Leah Pitt was a new author to me and I was really excited to get this book for review

I was hooked could not put it down. What a thrilling read from start to finish

Thank you for the opportunity to review

Sophie visits the beach hut she spent her childhood summers in, she needs to clear it out before selling it after her Father’s death.

Clearing out the hut and being back at the beach bring back memories of the last summer she spent there when she was 14, the summer her best friend Tildy died.
The Police closed the case ruling it an accident but as things start happening, Sophie is convinced someone is trying to stop her finding out the truth of wheat happened that day. The more she is blocked, the more determined she becomes.

I liked the use of the dual timeline to tell the story of what happened that summer and how Sophie is digging into it now.
I found the main character of Sophie to be relatable, she is going through a bad time personally and seems to throw all of her energy into the investigation at the beach to distract from her own problems.
I loved the setting of the beach and felt like I was there at the beach hut-the perfect summer read.
Really good plot and well woven, I felt like the ending was wrapped up and satisfying.

A poignant and well crafted novel with am engaging plot and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Set in duel timelines the secrets slowly unfold and the characters develop. Well plotted and well drawn and complex characters, it will keep you turning the pages.

A solid thriller, ideal for summer reading.

I love novels with a coastal setting and so the cover and synopsis drew me to The Beach Hut. In 1997 when Sophie was a teenager her best friend Matilda died in an accident on the Dorset coast. Decades later Sophie is back in Dorset to organise the sale of her families beach hut. Memories of her teenage years spent with Matilda on the coast in their families beach huts come flooding back, as well as evidence that Matilda’s death may not have been an accident.
The Beach Hut is a well written novel set over a dual timeline and told from different points of view. I found it to be incredibly slow, for me it didn’t flow well and so wasn’t a novel I became immersed in and I dipped in and out of it over the course of a few weeks. Although there’s a coastal setting I didn’t feel a strong sense of place. I preferred the present day setting and didn’t get drawn into the teenage lives of Sophie and Matilda.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

3.5, rating up. Thank you, Hodder and Stoughton, as well as NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

If you have ever watched the show "Cruel Summer," it definitely had those types of vibes and could definitely be a season of that show.

For most of the book, I felt very nostalgic. Vacationing at the beach and struggling to fit in as a teenager growing up in the nineties.

However, I had a hard time getting through the book as it was a very slow burn for me. Some of the transitions in the book between the perspectives of different characters seemed abrupt. I feel like the transitions would have been smoother if it was a TV show. I also struggled wanting to read the book as I felt like most of the time I could find a good time to stop and go on about my day instead of counting down the mins before I could pick it up again. It took me about a week to finish when I usually can finish in a couple of days when I can't put the book down.

EVEN THOUGH IT TOOK ME LONGER TO READ, I still think it's worth the read. The story was great, I guessed the big reveal, but the sprinkle of twists throughout have shock value. I think this is a wonderful relaxing book and would recommend for anyone wanting to cozy up on a summer day/ night while still be able to having a good stopping place to swim or do other activities in between. Coincidentally I think it would be a great beach read!

3.5

I found this one had a bit of a slow start as we were getting to know the characters and what had happened all those years ago. Once everything had been set out I couldn't put it down. I had a feeling that it was going to end the way it did with secrets coming to light. I flew through the last 40 or so percent.

This book was very well written and honestly gave me the actual chills…

It pulled me in right from the very beginning and kept me hooked all the way through to the very end. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough as the suspense kept me wanting to find out what happens next.

We get an insight in to all the characters lives as the story is told from multiple points of view and it was very easy to keep a track of everyone and the role that they played.

The Beach Hut was an easy, suspenseful read and nothing too heavy…..

This book started off slow for me, but it did pick up. This story is told from dual timelines, the past and the present. So many secrets were kept this one summer that Matilda was killed. Some people have kept secrets since that fateful day over 20 years ago.

The characters were fleshed out, and as much as I didn't really connect to them, I did feel I got to know the main players. More character development might have made me feel more connected to the characters.

Once the pace picked up, I enjoyed the book and flew through it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After nearly 3 decades Sophie is returning to the small beach community in which she spent her teenage Summers. Though she is only here to stage and list her family's beach hut for sale, she quickly discovers her heart breaking past memories haunting her. Though years have passed since her childhood best friend "Tildy' was found dead, the remnants of Tildy's and Sophie's memories are everywhere and Sophie has a nagging feeling there is much more to Tildy's death than a slip and fall accident.

Though this book started off slow for me, I truly enjoyed the character development for a few of the main characters. I wish the twists and the ending had been a bit less predictable, but overall, I enjoyed the story line.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton as well as NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5 🌟 rounded down for Goodreads.

"Life doesn’t just stop because something awful has happened. It isn’t that generous."

Summer '97 was supposed to be Sophie's summer. She was ready to shed her pigtails and blossom into something no one could ignore-especially her long-time crush Kip.
However, what was supposed to be the perfect summer, turns into the worst one she could ever have imagined. Her best friend of fourteen years was found at the bottom of a cliff, deceased.
Deemed an accident by local police, everyone has tried their best to move on. Yet, decades later when Sophie returns, she can't help but shake the feeling that something is wrong. Someone doesn't want her here and certainly doesn't want her digging up secrets long buried in the past.

The Beach Hut was an easy, quick and bingeable read. Told from multiple different POVs, I got a very good idea of who these characters were and all their dirty laundry.
It was easy for the most part to keep track of who was who and what role they played in the story.

The book is filled with family drama, teenage angst, and domestic issues as well. It was very predictable, and I had almost all of the plot figured out around the 30-40% mark. Still, I was undeterred and kept on reading because I wanted to see how it would all play out in the end.

I didn't care too much for Sophie's character though. I found her actions to be quite silly and, could not for the life of me figure out why she never had a charged phone, or her phone with her when it really counts. She was a bit daft honestly.
Nonetheless, I still enjoyed reading the many secrets come to light and, seeing how the characters dealt with them.

The ending felt a bit too perfect; I didn't care for that. Especially, after everything that happened. I'm never a fan of happily ever after endings in suspense, mystery, thriller or the horror genre.
Overall, it was still a decent read and written well.
I would recommend to someone who wants a lighter read that's of this genre.

Thank you to Netgalley, publishers and the author for my eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

It was a solid thriller and I wasn't expecting the end bit. Characters weren't fully defined but it ended up alright; not familiar with her books but perhaps future thrillers by Pitt will be more unified. Good one for summertime reading.

Now this is the perfect summer read! Plenty mysteries and secrets. Ots well written with just a really natural flow. Set over dual timelines to give the backstop and unravel the mystery that happened in the past. Both timeliness work well together without feeling like your flitting back and forth or that ots taking you out of the story. The characters are well written and it's just overall a really good story

⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Beach Hut by Leah Pitt is a well-paced crime thriller narrated in two parallel timelines but so easy to follow!
This book is full of secrets! It was just one summer but so much happened!
Each secret revealed was a total surprise and I didn't expect the end twist.

I really enjoyed the past timeline. The struggles teenagers were facing, the decisions they were making, it all was so reliable!

When Sophie returns to her mum's beach hut she hopes for a quick clean out and fast sale. She didn't expect that this would turn into a full-bloom investigation to discover the secrets of July 1997 when her best friend Matilda was killed in a tragic accident on the Dorset rocks...

Thank you, NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this copy!

The first time I have read this Author but I enjoyed the style of writing. A solid four star read. Great premise. Good characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing Would definitely read the next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

It was an interesting book, I liked it being told in two timelines to help us understand the full story.

The characters needed a little bit more development and I did figure out what happened halfway through the book but I still enjoyed reading it and liked the setting of the story.

3.5 stars.*

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a digital ARC copy.

#TheBeachHut #NetGalley

This book made me want a beach hut! Very easy mystery read. Liked the characters and the book flowed well even with jumping back and forward past present!

The perfect summer becomes the worst nightmare! Definitely had me questioning who to trust, very tense.

I love the author’s books. They are quick reads that suck you in and make you want more. I was sure I knew what was going on in this one. Positive. And nope I was wrong.
It’s part of the genre I call a popcorn thriller. It plays out in my head as I read it. Just like a movie. Like if a book sucked you in like a Hallmark movie but as a thriller instead of a romance. You know exactly what you’re going to get but not really. Relatable characters, an engaging story and twists you’ll never predict no matter how good you are at it. And always the one final twist that you really didn’t see coming.

After her best friend Matilda dies unexpectedly, it is nearly three decades before Sophie returns to the place where it happened. It is time to prepare the family beach hut for sale, and that is what has finally forced Sophie to come here again.

But in the process of tidying up the hut, Sophie makes some unexpected (and unwelcome) discoveries. And, as a result, the question of Matilda's death is placed in an entirely different light...

This is an interesting mystery and despite being narrated in two parallel timelines, it is easy to follow and not at all distracting wrt the main storyline. Overall, an enjoyable read.

Tense, Atmospheric..
Past and present collide in this slow burn mystery set in a closed community. What really happened decades ago when Matilda died? Best friend, Sophie, finds evidence which may show that Matilda’s death was no accident and so, she determines to find out the truth. A web of secrets and lies is slowly unpicked within an intriguing plot peopled with a deftly drawn cast and a well imagined setting. Tense and atmospheric.