An ARC courtesy of Netgalley. Due out 5th Sept.
A group of schoolfriends mourning the disappearance of one of their friends 30 years before. They've all moved on, one has become a DI and investigates human remains buried under their old school. Is it their friend? Did they have something to do with her disappearance? Could one of them have murdered her? Or are sightings of her at the railway station 30 years ago proof that she ran away?
Good use of flashbacks and different characters retelling their past. I liked the finale with the truth unfolding.
A good thriller, well written and the conclusion was worth waiting for.

Jennie Whitmore is now a police officer but returning to her school reunion – and the people who didn’t necessarily help her teenage years go smoothly – she immediately regrets turning up. After all, the only person she’d wants to see if Hannah, her best friend who disappeared all those years ago. But as she’s ready for the school to be demolished, news reaches her that a teenage girl’s body has been found… and it’s murder. What becomes clear is that everyone has a reason to lie, and keep lying, and that memories have a habit of being rewritten depending to whom you’re speaking. Jennie needs to keep a cool head to found out the truth but when it’s so close to home, is that possible?

Ok, I really liked this who dun it a lot. Although, I guessed who did it fairly quickly (and I was half right), this one kept me on my toes throughout constantly second guessing myself (which I love). It was so fun to go down the rabbit hole. Enjoyed the ending quite a bit. There was one aspect of the story that I felt was just kind of randomly thrown in there & unneeded. I also wanted a deeper dive into the friendships, but otherwise this one is twisty and very entertaining! It will have you guessing until the very end - and I mean the very end.

The story starts in 1994, where we meet Jennie Whitmore, our main narrator, and learn about her sad life and plans to run away to London with her best friend Hannah. When Hannah doesn’t turn up, the story officially starts, something is wrong.

We jump to the present day, 30 years later. Jennie is a lead detective of a major crimes unit, she never went to London.

Her most recent case not only unravels Jennie and what she thought she knew, but also the people around her. Jennie quickly learns to question other’s ‘truths’ and ask the hard questions.

The novel is told primarily from Jennie’s POV, but we start to hear from a few other characters the closer we get to the truth. The story discusses issues including bullying, abuse, grooming, stalking, and suicide. The Reunion is a fast-paced, tense read that leaves the reader with trust issues!

In the Reunion we mostly follow Jennie Whitmore, who is a detective. On the day that they are planning to demolish Jennie's former high school, a human skull is found in the basement.
Jennie is assigned to the case, which is her first big murder investigation. The body found is Hannah Jennings, who disappeared some 30 years ago. Around that time Jennie was a student herself. As the news of the body spreads around the tiny town the talk starts, as happens in tiny towns.
Jennie needs to talk to her former friends about Hannah and her disappearance, her and her friends used the basement for their photography club back in the day. She is convinced they know what happened to Hannah, and she and her family deserve justice for what has been done.

Overal this book was a very fast read, which is logical for it being a thriller with less than 300 pages. The cover is gorgeous, but it doesn't really give "high school" vibes from the 90's (yeah, that is 30 years ago, I know, still shocking lol), it gives more haunted Victorian house vibes.
The writing is enjoyable and reads very easily. We do switch some perspectives between Jennie and her friends, but we mostly follow everything from Jennie's perspective, the switching was sometimes confusing, and I don't really see that reading from the friends' perspective added anything in the book.
My main thing was that this book was way too predictable, which took out they joy for me. The "Who Did It"-question was answered very quickly for me. However, I was kept on the edge of my seat for the "How Did It Happen"-question, which was the unexpected part of this book.

Overal I had fun reading this thriller, it was a quick read, and as stated, the How Did It Happen"-question took a while to get answered and was very unexpected, however the "Who Did It"-question was answered to quickly for my liking.
This book isn't a 3.5, but also isn't a 4 star read. I ended up rating it 3.75, but I'm unsure if this would be a book I would recommend anytime soon. Really depends on the person.

I am a big fan of M J Arlidge, having read all the Helen Grace books and I wasn’t disappointed with this one. Absolutely brilliant read with lots of interesting characters that developed, great plot and plenty of twists.

This book kept me gripped as to what is happening next and unable to put it down. Highly recommended

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion Publishing
Thank you to Authors M J Arlidge and Steph Broadribb

I've read books by M.J.Arlidge before, so thought I'd give this book a try. It was obvious who the body belonged to, but not so obvious who killed them. Hindered by past friendships with many of the suspects Jennie soon starts to realise that she didn't know everyone as well as she thought she did when they were at school. This book had plenty of twists so it was hard to settle on a favourite suspect, but I think I can say I was partly right. In my opinion a book worth reading

The story starts in 1994,Jennie and Hannah have arranged to meet and runaway to London but Hannah is a no show,Jennie spends the next 30 years wondering what happened to her friend and when a body is found in their old school Jennie now a Detective Inspector must find out what really happened to Hannah that night.
As she interviews former friends, complex relationships and secrets are revealed,and she must try and hide her relationship with the victim.
A great mystery read with an unpredictable ending.
This is a great collaboration between the two authors.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for the ARC

This is a really enjoyable pacey thriller with great character development. It's very engaging and you;'ll keep turning the pages. The plot unfolds in a way that will keep you hooked, I stayed up far too late to finish it! Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. An excellent read.

This book had me hooked!!! I feel the way the story is told with the twists and turns, the underlying themes which make you question friendships and loyalties kept me reading. I love a British based crime book as I can visualise what's happening and where. Certainly recommend!!!

Jennie never understood why her best friend at school let her down. They had made plans, but at the last minute, Hannah never showed up, and Jennie never saw or heard from her again. Other friends at school denied any knowledge of where Hannah could have gone, or why she would have left without a word, and Jennie was forced to carry on her life without her best friend.
As an adult, Jennie is now a police officer in the place where she has always lived. Her old school is due to be demolished, and so there is a reunion party the night before demolition is to begin. Jennie goes to the reunion, but is sorry she has, as it brings back memories of her missing friend, and Jennie wasn't really that close to anyone else there.
The day of the demolition, human remains are found in the grounds of the school and everything stops. The remains are thought to be a teenage girl, and Jennie immediately thinks of Hannah, and was this the reason Hannah never showed up. Jennie and her team are called upon to investigate the death, and Jennie finds out that events in the past were not always as she believed them to be, and people she called friends and colleagues were not what she thought they were.
A riveting read, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and could not turn the pages fast enough. I suspected everyone in turn, and still wasn't correct at the end. I was sorry when I finished this book, highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

WOW! What a great book! This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Had me guessing! That plot twist got me! lol what a great read!

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and Orion publishing group,and the authors M.J Arlidge and Steph Broadribb for an early copy of there book to read.

Rating 4.5
I've read M.J Arlidge books which I really enjoy reading, This was a terrific calab read.This book starts with a school reunion,DI Jenni Whitmore was a student at the school,her friend Hannah had disappeared in sixth form..her body was found at the school,Jenni wants to investigate the case she had to keep a secret she attended the school...Hannah friends are suspects was any of them involved with her murder.? or was it someone else.a gripping read,looking forward to reading more of Arlidge books..well worth reading.


This book will be reviewed on goodreads and Amazon uk.

At White Cross Academy, a human skull is discovered during a demolition. DI Jennie Whitmore is tasked with solving the murder of former student Hannah Jennings. As secrets and lies are uncovered, Jennie must navigate through deception and betrayal to uncover the truth behind Hannah's death.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! The fast-paced and gripping story had me hooked from the moment I started reading. I found myself unable to put it down, eager to uncover the reasons behind the events and the identities of those involved.

The narrative is action-packed and filled with unexpected twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. While it was clear that everything would eventually come together, the ending took me by surprise and left me feeling a sense of tragedy.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thrilling read that keeps them guessing and second-guessing themselves. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the story takes a turn that will leave you shocked and questioning everything you thought you knew.

Thank you NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group | Orion for my digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A procedural cop drama taking place in a smaller town where the lead detective knows the victim. A cold case completely forgotten. High school drama. A group of outliers who have held onto secrets for over 20 years. Overall, I enjoyed the story and found the pacing to be very engaging. I do think some subplots were a bit strange and unnecessary. Also, I don’t know what police force wouldn’t hire someone outside of the area for this crime when most people knew the victim around the time of their death.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Reunion by M. J. Arlidge and Steph Broadribb is an intriguing mystery. A skull looks up at Jennie from the trench, but it's not the chalk-white bone and grimacing teeth that send her reeling. It's the heart-shaped gold pendant, its delicate chain snapped in two. The necklace Hannah never took off.

Jennie was set to run away to London with Hannah, but Hannah never showed up. Then, 30 years later, Jennie, now a DI with the Major Crime Unit, is at a reunion party regarding her old school being demolished and a new apartment block erected in its place. Workers find bones that could be Jennie's old friend; Jennie doesn't tell her higher-ups how close she was to the victim and the friend group.

I liked Zuri and felt she was a good partner to Jennie. Zuri is a solid character and wants to make sure things are done by the book. I hope there are more stories with these characters.

The story gets a bit repetitive, with the old school friends lying and Jennie constantly questioning who the culprit is. But, overall, The Reunion is a good story with a surprising ending.

#TheReunion #NetGalley @orionbooks

I am a big fan of M.J Arlidge’s Helen Grace series so was excited to read this. I thought it was a great book, really likeable characters and well written quick paced storyline. The tension mounts as each of the characters has a believable motive to be the killer. It was hard to guess the ending which is a sign of a great book. Can’t wait to read the next by this author.

3.5 ⭐️
Thank you Netgalley and Orion publishing group for my ARC copy.
This was a really quick, well written thriller. I enjoyed this and although I predicted who it would be, it was still well written enough that I didn't predict the way it happened in the end. I would recommend this to people who want a quick thrilling read

Jennie is a DI in the town where she attended college. Back then she was bullied by the mean girls and rescued by Hannah and a group who gathered in the school basement, together they supported each other. Hannah and Jennie had planned to leave for a new life in London, at the bus station Jennie is left waiting. 30 years later, no one has seen Hannah.

Jennie struggles to keep quiet how close she was to Hannah and the friendship group but events see her leading an investigation when a body is found.

Well written and great pace. The story is compelling and complex and thoroughly looks into the past to solve the mystery of today. I enjoyed the writing style of the two authors and thought this was a great collaboration. Definitely one for police procedural novels and for those who enjoy a well constructed thriller.

Thanks to Netgalley, the authors and the publisher the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Reunion has so much that I look forward to in an intriguing mystery. A decades old murder, long buried secrets and lies, twist and turns and a red herring to boot!

The main character, Jennie Whitmore is well developed and likable. The story moves at a quick pace and pulled me along for the ride. I was captivated, intrigued and eagerly awaiting the final revelation. I love the fact that there were so many well developed characters with believable motives. I like twisty mysteries and this one delivered.

Thank you NetGalley, Orion Publishing and the authors for providing me with an advanced digital reviewer copy.