Cover Image: All Her Fault

All Her Fault

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline with excellent characters. I would highly recommend this book as it was a great read.

Was this review helpful?

If you enjoy books with twists and turns then this is definitely one you will enjoy. Tense and terrifying - I fully felt the panic rising of the realisation a child was missing. I will look out for future books by this author. 5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

Every parent’s nightmare from hell!

Marissa and Peter Irvine live in a rather affluent suburb of Dublin with their four-year-old son Milo, who is mostly looked after by their nanny.

One day when Marissa went to pick up Milo from an arranged playdate after school, at a specified address, she was horrified to find that Milo wasn’t there! Imagine how petrified she felt when a stranger answered the door which was even more bizarre. So, the nightmare began . . .

Marissa had expected to find Milo at Jenny’s house and playing with Jacob, her son. She naturally started to contact as many parents as possible with children in Milo’s class. Unfortunately, the feeling of panic and helplessness grew, so that Marissa and Peter had no option but to call in the police.

That dreadful experience of hopelessness deepened because the teacher thought that Milo had been collected by an arranged nanny. It certainly looked like Milo was perfectly happy with this mysterious adult, making the investigation even more serious.

Andrea Mara really had me engaged from the outset, making this deeply psychological thriller an absolute page-turner. The plot was taut throughout, sending me in so many directions, and led to a dramatic conclusion.

Galadriel.

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

Was this review helpful?

Great story with lots of twists and an ending I could never have imagined. Andrea Mara is a new author to me but I will certainly look out for any future work. Highly recommended

Was this review helpful?

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I couldn't stop thinking about it after I'd finished reading it. It captured my attention from the start and held it throughout. The intrigue and supense grew with each chapter. I had no idea how it was going to end as I suspected so many of the characters. The ending certainly didn't disappoint!

Was this review helpful?

The opening chapter of Andrea Mara's book really is every parent's worst nightmare. When she discovers her five year old son has been kidnapped, Marissa Irvine's life turns from one of safety and predictability to a nightmare she never imagined. She and her husband have money but the kidnappers don't make any demands, which leads the police to look at other motives and to start looking at people who know the family. The Irvines live in an affluent Dublin suburb and it soon turns out that most of the neighbours and other parents of Milo's Junior Infants class have something to hide. The book delves into their murky pasts and it uncovers a dark world underneath the perfect facade. Marissa is outgoing and friendly but, when it comes to looking for help when she's most in need, she finds that most people don't want to get involved.

Mara's characters are very well written and all have both their positive and negative traits. As we read more, we start to question who is being referred to in the title as accusations and judgement are directed at several characters. The book culminates in a finale that I definitely didn't see coming.

All Her Fault is a combination of domestic noir and crime thriller and features a community that is searching for someone to blame when something goes wrong. As it turns out, it's not as simple as blaming one person and it is expertly written.

Was this review helpful?

What would you do if you turned up at a play date to pick your son up and he isn’t there.
This is what happens to Marissa
What has happened to her son and who has him.
Oh there’s plenty of twist and turns in this book and one great one at the end .
Can’t wait for this authors next book.
Great read
Thanks NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 twisty turny stars.

This was a great book, easy to read and keeps you guessing.

I agree with other reviews, there were too many characters thrown into the mix, but I think it worked and I can see why - as the author was trying to make you guess even more.

I didn’t guess what happened at the end and to be honest it might divide people - I liked the implausible twist but others may not. This is a book, suspend reality!

Was this review helpful?

This book starts with a bang in the opening chapter with a mother going to collect her child from a play date to find there wasn’t a play date and the other child doesn’t even live at the house she went to collect him from. This apparent abduction of a child was cleverly constructed, as was the book, which was written from different perspectives, leading to a build up to the abduction and a resolution to the book after the abduction.

I have to say this book had me gripped from the very first page and was exceptionally cleverly written. Along the way as you’d expect there are many good twists and changes within the story and it keeps you guessing. Characterisation was excellent and I have to say I made a few errors in my weighing up of the situation.

This was my first Andrea Mara book but it do certainly won’t be my last. I certainly strongly recommend it if you enjoy good pacy psychological thrillers. However it could well change the measures you go to in order to protect your own child!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for providing a copy of this book for me, for an an open and honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Starting strong with a parent's worst nightmare - your child is on their first playdate but there's no sign of him when you go to collect him - All Her Fault twists and turns with revelations and secrets being spilled throughout the book. The story alternates between various viewpoints which helps to uncover more of the story in a clever way and the relationship between the characters is well developed. I got a little lost in the big reveal ,but that's probably because i was rushing to find out who what where and how! Well worth a read

Was this review helpful?

This was a fantastic read. As a mother it was especially terrifying. Once again Andrea Mara keeps us on our toes until the very last line. She is an excellent writer and I cannot wait for her next masterpiece.

Was this review helpful?

God I had such anxiety reading this book and had to finish it in one sitting! I needed closure.
First time I've come across this author but definitely checking out what else is available on kindle

Was this review helpful?

A parent's worst nightmare- turning up to collect your child from a playdate...& they're not there.

The pace moves rapidly, blame is cast around.
An intriguing & engrossing story- interestingly inspired by a real life situation that happened to the author.

Very 'enjoyable' - and I will look out for other books by this author.

Was this review helpful?

Busy career woman juggling work and childcare. Over reliance on nannies to deal with all issues related to their charges becoming a not unusual trend in the 21 century with huge numbers of well educated women in highly paid lucrative jobs. Yet when the worst case scenario occurs, a child disappearance , the effects ricochet across all affected parties like wildfire. Under the spotlight of investigating officers, marriages, relationships, families and school gate friendships all are interrogated in an effort to identify the guilty parties. Tensions run high, gossip gains credence, and no one can be considered innocent until someone is found guilty. So hangs the tensions related to this haunting story of a missing child, troubled relationships, hidden secrets , and the charades that form the veneer of a middle class existence masquerading a S happy and successful life. An escalating of emotions towards an unexpected scenario changes reader’s perception and perspective of all protagonists . This leads towards a well thought out conclusion that was as shocking as unexpected in its intensity as the actions and reason of the perpetrators are finally revealed. A five star read with many thanks to publisher, author and NetGalley for ARC

Was this review helpful?

I will award four stars for this book if only for the amazingly unexpected twists it throws at you. I loved almost everything about it but not quite the ending whilst very clever and well thought out was complicated almost past enjoyment. My head hurt from trying to decide if all the facts fitted in with what had gone on previously. However they did as far as I can tell so all in all a jolly good read.

Was this review helpful?

From the very start i enjoyed this book.

So glad i took chance on this author.

I have say good storyline through out.

Was this review helpful?

OH. MY. GOODNESS!!
This is an absolutely cracking read. From the very beginning I was completely invested. I can’t imagine anyone reading the opening chapter and thinking ‘no, this isn’t for me’. It demanded my attention to the very last page!
As a parent, turning up to collect my child from a playdate to find that they had never been there in the first place, well, it doesn’t bare thinking about. Kidnap was always my biggest fear when my children were young. I can’t even imagine how I would cope with what Marissa is faced with. I’d be hysterical! My heart went out to her. I felt her every emotion throughout her ordeal.
I can’t begin to tell you just how cleverly written this book is. The characters, the tension, the emotion, the suspense, the twists (OH MY GOODNESS the twists!). Just brilliant, I LOVED it!
I can’t really say much more without giving anything away but, needless to say, I highly recommend!
**Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy via NetGalley**

Was this review helpful?

The first book I have read by this author.

It was gripping from the beginning a real page turner.

I cannot imagine how I would feel if this happened to me.

A rollercoaster ride of a book

Was this review helpful?

This book plays on your worst fears and I couldn’t stop reading,

Fascinating premise that I hadn’t read before and the twisty turns narrative is addictive.

Fast paced and clever.

Was this review helpful?

This book gripped me from the very start. Anyone who has ever lost sight of their child for even a few minutes can understand the awful feeling of fear and dread so you can imagine how the characters in this book feel when their only son goes missing. Given their lifestyle, the obvious motive would be kidnapping but this doesn’t seem to be the case.

As this very well written story with its finely drawn characters unfolds you are taken on an emotional rollercoaster of a journey where nothing is as it seems. I didn’t see the eventual outcome and it blew me away. What a great book - I will definitely look forward to reading more by this author.

Was this review helpful?