The Parents by Claire Seeber is a thriller about Patti, who has lived in Tenderton for many years, and Alex, who has recently moved to the area after her husband's death. Both mothers have sons who are part of the Tenderton Tigers football squad. There are a lot of secrets amongst the families in this town, and someone is trying to ruin all the parents by revealing all of their secrets. This book had reveal after reveal, and it kept my attention. I found it rather unbelievable, but I still enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

This is definitely a slow burn and the opening of the book definitely gives off a sense of domestic bliss, which is unravelled slowly but surely. The opening of the book hints at some disharmony and brings to the fore some issues such as racism, disability and alcoholism but mostly focuses on grievances surrounding the local football team, which appears very tame and not exactly what you’d expect from a book branded as a thriller.

However, stick with it and you’ll see there’s lots of domestic tension and suspense to uncover. The fact that it centres around vlogging and football give it a modern and mainstream appeal.

Once again, there are quite a few characters to follow but as you read your interest in the main characters are peaked and they begin to develop their own distinctive voice, thanks to Claire’s effective use of multiple narrative perspectives.

The story develops in surprising and unexpected ways. There are a lot of threads to unpick but it is definitely an enjoyable and original piece of fiction that I would recommend to fans of Samantha Hayes and Sam Hepburn.

⭐⭐⭐

In the crowded genre of psychological thrillers this book stands out. I just loved this one. It was unique, Brilliantly written and very clever. Loved it.

The Parents - Claire Seeber

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture and I am leaving this review voluntarily

The other parents all seem so perfect. But it’s not long before I realise: I should have never made friends with them…

I knew it wouldn’t be easy for my kids to adjust when we moved to a tiny village where they didn’t know a soul. But after the death of my husband, we needed a fresh start.

Suddenly, we’re outsiders. I know the only way we’ll be accepted is if I throw myself into my new life, so when my son joins a local club, I volunteer to help along with the other parents.

I struggled with this book, what should have taken me a few hours to read ended up taking me two days as it just didn't grab my attention. There are some interesting characters and plenty of twists and turns. At the beginning of the book Claire introduces the reader to the team and their parents - to me this was just too much information to take in.

Rating: 3/5

The Parents is a modern thriller, filled with concepts as vlogging, revenge porn and a local soccer team that everyone loves?

Anyway, the book, as the title says, is about parents, but the story it is not boring at all. Think of it as Gossip Girl, but the characters are already married, got kids and serious jobs. Everything seems perfect, until someone decides to show the true colors of the parents. That means posting vlogs in which everyone sees who is lying or living a double life. This, of course, disturbs everyone and the parents starts wondering who is the person that wants all the secrets to come out?

The first part of the book is filled with action, mystery and shocking reveals, but then on the second half it seems like I am watching a TV show and the producers are eager to release a second season asap. Creepy things happen, people suddenly find it interesting to go in a forest at night and at some point they even think that some witchy business might happen in their town...just too much for me.

I wanted to love this book so much, but it was not what I expected, and this is why I am giving it only 2 stars.

Following the death of her husband Alex moves to the cottage in Tenterton with her two teenage children. She really wants to hide herself away but for the sake of the children she knows she'll have to try & join the community. Her son is a keen footballer so him joining the under 14's Tenterton Tigers seems a good way to integrate. However she soon finds out that the parents of the players are a mixed bag with their own agendas & someone seems intent on revealing people's secrets. Alex has her own secrets she'd rather keep.

At times I got confused with the cast of characters- having the 'dramatis personae' at the front is not so handy when reading on a Kindle! but overall it was an engaging read even if the football stuff left me cold! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I enjoyed this book.

It's a slow burn family domestic psychological read.

It hooked me from beginning to end and I didn't stop reading until the book finished.

Hope to read more from this author in the future.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚
The Parents by Claire Seeber - Publication Date 25th October 2021

Alex has moved back to the Uk with her 2 children. She was born in the UK but moved to America and lived with her husband. Her husband had not returned with her. She had hardly any money, living in a rundown cottage, trying her best to fit into small village life with her children.

The main character is Alex but the story is also told from other characters that live in the village. It was clear when reading and not confusing at all.

I would say this is a slow paced thriller. I’m going to be honest here and say that I do prefer something a bit more fast paced BUT having read the authors last book The Street Party, I think this is the authors style. I did enjoy the book but was a bit annoyed with myself, as I guessed one of the twists at the end!!


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I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

#netgalley #claireseeber #theparents

I’ve read some of this author’s books before so I knew I was in for a treat, but wow, this one really had me gripped!

Alex and her children move into a picturesque but rather creepy little village, and right from the start there is a haunting and slightly menacing atmosphere to the place. The setting is excellent for building up the suspense and drama.

There is certainly a lot of drama in this small village, and almost everyone seems to be harbouring secrets.

Alex tries to keep to herself, but her son joins the local football team, which is where she encounters parents who are very pushy and involved, and also full of secrets and lies. As the secrets are revealed there is one shock after another for the parents.

There is rather an emphasis on football, as we follow the team, which I have absolutely zero interest in, but even if you’re allergic to football, like me, it doesn’t detract from the chilling plot.

A really atmospheric and twisty tale, I really enjoyed it.

The other parents all seem so perfect. But it’s not long before I realise I should have never made friends with them…

Alex has recently moved to the UK from America, after losing her husband a year ago in a tragic accident, with her children, Harry and Iris. They have set up home in the village of Tenderton in Kent, living in Primrose Cottage on the edge of The Whispering Woods. Alex decides to make friends with some of the locals and Harry signs up with the Tenderton Tigers, the local youth football team. The villagers welcome her into the community and she believes she's made the right decision for her family, that is until she hears something that suggests their lives aren't as perfect as Alex first thought and she starts to question her choice and is worried that her own secret will be uncovered.

The Parents is a domestic thriller centred around a small village community, the majority of the boys in the village play for the local football team, although it appears it's more for some of the parents and their egotistical needs than because the boys actually like playing the game. The story is narrated by Alex and Patti, who strike up a close friendship almost straight away, then someone sets up a vlog revealing secrets about some of the villagers and everyone becomes nervous, wondering if they're going to be the next target, there does seem to be an awful lot of secrets for such a small community! This is a busy book with lots of characters, some very unsavoury ones who I just didn't take to at all. I did like Patti, she seemed to be the caring influence in the group. It's an interesting read, with an unexpected twist in the tale that certainly took me by surprise.

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

What does the under 14 football team, vlogging, and spooky woods have in common? These disparate elements come together in The Parents, a rather unpleasant domestic drama filled with secrets, deceptions, and lies. Overall this is a twisted tale worth the read for those who can't get enough thrillers.

Marshalling the under 14 football team does not come easy, especially considering many of the parents are at loggerheads. The chief protagonist in this story is Patti Taylor as her son Ethan begins playing. Other parents and their children have a story and it is mostly unpleasant.

In addition to Patti and her viewpoint, there is a vlog called The Tales of Tenderton and it proves to be a rather awful vlog. The posts are rather distasteful and the vlog is consistently referred to as something very unpleasant. If the parents were not already worried about their children and the soccer team, the vlog most definitely made things worse, increasing already sensitive tensions with everyone involved.

In addition to the drama and the vlog, there is an additional plot line, and that involves seventeenth-century witchcraft and dark woods that gives everyone an eerie vibe. Pulling all of these things together created a rather convoluted story, one that required more than a bit of attention to remain invested.

The Parents is the first book I've read by Claire Seeber. I do look forward to reading more of her books in the future as I do love psychological thrillers, especially when they are as twisted as this one was.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The Parents by Claire Seeber is a domestic drama that focuses on Alex whose husband dies so she moves to Primrose Cottage, Tenderton, Kent with her thirteen-year-old son, Harry, and her daughter Iris. The reader also meets local beauty salon owner, Patti Taylor, who sets out to befriend Alex. Patti's son, Ethan is part of the local Under 14’s football team, and Harry joins them. In this novel, Alex and Patti tell their stories, with all the melodrama and warts-and-all revelations that involves.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this absorbing drama full of secrets, lies, deception, malice, jealousy, and rivalry. It's a promising tale, the perspectives of the women and the alternating chapters adding to the suspense. The plot is also partly driven by the children in the story. The pace really speeds ahead in middle with many parents harbouring dark secrets. There's a neat spooky twist if you like that sort of thing. A worthwhile toxic tale.

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

This is a Slow Moving Family Drama Psychological Thriller. This book reads like a young/new adult thriller. Also, I felt this book was always talking about football (soccer in America) and school. I just found this book not to go anywhere and it still had not pulled me into by the time a read over half of the book. I did end up DNFing this book around the 60%. I did not think the storyline was going anywhere and the characters really fell flat to me. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Bookouture) or author (Claire Seeber) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. The writing was good and the storyline kept me reading to the end. It didn’t grab me though and I didn’t really get attached to the characters. A good read but not a great read!

I was looking forward to becoming a mom since I was a little girl. This didn’t happen until I was in my early 30’s and I was so completely thrilled when it did finally happen. Being a mom is my most favorite role I manage (though it can be incredibly tough at times), yet I had no idea that I would be presented with social aspects amongst other parents and adults such as gossip, jealousy, betrayals, lies, and “politics”. The Parents captures these as well as a myriad of others and it was so relatable. I knew right from the first pages that there would be loads of characters that I would be reading about and I cringed a little, because I had a feeling that there would be so many that I would need to refer back to the character summaries throughout the book to be able to keep track of who was who. I do not do well with this but the deeper into the book I reached, the more I finally could place everyone on my own. This is definitely a character driven novel and we are introduced to so many different personality types, some easier to connect with than others. The author did such a great job at capturing details for each character perfectly and accurately.

I had the sense that witchcraft was intended to be a primary focus yet I personally would have liked to see more of it than there was. The topic fascinates me, especially when reading about the haunted witch bottles, spells, and such. I also loved the focus on family, and the relationships and intricacies involved, especially when you throw in modern day technology and influences.

There is so much going on in the book that I think this could have been broken into a series, rather than just one book. There are so many twists and turns to keep the reader intrigued and interested, but I would have loved even MORE details and more time spent on the key focus areas. I think this would be a perfect fit for a Netflix series to binge watch!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book focuses on Alex. Alex is a mum to two teenage children and they live in America. When she loses her husband she makes the decision to move back to England. She rocks up and moves in to a cottage in a village. The teenagers seem to settle quite quickly with her daughter joining a band and her son joining a sports team, but Alex is struggling somewhat. On top of all this, a video blog is exposing secrets about people connected with the sports team. Clearly, this small village has some big secrets.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author, and it was okay. There seemed like a lot of characters, and I did struggle to keep up with who is who. The writing was okay, and this was definitely a slow burn with twists and turns that come in the final quarter. I wasn’t overly keen on any of the characters and didn’t feel a connection really. But I’m pleased I finished it.

A small village and an under 14’s football team, what could go wrong !!

Alex has just moved to the village with her two children, after the death of her husband. Trying to remain anonymous isn’t really working so for the sake of her children she immerses herself into village life, including her son joining the village football team.

Patti is a long term resident of the village and has her own beauty salon. Her son plays for the football team and she knows all the ins and outs of village life. When Alex arrives she is the first to try and get the newcomer to mix with the locals.

At first Alex is pleased her son is playing football and socialising, the parents of the other kids all seem nice and she starts to think they could be happy there. But then something is posted online which changes the dynamic of the club and secrets are gradually revealed. It seems none of the parents at the club are safe. Who is posting the secrets ? And whose secret will be revealed next ?

This is a great twisty read, that will keep you guessing. There are some good characters, including Alex and Patti. Although the book revolves around a football team there isn’t too much football included but plenty of gossip, secrets and lies !!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

The story focused on teens playing European football which I'm not familiar with. The parents of these teens are eager to publicly portray themselves differently than who they really are. But when secrets are anonymously revealed through an online vlog, trust is broken and people start doubting everyone's motives.

This was an interesting, slow-paced read about small town, close-knit neighbors who are involved with everyone's business. There was a lot going on with so many characters that it was hard to keep track of everyone. The story also included the town's history of witches, premonitions, horoscope signs, and a black cat making sudden appearances which built somewhat of a mystery but didn't really go anywhere. Overall the book did keep my attention as I tried to figure out who was uncovering everyone's secrets. I also love reading about neighborhood drama and this book definitely had a lot.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

I am a massive fan of Clare’s I especially love 24 hours and Step Mother and in comparison to those I left like this story had no action. Instead we have a family drama set round a under 14’s football team. This book reminded me of the television series footballers wives. Which I loved and it made a rather unique story. I am always on the look out for something different and this book is definitely that.

In this story we meet Alex who moves from America to a tiny village in England with her son. After the death of her husband..A village where nobody knows them. Alex has secret but for how long for is the question.

Being from a tiny village myself I know exactly what that is like. People knows things before you know them yourselves. The parents tells the story of secrets, lies, gossip and jealousy.

The Parents is a slow burner with quite a lot of characters to keep up with, each bringing something to the story, then the story ramps up a pace and I couldn’t put it down. I found myself racing to the end to find out what was going to happen. And I have to say I wasn’t expecting that.

This is an entertaining read which I highly recommend.