I really enjoyed this book. It’s 1979 and Tammy is 12 years old - it’s the summer before she begins high school and she’s trying to fill in time. When a lone foot is found nearby and traced back to a resident of the cul de sac she lives on, Tammy decides to try and solve the murder by snooping on her neighbours. In many ways she’s an absolute horror and there were times she infuriated me, but her actions all seem to fit her slightly odd character and I especially liked the way she misses background clues by being too young to really see what’s going on around her.

The murderer is fairly clear from early on and it’s less about who done it than why and how. This is very much a book about people and the lives and secrets of the others on the street are revealed over the course of the story, each with a compelling story of their own. I found it completely engrossing and loved the slow reveal of everything that brought events to this point, all set in the stifling atmosphere of extreme summer heat and the society of 1970s suburban Australia.

A really strong debut novel and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Fantastic debut....I thought it was a murder mystery however its really a story about a close knit community and their individual reactions to a neighbour's murder. Some great characterisations, especially Tammy, wannabe detective and main focus for the narration throughout. Even a twist included.....5 Stars 🌟 Many thanks to author, Publisher, and NetGalley.co.uk for the opportunity to read this tome.

I was looking forward to reading this book as the premise sounded intriguing and I enjoy reading books set in different countries to mine. The story being observed by a 12 year old girl also added to my interest.
However, I did find the number of characters introduced at the beginning and the changes in POV and timelines quite confusing and eventually a bit annoying.
Thank you to netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advance copy of this book.

2.5 rounded up to 3

It is s a captivating novel set in residential cul-de-sac in Canberra, Australia in the late 70’s. At the start, a young Italian man is missing presumed dead, his severed foot discovered by one of the residents. What follows is a story about human relationships, secrets, and the way different people attempt to co-exist with their neighbours and the tangled relationships they have.

Main protagonist Tammy is fun, if not a little annoying. She’s waiting to start high school in the midst of a long, hot summer and decides to start investigating the murder. We meet a mixture of ok residents and some downright awful ones (Cecil, I am coming for you!) all with their own two cents about what might have happened.

Kemp’s writing is both engaging and poignant, with a mix of suspense and genuinely lovely moments. Colin deserves his novel, that kid is the best!
An absolutely stunning read from start to finish.

The plot has a feel of a 1970’s soap-opera. Mostly viewed from the point of view of the 12 year old main protagonist this has a childlike feel. It’s not really a thriller but it is a good exploration of the tensions between neighbours and the secrets they all keep.
It did feel there was a checklist of the different nationalities, sexual orientations and ageist behaviours that were all worked through as inhabitants of the street.

I really loved reading The Grapevine by Kate Kemp. It was a very atmospheric and claustrophobic read centring on a suburban cul-de-sac in Canberra in 1979.

One of the residents, Antonio Amaretti, a young handsome Italian man is murdered. The police are investigating but there are no leads. Everyone on the cul-de-sac is at first shocked and then start suspecting one another. It’s 1979 and anyone ‘different’ becomes the prime suspect. Tammy is twelve years old and had a crush on Antonio and takes it upon herself solve his murder because the police aren’t up to it and enlists the help of her friend Colin to help.

The story is pacy and moves along in two timelines, with events leading up to the Antonio’s murder and after the murder itself. The events of the night are slowly revealed.

This reminded me a fair bit a of The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey. Both set in the 1970s. Both protagonists set out to solve crimes, but as they are children they don’t fully understand the impact their actions will have on those around them.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Orion Publishing Group, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. I look forward to reading other books by Kate Kemp in the future.

“The Grapevine” is set in a suburban part of Canberra, Australia in 1979. The street that the book is set on seems like any normal street with normal families going about their normal lives. But one day, the young man in an Italian family, who recently moved to the street, is murdered and this blows open underlying tensions. As the killer is hunted (by the neighbours as well as by the police!), secrets are discovered and life will never be the same again.

There are some great characters in this book and I really enjoyed reading about their back stories and how each individual’s secrets are important to them or are a key part of the murder story (or both!). And the story doesn’t end where you think it will either which I thought was great.

That said, I found it difficult, particularly at the beginning, to keep a track of the different characters and who got on with who and who didn’t. This didn’t make a huge difference to my understanding of the main parts of the plot but I would certainly recommend to others that you don’t leave it too long between each time you pick up the book and definitely pay attention at the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

The Grapevine by Kate Kemp has a very interesting premise. While it centres around a crime – the murder of Antonio Marietti – (not a spoiler, it’s literally in the prologue) this isn’t actually the heart of the novel, as the killer isn’t the mystery, but it is the trigger for everything else. For the secrets and lies of a small neighbourhood that come pouring out.

Set during an oppressively hot summer in Australia in 1979, The Grapevine holds a magnifying glass up to a middle class road – Warrah Place – in an Australian suburb. Yes, I was picturing Ramsey Street while reading.

We’re introduced to the blend of different characters that make up the six-ish houses on the road. These include couples Naomi and Richard, Lydia and Ursula and Peggy and Leslie and characters like Guangyu and Tammy that live with their families.

12-year-old Tammy is a key narrator in The Grapevine. It’s her childlike interpretation of the situation and her keenness to help find out what really happened that drive the story and pull the threads together. As tensions rise and everyone starts to suspects everyone else of the murder, the back stories of the characters are soon revealed, making this a riveting read.

Shifts in the story had a unique break point – there was a splicing of sections taken from Tammy’s summer report on her science experiments with ants, providing a light-hearted metaphor for the brewing situation on Warrah Place.

The Grapevine is a coming of age story for Tammy – on the cusp of high-school, she learns a lot from what happens. As a lot of the story is narrated by Tammy and while that gave a unique spin – the child-like view on the situation – I would have liked to hear more form the other character’s POV, especially given the unexpected twist at the end.

I really like the tone of The Grapevine, Kate Kemp has a way of capturing the detail of each character’s secrets so it never feels like too much information through the story, there’s just enough so you get a sense of everyone and what’s making their world crumble behind closed doors. The Grapevine was a simmering pot of a read, highly enjoyable.

This murder mystery is set in 1970’s Australia in a quiet neighbourhood. I loved that most of the story was told from the viewpoint of 12 year old Tammy, getting the story via pieces of gossip she overheard etc was so different to other books and I really enjoyed it.

I absolutely adored this book and devoured it over a couple of days! It has easily been one of my favourite books of the year and I can’t wait to read more from the author in the future!

A quietly compelling novel.

The time and place are perfectly described, with deftly drawn characters.

Reminiscent of Revolutionary Road.

I'm sad to say this didnt work for me.
While the synopsis had me thinking this was my type of book.
I found the constant jumping around timelines while following multiple characters POV had me lost throughout.
Some of the characters blended together so I was constantly trying to figure who was who and how they connected to the person who had died.
The plot itself just didn't keep me interested.

A compelling story about the murder of a young man in a small cul-de-sac of houses in Canberra - a place where neighbours look out for each other. Antonio Marietti is a handsome, charming young man who catches the eye of many of the neighbourhood’s women, married and single alike. Even 12 year old Tammy picks up on his charm and affability, so when his dismembered foot, identified by a birthmark, turns up, the community is shaken. Written with multiple viewpoints and flashbacks, the story reveals what is going on behind each of the houses in the neighbourhood and is a compelling read with a twist that I didn’t see coming. Of all the viewpoints, Tammy’s is the most engaging and is a reminder of how a child can be both invisible and perceptive at the same time.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

Set in Canberra in 1979, this is a well told story focusing on 12-year old Tammy.
The sweltering heat of summer is used to give the book a slow, oppressive feel which is perfect for the story.
A good debut and I'm interested in what Kate Kemp comes up with next.

A good book with a great plot I didn’t realise it enjoy it and did read right to the end but did find myself unsure whether it was my genre or not. That being said was a good read

Really enjoyed reading this story. It felt so Australian, put it this way, imagine a murder on a "neighbours" set...
The story seems to be set on a cul de sac. All the neighbours are friendly and mingle with each other to some extent. Some more than others. Antonio has gone missing until a foot turns up. Tammy the daughter of one of the couples feels that she can solve this crime and gets out her notebook.

All of the characters are well thought out and realistic even Cecil. I can just imagine him.
I would absolutely recommend this book
Thank you to netgalley for this arc

Such a beautifully written story, full of lies secrets and complex relationships. I couldn’t put it down and the plot twist had me shocked!! Highly recommend

The Grapevine is a gripping and atmospheric read, full of tension, secrets, and beautifully crafted prose. The novel weaves together an intricate story of relationships and hidden truths, set against a vividly described backdrop that feels almost like a character itself.

The writing is elegant and immersive, drawing the reader into the tangled lives of its characters. Kemp excels at building slow-burning suspense, making even quiet moments feel charged with underlying emotion. The dialogue feels natural, and the character dynamics are nuanced and compelling.

While the pacing lags in a few spots, the strong character work and the novel’s rich, evocative atmosphere make up for it. The ending is satisfying without being predictable, leaving just enough lingering questions to keep you thinking.

Overall, The Grapevine is a well-crafted and engaging novel that’s perfect for readers who love literary fiction with a touch of mystery. A solid 4 stars.

It’s 1979 in Cranberra Australia and the tale is told by 12 year old Tammy, who’s a bit of a lost soul struggling to make friends and trying to find her place in society. As the school holidays begin, she turns detective when one of the residents where she lives is murdered.
Everyone in Warrah Place is under suspicion as she sets out to discover the truth.
With a host of wonderful characters, each with their own stories to tell, I was hooked from the start. This is a great debut novel by Kate Kemp who brings such depth to each of the characters and the twist at the end took me by surprise. I thought the references to ants throughout the book was very clever and added another dimension.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a slow and steady burn, which kinda feels right given the evident sweltering heat that covers everything and everyone in an exhausted, sticky, treacle as they go about their day.

The story is told predominantly from the POV of 12 year old Tammy who is nosey, bright, opinionated, unsubtle and determined to solve the mystery of  who murdered her friend/crush Antonio.

Being an unusual girl, Tammy seeks out extra homework on the last day of term and so there are poignant little ant facts throughout 🐜 🐜 🐜

There are seemingly an abundance of suspects as Antonio was mature for his age and had varying relationships with the other characters - quite the charmer to all and even had time to befriend a 12 year old girl. At points, it feels as though almost every other character could have been the murderer.

I've given it 3.5 stars mainly because it is such a slow burn which isn't my preferred reading style but honestly I am stunned this is by a debut author as it felt exceptionally polished.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and Orion Publishing for an ARC in return for an honest review.