Blog Tour - The Fallout

TITLE: The Fallout
AUTHOR: Rebecca Thornton
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins UK
PUBLISHING DATE: April 2, 2020

FROM GOODREADS: 

Everyone has an opinion. Everyone has a secret. I only took my eyes off him for a second. One little mistake is all it takes . . . 

When Sarah forgets to check on her best friend’s little boy, distraction turns to disaster. And she’s faced with a dilemma. 

Tell the truth, lose a friend. Tell a lie, keep her close. 

In a split second, Sarah seals her fate. But accidents have aftershocks, and lies have consequences. And when it’s someone else’s child, the rumours are quick to multiply. 

Everyone’s talking about what happened. And sooner or later, the truth will have to come spilling out… 

MY THOUGHTS: So this might sound a bit harsh but after reading The Fallout, I was overtaken by the immense satisfaction that I don't have kids.  A new prestigious club called The Vale has opened up in London.  It is a place where parents can exercise and socialize while the kids play.  Sarah and Liza have been friends for years.  One day while at The Vale, Liza asks Sarah to check on her son.  However, Sarah runs into an individual, Ella, who was once part of the friend group but who mysteriously ghosted everyone. Instead of checking on Jack, Sarah talks with Ella.  She sees Jack fleetingly but tells Liza he is fine.  That couldn't be further from the truth because Jack takes a horrible fall and sets into motion a take of lies, obsession, betrayal and finally honesty.

I found The Fallout to be an extremely engrossing read.  Told from both Sarah and Liza's POVs, the reader is able to learn a lot about both individuals and their families.  Both have suffered in the past and both have kept part of their lives a secret.  I found them both likable, but admit to being more invested in what happens to Liza and her family.  Part of the reason for that is Sarah seems to have this immense obsession with Ella which I could never understand.  And seriously I didn't see the reason for it.  Yes, Ella is rich and beautiful but Sarah's life isn't that horrible either.

This book also incorporates conversations from WhatsApp, where all the school mother congregate to plan function, communicate and above all else, gossip.   And man, saying all the ladies even remotely connected to Liza and Sarah are too involved in each other's lives is an understatement.  The Fallout is an excellent source of neighborhood drama and I really couldn't wait to see how it all wrapped up.  I really enjoyed Thornton's writing style and will be looking for more works by her in the future.

RATING: 4 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Thornton is an alumna of the Faber Academy Writing A Novel course, where she was tutored by Esther Freud and Tim Lott. Her writing has been published in The Guardian, You Magazine, Daily Mail, Prospect Magazine and The Sunday People amongst others. She has reported from the Middle East, Kosovo and the UK. She now lives in West London with her husband and two children. The Fallout is her third novel.