All The Little Things by Sarah Lawton | Blog Tour Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Rachel has made poor decisions in the past, but she has always tried her best for her daughter. When Vivian needed a fresh start, Rachel didn’t hesitate to move them far from London. She just wishes she could shake the nagging doubt that Vivian is hiding something. Vivian isn’t like other teenagers. On the surface she seems the same as her friends, but she knows she is different. When enigmatic Alex takes an interest in her, Vivian’s cool demeanour hides an intensity of feeling she has never known before. His touch sets her skin on fire. Mother and daughter are both keeping secrets. But just how dangerous are they? As lust and anger give way to violence Rachel will have to decide: is she prepared to give up everything for her child? Even her own life?

All The Little Things is just my kind of read…messed up, screwed up and slowly, slowly injecting the creeping dread into my brain until it develops into an itch I just can’t reach.  When you have read as much crime fiction as I have over the last few years it really takes something to kick you on the arse, to make you pay attention.  All The Little Things did just that.  It had the added element, a calling card left in a deserted room.  It left clues for me to discover, to strip layer after layer until I had been exposed to its dark secrets.  The writing style, the narrative, it is a winning combination that never fails to draw blood.

All The Little Things will creep up on you, catch you off guard and kick your heart into a galloping crescendo.  You know when an opening chapter lays the foundations to be a rollercoaster ride, you attention is now in rapturous enchantment.  My attention didn’t wander, it didn’t ebb, instead it was transported into the pages and became at one with the story. 

So, what is it that kept me so intrigued you ask?  Multiple layers of deceit.  The mysterious reasons behind running away from London.  The odd stranger that has taken sudden interest into both mother and daughter, Rachel and Vivian.  The toxicity seeping through to the surface threatening to infect all around.  It’s a slow burn of a story but one that is absolutely worth the cerebral investment.  The narrative is really where this story is at its strongest – the feeling of a threatening shadow just creeping into the corners of your vision was palpable.  What’s going to be revealed?  This is a story that will have to be torn out of your hand to get your attention on something else!

Rachel and her daughter Vivian left London approximately six years ago searching for that fresh start.  What was the trigger that had them running?  All is hunky dory until a stranger takes more than a passing interest in the mother and daughter.  Just what is happening and how will Rachel react to the comings and goings. 

The characterization is first rate, and it was a strong point of the entire story.  Rachel is an odd parent to say the least.  She has strange outlook on parenting – blasé about it all.  Wouldn’t you as a parent want to get to the bottom of what is going on in your teenager’s life?  She’s a prickly character and one that comes across as more standoffish than anything else.  There is tension by the bucket load.  Be prepared for the story to get exponentially more twisted and darker.  It’s a rollercoaster with no harness!

All The Little Things is a tour-de-force, a deeply twisted book that will keep you up all night.  Something genuinely fresh in an overpopulated genre.

ABOUT SARAH LAWTON

Sarah Lawton grew up on the Isle of Wight, and following university she embarked on a career in the charity sector. After a few years of full time parenting, she picked up her pen, and can now be found writing in various locations in East London.

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