The Pool Party by Rebecca Bainbridge

                                                 

Ebook:   343 pages                                                                         

Genre:  Thriller, Domestic Drama, Psychological Thriller, Domestic Thriller,

Publisher:  Quercus Books, July 2026, 

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentence: From the moment Kate realised the commotion in the room was not the crowd simply revelling in the party, it was as though someone had slipped their foot onto the accelerator pedal.

Review Quote: A pacy and sharply observed thriller about the precariousness of 'school gate' friendships and the lengths we'll go to to protect our externally perfect veneers. Fans of Liane Moriarty will want to dive right in! — Lizzy Barber

My Opinion:

A debut novel that I chose to read as it sounded like it had the potential to be an entertaining domestic thriller.

The novel revolves around the friendship of the female protagonists Kate and Melody as they navigate their seemingly perfect life styles. As the new friends get to know each other tensions mount as everyone around them, including themselves seem to be hiding secrets. The two women are both vulnerable in different ways to the dramas unfolding in their respective lives.

Rather slow in parts and did not for me deliver the pace I expect from a thriller. Nevertheless  a readable character driven story if you are looking for an easy read.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and Quercus Books for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

One summer's day. Two families. Countless secrets . . .

Kate is new to the idyllic village of Fletching. She's determined this move will be a fresh start for her family, though she misses her old life.

Melody has it she's as beautiful as her house, with a wealthy husband and two beloved children. But she'd love a friend she can rely on.

From the year's first school run, Kate and Melody grow close - a friendship formed during playdates and shared glasses of wine.

But when Melody's annual summer party turns into every parent's worst nightmare, a near-fatal accident threatens to expose secrets both women have kept beneath the surface.

Who is really to blame? And what have they been hiding?

Author Profile:

                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

        Photo and Bio Courtesy of Amazon

Rebecca Bainbridge is a new and exciting voice in the domestic suspense genre. For readers of Liane Moriarty, Lucy Foley and Lisa Jewell, and lovers of character-driven family drama, Rebecca is a debut author whose experience as a global brand and marketing professional provides her with an insight into gaining and retaining attention, and the very best storytelling.

Rebecca has led projects for organisations including Procter & Gamble, Warner Brothers, the BBC and Unilever. Having lived in Switzerland, France and Italy, she is passionate about languages, travel and culture, and is settled in the UK.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile.       Amazon Author Page.    Facebook Author Page.   

 Instagram Profile

The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman

                                                   

Paperback:  331 pages                                                                                   

Genre:  Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Domestic Drama, Psychological Thriller. 

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing  April 2023

Source: Tywyn Public Library

Review Quote: “A compelling, claustrophobic story…I finished it in one huge gulp, excusing myself unilaterally from any family responsibilities I was so desperate to finish it.” ―The Observer

Favourite Quote: 'My parents always warned me: be careful who you have kids with. Mortgages, joint bank accounts, marriages - you can extricate yourself from all of it. But have a child with someone and you're linked to them for the rest of your life.'

First Sentences: When I open my eyes, nothing is familiar. Light falls in parallel strips across the ceiling. Square white tiles, puckered with small black holes, form neat grids. A metal railings above me, curved like the broad sweep of an arm.

My Opinion: 

This is the third book I have read by this author and I was looking forward to starting. Wow, once I did I raced through this story that makes for compulsive reading, I was hooked from the start.

Anna Bradshaw and Livvy Nicholson, the protagonists are two young women who are both in relationships where they feel trapped. We are told in the book blurb that their stories are going to collide, but how is that to be? Told from the points of view of both women the disturbing story unfolds.

Absolutely devoured this very moving and scarily realistic novel about coercive relationships and domestic violence. Highly recommend to all fans of the genre. 

Previous Review:  If Only I Could Tell You.  The Impossible Truths of Love

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

From the bestselling author of If Only I Could Tell You comes the story of two women feeling trapped and powerless. Can they find their way back to life?

When Anna Bradshaw wakes up in a hospital bed in London, she remembers nothing, not even her loving husband, Stephen. The doctors say her amnesia is to be expected, but Anna feels cut adrift from her entire life.

In Bristol, Livvy Nicholson is newly married to Dominic and eager to get back to work after six months’ maternity leave. But when Dominic’s estranged mother appears, making a series of unnerving claims, Livvy is sucked into a version of herself she doesn’t recognise.

A hundred miles apart, both women feel trapped and disorientated, and their stories are about to collide. Can they uncover the secret that connects them and reconstruct their fractured lives?

Author Profile and Photo From Amazon: 

           

Hannah Beckerman is a bestselling author and journalist whose novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide. She is a book critic and features writer for a range of publications including The Observer and the FT Weekend Magazine, and has appeared as a book pundit on BBC Radio 2 and Times Radio. She chairs literary events across the UK, interviewing authors and celebrities, and has judged numerous book prizes including the Costa Book Awards. Prior to writing her first novel, Hannah was a television producer and commissioning editor for the BBC, Channel 4 and the Discovery Channel, and for two years lived in Bangladesh, running a TV project for the BBC. She now lives in London where she writes full-time.

Her About Me on her Website makes an interesting read. 

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Profile    Official Website - Hannah Beckerman.  Twitter Profile

Instagram Profile    Facebook Profile

Things We Never Say by Caitlin Weaver

 

                                           

Ebook:  394 pages      

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Domestic Drama,                                            

Publisher:   September 27th 2024 by Storm Publishing

Source:  NetGalley - My Kindle

First Sentences: Anna watched the other women step out of their high-end SUV's, all smiles and carefree greetings, and tried to decide who she'd want to trade lives with. Any of them would do.

Review Quote: Wow, this was an emotional rollercoaster of a read!’ Reader Review, 

My Opinion: 

A new to me author Caitlin Weaver has written a powerful novel of domestic suspense. This seems to be popular genre recently or maybe it is a coincidence that I have read a few books along similar lines recently.

Anna, Maggie and Rhea are all on the fund raising committee of Civitas, a top ranking private school. It seems at first that apart from as committee members that these women have nothing in common. Actually it turns out they do, as they are all hiding secrets within their marriages. As they get to know each other their friendship grows as shared vulnerabilities emerge.

An engaging story about marriage, relationships and how we never really know what goes on behind closed doors. Recommend to fans of the genre.

With thanks to Storm Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review ‘Things We Never Say’

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Three mothers. Three secrets. One devastating scandal.

Anna has always been the quiet one, the soft-spoken mother who kept her head down and her secrets close. But when she's thrown together with Maggie and Rhea on a PTA project, they begin to bond over wine and gossip, and slowly share the truths behind their picture-perfect lives.

As a relationship therapist, Maggie is struggling with the painful, embarrassing reality of her floundering marriage. Rhea, despite her wealthy appearance, admits her troubled past could resurface and shatter her perfect world. But it's Anna who harbors the darkest secret, hiding the reality of her home life to protect the reputation of her husband – the school headmaster.

When the three women stumble upon a scandal the school has gone to great lengths to bury, Anna is caught in an impossible dilemma. With the centennial gala approaching, she must decide how far she's willing to go to expose the truth. Because doing so could wreck all of their perfect lives in one instant…

In this gripping tale of scandal, deception, and female solidarity, three women discover the steep price of perfection and the unshakable strength of friendship. A riveting, emotional story that will captivate fans of Big Little Lies, Lucinda Berry and Jodi Picoult.

Author Profile:                       

                                              

Caitlin Weaver's novels are about family secrets, the trial of modern motherhood, and the things that happen behind closed doors. She is also an essayist and editor covering topics including health, style, parenting, and business for outlets like Well+Good, Business Insider, Huff Post, Scary Mommy, and more.

Caitlin lives between Atlanta and Toronto with her husband and two young children. When she’s not writing you can find her on the tennis court, struggling with the NYT crossword puzzle, or reading “just one more” story to her kids.

Photos and Biographical information Courtesy of the following links.

Amazon Profile.   Goodreads Profile  Facebook Profile.   Twitter Profile.   Instagram Profile

Storm Publishing Profile.  Official Author Website.

The Second Marriage by Rebecca de Winter

                                                        

Ebook:  310 pages      

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Domestic Drama,                                            

Publisher:   September 26th 2024 by Storm Publishing

Source:  NetGalley - My Kindle

First Sentence: It wasn't like I didn't know who Emily Brigham was.

Review Quote: “An emotional rollercoaster… the tension ratchets and twists come thick and fast.” Reader Review,

My Opinion: 

Rebecca de Winter has written a contemporary novel about how women, even in this modern age are often judged on their looks, before their abilities as a person.  

Young women can it seems be so easily be lured into a false sense of security in relationships. This is exactly what happened with the protagonist Emily in this story. As a young woman she had an unhealthy obsessive and abusive relationship with a married man, Liam, whom she was very much in love with. In due course she is abandoned by him and ends up marrying and having a child with another man, Pete. She appears to be happy until Liam suddenly reappears in her life and everything starts to unravel.

It is suggested that this is a thriller, but I feel it fits better into the domestic drama genre. I neither loved or hated it and therefore can only suggest that it is an ok read if this sort of storyline appeals to you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm publishing for the opportunity to read and review 'The Second Marriage'

Précis Courtesy of NetGalley:

New husband. Old secrets.

I know it’s a cliche, but your wedding day really does go past in a blur, even if you’ve done it before. When I look back, I only remember snippets: walking down the aisle of the ballroom, my silk skirts blowing in the sea breeze… 

I thought my second marriage would be different. He was everything my first husband wasn't – magnetic, successful… But I started noticing things. Small things at first, then bigger ones.

Why was there an old phone hidden in his desk? And those torn-up letters he tried to hide? At first, I thought he must be cheating, but it wasn’t that. It was a hundred times worse. 

They say there's nothing like becoming someone's wife. But guess what's even more unforgettable? Becoming his widow on the same day. Did he think he was the only one with skeletons in his closet? It turns out, some secrets aren’t meant to be told...

Author Profile:                       

                                              

Rebecca de Winter has two kids, works in corporate, and lives in suburbia. Her favourite movie is Thelma & Louise. She has ADHD, is deaf, synaesthetic and left-handed. She sometimes rock climbs. She loves weights and hates running. Her first word was book and as a child she wanted to be both an author and Madonna's back-up dancer. Her short stories and flash fiction have been published online. She's also been a finalist in several national novel writing competitions. She's obsessed with dark, messy, complex, female protagonists - real women. They could be your colleague, your BFF, your wife, or mother, or girlfriend. They can be anything except cookie cutter... unless they are also a serial killer. She loves to write stories about the secrets people keep, the masks they wear - and what happens when their true selves are revealed. She also loves to show you why people do the terrible things they do. Or sometimes, leave you guessing. Books she's loved are Girl A, Notes on an Execution, The Marsh King's Daughter, Strange Sally Diamond, The Push, The Family Upstairs, The It Girl and of course, Gone Girl.

Photos and Biographical information Courtesy of the following links.

Amazon Profile  Facebook - Rebecca de Winter - Writer.  Instagram Profile

The Other Mrs Eden by Becky Alexander

 

                                           

 Ebook:    282 pages      

Genre: Domestic Drama, Contemporary Thriller, Fiction                                           

Publisher:   September 11th 2024 by Storm Publishing

Source:  NetGalley - My Kindle

First Sentence: 'She's a total bitch. Good luck.' I watched the woman march down the path towards the road, banging the gate behind her.

Review Quote: ‘Fascinating… a gripping story.’ Harriet Tyce, bestselling author of Blood Orange

My Opinion: 

Not the thriller I was expecting, but more of a domestic drama and the title disappointed me. It just does not make a good fit. The characters are not particularly likeable either but I am sure this was the authors intention. I kept reading though despite these minor irritations and am glad I did so.

The female protagonists are Kim, the would be actress who gets a job as PA to Jemima Eden a famous actress. Life is not as it seems on the surface for Jemima and her husband George as Kim discovers as she becomes more and more entrenched in the couples life.

The suspense kept me interested and the ending is a good and for me unexpected twist. Fans of domestic drama will enjoy this quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

I never imagined I'd be living in Jemima Eden's world. As her new assistant I'm suddenly part of a life I've only ever dreamed of. After years of barely scraping by, juggling temp jobs and failed auditions, it feels like my chance to finally be someone.

Author Profile:

 Photo Courtesy of Goodreads              

Becky Alexander is a non-fiction book editor by day and writes dark, twisty thrillers by night. Being more inclined to hiding behind a screen, Becky has always been fascinated by the psychology of actors - just why do they put themselves in the spotlight and face all that competition and rejection? To find out, Becky started acting classes and has recently taken part in her first play - which was as terrifying as expected. 

Becky is a Curtis Brown novel writing course alumni (course led by Charlotte Mendelson). Her first novel, Someone Like You, is about ambitious, driven women and what they will do to get success. Any resemblance to living people is purely intentional...                                               

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page.    Goodreads Author Profile