Book Review - Other Parents by Sarah Stovell @sarahlovescrime
Blurb
They all have opinions.
They all have secrets.
In a small town like West Burntridge, it should be impossible to keep a secret.
But the problem with having your nose in everyone’s business is that you can miss what’s staring you in the face.
Rachel Saunders knows gossip is the price you pay for a rural lifestyle and outstanding schools.
The latest town scandal is her divorce – and the fact that her new girlfriend has moved into the family home.
Laura Spence lives in a poky bedsit on the wrong side of town.
She and her son Jake don’t really belong, and his violent tantrums are threatening to expose the very thing she’s trying to hide.
When the local school introduces a new LGBTQ+-friendly curriculum, Rachel and Laura find themselves on opposite sides of a fearsome debate.
But the problem with having your nose in everyone else’s business is that you often miss what’s happening in your own home.
My Review
What was it all about
It started with the local school wanting to teach LGBTQ+ friendly curriculum which saw two mothers on the opposite side of the classroom. One had left a marriage of 2 decades to live with her girlfriend and the other was homophobic. Rachel had everything, and Laura nothing.
A clash in the school and PTA meetings soon became mired in anger and hatred when secrets swirled around their children.
How it made me feel
I never knew I had voyeuristic tendencies until I read this book where the houses were laid open for me to peruse to my heart’s content.
The author Sarah Stovell didn’t back down to call a spade a spade. Some daring scenes were added in which made the story feel so authentic. I was actually addicted to this book and couldn’t seem to wait to get back into this book.
The audio version was also very well done.
The Good
The writing. A seemingly cute small town had some bitter discrimination pulsating under it. Many social issues were weaved in so delicately but without hiding behind words. The scenes felt disjointed, yet they were cohesive.
The strength of a woman and a mother was seen in this book where she would do anything for her child. Love was sensitively written in.
There were so many things happening in this book that at no time did I feel overwhelmed. This was not a thriller but it didn’t fail to thrill me.
This was the first time I didn’t know how to describe what I felt. But the book had something that made me read it at one go.
I would call this a women’s fiction, but it was not really so. The book called to me, and I couldn’t stop reading.
The Bad
Actually there was nothing bad in it. Everything was good. But it was not a thriller that the blurb promised it to be.
The Conclusion
An entertaining potboiler was this book. Well recommended, if you love small town gossip and some scandalous secrets.
Book Links
Book Details
Publication Date: January 2022
I downloaded the digital version of the book from an online retail, and this is my journey down its pages, straight from the heart. STRICTLY HONEST and UNBIASED.
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