Member Reviews

A gripping story of love, friendship and betrayal with a heavy dose of secrets, lies and deceit thrown into the mix. A could not put down type thriller.

Was this review helpful?

Omg talk about a roller coaster read wow this book kept me on the edge of my seat threw out I just couldn't put it down this writer keeps you hooked and once your hooked your not letting go I found this book thrilling the characters were fantastic and well thought out and the little clues all the way threw keep you guessing until the end this book stays with you long after you close the book this book is well worth the read I promise you wont be disappointed

Was this review helpful?

This was a twisty, turny, snappy and sophisticated read that kept me guessing. I loved the characters and how clever the storyline was.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this compelling twisted read, with great characters. It reminded me of Big Little Lies.

Was this review helpful?

This book sounded great and I persevered through it but I’m sorry to say I didn’t like it and don’t recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

A Simple Favour is a book I never really got into due to the unlikeable characters so therefore having no real investment in their lives and also the stupidity of the online posts at the beginning of the book were not something I would think would be written in real life as it felt really unreal and almost dumb.
This is described as an edge of the seat thriller and this was for me as far from that description and by thirty percent of the book I’d pretty much figured it out. One character in this book does die but this is almost glossed over very quickly.
I’m sorry but this wasn’t a book I’d want to get any of my friends or family to read which is a shame as the storyline was there.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

The Simple Favour by Darcey Bell tries to be a twisting, turning, scandalous psychological thriller. Unfortunately it is far from the exciting thriller it tries to be.

Stephanie is a stay-at-home mommy blogger. A single mother to 6-year old Miles, she was left a widow after a tragic car accident took the lives of both her husband Davis and her half-brother Chris. She now spends her time blogging to her online community of mom friends. In the real world, Stephanie’s best friend is Emily; Miles’ best friend Nicky’s mom. The two women are best friends, made even closer by the fact that their sons are also best friends. Emily works in the fashion industry and is glamorous and successful and everything that Stephanie admires. But when Emily goes missing, leaving her son in her care, Stephanie starts to wonder if she ever really knew her best friend at all.

A Simple Favour tries to shock the reader with reveal after reveal of shocking family history, secrets and lies. But for me it was all a little bit silly and I felt the author just went overboard. I don’t feel it was very realistic and Stephanie’s blog is ridiculously cringey and, if it was real, I doubt she’d have the online following she’s portrayed to have in this book.

Emily’s story is wholly unbelievable and just goes to far into the ridiculous. So many lies and so many different twists and turns that it feels like the author was desperately clutching at straws for that shock twist ending that just never comes.

The end of A Simple Flavour is disappointing and wrapped up quickly with no real resolution of what will happen next for any of the characters. It was an easy read but nothing exciting or gripping for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Darcey Bell and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A book that starts out like a 'normal' story of a mother and her best friend, and mommies in NY suburbs and then gradually becomes darker and more twisted as the truths of their lives begin to unfold.

And then, half-way through, a really big twist turns the story into something else entirely! Something you had not anticipated and it all goes into a spiral from there...

And at the end there is a cliff-hanger, that leaves you to make up your own mind about the ending. 

I found this really enticing as a story as the main characters have such secrets that they have carefully hidden, for a variety of reasons, and their own real personalities are hidden too. I couldn't wait to find out what they would do next. And how they would spin half-truths and blame others... All of them characters you really could not empathise with, for any reason at all...

Good solid writing if not great.

Was this review helpful?

One thing I hate is titles that tell you what to think - 'An edge-of-your-seat thriller with a chilling twist'. Well, in my mind a thriller should be edge-of-your-seat otherwise it wouldn't be a thriller, and telling me there is a chilling twist - why? Many thrillers, probably most nowadays, do have a twist at the end, and even if this was not true, why telegraph it? Just leave it for the twist, otherwise it isn't a twist if you are expecting it, is it?
Ok, rant over. This is a perfectly fine thriller but not as good as my expectations. A bit creepy, all the blogging, and rather disturbing. Poor kids, in the middle of all that. I received a review copy and read it through reasonably happily, so if you like this sort of thing it will be interesting.

Was this review helpful?

I really disliked this book; the inclusion of a mommy-blogger was probably enough for me though. Never has the term sancti-mommy ever been more appropriate. I found it interesting that Stephanie had no one else to turn to but her readers (and a good comment on the immersion of bloggers) but overall I couldn't believe the plot. I think my dislike of her character really got in the way of reading this novel and it meant that I couldn't immerse myself in the plot. I found myself actively angry at a lot of her actions and that meant that I didn't get my desired escapism.

I felt like this author was trying way too hard to be the next Gone Girl. I usually LOVE an unreliable narrator but having three of them was just tiresome. It created too many excuses for the author; it meant that leaps could be made with the plot that just didn't feel natural. The characters were cardboard cut-outs and this meant that all the bombarding new information just didn't feel real.

Was this review helpful?

So this is a great book with a good plot, you ask a friend to pick your child up at school as your running late, friend picks up your child, you just don't go back and pick up your kid!!!

There the story starts, it's full of secrets and lies and betrayal and twists and turns! I personally didn't like Emily or Stephanie but that didn't spoil the book.

That's all I'm going to say, oh and read the book you won't regret it....

Was this review helpful?

A 5* read I devoured in a day ...... A great debut thriller that I think is this years Gone Girl
Stephanie and Emily become friends at the school gates ..... Emily a mum holding down a high flying job asks Stephanie a Simple Favour - to care for her son after school and never picks him up ..... What follows is a great read that I would highly recommend!! Each part of the book told by the 3 main characters from their perspective- I loved it!!!

Was this review helpful?

This story was ok. It's about two friends, Emily and Stephanie. Their children play together and one day Emily asks Stephanie to pick up her young son after school. this is nothing out of the ordinary until Emily does not come and collect him. Stephanie reaches out on her blog to try and find Emily. However Emily is declared dead when her body is found. Then Stephanie starts an affair with Sean, Emily's husband. So how will this all end? Read on!

Was this review helpful?

Yet another book trying desperately to be the next 'Gone Girl' , complete with unlikeable characters, unpalatable secrets,, unreliable diary entries, and a totally ridiculous story. There's not much to like about this book.

Was this review helpful?

A Simple Favour is a twisting free-fall ride filled with betrayal, reversal, secrets and revelations, love and loyalty. Darcey Bell ratchets up the tension in a taut, unsettling, and completely absorbing thriller that holds you in its grip until the final page. It starts with a simple favour - an ordinary kindness mothers do for one another.

When her best friend, Emily, asks Stephanie to pick up her son from school she happily says yes. Their children are classmates and best friends. And five-year-olds love being together - just like she and Emily. As a widow and stay-at-home blogger mum living in suburban Connecticut, Stephanie was lonely until she met Emily, a glamorous and successful PR executive. The trouble is that Emily doesn't come back. No matter what the police say, Stephanie knows that she would never leave her son.

Terrified, she reaches out to her fellow mummy bloggers. And she also reaches out to Emily's husband - just to offer her support. What Stephanie hasn't shared are the secrets buried in a murky past.

Manipulation, secrets and lies are the name of the game in this book. I can't quite decide whether I liked this book or not - some of it was quite boring but parts were absolutely staggering. The ending is left open ... so there could be a follow on. 3.5*

Was this review helpful?

This book confused me a little. I felt like the main bulk of the story was interesting enough (although not terribly original) but it was padded out with WAY too much detail. I feel that it could have been a third shorter in length, which in my opinion would have made it a lot more enjoyable to read. It just seemed to include a lot of unnecessary information which dragged the rest of the story down. It had some good twists which I didn't see coming, but I wasn't a fan of the 'blog' excerpts and I felt a lot of the events were recapped, first in the blog and then told again from the viewpoint of Stephanie. The idea behind this is interesting, as it's realistic (bloggers often portray their lives through rose-tinted glasses) but to me it was just boring. If this was a little less 'fluffy' and a little more focused I feel it would have made a much better thriller. 3 stars.

Was this review helpful?

Wow this is a seriously twisted tale, every page brings something new
At times I had to read it twice to make sure I had read it correctly and I had
If you want a page turning psychological thriller then this meets the bill in every sense

Was this review helpful?

how can I describe this book without giving anything away??? All I would say is if you like gone girl girl on a train etc then read this! It is a bit slow to start but by 50% you will be pleased you stuck with it!!!! The characters were really well written and I was totally gripped! Will definitely be looking out for this author again!

Was this review helpful?

Sorry, unable to finish this book. Therefore I can't review it. It wasn't for me.

Was this review helpful?

- [ ]

A Simple Favour

The synopsis of this book really made me want to read it and I'm so glad I did!

One day, Emily asks best friend Stephanie to pick her son up from school. Stephanie gladly obliges but the problem is, Emily doesn't come back...this is a fast paced book, full of twists and turns and red herrings galore. It's definitely worth a read!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, 4*.

Was this review helpful?