This was a fantastic psychological thriller by Helen Cooper. Absolutely gripping from start to finish. So many secrets that get uncovered throughout the book, it's hard to know what to believe. The twists and turns just keep coming. Would highly recommend.

This book was so highly anticipated and I was so glad to get a copy of this book
The book was a great gripping read. It had me questioning”what would i do” and would i have forgiveness in me.
The writing flew beautifully and it felt so effortless to read. The chapters ended on cliffhangers; which made me just want to instantly read the second
This is a great book about a mothers love, forgiveness, redemption and drama

This book was so highly anticipated and I was so glad to get a copy of this book
The book was a great gripping read. It had me questioning”what would i do” and would i have forgiveness in me.
The writing flew beautifully and it felt so effortless to read. The chapters ended on cliffhangers; which made me just want to instantly read the second
This is a great book about a mothers love, forgiveness, redemption and drama

Secrets Will Out..
Secrets will out in this drama fuelled novel of suspense where a tragic death leads to emotional turmoil. With a pacy and tension fuelled plot populated by a credible cast and a snappy narrative and unexpected twists throughout. Relationships are dug deeply and the ability to forgive explored.

A gripping book about loss and relationships that change with one action. A hell of a book and it doesn’t let up with the twists and turns. Superb read.

A quick book’ to read with a reasonable plot. I’ve read a few now where the parents are best friends then the kids do something catastrophic and there’s a huge fallout. So this one wasn’t the best of its type and only gets three stars from me.

#MyDarlingBoy #NetGalley
Alice and Chrissy were best friends. In 2021, on the night of their New Year Eve party, Chrissy's son Leo pushes Alice's son Robbie resulting in Robbie's death. The two friends' relationship then fall apart after the incident and Leo was sent to prison. Now few years later, Leo is being released from the prison. Alice sends an email to Chrissy, asking Chrissy not to send her son Leo to the pub and that it would be better if both mother and son leave the village. Chrissy ignores the threats that she is receiving from the villagers. As she goes to the prison to pick Leo up, she was surprised to learn that Leo has already left the prison. Chrissy gets worried when she receives a call that Leo has failed to show up at the parole officer. Eventually she finds out that Leo has been abducted. Who is responsible?
I loved it so much. This is her best till date.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Straughten for giving me an advance copy.

Oh Wow that was one hell of a book, I haven’t read a Helen Cooper book before but I definitely will read more now. This story is full of family secrets and betrayal, filled with unforeseen twists. I read this late into the night because I was instantly hooked and I couldn’t read fast enough. I loved the multiple POVs allowing you to build up a picture of that night and what actually happened if you like a fast paced domestic thriller the I highly recommend this one.

A story full of family secrets and betrayal.
I was invested from the start and thought the relationships were all written and developed brilliantly.
I really enjoyed this and was left thinking about it for days afterwards.

The book is gripping and unputdownable. There are secrets, mystery, betrayal and twists. The characters were mysterious. The vibe of the book is melancholic and suspenseful.

Chrissy and Alice are best friends and they host a New Year's Eve party. But the night turns their lives upside down and unthinkable happenings shatters their friendship as well. Robbie is found dead and years later secrets begins to unveil with buried truths, lies and betrayal. The plot was clever and I didn’t see the twists coming. The twists were jaw dropping and the ending was so twisted and messy.

Thanks to the Publisher and Author.

I have read all of Helen Coopers books so I couldn’t turn down an opportunity to read this one before release day!

A story full of family secrets and betrayal. Characters that have been through the worst parts of life. Best friends torn apart by tragedy. Suspense. Mystery. Twists and turns. It has it all. It’s not action packed but contains all aspects of a thriller I love. Another great read by Helen Cooper. I’ve enjoyed all of her books so far and will continue to read whatever she publishes next!

Thank you to @hodder @netgalley and @helencooperwriter for the gifted copy for review.

"My Darling Boy" proved to be an extraordinary read, filled with unforeseen twists that kept me flipping through the pages rapidly. I absolutely adored it..

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my ARC.

Alice and Chrissy are best friends as are their sons Robbie and Leo. But on New Year’s Eve 2021 one of the boys will be dead and the other will be to blame.

Shattered friendships, secrets and twists, past endeavours coming back to bite, and emotion overload.

This was a fast paced read with a great plot and the reader can get a good feel of the characters in this small village.

Thank you to NetGalley , the author and publisher for my arc.

Alice and Chrissy were best friends. In 2021, on the night of their New Year Eve party, Chrissy's son Leo pushes Alice's son Robbie resulting in Robbie's death. The two friends' relationship then fall apart after the incident and Leo was sent to prison. Now few years later, Leo is being released from the prison. Alice sends an email to Chrissy, asking Chrissy not to send her son Leo to the pub and that it would be better if both mother and son leave the village. Chrissy ignores the threats that she is receiving from the villagers. As she goes to the prison to pick Leo up, she was surprised to learn that Leo has already left the prison. Chrissy gets worried when she receives a call that Leo has failed to show up at the parole officer. Eventually she finds out that Leo has been abducted. Who is responsible?

The book is divided into many POV'S--Alice's Chrissy's a woman named Georgie where in the end you will find her connection to the main protagonist, Leo. You can feel both the women's emotional trauma going through as mother--Alice for losing her son and Chrissy because her son went to prison. The book is well written and there are some twists and turns in the story which made the story a little bit more interesting. Not to mention Leo's meeting with a prisoner named Frank. The ending was unexpected and twisted and it was actually good. Though this in my opinion wasn't her best, still I enjoyed this thriller. Worth four stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Omg omg omg!! How amazing g was this book?! I loved every second. The plot was original, the characters well fleshed out. So many secrets and lies and twists and turns and I just couldn't get enough!!! It has alternating povs which not only progress the plot but also makes it all feel that wee but more hectic and fast paced. Loved everything about it

The perfect night: I had been so excited for our big New Year's Eve party. Hosting with my best friend Alice and our two beautiful boys - my Leo and her Robbie, who had grown up together like brothers.

A shocking death: But then I heard the terrible crash. I remember the flashing lights of the ambulance and how everyone then turned on Leo. Saying that Robbie was dead because of my son. Who is to blame? The boys had argued, but Leo still won't tell me why. I know he's keeping a secret from me. I need to find out the truth, need to clear the name of my darling boy before something terrible happens to him. But I also need to make sure no one finds out the truth about me.

Chrissy and Alice had been best friends until a terrible accident at a New Year's party happened. Their sons Leo and Robbie had had an argument just before Robbie's tragic accident. Leo gets a custodial sentence. When Leo is released from prison two years later, he's not at the gates waiting for his mother to pick him up. She discovers he has already left, he's disappeared, and that's when the secrets start to come out.

The pace is fast, and I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. The story is told from Chrissy and Alice's perspectives. There were plenty of twists in this psychological thriller. My first, but not my last read by the author.

Published 13th June

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Hodder&Stoughton and the author #HelenCooper for my ARC of #MyDarlingBoy in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly thankyou for this ARC NetGalley! 😍
This was a quick paced, exciting dark thriller. I didn’t expect any of the twists and turns and trust me there’s lots throughout. I didn’t want to put this book down and I was actually sad I had to last night so I could sleep to be able to parent 😂 I think there maybe could have been more story telling of the past and Chrissy + Alice’s relationship. I would have loved to know them and their friendship a bit more. But a very good read and highly recommend!

It starts with a New Year’s Eve party that ends in tragedy where it seems there is more than one person in the small village of Crowley with a secret to hide A well written thriller full of secrets and lies. The plot unfolded well and it kept me entertained throughout. I would rate this book 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for the chance to review.

It's the stuff of parents' nightmares - what should have been a chance to enjoy a party with her best friend and their sons turns into one mother left bereft and another full of questions as to what happened, and why her son is involved. Cue an amateur investigation and an investigator who doesn't want anyone to find out secrets closer to home.

Leo and Robbie are best friends and so are their mothers until one tragic night, Leo is sent to prison and his mother is left to cope in the village where she quickly becomes an outcast.

We follow the mothers through their journey of grief and discover lots of secrets along the way

A great read

4 stars