Rosie and Nick had a happy family: she, an oncologist, he expert in the mechanics of memory, a daughter and a son.

The novel starts with the happiness already shattered since some years, precisely since the time Nick left his family to go living with Lisa, Rosie's ex best friend, who left herself her family.

The trigger element of the story is a letter to Rosie, where Lisa shares the fact she is dying of cancer and wants a last meeting with her friend to tell her a last secret.

The novel is built on four points of view (of Rosie, Nick, Daisy e Max), and soon we understand that their family is quite a dysfunctional one, and each of them has some secrets she/he does not want to share. We understand also that Rosie is very attached to her work - maybe too much - and that she is still sentimentally recovering from Nick's leaving; Max is a brilliant student but very insecure, always wanting the approval of his new girlfriend. The most interesting PoVs are Days's and Nick's, both unreliable narrators, the former because of her OCD, the latter for his choice of omitting details. The theme of time that modifies the way we recollect past events is one of the most relevant in the novel, ironically also because of Nick's professional activity.

The story of the family is nicely built thanks to the four PoVs and a jump to the past, to the summer when the changes begun. In the end I liked The Betrayals, it is an engaging and well-built novel.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me the copy necessary to write this review.

I couldn’t really connect with this book and I’m not sure if it was because we jumped from character to character

This was an ok book and fairly easy going.. I liked the characters especially Daisy, made me notice some OCD actions of my own! Not sure I would specifically look for more of these books, but would read if stumbled upon. I may be a bit harsh on this book but have read some very good books recently and this one didn’t quite match up to them.

This book took me a while to read but I had to finish it! What I didn’t enjoy was all the medical info and the length of detail the author went into describing some of the medical issues ! I skimmed a lot of it as I personally found it boring. However, the book is a really good read! The story is told from different characters perspectives throughout which I loved and each has their own story! I thought the book was a fantastic read other than two much medical info in to much detail but that’s my opinion! A must read !!!

I dislike giving negative reviews, but I'm afraid this one wasn't for me. I tried twice to read it but each time had to abandon it. There's nothing wrong with the quality of the writing , and the story of the dysfunctional family is one that is all too common in society , however, I enjoy a storyline that lifts my spirits or engrosses me in a mystery to be solved, this, I'm afraid does neither.

Not so much a thriller, but a tale of love and betrayal told through the eyes of four members of one family. Two families are torn apart when one husband has an affair with his wife’s best friend detroying a childhood friendship. It was really easy to read and although the subject matter is serious it didn’t feel entirely sombre. Not outstanding but a throughly decent read.

The book is mainly about two best friends, one betrays the other and has an affair with her husband. Their lives are blown apart and the fall out is immense.

The book touches on lots of subjects such as OCD, affairs, addictions & cancer amongst other things.

The books told via the 4 main characters who are all as dysfunctional as each other! In general I wasn’t blown away but I wasn’t disappointed either, it was a decent read.

I have to admit I nearly put this down after the first few chapters but something compelled me to go back to it and I am so glad I did. A very dark domestic saga of a family and their friends. They holiday together until one summer when various situations end the friendship as it was. Written in four voices of the family - father, mother and two children it shows them in todays time and then each takes us back to their memories of that fateful Summer holiday. Deceits, lies and possible distorted memories make for a good read with some perfectly timed surprises. A dark read dealing with mental health, physical health and heartbreak.

A very interesting insight into OCD, including living with it and living with someone who has it. Otherwise slightly long winded and repetitive book going over the same Information from different perspectives. The betrayal that is supposed to be so earth shattering, mentioned in the first chapter, is quite a damp squib by the time you get to it.

Well written, and cleverly depicted with a plot that manages to go full circle before the end of the novel. This multiple character view point novel is heartbreaking on so many levels. My only disappointment is that I feel there was more of the story to be told and therefore it ended at least one chapter too soon.

'The betrayals' by Fiona Neill is a mystery/thriller focussing on 2 best friends and how their lives become entwined, messy and ultimately end in tragedy. 'The betrayals' is told from different POV and Neill has this style mastered. Many novels are telling the story from different character POV at the moment and for most it doesn't work however it suits 'The betrayals' perfectly. The writing style deepens the story by displaying different characters memories and emotions of the same event and one of my favourite things is it shows the ripple effect of how the actions of one character can affect another without them even knowing.

I thoroughly enjoyed "The betrayals" but I cannot rate it higher than 3 stars due to the ending feeling rushed. There were certain aspects of the novel that were drawn out so to rush the ending didn't do the book justice. Finally having 2 characters with floral like names, Rosie and Daisy got slightly confusing for me, I kept mixing them up. I don't know if anyone else felt this way or if it was just my silly brain.

All in all I enjoyed 'The betrayals' and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a light and easy mystery to read. Thank you to the publisher for a free ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a multi-layered tale of what happens when half of two close friend couples become too close. Rosie & Lisa were friends since school days, had their babies at nearly the same time and although life got in the way sometimes, manage to meet up with their families for a summer holiday each year. That is until the year when Lisa & Rosie's husband Nick, get together and split the families apart.

The story is told through the eyes of Rosie and Nick and their two children, Daisy & Max. Dealing with betrayal, guilt, secrets, cancer and OCD; this is not a light read but it is an absorbing one. A lot of research and thought has gone into this book. I found the OCD sections quite difficult to read at times-my heart went out to Daisy but I wanted to yell at her to talk to someone! Similarly I wanted to shake Max & tell him to speak about his feelings.

I can't quite make my mind up how to rate this book. 4.5 is really what it needs as I can't quite give it a 5*- probably because of the ending. It was a good read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher.

This is not the book to read if you want your spirits lifted! This is the book you read when you’re mad at the world, looking for a family who has it worse so you can feel better about your own story. It is bleak, unrelenting and heart wrenching, and while on the whole it is well composed, the very nature of the scenes unfolding throughout made me uncomfortable and took away from my enjoyment of the read.

This type of storyline never really interested me, to me they always felt the same. But I am glad I picked this up, I just could not put it down. I think Fiona Neill perfectly captures a modern-day family with all their ups and downs, and family dramas. I don't think many of the characters are that likeable, but then again, there is no such thing as a perfect all-loving family with perfect members. To me, that's what made the storyline and the characters a lot more lifelike and realistic. I thought the book was brilliantly written and paid attention to modern lifestyles made the novel a lot more real to me.

An engaging and thought provoking modern family drama from Fiona Neill here, with multiple viewpoints about how a family broke down and rearranged itself – a little like no two persons ever read the same book, no two memories are entirely the same.

It was a clever way of digging into very emotional subjects, that of divorce and its ripple effects – showing how 4 members of the same family view that time and how it impacted on them both then and now. Fiona Neill writes beautifully and tackles some heavy issues here such as OCD and cancer – it is extremely compelling and highly intriguing especially when you hear so many different versions of the same event.

This is one of those novels that leaves you pondering your own life after you’ve finished it – the characters are not all likable and all have their good and bad sides, you can never really know what is going on beneath the surface – The Betrayals acts as a spotlight on very current and likely life stuff we might face every day and in the end the solutions are not always clear cut.

Recommended for fans of riveting family drama.

Very much enjoyed this book, even though it's not my usual genre. The story keeps you hooked; even though few of the characters are likeable. Fabulous descriptions and characterisation. Love, family, illness, lust, hatred and betrayal wind together into this great book.

Quite a dark family drama - almost too dysfunctional a family to be honest; must ALL of them be damaged, diseased, drunk, faithless or abandoned?! I finished it, and found the writing to be very powerful, even lyrical in places (the Norfolk beach scenes especially) but perhaps a tad overlong in the chapters which focused on the daughter with OCD. I found myself becoming impatient with pages and pages of her rituals, though maybe that was the point?
This somewhat bleak tale has plenty of drama but I think too few likeable characters. Only Max made me truly care what happened to him.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

The book is written well and covers several sensitive topics, the effect an affair has on two families, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, alcoholism and cancer to name a few. I felt the book was well researched and very engaging. However I am really torn on how I feel about this book upon reaching the end. I absolutely love Fiona's writing style I was engrossed reading the book for hours at a time. But and it's a big BUT, I was so disappointed with the ending, not just a little bit disappointed but I felt completely let down. I thought my kindle was wrong that couldn't possibly be the end but it was too much was left open for me to give it more than 3 stars.

A book of two halves for me. I admit I struggled at first to get an understanding of the story. Made more difficult flirting between four characters in one family. It wasn’t until about 40% of the way through the book and especially the section where the family step into the past that the story becomes understandable and the. If made for compelling reading.

I am glad I continued to read!

This is a book that explores the effect of family breakup on the family members, through their individual voices.
Rosie Rankin’s husband, Nick, leaves her for her best friend Lisa, and consequently leaves his children, Daisy and Max, full of guilt for their perceived part in what happened.
It is set in two times, now, when Daisy is in her twenties, and Max is a student, and the fateful summer where things fell apart, when Daisy was 14, and Max 10.

The book is told in the voices of these four main characters, who alternate the narrative.
It becomes obvious that their perceptions of the same events are very different, and that Nick, who is an expert in memory seems to be the least perceptive.
The description of Daisy’s descent into OCD, as a way of coping with her anxieties, is one of the most compelling and believable that I have ever read, and the effect that this has on her mother and brother reads very true.

This description makes the book sound very dry and serious, when in fact there is a lot of humour, coincidences, and hope.

I’ve given the book four stars, not five, only because I found the ending unsatisfactory, although I’m not sure how it could be changed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read this book.