Bookseller Reviews
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Interesting concept
I was privileged enough to get my hands on a proof copy of this book, and the first few chapters I had no idea what to think- I had no idea where this book... READ MORE
Riveting
Haven't They Grown was one of my last books of 2019, and by far one of the best I have read this year! Psychological thrillers are the kind of books I only... READ MORE
Synopsis
All Beth has to do is drive her son to his Under-14s away match, watch him play, and bring him home.
Just because she knows that her former best friend lives near the football ground, that doesn't mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. Why would Beth do that, and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn't seen Flora Braid for twelve years.
But she can't resist. She parks outside Flora's house and watches from across the road as Flora and her children, Thomas and Emily, step out of the car. Except, There's something terribly wrong.
Flora looks the same, only older - just as Beth would have expected. It's the children that are the problem. Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily Braid were five and three years old. Today, they look precisely as they did then. They are still five and three. They are Thomas and Emily without a doubt - Beth hears Flora call them by their names - but they haven't changed at all. They are no taller, no older. Why haven't they grown?
Publisher information
- Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
- ISBN: 9781444776201
- Number of pages: 352
- Dimensions: 200 x 128 x 26 mm
- Weight: 250g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allUltimately entertaining but slow to start and a highly convoluted and very twisted tale!
Having previously only read a stand-alone by Sophie Hannah I didn’t fully appreciate her reputation for convoluted plots and taking seemingly impossible sc... READ MORE
Ultimately entertaining but slow to start and a highly convoluted and very twisted tale!
Having previously only read a stand-alone by Sophie Hannah I didn’t fully appreciate her reputation for convoluted plots and taking seemingly impossible sc... READ MORE
A compelling read, well-worth some suspension of disbelief!
Beth and Flora used to be best friends, but their friendship ended abruptly twelve years ago and they’ve not spoken to each other since then. However, over... READ MORE
Price of perfection
This is such an unusual premise that you can’t even begin to guess how the story will unfold and it’s written in such a page turning style that you can’t w... READ MORE
Lots of twists and turns - a fun read
12 years ago, two families fell out. Beth and Dominic Leeson were best friends with Flora and Lewis Braid, each couple with two children, but all those yea... READ MORE
A compulsive first-person narrative with a premise that is as mind-blowingly weird as it is un-putdownable...
Haven’t They Grown is a compulsive first-person narrative with a premise that is as mind-blowingly weird as it is un-putdownable. Twelve years ago Beth and... READ MORE
A fast paced, unique and addictive read!
The premise of this book instantly captured my attention and from the first chapter alone I was hooked! When the opportunity presents itself for Beth to se... READ MORE
Loved it!
I had read a few books by this author years ago and loved them all. I felt the same with this one.
It is about a woman who hasn’t seen her friend and her... READ MORE
Intriguing and addictive!
As soon as I read the blurb - and then the first few chapters - on ReadersFirst, I had to find out the whys, the hows and the 'BUT WHAT THE...??!'
We are ... READ MORE
Gripping
I love Sophie Hannah books and this book certainly didn’t disappoint. Wow wow and wow this book has me gripped from the first page and raced through it rea... READ MORE
Simply brilliant
This is the first Sophie Hannah book I have read and I can say without a doubt that it won't be the last.
'Haven... READ MORE
makes you think outside of the box
Husband and wife Beth and Dom used to be best friends with couple Flora and Lewis. Their children were roughly the same age, apart from Flora’s youngest Ge... READ MORE
A far-fetched and long-winded read
Haven't They Grown was my first foray into the work of Sophie Hannah and unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The premise was unu... READ MORE
amazing book
well what can i say, this book was amazing to read. The characters within the book were amazing and detailed to the point i could imagine exactly what they... READ MORE
Brilliant thriller
This was an amazing read from start to finish.
Beth while out doing an errand one day sees an old friend called Flora.
She hasn't seen her in twelve years ... READ MORE
5 star read!
I was lucky enough to receive a pre-realise copy of ‘Haven’t they grown’ and I have got to say WOW what a book.
From the Blurb the book completely hooks y... READ MORE
Addictive and thrilling
Haven't They Grown is a book with such an intriguing premise. One day Beth Leeson happens to see her old friend, Flora Braid. With Flora are her two childr... READ MORE
Amazing!
This book is fantastic, I couldn't put it down! A very clever story about an ordinary couple with two teenage children who end up involved in the life of a... READ MORE
Far fetched but very enjoyable.....
I’d yet to read a Sophie Hannah book, even after they’d come highly recommended by fellow readers. I was therefore very excited to be given the opportunity... READ MORE
A twisted and captivating tale!
A captivating and twisted tale of a woman who sees her best friend after 12 years apart, with children who haven’t aged a single day since. The premise alo... READ MORE
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
Beth was out doing an errand when she comes across an old friend she hasn't seen for twelve years. Berth knew that Flora had two children before they stop... READ MORE
Blockbuster of 2020
Haven’t They Grown is going to be one of the biggest books of 2020! The blurb immediately draws the attention of the reader and the first chapters grab you... READ MORE
absolutely fantastic read
What a way to start my reading year.
This book was absolutely brilliant. Clever, dramatic, intriguing and I just couldn’t stop reading.
Theories came and... READ MORE
Amazing read
Haven't they grown drew me in from the very first chapter. The characters were very well written and made the whole book very enjoyable. I found it grippin... READ MORE
Psychological crime drama at its best
Psychological crime drama at its very best. I have read all Sophie Hannah's books and thoroughly enjoyed them and this is at the very top. Brilliantly plot... READ MORE
Hoping for something odd
I was hoping for something really odd to happen in this book, and it was showing some promising moments. But then the end happened and it wasn't as punchy ... READ MORE
Riveting
Haven't They Grown was one of my last books of 2019, and by far one of the best I have read this year! Psychological thrillers are the kind of books I only... READ MORE
Unpredictable!
I had heard good things about this book before I got hold of a copy and I was NOT disappointed!
The style of writing was casual and easy to read. There w... READ MORE
Intriguing thriller
'Haven't they grown 'is a story of two seemingly average women. Having ben friends at university they then both get married and have children. But the fr... READ MORE
Twisty
I enjoyed reading this book, Sophie Hannah certainly knows how to write a book that keeps you guessing.
Beth and Flora has been friends for a number of yea... READ MORE
Psycho thriller delight
This isn’t particularly a genre I spend a lot of time in, but even I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed delving in!
Firstly, I love the play on words in the... READ MORE
Great start! Not so good end!
So I read the first couple of chapters of this book in a “First Impressions” of @readersfirst and ever since I have wanted to read it.
I was intrigued bey... READ MORE
Explosive start - lukewarm finish
I was very excited to win this book, I had heard so much hype and was very keen to get stuck in.
There is a lot of mystery and strange circumstance in th... READ MORE
A really well told mystery. I loved it!
I loved this book! The writing style and characters had me absolutely hooked and the fabulous interaction between the lead character of Beth and her husban... READ MORE
Crime at its best
Wow! I absolutely loved this book. It is definitely crime writing at its very best. Many times throughout the story you think there is no possible reasonab... READ MORE
Haven’t they grown by Sophie Hannah
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Beth Leeson is taking her son to a football match and she diverts to see a house that an old friend moved to some y... READ MORE
Unsettling
Haven't They Grown is a book with such an intriguing premise. One day Beth Leeson happens to see her old friend, Flora Braid. With Flora are her two childr... READ MORE
Twisty
I enjoyed reading this book, Sophie Hannah certainly knows how to write a book that keeps you guessing.
Beth and Flora has been friends for a number of yea... READ MORE
I loved this book!
I loved this book! The writing style and characters had me absolutely hooked and the fabulous interaction between the lead character of Beth and her husban... READ MORE
An engaging mystery
When Beth drops by on her old friend Flora after 12 years she is surprised to see her still living in her old home. But when Flora’s children come into vie... READ MORE
A clever and original thriller
Beth and her husband have a busy, normal life and the usual issues with their teenaged children (plenty of attitude and a busier social schedule than the a... READ MORE
Fast paced thriller
One day Beth sees her old friend Flora, they paths haven't crossed in about twelve years when their friendship abruptly came to an end.
But something shock... READ MORE
Perfect in every way
I’ve been looking for a look that totally gets me hooked! A page turner, each with its own twist and suspense! This is it! Every page was spectacular and m... READ MORE
An Intriguing Read!
Beth hasn't seen her friend Flora for twelve years, but one day, she decides to do a detour to see where Flora now lives. She spies on the woman, seeing he... READ MORE
A surprising ending
After I read the synopsis I was looking forward to reading this book. I found the story line a little slow to begin with. The last chapters were exceptiona... READ MORE
Dark and chilling
Beth hasn't seen her old friend Flora for many years but she knows that she had two young children called Thomas and Emily.
One day Beth sees Flora AND two... READ MORE
Unput-downable
When Beth takes her son to an out of town football game, she can’t resist the temptation to check out her ex-best friend’s new house. Only while she is wat... READ MORE
I don’t know
When I read the first few chapters of Haven’t They Grown a couple of months ago I knew I HAD to read this once it was published.
I was initially hooked. Th... READ MORE
Gripping
I was hooked right from the start, each chapter added a little bit to the mystery and I couldn't guess what the truth was going to be. There were some real... READ MORE
A must read
I’ve been looking forward to reading this for ages and it did not disappoint.
I loved the plot, I had so many different thoughts floating about! I reall... READ MORE
Amazing thrill ride!
Wow this book was incredible.
Every time I thought I knew where the plot was going it just kept adding more twists.
Beth sees her old friend one day, she h... READ MORE
Wasn't as great as I hoped it would be
This is one of those books that are really difficult to review, because you don't want to give any plot lines away....but briefly:
Beth takes a detour whi... READ MORE
Loved it
I really enjoyed this book. The main characters were nicely developed, and the story although a little fanciful moved along at a good pace and kept be inte... READ MORE