The Argument by Victoria Jenkins

☆☆☆
Kindle Edition, 235 pages
Expected publication: December 10th 2019 by Bookouture
About the Book:
It happens to every mother. One day, the daughter whose whole world you once were, becomes someone you barely know. And you don’t know the secrets she’s hiding. One hot summer night, 15-year-old Olivia comes home late from a party she was strictly forbidden from going to, and she and her mother, Hannah, start arguing. Soon Olivia speaks the words that every parent has heard from their teenage child: ‘I hate you. You’ve ruined my life. And I’m never speaking to you again.’ Olivia has never been an easy child, a sharp contrast to her easy-going, happy-go-lucky little sister. But Hannah thinks Olivia’s outburst is the end of a normal family argument. In fact, it’s only the beginning of a nightmare. After one day of silence, Hannah thinks Olivia is taking a teenage sulk too far. After two days, she starts to feel anxious that something more serious could be going on. After a week, when her daughter still hasn’t spoken, Hannah knows that Olivia is hiding a bigger darkness – something that could threaten to tear their precious family apart.

I had high hopes for The Argument. I was instantly intrigued by the book description and the premise of the tale. Initially, the story was very compelling and I thought I was going to love the whole book. However, by the midway point, the writing style seemed to change from quick and concise, to a slow-moving narrative and I began to lose interest. When I finally reached the end of the book, the author rushed through the story in an unrealistic fashion.

I liked this book but did not love it. I wish the writer would have spent less time on some of the unnecessary information in the middle of the story and more time constructing a compelling and convincing end. On the positive it was an easy read and it held my interest - I just found myself wanting to get to the end.

Thank you NetGalley, Victoria Jenkins and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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