The dizzy freedom of a night out without her young son has terrible consequences for first time mother Sally.

Married to a man who has been through it all before, Sally isn't always sure that she is doing this parenting thing right and if she's wrong... well someone will be sure to correct her. Living with her extrovert husband and his daughter from his first marriage, Sally truly wants to enjoy this time with baby Oliver but the first year is turning out to be more than she ever thought it could be. There's so much more work, much more worrying to do, and it's definitely more exhausting than anything else Sally has ever experienced.

Trying to anticipate all possible dangers to a baby in a modern home is taxing enough. When Sally wakes up after her night out to be told that baby Oliver has a broken arm, Sally's whole world is turned upside down. Oliver is placed in foster care and Sally is prepared to do anything to get him back. Her husband Richard is not accusing her of hurting him, and oddly neither is her teenage stepdaughter Martha. Shouldn't they all be questioning each other?

Digging into the parental guilt that is heaped upon all new parents, HUSH LITTLE BABY is that needling little voice in your head telling you that you're not doing it right, and that someone else could probably do it better. Sally's character alternates between maternal confidence and maternal guilt; we're never quite sure if she is genuinely apathetic, guilty, or simply exhausted. The speed at which her child is taken from her is frightening, and the lack of real support she has shown to her is heartbreaking. This novel does much to illustrate that success is often just a facade, and that family members living in the same household can actually have little clue what the others are going through.

The world truly can come to a stop when a new little person enters the world and for mothers the expectations placed upon them, often by themselves as well as by others, are doomed not to be met. The poking and prodding into Sally's wellbeing is an insidious beast, eroding Sally's self confidence and ability to see clearly. We're truly invested in seeing this family come out the other side. There is much to take home from this immersive book where no one trusts anyone else enough to tell the truth.

Hush Little Baby isn't a thriller but more of a mystery: a story of how things can be misinterpreted easily and a family's life turned upside down as a result.

Baby Oliver is discovered to have broken his arm one night after his mother has gone out alone for the first time since his birth. When she gets home Oliver cannot stop crying and is taken to hospital where social services become involved, an occurrence that happens when a child has an unexplained injury. They remove him from his parents for his protection and the family is left devastated.

Told from three different points of view: mother Sally, father Richard and sister Molly, each of whom has a secret they do not wish exposed from the night that Oliver is injured. Although difficult, the issues of family dysfunction child abuse are handled well in Hush Little Baby. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin/Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Believable and frightening book about families, disintegrating relationships and teenage children...

Interesting premise with good tension building and very absorbing in parts. Overall didn't really enjoy it so 3 from me as it has its merits.

Little baby Oliver breaks his arm. No one will say what happened. His mother had been drunk on a night out. His father is angry and his sister is resentful. They all have something to hide....

The story is told by three people. The mother (Sally), the father (Richard) and the older half sister (Martha). It tells of the dysfunctional family and covers issues such as infidelity, post natal depression and eating disorders. The social services have to decide if baby Oliver is at risk and place him in the care of Richards parents. The pace is set quite steady. The characters and the plot line are believable. You might find yourself thinking about this book long after you' e finished it.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing and the author Joanna Bernard for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of Oliver, his parents Richard & Sally and Richard's teenage daughter Martha. When 10 month old Oliver is found to have a fractured arm, nobody can say how it happened, Sally was out for the evening leaving Richard at home with Oliver and Martha, but things aren't actually as they appear to be.

The story is told from three perspectives, Richard's, Sally's and Martha's and each of them have something to hide but what is it and will their secrets be revealed, will what really happened to Oliver come out or will he be another child lost to the system. Sally and Richard are determined not to let that happen.

Child abuse, if that's what this was, is a very tough subject to read and I imagine write about but the author covered this topic beautifully and very delicately and the characters were all very endearing in their own way. This is the first book I've read by this author but I found it very hard to put down right from the first page and read it in less than a day, I will certainly be reading more of her work.

I would like to thank Penguin Random House UK Ebury for approving me to read this book and will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on publication day.

I was really looking forward to reading Hush Little Baby.

Baby Oliver has broken his arm and no one can't say why or how it happened. His mother is exhausted and his father is plain angry while his older (half) sister is resentful of the attention Oliver is getting. Yet it seems they all have a secret to hide.

This is the first book I've read by Joanna Barnard and I really enjoyed it. Although I did predict the ending, the book still kept me enthralled until the very end. It's a delicate subject that was handled in a sensitive way.

I would happily give this book 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House UK Ebury Publishing and the author for the chance to review.

Although the plot of this book was interesting I felt no tension in either the timing or the language. It just all seemed too casual. Having your child taken from you even into the care of a family member must be one of the most stressful things that can happen to you but Sally and Richard seemed to take it all in their stride.
I enjoyed the way the chapters were individually led bu the different characters and the plot at sub plot were promising. I felt frustrated by the end of the story as it sounded like a good read but failed to deliver to its potential.

Who knows what goes on behind closed doors.We don't really know what happens in our neighbours houses as much as we might think we know them or otherwise.This is a cautionary tale of a baby with a broken arm and no obvious reason or person to blame, who did it.... It is a character driven book and quite different to my usual reads in many ways.I cannot honestly say it was a fun read, but then I wasn't expecting it to be.It was well written and the pace was good .I can't honestly say I want to read more books like this anytime soon but it wouldn't put me off the author as I think she writes well.

Parents Sally and Richard suffer their worst nightmare when baby Oliver is removed from their care, deemed "at risk". Richard has a daughter, Martha, from his first marriage and she is living with him, his ex-mistress now current wife Sally and their son Oliver. Sally is currently on maternity leave and is struggling with Oliver. She is a bit overprotective but is doing her best albeit in a tired and often emotional way. One evening she goes out with work colleagues and gets a bit drunk. In the middle of the night she is woken by Richard as Oliver is clearly in distress. Taking him to the A&E is the obvious thing to do but little did they know what can of worms this action will unleash. He's broken his arm and no one can work out how he did it. This is just the start of their nightmares as slowly their lives start to unravel around them as secret after secret, lie after lie come out. Their fight to get Oliver back is hindered at every turn as more and more, their own lives are called into question.
On the whole, I enjoyed this book. Told from the perspective of the three main characters; Sally, Richard and Martha, we are given multiple perspectives of what is really going on behind closed doors. The set up is good, the actual event is well veiled for the majority of the book with the occasional glimpse into the truth, the aftermath equally well handled as we followed the trio on what happened next but, what did fall short for me was the ending; when we found out what really happened. I think I may have been spoilt by reading so many books of this genre that it maybe takes more to impress me than most but I have to say that the ending left me a little flat and not wholly satisfied. I am not sure what I wanted it to be, there were enough "suspects" along the way for it to have easily been a different scenario, one of many in my head already, and I am not altogether sure why I didn't like the author's ending but it just didn't work for me. This is not a reason to class the book as bad, far from it, the rest of it was quality writing. Good, well defined characters, great pacing, good balance between description and story. All the things I need for a book to be a good read. It just fell short for me cos personally I didn't like the ending. I am sure that many will disagree but that's part of life's rich tapestry - can't please everyone and all that. It definitely won't be putting me off this author. Not at all.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

All too often in the press you hear about another battered baby, that Social Services have not gotten to in time. In the subsequent media reports, you hear that Social Services were aware of the danger, but due to work overload, and/or negligence, nothing was done, and the child was left with its abusive parents. There is justifiable moral outrage that such a thing should happen, government enquiries, a court case, promises of change, blame apportioned to Social Services and department heads rolling. And then the next baby dies …
This book is not like that. Two very concerned, caring parents, turn up in A &E with their 4 month old son, Oliver, who is screaming, and has apparently hurt his arm. The examining doctor ascertains that the arm is broken, in a way that is suggestive of abuse. Neither parent can explain how this has happened. Both are visibly upset. The doctor immediately alerts Social Services. There is no history of physical abuse in the family. X-rays show that this is the only bone damage in Oliver’s short life, and there are no other visible signs of maltreatment. But Social Services believe that it is better safe than sorry – and remove Oliver from his parents, to be cared for by his paternal grandparents. He can only be seen by his parents on supervised visits.
We, the public, should be applauding Social Services for such timely intervention. But, through the book, you get to know the parents, Richard and Sally, and the older (step-) daughter, Martha. They all have their flaws, and are not telling everything that they know, but that does not imply guilt. You desperately want them all to be innocent of ever hurting Oliver, and from all you can see, they are. You also see how Oliver’s removal is tearing the family apart. That precious first year of a baby’s life is being denied to those who love him the most. There is a constant fear, that they will never get Oliver back.
Few parents ever believe that they have got parenting right all the time. There are always doubts and niggles. Probably even Dr Spock had moments of uncertainty. Supervised visits by Social Services are almost designed to introduce worries and Sally begins to distrust all her mothering instincts.
Sally, Richard and Martha each narrate chapters in turn, so you see the situation from three different points of view. Each of them becomes a fully realised and believable character. While I had so much sympathy for Sally and Martha (not because of their gender), I found Richard to be rather contemptable. However, I could not see even him hurting Oliver.
You slowly discover what everyone is trying to hide – but not until right at the end do you find out what really happened on that fateful night.
An excellent domestic drama, dealing with the repercussions of suspected – and actual – child abuse and exploitation, of teenage angst and self-harm, with an added dose of suspense that turns it into a slow boiling thriller.

An amazing drama centred round a family . Brilliant characters and fantastic storyline

A well written book that keeps you turning pages. The characters are believable, and well written, even those with minor roles have been thoroughly thought through. Whilst the plot begins slowly, it does gather pace and sweeps you along at increasing speed.
The theme, of child injury, is not something I would ordinarily read but it's handled well and sub plots exists so it's not all about child protection. This is a good read it covers a range of family issues with absolute ease. Definitely worth a read.

A well written domestic thriller. Kept me hooked all the way through and a fantastic ending
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This had pretty much all the ingredients to be a brilliant book but I just felt it lacked something and i think that something was emotion. This is the story of ten month old Oliver and his family and how he came to break his arm and the events that followed. I just felt that it read in a really impersonal manner. Good book but lacked feeling.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
When baby Oliver sustains a fracture all suspicions are aimed at the parents. The baby is removed from the home and given to his grandparents to look after, with the parents allowed supervised visits.
The story concentrates on the individual characters, their relationships, their secrets and lies. Told through the eyes of the various characters it is interesting and well paced, and kept me intrigued.
I really enjoyed the way this was written and the strength of the book is in the characters who are brilliantly depicted.

Entertaining book with intetesting characters. Really gets you thinking about what individuals may do when they are pushed too far...

Hush Little Baby

I really sped through this book. It's not an easy subject matter to read about but it's so well written by Joanna Barnard that it quite simply gripped me and I couldn't put it down!

Oliver is 10 months old and has a broken arm, but how did it happen? Who is keeping secrets? Who knows what happened to Oliver? This is a truly thought provoking read that will really get you thinking. I'm sure there are some parts that most parents can relate to and it'll make you think twice about throw away comments you may make in the future!

Scarily realistic in places, heart wrenching and heart breaking, this is an engaging read that you won't want to put down. Highly recommended, five shiny stars from purplebookstand!

This book defines a parent's worst nightmare. Your child has been harmed, but nobody knows how.. Your child is then taken away from you, and you are accused of the crime.

The novel is a brilliant exploration of some of the darkest times in the life of this family, told from the perspective of each member. It is a thoroughly captivating and engagting story, told with a perfect balance of realism and respect for this event which causes such diffuculty in so many families' lives. I would highly recommend this novel.