different from what they expected...

The unfolding of events is quite suspenseful and interesting and I also liked the idea of Britain's Kindest Village and its kindness committee! It gets 3.5 stars.

Tessa and Andy move to the lovely village of Stepford, I mean Nether Appleford, and are warmly greeted by the Kindness Committee. Ideal for readers who like straightforward, explanatory, cosy-style narration, but with barbed wire hidden in the sugar bowl. With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

A twisty and suspenseful thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end, with an unreliable narrator and a shocking final reveal