The twists and turns and fantastic storyline kept me awake until the birds began singing for two consecutive nights !!! A MUST read ! I got so engrossed in this book l thought l new who was the killer but it had me guessing to the end best book l have read for along time

On Sunday, April 20, 1997, two young sisters were led from Hilltop House by police. The younger aged 10, the older 12. Their parents stabbed to death. A third young girl watched as the sisters were escorted away, never to return to their home.

Almost twenty years later, one of the sisters is finally breaking her silence about the case that shocked a nation. The other, who has now built a new life for herself, is horrified that her family will be destroyed.


I really enjoyed this book. I think my favourite character was journalist Brinley Booth, who is covering the story. I also liked the politics angle, it added another angle to what was, at times, a very difficult read about two sisters who had been treated so badly. Their parents were very abusive and I found that very uncomfortable to read about, so do proceed with caution (also if you hate spiders, I'd avoid the chapter about the shed!).

This was a solid, well-written thriller that almost crossed over to horror at times. It was well crafted and the pace was perfect. If I had one criticism it would be that the ending all felt a little bit flung together compared to how well the rest of the story was told.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley.

I have no idea why I left it so long to read this novel. I went through a phase of just not reading crime or thriller books but I picked this up recently and OMG! What a book!

The writing was super easy to follow, with characters who had so many secrets drawing you in. Not only that, but the plot itself was just amazing. This was filled with family dramas, sister devotion and twists you just did not see coming.

Triggers warnings are needed for this book though, with key ones being death, child abuse and adultery.

I loved the multiple POV's, jumping from Catherine to Brinley, and even throwing in the politician - although I'm still not clear why his story was part of the novel.

Hands down a brilliant thriller!

𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙁𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖 𝘾𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙨

I was instantly drawn to the cover of this and intrigued by the synopsis. We are bought the POV of one of the sisters Sara (now Catherine) and the girl’s best friend Brinley, both in the traumatic, emotive past and the present. This is a really twisted, sinister and gory thriller that delves heavily into childhood trauma and abuse, and looks at both the physical and psychological scars the girls carry as adults.

I was a bit confused at first between the different characters and how they connected to one another but the stories soon came together and I could not put this down. I’m not sure if this is a Netgalley thing but I do wish the chapters had the name of the POV we’re reading from, especially as the two sisters had very similar names - I found myself having to read the first few paragraphs to figure out who we were with and then starting the chapter again.

However I can really appreciate the time that went into this book - it’s such a fast-paced rollercoaster ride full of twists and turns. I think anything that explores child crime has a sort of dark fascination to it. We have the thought provoking, devastating back story, lots of twists, secrets, gore, a horrendous crime. each page was so captivating and just when you think you’ve figured things out the author spins the story another way completely. I thought the twist at the end was just perfect- some of the story line was a tad far-fetched but also stayed within the realms of believable in my opinion. Highly recommend this book!

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5)

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 + 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂!

Read April 2021.

Catherine has a secret. Her real name is Sara and aged 10 she killed her parents. Now many years later her older sister, Shannon, is featuring in a new documentary about the murders and their family, hoping to reconnect with Sara. This news incites a renewed media interest in the case, interest that soon leads to the revelation of Catherine's identity. most crucially to her formerly clueless husband and teenage daughter.

The book has three narrators: Catherine/Sara writing in third person, mostly alternating with Brinley, the sisters' childhood friend turned journalist in first person, with additional chapters by a politician who is in trouble for remarks he made about the case on live radio. There are also frequent flashbacks to the girls childhood.

The base story was intriguing with plenty of twists. The key them seems to be you never know what's going on behind locked doors. I felt that the storyline with the politician was overall pointless, it felt like you could cut it completely with no impact to the rest of the story. The writing style was easy and readable but a few "medical" based scenes were weirdly detailed. I also wish the ending was more complete.

This was a great book, with some amazing twists and turns. It left me guessing right to the very last page. I really enjoyed myself and I love the cover as well.

This book is paced superbly. The characters are well developed.
It is filled with many twists and turns.
This book was amazing.

Shocking and dark and sometimes hard to read if triggered by abuse or bullying nevertheless this book is a treat ! The ending in particular is fabulous - love anything by this author

Really cleverly written with plenty of heart in your mouth moments and edge of your seat chapter endings. I raced through this book as I was so desperate to know what was going on. I love a tense thriller and When I Was Ten is certainly that!

I am a huge fan of Fiona Cummins her work always thrills and chills while I find her style very readable. When I was ten was no exception it once again was a multi layered, complexly plotted tale that held me captive from the first page. I am in awe of Cummins ability to write a sentence that she drops at the end of a chapter one that leaves your mind reeling and your jaw flapping. I always have to re read these as they give me that delicious adrenaline rush that thriller readers like myself literally get high on and can’t get enough of.
I adored the varying POV’s and timelines, these for me help build the suspended and tension to perfection, slowly unraveling the backstory while we the reader clamour to piece together it’s relevance to the present situation... This is what keeps those pages turning at breakneck speed. If you love a tense, compelling read that picks you up and doesn’t put you down then
read this one ... I guarantee you will stay up way past your bedtime

The story starts with a girl running away from a terrible nursery scene which is twelve year old Brinley Booth. Her best friends are Shannon and Sara Carter who live next door and the murder victims are their parents. This is the infamous ‘Hill Top Murders’ for which ten year old Sara is convicted. Fast forward twenty one years to December 2018 to Catherine and Edward Allen and their daughter Honor who are living a happy life. A news item catches Catherine’s eye and their precious family life will never be the same. A documentary team has tracked down one of the sisters, persuading her to speak about the events of that night for the first time.
Her explosive interview sparks national headlines and Brinley Booth, now a journalist, is tasked with covering the news story which brings to light fresh evidence. This is a fascinating read which I couldn’t put down, it dark and twisted and shows that sometimes you just don’t know what goes on behind closed doors.

This author is really great. I really loved this book. This tale was highly engrossing and highly recommendable!!

A difficult read. The early reviews were mostly positive so I was keen to pick this up, but the descriptions of bullying and abuse were difficult to get through.

Shocking......
What would make a 10 year old want to kill there parents so brutly.
Then how to tune there life around.

Mind blowing shocking dark twished
Very well writen.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

A spooky thriller! Honestly one of the best I've read in a long time, the audiobook is also another great medium to read it with.

It's always hard to review a mystery or thriller novel without describing the plot too much, but I will try my best not to reveal too many details. This may result in a bit of a vague review so I apologise for that.
The novel is set several years after the murder of a couple, a husband and wife, known as the 'Hill Top Murders'. The murderer? One of their own daughters, Sara Carter. We follow Catherine after she has made a new life for herself as an adult, as well as the sisters' childhood friend, Brinley, as the story is revisited in media. More and more details of the murder come out, and shocking truths are inevitably revealed. It's a truly gripping story and I was taken by surprise multiple times. Catherine's daughter is in danger and another murder has taken place, years after everyone thought it was all over.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was pleasantly taken aback by some of the plot twists. It was fascinating learning about the crime, and understanding the circumstances that led to it. There are some dark topics covered that people may find difficult to read, but I'd definitely recommend it to fans of dark stories and thrillers. 5 stars from me.

When I Was Ten - Fiona Cummins ✂️
I was very lucky to get a copy of this last year from @netgalley but unfortunately didn’t get chance to read it. I then started listening to it through @borrowbox yesterday morning and then spent the evening flying through it on my kindle and finishing this morning listening to the audiobook again while I worked… I was hooked right from the start! Incredible writing and a story that pulls you in and keeps you guessing right from the start. There’s lots of blood and it does make for some uncomfortable reading in parts of the book but it all adds the dark and twisted nature of the story. I couldn’t put it down, was completely taken by surprise right until the very end! Incredible 👏🏼👏🏼

Great thriller, unlike any other thriller I have read. Fantastic writing, the plot kept me wanting more and at the edge of my seat

This was my first Fiona Cummins novel and I’ll definitely be reading more! The author drew me in immediately and delivered a cleverly laces and plotted mystery with shocking twists that still remained believable. I read this in one sitting and could not put it down!