layground Politics could turn fatal in this domestic drama - deeply uncomfortable and delving into the gritty hidden parts of life that could be hiding behind any perfect veneer.

A story about the dangers of protecting appearances while everything underneath rots away - this was a disconcerting warning about the superficial and the sinister things that can take over our lives without even knowing.

Beverley was very hard to connect with - former soap star, social media entrepreneur, learns languages between folding laundry and giving makeup tips to her aspiring influencer pre-teen daughter. She was superficial and shallow but there was something about her that I found intriguing and curious. We hear from the other mums of Glass Lake with their own problems and lives too, waiting to see how they all get tangled up in the unfolding scandal.

Everyone in this story had baggage, a hidden agenda, skeletons in their closet - this is one of the stories where nobody is particularly likable but you watch on with the morbid curiosity of a slow-motion car crash.

For me, aside from the viscerally uncomfortable subject matter, I found it hard to connect with anyone which made it quite difficult to fully immerse myself in the story, but it's definitely a strikingly thoughtful read.

Set in a small Irish town this is the story of playground politics and lies in Glass Lake Primary School. It begins with the discovery of a body and the narrative flashes back to follow two weeks before the death. Both dark and witty, it's packed with morally dubious characters, one-upmanship and a who and why-dunnit?

If you have ever had to do a school run, you will be very familiar with the certain brand of playground politics covered in this book!
Glass Lake school in the small community of Cooney is as prestigious as they come and a lot of the parents are of the pushy variety.
Opening with a police investigation and a mysterious death pulls you straight in, then the different character pov's really fleshed out the story well to the reveal.
A great mix of characters, all of whom you will be able to pinpoint in your own playgrounds, lots of humour and some darker topics covered very realistacally made this a great read!

This book is set in a small town of Cooney in Ireland.
What I loved was that like any small town or community is that there is always rivalry between parents and God forbid if you don't get your child into the top school!
But everything seems to backfire in this small town as on the eve of the school's musical opening night a body is found in the near by river.
It centres around Beverley Franklin who attended the school and her daughter Amelia whom she has high Hope's for.
But things go from bad to worse when the head teacher is involved in a car crash that leaves him wheelchair bound.
There is so much going on in this book it can in parts make you wonder if you are reading the same book!

This is the third novel by Eithne Shortall which I’ve enjoyed, and I suspect this is the best yet!

Glass Lake is a lovely place to live with an exceptional primary school; of course this is mainly due to the hard work of the PTA whose inner core is knows as the ‘Lakers’. Beverley Franklin is the woman at the top of that particular pyramid and she will do anything to protect the reputation of the school. This year, the popular school musical is to be broadcast on television – thanks to Beverley’s contacts and hard work – but when a potential impropriety involves her own daughter, she goes overboard in aiming to preventing a scandal and totally misses a lot of what is really going on, both at school and at home . . .

Right from the very beginning, I knew this was going to be a superb read as I settled in to the story very quickly. As a former member of a PTA, there was a familiar feeling about the characters and the situation and there is a LOT going on. This is a tale which is bang up-to-date in today’s world, unfolding little by little while keeping the reader enthralled and protecting it’s secrets to the very end. I had no way of predicting what was going to happen and I was stunned and amazed at more than one of the confessions along the way. An utterly fantastic read – one I’m delighted to recommend and which so easily earns all five brilliant stars!

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

It Could Never Happen

Well it did happen!
I really didn’t want this book to end.
The politics that go on between primary school parent, brings back so many memories.
Some really relatable characters, mainly unlikable!

Thank you NetGalley and Atlantic Books

Warm and witty! I found myself so engrossed in the characters that I looked forward to reading it to see what they were up to. Every character is different, no-one comes across as generic and all will probably remind you of someone you know. There are a couple of different strands to the story and piecing it all together works very well - it's tense and engaging but at the same time very moving in parts. I can't wait to be able to recommend this to people.

This twisty mystery opens with the over-involved parents and staff of sought-after Glass Lake primary school congregating at the police station following the discovery of a body in the nearby river on the eve of the school musical’s opening night before rolling back fifteen days. Involving, terrifically witty and wonderfully well-observed, I had a blast reading this immersive novel full of subplots, secrets, sexting and other surprisingly serious issues.

The book is expertly plotted with Eithne Shortall juggling the stories of multiple characters and weaving them together to paint a compelling picture of the small town of Cooney in West Cork and the diverse community who call it home. Queen Bee of the Glass Lake parents and a former pupil herself is Beverley Franklin who has not only cast her youngest daughter, Amelia, as the lead in the school musical, but also pulled off the coup of bringing TV camera’s to Cooney to film it. Determined Bev is all for keeping up appearances but with marital strife and an older daughter whom she struggles to communicate with things are a lot more complicated behind closed doors. When Bev catches Amelia taking a naked photo of herself with the intention of sending it to classmate Woody Whitehead, whose father has recently been convicted of a drink driving tragedy that has devastated the neighbourhood, she is quick to demand the boys expulsion from school, all whilst intending to keep Amelia’s involvement hush-hush. But nothing stays a secret in Cooney for long..

It is the events of this car crash, which left the son of Glass Lake’s headteacher in a wheelchair, that reverberate through the entire novel and although events begin with the town focused on the Whitehead’s they soon spill over into all of the locals lives, including Bev’s school mum frenemies. Meanwhile Bev’s older daughter is engaged in a clandestine romance with the other Whitehead son, Arlo, who is doing his best to prove his detractors wrong after being given work at Glass Lake by the school caretaker. Local journalist, Christine, has an anxious child of her own keen to be involved in the musical but has her own hands full reporting on the sexting scandal and trying to resolve the problem of a neighbour having nabbed the family cat, and not even the other teachers are without problems of their own.

The narrative is intercut with occasional glimpses of the witness statements being compiled by the Gardaí but the actual identity of the deceased is not disclosed until over eighty percent of the way through the novel, keeping my mind working overtime as the suspense really kicked in. Although the cast is sizeable Shortall’s characterisation is superb and I felt that I knew, and was able to appreciate, every characters individual predicament in a pacy narrative of multiple perspectives. Whilst much of the humour is tongue-in-cheek and there are gossipy goings-on and grudges aplenty to get drawn into, the novel also has a weightier component with Shortall bravely touching upon several serious issues from sexting to drink-driving and eating disorders with real compassion. Whilst parts of the novel do stretch credibility with a rather campy vibe to the backdrop, it very much fits with the spirit of this big-hearted novel of acceptance and understanding.

When I first started reading this I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like it but then it started to pick up and the mystery element was done really well. I also loved that it was from multiple peoples point of views which was a great way to drip feed information and to sneakily give a false sense of what was going on.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for my copy of this book in return for a review

It Could Never Happen Here follows the parents of children who go to a prestigious school in a small town in Ireland. The mums call themselves 'The Lakers' and are lead by Queen Bee Beverly, who is very much an Amanda from Motherland type character.

I would describe it as Motherland meets The Appeal.

The book starts with the revelation that somebody has turned up dead, although you don't find out who and how until the end where there's a big twist that I had no idea was coming! It then goes back in time to the events leading up to the death, centering around the school musical which is being directed by Beverly, with her daughter in the starring role (of course).

During the rehearsals for the musical huge scandal also hits the school and Beverly sees it as her duty as Queen Bee of The Lakers to make sure it goes away and that the school's reputation remains intact.

I absolutely loved this book, it's a hilarious insight into playground politics and even if you don't have children you will definitely recognise some of these mothers.

Despite its somewhat dark subject matter, the book stays lighthearted for the most part, and as the story flits between the different mothers you begin to understand why they behave the way that they do, and is an interesting look at the complex relationships between mothers and their daughters.

At the very heart of it all is the message that a mother will do anything for her children.

Too much jumping around of the story to keep me interested as hard to follow and uninteresting characters.
Young mothers meet in the school yard and communicate on whatsapp.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review,

Everyone wants to get their child into Glass Lake Primary. When something happens to rock their image Beverley goes out of her way to protect her child. Unfortunately she fails to see what is happening in her family. Playground politics at its best. Frighteningly, the plot is totally plausible.

Small town gossip and scandal. This book is a window into a small community with issues! A few interwoven stories with a little jumping of time periods thrown in. I found it a little tricky to get into, but the final third of the book was a real page turner.

I really wish I could have given this book a higher rating but it was a chore to read. I couldn’t wait to finish it and if I hadn’t enjoyed a previous book by the same author, I might have abandoned it altogether.

A domestic/community drama based around a school play, a dead body, some nude pics and a car crash that happened a few months prior. The premise was good but there was a lack of intrigue, far too many characters, none of whom were particularly likeable (most of whom were highly irritating and extraneous to the plot!) and a reveal that was underwhelming.

The subplot around the cat burglary was completely bizarre but very charming and funny, and a bright spot in a what was unfortunately a forgettable book.

Many thanks to the publishers Corvus Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It will be published on 3 February 2022.

I don’t feel that I am the correct target audience for this book, and I did not enjoy it. I skim read through most of it. The wrong choice for me, this one.
The characters who are involved in this story of playground politics are all irredeemably awful, utterly and equally dislikable. Is this really how toxic the parent mafia is these days? Scary stuff!
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

School gate mums with their cliquey politics and a mysterious death - whats not to love about that! Being a mother with a child at a smaller school where everyone knows everyone else's business I could deffo relate to Cooney's Glass Lake School community!

Very good read - I enjoyed the different POVs and I think the way it wrapped up gives you something to think about rather than it being just another book! Very relevant in the age of social media!

Very different and interesting read which is set in a well to do small town where the primary school is run effectively by the parents. The playground politics are rife and the in crowd of mums at the centre have mainly been childhood friends, also attending the school.

The book starts with an unexplained death and interestingly an undisclosed victim. This was a great twist and kept the reader interested throughout the novel. The book is told partly in statements taken from various parties and reads like snapshots of the action, always with the air of a bitchy comment or lurid attack on the character of someone else.

The ladies at the centre of the school clique know far too much about each other and this includes the headteacher. Who has sent the nude pictures? Surely not their child?! Who is the murderer and maybe it was an accident?!

Well written and suspenseful. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable read.

Lots of perspectives pull together to make a good story.

The characters are well developed and relatable, mostly unlikeable. Touches on some pertinent themes.

'It Could Never Happen Here' by Eithne Shortall is a fascinating examination of the Irish small town community of Cooney where nothing is secret and playground politics dominate the lives of the parent of Glass Lake Primary School. At the beginning, we know a body has been pulled from the river - who it is and why they ended up dead remains a mystery as we follow the two weeks prior to the death. This is a black cloud looming over the narrative, the past interspersed with flashforwards to police interviews and the investigation. It is pacey, complex, topical and has strong vibes of Lianne Moriarty's 'Big Little Lies' which meant I thoroughly enjoyed it (despite how many times I guessed the victim and explanation for their death completely wrong!).

The cast of characters include Bev Franklin, the overachieving mother of Amelia and director of the school's musical, Christine, local journalist and the Whiteheads, the black sheep family of Cooney due to a recent car accident. The interrelationships between the cast of morally grey characters are a complex web as the reader gradually unpicks the circumstances surrounding the drowning. The story has some dark moments but this is balanced with genuinely hilarious moments - Bev dressing down the munchkins who turned up dressed as oompa loompas being a particularly hilarious highlight (justice for the munchkin mayor!).

Overall, this is a disturbingly plausible story and has some uncomfortable plot points linked to safeguarding and the impact of the young generation growing up with easy access to the internet. This is an interesting and important read as well as being genuinely gripping. I would highly recommend this one! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed previous books by Eithne Shortall and although I found this book a little difficult to get into initially, I perservered and by the time I finished it I missed reading about the characters and the drama surrounding them..
There were some big personalities in this story, each with their own distinct characters.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC in return for an homest review.