I thought the ‘big reveal’ came quite early on in this book, and to begin with I felt slightly disappointed that as a reader I hadn’t been kept guessing for longer. However, upon completing the book I entirely understand why the author chose to pace the book in this way as it sets the scene for the second half of the book. The book for me is very much split into two halves and you will totally understand the reasoning why things are revealed when they are by the time you get to the end.

Although I did thoroughly enjoy the premise of this book, for me there were no likeable characters. Kirsten is somewhat annoying and I felt like she takes a lot of the privileges of her life for granted. Miriam is the villain of the story and therefore as a reader we’re not meant to like her anyway. Kirsten’s husband plays the typical character of disinterested husband and father. There were no characters that I particularly found myself ‘rooting’ for. The only character that I did like in any way was young Harriet, who I just felt sorry for as she is caught in the middle of all the drama.

Despite not particularly liking any of the characters, this book has all the makings of a good psychological thriller for me. Suspense, secrets and plenty of drama! The book is well written although I did feel the ending came rather abruptly. Prior to the ending though there was a good twist to the story which I didn’t see coming.
This is definitely a good, fairly easy read, albeit with some rather uneasy concepts attached. I would definitely recommend for fans of psychological thrillers and I look forward to what the author brings us next.

Dr. Kirsten White’s daughter, Harriet, age 5, is ready to start school at St. Anthony’s. Kirsten is nervous about leaving her but her husband, Ian, himself a headmaster, assures her that Harriet will be fine. Kirsten had a difficult time getting pregnant with Harriet which is one reason she is so protective of her.

Harriet’s teacher is Ms. Miriam Robertson. She is so happy to have this job and just wishes she had her own child. Harriet is the one child who has caught her eye and she knows this child will be her special pupil.

Kirsten and Ian have a lot of tension in their marriage. Kirsten is a physician who set up her own private practice and works hard. She strives to work her schedule around Harriet so she can take her to school and pick her up. She feels that Ian works too late as his school is fledgling. She also thinks that he does not love Harriet like she does. Sometimes, Kirsten will have a couple of glasses of wine in the evening which angers Ian.

The story flips to Becky who has decided to join the drama club at school. While it’s not something with which she feels comfortable, she drama teacher encourages her participation and she is a success. The drama teacher and Becky end up having a fling one night after too much alcohol, and Becky ends up pregnant. Becky knows she will have to put the baby up for adoption.

When Ms. Robertson sets up a breakfast club for students whose parents need to drop them off early so they can get to work, it’s quite successful and the children and parents alike happily adapt to it. But Kirsten seems to feel jealous that Ms. Robertson gets to spend so much time with Harriet resulting in a lot of tension.

When secrets begin to emerge, emotions grow to violence. Whom will be hurt? What is the truth?

This is a story that has it’s good parts and brings up the question of true “possession” but some of the emotions expressed just didn’t hold true. I have been eager to read a book by this author and must admit that I am a bit disappointed in this book. However, I look forward to reading more because I feel the author is quite talented.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Probably not the best time for me to read this book with my little one just starting school…….but you learn.

Now I will warn you this review will be vague, there is something in this storyline that just that the smallest detail slipped will give the plot away, and sadly I have read a couple of reviews that have done so.

Anyway, the story follows a couple of storylines that leave your head spinning with a LOT of questions!

We start with Kirsten life in September 2018 (Ah present day hello!) with her daughter Harriet starting school, both Kirsten and her husband Ian having busy lives. Constantly being told by Kirsten how much she loves her daughter, but always has work on her mind. Before I changed my job, I was guilty of this a lot, and I felt a lot of empathy for her, as you love this bundle of joy but you always find your mind occupied on what you could consider more pressing.

Then, we meet Miriam in the same timeline as Kirsten, she is Harriet’s young school teacher with an uneasy fixation with her. Something just slightly off there.

Then we are taken back five years to 2012 to Becky and the two weeks she spent at a Drama club in the summer.

What is the deal with Kirsten? Miriam? And how does Becky fit in to this?

These are just some of the questions at the beginning of the book, I spent ages playing detective, and for a change, this book delivered early on, still with one twist I didn’t see coming. As for the rest of the book…well you need to read this.

As I said I did feel some empathy towards Kirsten, but slowly I found that her, Miriam and Ian were not likeable characters. Only protecting themselves and what was best for them. I loved Harriet and Becky, well bless her, she deserved so much better. Despite the lack of likeable characters, this book draws you into a terrifying story that unsettles you to the core. It made me cuddle my little one a little bit tighter and tell her I love you so much that I was told off as I said it too much!!

I whizzed through this book without realising as I needed to know what was going on. I needed closure and I needed safety! I personally did not find any bits of the books slow, but just so much intrigue and cryptic conversations between people that had me screaming at the book to tell me the answers and now!!! Goddammit! Plus I always love it when I see a shoutout to my hometown Watford -give me a whoop whoop.

This is my introduction to A.L Bird (but not my last), I was left feeling uneasy for most of the book. It felt tainted, and I was worried because really as the blurb says, the classroom should be the one place your child is safe.. isn’t it?

Who do you trust?

The Classroom is told in alternating points of view of Kirsten and Miriam and a flashback viewpoint from another girl, Becky. The flashback can confuse readers at the beginning but as the story progress, it is evident that it’s connected to the present and holds an important role in the story. Secrets were unexpectedly revealed early on and I must say I am skeptical about how things will unfold. As much as I found the plot interesting and the surprising twist solid, I lost a big chunk of interest after that. It doesn’t help that there are no likeable characters.

There’s also isn’t much suspense and excitement and the ending came abruptly. That was totally unexpected. I thought there will be more since it seemed like it was building up for a twisty ending, but nope. Just like that, it was over. I was anticipating for a lot more. It wasn’t a bad ending, but I wasn’t too happy about it. I still find it as an okay read considering. Well-written, sure, but for me, it is not something that will keep you turning pages after pages. There may be some out there who might like it, though.

The Classroom was a great psychological thriller with lists of twists and turns. I was hooked and had to keep on reading to find out what the conclusion would be and I was not disappointed.

The description of this book really intrigued me so I was excited to get the chance to review it!

I really enjoyed The Classroom!! I couldn't put my kindle down & I devoured it in about 5 hours!

The pace of the book remains the same throughout & there are no boring or slow chapters. I said 'one more chapter...one more chapter' so many times but I couldn't drag myself away from it!

I enjoyed the fact you had part 1 to get a bit of history and then part 2 was all about the present from the two vantage points of the main characters. I don't normally like books with more than one person telling their story but this was easy to follow & it all linked together easily.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an exciting thriller which keeps you hooked from page 1 right through to the end.

#netgalley #theclassroom #A.L.Bird

This is the first book that I have read by A.L. Bird and I was not disappointed. The plot was complicated and twisted, moving between the past and the backstory of Miriam and the present when Kirsten’s beloved daughter Harriet starts school for the first time. Kirsten is a working mom who is trying to get her new GP started and successful. Her husband Ian is totally useless as a father and a husband since he is so focused on his own career success as the new head of a school that he doesn’t notice what is going on with Kirsten or Harriet. The story is a story of desperation for all of the characters. Miriam wants a child; Kirsten wants to be a good mother and a successful GP; Ian wants to shine at his new role of leadership at school; Harriet, a typical five year old, wants to be loved and given attention. None of the adult characters is particularly likeable, although all are very believable. The plot moves kind of slowly until the past and present converge and then it rolls quickly to a very unexpected and twisted ending. This psychological thriller will be appreciated by readers who enjoy a complex plot that is entertaining as well as suspenseful.

‘The Classroom’ is a psychological thriller about a mother who sends her child off to school expecting it to be nothing but a safe place, and finds that actually the classroom is a little more sinister of a place than she had expected. Old secrets come to the surface and we soon learn that other people have ulterior motives.

I found the book very slow to get started, but by the time I was halfway through I was desperate to learn the answers to my countless questions, so was determined to finish reading it. To be honest though, I found that the plot did not have much momentum and I didn’t hugely enjoy reading it, and it wasn’t what I would call a ‘page-turner’. Technically, it was a fairly well-written book, but by the last quarter or so, the plot became very unrealistic and just a bit far-fetched. If I have to suspend disbelief too much in a book, I pretty much lose interest, and that is exactly what happened here.

When I came across this book, I thought it sounded like a great read with many different facets to it. Unfortunately, it was much harder work than I envisaged, and I had major issues trying to become interested and then invested in the storyline. Don't get me wrong, the premise is sound and was a somewhat plausible situation, but there was something very much lacking in the thrills department. Eventually, it becomes more and more unbelievable with little in the way of redeeming features. Suspense, yes. Thriller, no.

I don't usually need a likeable character in a suspense novel to be able to enjoy it, but the characters here are especially annoying and detestable. I also felt it was difficult to sympathise with any of them as the scenarios just seemed too far-fetched, and although I can suspend my disbelief as much as the next reader, I found this was just too "out there" even for me. There was a lack of depth, and I felt that the story was pretty superficial. There was also a distinct lack of excitement, which is absolutely essential in a genre that both lives and dies by the amount of thrills the reader experiences! The denouement felt extremely "iffy" as well and added to the whole anti-climatic tone of the book. I had high hopes for this story, but, ultimately, they weren't justified. A book I wished I had passed on. Dull, a hard slog and certainly not a must read.

Many thanks to HQ Digital for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Your 5 year old child has her first day at school, she will be safe ...... won’t she ?

Kirsten, a GP, drops off her daughter, Harriet, at school for her first day. Will she be ok ? Will she like her teacher ? Everything seems to go well except it seems as though Harriet’s teacher has a plan no-one else knows about.

This is a great psychological thriller with lots of twists, one in particular that I didn’t see coming. The first part of the story jumps a little from present day to the past and at first I didn’t see how the two storylines were connected but then everything becomes clear, so definitely stick with it. The pace definitely picks up in the second half of the book and you will find yourself willing the pages to turn so you can see what the conclusion is.

Thank you to HQ Digital and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and HQ Digital for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Having read the synopsis, I was looking forward to getting started on this book.
The concept of the story was from an interesting and unusual angle, being narrated from the perspective of the mother who had baby Harriet taken away, and the mother who had looked after Harriet for five years as her own baby.
I did get into the book without any problem, but it seemed to take me a long time to get through it. Although I enjoyed reading it, the "pull" wasn't there for me, so other things superseded my reading time. The plot wasn't particularly believable or particularly exciting. I felt the story lacked depth, There were one or two trails which I thought were leading up to something, and there were not mentioned again.
The ending seemed very wishy washy. I hadn't actually realised it was the end as I started to read the credits!
I would have awarded two and a half stars but I rounded up to three, instead of down to two, purely because there was never actually a point when I thought I wouldn't finish this book.

The Classroom

by A.L. Bird

HQ Digital

Mystery & Thrillers , Women’s Fiction

Pub Date 16 Sep 2018

I am reviewing a copy of The Classroom through HQ Digital and Netgalley:

Kirsten White loves her daughter and is devoted to Harriet but Harriet is five now and is ready to start school so she must entrust her daughters care to a new teacher.

Harriet should be safe in The Classroom of all places.

Miriam Robertson has been waiting for the perfect child to come into her classroom, when Harriet walks in she knows Harriet is the little girl she’s been waiting for.

Harriet knows that she can’t talk to strangers but her new teacher isn’t a stranger she’s her friend, or is she?

I give The Classroom five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Not for me unfortunately. I wasn't gripped by this book and found that my mind was wandering elsewhere while reading it which is a shame.

Whilst I didn't really like any of the characters, although did feel sorry for any child having such parents and family, I did find this a compelling read with surprises along the way. Some a bit over the top, admittedly, but you only have to read the news to know there are lots of true stories that appear that way.

Dark and twisted, a mother's worst nightmare. Cleverly crafted, this story lures you in and you're never really sure who you dislike the most - Kirsten, Ian or Becky.

My sympathy rocketed backwards and forwards due to the excellent dual narration - both of whom are slightly unhinged and unreliable.

Brilliant!!! The final factor for me is that this book entered my dreams last night ! This is usually the sign of an enthralling (and sleep-disturbing book!!)

Awarded this 4.5*, didn't quite make a knock-your-socks-off, blow me away as I found the ending a little disappointing and unnecessarily ambiguous. But a really good read, nonetheless !

This is a dual time line thriller with an implausible secret at the root. Kristen, a physician, is nervous about sending her daughter Harriet to school. Her husband Ian, a teacher, is less worried. Miriam is Harriet's teacher and she decides to dote on Harriet. Why? Well, there are secrets and lies here and while this is well written (and a page turner), the characters were not sympathetic when they really needed to be. Thanks to net galley for the ARC.

Twisty and thrilling. You’ll hold your kids a little closer after reading this book.

This story weaved two different timelines together for one explosive ending. While the characters were flawed, they leaped off the page. Can’t wait for more thrills and chills from future novels from A. L. Bird.

Such a sad cast of characters everyone unhappy with life and the paths chosen I didn’t like Kirsten or her choices her husband seemed a useless waste of space and Becky disturbed and even little Harriet seemed to be able to manipulate- great combination for a strong storyline l enjoyed the second part of the book more however more action and progress but felt the ending rushed and a eagerness to tidy up the ends but it still ended with that hint of forthcoming menace

Kirsten loves her daughter, Harriet, and is nervous about sending her to school for the first time. Miriam is Harriet's Kindergarten teacher, and she's been waiting for the perfect child to walk into her classroom. With Kirsten's busy work schedule, Harriet spends more and more time at school. During that time, Harriet grows closer and closer to Miriam.

Told with alternating points of view and alternate timelines. At first, the flashback timeline is confusing, but as the story progresses, the flashbacks become integral to the story. Obviously, the past is going to catch up with the present in some way, but it isn't clear how things connect until about 30% into the novel.

Kirsten is a working mother who puts in a lot of hours at her job. Kirsten's husband, Ian, is mostly distracted and useless. He seems unconcerned with the issues going on with Kirsten, Harriet, and him. Miriam appears to be a dedicated teacher worried about her students, but she's also a bit unstable. Harriet is a precocious five-year-old. Really, none of the characters are likable, making it difficult to care how things play out. Admittedly, Kirsten seems a little paranoid, but maybe she has a right to be. It seems not everything is as it appears to be, and there are several secrets waiting to be revealed.

An entertaining domestic thriller. Creepy, complex, and twisty.

I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a real mixed bag for me. I found it hard to get into - and kept picking it up, reading a couple of pages and putting it down again! I was wondering what all the fantastic reviews were for! I really didn’t like any of the characters .....not even Harriet to be honest...and there were quite a few loose ends not really tied up! I also thought I was waiting for some epic twist - which I am feeling a bit let down due to that not being delivered! However, the second part was much more exciting, and I found it hard to put down - doing the usual reading anywhere in the house, while cooking, in the bath etc. Yet I still can’t stand any of the characters! And it had a really crap ending!
Not for me at all!