The Playdate: An absolutely gripping and unputdownable psychological thriller

Victoria Jenkins

May 2021 · Bookouture

About this ebook

Arranging the playdate was easy. Child’s play. Preparing the house was more difficult. It was only now she realised how many photographs there were: the picture-perfect unit. Wife, husband, child. All of it a lie.

 

I made a new friend at playgroup today. She’s different from the other mothers. She feels like someone I can trust. Someone I can confide in.

 

But there are some things I can’t tell her. Things I can’t tell anyone.

 

Because I have a secret that no one else knows. One that still haunts my dreams, wakes me up in a cold sweat at night.

 

Even another mother would never understand. Unless, of course, she’s hiding something too…

 

From the bestselling author of The Argument, this utterly addictive psychological thriller will have you hooked from the first page to the final, mind-blowing twist. Fans of Friend Request, The Silent Patient and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down.

 

Readers are loving The Playdate:

 

‘OMG!!… Brilliant!… makes your heart skip a beat… will have the hairs on your head standing… OH BOY… This ending is explosive and will simply leave you breathless and gasping… This is a MUST READ!’ The Secret Book Sleuth, 5 stars

 

‘Fantastic, excellent… incredible… I could not put this one down for the life of me… loved, loved, loved this book… Wow, what a roller coaster ride of an ending that was. There were so many twists and turns that I never knew whether I was turning left or turning right. I love it when a book shocks the pants off of me… I would highly recommend this to a friend and would shout it from any roof top.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘I loved this mind blowing, impulsive, crazy book! The ending will blow your mind!’ @oh.happy.reading

 

‘Simply WOW… just jaw-dropping… hooked till the end… a brilliant and compelling read.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

 

‘Excellent… keeps you on your toes… keeps you gripped until the end!’ @theinsomniacbookclub, 5 stars

 

‘Difficult to put down… I never would have seen that ending coming… absolutely brilliant… I definitely will be adding Victoria Jenkins to my list for go to authors. I just wish I could give it more than five stars.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Ratings and reviews

4.16 stars Adele and Dani meet at a playgroup. Their children like each other. They become fast and unlikely friends – they don't have a lot in common; Dani is single, living with her mom, struggling financially and young. Adele is unhappily married, wealthy, and older. But they both have something to hide. Dani's past comes back to haunt her first as she starts getting threatening e-mails and being cyberbullied. She leans on Adele for support, and together they try to figure out why Dani is being targeted. Adele's home life seems to be far from the perfection she projects, but will she trust Dani? When your past threatens your child's future – can you really trust anyone? The Playdate was a solid book. It started off slow, but the suspense was built well and gradually. I loved how we were made to constantly doubt our gut instinct and were take many different directions before we got the final picture. The book's brilliance was that Jenkins played utterly fair; she didn't use any red herrings to deceive us. Instead, she opted for wonderfully dubious storytelling. The pacing of the reveals was organic; not for a moment the narrative was held back or suffered in favour of shock value. Quite the opposite, reading The Playdate was like that visual puzzle we get a part of the picture at a time. With each pixel, the whole picture becomes more evident. Even if we guess the puzzle before the end, the final product is always more vivid and a worthy revelation in its own right. Dani's need for a more mature maternal figure was crucial to her character's arc. I felt that Dani's relationships with her mum and Adele were really well developed and their purpose respected. Jenkins captured the cattiness that can happen in playgroups really well; some people might be surprised at how competitive some mothers can be in such settings. Although I enjoyed Jenkin's depiction of the children – they felt natural, and I understand their importance to the plot. I just wish their development could have been pushed just a little further. My personal feelings: I enjoyed The Playdate; it was addicting and easy to get invested in. Jenkins masterfully built all her twists, and I appreciate how she chose to reveal them. Her timing was impeccable. The Playdate pulls at my worst fears as a mother – I couldn't bear it if anything I have ever done came back not only to haunt me but to harm my son. The way Jenkins described the mother-child relationships are relatable and easy to empathize with. We never know what measures we will take at desperate times until we need to act. I would have done some things differently than some characters. However, even at the height of my shock, horror, disapproval, and repulsion, I can still see the character's motivation and relate to their pain. I was particularly touched by the different ramifications grief can have in one's life. Grief was present in more than one character's development, and it affected each one differently. This literary choice was very insightful – to say more might spoil the book, so I apologize if I leave it at that. Overall, I felt that Jenkins executed a psychological thriller brilliantly, and I will be picking up more of her books. Recommended for fans of: Friend Request and The Girl on the Train #ThePlaydate

My Review: Fantastic, excellent, great, and incredible are just a few of the words I would use to describe this book. This was a very fast paced book filled with lots of drama in every chapter. I could not put this one down for the life of me. I’ve read several of Victoria Jenkins books but this one gets the prize. This book was about two women who meet at their children’s play group and become fast friends. Both of them have secrets. Will there secrets prevent them from staying friends? Or will they help each other get over their painful past? By the end of the book you will find out all the answers to your questions. I want to start out by saying that I loved, loved, loved this book. I get so excited whenever I see that this author is coming out with a new book. It’s like Christmas morning all over again. One of my favorite things about this book is that the author alternates characters each chapter. I love it when an author does this. You find out what other characters thoughts and feelings are not just the one main character. It definitely gives the reader more insight of what is going on in the book. Another thing I loved is that ending. Wow, what a roller coaster ride of an ending that was. There were so many twists and turns that I never knew whether I was turning left or turning right. I love it when a book shocks the pants off of me. Anyone who knows me knows that I love an ending full of surprises. I would highly recommend this to a friend and would shout it from any roof top. Victoria Jenkins I look forward to reading more of your books. Between the plot, characters and all the twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The beginning of the book was a bit of a slow burn to set up the raging fire and twists and turns in the second half! Our story centers around Dani, a young 22 year old single mother who is struggling with her 2 year old daughter’s tantrums and her past mistakes. Adele is an older woman with sweet little girl, Ivy, living in an affluent neighborhood and suffering in an abusive marriage. But things are not as they seem and neither of these women are who they appear to be. The chapters are told from each characters perspective which I really liked! It was different to read what each woman was thinking and feeling in each chapter and literally seeing them unraveling as the book progressed. And let me tell you the twists the twists! Oh my God I was not expecting that one at the end! I was literally on the edge of my chair flipping pages anxious to get to the conclusion! I loved loved this book! A superb psychological thriller, one of the best I’ve read in a while! Thank you NetGalley, Victoria Jenkins and Bookouture for this ARC ❤️ #netgalley #theplaydate