Beneath the Surface wasn't as gripping as I needed it to be.
The writing was great, I enjoyed that. I'm not sure about the pacing, I picked up and put it down many times, and I didn't get a feel for it very well.
I think, for me, the characters were the problem. I didn't quite connect to them, no one was acting their age and I found those moments to be quite infuriating.
The story seemed to be an interesting one, but as I said, not as gripping as I wanted it to be. I think it's okay, it's just not my favorite.

On the surface Grace Vermuyden appears to have her life in order after a chaotic and traumatic childhood. She lives with her intelligent and hard working husband Patrick and her two daughters - Lily and Mia. After an intensive summer, things cracks begin to appear as Lily collapses in class and Mia´s imagination slowly goes out of control. Lily´s collapse, sends Grace into obsession as she seeks to discover what secrets her daughter could be hiding and the reason for her collapse. Everyon in this novel has a secret and it is clear that these secrets will be uncovered slowly with devastating consequences.

I really enjoyed reading the first third of the novel, especially enjoying the dark setting and the gothic stories that Mia recounts. However I felt the story lost momentum and lost interest in the characters halfway through reading the work.

I would like to thank Penguin UK for letting me have an ARC of the Book - Beneath the Surface from Fiona Neill.

A family’s destructive secrets
All families have secrets, but it’s highly likely that not all families have secrets that are quite as huge as those that the Vermuydens are keeping from one another.
Grace had grown up in a very chaotic household and she doesn’t want that for her daughters. But when 17 year old Lilly collapses at school, it triggers a chain of events where the family members realise that there are consequences to keeping their secrets.
I actually liked the Vermuyden family. Grace is a mother trying her utmost to give her daughters all the things she never had. She can come across as a pushy ‘helicopter’ mother, but as the story progresses, we realise that there’s no wonder that she tries so hard. However, it can’t be easy for Lilly, who all of her efforts are directed at. She has a great responsibility: mainly to achieve all of the academic things that her mother didn’t have the chance to achieve.
Mia, who is 10/11, has a much easier time of it with regards to her mother. I don’t actually think that her parents expect much of her at all. She’s quirky, really not the same as her peers - something which we seem to value as an adult, but dread when we’re children.
Patrick, the father, is the hardest character for me to warm to. He’s having huge financial problems which are impacting on his family, yet he is keeping the extent of these difficulties from his wife. If it were me, I’d be livid!
This is a great book. I read it within two days because I just couldn’t put it down. I really enjoy these kinds of books - books about families and their issues. The style in which it was written really worked well for me too - I felt as though I was there in person, watching the story unfold (I suppose as a reader, I was!). They were all very human, relatable characters. The teenagers were well written as well. All too often teenagers are written as unpleasant, selfish and calculating, but here we could see their more sensitive, caring sides. They were all just trying to fit in, deal with growing up and their impending adulthood.
I’d recommend this book, there’s just so much to think about - and there’s such a good ending!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Michael Joseph for sending me a copy of this . It’s not a book that I would have immediately chosen to read, but I’m so glad that I did!

In this book we meet the Vermuyden family: Grace and Patrick and their two daughters, Lilly and Mia. Grace has had a troubled childhood and has carefully ordered her life to give her daughters the security she never had, but when Lilly inexplicably collapses in school, the order of Grace's world begins to disintegrate, and the past comes back to haunt her.
The book tells the story of the family as they seek to discover what lies behind Lilly's illness amidst a great deal of gossip and speculation from the local community. In the process, many secrets are exposed, particularly in relation to Grace and Lilly.
I enjoyed this book. Each of the characters is flawed, but they are also likeable and true to life. I particularly enjoyed Mia's quirky eccentricity and her unique way of looking at the world.
It took me a while to get into this book, but by the time I was a quarter of the way in I was gripped and read the rest in a couple of days. It's the first of Fiona Neill's books I've read, and I'd be interested to read more.

I read this book in a day, it captivated me from the prologue and maintained the intrigue and suspense until the very last page. Grace appears to be a neurotic mother but she has her reasons, her daughter lily has a seizure and Grace becomes more intense but what has caused Graces seizures, I had a feeling what it was as I've seen it in my job. Mia I loved for all her quirkiness and Jo nonsense chatter saying exactly what she thought.
Secrets and lies throughout the book culminating in a very tense ending

I would congratulate Fiona Neill on the character of Mia who was quite captivating and was for me the most redeeming factor or the book. This was a real family saga and well told but with a rushed ending that somehow didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the story.

A well written book about a dysfunctional family and the various issues they face. Which can happen to any of us. Enjoyable and recommended

The Vermuyden family live in a damp new build in the Fens, having had to move from Cambridge due to financial problems.
The father Patrick, is an eternal optimist, who ignores problems, and hopes that they go away if he doesn’t address them.
The mother Grace has a tragic past that she doesn’t talk about, and is very protective and involved in her children’s lives.
Seventeen-year-old Lilly is an exceptional student who is destined for Cambridge, but under a lot of pressure, and who also has secrets from her family.
Ten-year-old Mia is an eccentric little girl with few friends and a pet eel called Elvis.

When Lilly collapses in school, she triggers a series of events which cause many secrets to be revealed, and relationships destroyed.
I raced through the first three quarters of this book, desperate to know where they story was going - I felt so much sympathy for both of the two girls, and was so cross with the parents who seemed to over-parent, or ignore them. Even Grace’s past was no real excuse for her actions.

However, for me, as the book came to the climax, it seemed to lose momentum, and lose its way – the last section just didn’t ring true and the end was odd.

So three stars.

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

This is not my usual type of book, but I was invited to read an ARC copy from Netgalley and the Publisher.
This book tells the story of a family who seem to be normal, until the teenage daughter has a seizure at school.
It soon becomes apparent that the family are extremely dysfunctional, and are all hiding secrets from each other.
I found this book to be slow to start with, and I struggled to keep reading it. As I continued to read on, the storyline became far more interesting and there were several twists to the plot, which kept me guessing about what was going to happen next. I found that I engaged with the storyline more as I read further into the book.

A gripping book about the relationship s between mothers and daughters. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy this was to read and read it over a few evenings. I was gripped by the twists and turns and the relationships between the characters.

Oh my goodness I enjoyed this book it is so tense and full of twists and turns. Everytime I thought I had it figured out I realised i was so wrong! Will definitely be reading more from this author

The Vermuyden family are dysfunctional and this is clear from the start. Family secrets and lies is what makes up the plot of this book. The characters are well thought out and most likeable, some not. I found it hard to like the character of Grace, I found her to be overbearing however this became clear as the story goes on, why she acts like she does. Mia is a brilliant characters, eccentric and straight up, mostly overlook by her parents.
The plot comes at a steady pace however the ending felt a little to fast and didn't feel like it was written in the same way as the rest of the book.

A real page turner. A difficult read in the sense that it explores the relationship between mothers and daughters added to which the family has many secrets. So many emotions and sadness which touched the heart. I didn't want it to end which is the sign of a great read. I loved it and would highly recommend it.

Very interesting story with twists and turns at every stage. I thought I had worked out the plot but how wrong I was! Very engaging characters which drew you into their life’s, I was left at the end wanting to know what happiness next, very intriguing! Highly recommended.

The best part about this book was the character of Mia. She put an interesting slant on the family dramas and the mystery illness. However, overall the book just didn't hold my interest and the ending was so abrupt, you wonder what the point of the story was.

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Grace and Michael Vermyden had been married for 18 years. They had two children seventeen year old Lily and ten year old Mia. Lily was the golden child, popular, an academic high achiever and talented swimmer. Mia was not as bright and was bullied by her classmates for her eccentricities. At home Mia was perceived as a problem child and often overlooked

Grace wanted to be the perfect mother and would encourage Lily in her studies and her swimming. However Grace was overbearing and wanted Lily to go to Cambridge University.

One day Grace had an unexplained seizure during an English class. At the hospital Mia let slip that Grace had been seeing a boy from school over the summer holidays. Grace didn't know and decided to look at Mia`s mobile. From there she found out that Mia had been keeping a secret life.

During the story we find out both Grace and Michael are keeping secrets from each other. After Michael's hours at work were reduced he had problems covering the mortgage. The family had to leave their city town house and moved to a new house that was badly built with damp. Unknown to Grace he had built up a huge credit card debt and the mortgage was in arrears. In desperation Michael had to borrow from his younger brother. Grace was still masking the pain from a difficult childhood.

beneath the surface was a slow but steady drama about the secrets within one family.

Grace annoyed me initially because I thought she was living vicariously through Lily. As Grace`s story came out I began to understand why she behaved the way she did. However Grace was like a little terrier and I could completely understand why Lily kept secrets from her mother.

I thought 10 year Mia was the star of the show. She was definitely on the spectrum, and felt so sorry her only friends in the world were Elvis the eel and a boy called Tes. I had to laugh at her matter of fact comments and her battle of wills with teacher Miss Swain. I was annoyed that Mia was often overlooked by her parents.

I also liked Lily and thought her seizures were intriguing. it is amazing how your mind can affect your body. I think Cormack was a nasty piece of work and she was better off without him.

My least favourite character was Michael. He was a good man but I thought he was weak and definitely lived in the shadow of his successful ancestors and younger brother. He preferred to put his head in the sand whenever they were problems with the kids.

Overall I enjoyed this book. However I was disappointed by the abrupt ending, and would of liked to have found out what happened between Grace and Michael.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed previous books by this author, so, was looking forward to reading this one. However, this didn’t live up to expectations.
I could not connect with any of the characters making this a laborious read.
I did manage to eventually finish it but was left feeling very underwhelmed.

I do appreciate having the opportunity to preview the book and wish it every success.

Great writing and all the ingredients for a powerful story didn’t make up for the lack of excitement.

I was really excited about this book since I loved “The Betrayals” by the same author. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite have the same effect on me. It didn’t hook me enough, and there was nothing in the storyline I felt excited about. In the end, I kept reading but I was not in a rush, I could put down the book at any time and I’d struggle to get back to it.

The problem? It felt like nothing was really happening. There were hints at times that made me feel it’d be worth to keep reading to discover more, but at each reveal, I felt some sort of disappointment. The big final reveal was the one that disappointed the most. Overall, it all felt very anti-climax and uneventful.

Not all is bad though. I thought the first chapter was promising, even though it was a bit long and the following chapters didn’t manage to hook me. Bonus points for Fiona Neill’s writing style which is still as amazing as I remember, even with the occasional head hopping and PoV switch. Mia’s perspective was quite unique and I think the way the story was told enriched the reading experience, even if I didn’t feel much for the story itself. I also have to say that besides Mia, I didn’t feel too attached to the characters.

Since I felt there was nothing surprising happening, the pace felt slow and I felt I was dragging through the pages. Then when things start getting interesting – or so I thought, the ending didn’t surprise or added much. So it was a bit disappointing in that sense as well.

I really wanted to love this book, because I still think it’s thought-provoking and beautiful. But in the end, it’s about each reader’ experience, and mine was just not memorable enough.

Overall, even though this isn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t for me. I felt I kept reading in hopes to be surprised and awaiting a big reveal, but nothing impressed me or moved me.

Beneath The Surface by Fiona Neill is about family with so many secrets, you never quite know what is going to pop up to haunt them next. What starts as an unusual find for ten year old Mia; a pregnancy test that shows positive, opens up a whole chasm of questions. Why did her older sister get rid of a baby she didn't want, when her auntie and uncle are trying so hard to make a baby of their own?

Sworn to secrecy, Mia is overcome with curiosity and well, kids being kids deal with things their own way. Especially when what they've been told is not exactly the truth. All these lies and secrets are just bubbling away beneath the surface, which, as you may have spotted, is an apt title for this book.

The mother Grace has a very sad upbringing, and when you discover why, you'll be forgiven if you found this neurotic and overbearing mum a bit annoying at first. She has her reasons. As the story unravels you'll see how scared she is of history repeating itself, and why she is the way she is. What if human behaviour is controlled by the subconscious and we are no more than our history, a blend of everything we have experienced, touched, seen and smelt throughout our lives? What if Grace's life goes round, full circle - because it is in fact inevitable?

Even though this story sounds quite full on, the subject matter is dealt with really well, and sometimes a kind of dark humour creeps in. It's subtle, but it's there. Particularly with Mia and her down to earth way of explaining things, when all the adults around her are making everything so much more complicated when left to their own devices! Luckily, Mia is there to step in and sort everyone out.

I'll be honest, the main reason I picked up this book is that the author, Fiona Neill, likes to write about my home town and areas that I know well... Well, it's not that often people want to write Cambridge, UK into their books! Don't judge me lol,. I mean, there's plenty for those living in NYC or London, but not in Cambridgeshire. I also have to admit, this made a very good book even better for me. I love it when I can say, I know that school, that road, that pub! I was already heavily invested in this story and the super plot, so it goes without saying that feeling so familiar with the setting, I really felt like I was there among the chaos of Vermuyden family life. And boy, were they keeping secrets from each other.

In addition, I really liked how there were several interesting facts and Anglo Saxon legends woven into the pages of this book, for example, when Lilly had a seizure her little sister Mia , (a wonderful character I loved) was sure she'd caught the Ague, (Marsh Fever) which dates back from when the Fens were still marshland. Why has it come up now? Because the body of a dead girl and her baby have been unearthed at a traveller site where her best friend Tas lives, and she thinks the spirit of the girl has been disturbed and is out to wreck havoc on her family, because of the baby her sister got rid of. If she can get them to believe this is true, then maybe Tas won't have to move away from the burial site, and things can stay as they are. Her only friend (other than her eel) won't have to leave her. Incidentally, when the eel was released I felt so sorry for Mia and the injustice she felt about it all. She was such an endearing character. My heart went out to her.

Then there's the topic of fake news, and how Catriona's husband works for a news organisation that specialises in spreading anti-climate-change propaganda. Is the water supply contaminated by pollution form the new wind farm out on Black Fen? Or is there another reason Lily had her seizure?

Unwanted pregnancies, unwanted travellers, anti-climate propaganda, a failing school system, an Anglo Saxon obsession, a captive (in a bucket) Eel called Elvis -- (take a breath) it's all here! After a slow start the story suddenly throws the characters in all directions. I felt as anxious as they were to see how things resolved for them. Beneath the surface of what this plot is about there's an underlying, undercurrent of how the secrets of the past may already have your life mapped out for you, even if you are determined that will not be the case. Riveting, true to life and so beautifully written.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for my copy. Will be sharing my review on my blo on publish day.

I didn't actually actively choose to read Beneath the Surface, it was offered to me by the publishers via Netgalley and, because I'd had a spate of somewhat disappointing ARCs I almost declined. Luckily I pressed download instead and soon found myself immersed in Fiona Neill's beautifully descriptive world building.

Lilly is a golden girl. Oxbridge bound, elite swimmer she's her mother's pride and joy. But Grace can't see that her love is smothering her eldest daughter. Meanwhile Mia, the youngest, clumsy, intense and embarrassingly direct, is crying out for attention and Patrick, her weakly well meaning husband is sinking under the weight of debts he can't acknowledge to himself or to Grace, throwing more and more money into a house rotting with damp. When Lilly collapses into a fit, the whole family finds their secrets exposed, especially Lilly's summer of escape from the narrow confines of her life.

On one level Beneath the Surface is a look at the middle class dream gone sour; the aspirational pushy parents living beyond their means, a child pushed to achieve by a mother who sees only what she wants to see, but Neill is too clever to be so simplistic. The book is aptly named, there is something bubbling beneath the surface of every character, especially Grace, on one level unlikeably neurotic, on another deeply, deeply scarred from a past she can barely reveal to herself let alone the family she shows her love to through a perfectly organised fridge and swimming lessons.

The Cambridge fens are another character, alive with wind and dust, swelling rivers and damp which seeps into the house, the walls and the soul, a contrast to the old university city from which the family are exiled through lack of money. Beneath the surface is haunting, heartbreaking and unforgettable. Recommended.