Woah! This is one crazy ride into psychological fiction! A truly unique book that will stay in my memory, and very much have Jane E. James on my radar for future reads.

This book starts on the aftermath of the death of troubled Scarlett, who has, unfortunately, met an untimely end due to presumed murder. Amongst suspects is her ex husband, Vince, and much of the narration is from his perspective. The other dominant voice in the narration is 'The Grandmother'. Scarlett and Vince have 2 daughters, and as Vince has shacked up (and had a baby) with a new partner, Grandmother, Yvonne, takes the girls in. The story that unfolds reveals not only the murderer, but a host of other craziness to boot (all of which is highly entertaining!!)

Such a good read, well deserving of a 5+* rating!

My thanks to netGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

My overall opinion of The Grandmother by Jane E. James is that the book isn't bad. For most of the book, it felt more like general fiction than a thriller. That said, it heats up towards the end and delivers some twists and turns that thriller lovers need.

The grandmother and the father aren't likable characters, but they aren't really meant to be. Thanks for the advance review copy.

The Grandmother kept me on the edge of my seat. It is told from two points of view, which I enjoyed as I got two sides of the story.
The granddaughters come to stay with their grandmothers as there is so where else for them to go after their mother is murdered.
It is quite an adjustment for both. The suspicion is that the father is the killer.

The father is trying to get things together so that he can regain custody. The grandmother will go to any lengths to prevent that.

The two points of view are smooth and easy to follow. Each side left me completely unsure of where the book was going and whose truth was the real deal. Every time I figured it out a big bump in the road showed I was wrong.


The writing is conversational and flows nicely. I appreciated the way the author kept me guessing and so involved I couldn't put the book down.

Thanks to netgalley for this ARC

This was a twist-filled and suspenseful book! It kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat! A domestic thriller with a grandparent focus that was quite intriguing!

This book is so twisty and hard to put down. A thriller that is actually thrilling and heart pounding. Who is actually who and is everyone lying? Or is everyone telling the truth? The ending will tell you everything but also open up another can of worms.

Highly recommend.

The Grandmother is a fast paced read that does indeed have that jaw dropping twist .

Crazy meets crazy and I love crazy .

Two sisters Daisy 9 and Alice 7 are sent to live with their grandmother who they had never met after the suspicious death of their mum.

Vince their dad has to clean up his act in order to get custody of the girls and for the most part he tries.

Now for the Grandmother.

Well Yvonne is not your typical Grandmother.

She is hiding the biggest secret of all.

The girls are leary of her and rightly so.

I trusted no one but hope for the best.

Twists and turns, secrets, lies and suspicion keeps the pages turning quickly and the end will surprise you.

This was my first Jane E James book ( where I have been) but it certainly wont be my last as I race to catch up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for a fantastic read and introducing me to the author Jane E James.

Yvonne was estranged from her daughter but upon her death was determined that she would have custody of her grand daughters rather than their dead beat dad. Vince however is determined to get his daughters back no matter what it takes.

I struggled with Vince’s chapters. His narrative voice didn’t seem to really fit his character and was a bit jarring. Yvonne’s chapters felt more true to her character and were easier to read because of this.

There were multiple twists and turns to keep you guessing where the book was going.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Very intriguing book with lots of twists and turns. I very much enjoyed it and thank you for the opportunity.

This book started out pretty good....a little slow, but still good. The ending was crazy! Nothing at all like expected. I feel like it could have been so much better, but, I'm not a writer. There were a lot of twists and turns, it wasn't all tied up in end, in my opinion.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this advanced copy, for a fair opinion.

Daisy and Alice are sent to live with their grandmother, Yvonne after the death of their mother, Scarlett (was it murder?!). They have never met their grandmother as she was estranged from her daughter, but she has a lovely cosy home and some money.

We alternate between the "grandmother" and the "father" - the later being the girls father and ex son in law of the grandmother as we try to work out who killed Scarlett. Yvonne is dropping hints that she is not the lovely old lady she makes out to be and we have a few twists and turns throughout.

It was well written and I enjoyed the alternating POV's - the contrast from Yvonne's lovely home and fresh baking, to the dire housing estate added a nice element. It was nicely paced, and I enjoyed the different characters. 4 stars.

A new author for me, and now I'm dying to read all other books by Jane E James. I LOVED this one. It was quite a sad story of a mother being killed, but a truly gripping read, twists, unlikeable characters..I just couldn't put it down!

What a fantastic thriller this was it was such a twisty read which kept me hooked throughout. There was so many twists and turns I didn’t know how it was going to end and wow what a jaw dropping ending it was. It was well written with well developed characters I absolutely loved it and I will definitely be recommending it to everyone especially anyone who loves a very twisty thriller. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this fantastic book.

This deliciously twisty story kept me up late at night, desperate to know the outcome. A definite 5 stars
This thriller will ensnare you in a tight grip until the satisfying conclusion. There were more twists and turns in this book than a roller coaster ride!

Another fabulous read from this wonderful author.
Well written character this storyline will really keep you on the edge of your seat.
Twists and turns galore kept me reading well into the night.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Immediately on the heels of reading a story about a grandmother who kidnaps her own grandchild, I figured I'd have burnout, but this was actually quite good and different. It is told in alternating points of view between the grandmother and the father of the children. In the beginning the grandmother is semi-likeable and the father is highly unlikeable, but strap on your seatbelts, because things are going to get pretty messy. I very much enjoyed watching this one unfold and learning all the nasty secrets.

Yvonne Castle has been estranged from her daughter, Scarlet, since she married Vince, an unemployed petty criminal, so she’s never met her two granddaughters, Daisy and Alice. Vince had left Scarlet for Leah, so she was bringing the girls up on her own.

Scarlet is murdered and a home has to be found for Daisy and Alice. As Vince seems incapable, the social worker chooses to send the girls to live with Yvonne, a wealthy widow with a beautiful home. Vince knows that he needs to get his act together if he wants any chance of getting his girls back, so he works hard to turn his life around, but Yvonne isn’t going to let them go that easily.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I really enjoyed it. Plenty of possible perpetrators with lots of twists and turns in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
What a great read, very suspenseful.
Yvonne, the grandmother takes in her 2 grandchildren after her daughter is murdered. But who murdered her daughter? It's a twisty read that was hard to put down and I found it impossible to guess the perpetrator.
I felt sorry for the kids' father, he made such a big mistake! Yvonne is a complex character. What is she hiding?
Excellent beach read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Grandmother by Jane E. James due to be published September 5, 2024.
I had previously read The Son in Law and The Godmother by Jane E. James, so I was excited to get this book!
Daisy, 9, and Alice, 7, are sent to live with their grandmother that they’ve never met after their mother was murdered. Yvonne suspects their father, Vince, killed Scarlet since he left Scarlet for Leah who was pregnant. Who did kill Scarlet – Yvonne, Vince, Leah, or someone else?
The story alternates chapters between Yvonne, the grandmother, and Vince, the father.
Suffice to say there are many twists and turns in this book with hidden identities galore. Although they didn’t focus too much on who murdered Scarlet, it kept my interest until the very surprising ending!
#NetGalley #JaneEJames #JoffeBooks #TheGrandmother

This was a brilliant read, having taken in her granddaughters after her own daughter's death she is a force to be reckoned with. Jane James writes cracking novels and this was another tight and twisty read, I really enjoyed it.

I might be a grandmother. But I’m not some sweet, harmless old lady who people can push around! Great read!!! Joffe books picked a winner again! It seems like every book I read from them is fantastic! Anyway this book has some crazy twists and turns! With a little bit crazy grandma lol it had great suspense, intriguing, murder, mystery and great characters! The story was very interesting and had me glued to my kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and Joffe books for sharing this book with me!