Date: February 23, 2025
Author: Heidi Perks
Title: Her One Mistake
I went into this reading excursion semi-skeptical. I knew that I respect Mz. Lisa Jewell’s writing but this is the first time I took her advice on reading material. I say this because she wrote a sterling review about this manuscript, found upon the cover, so I decided to give it a go. And wow! Total mind blow. It turns out I will take her suggestions very seriously ever more.
The first night of reading, when I finally called it a day I wasn’t sure how to feel. I kept looking for reasons to cast this book aside but couldn’t find one. I ended up staying awake well past my nightly turn-in time wondering to myself what could possibly be going on here. I at first endeavored to give it the good-ol’-100-page-college-try. Which extended into a 150-page-college-try before I put it down for the night. The following morning I decided to give it another whirl and felt like a fish that got mesmerized by a big ol’ shiny hook and cannot help but take that bite. Hook, line and sinker! I swum through this book in about 24 hours. Start to finish. I say this, (swum) because ironically, two of the author reviewers found on the cover pages started their reviews with the words, ‘I flew through this book…’ then they both went on to conclude their individual thoughts. Did you get it? They said flew, I said swum? Fish? Hook? Get it?
Let me set the scene here. Little Alice had gone along with her mum’s best gal friend and her kids to the school fair. The friend was in charge of keeping an eye on all 4 children, including the 3 of her own. Her one job was to keep tabs on all four of them and keep them all safe. Later on, it was discovered that while the little girl was busy disappearing the gal friend was busy posting on her FaceBook. Not a good look for the gal friend. The question becomes how can she have kept an eye on all, and/or, any of them when she was pre-occupied with trolling social media? It ends up not looking real great for the gal friend after that. I was half expecting the torches and pitchforks to emerge amongst the town folk but that wasn’t the way this author was steering her story.
This tale tells an entirely engaging, sad story of woe. Also, in case you ever doubted it this book sheds light on the fact that mental abuse is a real thing. Just ask Harriet…