I tried hard to like this book but DNF. The characters were all unlikeable, and I didn’t like the bullying despite it being the major part of the plot. Just my opinion but I'm sure others will enjoy it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A dark and atmospheric thriller that explores the complexities of morality and friendship, with a gripping narrative and an unforgettable conclusion.

The twist! OMG ... this book starts off slow and steady and then just amps up the tension page by page. And the twist is unexpected and breathtaking. Brilliant!

#ThePlaydate #NetGalley
Awesome.
When Sara leaves her high-flying London life to move to Dublin, her only concern is her nine-year-old daughter, Lexie. For Lexie's sake she tries to get to know other mothers at the school gates, but they appear uninterested - particularly their leader, the beautiful and charismatic Vanessa, whose daughter rules the playground. After a simple misunderstanding between Vanessa and Sara, none of the other kids at school want anything to do with Lexie. Desperate to mend fences, Sara offers to look after Vanessa's daughter one afternoon. But when the playdate ends in catastrophe, Vanessa is convinced that what happened wasn't an accident. With allegations flying in all directions, Sara is forced to ask herself what she has unleashed? And how far a mother will go to protect her daughter?
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for giving me an advance copy.

Sara has agree to leave behind her well paid job in London and move to her husband Adam's home town of Dublin, they'll give it a year and see how it goes, her main priority is the wellbeing of her nine year old daughter Lexie. The hardest part is going to be getting to know the other mum's in the playground, some of whom have been friends since they were at school, but everyone wants to be friends with Vanessa, the most popular mum at the school and the same goes for her daughter Polly, who seems to attract the other girls without making any effort. After a playdate at Lexie's house ends in disaster, Sara is left reeling and it would appear that the battle lines have been drawn, just how far will a mother go to protect her own?

The Playdate is narrated by Sara to her husband, with occasional chapters from Zoe, this confused me at first, as it appeared as though it was from a different book, but then it all started to come together and make sense. Every playground has the popular mums and the groups that everyone wants to be part of, but this one took cliques to a whole other level completely, I really felt sympathetic towards Sara and didn't like Vanessa at all, she was so full of herself. I don't usually get upset during a thriller but there was one part in this book that made me cry. This is a fast paced read with some great twists along the way that kept me on the edge of my seat, but nothing prepared me for that ending. This is a new to me author whose writing has really impressed me and I look forward to reading more of her work.

I'd like to thank Penguin General UK, Sandycove and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Sara and family have left London to try out Dublin for a year. Her nine-year-old daughter, Lexie, is enjoying being near her paternal grandparents and husband Adam continues to commute back to London.
But after Sara has a run-in with one of the school mums, Vanessa, Lexie is finding it hard settling in at school and finding friends. But then Vanessa needs a favour and maybe a playdate will turn things around.
This compelling story is told by Sara narrating it to Adam. There are plenty of accusations flying around, mothers acting childishly, and eventually things turn sinister.

I’d like to thank Penguin General UK, Sandycove and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Playdate’ written by Clara Dillon in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Sara and Adam Carey move to Ireland to give their daughter Lexie a better life. Sara wants to be friends with the other school mums but Vanessa Mayhew, the leader of the so-called ‘beautiful mums’ only speaks to her when Sara offers to have her daughter Polly on a playdate. When the playdate ends with Polly having an accident Vanessa blames Sara and sets out to make her life a misery.

‘The Playdate’ is an unusual novel as it’s been written in the form of Sara narrating to Adam what’s been happening during his absence in London on business commitments. The characters were a mixed bunch, some I liked and some I didn’t, and as the plot progressed there were twists and turns and a few surprises. I didn’t like the bullying which, although was part of the story, was hard to stomach but generally it all fitted together well and made for an interesting read.

I just loved this book. I did not have a clue how it would end. I thought that the writing style was brilliant. Sara, her husband and daughter have just relocated from London to Dublin. They are moving, on a trial basis, for a better life for Lexie. Sara will do anything for her daughter, they will also be closer to her husband’s parents. She has taken a sabbatical from her high flying job, and will concentrate on settling her daughter into her new life. But, as the title suggests, after an incident at a playdate, everything spirals for Sara and her family. Can things be mended?
The story is told in the main by Sara, revealing in greater detail to her husband what has happened over the period since they’ve moved into the Dublin home (he travels a lot with work so has not been there for a lot of the time). It works so well. There are some gruesome parts to the story (it is a thriller) but still a great read.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Settling into a new school and community can be hard, as Sara soon finds out when she and her family move from London to suburban Dublin and get involved in the local primary school. But what happens if when you’re trying to fix what’s already broken, by arranging a friendly play date, everything goes a whole lot worse and ends with another child in hospital, with their parent saying it wasn’t an accident?

The nerves from the playground mum dynamics got me with this one, loved this local (to me) thriller, kept me turning the page to see what twist comes next until the end.

I enjoyed this book. The characters are strong but as the plot carries on Sara becomes more and more unlikeable, There was just one errors in the book that let it down, ( Tir Na Og) being the main one, Overall a good read but the plot twist let it down.

I have very much enjoyed this book. It was well written. Had a great layout, even on kindle. Very well done to the author and publisher.

This book had so many twisty surprises and drama filled pages. Easily read, it had me engrossed. I did feel at times that it was going to be so predictable and I did guess at certain things but I never expected that outcome!

Sara is new to Ireland, along with her daughter and native husband. Her husband Adam is never there as he’s always travelling for his job and her daughter isn’t finding it easy to settle in.
Every school has the queen bees, the popular mum group and why people want to be in their clique I don’t know as their usually nasty up themselves women.

The queen bee Vanessa is no exception and she makes it her mission to not like Sara or her daughter.
What begins to transpire is shocking and amazing at the same time. It was so vengeful and it made for gripping reading. I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I flew through this, reading it in a couple of sittings before Christmas. The initial incident happens during a playdate early on in the book then you're brought on a rollercoaster with a mega twist at the end, that I did not see coming! Very well paced and well written characters that you just love to hate. My only criticism is I felt the blurb didn't quite match the story and I felt the dialogue between characters didn't feel natural sometimes but it didn't impact my overall enjoyment whatsoever.
A tense school gate thriller that I think fans of Andrea Mara would enjoy! 3.5⭐️

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A robust thriller that kept me turning the pages. The final raft of twists came a bit too thick and fast, as is often the case with these books. I'd also add a content warning for pet murder that may upset some readers. Still, this was a reasonably addictive read with good, workmanlike pacing and a sharp eye for schoolyard micro-aggressions.

Sara is only concern about Lexie
When the allegations is spread about
The upshot was that who will protect her daughter
I had an ARC

Loved everything about this book, characters you just love to hate and others that you root for. Edge of the seat thriller. The Playdate was one of my favorite books. Cant wait to read more.

2* SPOILER: Wish I'd known she'd kill her own dog

This book made me sick at the end, on top of not liking either Sara or Adam. Both were cheats - he emotionally and physically, and she by being dishonest and conniving. They deserved each other, buy their poor daughter deserved better, and so did poor George, killed so that Sara could 'keep' her cheating husband.

Sent from AOL on Android

This is perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty. Sara goes to live in Dublin where her husband Adam is from. Their daughter Lexie has problems at school due to the daughter of queen bee of the mums at the school gate, Vanessa. And Sara has huge problems herself with Vanessa. The story is told by Sara and addressed to Adam as she goes over what exactly has brought them to this place.

What I liked about this book: Right from the start we know that something has gone drastically wrong. The suspense is relentless for the whole book.. The subplot is very relevant to the main story and although I guessed early on what was going on, it didn't matter.. Characters are well defined if unpleasant on the whole.

What I didn't like about this book: It kept me up until two in the morning! I need my sleep!

I've read over 130 books this year and this has to be one of the best. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who likes psychological thrillers and stories about the incredibly toxic playground mummies. Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the story of two mothers, two daughters, and one playdate which goes badly wrong. When Sara leaves her job in London to cut down on the demands of her career by moving to Dublin with her young daughter Lexie, one of her primary reasons for doing so is to provide her daughter with the best childhood possible.

But the other mothers at Lexie's school are not particularly welcoming - least of all the glamorous queen bee of the yummy mummies, Vanessa. And when Sara's attempt at improving Lexie's chances of inclusion go wrong, the gloves come off as the cardinal rule of motherhood - protecting your child at all costs - becomes the only thing that matters...

This is a fast-moving story, which holds the reader's attention well. Not all the characters are likeable, but that isn't necessarily a deal-breaker. There are twists and turns aplenty, so that the reader are kept guessing until the end. All in all, an enjoyable read. It gets 3.5 stars.

This book definitely gripped me immediately. The pace and twists and turns kept the book very tense and exciting.