This review is written with thanks to Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read and review The Herd.

Blurb:

You should never judge how someone chooses to raise their child.

Elizabeth and Bryony are polar opposites but their unexpected friendship has always worked. They’re the best of friends, and godmothers to each other’s daughters – because they trust that the safety of their children is both of their top priority.

But what if their choice could harm your own child?

Little do they know that they differ radically over one very important issue. And when Bryony, afraid of being judged, tells what is supposed to be a harmless white lie before a child’s birthday party, the consequences are more catastrophic than either of them could ever have imagined . . .

Review:

There’s a note at the beginning of the book where Emily Edwards writes that the idea for The Herd was first conceived in 2018. At this time, there is no way Edwards would have known how relevant her novel would be, but the timing is perfect and it is this that made the novel so compelling. The discussions on both sides of the argument encouraged me to be more open minded and I quickly realised how complex the debate actually is, and Edwards conveys this brilliantly.

In The Herd, Edwards had created some incredibly convincing characters and I enjoyed feeling as though I was involved in the lives of each family. I did end up taking sides and there was one particular character I found really annoying – but that she was able to annoy me highlights the strength of Edwards’ writing.

Overall, The Herd is quite an emotional story, much more so than I expected. The most emotional scenes were described so beautifully and my breath was taken away by how hard hitting it could be.

The Herd is available from Amazon.