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REVIEW: The Playground by Michelle Frances



Genre: Thriller | Mystery | Fiction

Release Date: Expected 8th June 2023

Publisher: Pan Macmillan | Pan

Nancy and her Daughter Lara have left the city behind to move to the countryside and life a life of quiet, quaint peace. She's looking forward to starting over, creating a happy life in this little community - but instead she finds herself on the outside of the cliques and circles.

Especially when Lara is accused of hurting the child of the supposed Queen Bee of the village, and a witch hunt starts against them, These perfect families have shown they'll do anything to ensure their children come out on top - but now they'll see how far Nancy will go to make sure nobody ever hurts her daughter again …

"Welcome to Ripton. Once you're here, you'll never leave."

Playground politics turn deadly in this twisty thriller that holds a mirror up to the reader to ask just how far they'd go to protect the ones they love. 

Immediately, Frances sets the stage with scenes of domestic bliss. Nancy introduces us to Willow Barn, her new home - and despite the initial appearance of privilege and perfect, it soon becomes clear that before this fresh start was a lot of pain and struggle for them both. 

The story moves quickly, and after the scene is set we move swiftly on to show us the darker side of this beautiful village; the harsh cliques that turn on them instantly, the lies and betrayals that are happening behind closed doors. We move between Nancys perspective and the other residents in the village, seeing into their personal lives and their own dark secrets - letting us in on private talks and text chains to see what's really being said behind peoples backs. The village and it's residents felt unwelcoming, almost cult-like in their standards and unwritten social rules - in an only slightly darker parallel to the very real cut-throat areas of the world where people resort to all kinds of dirty tactics to ensure their kids get into the best schools, they have the best house, and their family remains powerful and privileged. 

The intensity stayed at a steady simmer for a while, just waiting for something to boil over and change from petty playground squabbles to something much scarier; for a lot of this story, the story was subtle and quiet, whispers and sneaking around in the dark instead of anything explosive or sudden - but this kept me hooked, reading into every detail, every rivalry and relationship. It's clear everyone in this town had a secret that could destroy their community if it comes out - leaving the reader to wonder who the real bad guys are, who are the victims - or is nothing that simple?

I adore Frances and for most of this book, I was totally gripped - but for me, the several bouts of info-dumping and the finale weren't for me. This book goes from 100 - 1 really quickly, picking up the pace to a fever pitch before almost explaining away the end instead of letting it play out. For me, this left some of the most interest and disturbing twists a little flat and did leave me a little disappointed at the very end - but the story itself is a brilliantly devilish and dark story that is well worth a read.

A spectacularly sharp, suspenseful and sinister addition to Frances already impressive back catalogue. 


⭐⭐⭐


Thank you to Pan Macmillan for inviting me to review this title.

cw: traffic accidents, death, bullying, animal cruelty, infidelity.


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