At first I loved this book, but the ending was too rushed and left so many unanswered questions. I predicted from the beginning that there was sexual abuse, but the other twists kept it interesting. I think the ending could have been fleshed out. I had to reread because I thought I skipped a chapter or something.

While on vacation in Portuguese with her husband Adam Rose met a woman named Lottie. On the last night of Lotties vacation she guilts rose into going out with her. Something rose regrets soon after arriving and her new “friend“ wants to tell each other secrets. On first glance Rose thinks she really has no dirty secrets but when she wakes up the next morning she ponders over what happened. Lottie paid for all the cocktails and kept them coming. Her only consolation is that she’ll never see this woman again so when she arrives on the first day of school at the parents tea she is so surprised to see Lottie but when the woman leans over and says no worries, you had a lot to drink that night “Rose starts to worry. Little does Rose know this woman will infiltrate her life but ultimately she is the least of ROZES problems. When I say this podcast twist I do mean major life altering ground shaking twist. Ever since I read The First Wife by Jill Childs I knew I wanted to read more and have yet to be disappointed by any of her books but this one is a definite wow OMG read! I read the kindle book and listen to the audio in both are definite five star reads. Jill Childs is definitely going to be an author I follow because her books especially this one is an awesome great read! I love a book that even when you think you have figured out the ending the author has a surprise waiting in the wings and boy did she two of them that knocked my socks off… So good! I received this book from NetGalley and Bookoucher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

The Mother at Number 5 by Jill Childs


The first time Ros met Lotte they were on a family holiday in Majorca. Then a few weeks later as the new schoolyear starts Ros sees Lotte again Lotte has moved into Ros’ neighbourhood, Ilkley, just in the next street. Now they are practically neighbours. But Ros cannot shake a niggling feeling about Lotte, why did she move all the way here? what does she want? And what did Ros reveal to Lotte when they were on holidays when Ros drank far too much.

I loved everything about this book. It was a true edge on your seat thriller and as soon as one chapter ended, I had to read the next one staying up hours past my bedtime as I just could not put this book down.

I have read Jill Childs books before and have found them all to be excellent.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review

Oooh, this was a very good read with lots of hidden motives, red herrings and jealousy. These are the things that motivate dark souls and there are a few here to stir up the mystery and murder!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!.

Okay wow, I am stunned! This book will shock and rattle you to the core!

On a much needed vacation with her family, Ros meets a single mom named Lotte who seems like she has a lot going for her. She's there alone sharing her fancy fruit with Ros, while her kid is at the daycare.

They cross paths a few more times at the resort and Lotte finally invites Ros out for drinks, a vacation girl's night. Ros's husband Adam will be pleased for her.

With the drinks flowing, they begin oversharing. At least Ros does.. she thinks?? She can't even remember! What happens on vacay stays on vacay!

Until it didn't. As Ros got home and settled back into real life getting the kids back to school, she's finally over the holiday embarrassment. In walks Lotte! She just had to check this place out because her lease was up anyway! Ros can't help but feel like something more sinister is going on.

We know they both have secrets and as they become more entangled in each other's lives, they start to butt heads and the secrets are begging to come to the surface.. and it's WAY worse than what you're thinking.

This was good the whole way through but the final 10% was nuts! I was putting it the pieces together, my mind scrambling, my jaw on the floor! This is my first of this author but won't be the last.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read, listen, and review! The narration was fantastic.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for another winner of a book, The Mother at Number 5. This was Great!!!! Not one, not two but three twists at the end, 2 of them I did NOT see coming at all. Such a Fast read too, I Love when I can’t put a book down because I need to know what’s going on. Great characters and plot, sad it’s done with.

Trigger warning SA.
Ros husband is accused of something awful, Ros knows he didn't do it....she knows Adam.. It all starts when a friend Ros made on holiday is now living round the corner from her. Ros is adamant something is not right, however not in the way she thinks. Overheard conversation and assumptions made.
It was a gripping read, really enjoyed it apart from the SA aspect.
Thank you netgally for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

It looks like so far, I’m an outlier, but I thought this book was pretty average. We start with a woman named Ros who is on vacation in Majorca with her family. One day, Lotte sits down next to her by the pool, and a vacation friendship is started.

On the last night of their trip, Lotte asks Ros to have a girls night out with her. Ros gets her husband to take care of their girls and plans to only have one drink. One drink turns into several, and Ros blacks out. She wakes up back with her family, with a horrible hangover and memories of telling a lot of secrets. Did she tell the most damning secret she has?

They head back to their small town in England, Ilkley, and the girls are heading to their first day of school when Ros hears someone calling her name. It’s Lotte, who has just moved next to their house and has enrolled her daughter at the same school as Ros’ kids. What is she doing there?? Why would she move across the country to be next to a woman she only knew for a couple days? What did Ros say to her during that drunken blackout?

This goes through the story of two women struggling for power, but the reader is left wondering why. I had about 50 pages left in the book, and I was waiting for the big secret to come out. I was basically given a sentence - I had to check to make sure I didn’t miss something, but no, the last 50 pages were an excerpt from another book. This book just ended, with a decent surprise that unfortunately was not expounded on enough.

I usually don’t care for books with abrupt endings, and that was true with this one. The whole story was just kind of mediocre; I didn’t care much about the characters or even the plot. An average three stars for this one.

(Thank you to Bookouture, Jill Childs, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on June 21, 2023.)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC. I read this version and listened to the audio book as well.
Really enjoyed both. Author did a great job.

“I’ll protect my girls, she thought again, fierce now. However far I have to go.”

⚠️There are definitely some SA trigger warnings with this book just keep that in mind when reading⚠️

This is one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read from a new (to me) author. I’ve never read any of her other books but this one was a win! An element of mystery but clue you can figure out if you pay enough attention. But the main focus is it’s a gripping, suffocating psychological thriller.

What would you do if your husband you love and trusted was being accused of a crime you KNOW he didn’t do… or do you even really know him? How far will you go to protect your girls from a woman who has stalked from town to town. Ruining your business, your job, your marriage.

5 stars for story line constancy and construction, interesting characters, and a gut wrenching plot twist you hate to read but know it’s well written.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the read/review of #TheMotherAtNumber5 by #JillChilds. The book was absolutly amazing. Love the back story, the plotting and the revenge. Highly recommended.

Firstly loved that this book was set mostly in Ilkley,having lived in Bradford as a teenager have many good memories of ‘up there’ and I think the this is the first time Ilkley has been the focus of a book I have read…..onto the story….
Lottie and Ros meet on holiday and have one of those nights out that Ros is relieved will ‘never get out’…..a drunken flirty night not at all in character for her night but one she can just about wince about and put behind her,safe in the knowledge the secrets she told Lottie will never be told…..that is until she hears Lottie’s voice again weeks later…..Turns out Lottie has moved to Ilkley,and has no intention at all of letting that night be a one off,she wants to be best friends and indeed has moved her life to be so…..but is she all she seems and are her intentions just OTT and a bit ‘odd’ or is there more to it…
A fabulous take on someone arriving in your life that you were pleased you would never see again but also a dark,murky tale with an ending that I think will surprise even prolific readers
Very readable,very shocking and very well written

This read was a wild ride. It centers on Ros, who meets a woman named Lotte on vacation. Ros drinks too much and tells Lotte a secret. Lo and behold, Lotte ends up moving to her small town and disrupting her life, though no one in Ros’s circle understands what the big deal is.

This was a fun mystery, where the reader gets some breadcrumbs as the story continues to help them understand Lotte’s history and true intentions. I felt sorry for poor Ros, who doesn’t get a lot of support from those around her. There are a couple big-time twists that I didn’t see coming, and the author tied up all the lose ends nicely. While I liked the storyline at the end, the actual lines written didn’t do it for me- I felt like the author was explaining something to the reader that didn’t need to be explained.

Overall, really good read that contained suspense and surprises throughout. I’d recommend it to those who enjoy psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Just incredible. Deeper than your average thrilled with a perfect analysis of women’s friendship and what we would do to protect our families.

Clever, heavy and powerful

Best book by Jill by far! Her books in the past have been lacking I feel for a true thriller. That is not the case for this one! Two women meet on vacation, and lo and behold if one doesn't move in next door. What is Lotte's game? Why is she trying to ruin her life? Good twists; good suspense. I did figure out exactly what was going on with the daughter though when she was wetting the bed. Good ending!

I loved this book so much. I hated Adam, I love to hate the husbands, and I kind of hated Ros' friends. I love that too.
It gets a little heavy in the last 100 pages as you learn what happened to Lotte's sister.

Not to be dramatic or anything but I would die for Jill Childs. That's how much I loved this.

Oh my goodness what have I just read, absolutely brilliant storytelling at it's best and what a fantastic ending it couldn't be better, all the loose ends tied up to make this such a great read. I have followed this author from her very first book and in my opinion this is her best yet.

I was hooked from the very first page until the last, such a fast paced thriller of a read with great characters I just loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this brilliant ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending.

This was a fascinating study of women and what they will do for love and revenge. I was hooked from the first page and enjoyed all of the twists and the turns on the way to the explosive ending, A well crafted story with attention to detail and plot development gives us a page turning novel perfect for the beach or a stormy night at home. We follow Ros from a seemingly innocent meeting on a summer vacation back to her home where she is not quite sure is she is paranoid as her husband suggests or if she is right to distrust her friends, old and new.

Ros reveals too much to a stranger after a few too many drinks while on vacation. What harm could there be she would never see this woman again? Time for school to start back and this woman has moved around the corner from her. An accusation is made. Read this compelling novel to find out what’s next.

This book reeled me in from page 1, I loved it. Dark and twisted, the shocks kept coming. I devoured this book in a day, it's that good!