I actually read The Rumour because I wanted to read something I didn’t have to review afterwards. And then of course I go and write a review *sighs* But you guys, I couldn’t NOT write a review, this one is just so flipping good! So good even, that I had to add it to my Best of 2018 list, even though I’d already put that blog post up.

It makes you think, you know, about rumours and gossip. I actively try not to gossip, but sometimes I catch myself gossiping anyway. It happens so quickly. Someone tells you a rumour and before you know it other people join in and you catch yourself saying something you probably shouldn’t have and afterwards you think why the hell did I say that?! Though most rumours probably don’t kill, I am convinced that rumours can ruin lives and have done so many times, and I’m equally convinced that most, if not all, gossip-mongers know it too. So why do we do it? I’m sure most people mean no harm and use gossip as a way in, like our protagonist, Joanne, here. She wants to form a bond with the other mums because she wants her son to fit in and to have friends. All the time she’s spreading the rumour she does realise it’s not a good idea, but she is completely oblivious to the aftermath her gossiping will have... *insert dramatic dum-dum-DUMMM here* But of course, this isn't your garden variety rumour. This isn't about which of your neighbours can't keep it in his trousers or who might be secretly gay. This is a rumour about a child killer living in your small seaside town. Doesn't it count that the child killer in question was only ten herself when she killed a five-year-old boy? Well apparently not. Half the town goes on a witch hunt. Everyone is suspect, everyone is suspicious and paranoid, townsfolk and reader alike. Who is Sally now? Is she that friend from book club, or maybe the unfriendly woman with the right initials, or might she be that lovely and lonely neighbour, or perhaps that woman Joanne bought incense from the other day? Ah yes, the suspect list is long and yes, my guess turned out to be wrong, I do need to hone those sleuthing skills, although I’m convinced your everyday run-of-the-mill DS wouldn’t figure this one out so easily either.
Anyway, finally the truth comes out and once the shock has worn off and you’re able to think again, you’re sure the cat is out of the bag but NO! There’s another cat in there!! Man oh man, my heart is racing just thinking about it! And just when you think Lesley can’t possibly surprise you again, she does, proving that the venom really is in the tail…

Highly recommended to all you thrill seekers out there! Get your heart pumping and your blood flowing without lifting a finger! Well, you know, except for when you’re using it to turn the page, obviously 😉

This book was really not my thing AT ALL. I thought it started off strong, but after the first 25% or so, it really fell apart. It was hugely predictable - literally every twist that happened I thought "oh, I bet this will happen" HOURS before it did. This is a short audio book - less than 9 hours - but listening to it felt like a lifetime.

Joanna is a horrendous main character, constantly feeling victimised, whining, and seems totally incapable of doing anything for herself. I found it super weird that every time Joanna talked about Michael, she made reference to the fact that he was black. Like the author needed to keep reminding us of what a brave, progressive person she was by including a mixed-race relationship in her book. It was gross.

I'm only giving this book two stars for having an interesting start, but honestly, that feels generous. The further away I get from this book, the more I seem to hate it.

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

I liked the idea behind this book but the execution was a little thin and flat. How much can rumours affect a small town? Well not a lot apparently. There was a storyline where one person was being targeted but then nothing happened and I'm not sure if we were ever told who did that.

There was an overlarge cast of characters and hardly any development given to any of them. Even our main character Joanna was very bland and had few interests. The intermittent passages from "Sally's" point of view were fascinating and I wish we'd had more of them.

The last quarter was gripping and I liked the twist but the ending itself was quite abrupt and a couple of things were brought up earlier and all but abandoned. That very last passage was also rather chilling. Overall great ideas but a bit more work needed fleshing things out and tying up loose ends.

did not see this coming, great twist!

Wow! Wow! Wow! The Rumour is the debut novel by Lesley Kara and is well worth reading.

A fast paced thriller that will keep you guessing from the first line to the last.

I had no idea going in to this that it would grab me and keep hold to the end.

Will I read again... Yes
Will I recommend... Oh my god yes!
Will I read more by this author... Definitely

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This was a pretty good debut novel. I’m sure we’ve all participated in a rumor a time or two that might have gotten out of hand. Everyone becomes a suspect. Although I did not see the twist coming, I had the vague feeling this plot was similar to another book I’ve read, but I can’t think of what it is.
I could tell the author is British too with all the tea drinking and talking for ages, so I’m surprised it took place in the US.
And every time I looked at the title I would sing the song “I’ve heard a rumor” by Bananarama

The Rumour Lesley Kara 5 stars
This is a review of a book that is out in December. I received a copy from NetGalley in return for a fair review.

The book begins with a huddle of mums picking up their children in a school playground. Joanna is a new parent at the school and overhears the group discussing that there is possibly a woman called Sally McGowan who killed a child when she was a child herself now living in Flinstead under a new identity.
Joanna and her son Alfie have moved back to Flinstead a small seaside town, where Joanna grew up. Alfie is struggling to fit in with the other children.
So to try to fit in Joanna tells her book group about the rumour she has heard in the playground and this begins a series of events that changes the lives of some of the residents of this small town forever.
Joanna ‘s partner is a journalist and becomes interested in the story of Sally McGowan and Joanna finds herself becoming more drawn into the rumour.
It’s a great debut novel and I loved the way the book leads the reader down one path but then would go off in a completely different direction.
I felt the premise of the story was very realistic and it was very believable how small rumours can grow into having a huge impact on many different groups of people, some with devastating results.
The author kept me guessing all the way through the book and had a great twist at the end. I would say it is one of the best thrillers I have read this year.

3.75⭐️ took me a while to read but I was in a major slump yet again & did read pages 60-320 all today. I liked the plotline and there were always new leads throughout the book. Plot twist was so unexpected I was so taken back. Would be a super quick read if I weren’t in a slump— would definitely recommend as a quick mystery read.

This book had SOOO many twists and turns and plot twists that I never really guessed the ending. No the best book I’ve ever read but definitely a good one.