I was intrigued by exactly how this book would work written by four authors but this was made clear when I realised each took a different long chapter to write, coming together for the last. I 've read and loved 3 of the 4 authors solo books but honestly? I was disappointed. I'm not sure I understand the point of bringing these four authors together, especially when the result is a fairly mediocre story. It's cut-throat, bitchy and completely unrealistic. The big 'twist' and the 'villian's' justification just doesn't really make much sense.
The ending was awful, with pretty much all of the characters deciding that after caring so much throughout the story, they 'no longer cared', allowing a lot of pretty big plot flaws to 'conveniently slip through the net.

A book with a difference. Certainly an interesting read. Well written with substance
Thank you to both NetGalley and Quercus book for giving me the opportunity to read this book

An interesting book with plenty of twists, school girls relationships viewed through their mothers eyes and who is hiding something....

This is a veritable maze of a book there are so many twists and turns. From chapter to chapter we learned different things about each of the characters. With the mothers I veered from believing in each one to totally mistrusting them. With the four authors collaborating on this book I thought the writing might be a little disjointed but I couldn't have been more wrong, the book flowed perfectly and I quickly forget there was more than one writer involved. A really good book.

Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Not sure what I can write about this book as seemed to have skipped more than I read.

Having read and loved books by each of the four authors of this book, I was both intrigued and excited to see how they would do with this collaboration. Sadly, for me, the expectation fell short in its execution. I am not sure of the mechanics behind how they wrote the book, apart from each author taking one of the four main characters (the mothers) and writing their chapters but however they did it, it didn't really work for me. The story didn't quite flow as well as I would have liked it to. It also didn't really help that, even though I wrote me a cast list, I was still getting confused and having to look at it well into the book, something that rarely happens. I usually eventually get there with who is who and what relation they are to others. I guess maybe this could be due to the fact that I really didn't get on with any of the characters in the book and, by about half way through, didn't really care what happened to any of them. Which is a shame really as there are some really hard hitting, and quite prevalent, themes running through the book that really should have shocked me more.
The story itself was OK when all was said and done - quite cleverly plotted but, again, the ending left me feeling flat rather than giving me the satisfaction that I need in a book. It's also a bit wishy washy, the reasons for this being obvious when the ultimate ending was left open for the inevitable sequel. Not a fan of those either. I also guessed the baddie half way through and was only just wide of the mark motive-wise.
All in all, not a book for me and I probably won't bother with said sequel if it does come to fruition. It won't however put me off reading all these authors again in the future, just not together.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was about four mothers with talented children at a very good drama school. Four of them were trying to be the best and one new girl comes in and throws things off balance. So, it's all about lies, secrets, what's going on behind doors, and lots of drama.

If you like this sort of plot with twists and turns, this is your book. It's of course well written by very acclaimed writers. So, I'd definitely recommend it if you're interested in the premise.

Thanks a lot to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Understudy’ written by Sophie Hannah, Clare Mackintosh; B A Paris; and Holly Brown in exchange for an honest review.

This intriguing novel is centred on the exclusive and highly competitive Orla Flynn Academy for the Performing Arts in London. Mothers Carolyn, Bronnie, Elsie, and Kendall are bound together by their four daughters, who are students at the Academy as well as best friends.

At the opening we learn that there had been problems between two of the girls during the previous school year; though now smoothed over. Then when a new student, Imogen, joins the Academy it triggers a series of unsettling events. No more plot details in order to avoid spoilers.

I elected to obtain the audiobook edition, narrated by Carol Jacobanis and Marian Hussey to listen alongside reading the eARC. Interestingly, each chapter was announced as ‘Episode __’ giving it the feel of listening to a boxset.

I found it very well plotted and its authors clearly worked well together as the narrative flows well and felt seamless. There are ten chapters with the opening and final chapters credited to all four authors and then each are credited with two of the remaining chapters.

A dark and dramatic tale with plenty of intrigue, twists and turns that completely held my attention from the start.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Recommended.

I was excited to read this book as it is a collaboration between 4 prolific authors known for their psychological thrillers. It was cleverly done and told a good story with plenty of surprises and twists. However, I felt the subject matter of teenage girls at a stage school was a bit too 'young adult' for me. The mothers were certainly interesting characters, but I felt the reader was unable to get to know them as well as I would have liked to. I usually enjoy multiple points of view stories as it helps give a deeper insight into the plot but I felt this book was slightly repetitive without getting into enough depth about motivation and characterisation. I wanted to know more about why some of the characters acted the way they did.

Four mothers all with talented children at a top drama school, four girls all trying to be the best when another comes along and causes problems. Soon it becomes clear theres lots of lies surrounding all these families and friends. Just who is this new girl and who is going after the other girls. What secrets are hiding?

Wow what a dark story with some clever twists. The plot built well with lots of drama and kept me guessing for a while about who was behind it. I figured out some things like the truth of Vee but others caught me off guard. The ending was interesting but I wanted a little more resolution to some of it. I like how the story was told by more than one person as it added more depth to the characters. The writing was good featuring four very talented authors all of whom I've read and loved.

This was an intriguing premise for a book as it is written by four already well known and successful authors. The plots centres on four girls, Ruby, Jess, Annabel (Bel) and Sadie and their respectively mothers Kendall, Carolyn, Bronnie and Elise. The girls are all about sixteen and studying musical theatre at the Orla Flynn Academy in London. Ruby and her mum are from the States but have been in London for a year or so. We start to learn of the dynamics within the girls and their mothers and then a new girl, Imogen, joins the academy. Imogen's arrival changes the nature of the various relationships and we find that there are numerous secrets lurking in the past of many of the characters. Meanwhile the academy’s head, Adam Racki, doesn’t seem to be taking some disturbing events as seriously as he ought. There are many twists and turns with an all too hasty conclusion that I didn’t find entirely satisfying or believable.

I didn’t always find the writing style easy to follow as although it was clear who was the voice of each chapter there was a lot of ‘who knew what and when’ involved which I found challenging to keep track of. It also felt quite repetitive at times which made me wonder if the authors were all writing in isolation from one another and so repeating things or whether that was deliberate to reinforce some points. A bit more editing would have sharpened it up.

With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book,especially when I saw it compared to the likes of Liane Moriarty however I honestly could not finish this book.

The story just felt like it didn't flow for me and maybe that's because the amount of authors there are. I disliked all the characters and honestly didn't care for any of them.

I was going to try and power through but just could not find it in me to do so which is really disappointing. I think I'll try and read the individual works of each author and go from there.

London and a performing arts school where a group of 4 girls, Bel, Sadie, Ruby and Jess are causing trouble, not just any trouble but the sort of antics that can get a girl expelled. Is Ruby jealous of Jess? Is that why she placed a mutilated ballerina in a music box, playing an audition piece, in Jess's locker? This question is the starting point for a novel based on secrets, lies and a lot of acting.
The mothers of the 4 girls, Elise (Sadie), Carolyn (Jess), Bronnie (Bel) and Kendall (Ruby) are all seated in the headteacher's office seething, competing, hiding and then horrified that Adam Rackie's response is not any form of punishment but instead the introduction of new girl Imogen to help change the group's dynamics. Will this tactic work or will it cause more trouble?
Everyone in this novel has plenty to hide, the girls as well as the mothers. There is a darkness lurking, bluffs and double bluffs and no-one appears to be able to tell the truth.
The story is narrated by the mothers mostly and divided into acts. Whilst I did guess who the culprit was, there are still plenty of twists and turns to surprise, delight and confuse the reader as the story delves into yet more sinister incidents, a death, a fall, a noose, a graffitied bench and a roof tile falling that just misses its mark.
Who is after who, and who is who they say they are?!
Read in one sitting I loved this book, co-written by such wonderful authors to bring about a cohesive dramatic tale of jealousy, deceit, revenge and tragedy.
Definitely worth a read!

The book is set around stage school ( Orla Flynn Academy for the Performing Arts) and the mums of the daughters that go there. Its the typical housewives set up, a rich one, a perfect mother, the outsider ( in this case the american) and then the other one, you know the one I mean, who you always forget about then realise actually shes really important to the storyline!  

The authors all take turns writing their piece (I did have a moment thinking it might be a little Dusk til Dawn like with the story) and you would never know it.  The story flows seamlessly.  I think you get so drawn into the action that you dont notice the author change. It cleverly done at times to be a person change, making it sound like a different character and its brilliant. 

Last year Ruby bullied Jess because she was the competition, now the girls all seem to be friends, except now that Imogen is the new girl on the block horrible things are happening again. Is Ruby up to her old tricks? And why did she and her mum Kendall really move from California - the land of Acting to the UK?  

The parents dont trust Imogen, but could she really be behind all of the drama going on at Orla Flynn? 

I really through I had the storyline figured out. I was convinced I knew what was going on and who was who, I knew there was a small flaw in my thinking, bu figured this is fiction - it'll be explained. Boy was I wrong. Completely, totally and utterly.  And Im okay with that. 

This is a great book by four amazing writers, and I really hope they collaborate again soon!

When great crime novelists combine. They become an impeccable force. An amazing read, perfect for a holiday. I have enjoyed every moment. Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Written by some very big names in crime fiction, The Understudy delves into the highly competitive and cut throat world of acting/show business.
Centre stage are four young aspiring, talented wannabe actresses and their equally pushy mothers seemingly willing to do anything to put their daughter in the spotlight. The OFA academy in London is where the action takes place and the reader is given a front row seat to witness the drama that is unfolding backstage. Ruby is a bully, having targeted Jess, who is part of this foursome. However when a new girl, Imogen suddenly arrives at the academy, bullying is taken to a whole other level. Who is the guilty party? Is Ruby up to her old tricks or is that what someone else would like you to believe?? How far will any of these individuals, mothers and daughters alike, go to achieve their ambitions??
Whilst I mostly enjoyed this psychological thriller, I did find the pace a bit slow. None of the characters are at all likeable, in fact I think the mothers are particularly abhorrent in varying degrees! Backstabbing, one upmanship, lying and cheating are all part of this world where you don’t know who your friends really are so best keep your enemies even closer! Maybe because all the mothers are morally corrupt in one way or another, I wasn’t desperate to uncover the culprit. When the twist finally came (which I didn’t see!) obviously everything then fell into place and I have to admire how well written the novel is. Casting aspersions on all of the characters makes it harder to follow the scent and whilst I didn’t find The Understudy as gripping as I thought I would, I do recommend it goes on your TBR pile. Thanks as always to the authors and publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

A treat to see a collaboration between four crime writers who are absolutely at the top of their game. The authors clearly had a lot of fun with this over-the-top, twisty, gripping thriller that will keep you guessing until the last page.

I first thought this was short stories but soon realised it was a collaboration of the best psychological modern crime writers around. What a treat and yes the book didn’t not disappoint.
Focusing around four drama school friends and their parents who are also friends but the relationships are tenuous and involve a lot of secrets and deceptions. Then arrives a new girl Imogen who is both mysterious and scary and then follows an attempted murder.
This is a great thriller which has many twists, back stories and intrigue and I was kept guessing throughout. Fans of Big little lies would enjoy this book but if you like a good psychological thriller with lots of plot this is a book for you

I was intrigued by what four authors could achieve in a collaboration and the end result is smoothly constructed and although each chapter tells you who wrote it the overall tone was fairly consistent. The plot had a lot of promise however the telling was somewhat disjointed and I don’t believe that was from the use of different authors more the overall planning of the story. I think it lacked subtlety, it was a good story overall but every character just had a bit too much going on, it was just trying too hard basically. The ending was quite open which worked in one respect but I’m the kind of reader who likes things tying up! It’s a good story though with a lot of originality and possibly a good way of getting a feel for a new author

My thanks to Hodder and Staughton and the authors for the ARC of The Understudy.
I wanted to like this book because it had a unique background but unfortunately it didn't chime with me at all. I found it difficult to want to champion any of the characters. I know everyone has faults but the adults were worse than the kids. Maybe that was the moral of the story, that people don't change. I found it very difficult to immerse myself in the story and I'm wondering if it's because the writers could only immerse themselves in the characters they were writing about and not in the essence of the others. I'm not sure but, a personal opinion of course, not for me.