Alice Clark-Platt's chilling psychological thriller instantly brings back memories of the notoriously unforgettable 1993 murder of toddler, Jamie Bulger, by two boys. We being in 1997 when two little girls aged 10 and 6 abduct and kill a two-year old toddler. The Flower Girls was the term that the media instantly adopted as Laurel was sentenced to prison and Rosie was given a new identity as she was under the criminal age of responsibility. Fast forward to the present day and we meet Rosie again - but now she's Hazel - living a new life with her partner and his daughter, and trying very hard to put the past behind her.

However Hazel is unable to hide who she was for long because another child goes missing from the hotel that she is staying in and quite quickly her identity is revealed as she is catapulted to position of prime suspect.

The book follows Hazel's life in the present day alongside Laurel's life in prison and brings the Flower Girls together when Laurel is applying for parole. It's an extremely well written book, and despite the echoes of previous similar crimes it's unique in its own right. A human rights lawyer herself, Clark-Platts is able to maintain a non-sensationalist approach throughout the book as she cleverly debates nature and nurture in a sensitive manner.

Oh man... this book! I haven't been able to put it down since the moment I started reading it. It is fantastic.

In this chilling, character driven psychological thriller, 2 young sisters, Primrose (Rosie) age 6 and Laurel age 10 lure a toddler away from the playground, torture and kill her. Reminiscent of the case of young Jamie Bulger in the UK in the early 90's, the public are horrified, beyond angry and collectively grief stricken over the murder and want retribution for the evil and deplorable crime that has taken place in their society. Laurel is tried and convicted for the murder of little Kirstie Swann, and imprisoned. Rosie, at age 6, denies all responsibility and is deemed too young to be culpable for her actions and not tried in the law courts with her sister. However, the court of public opinion is a different story. Rosie and her family are given new identities and moved to a new town to start new lives. Laurel's family cut all ties with her, never visiting her in prison, with the exception of her solicitor and uncle, Toby who does all he can over the years for her, through numerous parole applications which have so far all been denied.

Fast forward to present day, and Hazel (Rosie), her boyfriend Jonny and Jonny's daughter, Evie are staying in a hotel for New Year's Eve. 5 year old Georgie Greenstreet goes missing and Rosie's new identity as Hazel is discovered during the course of the search for Georgie. People are convinced she had something to do with the disappearance of yet another child. A journalist, Max is also staying at the hotel. He senses and grabs an opportunity to get an exclusive with Hazel on her life before, during and after the trial of the century and to put her side of the story forward.

The topic of this book is very relevant in today's society as it explores the ripples caused by the murder of a child by another child. Public opinion is very much against the Flower Girls - they are deemed to be evil beyond redemption and many people, especially the family of the murdered child, campaign against Laurel every time she applies for parole. This book is quite raw in parts and raises many topical issues, such as the argument of rehabilitation of prisoners, culpability in very young offenders, nature versus nurture, morals in society, the sensationalism of the "story" by press involvement, forgiveness, justice and adequate punishment levels. Alice Clark-Platts has written a book that is not only an engrossing, spine-tingling psychological thriller in its own right, but is also empathetic, heart-rending and thoroughly thought provoking. The writing itself is mesmerizing and absorbing. The storyline maintains gripping tension and suspense throughout and the characters are all really well developed, each one evoking a sensory reaction in the reader, be it empathy, sympathy, loathing, contempt, scorn, or disbelief. A brilliant read. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone.

wow, this was HAUNTING! (in a good way) gripped me from the start and I couldn't put it down, This is one that lingers in your mind long after you've finished it. Loved it!

I read this book in two sitting with mixed feeling at the end. The plot did kept me gripped however I just couldn't warm to the characters. Hazel/rosie came across as very needy and non believable from the very start which put a damper on my enjoyment of the book. Two sisters one 10 one 6 murder a child, one went to prison one didn't, years later rosie is away with her partner and his teen daughter and a child goes missing, Rosie instantly starts to worry people will think she has kidnapped the child. she has a new identity however this does not help her from being recognised.
I believe this could of been a really good book as the plot had potential to be emotional and brilliant however it feel short for me and felt a little rush, the characters needed a little more development to be a little more realistic. I would read again from this author because you can see her being a great story teller, this one just wasn't for me .

Laurel and Rosie, two young sisters who tortured and killed 2 year old Kirstie Swann have become infamous as The Flower Girls. One was sentenced to prison, one was deemed too young and given a new life, now Laurel is up for parole but has she really changed?

I was really looking forward to reading The Flower Girls, it’s gotten some really good reviews and it is very much focused on a topic that interests me – true crime. It pulls parallels from the real life Jamie Bulger case, where 10 year olds Jon Venables and Robert Thompson killed 2 year old Jamie in 1993. The Flower Girls is a brilliant concept and I really enjoyed how it flipped perspective between Rosie - who was too young to be sentenced and now trying to live a new identity, Joanna - the aunt of the deceased girl and Max - a writer who discovers Rosie’s true identity. The story really narrows in on themes of grief, recidivism and forgiveness in a very real way.

I did find that I struggled to truly get into the book for a while, it’s an odd writing style, very chopped sentences and felt a bit repetitive at times. I’m not sure if the fact I was reading the ARC didn’t help in that it was quite a badly formatted copy of the book. Usually you expect to get odd paragraph breaks and unlabelled chapters as the book is quickly converted to a Kindle format, however this had odd capitalisation, sometimes missing altogether and full stops peppered around in very odd places. As the writer writes in short, chopped sentences a lot it made it quite hard to fully get into the story straight away but I’m sure this will be ironed out in the final copy.

I would have liked to have gotten more into the mindset of the girls and truly find out what happened and what caused them to act as they did. I feel like the options presented where either that they watched violent movies or played videogames or they were straight evil with no in-the-middle. As an avid player of videogames (and never having murdered anyone!) this opinion always really annoys me but I guess it is true to public opinion and the press. There were a few twists and shocks towards the end that I actually found very unrealistic, just written for shock value which I didn’t enjoy as well (no spoilers).

Overall The Flower Girls is a fantastic premise although I was slightly less enamoured by the writing style and shock twists towards the end. Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing and Raven for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book. It kept me reading right to the end. Couldn't put it down. Love the twists and turns in it. Loved the way the characters worked throughout to build up the story and move through the book.
Kept me gripped right to the end x

This was an interesting novel, particularly the parts relating to how Laurel and Rosie and their family coped with one of them going to prison for the torture and murder of a toddler. However, I found the rest of the story less convincing and without wanting to give any spoilers I found it difficult to find any motive or explanation for, what I found to be, the very abrupt ending.

I don’t know how to review this fabulous book without giving away spoilers, so suffice it to say I enjoyed it hugely, and it kept me guessing and thinking right till the end....and beyond!
Laurel and Rosie...the flower girls....good little girls or evil ones....?

I had really high hopes for this book. It's such an interesting premise - two girls, aged 10 and 6, murder a 2 year old. With echoes of the Bulger murder, the impact of what happened has a ripple effect that impacts on everyone involved for the rest of their lives.

It was clear that there was more to what happened with the toddler than initially thought, but I found that the gradual unwinding didn't really contain any big surprises. When the second child went missing, it made no sense to me that everyone would assume it was Rosie/Hazel without a single person defending her. Having been 6 at the time of the murder, she was well below the age of legal liability, and had a completely clean record since then, so there was no real reason why she'd suddenly kidnap a toddler after 20 years,

I didn't really understand the behaviour of the older sister either. Without wishing to spoil anything, when the big reveal came at the end, it was even harder to figure out why she would have done what she did.

So overall, good premise let down by a weak plot and characterisation.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

This is a story which is bound to bring up some emotions when reading. I’m sure everyone will be familiar with other similar notorious child killers and there is always a strong argument that emerges when they come to their release date and whether or not they have been rehabilitated sufficiently to be let out to live a normal life.

The author deals with these conflicting emotions very tactfully and describes through her characters the point of view from the person who has served time in prison, their family members and the family members and people associated with the victim also. Theres always two sides to every story and the author explores these variations in this book.

I love a story that I can relate to real things that happen in real life, and although thankfully, the circumstances of this story is not something we read about often, it does still happen. It got me talking about the topics and issues that are bought up in this book with my friends and family and I love a good discussion!

I thought I had the ending figured out about half way through but this didn’t stop me reading on and wanting to know the hows and whys. However, when I got to the end I realised there was a further twist yet to come and I can honestly say I did not see that one coming!

I really enjoyed this book and if you like a read that plays with your emotions and keeps you turning pages with a brilliant twist to look forward to at the end then I throughly recommend you have a read of this book as you will not be disappointed.

Brilliant writing! About three children, and a tragic consequence. The story flips between the present and 15 years ago, and I was totally immersed in both storylines. The characters are really well described and the storyline cleverly alludes to other new stories that you are instantly familiar with. And this just add to the uncomfortable feeling at times.

It has a bit of everything, really gripping throughout, a difficult read at times, clever subtle twists. I couldn't put the book down, I loved reading it.

Was able to become quite engrossed in this book. An excellent read, full of half truths, red herrings, secrets, anger and sadness. - and a subject which sadly, has happened all too often in our generation. It was pacy and gritty; well written and kept me guessing so that I was surprised by the ultimate reveal at the end. Hadn’t seen that coming! Need a sequel now.

Ihave so many feelings about this book, it’s made it difficult to know where to start. I was lucky enough earlier in the year to get a ticket to attend the Raven Books Proof Party.

Alice Clark-Platts (who, by the way, is LOVELY) was a speaker that evening and when she read an extract from her book I was hooked. I looked back through my notes from that evening and there were words such as ‘dark’ and ‘atmospheric’. I held off reading it for a while as I had other advance books to get through, but the temptation got too much and I got stuck in.

There are some really interesting topics in this book. As uncomfortable as it is to read about child murder and children as murderers, there are conversations to be had about the age of culpability and if children are ‘born evil’. In my opinion, there are no right or wrong answers, nor does Clark-Platts attempt to suggest there are right or wrong answers, but she does successfully give us the opportunity to open a dialogue about such matters.

However, maybe this book is just too ambitious. There are so many plotlines it just loses itself and can’t get it back. I found myself immensely frustrated by characters who have central roles and then just disappear or walk away without looking back. There was also one character, namely the Laurel and Primrose’s deceased mother, who I was itching to get to know better and the book doesn’t scratch that itch.

The pace of this book is spot on. It kept moving and I couldn’t put it down. But when I got to the end, I didn’t know it was the end. I turned over the page and found it blank. I found myself re-reading the last chapter, thinking I’d missed some significant reveal that brought everything together, and it didn’t. That’s not to say that’s always the way it should be, but there were too many unresolved issues for my liking.

With all that said, I would possibly recommend this book. In many respects, it is good. I loved the uncomfortable dynamic between Laurel and Primrose. The account of the murder is not overly dramatic. Is it horrific? Yes. But it’s not something out of Hollywood. It’s dark, brutal, and exposes worst parts of what it is to be human. I just wasn’t satisfied – maybe I wasn’t meant to be?

Many thanks to Raven Books and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this book, devoured it in one sitting. A delicate subject perfectly written, highly recommend to everyone.

This is a well written, dark, atmospheric read which had me hooked from the get go.

Laurel and Primrose (Rosie), The Flower Girls, are sisters. One is convicted of the murder of a toddler at the age of 10 while the other is deemed too young to be tried and given a new identity. The plot jumps from present day to the past and the characters are well drawn.

It was a riveting read, although there were a few loose ends left unanswered which I would have preferred to know.

I predict this will be a talked about book in 2019.

One of the best books that I’ve read recently and it’s a story that will certainly stay with me. I usually shy away from any books that include dead children but for some reason this synopsis lured me in and wow, am i pleased it did!
The book jumped from the present day to flashbacks to the past - the story steadily unravels and it took me in directions I never imagined. The ending was quite shocking really - a twist I certainly had not considered. I am still unsure of how I feel about the 2 sisters in this story - my emotions were all over the place with every chapter.
I would fully recommend this book - it feels so much more genuine than many other plot thrillers out there and is up there in my top 5 books with a “twist”.

This book was great, very very captivating and really gets you thinking. Recommended for those who like psychological thrillers.

Sisters Laurel and Primrose (Rosie) are at the centre of a child disappearing. The child is later found murdered - and the only suspects are the sisters. Ten year old Laurel is tried and found guilty while six year old Rosie is given a new identity as are her parents. Fast forward 20 years and Laurel is still in prison, each bid for parole stymied by the aunt of the murdered toddler who objects and stirs up media campaigns against her. Rosie now Hazel is staying at a hotel with her boyfriend when another child goes missing. Is she behind it as many think? Apparently not as the child soon turns up. Hazel gets a book deal out of the fiasco.

I didn't like this book. The characters were both boring and unlikeable. Each one more unpleasant than the next. There were numerous subplots which didn't go anywhere and the ending when it comes is ludicrous. I had figured out within two minutes what really happened on the day the toddler disappeared but the final twist was just silly - a twist for the sake of it. However I am clearly in a minority in my opinion as many seem to love it and I am sure it will do very well. It just isn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book and the ending was very unexpected! Left me feeling sad but was a good read and the characters were well presented.
Will look out for this author again.

I was a bit unsure about this book having read the blurb - it was a dark and discturbing story but compelling nonetheless. Ten year old Lauren is accused of murdering a toddler, her sister Rosie was with her at the time, but at the age of six, is too young to stand trial. The years pass, then a small girl goes missing whilst staying at the same hotel as Rosie - but she has been living under anew name for the last 19 years. Coincidence? I have to admit I didn’t see the final twist at the end coming. Will definitely look out for more from this author