One of my favorite books thus far in 2019. As the name hints, “the rumor” follows what gossip can do to a community and how it can open Pandora’s box.

This is a very difficult review to write. When im offered an ARC from the publisher and author for an honest review, I really try to take time on the book to really give a fair review. I've been given the opportunity to read some really amazing books this way & have gone on to encourage others to read them to - even when out shopping with strangers! Sadly, I can't find anything really good or exciting to say about this book.
The copy I was provided was an uncorrected proof, and I can only hope that others have noticed these issues & they have been fixed before publication.
I felt that the story wasn't believable at all. I felt that there were far too many characters in the book and it became really confusing as I read along. Most of those characters could have easily be omitted & not affected the story.
From reading other reviews, and the acknowledgements st the end of the book, I see that this book was first written with a setting in the UK & then "Americanized". I cannot for the life of me understand WHY this was attempted. And it was done so very, very badly. I don't think those who attempted this had much or any experience with America or a map of the country. The constant use of the word 'sea' was a dead giveaway ( I've never encountered ant American to use that word) & this book is supposed to be set in Chicago & Iowa. No sea! No ocean! Also, Dearborn (Michigan) & Chicago (Illinois) are not the same nor even close by. Iyer was just so distracting.
The constant comments about Michael's race was tedious & at one point Joanna/Johannah/Jo/Joan/Joey/JJ/etc ... comments that thg Rey were the picture of a hipster family with a black stray at home dad and a working white mother. Even though days have passed since I read that, I'm still offended.
By the time we came to the big reveal, everyone in town had been accused of being Sally & I just did not care at all.

I feel l ole the author read "Big Little Lies" & said "i can do that" but it really didn't work out in my opinion. Why this is even being compared to that book baffles me.

Im sorry, but this is a 1 star book fir me.

This book was just ok for me. The premise had a lot of potential but I felt the book just scratched the surface of a couple of important topics - child bullying and how far a mother would go to sacrifice her morals for the sake of her child. I was yearning for the story to go deeper into these issues and for more character development so I would care more. Perhaps this story is better suited for a mom who can better relate to the main character.

Joanna, the protagonist, can be annoying because of her refusal to rely on anyone but herself. She adores her sweet 5 year old son Alfie - and also loves Alfie’s father, Michael, but refuses to relax into family life. She and her mom are very close, but when Joanna returns to live near her mom and the town she grew up in, all illusions explode. To tell more about Joanna would be a spoiler, but the horrific repercussions of child abuse must always be trumpeted so even one child can be saved.

I got about halfway through this book and then put it aside DNF. There were two things that I had problems with. The first was that the story revolves around one of the worst of human traits -- the origination and then spreading of a rumor. I just got too depressed that people in a small town would stoop to the lowest common denominator by fixating on a groundless rumor, ruining lives and livelihoods in the process. The second issue was that I had trouble believing that everyone in town would become so completely obsessed about this specific rumor, which is that a woman may be living in their town some 50 or so years after she (as a 10 year old) murdered a 5 year old boy. Even if I were a mother of young children living in this town, would I really be obsessing about a murder that had taken place so long ago by a child who served years in prison and was released eons ago? I just don't think so.

The writing was fine, and I'm sure many may enjoy the story. It just wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an electronic ARC in return for an honest review.

What a fun story! I loved trying to figure out who the murder was. The twists and turns kept me guessing til the very end.

The Rumor by Lesley Kara begins with the main character, Joanna Critchley, a real estate agent, who overhears gossip about a murder from the past. This murder is anything but usual as, in 1969, ten year old Sally McGowan stabs a five year old Robbie Harris to death in Dearborn, Michigan. Single mother Joanna returns to live in Flinstead-on-Sea in North Essex after she has her son Alfie to be closer to her family.

Around chapter 10, the narrative breaks from solely Joanna's point of view into Sally Mcgowan's just for brief moments at the beginning of certain chapters. This glimpse into her perspective really adds to the mystery of her character and previous events.

The relationship between Joanna and Michael, Alfie's father and Joanna's on again off again journalist love interest, adds a nice thread to the plot. He's interested in the Sally McGowan story too, which brings them closer as a couple.

I have to admit that I love Kara's writing style. It flows. It's sharp and quick. It's descriptive, but with not too much explication. I instantly got into the story and the characters' world.

The suspense is more subtle than other mystery/thriller books and it does have a twist of women's fiction in it. It's almost like a finely layered cake that keeps building and building its foundation until we get to the sweetly satisfying icing ending. What keeps the story going are the main characters and the excellent writing.

The wider cast of characters can be a bit confusing, especially since the minor characters are more flat and non-descriptive. Another issue is the pacing of the plot, which is rather slow compared to other thrillers. Sometimes, a scene will build to something that ends up not being as exciting as I would have hoped.

I think the main tension of the story in finding out who Sally McGowan is was not really enough to keep the plot going, so Kara weaves in suspense by constantly putting Alfie in jeopardy or what Johanna perceives as jeopardy. This works to some extent because the reader is thrown off by a child in danger. It is human nature to worry about him and Kara uses this to her advantage.

The style reminds me a little bit of Mary Higgins Clark in the way that it is a sophisticated thriller and the twists and turns towards the end are masterful.

The twist in the story is unbelievable, almost too unbelievable, yet somehow, it fits. It is so satisfying to find out the truth that it makes reading the whole book worthwhile.

The Rumor sounded so intriguing, but it just wasn't up to par for me. There were too many characters, and some of them weren't really necessary. The first half of the book dragged, but the second half got a little better. I give it 2.5 stars. I do think Lesley Kara has talent though, and I hope she continues writing.

Thank you Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Joanna didn't mean to start a rumor; she was only trying to fit into a new community, thus insuring that her son did, as well. And I didn't feel that she was as responsible for the ensuing rumors as the book made her out to be. There were quite a few suspects, and we readers found ourselves examining each one, trying to make our choice. It wasn't easy to pick! While I wasn't, particularly, enamored of this book, it was a fairly quick and easy read, and I hope Ms. Kara will continue writing.

The Rumor was well written, but was very slow and repetitive through the middle of the book. I would have liked to see it pick up and either introduce new information or expand in order to make the ending feel more satisfying. A good debut novel for Lesley Kara and I look forward to reading her future books. 3.5 stars

So good! Loved the character development, felt like I really knew the characters only to find I didn’t know them at all! Loved the twists, it kept me guessing until the end. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy, can’t wait to see what Lesley Kara writes next!

The Rumor is one book that will keep you guessing from the first turn of the page. This type of story--rumors being spread "through the grapevine"--are few and far between (in my opinion) but show what kind of damage words can do, when you're not entirely sure if they're true. A riveting suspenseful story, this is sure to satisfy any thriller addict.

"Rumors can kill"

This book is centered around single mom, Joanne, who overhears a juicy rumor while dropping her young son off at school. That small rumor, which Joanne ends up helping to spread, turns into a beast that threatens everything she loves.

Alright, first things first, I finished this book in one day. And, guys, I am *not* a fast reader. I just literally did nothing but read this book all day because I needed to know how it was going to end! I was holding my breath at points because I was so caught up in what was happening on the pages. I felt Joanne's panic and pain and fear as things just escalated from bad to worse. It was a wild ride, to say the least! There were points where I could tell the author was deliberately dropping red herrings, which I get when it comes to thrillers, but it was a tad obvious. Still, it only detracted from my enjoyment a little bit. I still couldn't guess where the story was headed and I was definitely shocked at the end!

And the characters! I have read many a thriller where the characters fall flat but the plot is gripping. These characters, however, had a lot of depth, which helped me to sympathize with them. I felt entrenched in their drama, which made this thriller all the more tense!

As a debut, this book was pretty strong. I haven't enjoyed a thriller this much in awhile! I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this author in the future!

What would you do if you heard a rumor that a child killer had a new identity and was living in your town? Would you spread the rumor? Joanna lives in a quiet seaside town and can't seem to ignore this rumor. Finding the identity of the killer becomes an obsession...everyone is a suspect. It isn't until the very end of the book that the killer's shocking identity is revealed and Joanna's life is forever changed.

This book was full of what you want in a small town psychological mystery. I want to call it a thriller, but the "thriller" aspect of it happened years ago, so I will call it a mystery.
The book was an intense story of "whodunit" and how small town lives can change with just a whisper to your neighbor that can spread like wildfire to their neighbor and change it's course from what you originally intended.

Jo is a single mother that has moved back "home" to live near her mother so she has the assistance she may need. She wants to create a happy and healthy family life for her son, but she also wants to fit it. She's gotten a job and she's joined a book club. What else could she possibly do to make their lives easier? As we all know or have seen in the movies and tv, she fuels the fire of a rumor she's heard and keeps it going. But the rumor now consumes her thoughts and she wants to know more about this incident and who this person could be that is possibly living amongst them.

The book was easy to read, fast paced and the characters were well developed. I felt like each character was described just enough for you to think they might be the killer. Along with the quiet little beach town, the women in the story made the setting and plot believable. Lesley Kara can flesh out a story and it's characters to keep it enticing and full of questions.
I would definitely recommend this book and look forward to more books by this author.

Lesley Kara debut novel The Rumor is a story is like the game we all played as kids Telephone. The story works well enough as the rumor of someone around them is a killer. It is easy to figure out if you are a mystery reader. The author will try to throw readers off with her mildly interesting twist and red haring.

The story is ok paced but slows down from time to time than picks right back up. The story is ok and if you are not a fan of mystery novels this would be a great start.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Ballantine for the advance copy of Lesley Kara The Rumor.

Psst. . .over here! Hey you, there, reading this review, I’m talking to you! It can never be said that I’m a gossip, but I’m telling you this book was one of the best I’ve read thus far for 2019. If it’s mind games you enjoy reading, then ‘rumor’ has it, you’ll want to read this book!

Women! If you’re one, you know how we do! If we hear one thing, we can’t keep it to ourselves. We’ve got to spread the word as quick as wildfire, which is exactly what happened in this fast-paced, electrifying read. Oh yes, Joanna, didn’t know how to mind her own damn business. Uh-ah, she overheard someone talking about an infamous child murderer who lived among them. Hmm, you don’t say?! Well, it’s one thing to overhear what women are gossiping about, but it’s a whole other ball of wax when you, yourself, take what you’ve heard to your book club and spread the rumor even further.

Umm hmm, Miss Thang, Joanna, was doing her best to fit in with the other mothers since she was reintroducing herself back to her old neighborhood. Some of the mothers were a bit stuck up and lived lavish lifestyles afforded by their husband’s money, whereas poor Joanna was a single mother, working as a real estate agent, raising her little boy, Alfie. Although she made a decent salary, she didn’t have a big house and all the perks that come along with that. It also didn’t help that her son, Alfie, was picked on and singled out because of his mixed heritage, as if he could do a damn thing about that. However, that was a whole other topic in and of itself.

So now Joanna has the ladies’ ears, she begins telling them that she overheard a child murderer was living among them. Gasp! Clutch the pearls! Say what? Do tell us more, they urged! And of course, when we hear something, it’s never told quite the way the original person told it. By the time Joanna got done with the story, she had spun that sucker out of control. Now the ladies were all the rage and couldn’t get enough. Tell us more they demanded! What the heck was Joanna supposed to do now, since everyone wanted to know more.

Joanna began feeling terrible for spreading the rumor even further because what she did was start something she couldn’t control. It’s around that time when she receives a tweet on Twitter that causes the hair on the back of her neck to stand on edge. Someone knows what she’s been going around telling and are calling her out on her bull crap. And that, readers, is where our story takes off!

Hot damn! This book was sooooo good! I could not get enough. I read this book at every single solitary moment I had to myself. If I could sneak away to read, you had better bet your sweet bottom, that’s exactly what this avid reader did! Kara kept the reader on the edge of their seat. She gave you just enough crumbs to pull you in and then snatch some of the crumbs away to make you want more, and then she’d dangle that carrot again until you couldn’t stand anymore. Oooh my, did I love this book! And the ending! Wow!

I’ve read many reviews on this book thus far and it’s one of those stories that you’re either going to love right away or you’re going to hate it. There really isn’t any gray areas here. I’ve heard this book has been compared to Gone Girl, which most of my readers know I loved the book, but abhorred the ending, so I totally disagree with the comparison. I can’t say any more than that without giving a spoiler, and I do not do spoilers for anyone!

So, if you’re looking for something really good to sink your reading eyes into, I tell you, this book is it! The Sexy Nerd Revue gives “The Rumor” five gossiping ladies huddled in a church pew spreading rumors about who’s sleeping with who! I’m not one to gossip, but. . .Happy Reading!

It pains me not to be able to give a book a good review because I can imagine how hard it must have been to write. That said, The Rumor was not for me. I didn’t care for the characters, especially Joanna, the leading lady. The plot didn’t surprise me in the least, using many different twists that have been used over and over before. I figured out the ending from the beginning, except for a detail that didn’t really make much sense to me. Some parts were too slow for my liking and felt like unnecessary details, including some political throwaway comments that were out of place. Most of all, I felt that something was off and I didn’t know what it was until reading the author’s bio and realizing that she is British. As the plot is set in America and all of the characters are American, maybe that’s what my subconscious picked up on? I’d rather read a novel set in a different country than read about my country and have little details grate at me. In any case, I’m glad to see that the book has received good reviews, it just wasn’t right for me.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine!

Joanna (Jo) moves to a seaside town with her son, Alfie, to be closer to her mom. Jo is worried about Alfie making friends at school and knows if she is friendly with the school moms, life for him will be much easier. But Jo has a hard time connecting with the gossipy, PTA mothers. So in an attempt to fit in, she partakes in a little gossip. A rumor is going around that a child-killer is living amidst them and Jo adds to the gossip. The rumor spreads like wildfire and has the community wondering—who is Sally McGowan?

When Jo tell’s Alfie’s dad, Michael, who also happens to be a journalist, about the rumor, he decides to investigate. He wants to get to the bottom of this story, but also thinks it would make a great book. So Michael moves in with Jo during the investigation and they decide to give their romantic relationship a shot—maybe now the three of them can be a proper family.

Now that Jo believes there’s a murderer living amidst them, everyone starts seeing like a suspect. And when an anonymous Twitter account starts posting creepy tweets about Sally McGowan, Jo doesn’t feel safe in her quaint seaside town anymore. Jo thought a little rumor was harmless, but boy was she wrong.

Rumors can kill—and sometimes they do.

The Rumor is Lesley Kara’s debut thriller. Originally published in the UK, The Rumor has been reworked to have an American backdrop. I wasn’t surprised to learn the story originally took place in the UK, as it didn’t feel “American.” The start of the novel felt a little confusing, as we had a lot of characters to keep track of. But after I got the hang of things, I enjoyed this one. It wasn’t a thriller, but a suspense, at best. I wish the characters were flushed out more, so I’d have felt more connected to them. I didn’t guess who Sally was, but I didn’t love her reveal. It didn’t pack the thriller punch I wanted in that regard. I rolled my eyes at the “twist” that proceeded after the reveal and I ended up skimming the last 10%. Although this wasn’t anything spectacular for me, I look forward to reading the author’s next release—3.25/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Lesley Kara for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic thriller that really keeps one guessing! Twists and turns came organically out of the plot and not left field surprises many author’s employ.