The Fallout follows the lives of friends Liza and Sarah. Both have children the same age and when Liza's son falls while playing in the play area at the local yummy mummy gym club it sets off a chain effect. A small lie becomes impossible to come back from and the ensuing guilt echoes through the novel. We learn the histories of the main characters, their friendships and relationships with others in their circle and are teased throughout by the secrets and lies that surround everyone. I really wanted to like the characters more than I did, but at times I found I also wanted to shout at them to grow up, speak to each other and stop being so self centred. I loved the WhatsApp conversations and the journalist's interviews as they provided some lighter relief in what could have been an overly long emotion fest.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this well written book.

The Fallout shows us how friendships can be destroyed by one little lie. How good intentions can go horribly wrong. And how people can get hurt without us meaning it to happen.
The story basically is that two Mums are out with their kids, one kid has an accident and is badly hurt. So nothing crazy there right? However, the twists, secrets and white lies that ensue between several people just build what was a horrific accident into an insane huge drama!
Right from the start I loved both the main characters, Liza and Sarah. They are just your average Mum, normal people that could be us or our friends. Connecting so easily with them made the urge to get back into the book and to get back amongst 'friends' all the stronger when I had to stop reading. But the connection also made the sense of frustration with the characters and the dread stronger as the story unfolded.
The tension was built and held well by the author. I could practically feel the awkward walking on eggshells state their relationship devolves in to. And because we see the story from both their points of view I ended up feeling like I wanted to shout at the book that if both women would just be bloody honest and speak to each other about what was going on they would see that it's not all as bad as they feel it is.
There are hints that something has happened to the little boy previously that the Mother was to blame for but we don't find out until right near the end which makes you question her ability to look after the kids throughout the book.
Sarah talks about having lost a baby not that long ago and then she ends up caring for her friend's baby for a while and the way she speaks about it is very raw and emotional. I really felt for her. So there are trigger warnings for miscarriage and stillbirth.
The fact that this entire story is so relatable and could so easily happen is what makes it more scary and upsetting.
I am so pleased that I made the decision to read this book. I wasn't sure if it would be my type of thing but I really enjoyed it and will definitely be reading any other books by the author as soon as I can.

A good read.
The plot was well thought out, with plenty of mystery, the expected gossip between characters and lots going on behind the scenes.
The characters were realistic and engaging. They interact well and as you would expect with one another.
There are sensitive subjects raised, which are handled in a sensitive manner, throughout the story. The book highlights some of the best and worst aspects of human behaviour.
Definitely well written and well worth reading. I'd recommend it

In most cases I thought this book was convincing; there were some very accurate representations of how parents in these situations can behave. I did think it was a bit too long and there were parts that seemed very drawn out and repetitive; we didn’t need to be reminded quite so often that the characters had secrets from one another. Having said that. It did keep me guessing as to what those secrets were and I never felt like giving up on it.

I was very intrigued by the synopsis of this book but unfortunately it didn’t live up to expectations.
I found the friendships odd, the characters annoying and the whole book made me feel soooo frustrated! It constantly eluded to things which weren’t explained properly and were then quickly glossed over at the end... eg/ at the start of the story Sarah sees a message on Ella’s phone. This is brought up within the story multiple times but we never find out WHAT the message actually said!
I finished the story hoping that everything would finally be explained and to an extent it was but not in a way I found satisfying...
I did like the set out of the book and the way the story split off into whatsapp messages and newspaper articles but ultimately I was bored throughout most of the book and it took me almost 2 weeks to read as I just wasn’t interested in picking it up.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Harper Collins Publishers for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
It has taken me a good few weeks to finish this book. After reading the premise, I thought this would be a story I could relate to and was keen to get started. Having read the first few chapters, I did put this book down for a couple of weeks before I came back to it. It was easy enough to pick up where I left off and plod on with the story. I think this probably the crux of the reason why it did take so long for me to read. I'm used to reading psychological thrillers, where there is a hook, and every page is tense, but this story had neither, and maybe I mistakenly was expecting that. I found Sarah quite irritating, and even taking into account her history, I didn't feel what happened to her would be particularly a reflection on her present behaviour. Liza and her actions didn't seem too out of the ordinary for what you might expect from a mum with a baby and a young child to look after. Ella, was probably typical of the type of mum that doesn't like to get too involved with gossip at the gates and school politics. She was rather unhappily drawn into a situation that she didn't want or need to be part of.
To sum up, I did enjoy this book but I think it just wasn't quite what I was expecting.

The Fallout is quite an intense read. Best friends Liza and Sarah’s relationship is put under when Liza’s son has an accident at the local health club. What happens next is how the accident affects those involved and their behaviour. It is a largely anxious read and deals quite heavily in mental health. I did enjoy it but needed a lie down afterwards.

This author really gets down to the nitty gritty of how strong relationships can fall apart when your best friend lies to you with disastrous consequences.

This story moves at a fast pace and has all the hallmarks of the way we live today, WhatsApp, Facebook etc and is a very clever way of moving the plot forward.

All the women drove me to distraction with all their petty jealousies, wanting to be “top Dog” and the lies upon lies they come out with which in turn makes them act irrationally. But, as the underlying secrets started to unravel, I realised I began to care about what happened to these women and their families.

This was an engrossing read because, as a parent, I too confess to asking a friend to check in on my child in a "safe" environment while I just sit for a second. Unfortunately for Sarah not being proactive in doing so has sad consequences for Jack,
I found the character of Ella confusing so this lost it a star for me. She didn't always add too much to the story but there did need to be a third character in the best friend pair to move the story along. I got frustrated at Sarah's reactions and actions at times but, again, that was all part of her character story.
All in all a good book about what happens when looking after the kids at an indoor play area goes wrong. Recommended.

Liza and Sarah are at the health club. While Sarah's son is doing a class, Liza's son Jack goes to the play area while the ladies have a coffee in the club house. Distracted by seeing Ella who used to be in their NCT class, they forget to watch Jack who has an accident. The story follows what happens next.
In the main, I liked this story. The characters were believable and rounded. The playground politics, spot on. However, I got a bit annoyed with Sarah and her obsession with Ella. What was all the PTA fund raiser shenanigans about? I found myself skimming over that part. The ending was really good though.
Thanks to #Netgalley for an honest review

A twisty book full of secrets and guilt. An accident happens at a leisure centre involving a little boy and instead of coming clean to her friend about what she saw a mother decided to keep quiet but it soon backfires and starts a whole tangle of lies and deceit. This story was alright although I unfortunately didn't find it riveting. I rate this book two stars.

Loved this book, very well written and a good pace. Follows the story of Sarah and LIza and how easily out of control lives can become following an accident to Liza's son and Sarah telling a lie to protect their friendship.

The book was a bit cliche in its theme, nothing new or innovative, but it was quite entertaining to read.
If you're looking to have a good time, page-turner story, this is a good option.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Sarah's best friend's little boy has an accident when she's supposed to be watching him. She can't bring herself to tell the truth so tries to make it up to her, but there's more going on amongst the tight-knit world of South London mummies. Good characters but i wasn't entirely convinced by the central premise.

Great book, wasnt quite sure of the characters but grew to like them all. Story line held my interest throughout and the relationship with Gav which i couldnt quite work out. Great!

I enjoyed this book. It was modern and relatable with themes of guilt, envy, secrets and lies. It shows you only see the face that people put on to the rest of the works and that no ones life is as it seems .

I’d like to thank the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. Although this was an interesting concept, and Thornton captured different characters' voices well, I really struggled to get through this. It was very slow paced and the characters were unlikeable.

A group of yummy-mummies (a nauseating but apt term) meets at a posh WEst London club - The Vale - which is where we meet Sarah and Liza and their children. Liza is wrestling with her newborn daughter so asks Sarah to check on her energetic son Jack. Airhead Sarah fails in this one task because she becomes involved in converstaion with Ella, a glamorous woman from their past. Returning to Liza, Sarah tells a white lie regarding Jack, assuring Liza that all is well. A few minutes later there is chaos - noise, confusion, people yelling - you get the picture - and it becomes apparent that alll is not well - Jack has fallen and is now being taken to hospital.

Sarah now has a dilemma - should she confess to Liza that she didn't actually see Jack, or should she keep her mouth closed. That, really, is the crux of this badly written, tale involving silly, materialistic women with more time and money than they know what to do with.

I gave up on this well before I reached the 1/3rd mark and cannot - will not - go back to it, or recommend it.

The fallout’ was a bit of an unexpected read for me. From the blurb I’d expected a dark and twisty book but that’s not what this is at all. It’s more suburban mums and WhatsApp group chats.

An accident at a play centre, a distracted friend who was a bit half hearted in checking her friends son was ok - this was the setting for ‘the fallout’. A decent read but a slower pace than I’m comfortable with. Definitely well written and I was impressed by the depth of characters. Fans of this genre will enjoy.

The story itself was really good, and although we as the reader don't get given all the information up front, it was still really easy to follow.

There was a good mix of suspense and trying to solve the mystery. The way the novel and character perspectives were split up by articles / interviews relating to the story was a really clever way to allow the reader to know more information, without it needing to come from any of the main characters.

The characters within the book seem relatable and the messages I really took home were that (1) all is not always as it appears to the outsider, (2) nobody will scrutinise you as hard as you do yourself and (3) sometimes you just have to ask for help and that is ok.

While this book was interesting, it didn't completely grip me, so I found it took me a while to finish.