Such a sad cast of characters everyone unhappy with life and the paths chosen I didn’t like Kirsten or her choices her husband seemed a useless waste of space and Becky disturbed and even little Harriet seemed to be able to manipulate- great combination for a strong storyline l enjoyed the second part of the book more however more action and progress but felt the ending rushed and a eagerness to tidy up the ends but it still ended with that hint of forthcoming menace

Kirsten loves her daughter, Harriet, and is nervous about sending her to school for the first time. Miriam is Harriet's Kindergarten teacher, and she's been waiting for the perfect child to walk into her classroom. With Kirsten's busy work schedule, Harriet spends more and more time at school. During that time, Harriet grows closer and closer to Miriam.

Told with alternating points of view and alternate timelines. At first, the flashback timeline is confusing, but as the story progresses, the flashbacks become integral to the story. Obviously, the past is going to catch up with the present in some way, but it isn't clear how things connect until about 30% into the novel.

Kirsten is a working mother who puts in a lot of hours at her job. Kirsten's husband, Ian, is mostly distracted and useless. He seems unconcerned with the issues going on with Kirsten, Harriet, and him. Miriam appears to be a dedicated teacher worried about her students, but she's also a bit unstable. Harriet is a precocious five-year-old. Really, none of the characters are likable, making it difficult to care how things play out. Admittedly, Kirsten seems a little paranoid, but maybe she has a right to be. It seems not everything is as it appears to be, and there are several secrets waiting to be revealed.

An entertaining domestic thriller. Creepy, complex, and twisty.

I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a real mixed bag for me. I found it hard to get into - and kept picking it up, reading a couple of pages and putting it down again! I was wondering what all the fantastic reviews were for! I really didn’t like any of the characters .....not even Harriet to be honest...and there were quite a few loose ends not really tied up! I also thought I was waiting for some epic twist - which I am feeling a bit let down due to that not being delivered! However, the second part was much more exciting, and I found it hard to put down - doing the usual reading anywhere in the house, while cooking, in the bath etc. Yet I still can’t stand any of the characters! And it had a really crap ending!
Not for me at all!

A plausible story, well written with great characters, a good read. Will be looking out for more by this author.

The Classroom... a place that a child should be safe right? Not when the teacher has a hidden agenda! This was the first book by A.L Bird that I have read and it was a great story. A story of lies, desperation and love. The only character that I really did like was the child... the adults were all despicable people out for themselves.

Harriet is now 5 years old and ready to start school. Her parents are both full time career minded people- Kirsten is a GP and Ian a high school teacher. Harriet's teach Miriam Robertson dotes on her new student, with a plan of her own. The story jumps between the past and present which really didn't make a lot of sense until about 30% in but once it all came together I flew through this book which had a very unexpected twist ending.

Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

The Classroom by A.L. Bird - oh my goodness, what a gripping psychological thriller. I could not put it down and read it in just one sitting. The action twisted this way and that - I knew who the manipulator was - or did I? I suspected just about everyone before the jaw dropping reveal.
Truth, lies, manipulation, real, imagined - all themes within the novel showing the deviousness of people. The main thing seems to be to get your own way, no matter who gets hurt along the way.
Children are a gift. What do you do if you suspect neglect?
To what lengths will you go to achieve your dream? How many people will you tread on?
Are you sure you know your enemy?
A marvellous mix of characters are to be found within The Classroom. Some elicit sympathy, some disgust. Truth and lies blend until even the reader questions their own sanity.
The Classroom is one of the best psychological thrillers I have read. I really didn't spot the action coming. I had trouble distinguishing the real from the imagined. A totally brilliant plotline. Absolutely mesmerising.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

As a mother who just sent her five year old son off to Kindergarten, I had so so so many feelings about this book. I mean, honestly it terrified me to no end. The Classroom by A.L. Bird is the horrific encounter of when predator meets prey, or this case when a dangerous teacher meets an unsuspecting innocent child. This book will make your heart stop, will make your stomach clench, and make you want to beat the crap out of the disgusting person that could treat a child the way that the teacher does in this book.

I hated how this book was so realistic, of course I know that that is the point, but it scared me so much. I worry about my son at school, I want him to be safe, and I hope that everyone in the school has his best interest at heart. To read a book where the person that you are trusting with your child for 8 hours a day is the one who could hurt them really tears me up inside. 

With dual perspectives, you get an idea about the mother, Kristen, and also why the teacher is the way that she is. Even though the flipping between past and present was a little confusing at first, once I got into the flow of the story, it was easier to understand. 

I enjoyed this book even though I hated it at the same time, does that make sense? Not only that, but the twist actually surprised me. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for the arc of this book.
I found it a little confusing to start with as it flipped to the past and present but once I got into it the story flowed well.
It showed the lengths that some will go to to become parents and then also how much love plays an integral part of our relationships.
An enjoyable read with a little twist.

I read this book in one day as I felt compelled to find out what would happen.The story is very realistic,a situation that could so easily occur,the desperation for motherhood procluding common sense in a highly successful, intelligent woman,causing huge repercussions later,threatening the loss of her precious child.I loved this book,but did feel that it ended with me needing to know more of how the future panned out for all of the characters..a sequel would be brilliant .I thoroughly recommend this book,it compels you to turn the pages,eager to know what will happen! It is very well written from the different perspectives of the characters,so you can get the whole picture!

The Classroom by A L Bird is a psychological thriller with many twists and turns.
When Kirsten's five year old daughter Harriet starts school, Kristen like all parents is worried about her safety.
She is pleased that Harriet is happy with her new teacher Miriam. Miriam however has a plan that no one knows about.
I found all the adult characters unlikeable. I was also irritated by the duel storylines.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HQ for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to HQ Digital and Netgalley for letting me be an early reader of The Classroom, which is expected to publish in mid-September. Dr. Kirsten White and her husband went through fertility treatments and IVF before they had their daughter, Harriet, who is now five-years old. It’s time to start school and Kirsten is reluctant to let her go because she worked so hard to get her. But she thinks Harriet’s teacher, Miriam, will take her job seriously and keep Harriet safe.

The story is also told from another point of view, Becky, who went to drama camp as a teen-ager. Eventually the two stories coincide. That’s when the terror begins. But I’m not going to give it away. Just, note you may be on the edge of your seat for a while.

I gave this thriller 4 stars because towards the end, the author led me down various roads that had me thinking a huge twist was coming up. Instead, all the roads were dead ends. This is like the third book I’ve read lately where I’ve felt like the author took their time to craft a quality story and then hurried up through the ending with no thought of any logic and tying up of red herrings. I didn’t care for the ending nor did I understand it. But this author is one worth watching.

This book is told from different perspectives:-

Kirsten finally got what she always wanted, a perfect daughter after so much IVF. Harriet is 5 now and about to embark on her adventure to school but like any new parent, Kirsten is afraid of letting go, added together with working at setting and building up a private doctor’s practice is taking its toll on both her relationship with her daughter and her husband (who is less than useless with helping with the childcare and pick ups and drops offs).

Back in 2012, Becky is a straight A student, she and her friend attend a Drama Summer Camp and that’s were things go wrong…. Becky is so straight laced that her friends saw fit on the last night of the drama camp to drug her but not only her but the teacher whose in charge of them. Both waking up the following morning together not knowing what had happened, is where it all goes wrong. Was she raped by the teacher, she has no recollection but as a result she is pregnant, turned away by her parents, she has nowhere to go…… and so the Becky story ensues…..

Miriam gets a teaching job in a school and has zoned in on one little girl in particular, Harriet. She feels she is being ignored at home when she asks the children to draw what they did in their holidays, Harriet draws a picture of her sitting in her mother’s GP practice playing with toys, Miriam is appalled and believes she is not being taken care of properly and so makes her her pet project starting with beginning a breakfast club.

So it turns out that Kirsten’s husband, Ian, headmaster of a failing school and out to prove a point and his reputation has fathered Becky’s child, YES she was the girl that was raped/drugged/slept with (that’s up for debate as to how to look at it!) and he was the drama teacher. Becky was only 17 and has been persuaded by a psychiatrist friend of Kirsten’s that she would be an unfit parent who couldn’t be trusted with a baby, so she lets Kirsten & Ian have the baby. With a home birth, they manage to put Kirsten down as the “biological mother”.

BUT present day, Becky wants her daughter back and will do anything to achieve that, Kirsten will do anything not to let Becky anywhere near… Ian is playing both sides of the coin…..

With kidnapping, threats of violence, fires, near death…… I’ll say no more for fear of ruining it for others but be prepared for a mind bending twisty psychological read… just when you think you’ve got your head around it…. Hmmmmmm you’ll see!!!

Many thanks to Netgalley, HG Digital and A.L. Bird for letting me have an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Really struggled to get through this book, couldn’t really get into it. The plot became slightly ridiculous, and the ending didn’t seem to tie up the story neatly.

Dr Kirsten White and her husband Ian have a beautiful young daughter called Harriet. Oh how they struggled before Harriet came along, disappointment after disappointment. She is so beautiful and precious that Kirsten is loath to let her go to school. She loves their days together and will miss Harriet so much. But she must take her 5-year-old daughter to school and trust that she will be taken care of and kept safe. Her husband, the Head teacher of a different school, talks her round gently and besides Kirsten has a fledgling private medical practice to nurture. She knows the local primary school they have chosen is the right place for Harriet and she can arrange her consultations around Harriet’s school day. At least that is the plan. They have a gorgeous home, but that has come at a price, so Kirsten persuades herself to take Harriet to school that first day and meets her reception teacher Ms Miriam Robertson.
Things get even better when the ‘after school club’ is joined by a ‘wide awake club’ even supplying breakfast each morning, allowing Kirsten even more flexibility. The big plus is that it is run by Harriet’s teacher, who Harriet adores. Kirsten knows she shouldn’t feel jealous of Miriam but none-the-less she does. Harriet loves Miriam and Miriam is wonderful with her, encouraging, gentle and kind. She arranges all kinds of creative activities which go down very well. She reads and directs their play activities and Harriet certainly thrives under Miriam’s care. She’s the class ‘teacher’s pet’, there’s no doubt about it.
As the first parent’s evening draws ever nearer Ian and Kirsten feel certain that they will come home feeling very satisfied with their teacher consultation. There’s no doubt that Harriet is happy and a model pupil. But the parent’s evening is a total disaster and is the catalyst for what happens next. Sure enough their world is turned around and things will never be the same again. It’s the beginning of even more worries and upsets. Just where will it all end?
I enjoyed reading this novel. It was well written and full of twists and turns, some very dark. I never once correctly predicted the dreadful outcome, despite paying close attention to the storyline. I didn’t particularly like any of the adult characters despite their carefully crafted introduction and development. There were all kinds of trickery and wrong-doings, injustices and evil intent: vile secrets too. But what could have added greatly to the story never happened in the final few chapters and this spoilt my overall enjoyment, leaving everything up in the air and so many unanswered questions – my worst nightmare when reading and reviewing the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher HQ digital through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. This novel is a good read apart from the ending. It’s a 3.5* review from me.

I really enjoyed this , I hadn't read any of the previous books by this author but I will most definitely seek them out now , it was easy to read and very well written , I pretty much read it in one sitting and enjoyed the twist half way through . Kirsten thinks that Harriett her daughter will be safe at school but Harriett has come onto her teachers radar as a chosen child , her relationship verging on inappropriate is not initially discovered and is of course there is more to it than meets the eye , we get the story from Kirsten's and Becky's point of view and Becky's past chapters had me racing through to see what had happened . Brilliant 5 stars for me

This was a pretty decent thriller. Becky is pretty much raped by her drama teacher, Ian, and becomes pregnant at the age of 17. She is forced to give up the baby to Ian, by Ian and goes on to live without her daughter but is continually blackmailing Ian for money etc. Ian's wife Kirsten loves the baby girl and tries not to question where she came from but knows the truth. This is a twisty thriller with several surprises that I did not see coming. Becky has been formulating a plan for years to get her daughter back and is slowly executing that plan. The end is chilling and left me thinking. Interesting story. Great read! thanks to NG for the ARC!!!!

Dr. Kristen White is desperate for a child of her own. After many failed rounds of IVF, her dreams have come true. Harriet, their 5 year old daughter is ready and set to start kindergarten. Her teacher, Miriam, childless longs for her own child and sets her mind on Harriet.

The book alternates from different points of view, including “Becky”. It doesn’t take long to figure out the meaning of Becky.

I expected a different ending, it didn’t tie out in my opinion, but I enjoyed the read.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

An interesting book in the suspense genre. Young Miriam gets a job teaching in a school and is very enthralled with one of her students Harriet. Harriet's parents Ian (A principal) and Kristin (A doctor) barely have time to say hello to each other or spend time with Harriet. Miriam gets a breakfast and after school club at her school so Harriet has a place to stay while her parents are working. Kristin and Ian adopted Harriet as a baby when Kristin was unable to conceive. Suspense builds as Harriet has some trouble at school and Miriam begins to show an increased interest in Harriet. Things come to a head one night at the parents night at school. Throughout the book there are also backflash chapters about a young girl named Becky whose drink was drugged one night and found herself in a bed the next morning with a professor. How does this all relate to Harriet's family and Miriam. I did guess correctly to whom Becky actually is but wasn't expecting the outcome.

Kirsten, mother to Harriet (6 y/o), is a doctor with a new private practice. She is harried and doesn't feel as if she is getting the support she needs from her husband, Ian. She perhaps misses the "old days" before Harriet came along...

Meanwhile, Miriam gears up for the first day of school as a teacher new to St. Anthony's. She studies a classroom picture - zeroing in on the picture of Harriet. Once the school year begins, Harriet is a student in Miriam's classroom. Miriam continually looks for imperfections in Harriet's family life. For one, Kirsten and Ian are quite often at odds with each other...

Then we meet Becky, four years earlier, a summer drama class student. At this point we can only guess as to why she is introduced...

It is then that we learn that Ian had fathered Miriam's (Becky's) child. That cad! Yes, he was the summer school drama teacher Becky had when she was 17. Harriet's birth certificate reads, however, as Kirsten to be the mum. Kirsten even had a psychiatrist friend note that Becky was unfit - and now that is going sour. Becky wants HER daughter!

The reader goes back and forth with "kidnapping", child abuse and even a fire. It seems as if Becky, Kirsten and Harriet will live as one (happy?) family.

And just when you THINK that..... guess what happens!!!

Delightful, twists throughout the book. Surprises all the way! A MUST READ!!!

Many thanks to HQ Digital and Netgalley for a real rollercoaster ride !

I quite liked the first third of this book... when it looked lik Miriam was a random stranger,and fixating on a child,and our Dr was more than a little unhinged.
As soon as all was revealed it went downhill for me... and seemed to get more and more ridiculous.
I almost gave up on it a few times....
I finished it,but didn't particularly enjoy it.