A really well-paced thriller with intriguing protagonists who are tied together by a dark shared history. Moving between two time lines, twenty years apart, we slowly learn about the Hilltop murders, the shocking case of a young girl of ten murdering her own parents in the late 1990s, leaving herself and her sister orphaned. There is some beautiful description (I loved the part about Lichtenburg scars), and the author is adept at sprinkling compelling clues to keep you turning pages.

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for my copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

The story follows two women, Brinley Booth and Catherine Allen on their journey through life as they try to forget the horror which happened to them when they were younger.

The author grips you instantly with her brilliant suspense building and descriptive writing, each chapter leaving you hooked and the is straight away a ‘can’t put down’ read. I was completely enthralled into the story and just when I thought I had the story all figured out I found myself with a feeling of whiplash as the truth of the hilltop murders finally unfolded. I started to feel at peace thinking I finally knew the truth and then the author threw in the most unexpected curveball that left me with my mouth wide open.

This booked is definitely fuelled by lies, so many lies you will never know who you can trust.

The only problem I had with the book was the messages from the stranger, I personally feel like they were misplaced and I wonder if it would have been better to have them as a separate chapter.

The character building was fantastic, I love how each of the characters grow with you during the story, each chapter giving away a little more about them.
My favourite character was Brinley, I felt sorry for the grief she held, I loved how she didn’t care about her appearance, she was who she was like it or lump it, and I willed for the relationship between her and Lawrie to grow.
I felt sorry for Catherine, straight away I felt sorry for her and could feel that she was a warm and gentle person but I just couldn’t connect to her the way I did with Brinley, she was just to emotionally damaged.
Shannon creeped me out from her first tv appearance. It was like I could feel how evil she was, even through the pages.

A chilling and fast paced psychological thriller that had me gripped from the start. A doctor and his wife are murdered by one of their young daughters and twenty years later the secret of what truly happened comes to light. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

4.5 out of 5 stars

This book was really interesting.
I really enjoyed the small flashbacks to the night of the murders as well as seeing how the characters were now.

The book was split into parts and each part ended with its own cliffhanger. Every time I thought I guess what was going on the plot thickened.

I gave this book a five star because I still think it was an excellent piece of writing however I did take issue with the fact that the ending was almost wrapped up a bit too quickly.
In addition to that there was also a narrative in the story that didn't seem to go anywhere.
Mainly I was just disappointed that it seemed to wrap up very quickly at the end however the book was still excellent

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the advanced copy of this book.
Well I didn't see that coming at the end- I won't give anything away.
This book was well written and gripped me from the. A difficult subject to write about but I felt Fiona did it well - child killers are not always what you want to read about but is was done with consideration.
It took me a few days to read, but that is because I am working, had I not been I suspect I would have devoured it in 1 or 1.5 days.
This is the third book I have read by Fiona Cummins and it won't be the last.. I would definitely recommend this book to add to your reading list.
When's the next one?!

Gripping, compelling, heart rending. When I finished this I had to just sit down quietly and stare at a blank wall for a bit to process it all. Phew.

What a roller coaster of a read- thank you for giving the chance to read it, and all those sleepless nights thinking about it! Starting off in 1997 with a girl running away from a deadly crime scene and being struck by lightning, this book never fails to push and pull you all over the place. Wow wow wow

I've read quite a few "twisty thrillers" back to back recently and to be honest was getting a little tired of the genre. Combine that with the fact that I usually avoid any books about missing / sick / traumatised children, I started this book with low expectations. How wrong could I be?!

It's hard to say that I loved this book as it was a pretty harrowing subject. There weren't twists and jolts throughout the book (fortunate because I really was at saturation point), more a slow unfolding of the past. The story is shocking enough without the need to shock the reader further. I really appreciated the lack of shocking twists and felt it added a certain dignity to the story.

I stayed up far too late last night to finish this book. The author really carried me along on the story and I felt every stab of humiliation and pain of those poor little girls. I think the story will stay with me far longer than most thrillers.

I'm glad I dipped my toe into this story of childhood trauma, as it really was an excellent read. I won't be hurrying back to this genre of book as it is perhaps a little too grizzly for my tastes. I will however look up the authors work to explore if she has written anything that does not centre around children. If this is your thing though, I would heartily recommend this.

For me, I expect I will hug my children a little longer than absolutely necessary over the coming days whilst those little blonde girls are somewhere in the back of my mind.

A story to make your skin crawl, this is the story of the Carter family Dr and Mrs Carter and their two daughters. The story flits from past to the present and we unravel the story that has been made a major headline in all the newspapers. The way the story is set out just makes you want to devour it quickly but I wanted to take my time and piece it all together myself. When the story from the past reveals itself I was shocked and had a few tears in my eyes. It also made me angry at the parents, at the time the girls had a best friend Brinley who is now a journalist and what she tells made my skin crawl. A very creepy read. But one I enjoyed very much.

It was a famous double murder of a doctor and his wife – and their youngest daughter, Sara, spent eight years in a secure unit because of it. Now living a new life with a family, she’s far removed from the horror that caused many to call her the Angel of Death. But a documentary team has found Sara’s older sister, Shannon, and she’s ready and willing to give her side of the story. It’s the story that could give Brinley Booth her big break, but, as a childhood friend of the Carter sisters, she knows only too well what happened that night. Can they all return to two decades ago, and remember what happened? My goodness, I flew through this book. It was beautifully, engagingly written and the subject matter is sensitively handled, the plot builds and builds until that winner of an ending.

This book gripped me from the start. A fabulous read. Fiona Cummings is such a talented writer. A difficult subject to cover but thoroughly well done. Definitely recommended.

if you are looking for a book to read in a few hours than look no further! This book is exciting and thrilling. There are plenty of twists to keep you going that last up to the end of brilliant read. thanks so much to Netgalley for a preview of this great book.

Well!

I only had 24hrs to read this book before my access expired but it turns out I only needed about 4!!

Read the book from start to finish in one go. The way the story slowly unfolds, bringing new surprises at each turn kept the suspense to a maximum.

The heart breaking relationship between the girls and their parents left me both shattered and outraged.

Story moves at a good pace and the characters feel real and relatable.

**Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW, what a book!

I am a big fan of Fiona Cummins and have read her entire back catalogue. This book did not let me down. The front cover is so creepy - I LOVE IT! The book is creepy and atmospheric and a complete unputdownable read. I read this in a single sitting!

Wow I loved this book !!!
This surely was such a compelling read, full of emotion and a jaw dropping ending to boot. It’s a story of two sisters and begins with their friend Brinley fleeing from from a horrific scene in which the sisters are involved when she is struck by lightning the two sisters Shannon and Sara are somehow a part of the murder of their parents but why would they do this and in such a violent way. What follows is the compulsive story of these sisters and Brinley and oh my god it’s such a gripping read. I have read Fiona Cummings previous books and loved them and this one is no exception it’s a stunning read, as always the characters are so real and the story totally believable, a story that’s uncomfortable at times as it deals with some tough subjects but is done so well.
Twists and turns , fast paced and excellently done made this book for me a real winner and one that I can highly recommend so many thanks to Fiona Cummings for yet another exceptional thriller.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I would like to thank Pan Macmillan, Fiona Cummins and netgalley for giving me this opportunity to read and review this book.

It took me awhile to get into the story but once the twist and turns started I couldn’t put it down. This book will not disappoint as it keeps you guessing as you read each chapter. It will keep you riveted wanting to know what happens next.

This is a dark book as the story of Shannon and Sarah Carter who live with their GP father and mother look perfect on the outside but on the inside the girls are having an abusive childhood, all is not what it seems.

I really wanted to like this book but it just didn't click for me. I found the twists to be unbelievable and unsupported; characters' behaviours completed changed with no explanation especially with Shannon. I also found the sections about the politician to be unnecessary and out of place in the story, his behaviour and ultimate downfall seemed completely separate from the story of the sisters and Brinley. Sadly this book just didn't live up to the amazingly high standard set by other thrillers with similar subject matters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the arc of When I Was Ten written by Fiona Cummins.

Thank you to Fiona Cummins for writing this page turning book!!

This follows Shannon and Sara Carter who looked to be two blonde haired perfect children, They lived in a great house with their dad and the GP of the village and their mum as well as what they call the "Pillar of the community" and Brinley their best friend. Things went to great to horrifying topsy turvy for them as one night when their parents was asleep one of them horrifically stabbed both of their parents to death!!😱 This meant one of the two sisters were accused of the murders of their parents and after was also branded a name called the "Angel Of Death"😱😱😱

The one accused of the murders (not saying which sister it was as not giving too much away for you) was sent to a secure children's facility.... the other sister moved to a foster family with whom tried to help her rebuild her life.. On the anniversary of the trial unfortunately a documentary team managed to track down one the the two sisters.. so the story becomes the front page/national sensations again..😱 With Brinley involved as he is the journalist writing up the story, whereas the sister whom was convicted of their parents murders was given a new identification, family to call her own, and has managed for many many years to keep the secret of her identity shut..

Another revelation is that the sisters have been living a lie for thirteen whole years which is about to be exposed and their lives come tumbling down once again.. this story is written in two perspectives (POV) which are Catherine (Thats the new identity of one sister) and Brinley's perspective and I'm really shocked at how much it gripped me from the very first page and yours did that so thank you Fiona Cummins.

Like for real Fiona Cummins really did perform with the whole twisty thriller like wow I was so shocked at how I read it so fast, I couldn't put it down and how on the edge of my seat it was, loved it ever so much if you love what they call twisty thrillers then this is certainly the book for you!🤩🤩🤩

Definitely Recommend
5 Stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the type of book I have come to expect from Fiona Cummins, always gripping, and exciting.

The story begins in 1997, when a young girl fleeing from a murder scene is struck down by lightening leaving her with scars in her back. This is Brinkley and her best friends are sisters Sara and Shannon. The murder scene she is grunting from is that of her friends parents Dr Richard Carter and his wife Pamela, killed by being stabbed with scissors. Sara is charged with and found guilty of murder, but why?

Jump forward to 2018, Catherine and her husband Edward have a 12 year old daughter Honorary. But all of a sudden their lives are going to be turned upside down, when a newspaper article is released revealing Catherine’s secrets.

The story is told in two timelines, from the points of view of Brinley and Catherine. Were Sara and Shannon’s childhoods as perfect as they looked from the outside, or was everything shown to the outside world an act. The killings were known as The Hilltop Murders. Now it’s the anniversary of the murders and one of the sisters is ready to talk about what happened that fateful night. Brinley is now a journalist she travels back to her home town to cover the story. But does she have secrets of her own?

This is a truly tense and gripping read, hooking you from start to finish, with twists and turns that will have your head spinning. A tale of what looks like a perfect life but behind closed doors it is anything but. The characters seem real and three dimensional, and the story will stay with you even after you have finished reading.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #PanMacmillan for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

When I Was 10 by Fiona Cummins is
a cautiously written but powerful story of the effects of having very dominating parents and the disposition of their children.

Even though this a dark and unsettling read at times, I found that I could not put this book down, leaving me on tenterhooks from beginning to end with a story that will long stay with me.
From the characters to the twisty plot ending you will NOT be disappointed.
I'm putting When I Was 10 in my top 5 reads of the year.

Thankyou to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.