Not my typical read but it was ok. It wasn’t a great fit for me but that’s more me than the book. If you like thrillers it’s for you.

Not the thriller I was expecting! The first 75% was SLOW...way too slow. Yawn. It focused on a mother and daughter's tumultuous relationship. 15 year old Olivia thinks her mom is way too strict. After all, she's not allowed to go to parties like other girls her age. While Hannah, the mother, believes her daughter is too immature and needs strict rules to keep her safe. The plot alternates between Olivia and Hannah's perspectives. 

The final 25% had some action but required a serious dose of reality suspension. I was doing some heavy eye rolling...Honestly, the reveals and twists were just too much.

I don't do well with thrillers that are over the top implausible. They seem silly and it's hard for me to take the plot seriously. This was a case of the sillies. However the good news is that I made it to the end hence two stars rather than one.

Not a book that worked for me. Everyone is different though so others may enjoy it much more than I did. I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I felt confused by the characters and contemplating DNFing it during the whole book. I finished to be stubborn but I probably should have stopped earlier. There is such a lack of character development  and connection to the reader that when the characters do something to perhaps cause suspense, it is just confusing or disappointing. The plot fell flat for me too which I think unfortunately was primarily due to the influence of unlikable characters.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley. 

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. 
Natalie.

This book is about teenage drama. Something all parents can relate to. It was full of twists and turns. Its a great family drama, but to tell you the truth its more of a drama than a thriller. In parts it was slow but it ended up picking up pace.

Olivia is a typical headstrong 15 year old - but when she sneaks out to attend a party and iss caught by her mother Hannah all hell breaks loose.  They have an argument, Olivia says she hates her mother and storms off.  Hannah thinks things will blow over in a couple of days, but when Olivia pulls away even more and continues her vow of silence, Hannah soon suspects a lot more is going on.  With a mostly absent husband and a younger daughter that is easy going and completely the opposite of her sister, Hannah begins to learn secrets that her daughter is keeping.  Will secrets between mother and daughter destroy the whole family?  What will come to light?
This book read a bit slow for me, especially in the middle....then the twist, WOW!!!  It was one I didn't see coming!  I would not necessarily recommend it to someone, but if you start it, definitely stick with it.
Thanks to Victoria Jenkins, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.

Hannah and Michael have a perfect life on the outside. Their two daughters, Olivia and Rosie, couldn’t be more different. Olivia is the beginnings of teenage rebellion and younger Rosie is the perfect daughter. One thing is looks can be very deceiving! One night Olivia sneaks out to a party and behaves in such a way that is not the standard and when she comes home refuses to talk to her mum and this is the beginning of the end. 
This book started very slowly and then the pace quickens and soon you get sucked in to a very twisted story. Really great read. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a weird book.  In the sense of, just as soon as you think the story is going one way, the author pulls the rug from under you, and then you are facing something new.... It starts off with Olivia that after a party decides she doesn't want to talk to her parents anymore.  That gets complicated and makes life difficult, but soon everything turns around.  This was really a very entertaining book, and I enjoyed it immensely!
TB

This was an easy to read thriller thaylt kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend!

One night, 15-year-old Olivia comes home late from a party she was strictly forbidden from going to, and she and her mother, Hannah, start arguing. Soon Olivia speaks the words that every parent has heard from their teenage child: ‘I hate you. You’ve ruined my life. And I’m never speaking to you again.’

Olivia has never been an easy child, and Hannah was used to her outbursts. She doesn’t think much of it, but Olivia stuns both her parents by keeping the silence on for more than a few days. And that’s when she starts wondering what really is Olivia hiding? What happened at that dreaded party which she wasn’t supposed to attend?

The first half of the book fell flat for me. It was difficult to understand what was going on in either person’s mind. It’s like they were engaged in a battle of hormones.  Olivia thinking she knows best, whilst Hannah pretending nothing is happening and trying to keep up the normalcy of her life.  Something doesn’t add up with Hannah, or what Olivia tries to portray through her essays in school.

There is also an untold narrative between Hannah and Michael, and nothing about the family seems to fit in. I found it strange too, that they were willing to blame Olivia for everything that started to go disastrously wrong.

However, the ending had a twist which would leave you stunned. And perhaps redeemed itself towards the end.
This is worth one read, if you like twisted plots.

3.5/5 for me

This is my second book by Jenkins and, after some reflection, I had about the same reaction to them both: mostly positive, while a liiiittle bit slow. But man, I can always count on Jenkins to write something that interests me from beginning to end. Even the slow parts I find myself blowing past, because I just have to find out how the story ends. If she can work on that pacing and depth, she'll be working with some stellar books, because she can certainly write an exciting story. I just got an ARC of her next book and I'm greatly looking forward to reading it.

TWITTERESQUE REVIEW:

I nearly abandoned, but kept going as I wanted to solve the mystery. The plot was solid, but the slow pace of the book hindered my enjoyment. Also I never felt invested in the characters. If they had drawn me in, I would have cared more about the outcome. As it was I was merely curious.

What started out as a slow burner of a read turned out to be brilliant.   This was an excellent stand alone domestic drama that will leave you speechless.   I thought it was just fantastic.

thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I really enjoyed it, not seen author before but will defo look for more fab read

I absolutely adore stories focussed on relationships between teenage children and their parents.  I love the nature of how both in the real world and in fiction they can turn into big sticky messes.  There is no guidebook on how to navigate the murky waters of parenthood, but I would live in hope that we would all fare better than the events that take place in The Argument.  The mother/daughter relationship is one that often falls foul to the trappings of clashing personalities and this story is no different.  Be prepared to hear the painful ticking of the clock in the silence of everything that is left unsaid. 

In a quiet cul-de-sac a mother and daughter are engaged in the battle of hormones.  The daughter thinking, she knows best and the mother enforcing her will with drastic consequences.  Olivia sneaks out to a party that she has been emphatically banned from.  Her parents, Hannah and Michael do not want her there under any circumstances.  Olivia is fifteen and looking through an objective microscope, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out what could happen…a teenager going missing.  Rape.  Drug misuse.  Alcohol abuse.  The list is endless.  Olivia finally arrives home and an argument ensues.  Hannah is angry, and Olivia professes that she has ruined her life and refuses to speak to her again.  Seems very like teenage behaviour, right?  However, it is at this point my eyes and my brain cant compute.  Something doesn’t add up with Hannah, my senses are on red alert. 

Olivia sticks to her guns.  She indeed doesn’t speak to her parents for several days.  You know there isn’t something quite right about the dynamics between Olivia and her parents and conversely between Rosie, her sister and her parents.  It’s clear as day that she gets treated differently and a knot forms in the pit of my stomach.  The untold narrative between Hannah and Michael, the silent looks passed between them.  What aren’t they saying?  Why are they so quick to pass the blame to their eldest daughter when things start to go disastrously wrong? 

My tongue was itching to scream the answers into Olivia’s ear.  She was on the right track she just had to hunt harder and take decisive action before it was too late.  Could a diary give her all the answers she has ever needed?  Could it explain why she has always felt different…never quite fitting in.  As a mother of three (boys I might add) this was a narrative that was difficult to both digest and understand.  Being a mother of teenagers is a difficult road to travel but ultimately, we have to give them the freedom to make their own mistakes.  We need to be their beacon of trust and love.  The one constant that will have them returning to you.  I count myself lucky that I seem to have found a workable balance. 

Just when you think you have the story worked out in The Argument, along comes a bomb to blow your thoughts into space.  So many details unravelled to turn my brain into soup.  I was confused by the actions of certain characters.  I revelled in the confusion, I was completely here for it.  Trust in the author she will deliver you safely to the final page but not without a rollercoaster ride of emotions.  We are engulfed in a fog of toxicity, but it will clear and bring us the light once more.  Everything we learn leads in multiple different directions but it all has a purpose.  Victoria Jenkins is the spider spinning her web and the reader is the unwitting fly tempted by the thread. 

The Argument is a book that the term edge of your seat was invented for.  The edge of my seat is worn out – I spent most of the novel on it!  Victoria Jenkins grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go until the final page had been put to rest.

A huge Thank You to The author, The publisher and Netgalley for providing the e-arc in exchange for a unbiased review of these works.

This book is packed full of tension and suspense, made for a very good read

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my own request from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

I have to admit that the first few chapters of this book were slow for me, but as I read more of this thriller I could not put it down. The argument is written in the POVs of a mother and daughter who of course, suffered an argument. 

We all know about the drama between a teenaged girl and her Mom. These relationships are often rocky, dramatic, full of emotion and hormones. This duo was no exception. 

After an argument over a forbidden party, Olivia tells her mom she will not speak to her anymore - and she doesn't.

I will admit that a majority of this book was written to lead up to the burning twist which will definitely send you reeling. The secrets this family has kept up until now will shake you to your core - however could, at times, be seen as, too shocking, or unbelievable.

This book was truly unputdownable. 

Get your copy now!!!

I have to confess that I found this book hard to get into and contemplated giving up with it. I’m so glad I persevered however as the second half of the story blew me away. Such an original theme.
I’m going to limit the spoilers as the element of surprise and disbelief is what makes this book so good.
Olivia is a rebellious teenager, arguing with her parents and younger sister. When she sneaks out to a party and is caught, Olivia, decides she won’t speak to her mother again and silence descends.
Things start to unravel however, someone breaks into their home and sprays the word “Liar” on the wall. Then Hannah receives a call to say her younger daughter Rosie has been hurt at school. When she arrives however, she finds nothing has happened. Could it have been Olivia? Or worse still, is someone out to punish the family?
Olivia is finally suspended from school following a shocking incident and this is when the reader finally finds out what is going on. 
I’d like to read more by this author.

I enjoyed this book. First one by this author, but for sure it will not be the last. Great book to return too at the end of the day.

This book was allll over the place. The twist was sudden, but not well set up. The various pieces of the book—mother/daughter conflict, mysterious intruder, unknown flashbacks—didn’t mesh well together and ultimately just weren’t cohesive. An interesting idea that just didn’t work.