Perfect Little Children audiobook

This is So Wild!😨😱 THIS IS SOOOO CRAZY! IF YOU LOVE YOUR BRAIN AND NOT TO GET EXPLODED SO EASILY BE CAUTIOUS AS YOU READ THIS BOOK! This is nassstyyy and I enjoy it wholeheartedly! I found my fictional soul mate: obsessive character reader, has no limits and never cares when somebody warns her to stop, a quiet young version Of Miss Marple and a little mature version of Nancy Drew, keeps digging and digging till she finds the truth! Yes! I’m talking about DEAR BETH (our absolutely nuts, extremely risk taker heroine) who passes through her ex-friend Flora’s house (they had stopped talking for 12 years) and she finds her friend leaves the house with her children but WAIT A MINUTE! Something is wrong, guys! Her ex-friend she hasn’t been touched with for 12 freaking years should have invented a kind of time machine because her children are exact the same age she had known them. They didn’t get any day older. What is going on, is this a genetic mutation kind of sick, ugly scenario? Or Beth popped up LCD and methamphetamine (I became spelling contest winner with this word!) cocktail before she drove her car and spied her ex-friend in her car while head she was head banging with blasting death metal song?Has Flora’s children been captured by aliens, became friends with Mulder’s sister and replaced by cute, little aliens wearing human costumes?Does Beth suffer from psychological disorder like seeing things they were never there and confusing gnome statues with real children?Or did Beth forget her contact lenses at the house?Is Flora playing mind games with her friend to avenge what she had done to her years ago? Or is everything a part of candid camera show?Do you want to know the truth? Can you handle it? If your answer is already okay, READ THIS BOOK ASAP! It’s smart, it’s mind bending, it’s unputdownable! Even though I was at the dive bar and my friends were singing Karaoke and my traitor husband ate all my wings and nachos (if you stop by Ye Rustic Inn/ Los Feliz-LA, you may probably find me there singing “Feliz Navida”) you, I kept reading it , ignoring drunk crowd because it was soooooooo good!One of the most intriguing, surprising and riveting thrillers of 2020!Oh let’s give an applause to Zannah as best supporting character, Beth’s genius, cool, curious daughter.My only question is where was Beth’s son? He has been mentioned to many times and we saw him at the beginning and till the end the book, he had no line. (At the end he didn’t talk, too and I though he was invisible character or there is something mysterious about him but thankfully he was real! What a relief!)Giving my mysterious, nail biter, hand eater, dream killer, nerve bending four stars!Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for sharing this heart throbbing book’s ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review. I loved it so much!

Perfect Little Children starts out with Beth driving by the home of her best friend, Flora, who she lost touch with 12 years ago. She knows she shouldn't be there, but she's so curious about her friend. She sees Flora call out to her children Thomas and Emily to get out of the car, but the children who appear look exactly the same as the children Beth remembers, aged five and three, from 12 years ago. They should be teenagers now, but the children Beth sees haven't aged a bit, as if they've been frozen in time.Isn't that just the craziest premise for a book you've ever heard? It sounded so intriguing to me, I knew I had to read it. And it turned out to be exactly what I was hoping for, twisty and turny, with so many secrets and mysteries that it's not clear where one ends and another begins. I honestly couldn't put it down. One thing I particularly enjoyed about this story is that all the things I'm mulling over and trying to puzzle out, it's all spelled out in the book too as dialog between Beth and her husband and her daughter. In particular, her daughter Zannah is a hoot, coming up with clever observations and just offering general insight and support for Beth throughout the whole ordeal.For maximum reading pleasure, there are a few things a prospective reader should keep in mind. The most important is that Beth, our narrator/self-styled detective, has absolutely no understanding of personal boundaries or limits, and you the reader must accept this. If you don't and you question it, her actions will drive you crazy. She pretty much acts like a relentless and obsessive loony through the whole book, sticking her nose where it doesn't belong and essentially hounding the people in Flora's circle until she got answers. If you think about it, who would do this for a friend they haven't seen for twelve years? Well, no one, is the answer.The other is that when a premise is so amazing like this one, it's best to keep one's expectations tempered when it comes to the actual explanation. After all, it still has to fit within the boundaries of reality and science (unless it's paranormal). I found the ending satisfactory and interesting, but it wasn't jaw-dropping amazing. No, I thoroughly enjoyed this book for the journey, and the ending was sufficient to wrap everything up.For me, this reads more like a mystery than a thriller, and that's probably why I enjoyed it so much (since I usually find thrillers to be more hokey than thrilling). The process of trying to figure everything out was so fun and entertaining, it was almost a letdown when I reached the end and it was all explained. I wanted to keep reading more of Beth's zany antics and Zannah's sage perspectives. This story is so unique, weird, disturbing, and strange, and I'm glad I picked it up.

This is So Wild!😨😱 THIS IS SOOOO CRAZY! IF YOU LOVE YOUR BRAIN AND NOT TO GET EXPLODED SO EASILY BE CAUTIOUS AS YOU READ THIS BOOK! This is nassstyyy and I enjoy it wholeheartedly! I found my fictional soul mate: obsessive character reader, has no limits and never cares when somebody warns her to stop, a quiet young version Of Miss Marple and a little mature version of Nancy Drew, keeps digging and digging till she finds the truth! Yes! I’m talking about DEAR BETH (our absolutely nuts, extremely risk taker heroine) who passes through her ex-friend Flora’s house (they had stopped talking for 12 years) and she finds her friend leaves the house with her children but WAIT A MINUTE! Something is wrong, guys! Her ex-friend she hasn’t been touched with for 12 freaking years should have invented a kind of time machine because her children are exact the same age she had known them. They didn’t get any day older. What is going on, is this a genetic mutation kind of sick, ugly scenario? Or Beth popped up LCD and methamphetamine (I became spelling contest winner with this word!) cocktail before she drove her car and spied her ex-friend in her car while head she was head banging with blasting death metal song?Has Flora’s children been captured by aliens, became friends with Mulder’s sister and replaced by cute, little aliens wearing human costumes?Does Beth suffer from psychological disorder like seeing things they were never there and confusing gnome statues with real children?Or did Beth forget her contact lenses at the house?Is Flora playing mind games with her friend to avenge what she had done to her years ago? Or is everything a part of candid camera show?Do you want to know the truth? Can you handle it? If your answer is already okay, READ THIS BOOK ASAP! It’s smart, it’s mind bending, it’s unputdownable! Even though I was at the dive bar and my friends were singing Karaoke and my traitor husband ate all my wings and nachos (if you stop by Ye Rustic Inn/ Los Feliz-LA, you may probably find me there singing “Feliz Navida”) you, I kept reading it , ignoring drunk crowd because it was soooooooo good!One of the most intriguing, surprising and riveting thrillers of 2020!Oh let’s give an applause to Zannah as best supporting character, Beth’s genius, cool, curious daughter.My only question is where was Beth’s son? He has been mentioned to many times and we saw him at the beginning and till the end the book, he had no line. (At the end he didn’t talk, too and I though he was invisible character or there is something mysterious about him but thankfully he was real! What a relief!)Giving my mysterious, nail biter, hand eater, dream killer, nerve bending four stars!Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for sharing this heart throbbing book’s ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review. I loved it so much!

4-5 stars Well, if you like twisty and twistier then this is your book! Beth and Dom have grown apart from Flora and Lewis Brain and haven’t seen them for 12 years. On a whim, Beth decided to go to Newnham House, the last address she has for them. She parks up, sees Flora drive up to the secure gates of the large house, she gets out of the car with two children who she calls Thomas and Emily. What? The Thomas and Emily Beth knew should now be 17 and 15, so what on earth is going on? To describe Beth as dogged in her pursuit of the truth is somewhat of an understatement as it is more like obsessive but find the truth she does! This is a very puzzling mystery which Dom wishes she’d drop but she finds she is unable to do so. One of the things I like most about this book is the characters. Although Beth drives you a bit mad with her relentless pursuit, she is very likeable. Her relationship with Dom is great but the standout character for me is their 16 year old daughter Zan (Suzannah) who I just love. She is so funny, perceptive, incredibly smart and also supportive of Beth’s investigation. Yes, of course she should have been studying for her GCSE exams but hey, she’s a smart cookie! Lewis is the character you love to hate, in fact I found my fists clenched at some of his antics. The story is peppered with humour which I like very much but this ceases obviously, once the very dramatic conclusion unfolds. Yes, it’s probably implausible, yes it’s somewhat convoluted, yes some of the characters wouldn’t know truth if it socked them between the eyes but I actually don’t mind very much because it is such an enjoyable read. Overall, I admit that at times I feel like I’d been down the rabbit hole with Alice but at the same time it’s terrifically entertaining, twisty, a bit creepy, weird and strange psychological drama which I couldn’t put down. Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARCExpected UK publication 23/1/20

Haven’t They Grown is one crazy story! And I really enjoyed it. I read this in a day whilst on holidays, struggling to put it down. I just needed to know what was going to happen next and how it was all going to play out. Every time you think you know what is the outcome will be it throws you another curve ball. Keeps life interesting! Yes the story is out there and at times a little unrealistic but that is why we read sometimes, for an escape from reality. I have enjoyed quite a few Sophie Hannah books and I love the way she writes her characters. Besides wanting to slap Beth at times, she was likeable. The other characters of her children and husband were also big parts of the story. Beth and Flora used to be best friends. But it has been 12 years since They lost contact and moved away. So when Beth’s son has a football match near where Flora and Lewis moved to she can’t help but go and check it out. But when she sees her ex-best friend in the driveway calling to her children she is confused. 12 years ago Thomas and Emily were 5 and 3. Today they seems to still be the same ages. How can this be? Beth becomes obsessed with finding out what is going on, going to some outrageous lengths to seek the truth. Her daughter gets in on the act but her husband Dom warns her to stop. But she can’t, Is Flora in trouble, or is something more sinister going on?Thanks to Hachette Books Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

3.5 rounded up for originality! Perhaps you have wondered about a friend you have lost touch with? Facebook doesn’t have the answers you are seeking..Would you drive by their house for a glimpse of what has become of them, if given the chance? When Beth has that opportunity, she takes it, but she cannot believe what she sees...Her former best friend, Flora, looks the same, but twelve years older..But five year old Thomas, and three year old Emily, look EXACTLY as they did, the last time she saw them...no taller, no older...WHY HAVEN’T THEY GROWN? Beth is determined to find out...really determined! And, she enlists the help of her husband Dom and their teenage children, Zannah and Ben. It was so refreshing to read about a couple with a healthy, loving marriage for a change, and two teenagers, who were normal teens! Zannah is a revelation! She is sometimes more savvy than her Mom, as she becomes very invested in the outcome of this mystery, and eager to help Beth prove or disprove her theories! (And some of mine) Suspenseful with a dose of humor, the book kept me guessing! The explanation at the end....well, I prefer my endings to be more plausible so I didn’t love the ending...But, if you like endings which are sick and twisted-this one is for you! Published under the name “Perfect Little Children” abroad and “Haven’t They Grown” in the US. And, available NOW!

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.comHusband and wife Beth and Dom used to be best friends with couple Flora and Lewis. Their children were roughly the same age, apart from Flora’s youngest Georgina who was only a few months old when they all lost touch.Lewis came into some money and the family moved away to St Ives. Twelve years had passed by and although Beth had tried to keep in contact nothing had come of it. She had also tried to see their new home on Google Maps but they lived on a private road.An opportunity came for Beth when her son had a football tournament near to Flora and Lewis’s house, so after dropping her son off Beth goes for a quick nosy around and it isn’t long before she sees Flora arrive in her flash Range Rover. However, nothing could have prepared her for the sight she was about to see next. Thomas and Emily, Flora’s children climb out of the car but they don’t look any different. They are still the same age as they were twelve years ago.Beth is astounded and confides in her husband and ear-wigging daughter Zannah, but can they put all the pieces together and come up with a plausible reason why the children hadn’t aged?Haven’t They Grown is a suspenseful novel that really plays with your mind. Some of the explanations that I had tried to come up with were the same as what the family did, could Flora and Lewis’s children have died and they had more and called them by the same name. Could there be a supernatural element to the book or even a scientific one given that both Flora and Lewis are Scientists in their own field?The plot takes you in many directions and throws in a few curveballs too. The suspense waiting to find out why these children were so young had me on the edge of my seat, though I wasn’t prepared for the real reason or even for the reason that the families hadn’t spoken to one another for twelve years.If you like books that make you think outside of the box and are mysterious then this is the book for you. It is beyond realistic but it is a damn good read.

As soon as I read the blurb for "Perfect Little Children" I got intrigued. The premise was so unusual that I couldn't begin to guess how it would unfold. With such an original starting point, this book could have gone terribly wrong, but nothing further from the truth. The author weaves such an intricately plot that you NEED to keep on reading to try to make some sense of what is happening, making Beth's character and her dogged pursuit of the truth completely relatable. One of the things I liked the most was how Beth's family gets involved in her investigation as opposed to trying to discredit what she saw and telling her "she's mad". The standout character for me was definitely Zannah, Beth's daughter. I just loved her. She's witty, sharp-minded, funny and an absolute joy as her mother's sidekick in their investigation. I can't stress enough how much I enjoyed reading a teenage character that's not annoying and a complete brat.Twisty and very well developed story with a set of likable characters that will grab you from page one.Thanks to Edelweiss and William Morrow for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’d yet to read a Sophie Hannah book, even after they’d come highly recommended by fellow readers. I was therefore very excited to be given the opportunity to read her latest novel “Haven’t They Grown” (also under the title “Perfect Little Children”). “All Beth has to do is drive her son to his Under-14s away match, watch him play, and bring him home. Just because she knows her ex-best friend Flora, lives near the football ground, that doesn't mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. She hasn't seen Flora for twelve years. She doesn't want to see her today, or ever again. But she can't resist. She parks outside the house and watches from across the road as Flora and her children Thomas and Emily step out of the car. Except... There's something terribly wrong. Flora looks the same, only older. As would be expected. However, it’s the children. Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily were five and three years old. Today, they look precisely as they did then. They are no taller, no older... Why haven't they grown?”I found the whole premise, once it got going, very far fetched and utterly unrealistic but it didn’t stop me becoming fully invested into finding out exactly why the children hadn’t seemed to age. Told in the first person by Beth Leeson, she can’t believe what she’s seen and is determined to discover the truth at all costs. She has an exceedingly supportive husband, a lot more supportive than I imagine most husbands would be and two very typical teenage kids who made up the very strong family. Zannah the oldest child (though much older than her years mentally) really got into being the detective and relished trying to solve the unexplainable mystery. Although she could be quite annoying, she was a very well developed character and I pictured her quite clearly rolling her eyes at times and sighing in frustration. I did feel the scene with the teacher and the racism an unnecessary filler but on the whole I thoroughly enjoyed the whole story no matter how impractical most of it was and I found myself happily engrossed. It was very cleverly plotted, if a little complicated but written well, with excellently created characters and a denouement that kept me fascinated. Now that I’ve read my first Sophie Hannah book it certainly won’t be my last and I’d happily recommend “Haven’t They Grown”, it’s well worth a read, just keep in mind it’s entertaining fiction not a passable real life scenario. 4 stars

Oh I ADORED this - twistier than you could hope for, a complex involving plot, a seemingly impossible mystery, with each passing page you get more and more addicted, whilst scratching your head in bemusement until Sophie Hannah unravels it all for you and it all makes sense. Clever clever. Also one of my favourite teenage characters in Zannah- a breath of fresh air.Full review to follow for the tour but definitely highly recommend.

3.5 rounded up to 4Beth was out doing an errand when she comes across an old friend she hasn't seen for twelve years. Beth knew that Flora had two children before they stopped talking to each other. The children that are with Flora are the same age now as when Beth last seen them. Beth becomes obsessed in finding out the truth surrounding the Braids. Beth seeks help from her family and her daughter, Zannah is one than happy to help out. This story starts off slow but the pace soon picks up. There is some good twists but it's also a it far fetched in places. I also felt the ending was a little bit rushed. I can't say too much the plotline as it would spoil it for potential readers. I really liked Beth and her daughter Zannah. They were likeable and believable. Overall, this is a pretty decent read.I would like to thank NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author Sophie Hannah for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well that was quite the ride - intriguing premise, uber irritating characters, ridiculously convoluted plot - farfetched doesn't even begin to cover it, my eyes were crossed trying to keep up. Did I care about the characters? No. Was I moved or touched by the story in any way? No. Was I entertained? Hell yes, it was so mental I could hardly put it down, I guess sometimes a bit of literary fast food is just what the doctor ordered 😋.

Fucking crazy!! Right from the very start, the book got me hooked. Also, I just want to point out how original, personally, the whole plot was.

I've enjoyed Sophie Hannah's Poriot novels, so it seemed obvious to try one of her standalone thrillers.Wow! What a thrill ride!The novel really draws the reader in with a unique premise as Beth feels compelled to drive past her former friends house when dropping her son to his football match.She's completely taken aback that Flora's children look exactly the same as they had 12 years ago - how is it possible that Thomas is still Five and Emily three???The idea that it could be more than a logical explanation is so perfectly teased as Beth is determined to find out the true.I also liked the secondary storyline bubbling away in the background as to why Beth and Flora are no longer friends.This was such a fun riveting page turner that constantly kept me guessing.I really liked the lengths in which Beth went to as she seeks out the truth.I always knew Hannah to be a dependable trusted author as a go to (the Christie Estate obviously thought so), this latest hit cements that even more.

This review is for the audiobook version of “Perfect Little Children” by Sophie Hannah, narrated by Laura Kirman and published by Harper Audio. Beth and her best friend, Flora, stopped speaking to each other twelve years ago, both having their own beliefs as to why the friendship fell apart. When driving her son to soccer practice one day, Beth has the oppourtunity to drive by her ex-best friends’s house and out of curiousity, she gives in the to the urge. Beth witnesses Flora with her two children, Thomas and Emily, but something strikes Beth as odd. Both Thomas and Emily are the exact same age they were when the relationship dissolved twelve years ago. They are the same size, and look exactly the same physically. How could it be possible that the two children have not aged at all? Audio: 4 stars. Laura Kirman is quite the accomplished narrator, having been the voice on more than ten novels, including some well-known works by T.M Logan and Alex Lake. She speaks with a beautifully lilting English accent, and is both clear and emotive. There were a few parts of this narration where her volume dropped off, however, making it necessary for me to have to turn the volume up in my car for the entirety of the story to avoid missing parts. I’m not sure if this is normal for her narration, but to have a sentence start strong and drop off into whispers periodically was a bit off-putting. This didn’t happen often enough to be a regular thing though, so I was able to remain engaged in the story. Story: 4 stars I am new to Sophie Hannah, although I know she is an award-winning, world-renowned author. Through “Little Children” (alternatively titled “Haven’t They Grown”) , I am able to see why. Going in, you know the story is not going to have any kind of science fiction-theme, because Hannah is not known for this genre. But with that off the table, what else could it possibly be? It completely left me guessing, and I was impressed with Hannah’s ability to confuse me in this way.“Perfect Little Children” had a few characters that, once introduced to them, I had difficulty sorting out their relationship (who was married to whom and why, for example, as well as the various parts they played in the plot) but Hannah does reveal this more clearly as the story goes on. There was a “false ending” in the novel, toward the end of the book, which left me disappointed, and praying that it was not the real ending, as it was predictable and so anti-climactic. However, it turned out to be a ploy to psych me out, and I was grateful. The real ending was believable, but still entertaining, and delivered the right amount of dramatic punch.Although after twelve years, I doubt anyone would risk their jobs, families and lives to go traipsing through countries trying to find an estranged friend who doesn’t want to be found, but beyond this little hiccup, the rest of the story’s plot was relatively plausible. I was definitely impressed with Hannah’s ability to tell a mysterious tale, while maintaining suspense through until the end. “Perfect Little Children” intrigued me enough that Hannah has become another author for me to further explore.