I really enjoyed this book, reading the story from different sides was interesting and added depth to the plot. It wasn't confusing like it can be and I knew who's view it was even if I didn't read the chapter heading. It was lovely to see a family with issues still be close and support each other despite the 'blame'
It was a light read however it still dealt with serious issues. I enjoyed this book very much.

A really well written book about how the lives of two families intertwine. It is about affairs, love and betrayal over a period of years. It is told from several points of view. This is an interesting read about family life. Affairs and divorce and the breakdown of a relationship and family life affect people differently. This story is a really insightful and empathetic look at the hurt and pain an affair can cause on all sides.

I really enjoyed this book, kept me gripped, and wanting to read on. Quite a complicated story, how an affair affected two families and in particular 4 different family members. Sometimes a little confusing and hard to remember which character's perspective I was reading from - each chapter was based on one of the character's perspective of things.
Gives you lots to think about, from living through family break ups, OCD, living with seriously ill partners. Recommended the book to several friends already.

This is a contemporary story with flashbacks, set in London and Norfolk. The author tells the tale of two dysfunctional families through the 4 voices of one of those families. Nick is an academic specialising in memory and the 4 voices serve to indicate how memories may be created and serve to construct the stories one wants to believe. For this reader the use of 4 voices meant I did not empathise with any of the characters and I found the story rather disjointed. Daisy, Nick's daughter suffers from OCD and her compulsive rituals form a large part of the narrative as does the alternative treatment chosen by Lisa, Nick's second wife who is suffering from 4th stage breast cancer. All of the characters, whether narrators or not, have relationship difficulties and emotional issues which made for a somewhat depressing read. Having said that, it would seem that the author has undertaken research into the issues discussed but this did not for me make for an intriguing novel.

This is a very serious, intelligently written novel. It is eloquent in style and there's a fascinating medical knowledge base. It is written in first person by four characters which I found a little difficult at first but it worked in that it showed how each character dealt with their problems and circumstances. Nick leaves Rosie for her best friend Lisa. Seven years on you learn about the effects it has had on all the family members. This takes the story into the realms of infidelity, drunkenness, breast cancer and mental illness. Rosie's daughter Daisy suffers from OCD triggered by the separation of her parents. In line with the illness her condition digresses if there is change or if a difficult situation arises. For me this was the most compelling, pivotal part of the plot. The characters are vividly defined especially Daisy and her brother Max. The two dysfunctional families struggle to cope in their different ways. I did wonder if the ending was slightly flat. Thank you for letting me read it.

A thought provoking book with brilliant characterisation - Fiona Neill obviously understands moody teenagers! Daisy battles with OCD, worsened by a family holiday with old friends which doesn't go well. Her once best friend Ava shuns her and she feels rejected by Ava's older brother Rex who doesn't realise the extent of Daisy's crush on him. Meanwhile, younger brother Max, always seemingly the well-balanced one is having to cope with Daisy's increasingly obsessive behaviour. This book is written from the perspective of Daisy, Max and their parents Rosie and Nick. It is interesting to see how they all view things differently and miss significant details which are important to the others as they become immersed in their own issues.
A brilliant, perceptive and at times funny book that will have you debating the rights and wrongs of relationships from every angle.

First and foremost, I have such mixed feelings about this book. I loved the idea behind it (the story of an affair and the way it directly - and indirectly - impacts on four different family members, told through the eyes of each of the four individuals), but wasn't sure whether it really worked in its execution.

The writing in Neill's book was absolutely flawless and done in such a clever way, allowing you to really get to know each of the characters and their idiosyncrasies. It was fascinating to see how each of the four separate lives intertwined to reveal more and more secrets and stories as the tale unfolded, giving you little snippets of clues and insights as it went on. Unfortunately however, I felt that the plot itself did not really amount to much. The main selling point of The Betrayals for me, is how cleverly the story has been woven and the writing style which draws the reader in. But I felt that in terms of a climax the book fell flat, and a story that could be told in much less pages dragged on far longer than it needed to in order to reach its conclusion. The lead-up to the book's ending would have you think that there was a huge cataclysmic event that would be revealed, but in reality it left a lot to be desired, and I was left thinking: "Is that it?"

I will definitely be looking out for more of Neill's books as this has been a great introduction into her brilliant writing style, but I hope for a completely different plot next time.

A very mixed up family story. Intertwined life's, obsessions and compulsions. Didn't do it for me.

An interesting read that took a while to get into, possibly because I didn't really like the characters.
It proved to be an extremely well written story about cause and effect within families and relationships and the devastating consequences of betrayal and secrets. The characters were well drawn and the story unfolded slowly. The book was beautifully tied together with the quite simple reveal at the end. Everything fell into place and made sense.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

Oh what a tangled web we weave.....This is a very unusual book which kept me interested from the beginning. Dealing with some very serious issues it weaves through the effects of Betrayals in many forms and the different effect that the same actions have on each of the characters and in some cases their perception of events

The Betrayals is a family drama telling the story of two families torn apart by the affair between one of the wives with her best friend's husband.

Rosie and Lisa have been friends for years and their children follow the same path as the families share holidays together. Then Lisa has an affair with Nick, Rosie's husband. The fall out has implications for both couples and their children, one of whom, Daisy, has OCD, while Lisa herself is diagnosed with cancer.

Told from several points of view the retelling of the same events by each character was a little difficult to follow at times but it illustrated how we can all see the same action differently. The story highlights several sensitive issues which appear to have been well researched and written with compassion. While the ending was anti climatic to me, The Betrayals is a thought provoking novel and a wry commentary on contemporary family life. Thanks to Netgalley and PenguinUK/Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read and review the book.

I felt I could really relate to the characters in this book and felt all the emotions they were going through I liked the fact that you couldn't really guess the outcome which made the book more gripping. Would recommend

Really enjoyable and engrossing novel following two families after a betrayal. Recommended.

Interesting family drama that surrounds the break up of Daisy and Max's parents - an affair that leaves so many people reeling.

Rosie and Lisa had been best friends. So when Lisa goes off with her husband, there aftermath is devastating.

The books built up to a clever ending. Each of the children believing that the they could be to blame for the fallout that occurred after the affair.

I really warmed to Daisy, but found some of the other characters one dimensional - Ava in particular.

There are many sides to the story, which one will you believe?

I found this book difficult to put down - there were so many strands to the story that needed resolving that I found myself reading and sometimes re-reading every single word, which is a compliment, as I often just skim-read books. This is a contemporary story of 2 nuclear families pulled apart by events 7 years previously. Each substantial section is written from the perspective of members of one of the families - the Daughter, Son, Mother and Father - both today and 7 years ago. The title of the book is apt, with relatively minor transgressions that could be construed as being betrayals (reading somebody else private letter) however, the impact on the mental, physical and emotional well being of the characters throw-up shocks and major mis-understandings that are seriously gripping. And half-way through, the introduction of the spiritual woo/wah cult vegetable juicing guru character who could cure cancer with his quackery made me hope there was a mechanism for him to take a long walk on a short plank into shark infested seas.

The betrayals by fiona Neil.
When Rosie Rankin's best friend has an affair with her husband, the consequences reverberate down through the lives of two families. Relationships are torn apart. Friendships shattered. And childish innocence destroyed. Her daughter Daisy's fragile hold on reality begins to unravel when a letter arrives that opens up all the old wounds. Rosie's teenage son Max blames himself for everything which happened that long hot summer. And her brittle ex-husband Nick has his own version of events. As long-repressed memories bubble to the surface, the past has never seemed more present and the truth more murky. Sometimes there are four sides to every story. Who do you believe? Told through the eyes of four members of the same family, The Betrayals takes an unflinching look at contemporary family life, explores the nature of memory and desire and asks whether some things can ever be forgiven.
This was a slow but good read. I took my time reading it and took breaks from it hoping I would get into it. But it's still a struggle. 3*. Netgalley and penguin books uk- Michael Joseph.

I am afraid that I could not continue reading this book. Having my daughter awaiting results for breast cancer meant that I could not manage to read anything regarding cancer and tumours, sorry.

This is a story of a family. Rosie and Nick, their two children Daisy and Max and friends Lisa and Barney and their children Ava and Rex. Friendships are tested between adults and children with heartbreak for all.
This book has multiple main characters and each have their own issues. They were all interesting in their own way but I felt that the story had you engrossed with one character and then suddenly you were reading about another so it didn't flow perfectly.,
The book did pull me in and I wanted to help Daisy with her struggles or at least get her parents to see what was happening again.. You were left feeling as if they all deserved some happiness but struggled to find it. Worth a read.

Two families built on honesty, loyalty, trust and true friendship gradually disintegrates into an array of mix feelings and internal family turmoil resulted from an unintentional betrayal between the parents. This eventually sparks off an emotional roller-coaster ride on their children's feelings and mental stress.
It also describes how both families struggle through to overcome the inevitable situations in life.
A bitter sweet ending with a twist!