Plan B

This book had a rip-roaring start, as we follow Emma and her partner Matt and their small daughter Alice as they leave Brighton to begin a new life in the South of France the writer draws us quickly into the family and their adventure as they arrive at their somewhat delapadated farmhouse with grand plans to renovate together and begin a quieter life, even if Matt is the driving force and Emma's heart isn't quite in it.

The twist in the book comes suddenly and unexpectedly and had me re-reading the start of one chapter as I thought I'd seriously missed something as important as the introduction of a major character but I soon realised where the author was going and it became clear the deception within the book was one of magnific proportions. Until the point where the deception is discovered this is a cracking book.

I found however the the unraveling of our main female character lacked some substance, it began to almost feel like a different book altogether for a couple of chapters as I found myself lacking sympathy for the main character and longing her to sprout a backbone. The book managed to recover itself admirably in the last few chapters and concluded nicely if it was a little rushed.

As good as Emily Barr's other novels - not really but still worth reading.