Little friends was a deeply disturbing story about three families who met when their children began attending private tuition lessons.

A really good read with some great twists and turns. Very clever! I'm looking forward to reading more from the author.

This is a well written domestic thriller. A genre that I enjoy
The style of the authors writing just works so well. It flows so easily. She makes it easy to understand but also manages to build in such amazing tension
A great book

God I loved this book, hated most of the characters tho 😂 what a seriously good read it was and I couldn’t sit still whilst reading it, got totally pulled in by the story and what happened and really felt for the children to be honest, a thrilling read and one I was thinking about long after I’d finished, gonna buy copies for my friends!

This was definitely a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, it is definitely an easier read than I expected it to be, and it's one I got into quite quickly. Plus there's a wide range of characters from all areas of society so odds are you'll find at least one who you identify with in some way.

However, most of the characters are completely unlikeable, and they've definitely been written with some cliches in mind. Plus, the narrative structure was one which I personally found to be very jarring and disjointed. Finally, I found the 'big twist' to be a bit too obvious from far too early on, and as such the ending was quite underwhelming. All in all, not one I can recommend.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

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 book seemed very slow to start but then i loved the fact it just sucked me in and i had to read on.
I did predict how the ending would go but there were still lots of surprises that made the book a great ending.
I love how quickly the three families became so close and i particularly loved the story of Grace.
Thanks again for another great read!

I loved this book so much I’ve read it twice!

Three families, children in common, all become friends and then boom tragedy strikes. Who is at fault, complacency turns to blame...

Earth mother Eve, starved as a child of both freedom and affection, is determined to lavish her children with both, encouraging them to run wild in the extensive grounds of their home. It's like Fairyland, as described by one visitor - but we know how dark some fairytales can be,

Grace, missing her native Zimbabwe, struggling financially and finding her living environment often hostile, her writing ambitions have been subsumed into those of her husband while Grace works long hours to support the family.

And anorexic Melissa's apparently successful life - home, career, family - conceals a lot of hidden darkness.

When Eve decides to put her teaching qualification to use by offering private tuition to dyslexic children - her own daughter Poppy, Grace's son Blake and Melissa's daughter Izzy - the three women, their husbands and various children soon become friends, spending time together and even going on holiday. But it seems nobody's paying enough attention to notice what's going on beneath the surface - or to intervene in time.

It took me far too long to get around to reading this book - after a slightly slow start, it was an incredibly gripping read, although the story is very dark and almost unbearably tense at times. While there are some heavy themes here, Jane Shemilt handles them with great sensitivity and sureness of touch, and the ending is satisfying.

Highly recommended - many thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read it and provide an unbiased review.

Eve opens up her beautiful home each weekend to offer extra curricular lessons to a small group of children who have dyslexia. Over time, the children, their siblings and parents all become friends leading to Eve inviting them all to her Greek holiday home for a break. Each family have their own issues and secrets to deal with, and the story becomes more sinister when two of the children go missing.
I have read and enjoyed previous novels by Jane Shemilt, but struggled to find the same connection with this one. There are a large number of characters to remember, and the many relationship issues between the individual couples were implausible and cliched rather than complex.

Their children are friends first. They hit it off immediately, as kids do. And so the parents are forced to get to know each other. Three wildly different couples. Three marriages, floundering.

There are barbecues, dinner parties, a holiday in Greece. An affair begins, resentments flare, and despite it all the three women become closer.

Unnoticed, their children run wild. The couples are so busy watching each other that they forget to watch their children. Until tragedy strikes.

Because while they have been looking the other way, evil has crept into their safe little world, and every parent's biggest nightmare is about to come true....


I really enjoyed this book. The author describes difficult topics throughout the book, but I felt that she portrayed them brilliantly throughout the book. I liked the short chapters in the book, which kept me wanting to read one chapter more. It was very easy reading. It is a great psychological thriller book, although, I must admit that I worked out the twist quite early on in the book, but this did not effect my enjoyment of the book. Perfect for fans of B A Paris, Fiona Barton, Jane Corry and Clare Allen.

I have adored Shemilt's previous novels, her characters are complex and well drawn and their moral dilemmas feel authentic; this was the case with this one too but I found my heart pounding too much at times to persevere beyond half way. It was almost too real and I felt too worried about what was going to happen to the characters. Even though this story clearly wasn't for me that doesn't take away from what a talented writer Shemilt is and I will continue to recommend her.

Three couples, three very different lifestyles. Their path's probably wouldn't have crossed at all, had it not been for their children.

Three Wives, Three Mothers, Three very different Women; Eve, Melissa and Grace.

Each of them tell their story from their own perspective in this unique and intriguing novel.

Eve is keen to help her own daughter Poppy who is struggling to learn, so she sets up a home tutoring group to assist others, and give Poppy some company, away from her siblings, and encourages her to make friends with the other students.

Despite their obvious differences (age and background) the new students do become friends with both Poppy and her siblings, and in turn their parents become friends with Eve and her husband.

Soon there are dinner parties, barbecues and talk of holidays abroad.

The adults become so wrapped up in their own new friendships that they stop paying attention to their children. Unnoticed they begin to run wild, until tragedy strikes.

Suddenly everyone is to blame, and no one knows who to trust ...

I really enjoyed this book! A great story line that kept me hooked and excellent main characters. I would highly recommend this book.

I had to start this book twice as the first time I lost concentration so forgot who was who. The 2nd time, I managed to get into it and remembered who was who. This was my own fault and nothing to do with the book.



There are a lot of characters in this book, once you figure out who is who it does get easier to read. Becomes a second nature.



I like the plot, there was some great twists and turns in there. I kept thinking i had it when i didn't. It really does make you think about what is happening and also about family dynamics.



Great ending with a twist you don't see coming. I knew something was up with the character but I never expected that!



Great read

I read Shemilt’s previous book How Far We Fall and really enjoyed it; a modern-day take on Macbeth that was tightly-plotted and well written. Perhaps I enjoyed seeing seeing how the classic tale was going to be spun for a modern audience: we all knew the ending so it was more about the writing.

Little Friends on the other hand is a new story and while it is again well written, I found myself really having to push to get through the book at around 75%. That was partly because I could see the ending coming - this time it seems unintentionally - and I was also so disgusted by one of the characters (actually very few of them were likeable) I found myself forcing my way through sections of the text.

Some parallels here too with Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and Jane Shemilt for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a great book about the lives of three families. Plenty of secrets are being hidden by each of the families. Whose lies and secrets will be revealed ? and what will the impact be ?

One of Eve and Eric’s daughters, Poppy, has dyslexia so Eve decides to start a little group on Sunday to help her daughter and a couple of other children. All of the children and their siblings hit it off immediately which ultimately leads to their parents becoming friends. The relationships are so good that the three families even take a holiday to Greece together.

But not everything is as it seems. Each of the couples has their own secrets. Some as a family and some as individuals. Slowly but surely the secrets are finally revealed but not before a tragedy which will rip everything apart.

This is a brilliant thriller told from various points of view. Each of the ladies in the couples tells their own story and we also have some insight from the children’s point of view as well. Most of the characters are really likeable and you will find yourself shouting at them to sort out their lives as you will find yourself completely engrossed. A great twisty thriller that will keep you hooked.

Thank you to Michael Joseph, Penguin UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

I’m a huge fan of this author’s books so was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for her latest book. I was definitely not disappointed as this was another gripping and unsettling read which was very difficult to put down.

Firstly I love books set around old friendship groups as you never quite know what secrets are going to be reveal and where the story will go. This story was no exception and I enjoyed getting to know the three couples better. I definitely wasn’t expecting the story to go the way it did and the many twists or revelations took me by surprise. Just when I thought I’d figured out which way the story was going to go, something happened to change everything.

The pace of this book was brilliant and made it easy to read. There was always something going on to keep my attention and I found myself unable to put the book down as I really wanted to know what would happen next. There are some fairly dark subjects covered in this book but the author has a way of including them without them seeming overdone but still written in such a way to make them affect you. I found it very compelling and quite powerful to see how these were dealt with, especially how it affects everyone after everything has come out.

Huge thanks to Sriya from Michael St Joseph for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

My thanks to Penguin U.K. Michael Joseph for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Little Friends’ by Jane Shemilt‬ in exchange for an honest review.

This domestic noir proved to be extremely satisfying. Initially I did feel rather overwhelmed by the number of characters introduced in the opening chapters. I have had similar experiences with other novels with initial large casts that swap between multiple perspectives.

I actually stopped at about 15% and went back to the beginning and made some notes for myself of who was who, their occupations and which child belonged to which couple. Taking a few minutes to do this exercise successfully imprinted the characters in my brain and I found it plain sailing from then on.

The plot involves three South London couples. The wealthy Eve is keen to help Poppy, her dyslexic 11-year-old daughter. She has added a diploma to teach dyslexic learners to her existing Education degree and sets up a tutoring group and opens it up to others. Two other children join the group: Izzy, who is 13, and Blake, also 11. The three children become friends along with their younger siblings and as the weeks pass their parents also become close.

In fact, the adults get so wrapped up with each other that they take their eyes off the children, who are running wild.

No more details in order to avoid entering spoiler territory but this novel really impressed me. It wasn’t only due to the twists expected in this kind of domestic thriller but that it was very well written with memorable characters. I also felt that Jane Shemilt handled some difficult topics with sensitivity.

Overall, after the initial blip I was totally gripped by this enthralling novel.

I can honestly say I've never read another book like this one - it's the perfect mixture of warm and friendly on the surface while evil lurks below . . .

Three families, all from very different walks of like get to know each other through their children and friendships are struck; as they begin to spend more and more time together they focus more on each other and less on the children. Recipe for disaster? What do you think?

I warmed to this novel very quickly; I can only imagine that a lot of work went into making this such an easy read. The characters are all very different and each family has their own particular style of parenting. There is plenty happening and the story builds piece by piece, with suspense mounting throughout. A gripping read, well written and it certainly kept my attention all the way from beginning to end. Some of the revelations shocked me, others I had an inkling about. Even so, this is well worth four stars and a good recommendation.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is my honest, original and unbiased review.