When Lola leaves a late-night gathering and decides to cut through the park, she has no idea it's the last walk she’ll ever take.

While the pacing occasionally drags in the early chapters — this book plays the long game. As detectives dig into the case, peeling back the final months of Lola’s life, each discovery adds a new layer of tension. Just when I thought I'd figured it out, another secret cracked open.

Unexpected twists and mysterious, a great read for A. A. Chaudhuri fans.

From the minute I picked up this book, I couldn’t put it down. I loved how the book was in present and past sections so you could really get a good background on the main characters. This is my first book by the other and I really enjoyed it..

I really liked the promise of the blurb for this book but it failed to deliver for me, sadly. I failed to empathise with Lori and I lost interest in the outcome to the story. The plot was complex, it just rambled on for too long, the ending was disappointing and there was little suspense to keep my interest. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This was a very intense read, especially as everything amped up and it went from gossip to revenge with twists and red herrings that kept me invested.

This is a very original concept, not least because the story is in part narrated by Lola, who we know very early on, is murdered. Narrated from multiple points of view, this is a school gates mystery, where all the characters have secrets, and few are likeable. As the book progresses, there are twists and turns aplenty and how and why the characters are connected are slowly revealed This a suspenseful book with some big twists towards the end.

Thank you to A A Chaudhuri, Hera Books and Netgalley for my advance copy.

Thank you to net galley, the author and publishing house for gifting me the opportunity to read this book.

What a fantastic book! It was super well written, author did an amazing job at giving the characters perspective and flipping the narrative back and forth.
Right from the beginning I was hooked, and had to read more. I stayed up way too late to read this as I could not put it down. The plot was incredible. I did not see the ending coming at all, what a great twist.

Anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers pick this up- it’s a hard 10 in my book.

Elizabeth Mosley changed her name to Lola Martinez, terrified that the man who had once attacked her—and threatened her family—might one day come after her. She had every reason to hide. But secrets don’t stay buried forever.

At the school’s Christmas party for parents, things are tense. None of the mums are talking to Lola, and she has no idea why. Could it be they’ve somehow discovered her past? Even her best friend, Simone, couldn’t make it—stuck at home without a babysitter. The truth is, the other mums had never truly accepted Lola since her son Luca started at the school the previous year.

When they all get up to dance, leaving Lola sitting alone, she’s had enough. Grabbing her things, she leaves the party. But it’s the middle of December, and taxis are impossible to find. She texts Simone to say she should never have gone, then begins the long walk home by the river. That’s when someone attacks her… and everything goes black.

What was Lola hiding? Who would want her dead? Could it be the man who threatened her all those years ago? Could Luca’s father have tracked her down? Or was it someone from the mum group—Bitchy Bianca, Clarissa, Joy, or Dee? And why?

The story unfolds through Lola’s eyes from December 2023, then rewinds to over a year earlier, when she first met the school mums. From there, it builds toward the night of the party. We also hear from DI John Banner, the detective investigating the case, and later from other key characters.

This author always knows how to keep you hooked. Just when you think you’ve figured everything out, she throws in a final twist that leaves your mouth hanging open—you never saw it coming. I’ll admit, I even shed a tear at the end.

If you’ve ever been a mum navigating the school gates, you might recognize the kind of clique this story portrays. I certainly did. No matter how hard I tried, I could never quite break in. Maybe they’d known each other since nursery—while I was the outsider who’d moved in.

The plot is entirely believable. I loved how the author incorporated a chat room and text messages into the story. And as it turns out, none of these mums are as innocent as they pretend to be. They all have secrets—secrets that, if revealed, could unravel their lives.

Another brilliantly plotted and emotionally gripping read from a master of domestic suspense.
Thank you to @HeraBooks and #netgalley for an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and haven’t been influenced in any way.
#TheSchoolGates #Netgalley

This book pulls the reader in on the first page. Lola is a young single mom and. is nervous about her circumstances as her young son is about to start school. but is that all she is nervous about. The story goes between the present and the past as the details of her son's birth are recounted for the reader. Lola was raped in college and fears for her and her family's safety so much so she changes her name and moves far away to keep them hidden. At the school gate, she meets a group of parents who accept her into their circle. At first, she is thrilled but not everyone is who they seem and everyone has secrets that they are dying to keep. When Lola is murdered after a school function, there is no shortage of suspects as the police work feverishly to unravel Lola's complicated life. You will not see the shocking ending coming as the you stay up late to find out who murdered Lola.

Goodness that was an interesting read. I was pretty suspicious of Simone and wow she has some serious stockholm syndrome type thing about her, but over all I felt so sorry for Lola for being so young and having to make such a tough decision and then being lead on essentially by good old "Tracy" (I did suspect something was up when she kept referring to the person she trusts the most, like man that person is probably someone you shouldn't trust).

I was really happy at the ending though because even though losing a mom is rough, there was a silver lining for Luca.

The School Gates by A A Chaudhuri is a compelling, twisty tale from beginning to end. Once I started, I couldn't put it down,

Lola is a new arrival at the gates when her young son Luca starts at a new school. The other parents are immediately intrigued by the new mum in their midst, particularly when they learn that Luca's father is not in the picture. Becoming absorbed into the closely-knit group, Lola finds herself feeling a little out of place. When she is brutally murdered one night following a Christmas party, all of her deepest secrets will be revealed.

I flew through these pages, desperate to uncover the truth of Lola's past. I especially enjoyed how invested the lead investigator became in solving the murder having, like Lola, a young son of his own. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for an ARC.

The School Gates by AA Chadhuri is full of secrets and mystery. The plot builds nicely, and there are plenty of characters to get to know and hate. A good read.

managing the school run is hard for lola. she has moved with her son for a new start but when the other mums at the scholl gates turn on her and she ends up dead this is where the drama starts.

This is a pacy and very twisty read. It has lots of OMG moments and is quite a thrilling read.

One for the beach bag..

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. Toxic schoolgate cliques are always prime fodder for domestic thrillers / mysteries, and this was a particularly good example. While I worked out who the culprit was within a few pages, this did not dampen my enjoyment of the book - indeed, the revelations which showed I was right were well-done, and, unlike many books of this genre, not rushed at all. Chaudhuri used multiple narratives and switches between past and present to great effect, and the revelations and secrets spilled throughout were revealed carefully, adding depth to the story and making all the characters more interesting. I am keen to read more by this author.

A perfect mystery. This has all the elements you need in a good thriller / mystery. The characters were really well written and though I didn’t particularly enjoy them they fit the plot really well.

Lola is a single mother to her son Luca, she is new to the area and becomes friends with the school moms. Feeling inferior at every turn things go sour and the reader will discover everyone including Lola has secrets they want to stay hidden

Publication Date: 5th June, 2025

3,5 stars.

Get ready for some twisted turns as you go through 'The School Gates.'

Told in alternating storylines in the past and present and narrated by two main characters, the story takes readers on a wild ride through suburban England. Lola Martinez has had a rocky last few years, but has started over in hopes of providing a better life for her son, Luca. As such, she has moved to a quiet neighbourhood with a good school, determined to make the best of it. The first step in completing this - getting in good with the other mothers who drop off their children at the school gates. However, she doesn't have much in common with all the other 'yummy mummies' as she is younger and a single parent. Coupled with this are her insecurities and idiosyncrasies, which all eventually create a lot of tension and issues amongst them. When she is brutally murdered, it falls upon Detective Inspector John Banner to uproot the reasons why.

It's rare to find a mystery novel where one of the main characters, especially one who narrates a large part of it, is murdered at the beginning. It allowed for a different feeling, as I don't read many books from that perspective, which immediately made it stand out to me.

I also really liked how the flashback technique was used. This is oftentimes over utilised by authors, but A. A. Chaudhuri knows her stuff! Interspersed between the two narrators, we got the same information, but with layers and nuances that neither knew.

My biggest issue here was the length of the book. I found it to be overly wordy and descriptive at times - for instance, as seen here:
"Quietly, I unwrap myself from the duvet and tread softly to the door. I haul on my dressing gown, which is hanging on a hook, before securing the belt firmly around my waist and creeping out of the room."
In my humble opinion, this felt like so much filler information, and there were a lot of rambling sentences like this. The plot could have been wrapped up in less time, and I think that would have allowed for me enjoying it more.

This was my first time reading anything from this author, however, it won't be the last. While it wasn't perfect, I did like this novel and would recommend it to anyone looking for an easy mystery with a twist!

*A great many thanks to Hera Books, A. A. Chaudhuri, and NetGalley for this ARC. It is important to note that I was not committed to providing a positive review; all opinions are undoubtedly my own.*

2.5 stars. This was an ARC from NetGalley. I picked it up because of the author and the plot summary sounded fast paced and entertaining. This one didn't execute quite like I thought it would. The author definitely made it so you weren't rooting for any of the characters, and rightfully so. The problem is they did it a bit too well. I was not invested in the characters or the outcome of the story. Overall, it felt a bit too long, and I just wanted it to wrap up. The ending wasn't a surprise and made me angry, just ignore these horrible crimes and how you are treated to keep your "happy family" together. This book took feminism back 20 years. #netgalley #theschoolgates #highsociety #mystery

the layout of this book was so original and it made the story all the better. i was hooked in learning both the story of the present and just how we got to where we are today...which is with murder. at first i thought this would be about Lola and how she wants to fit in, perhaps what she has to go through to do so and or what might come out about her as clearly there were issues there. but then Wam the very Lola is murdered and we are taking a whole new exciting level of reading. it was a whole new take on mums at the school gate.
how we learn of each character and what might have been their reason for not wanting Lola about what just brilliant. i liked how even though she wasnt even alive we were still focusing on just what was Lola's passed.
the twists were in your face but more breadcrumbs for you to follow and trick you into one corner whilst you needing to actually be looking in the other!
this was a gripping success. im so glad i got to read this book as its truly hit the spot for an original one for me. i couldnt put it down but was also loving how out manoeuvred i felt throughout. its always nice to be humbled and outwitted when it comes to thrillers. im in awe of what authors like A.A. Chaudhuri brings to their work. i am in awe of the skill and talent that pours from minds like theirs.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

I wasn't a big fan of this one - I expected a police procedural, instead it was more of police calling people in for a gossip fest, backed with few facts.

This book was a rare DNF (Did Not Finish) for me, although the first chapter began as standard police procedural fare, the remaining chapters devolved into a grating mishmash of weird finger pointing, with no likeable characters.

Depending on what you are expecting and your personal preferences, you might enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The School Gates is a mystery that doesn’t follow the usual mold of a mother trying to fit in with the crowd only to be murdered. No, rather than a flat reveal of who the culprit behind her murder is this story is structured between past and present, exploring a few perspectives in the present who come in at just the right moment to build the mystery and intrigue up perfectly.

Lola, our murdered mother, clearly has a lot going on in her past (both recent and further back) but the reveal of what those things are and how they may have contributed to her murder is hard to take a break from as they’re introduced so well and all leave hanging threads. By the time we think we are near to discovering the culprit it’s actually thrilling to find out we aren’t and learn more. I loved how The School Gates was structured and written, it was absolutely engrossing but I didn’t see the hard work it clearly took to make it so. Definitely a more sophisticated and well done take on your usual thriller.

Really enjoyed this fast paced thrilling book! Knowing what the school playgrounds are like I knew it would be good and it didn’t disappoint!