I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. This book is told in parts by the grandmother and the father. It would have been a good book but I did not finish it as the parts told by the father was filled with so much unnecessary foul language.

This is a good book with a lot of twists and turns. It'll keep you guessing until the very end. A lot of surprises along the way. Definitely worth the read!

This book had a good was such a fun suspenseful read. I was very intrigued with figuring out Evelyn’s secret past. It was a fast paced book with short chapters and a perfect book to get warm you up before spooky season.

After the murder of their mother, Alice and Daisy are sent to live with their grandmother, who they have never met before. Their father, Vince, is going through some difficult times. The grandmother is convinced that Vince had something to do with her daughter's death. She is determined to keep her granddaughters safe from Vince.

This book definitely had some pretty crazy twists and turns! I was left quite shocked by some parts. I wasn't sure where the story was going, but was pleasantly surprised with its trajectory. There are tons of secrets, that's for sure! It's a pretty creative plot - I don't recall reading anything similar before.

It is a quick and easy read. Recommend for thriller lovers!

Thank you Joffe Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall Rating: 2 Stars

Sisters Daisy and Alice recently lost their mother to a mysterious murder that occurred in their own home and are brought to live with Yvonne Castle, their estranged grandmother whom they have never met. Their father Vince Spencer is a suspect in the murder, but the police can't prove it and he wants his daughters back. The Grandmother won't let this happen, over her dead body.

Each chapter is opened with the name of who's point of view it will be from, alternating between the Father and the Grandmother. Each character is very distinct and well formed, but are overall predictable. The side characters such as police or social workers end up forgettable, even during moments where they are heavily involved, which leads to important moments in the story becoming confusing and less impactful.

The concept of this book was incredibly interesting and I was so excited to read it since it was marketed as an "unpredictable psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist," but I personally did not get that feeling from this book at all. This felt more like a family drama disguised as a murder mystery. The first half of the book was very slow, building up more about the Grandmother's and the Father's very different home lives rather than unraveling a thrilling mystery. The second half of the book is where the story definitely picks up, but all of the twists and "shocking" moments happen a breath apart giving the reader very little time for anything to sink in or be shocked by. I am unfortunately not at all surprised by the answer to the actual murder mystery, and the way it was revealed was a let down, only to be followed up by another twist that felt somewhat unrelated and unnecessary to the story.

The first half of the book was very slow to start, and the second half brought too much new information too quickly. I would've like to see another round of editing to shorten the beginning section of the book, and in exchange add more time unraveling all the twists and turns that happen towards the end, as that's where this book started to shine. Unfortunately in the end, the twists did not make me drop my jaw.

"The Grandmother" is a gripping thriller that switches between the perspectives of a grandmother and a father raising two young girls after their mother's recent passing. The story is captivating, with intricate characters and unexpected plot developments.

Having read other books by this author, I was aware of her entertaining writing style, and this new release does not disappoint. I'm excited to explore more of her future releases and delve into her existing catalogue of work.

I highly recommend "The Grandmother" to fans of this genre or anyone familiar with the author's writing. (less)

3.5 rounded up.
Nine year old Daisy and her seven year old sister Alice have been sent to live with their grandmother after the murder of their mother. Having never met their grandmother before it is a big change for everyone. Meanwhile Vince, their father is in the midst of a difficult relationship, an unsuccessful life and desperately wanting custody of his daughters.

This is an easy read which I read and enjoyed on a Sunday afternoon. Yvonne, the grandmother and Daisy had interesting characters. The chapters are told to us from the points of view of Yvonne and Vince and it makes for a good read. I didn’t see where it was going, and the chapters were short which I prefer.

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for my gifted eARC.

Wow, the twists and turns in this book are going to give you whiplash. This was a great story. What do you do when your daughter is killed and her ex husband is a waste of space. Obviously you have to raise her daughters. This is a 4 1/2 star read!

The Grandmother by Jane E. James.
I did enjoy this book. I loved the cover. Twisty and gripping. I did not see that coming. My jaw was on the floor.

Blurb.
I might be a grandmother. But I’m not some sweet, harmless old lady who people can push around.

Two little girls stand with their heads bowed in my living room. I’m told they’re my granddaughters. Daisy is nine, and Alice seven. Daisy is the spitting image of her mother. This is the first time I’ve met them since my daughter and I fell out after she married that waste of space, Vince.

They’ve come to live with me because their mother — my daughter — was murdered. In her own home while they slept close by.

I think Vince killed her. But the police can’t prove it. I’ve always known he was no good. He treated my daughter like dirt. I said he’d cheat on her — but she wouldn’t listen.

Now he wants his daughters back.

Over my dead body.

I finally have a family of my own. And nobody is going to take it away from me.

Two Little Girls find themselves living with a Grandmother that they never knew they had after their mother is murdered. The Grandmother suspects that the girls father killed her. I think the author did a stellar job of writing from the Grandmother's perspective to the Father's as the chapters progressed. I found myself changing my alliances frequently as more of the story comes to life. The family drama, secrets and lies is just a small part of the plot but the twists OMG I was literally frozen to the spot and utterly speechless! I may have just screamed with the shock but as it's all slowly unraveled it makes perfect sense and I can't believe I didn't see it earlier. The only characters that I liked and felt for was the two little girls. The plot is so well written because of how it slowly unraveled and the changes of perspective.

This thriller was OK, nothing more, nothing less. The characters were the thing that disturbed me the most. I didn't like anyone of them at all. The plot takes a little too long to get going and the book would need an edit where alot of the details are scrapped.

Wowser, what a story, this was an absolute shocker of a read and I mean that in the good way. The story has just blown me away, it was gritty, intense, captivating, full on and a fair bit of sitting in the edge of my seat in anticipation as to what might happen next. Not to mention well written.

The story had me glued to it pages from the get go, eager to know the characters, seeing how they all link together, keeping an eye out for any clues or red herrings as to what might happen or be revealed. Not that I did guess, this story certainly kept me on my toes and guessing right to the very end.

I especially loved that the story was set near where I live, born and bread in Peterborough and so I recognised some of the places, street names etc, it just added a nice extra little touch to the story.

I’ve read about three books by this author Jane now and I have to say, I am impressed, as have enjoyed them all. I am looking forward to reading more of her books and have in fact got another one of hers on my kindle just waiting to be read.

So if you haven’t tried Jane’s books yet, then do give her a try and her books might just surprise you and like me, you’ll be going back for more.

As always with Jane E. James book I was immediately captivated and didn't want to put it down until I knew everything.

Great thriller ride of a book. I loved the original idea of the grandma being the protector. I don't think I've seen that before. And this grandma finds herself in charge of two little girls. She is convinced she needs to protect them from their father. And so the mind games begin.
You never new where you were with this book. The characters were realistically written with all the nuance and complexity that can make a persons story.
It switched between the gran and the fathers point of view and I found myself switching sides far more often than I'd liked! Good and bad, i like to no the boundaries,ha. And this also led me to thinking was I on the right side, because I was secretly wishing for one of the characters to come good. What If I was backing the wrongun?
I didn't see the last twist coming.
Great Great thriller. I'd recommend to anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. This one was slow going for me, a lot of detail but took a very long time to get to the good stuff. Amazing twist at the end though.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was a fantastic book, and I was gripped throughout. Yvonne and Vince were written perfectly as realistic, complex, multi-faceted characters - Vince was one of the best characters I've seen in a long time. James created real sympathy for Vince and the girls and the story was packed with twists and intrigue.

My thanks to Joffe Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Grandmother’ written by Jane E James in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When Scarlet is murdered her ex-husband Vince wants their daughters Daisy nine and Alice seven to live with him, but his new partner Leah refuses to have them in her home. With nowhere else to go they’re handed over to their grandmother Yvonne Castle who intends looking after them as best she can. Although Yvonne gets on well with Alice, she believes Daisy is keeping secrets, but that’s okay as she’s keeping secrets too.

‘The Grandmother’ is a gripping family drama of secrets and lies and is told through the eyes of Daisy and Alice’s grandmother Yvonne and their father Vince Spencer. As soon as I opened my Kindle the story interested me but as I learnt more about the characters the tension increased and I guessed something dramatic was going to happen but had no idea what it was. Suddenly the plot changes direction and the twists and turns reveal not only secrets and lies but also murder. This is a well-written thriller with an intricately conceived plot, brilliant characterisations and a unique and twisty conclusion that I really wasn’t expecting. It’s an excellent novel that I enjoyed more than I’d expected to and can definitely recommend.

Fantastic book, so many twists & turns, it kept me wonder all the way through & wondering how it would end, it didn’t disappoint at all. I don’t do spoilers but I was hoping one character would come good, I also hated a couple of the other characters but you will find out for yourself when you read it.
It’s a great story & will have you wanting to know what has happened from start to finish. Excellent read.

I enjoyed this twisty, suspenseful novel. Great story and characters. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book!

When their Mother is murdered and their Father is arrested on suspicion of killing her, Daisy and Alice go to stay with their Grandmother, who they have never met, after she had a falling out with her daughter many years ago.

This gripping and sinister thriller is narrated by The Grandmother, Yvonne, and The Father, Vince.

Vince is a one time petty criminal who is trying to turn his life around and do the best forms daughters. Yvonne is a sweet old lady who just wants to take care of her granddaughters.

For a while, despite the creepy and sinister undertone, I just couldn't see where this was going to go and then, OMG! THE TWISTS! I actually froze when the first big twist hit, totally stunned and was just staring at the page in disbelief! From then, I felt like I was on a rollercoaster as the shocking truth unravelled and took my breath away!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Jane E. James and Joffe for an ARC in return for an honest review.