Wonderful thriller by AA Chaudhuri. Lola and her son Luca move away to start over. Lola is running from a threat on her life and her parents. As she starts to make friends with the other moms, lies come out and everyone is mean to her. Then she ends up dead. Why? Who is out to get revenge? And what is the secret she ran away from?

A enjoyable read with twists and turns galore that never stop. There are secrets and lies and the school mums made me shiver with revulsion. Like the parents are bullies so what do you expect from the children. The mystery was a good one and it had me eagerly reading. Despite the unlikeable characters the plot is intense.

I really enjoyed her first book and then didn’t like her next few as much. But I loved this one! Lola takes her son Luca and moves far away to start over. She encounters her own mean girls at the school gates with older moms who are essentially intimidated or jealous of her. One night Lola is murdered. Lots of lies come to light that she told. Connections are made between people. Great suspense.

Review of ‘The School Gates’ by A.A. Chaudhuri, due to be published on 5 June 2025 by Hera Books.

Told from multiple angles, stories intertwine with a group of mums who meet a new parent (Lola) at the school gates on their children’s first day at Reception class. The details of the playground ‘clique’ are well described!

Things take a dark turn when Lola is murdered, and the fingers of suspicion are pointed at everyone she knows, all of which we learn through the storytelling, have motives to get Lola out of their lives.

It’s a fast paced, twisty murder mystery, where you think you’ve cracked it in one chapter, only for a curveball to be thrown in the next. When all is revealed at the end, I didn’t see it coming!

Recommended read.

I loved this, as someone who does the school run I completely got this book and felt the author must have done her research. A great read, it gets good quickly and I would read more by this author!

The plot was intriguing and highly original, the characters fascinating and believable. At the end of each chapter I said, OK, just one more chapter — and then the day was gone!

I couldn’t put this book down. There were so many twists and turns to the story it just kept me enthralled the whole time.

It was edge of your seat stuff! The story had me on the edge of my seat and definitely had my heart racing… it was brilliant!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars!

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

After starting her life over in a new place single mum Lola is tries to befriend others at the school gates after her son Luca instantly takes to another child on his first day.

This is a well written mystery story with secrets and twists aplenty. I enjoyed the pace of this book and liked the multiple viewpoints.

I'd recommend this book if you enjoy a good who done it.

The School Gates is a fast paced twisted thriller that has you guessing to the very end.

The book is full of red herrinng and twists and turns that somehow you just dont see coming.

Lola is a single mother doing her very best to fit in with school parents at her son's new school gate but somehow she just cant break that barrier fully .

Lola is after a fresh start but what no one knows is she is being threatened with her life and those she loves.

The group of women all have secrets that have the capacity to blow up their lives.

Did one of those secrets lead to Lola's murder.

A.A. Chaudhuri leads the reader down a twisted path that will have you suspecting them all and trusting no one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for a pulse pounding read that you should not miss.

Loved this book! Lola and her son, Luca, move to a new town to start over. She is hiding secrets from everyone. While she is there, she makes enemies with some of the other moms, and dads, if you think about it. Why is she killed? Who else has secrets that involve Lola?

Wow! I loved this! I couldn’t put it down and read during every free second I could spare. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

As someone who hated school politics I knew I’d enjoy this one, and it didn’t disappoint! A real thriller full of nasty girl tactics and lots of twists. An easy read but still packs a punch, I really enjoyed it!

A quick and easy read that I read in one short sitting. A good amount of suspense, mystery and tension backed up a fast pace and all joined together made for a heart pounding read that had me on the edge of my seat

Thank you Netgalley and Hera Books for the ARC!

I was not really sure what I would get myself into when reading this book. But I like things that are labelled as being fitting for fans of Freida Mcfadden.

What can I say? It was a good, solid read with a lot of twists and turns along the way while we are trying to figure out why single mother Lola had to die.

Basically, trust no one and get your copy of it when you can.

The school gates by AA Chaudhuri

I was so excited to get accepted to read AA Chaudhuri’s new book before release day! I have been so excited to read this one.

Lola, single mum of 1 find herself making new friends with a group of parents at the school gates. Everything’s going well until the other mums start giving Lola the cold shoulder. Lola has been keeping secrets and hiding her true self to her new friends and it’s not until Lola’s body is found on her way home from the Christmas party that secrets unfold.

You never fail to disappoint AA Chaudhuri . One minute I’m sure I’ve cracked it and know exactly who the murderer is, but no, wrong again! I really enjoyed how this book was written from DCI banners investigations into the murder and Lola’s last events and interactions with the friends before she died finding out juicy gossip along the way. I absolutely loved reading this murder mystery and cannot wait to read more of your books. The twist was fantastic!! And then… another twist 😂 brilliant!

Would definitely recommend this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5 stars from me, rounded up to 5.

Available to buy 5th June 2025
Or preorder now.

All Lori wants is to fit in with the crowd at Luca's school and get a decent life for them both. But when things start to turn sour with some of the mothers there Lori is left wondering why. The only person she can turn to is Tracy, who she met in an online forum, to tell her about what's happening in her life. The other mothers have no idea that Lori just wants to protect Luca after being conceived by a brutal attack. Suddenly everyone's secrets start to come to the surface. Following Lori's death the detective tries his hardest to get to the bottom of it all and uncovers some secrets that lead to finding out who the killer could be.
A tense, hard hitting crime thriller that delves into secrets, lies and cover ups. I really enjoyed the twists and turns throughout this story.

Love this author her writing style is right up my street.
A fabulous who done it full of twists and red herrings.
I loved that i didn't guess the outcome.
A must read which i am sorry i read to quickly.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my 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

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.

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..

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.

I was hooked from the start with The School Gates. So believable about the clique at the school gates. Love to hate characters really add an extra dimension to a book and this was done superbly. . I finished this book in the early hours as I just had to know how this story ended. A great tension filled read

Lola, a single Mom and Lica are introduced at the start of the novel as Luca as starting at a new school. Alola slowly finds herself ingrained with some of the parents at the school. However, she is brutally murdered and from there the mystery begins. Expertly plotted with deep characterization, the mystery draws you in until the end.