Cover Image: The Other Side of Her

The Other Side of Her

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Warning: this book is addictive - it might make you reading until past midnight or ignoring your chores. 

A missing backpacker, a million dollar reward, a family dark secret.

Mia and Ryan - a couple who are both juggling in their day to day life with a son, Elliott. Elliott suffers from ADHD and with Mia going back to work to help with their financial situation, they hired a live-in nanny. 

Tara, an Irish backpacker nineteen years old, travels from Ireland to Australia to be a live-in nanny for Elliott. She has not realised that where she will stay is pretty much a very quiet town and a bit far from any fun social life.

In another part of the story, there is a single mother, Beth, who works as a health masseuse with one young daughter. She has an ex-husband who was controlling and pretty much left her with nothing. Beth has so many unfortunate events, and you will wonder what's the end connection is between Beth and Mia/Ryan.

The story is told from POV of Ryan, Mia, and Beth with three separate timelines and a perfectly smart ending.👍👌

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Masterfully crafted with original quality twists and turns that knocked me down.
Deeply disturbing but highly recommend if you like dark and gritty books.

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The combination of a remote setting and the missing backpacker were an absolute winner for me. Great book. I highly recommend.

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I haven't read this author before I will look for more of their books going forward. I did enjoy the story line & read this book quite quickly!

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Having enjoyed B.M Carroll's earlier novels I was eager to get my hands on The Other Side Of Her.

Once I was in this story it was impossible to stop. Such a clever weave of stories and twisty shift in characters as we begin to see 'the other side of her'.

If you're after an unputdownable, rural Australian suspense, Ber's latest novel is for you.

Thank you to @netgalley and @affirm for a copy of this book for review.

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Ber Carroll has written eleven novels but only the last few under the shortened name “BM” to signify the books being darker and grittier. And there is definitely some darkenss in her latest book The Other Side of Her, a story of murder, a cover up and a woman on the edge. But also a story that draws on Carroll’s own experience as an Irish backpacker on a working visit to Australia.
The Other Side of Her starts with two very separate stories. Beth is a single mother still dealing with the aftermath of the split from a controlling ex while trying to get her life together. Meanwhile Ryan and Mia are a couple dealing with a young son with ADHD and whose life is back in the spotlight when an investigation into missing Irish backpacker Tara, who worked for them as a nanny, is reopened. The narrative also drops back to the time when Tara came to work for Ryan and Mia, an arrangement which was far from idea for anyone. It takes until about half-way through the book for the two threads to come together. The connection is both tangential and critical and puts Beth and the couple on a collision course.
While the set-up is intriguing, Carroll has to essentially betray her characters in order to build tension. At one point Beth is point blank advised to report her growing suspicions to the police by her best friend, an action which may well have put her in a much better place. She takes a different action which ups the pressure on her and sets up the final act of the book. While this works in terms of the novel, many of Beth’s actions in this regard make little sense. But that said, Carroll still manages to confound reader expectations and lead up to a character-based, unexpected resolution.
The Other Side of Her is an interesting domestic thriller that has a few hot button drivers. The first is how far parents will go to protect and safeguard their children. The second is the way Carroll\ zeroes in on a relationship in which the husband is emotionally abused and manipulated. At the core of the story is a series of misjudgements and personal pressure that leads to tragedy. Carroll is interested in the aftermath of – the way people respond to this pressure (both positive and negative). And while some of the character moments feel forced, she manages to ask some interesting questions and generate a fair amount of tension on the way.

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The Other Side Of Her is the eleventh novel by Irish-born Australian writer B.M. Carroll. Two years ago, Ryan and Mia Anderson employed Irish backpacker, Tara McAllen as au pair for their eight-year-old son, Elliot, a boy with ADHD. Disappointed with the rural location of their property, outside Morisset, near Newcastle, and quite unsuited to her role, the nineteen-year-old only stayed six weeks before heading back to Sydney, where she apparently went for a drunken nocturnal swim at an unpatrolled beach, after which she was reported missing, presumed drowned.

Six weeks ago, Ryan and Mia become decidedly uneasy on learning that Tara’s mother, Siobhan, and the NSW Police are offering a million-dollar reward for information on Tara’s whereabouts. Siobhan cites inconsistencies surrounding the circumstances of Tara’s disappearance, but Mia and Ryan can’t conceive of what those might be, or why police want to interview them again.

Meanwhile, in Newcastle, Bethany Jenkins is dismayed and worried when her home is broken into, and days later, her ten-year-old Corolla is stolen. She had hoped that her financially abusive, controlling ex-husband, Kane had stopped his harassment campaign, but she can’t imagine who else might feel they have a right to her car.

That doesn’t seem to be the end of mishaps and nasty things happening. She feels like a target and her anxiety is sky-high. The safety of her seven-year-old daughter Tilly is a priority and, were it not for supportive friends, neighbours and family, she’d be even more distraught.

Much more cannot be said without spoilers, but Carroll gives the reader a cleverly plotted tale with some well-placed red herrings distracting from the facts until those eventual lightbulb moments. Her characters have depth and appeal for all their flaws and failings, and her depiction of the setting is flawless. Carroll uses the story to examine just how far a mother would go to protect her child, and includes an interesting twist on domestic abuse. Intriguing and thought-provoking, Carrol’s latest is unputdownable.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Affirm Press.

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I have finally found THAT thriller that kept me so intrigued that I couldn't put the book down. With short chapters, multiple POVs and an Aussie setting, if I wasn't feeling unwell and didn't have to sleep, I would have read it straight through from start to finish! I'm not even going to give you a synopsis as you need to go in blind to get the best outcome with this one. All you need to know is that someone goes missing and the police are enquiring.

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A missing backpacker – A million dollar reward.

A well written murder mystery set in Australia with locations being between Newcastle and Sydney.

Tara, 19 travels from Ireland to Australia to start her first ever job as a nanny with Mia, Ryan and young Elliot. Elliot suffers from ADHD and because of that Tara is not enjoying her job looking after him. Mia is worrying about what she is saying to her family back home about her and her family and she has worries that Tara has a crush on her husband. Tara goes missing when she resigns from her job and ends up at a hostel in Bondi.

Second part of the story follows a single mother – Beth and her daughter Tilly. Beth is struggling after she left her controlling partner Kane. A few things happens to her, house broken in to, her car stolen while she was at work and a broken water pipe in her bathroom. Are these all separate incidents or is this something more sinister?

B.M Carroll has become one of my auto read authors and this one did not disappointment me one bit. I enjoyed the suspense, the writing and characters in this book. Loved that it was set in Australia as well. The Other Side of Her is out in stores now.

Thank you affirm press and netgalley for a copy of this book for my honest review.

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The Other Side of Her deals with a range of important social issues within a compelling mystery and suspense story. The difficulties of dealing with children suffering ADHD, the suffering caused by the coercive control from partners and ex-partners and the financial impact that results are all front and centre here. All of these issues play a major role in the development and resolution of the story that’s the main focus, that of a missing woman, Tara, a backpacker who disappeared after going swimming at Bondi one night.

To set the background for the story, we’re taken back 2 years to the semi-remote property of Mia and Ryan in Morisset on the New South Wales central coast.

Tara arrives in Australia from Ireland, a young woman who is to work as an au pair to Elliott. Elliott is only 10 years old and is diagnosed with ADHD. He is prone to frequent tantrums and requires close attention and medication to keep his mood swings under control.

Unfortunately, Tara is hardly the ideal person for the job. She’s more the party type of girl who likes to hit the town and enjoy the city life. Living and working on a property far from the bustling city is hardly her idea of a good time. Neither is dealing with the difficult Elliott.

Mia and Ryan, Elliott’s parents are devoted to their son and work hard to ensure the family unit is strong. Mia in particular is far from impressed by Tara’s attitude, especially when she ignores all of the specific instructions she leaves for Elliott’s care. Tensions were clearly high between Tara and her employers.

The story is told from at least 3 separate timelines and perspectives: 2 years ago from the perspective of Mia, 5 weeks ago from the perspective of Ryan and the present day from the perspective of Beth. The obvious question is: how is Beth connected to Mia and Ryan and then, how is this connected to the disappearance of Tara.

The investigation into Tara’s disappearance is reopened 2 years after the fact and this is where we come in. Very quickly we are given the distinct impression that Mia and Ryan are hiding something in relation to her disappearance. Each time the police visit they become tense and nervous and we’re slowly fed tiny snippets to indicate that the couple are guarding a secret. Big or small, they feel guilty about something.

When the different threads all gradually come together the secret starts to become more obvious. This also means that the paths of Beth and Mia and Ryan will also cross.

There is a dominant theme playing out through the course of the book and it lies around the fragility of the family unit and the obstacles that are placed in the path of comfort and happiness. It all boils down to what a person would do to protect their family, just how far would they be willing to go?

From the various divergent timelines, the story crashes into the present and the terrible reality of what has taken place becomes all too real. One small mistake is compounded by more and more until lives begin spiralling out of control.

Strong, well-described characters are a strength of the story and this helps to gain an understanding of the motivations behind many of the actions taken throughout the novel. The use of the multiple timelines and differing viewpoints keeps a tight rein on the pacing and this allows a constant build up of tension. I found it to be a domestic suspense thriller that was compelling reading and, in many ways, quite thought-provoking.

The only small disappointment I had was in the ending which felt rushed and understated creating a feeling of finishing with a whimper rather than a bang.

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Thanks to the author and NetGalley for producing an ARC.

An intriguing read by B.M. Carroll, The storyline kept me wanting to keep reading. Set in Australia, the locations were familiar.

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I went into The Other Side Of Her by B.M. Caroll completely blind except for knowing that I always enjoy her books. And I think this one is her best yet! It captured my attention from the first page, and I obsessively read it in a day – couldn’t stop myself even if I wanted to!

2 years ago, Irish backpack Tara was working as an au pair in Australia for Mia & Ryan Anderson when she disappeared. Now her mother is offering a million-dollar reward and the police are reviewing the case. Single mum Beth is slowly rebuilding her life after leaving an abusive husband but when she is burgled, it leaves her shaken and seeking answers.

I really don’t want to say too much more about the premise of this one as it took me until about halfway through to discover how these storylines were linked. I loved that it kept me guessing the whole way along – I was absolutely hooked! It really made me reflect on how far people go to protect their family & how far I would go for mine.

Highly recommend reading this one if you’re a fan of smart psychological thrillers that are well plotted and well written. It would also help to have a whole free day for reading set aside as if you are like me, you will not be able to put it down!

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B M Carroll's books just keep getting better and better. This was another excellent novel from Ber which told the story of Tara, an Irish au-pair who comes to Australia to help out Mia and Ryan and their young challenged son. Tara is not living up to Mia's expectations as she is lazy, likes to go out and party and seems to have taken a shine to Ryan. In another part of the story single mother Beth is having lots of things going wrong in her life as she struggles to look after herself and her young daughter with an ex-husband who left her with nothing. All of a sudden Tara goes missing with her clothes being found on a beach in Sydney but no body. Its hard to talk too much about this without giving any spoilers, but this book kept me up until the early hours of the morning and I highly recommend it to readers of crime.

I did like the fact that this book was set in Australia as well as you can imagine the locations quite well. B M Carroll is a go to author for me and I will read anything she will write! Thanks go to Affirm Press and Net Galley for a complementary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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The Other Side of Her by B.M. Carroll has a complex and intriguing plot with characters that are well developed. Beth is down trodden having gone through a financially abusive relationship, while Mia is incredibly strong to the point of being overwhelming. Poor Ryan with Mia as his wife and Dianna as his mother doesn’t stand a chance, being constantly directed as to what to do. Meg and Ryan’s son Elliot, like Ryan, has ADHD leading to many complications in their lives.

While I did enjoy reading this novel and as I have said, enjoyed the plot and characters, I found the execution of the story to be too laboured with it being unnecessarily dragged out and over explained. The plot would have been more effectively presented if there was less over stating and restating what happened and what is happening.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from Affirm Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheOtherSideofHer #Netgalley

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I really enjoyed this novel by BM Carroll. Mia and Ryan’s nanny has gone mi, but how does this connect with Beth and the things that are happening to her. At first the connection is not clear, but as the plot weaves on, the reader begins to understand just what the connection is and what the outcome will be.
The plot is engaging and intriguing and I enjoyed the novel very much.
Thanks to Affirm press and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

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The Other Side of Her is a solid, enjoyable murder-mystery set in Newcastle, Morisset and Sydney. The author, B.M. Carroll (or Ber Carroll) is Irish–Australian and brings both of her national allegiances together in this book where Tara, a young Irish au pair, is missing presumed dead after she leaves her Australian employers to go backpacking and swims drunk at the iconic Bondi Beach. The story of Tara is interspersed with a story about Beth and her daughter Tilly, struggling to survive the aftermath of a coercive and controlling partner, Kane. The financial impacts on women escaping domestic and family violence are particularly evident: "She can decide to have a drink with Caitlin in exchange for beans on toast for dinner" is presented as a positive in comparison to the financial abuse Beth experienced inside her relationship: "Financial abuse: so there was a term for what this was, this day-to-day poverty and powerlessness."

The other central theme of the book is living with a neuro-divergent child: "Nothing like a car trip to change the mind of ADHD naysayers." Tara was employed to look after Elliot who is neuro-divergent. As a 19-year-old she finds his mother Mia somewhat overbearing: "Tara is young, free, single, and incapable of thinking like a married, battle-weary, slightly paranoid mother." After all, Mia is the one tasked with giving Elliot the best chance in life defending him against people like fellow class parents who are "disapproving of Elliot's outbursts, harsh in their assessment of his character, committed to excluding him from social activities as a result." The weight of this burden of responsibility for ensuring her son has a good life leads to Mia making some terrible choices but maybe there's more at play...

The two story-lines are connected in the latter part of the book. The weaknesses for me was the amount of explaining over showing what motivated characters through their action: "Juggling the demands of a new job with a child who relied on her so heavily for emotional regulation." I guess the author was bringing together some complex themes, including the gendered nature of coercive control and a field of knowledge about how parents play a role in the way neuro-divergent children emotionally regulate, but I felt I was being lectured to a lot of the time. There's something to be said for letting readers join some of the dots themselves. What does come through quite strongly in the book is the way all four mothers: Mia, Beth, Tara's mother, Siobhán, and Ryan's mother Dianne, all intensely love their children, and the hard choices this can lead to.

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‘The Other Side of Her’ by @bmcarrollauthor is a thrilling novel exploring how mothers will do anything for their child.

We follow the story through a range of time periods and perspectives and BM Carroll does an exceptional job with this. I found the transitions of times and perspectives easy to follow and it also allowed characters to be well developed. I was truely guessing what happened to Tara and how Beth was related to Ryan and Mia’s storyline.

I also felt sorry for Beth, but would’ve liked to see maybe even Kane coming in to foil plans of other characters by being more problematic himself. Otherwise I really loved this novel and loved seeing how everything came together in the end.

This great novel is due for publication on April 26th

🌟4/5

Thanks to @netgalley and @affirmpress for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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