Little Nothings

Description

'Little Nothings delivers some searing and uncomfortable truths about motherhood and female friendships' Sarah J. Naughton 'A true single-sitting read' Alex Marwood With friends like these, who needs enemies? Liv Travers never knew real friendship until she met fellow mums Beth and Binnie. The three women become inseparable as they muddle through early parenthood together. Then along comes Ange... Ambitious, wealthy and somehow able to do it all. Under Ange's guiding presence, the group finds new vigour and fresh aspirations - bigger houses, better schools, dinners at exclusive restaurants. But Liv can't keep up and is increasingly edged out. When the four families take a three-week trip to a luxurious holiday resort, Liv seizes the opportunity to reclaim her place at the heart of the group, only to discover the true, devastating cost of a friendship with Ange. Set over the course of a single, life-changing trip to a Greek island paradise, Little Nothings is a sly, suspenseful novel about female bonds turned toxic, and the desperate ends one woman will go to keep her friends close - and her enemy closer.

Julie Mayhew is the author of the critically acclaimed 2019 thriller Impossible Causes and four Carnegie-nominated novels for young adults, including The Big Lie, which won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History. She has written both drama and short stories for BBC Radio 4, and now also writes and directs for the screen.

Devilishly clever and beautifully written -- Alice Clark-Platts, author of The Cove and The Flower Girls Little Nothings delivers some searing and uncomfortable truths about motherhood and female friendship. Beautifully drawn characters, thrown together in the pressure cooker nightmare that is a group holiday. Entirely and chillingly relatable -- Sarah J. Naughton Mayhew is brilliant on women and the complex ways in which their relationships can turn destructive. A true single-sitting read -- Alex Marwood A well-written, absorbing story that cleverly illustrates the psychological impact of nurturing a true enemy in your midst -- Rachel Abbott Mayhew explores both the affirming side of female friendships and the darker currents of judgmental talk, financial peer pressure, and neediness. The most interesting part of the book is Liv, who's the narrator, for she is often not a terribly sympathetic character. Yet there is something admirable in how she fights to recognize and celebrate her true, autonomous self, even if that person is inherently selfish and grudging * Kirkus Reviews * Anchored by a deliciously layered and desperately unreliable narrator, Little Nothings enriches the familiar setup of an intruder shaking up a happy idyll with a compelling, creative structure and distinctive voice * BookPage, US * A fun page-turner set on a Greek island paradise... This book balances edge-of-your-seat tension with gossipy fun as the friendships turn toxic, leading to a disturbing twist at the end. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Louise Candlish * The Australian * Riveting * Crime Monthly * A shocking tale about loneliness, modern motherhood and toxic friendships * Women's Own * It's a one-sitting read, at times uncomfortable but always entertaining. And the twist at the end - which I won't ruin for you here - is as disturbing as they come * Better Reading, Australia * The compelling psyche of Liv, her inability to understand functioning relationships with those around her, including her husband and daughter, underpins the entire narrative, and her characterisation was both relatable and unsettling * The Courier & Advertiser, Scotland * Liv is a fully developed character whose palpable anxiety, desperation, and rage drive the diabolical plot to a calamitous conclusion. Lucy Foley fans, take note * Publishers Weekly, US *