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clairereviews's review against another edition
4.0
Review: Can Anybody Help Me? by Sinead Crowley I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it held my interest and had me engrossed. Good characters and an interesting plot.
kelbi's review against another edition
4.0
Couldn't put this one down! Really good thriller with an unusual background of a sort of Mumsnet forum
lalabristow's review against another edition
3.0
This review and many more at Larissa and Friends' Bookish Life
2.5 stars
I always looking for new Mystery/Thriller novel or series to sink my teeth in to, so when I saw this one on Netgalley I had to check it out!
I am on the fence about how I feel after reading this book. On one hand the mystery was very interesting and kept me guessing for a good while.
On the other hand, the book dragged a bit for me and whilst the forum conversations were very much part of the story most of the time, sometimes they just felt like fillers.
I also feel that the author fell in the "tell instead of showing" trap. Most of the action and dialogues were told in the third person while looking back when the characters were already on their way to doing something else, which made the book drag even more.
All in all, Can Anybody Help Me, was an ok book and it was a better mystery.
2.5 stars
I always looking for new Mystery/Thriller novel or series to sink my teeth in to, so when I saw this one on Netgalley I had to check it out!
I am on the fence about how I feel after reading this book. On one hand the mystery was very interesting and kept me guessing for a good while.
On the other hand, the book dragged a bit for me and whilst the forum conversations were very much part of the story most of the time, sometimes they just felt like fillers.
I also feel that the author fell in the "tell instead of showing" trap. Most of the action and dialogues were told in the third person while looking back when the characters were already on their way to doing something else, which made the book drag even more.
All in all, Can Anybody Help Me, was an ok book and it was a better mystery.
uptoolatereading's review against another edition
5.0
The book starts and we are introduced to pregnant Claire who is in denial about how her life is changing and annoyed with her husband’s demands to cut down at work. Unfortunately, Claire’s job is all consuming and not the kind you can do part time. She is a police sergeant and there is always a case demanding her attention. Next is Yvonne, who is quite literally miles away from her old life. Stuck at home with her baby daughter, she rarely sees her husband who is always occupied with his job in TV. She loves her daughter but her husband and the health visitor are nagging her to get out and involved with other mums, she can do that with a click of a button on Netmammy.
When Yvonne notices that one of her close internet friends has stopped commenting she thinks nothing of it, until she sees on the news that a single mum has been murdered and this woman had a daughter with the same unusual name as her friend. This whole premise is absolute genius and I am surprised that no-one has chosen this as a story line sooner. The story began to unfold in a very realistic way, as these forums do become a big part of a new mum’s life and you become friends with people you would probably dismiss in the street. The fact that the sergeant in charge is also pregnant is inspired and adds a different dynamic to the plot.
Can Anybody Help Me? is as addictive as any social media page, it was far too easy to pick up and just one more chapter turned into four! The fact that the story will be close to home for a lot of readers makes it disturbingly real. I was able to keep a step ahead of where each character was headed, but this made it no less creepy. That being said the final chapters knocked me for six and I did not see it coming at all. Whether you can relate to the social situations in the book or not it does not matter, this fantastic thriller will have you hooked and makes you realise that no-one is safe.
When Yvonne notices that one of her close internet friends has stopped commenting she thinks nothing of it, until she sees on the news that a single mum has been murdered and this woman had a daughter with the same unusual name as her friend. This whole premise is absolute genius and I am surprised that no-one has chosen this as a story line sooner. The story began to unfold in a very realistic way, as these forums do become a big part of a new mum’s life and you become friends with people you would probably dismiss in the street. The fact that the sergeant in charge is also pregnant is inspired and adds a different dynamic to the plot.
Can Anybody Help Me? is as addictive as any social media page, it was far too easy to pick up and just one more chapter turned into four! The fact that the story will be close to home for a lot of readers makes it disturbingly real. I was able to keep a step ahead of where each character was headed, but this made it no less creepy. That being said the final chapters knocked me for six and I did not see it coming at all. Whether you can relate to the social situations in the book or not it does not matter, this fantastic thriller will have you hooked and makes you realise that no-one is safe.
stephen1308's review against another edition
2.0
Well written, but the tone and the pace could have been better. I really like the underlying message of the book and the way it incorporates the online forum, but it was a little low-key for me.
mumtwogirls's review against another edition
4.0
I think the fact that I have finished this book so soon speaks volumes. Really enjoyed it and didnt have a suspicion of the killer.
margo666's review against another edition
3.0
A decent thriller that was a strong 3 but not quite a 4! I have to applaud the author for her originally. This is the first book I have read based on an online message board.
I listened to the audiobook which was nicely read Amy Creighton. A very pleasant voice
I listened to the audiobook which was nicely read Amy Creighton. A very pleasant voice
sharonleavy's review against another edition
4.0
I read this in one day, I couldn't put it down. Detective Sergeant Claire Boyle is pregnant, and passionate about her job. Yvonne Mulhern has recently moved to Ireland with her husband Gerry, and has a young baby. When Yvonne hears of the disappearance of a young Mum, she is certain that she has been talking to her on online parenting forum Netmammy. But will anyone listen to her? And is Claire putting her own health at risk by getting involved?
This is a brilliant debut novel. As a new Mum for the second time, the parenting forums are an all too familiar setting - the writer really did her research, it's scary how much information people share. As this story shows, anyone could be behind a screen nickname, it's very easy to pick up the slang used on boards. I'm not a fan of public parenting forums with strangers, thankfully, but if I were, I think I'd be a lot more wary after this. I was suspicious of almost everyone at one point in the book, the writer did a brilliant job of shocking me because I really didn't have it figured out. Looking forward to reading more from this author!
This is a brilliant debut novel. As a new Mum for the second time, the parenting forums are an all too familiar setting - the writer really did her research, it's scary how much information people share. As this story shows, anyone could be behind a screen nickname, it's very easy to pick up the slang used on boards. I'm not a fan of public parenting forums with strangers, thankfully, but if I were, I think I'd be a lot more wary after this. I was suspicious of almost everyone at one point in the book, the writer did a brilliant job of shocking me because I really didn't have it figured out. Looking forward to reading more from this author!
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