Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and author for an ARC of Clever Little Thing.
3.5 stars.
I have mixed feelings about this book. The main character annoyed me hugely, particularly in the first half of the book. However it was a great mind-bending physiological story.
Recommend.

This book gave me goosebumps and I was captivated by the story line.

The plot of the story was brilliantly executed and excellently creepy. I found the story made me think about how I would have reacted as a mother and reinforced that a mother really does know her child best. The book deals with topics such as maternal mental health and awareness of autism and addition needs incredibly well and you feel heard yourself. I particularly related to this book having experience with both issues and felt that this book did both justice.

I loved how the book explored the psychology of children and how their mind works and also, how certain aspects can be passed through generations within a family. It was interesting to watch this unfold throughout the book and also, notice the signs as a reader.

The suspense in the book was palpable and I found myself desperate to find out what was going to happen next. You question everything you believe.

I found the link to paranormal beautiful and brilliantly incorporated in the story.

The book is a slow burn to begin with but will keep you hooked and wanting to turn each and every page.

The story started very slowly, setting up what appeared to be an anxious mother with a potential pregnancy psychosis and over-reacting to a subtle changes in her daughter’s behaviour. Stella, Charlotte’s eight year old daughter comes across as a difficult child to raise, very bright but with strong anti-social tendencies and very likely to be on the autism spectrum. The story picks up pace when the family are told that Blanka, who used to be Stella’s carer, has died suddenly. Irina, Blanka’s mother, comes into the family’s lives and Stella seems to undergo a change of character, abandoning her strange weird obsessions, becoming more sociable but taking on the speech characteristics and behaviours of her former carer. This leads Charlotte to believe that Stella has become possessed by Blanka, adding to the theory that she is suffering some kind of psychosis. What follows is creepy and compelling and the reader is never sure whether there is a supernatural element at play or whether Stella has manipulated the situation to get the outcome she wants. If the latter, I would not look forward to Stella’s teenage years!

A 3.5 rounded up due to the slow start when I nearly abandoned the book. Thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an electronic copy.

Solid concept, solid execution. There’s something always interesting about stories where women, especially mothers, are repeatedly not believed, even when it comes to their own bodies and their own children. I also have a strange appreciation kf pregnant women as main characters in mystery / action / thriller books, it comes with a very special kind of despair and strength.
I will say there is something about the pacing, or maybe the voice, that made this book a little too slow moving for me. It feels like we get the overall point in the first few chapters and things take a while to move on, and not in the slowly-spiralling-out kind of way, just in a repetitive kind of a way. It’s a shame because it has a strong premise, a strong twist and a strong resolution but it’s just not as engaging as it could be.

I didn’t really know what to expect from this book but the cover is very striking. I can’t say too much about the plot because I will inevitably stumble into spoilers but I will let you know my thoughts.

Charlotte is heavily pregnant with her second baby, when her daughter Stella’s babysitter Blanka dies. Almost instantly, Stella’s unique personality begins to change. She’s no longer interested in birds and flying. She has become quiet and well-behaved. Her hyperlexia and English language skills are quickly devolving and she’s even repeating the same phrases that Blanka did. Charlotte is convinced that Blanka is somehow responsible for what is happening to Stella. Has she possessed the little girl? Is Stella somehow now also Blanka? The trouble is, nobody seems to believe that anything is wrong and even Charlotte’s husband Pete seems to think that it’s actually Charlotte that has something wrong with her.

Charlotte is a former etiquette columnist and we do occasionally get snippets of the kind of thing she used to write. Other than Charlotte’s own reflections on how differently she appears to be behaving compared to how she once advised other people to behave, I wasn’t sure what purpose these paragraphs served. I mean, sure, some of the tips are actually quite useful and I’ve certainly filed away the one about getting guests to leave but they didn’t add anything to the plot.

Stella is certainly on the autism spectrum and I couldn’t really understand Charlotte’s reluctance to get Stella a diagnosis. I know that some parents fear that their child will feel even more different if they’re labelled at a young age but I’m very much of the school of thought that it is better to know who you are and why that is as early in life as possible. So, perhaps Charlotte and I don’t quite have the same ideas about raising children.

As the narrative progressed and I couldn’t really work out what was happening to Stella, I grew more and more concerned for her. To be honest, it’s still blurry at the end as to what had literally happened. If you love neatly tied up endings, you’ll definitely be frustrated with this one! Despite the unclear conclusion, it’s still very readable and I did genuinely care about Stella. Not so much any of the other characters!

Clever Little Thing is a strange, mysterious read. You will want to know what’s going on but you might question why you want to know, as so many of the characters are highly suspect. The twist also felt quite out of the blue and not really all that convincing. It’s certainly a page-turner though!

Its a unique story that focuses on a pregnant mothers mental health and having a daughter Stella who is highly intelligent but also autistic.
Stella forms a bond with her babysitter Blanka, who is later found dead, but then the question is has the dead babysitter Blanka taken over the Stella's body, has Blanka's mother decided to mould the Stella into a version of her dead daughter, or is Stella's mother Charlotte imagining it all?
Its a slow burning book, not slow enough for you to get bored but slow enough to keep you engaged catch your breath and then get the rug pulled out from under you.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dorman Books for an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest opinon.

Clever Little Thing is an unusual and clever psychological thriller in that it covers the journey of a pregnant mother, Charlotte, and her neurodivergent child, Stella. I did find the supernatural element rather far-fetched but it was the route into Stella's increasingly bizarre behaviour.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to Penguin books and NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am kind of mixed with this one, it is really well written with some excellent character descriptions and a pretty unique storyline. However, I thought quite a bit of it was predictable, with some good twists and turns as well. I guess it depends how many psychological thrillers one has already read, in terms of how such novels usually develop. It’s one of my favourite book genres so I’ve read loads! It’s did keep me turning the pages, as I was definitely hooked in to needing to know what was happening and how it would end. I think there’s room for a sequel here, I wonder if Helena thinks so too.
I recommend this book, it develops at a good pace, no boring bits, some good red herrings and an intuitive look into child development.

I could not stop reading this novel! It was so gripping I think I read it in two days. There were some unexpected twists and I was left a bit unsure by the ending, which took the plot into totally different areas than I had been expecting. Despite being unsure how I feel about the overall plausibility of the novel, I still highly enjoyed the read.

Well paced, eerie thriller that is impossible to put down and will keep you guessing until the end.

Charlotte's daughter, Stella, is a genius and probably autistic which leads to unusual behaviours. But with the death of her babysistter, her personality and behaviour completely changes. While those around her embrace the change, as a mother she know something is wrong. Struggling with her own issues and a difficult pregnancy with her second child, Charlotte's own behaviour becomes erratic as she races against time to understand what is happening.

The paranoia, obsession and bordering insanity is so well captured as Charlottes fights for her family. The pace is unrelenting as we experience the roller-coaster journey of Charlotte. All the supporting characters are well described and I felt like I was an observer in the novel. Could easily see this developed for film.

This was an unsettling and thought-provoking psychological thriller exploring the boundaries of obsession, motherly fear, and the supernatural. We follow the singular point of view from Charlotte, a pregnant mother whose life takes a turn when her young daughter, Stella, starts to act like her recently deceased babysitter. What starts as small coincidences soon escalates into something more sinister.

There's nothing like a kid eerily mimicking an adult to keep the twists coming. The first half was slow whilst establishing relationships and characters, but it soon picked up when Stella's mimicry escalated.

I could really feel Charlotte's dread and fear for her child. The author did a great job allowing us to understand her anxiety, confusion, and obsession with her daughters changes. This slow burn supernatural suspense also explores the themes of postpartum depression, neurodivergence, and the enthusiasm a mother would go to protect her child.

This was an uneven book for me: the first 50-60% was slow, almost meandering and felt very run of the mill unreliable narrator etc. Then things really accelerated from that point and it started to get much more gripping and fresh. So a two star read in the first half and a four star read in the second half.

The MC was a bit nondescript for me.

I liked the somewhat unanswered suggestion at the end re Stella having cleverly orchestrated everything.

Side note, why the passing one sentence reference to Covid at the end? I see a lot of books doing this now and it felt unnecessary and like it ages the book prematurely.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Really compelling and tense read. I found the narrator frustrating at times but the author did a great job of keeping the tension up and keeping you guessing. She leaves you with an unanswered question which I found really satisfying. Clever Little Thing explores the emotional complexities of motherhood with nuance.

This book showed me the fear of trying to do the best thing by your child, especially when it can cause you to question your choices, your child and the uncertainty of it all.

I'm not sure I'm the target audience for this. I'm not keeeeen on when a book turns paranormal like. Which for me this did. I get weird things happen, and that's when I give books a chance. But when rhey actually go that way of paranormal plot, I have a hard time. I don't know why. It seems to then take away from psychological side to their being some "other" answer. But considering it was that kind of novel I thought it was really good. I know, I know talk about turnaround! No but seriously it was so well written and I was gripped. So someone else who does like this genre type would love it.

An imaginative storyline and interesting characters, I found this a compulsive read. I must admit it isn’t the type of book I would normally pick up but I was surprised at how enjoyable I found it.

I almost stopped reading this book when it wandered into the paranormal because I’m not often a fan of this element in a story. However I ploughed on ( well if I’m honest I skimmed on) and wasn’t convinced as most of the conclusion was very implausible.

The book opens with a postpartum woman in a mental health clinic, and it sounds as if she is suffering from severe delusions. Her older child has autistic traits but they seem to vary and her insistence that her daughter has changed has caused problems.

I was drawn into the world the narrator was inhabiting and the turns and twists gave me lots to think about. Many layered.

Oh what a creepy thriller this was! I couldn’t stop reading as the story pulled me in from the first pages.

Happily married pregnant Charlotte and Pete already have an 8 year old daughter Stella. Stella is different to other children and Charlotte believes she is the only one who understands her. Desperate to get answers not only for Stella but from her to, Charlotte embarks on her own quest to get to the bottom of Stella’s behaviours.

The first half of the book was background and character building but the second half I honestly couldn’t put down. This a psychological thriller with a somewhat questionable supernatural element but it had all the thrills I expect from a thriller and was a different trope to the usual ones.

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for my gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Despite its initially slow pace, this thriller quickly escalates into unexpected twists and paranormal occurrences. However, from my perspective, this is where my interest declined, as I do not particularly favour this theme. Regardless, I approached the conclusion with an open mind. Although I found the resolution somewhat implausible, it addressed the critical questions raised throughout the main narrative.

The writing is of high quality, and the characters are well-developed. The dual timeline presentation of the story, with its inherent complexity, caused me moments of confusion, requiring rereading of certain chapters for clarity.

In summary, this book presents an excellent option for book club discussions, offering ample material for conversation. Readers who appreciate works such as "Verity" and "Behind Her Eyes" will likely enjoy this new debut.