Review: The Playdate by Louise Millar

Title: The Playdate 

Author: Louise Millar

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher:
         Atria/ Emily Bestler Books

Release Date: 

         July 3^rd 2011

Format: Paperback, 432 pages

Source: Publisher

“You leave your kids with a friend. Everyone does it. Until the day it goes wrong.”

When I got this book, I didn’t know anything about the author or the story itself. It was the first time I was hearing about this book, but I was totally intrigued after reading the blurb. The idea of a psychological thriller was very appealing.

The story talks about three different women who live in a quiet London suburb. The first one, Callie, is an unemployed single mother, who needs to take care of her delicate daughter, Rae, but at the same time wants to go back to work and to be able to have a normal life like other women have.

 On the other hand, we have Suzy, the only friend Callie has. A woman that at first sight looks perfect. She has everything a woman might want. She is beautiful and has a handsome and rich husband, and three lovely kids. But her life is not so perfect. She is not so perfect.  

And the last one, it’s Debs, a woman who just move in to the neighborhood with her husband. She is a teacher. She looks normal, like any person, but she is hiding some secrets.

I really liked this book. When I started reading it, I thought it would be a simple women’s fiction book that talks about women’s troubles and their lives. But it’s more than that. This book is realistic, credible. The characters are all different, with their own problems, fears, desires and secrets. And it was easy for me to relate to them and to understand them, even though I’m not in the same situation.

The author did a wonderful job. I’m in love with her writing style. Every time I opened the book I was transported to that suburb and inside those women’s minds.

Full of twists, secrets, and some mystery, this book is a really good read. 

I wasn’t expecting to like The Playdate so much. The story, the characters, everything was great and very enjoyable. This is Louise Millar’s first book, but it won’t be the last one. I’m looking forward to what she will bring us next.

Happy Reading! 

Louise Millar was brought up in Scotland. She began her journalism career in mainly music and film magazines, working as a sub-editor forKerrang!, Smash Hits, the NMEand Empire. She later moved into features, working as a commissioning editor on women's magazines. She has written forMarie Claire, Red, Psychologies, Stella (Telegraph magazine), theIndependent, the Observer, Glamour, Stylist and Eve.