Title: The Mother at Number 5
Publication Date: June 21st 2023
Author: JILL CHILDS
Book Description
I told her my darkest secret. Then she moved next door…
Once you find our perfect little town nestled between the gorgeous hills, you never want to leave. My husband and I both grew up here and we knew there was nowhere better to raise our two sweet girls… But when the moving van pulls up, and a mother and daughter jump out, my blood runs cold.
I met the mother once on our summer holiday and I let slip a terrible secret, something no one here must ever know… Fear rushes through me as I remember that night, but I’m sure I never told her where we live. As if she can read my mind she leans in close and says, ‘Don’t worry, you’d had a few drinks. Your secret’s safe with me.’ But I don’t trust her – why has she moved to my street?
I try to warn my kind, loving husband to stay away, but he laughs me off and invites her into our lives. When she lets my precious daughter get hurt, she’s gone too far. I know she’s here to destroy my perfect life.
But the mother at number 5 has made a mistake. She has underestimated me ever since the night we met. And she has no idea what I’ll do to protect those I love and keep my secret safe…
A completely unputdownable psychological thriller from the USA Today bestseller about family secrets, guilt and lies. If you love The Girl on the Train, The Housemaid or Lisa Jewell, you will gasp out loud at the shocking twists!
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Mother At Number 5' by Jill Childs.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Jill Childs, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 21st June 2023.
This is the fourth book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'The Mistress', ' Long Lost Girl' and 'I Let Him In' which I also recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'A completely unputdownable psychological thriller from the USA Today bestseller about family secrets, guilt and lies. If you love The Girl on the Train, The Housemaid or Lisa Jewell, you will gasp out loud at the shocking twists!' I am a huge fan of The Housemaid and Lisa Jewell so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Jill Childs and if this is half as good as 'The Mistress', 'I Let Him In' and 'Long Lost Girl' it is guaranteed to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 58 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Majorca, Spain 🇪🇦 and Ilkley, Bradford, North Yorkshire 🏴, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.
This book is written in a mix of third and first person perspective and the protagonists are Ros and Lotte. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything.
'The Mother At Number 5' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Jill discusses/includes r@p3 allegations, death of a child and child molestation.
OMG!!!! WHAT DID I JUST READ!?!?! MIND BLOWN!!!!
Another fantastic book from Jill with vivid descriptions which put you right in the picture. It really felt like Ros and Lotte were talking directly to me from across the table over a cup of tea. The synopsis and cover suit the book perfectly.
The storyline is absolutely addictive and had me sucked in from the first page until the explosive ending. It is an action packed story about family, secrets, revenge, accusations, deceit, twists and much more. I couldn't stop listening to this book until early hours of the morning so if you pick this up I seriously advice you to clear your schedules!!! I would listen to it on the car, in the kitchen, on the school runs and every single chance I got to get lost in this page turning thriller. It is filled with suspense, secrets, family and a few humongous twists that I did not see coming. A huge well done to Jill on not just one but several bombshell!!! I would have never guessed either of the twists in a million years. Very rarely I am shocked by books having read so many but this absolutely had me a cracker and completely blew my mind. If you are fed up of guessing the ending by 50% then this one is for you!!! Ros is on a much needed family holiday in Majorca with her husband Adam and their daughters Bella and Sophie. When relaxing in the sun Ros gets talking to single mum Lotte who is enjoying some piece and quiet while her daughter Caitlyn who she has put in the Kids Club. They bump into each other a few more times and Ros agrees to have a girls night with Lotte. However, Ros has alot to drink and the morning after the night before she has no idea what happened, what she told Lotte or even if she did more than dance with men she met on the dancefloor! Soon enough their holiday comes to an end and Ros is looking forward to forgetting what she may have got up to and heading home. However, who does she bump into in the local cafe while having a meeting about the school but Lotte who just so happens to be Ros's new neighbour!!!! Lotte starts getting more and more involved in Ros's life and starts dropping hints that sound like threats. Is Lotte going to reveal what happened on their girls night out? What secrets is Ros hiding? Why does Adam think Ros is paranoid? Well, I can tell you now it's not anything like you are thinking!!! To find out you'll just have to grab your copy of this non stop thriller today!!! This book will keep you absolutely hooked and guessing throughout whilst on the edge of your seat whether your listening to it or reading it. The multi person narrative chapters are perfectly weaved together to slowly build up a picture but won't give anything away to allow you to guess too soon!! The ending was absolutely mind blowing me there was a never in a million years I would have guessed the bombshell that hit me in the last few pages !!! Another Huge Success by the extremely talented Jill Childs!!! It is so hard to talk about it without giving anything away so I will just say if you want a book with twists you will NEVER see coming this one is for you!!!
Do not start this until you have cleared your schedules as you won't be able to put it down!!
This is one of the few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Charlie Norfolk who did a great job bringing this story to life. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Charlie did a fantastic job on both male and female characters voices!!! I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Jill but also to listening to more books narrated by Charlie!
The characters were all very well developed, strong, realistic and each seemingly hiding their own secrets. My heart went out to Ros because who hasn't had a few too many too drink at some point in their lives and then left panicking the next day as you have no idea what you said or did!!! I know I certainly have nd for this reason don't drink as often or as much anymore!!! This makes me have all the more empathy for Ros as it's made even worse by the fact that Lotte knows what went on but refuses just to tell her and starts making her life hell. Lotte is definitely an intriguing character that you get to discover more about as you go through the pages. This is one of those books that it is so hard to say how you feel bout them after reading as opinions change throughout and I don't want to risk giving anything away so I am going to have to leave it there and leave you make your own minds up when you grab your copy!!! Regardless of how you feel about any of them Jill's evocative writing skills ensures each of them, along with everything else going on, leaps out of the pages at the reader!!
A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Jill on one of the most shocking twists I have ever read and an absolutely addictive book!! This is exactly why you are one of my favourite authors and here's to your next success 🥂!!!
Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the first three chapter of Jill's ''Gracie's Secret' which promises to be just as addictive as this book and is one I'm definitely looking forward to reading myself!!
Overall an addictive, page turning psychological thriller with bombshells you will never see coming!!!
Genres covered in this novel include Urban Fiction, British & Irish Literature, Domestic Thriller, Vigilante Justice, Romance Sagas, Psychological Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Thriller And Mystery Adventures, Noir Crime, Mystery, Suspense, Women's Popular Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Contemporary British & Irish Literature, Contemporary Urban Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Family Life Fiction, Women's Domestic Life Fiction, Suspense Thriller, Noir Fiction, Womens Psychological, Crime Thriller, Mystery ,Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction and Thriller amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Lisa Jewell, Rachel Abbott, K.L Slater, Melinda Leigh, Carol Wyer, Lisa Regan, Kendra Elliot, T.M Logan,The Housemaid, The Family Across The Street, The Family Upstairs, The Girl On The Train, The Housemaid', DK Hood, Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni, Rachel Caine, The Widow, The Housewarming. and anyone after an addictive, gripping, must read page turner.
341 pages/ 8 hours 52 minutes
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited, £8.99 in paperback and £16 in Audible via Amazon at time of review, which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio:
Jill has always loved writing - real and imaginary - and spent 30 years travelling the world as a journalist, living overseas and reporting wherever the news took her. She's now made her home in London with her husband and twin girls who love stories as much as she does. Although she's covered everything from earthquakes and floods, riots and wars, she's found some of the most extraordinary stories right here at home - in the secrets and lies she imagines behind closed doors on ordinary streets, just like yours.
If you've enjoyed reading one of Jill's books, please do leave a review.
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Social Media Links
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LISTEN HERE: https://ow.ly/gIgO50OLHI9
