Great writing that had me gripped from the very start. Cleverly written from the points of view of Poppy and Betty her mother-in-law, the novel intertwines the past with the present. Gritty dark and twisted the story line makes for a good read. My thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Wow what a brilliant addictive read I was gripped from the first chapter .The story is told through Poppy who makes a mistake letting her first love back into her life and Betty her Mother in Law who in her youth also made a dreadful mistake which she hasn't forgiven herself for.Full of thrills and spills just when you think you've guessed whats going to happen next everything is turned on its head !Loved this book kept me guessing until the end and even then there was an unexpected twist .I had enjoyed this book so much I was actually sad when I had finished it .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

An engaging thriller, I enjoyed the differing viewpoints and how this shifted the story between the past and the present. It was not an overly complex story but the way it was written made it engaging and dramatic.

Thanks for letting me review this book.

I really enjoyed this book that had me gripped from start to finish. Such clever writing to have us following two stories at one time. I loved both the main characters. Bettys early life story had me in tears but I loved her fighting and I was so hoping for a Happy Ending for her! Poppy although on the surface a strong successful woman she showed even women like her can be gullable and vunerable. Great writing and waht a twist at the end. Loved it!!

Jane Corry has done it again...a great read that's hard to put down. It grips you from the start and makes you think about the consequences of the actions we take. A family, mother, father, children and mother-in-law all have to pay for their mother's mistake. I am not going to summarize the characters as I do not want to spoil this well written novel. I can say that the chapters are mainly from the view points of Poppy and Betty, Poppy's mother-in-law who has her own secrets from her past. It entwines the past with the present brilliantly.
It is clever, gritty, dark in places and twisted. It is beautifully executed and cleverly draws you in.

So, so excited to read the new Jane Corry. Great opening which set the scene for a whodunnit. But then.....it didn’t really do what I I thought it would. There were none of the big breath and gasp moments I’d been counting on, definitely more of a slow country walk compared to an exhilarating mountain run. Sorry Jane, I’ve loved other books of yours, but found this a little lack lustre.

Absolutely brilliant.
This plot winds you in with twists on every page. A mistake made is paid for and we know it’s going to get worse . The family are involved in ways that are emotional and dark. A very clever piece of writing that will have you spinning with the pace and wanting to find the answer.

This had me hooked from the beginning I couldn't put it down!

The story is told in three parts Poppy and her family, that of her mother in law Betty and final part sees someone in the dock at the Old Bailey accused of murder.


Nobody is perfect we all make mistakes, the choices and decisions that we make can last a lifetime! and as the story unravels you get to see the similarities between the two main characters (Poppy and Betty) plights.

Each character had their own unique personality that was easy to relate to.

The ending was not at all what I was expecting, very well written with in-depth descriptions throughout a gripping read!

I'm always excited when Jane Corry releases a new book and this one did not disappoint. I was hooked on this book from the start. It is well written with good pace, a truly addictive read. Exciting, dark and gripping. Everything you want in a psychological thriller!

This story has two threads to it. It tells the story of Betty who marries Jock in the 60s and becomes a victim of mental cruelty, as Jock dictates what she does, who she sees and controls every aspect of her life. I found this side of the story quite chilling as I believe it represents what happened in many marriages in that era. The other story is set in present times and is about Poppy Page, married to Stuart and with two children. Poppy and Stuart’s marriage is under a certain amount of strain, particularly as Poppy’s life is so busy and stressful as she runs an agency that provides extras for films. Betty is her mother in law who lives with the family. One day Poppy runs into Matthew, a man she loved when she was a student. Matthew left Poppy for another woman and she never really got over him. Matthew makes it clear he is interested in Poppy and eventually she succumbs to spending the night with him. This is the mistake in the title. From the moment she gives in to Matthew, Poppy’s life is turned upside down as Matthew uses the evidence, he has gathered on that evening to blackmail Poppy.
Betty’s story of her life with Jock is told through a series of letters that she has written to Poppy, her daughter in law. After Jock’s death, Betty moved in with the family and helps out with everything in the house. Betty just wants the best for Poppy and they are very close.
Along with the two narratives there are courtroom scenes, which again are quite chilling. The whole story is realistic with well thought out characters. The two main people, Betty and Poppy are well thought out and realistic. The story is also easy to relate to and you feel these are things that could actually have happened. I have not read any of Jane Corry’s books before but will definitely be looking out for them from now on. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This is certainly a book I would recomment.

This is another very typical Jane Corrry book. A very understated premise which leads you to believe one thing for the majority of the book but completely takes you by surprise when that thing isn't true. I really like this style!

I wasn't totally invested in the story at first, it was a pretty average domestic thriller

But if all Jane Corry books there is this big twist which takes you by surprise. One you just don't see coming.

I liked the two perspectives in this book, they were clear and both interesting.

The writing was really engaging, I didn't want to put it down once it got going.

I did struggle with the end, it felt pretty drawn out and could have not been so long.

Other than that I really enjoyed this. Jane Corrry is definitely one of my favourite thriller authors

TW: suicide, post natal depression, abusive relationships

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Books (UK) for the ARC.
Well, what can I say? This really isn't a "thriller", it's more a "domestic drama"; stalking, manipulation and deceit - only someone is on trial for murder.

Poppy, a failed actress and now a theatrical agent, is married to Stuart, a dentist; their worlds really do not coincide. Their marriage is mundane; they have 2 children Melissa (17) and Daisy (14). They live comfortably in a £1m home with Stuart's mother Betty (70) who takes care of them all whilst pursuing her own physical and practical interests in Yoga and crafting.

During a party event 40 miles from her home, Poppy finds herself snowed-in at the hotel where she, after 23 years, met up with Matthew Gordon - they were at drama school together, had a brief relationship before he married her friend Sandra and gained a part in a long-running drama. She learns Sandra now has MS and Matthew cares for her. She feels sorry for him.

Poppy and her family live in London. Her father - obviously suffering from dementia, lives in Worthing. At first reluctantly, but then with excitement, she and Matthew start exchanging texts, to the point of sharing a bed in Worthing. THIS is her mistake. What was the harm in confiding in a friend??

The unfolding story is told via letters from Betty to Poppy which detail Betty's life in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as detailed court proceedings regarding a murder.

I found this story relatively interesting, inasmuch as I thoroughly recognised the era Betty writes about. However, I am sorry to say that I found the trips suddenly taken by Poppy from London to Worthing just a little unbelievable - in fact, why her father was involved in the story is very thin indeed. There is an attempt here at a back-story to Poppy's life regarding her mother ending up in Australia and never contacting her - but it really is tenuous at best.
This novel is very slow, very 'thin' as regards characters except for Betty, with lots of superfluous narrative.

I had to trudge through this - it really is much of a nothingness - but that's just my opinion. I hate to denigrate any author's hard work but, in this instance, I don't feel that this is a "good" read.
Sorry.

Brilliant, fabulous.. Absolutely loved this book, the different perspectives of the characters were seamlessly knitted together in a fantastic story. I will be recommending this to everyone.

This was a gripping read and I stayed up late to finish it as I couldn’t put it down. I felt equally involved in the stories of Poppy and her lovely mother-in-law Betty. It was easy to warm to them both and the plot twisted and turned, always keeping my interest. It shows how difficult life can be for the sandwich generation. Poppy has to balance the needs of her elderly father with those of her teenage daughters. Husband Stuart gets left on the sidelines and it’s up to Betty to gently remind them to reconnect. I liked the theme of how one mistake can alter the path of someone’s life forever. There’s so much in this book to keep you turning the pages. A great read!

This book is a slow paced thriller that gradually tightens the knot as it goes on. It almost seems gentle to begin with but gradually more and more secrets are revealed and the truth unravelled. Well crafted with interesting characters. I grew to love Betty. I wasn't overly keen on the Dad's Alzheimer's line- not really sure why particularly but I thought this was a very good read. I liked the way the plot unfolded. Although slow paced it is quite tense and the tension is maintained. Writers are often encouraged to put "twists" into a book and sometimes in an effort to put yet another twist in the plot believability suffers. I'm pleased to say that in this book it all made sense and it was more a case of "ah I see- so that's what happened" rather than really?
I very much enjoyed this book and recommend it.

There are some typeset issues that need addressing and I would like page numbers at the bottom please in the format page x of y

This book is marketed as a thriller. The blurb and the cover lie. What it really is, is an overly long, extremely slow-burn domestic drama that barely has enough meaningful content to fill 50 pages, let alone 432.

Some specific problems I had with I Made a Mistake are as follows:

-The book reads as a journal by the author, where she airs every single grievance with men she can possibly imagine, and then tries to add a barebones structure that does not hold its weight as a thriller. The denouement is more than 10% of the book! I'm not exaggerating when I say 50% of the content could have been removed with no detriment to the story.

-Half of the characters and their subplots were pointless.

-The few twists in the book were mundane and had no impact on the plot.

-The first chapter after the prologue was a giant info-dump and had no action or hook.

-EVERYTHING in this book is told instead of shown.

-Both protagonists were unlikeable, to me. They complained about everything they could possibly complain about and came across as spineless, sanctimonious perpetual victims, never taking responsibility for their own shortcomings or mistakes. Because of this, I couldn't root for either of them.

-Some of the writing itself didn't make sense. For example "She has a habit of speaking in capital letters to convey her infectious enthusiasm." And Her baby bump was neatly centred. ...Is it possible to have a lopsided baby bump?

-The court scenes are some of the most laughably melodramatic pieces of text I've ever read.

Some of the logic in this book is also off:

-In reference to a clothing store one of the protagonists worked at: It had blacked-out windows and dim lighting inside so you could hardly see the clothes. I'm assuming the author doesn't understand the concept of clothes shopping if she thinks a store like this could ever survive. And this ridiculous detail was totally irrelevant to the book so why include it?

-The MC says she went shopping with her 14-year-old daughter and had to go into 7 shoe shops before they could find ONE single pair of shoes that would fit her daughter. There's no mention of her daughter having deformed or weirdly sized feet, so how could they find not one pair of shoes in 6 shops in her daughter's size? And this trip leads nowhere so it's yet another really weird concept that seems thrown in for no reason.

-A character is charged and tried for murder on the testimony of just one woman who says she's "pretty sure" the character is guilty. As if that would ever happen in real life.

-Poppy hides the photo Matthew sent her of them cheating, in a secret folder in her phone, 'in case' she ever needs it... Who would do that?

-What's even more ridiculous is the fact her 70-year-old mother in law can magically hack into that secret, secure file, just by virtue of learning of those files' existence in one of her I.T courses lol. There's a difference between learning about the existence of a piece of technology, and learning how to actually hack that piece of technology. This mistake was especially cringey.

-Poppy who is kind of broke is paying top dollar for extra French lessons for her 14-year-old non-academic daughter, who wants to be an artist, not teach French. Totally senseless. And no, the French lessons and the fact Poppy's daughter wants to be an artist are not relevant to the story.

I really don't understand how this author has multiple books published by a great publisher, when she doesn't seem to understand simple story structure. I've read reviews of her other books and they all seem to be the same. Opening prologue where something vaguely interesting happens, and then the next chapter and onwards is a huge backstory info-dump that's full of overwrought family drama and isn't really relevant to the action at the start. Readers have to slog through hundreds of pages of filler just to get back to the action at the end.

I guess a lot of people just love to be bored.

I hope the next time I pick up a thriller, it actually is one.

A generous 2*

Really enjoyed this book and the characters. I loved the plot too! Will recommend it to my book club. Thank you to netgalley for an opportunity to read this book in return for a review.

A great book that slowly unravels the story of two lives of ladies from two generations.
It has several twists that you wouldn't expect and a couple you do.
Love, life and the unexpected happenings along the way.

A near perfect thriller. This book tells a story of a wife and her mother in law and is narrated in parallel to collide around a mysterious death. The writing is impeccable and the chronicle of these 2 lives gripping, touching and intoxicating.
If you like a good psychological thriller with something original then this book is a must read. The only criticism is that the last couple of paragraphs were unnecessary and spoil a perfect record in my opinion. I devoured it in a couple of sittings and it really says it all.

Poppy Page runs a successful film extra recruitment agency and has a happy and stable family life. At a work related event she bumps into an old boyfriend from college days - she never really forgave him for unceremoniously dumping her. Forced by a sudden snowfall to stay in the same hotel overnight they spend the evening remembering old times - will their relationship reignite? There are many twists and turns building to an exciting climax. A good read.