The Classroom by A.L. Bird is an intriguing, gripping and terrifying thriller that tackles the ever-growing concern of trusting someone in this era. The novel focuses on the main characters, Kirsten and her daughter Harriet, who must overcome the challenge of letting go for the first time. Little does Kirsten know, a very picky and eager teacher, Miriam Robertson, awaits the moment when Harriet enters the classroom, an encounter that leads to very dark and sinister events.

The novel leads us through a labyrinth of suspicion and manipulation that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. What I especially liked about this novel is the question it provokes: who can we really trust in 2018? With current affairs filled with misinformation and headlines depicting betrayal from every corner, this is a burning topic which AL Bird delicately approaches with elegance and grit.

Overall, The Classroom is a must-read if you are looking for an original thriller that delves deep into today's pressing issue: trust. Bird keeps readers guessing at every corner and keeps them clinging onto every single page. An utterly captivating story of betrayal, family bonds and loyalty, The Classroom will definitely leave a lasting impression.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

Complex and very interesting read! Firstly I really enjoyed it Secondly there are plot flaws and areas of the story that were not quite believable BUT because the book was so well written and fascinating I glossed them over in my mind.

Kirsten and Ian have been trying for years to conceive a baby and when it never panned out they decided to try IVF. There is a child named Harriet that was born and now Ian and Kirsten are parents. As time goes on Harriet turns five and enters kindergarten. Harriet’s teacher is Beth. and Beth has more to do with Harriet than just being her teacher. As school gets underway, Beth feels that Kirsten and Ian are not the parents they should be. It is finally determined that Beth and Ian conceived Harriet and Kirsten and Ian were to raise her. However, Beth wants her child back. This was not the story that I was hoping it was not was it an easy read. The story line and timeframe flopped around too much and it was really annoying to deal with Beths character. I found her to be just intolerable. I cannot actually recommend this book and give it 2 stars.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This was really an entertaining read and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Recommended to anyone who loves a good solid read. Can't wait for another one.

*thank you to Netgalley, A. L. Bird and HQ Digital for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


3 stars.

Umm. While this story had a strong start, I felt that it eventually leveled out and at times lost my interest. But it was good enough that it kept me reading right to the end so I guess that says something. One thing I didn't like was that when a twist was revealed, it was written in a way to make it seem like it was no big deal and that we readers should have known it already. I don't really like it when these things are written that way. But that could be more about how I think than that was what was intended. I will add that I quite like the cover. It's eye catching. Overall it was good but I wouldn't highly recommend it.

Title:The Classroom
Author: A.L.Bird
Genre:psychological thriller
Pages: 384
HQ Digital
September 16th 2018
Rating: 3.5

Letting go of your daughter for the first time isn’t easy

After years of IVF, Kirsten White is a devoted mum to Harriet and she can’t believe the time has come to send her little girl off to school. But Harriet has now turned five, and she can’t stay Kirsten’s baby forever. It might be hard, but it’s time to entrust her daughter’s care to her new teacher.

the classroom is the one place she should be safe.

Miriam Robertson has been waiting for the perfect little girl to walk into her class. She’s very picky but when Harriet walks in, Miriam knows: this is the child she’s been waiting for.

Harriet knows not to speak to strangers. But her lovely new teacher isn’t a stranger at all. In fact, she’s her new best friend. And you can always trust your friends can’t you

My thoughts
Would I recommend it? yes
Would I read anything else by this author? maybe
For A psychological thriller I was surprised that how long it took for the story to actually build up to a point where I didn't want to stop reading it , and I read a lot of thrillers including psychological ones, this one was slow going from the start , and I get it not every thriller can be fast going from the very start , and there's times I even like a thriller to be slow going but not as slow as this one is and was, it's also told in the different viewpoints of Kristen and Miriam.Which made it sometimes hard to tell who might be telling the truth but in a god way , with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow. This is a brilliant modern thriller. Kirsten is devoted to her five year old daughter, Harriet, who starts school. Kirsten always tells Harriet not to trust strangers but is her teacher a stranger? Read on.

The Classroom was the kind of novel I shouldnt have started late in the evening. It wasnt that the book was so horrifying, but rather that I found myself saying, just a few pages more, I have to see how this ends! If you like books that center around manipulative, psychologically unstable, selfish people, The Classroom will provide. It's a testament to A.L. Bird's character development that such unlikeable, complex and layered characters can become so compelling. The pacing of the novel is a bit uneven in parts, but it definitely didnt take anything away from my enjoyment. I must confess to spending some time casting a film version in my mind.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

Disappointing and unbelievable story line I'm afraid! I found this incredibly hard going and could not get into it at all, I actually gave up around halfway!

Wow! This was a spacy, action-filled and brilliantly plotted psychological thriller with one hell of a twist, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Great book with a great storyline. Not what I was expecting at all so was a nice surprise. Easy to read and good characters in there too.

Harriet was a much longed for child born after years of IVF treatment. Now she is five and Harriet is heading off for primary school whilst her harassed Mum heads off to her GP practice and her slightly distant Father goes to the secondary school he heads. We meet her teacher, Miriam, who seems devoted to her class – perhaps too devoted? Running in parallel we have the story of Becky. An immature 16 year old who heads off to a summer drama course where she makes some wrong decisions encouraged by more mature peers. How do these stories interact – I’ll let you find out for yourself!

I enjoyed the originality of this book very much. The whole concept of what has happened around Harriet’s birth and what is happening now. It wasn’t a tired plot device but quite fresh. The writing is generally good though the ending was slightly weak. The author could have made that a bit stronger.

Unfortunately there isn’t really a character you can support in this book. None of them are that likeable and they all seem to have done very questionable things in the past – and present. Harriet is caught in the middle of all this. Kirsten needs to get her life organised & stop running herself ragged. Has the woman never heard of childminders or holiday clubs? Her husband George is a waste of space. At first he just seems weak & useless but later it turns out that he hasn’t been all he seemed to be. Becky – well she got caught in a mess & was totally unsupported. Sympathy must be had for her in the past but her later actions – not so much. The teacher, Miriam, starts to come over as just a little creepy. Even the supporting cast such as the neighbour, Yvette, aren’t particularly nice. I would have liked someone to be worth rooting for as a reader.

I did enjoy this book despite the difficult characters. It was well plotted and well written. You see the different view points as the book progresses which worked very well. There are several twists which I didn’t expect and kept me on my toes. It was definitely a book that I struggled to put down. This was almost a five star review but not quite. I would certainly look out for other books by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

Started off well but then got a little bit far fetched and less believable. A good story and read regardless!

Holy Moly.......
My first time reading a book by this author and I was delighted to get started......
A mighty appealing cover too....
We meet new teacher Miriam who is looking for the right little girl to walk into her classroom and it's gets us suspicious and wondering immediately about her intentions...
The parents Kirsten & Ian are both working parents struggling to meet the demands of their profession while maintaining a happy life for their much wanted IVF daughter Harriet....
I really enjoyed the storyline the author created, not at all what I expected and I kept wanting to turn just one more page....
I felt a little uncomfortable when it came to the teacher Miriam. Something about her that didn't gel with me. If you can't trust a teacher, who can you really trust in life....
It has all the twists and turns you want in a good psycological thriller....
See what you think, you just might love it.....

A lovely thank you to author ALBird author and publishers HQ Stories for my copy, much appreciated...

I haven't read a psychological domestic novel like this in a while, and, being a teacher, this one caught my eye and I thought I'd give it a go.  Was it the best I've ever read in the genre? No.  Did it keep me guessing until the end? Yeah I guess it did.  Although I didn't particularly like any of the characters, I found it easy to become invested in their stories, motivations and actions.  It was a quick read that offered me a bit of escapism and overall I enjoyed it.

I quite enjoyed this book though tbh I found Beth really annoying and she grated on me!

Kirsten and Ian are married and have a 5 year child called Harriet who is just starting school, Beth is her teacher, Kirsten is struggling to work at her Drs surgery as well as looking after Harriet and Beth sees her as an unfit Mum, there the story begins! Beth is totally creepy and this book made me look at my kid's teachers twice, its quite an unnerving read really but a good one, I would defo read more from the author.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a book about three people and a child, Harriet. Kirsten and Ian are married, their 5 year child Harriet is starting school after nursery. Kirsten is fussing about her and worried. She also works in her own doctor’s private practice that she set up and is constantly late, taking Harriet to school , picking her up from school, her appointments. Ian her husband is too busy as a headteacher to take her and seems quite disinterested in his daughter. It is Harriet’s new teacher who helps by setting up a breakfast club and looking after Harriet in the after school clubs.
The reason why is because Harriet is her daughter that she gave birth to after a drugged night when Beth and Ian find themselves in bed together. Beth’s friend thought it would be fun. The result was a pregnancy and when the baby is born Ian convinces Beth she isn’t capable of looking after the baby and he will look after her. Kirsten is unable to have children and he and Kirsten then put their names on the birth certificate and bring up Harriet as their own.
The book is Beth’s attempt to get her child back. Will she succeed?

Creepy and unhinged (just about all of them !) poor Harriet in the middle of three deranged adults

It was in my mind too long once we got to the unveiling of Becky at parents night it could have swiftly concluded