How far would you go back to save your child?

This episode's pick: Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister—a Reese’s Book Club thriller where a mother sees her teenage son commit a murder… only to wake up the next day and realize she’s gone back in time. As each morning takes her further into the past, she pieces together secrets about her son, her husband, and herself. It’s a murder mystery, a time-travel puzzle, and a meditation on motherhood all rolled into one. But did the high-concept premise deliver?

This week’s guest:

Rebecca Heath —thriller author and laser chemist turned novelist, party wrangler, and dog lover. She’s the author of The Last Encore and three other adult novels (The Summer Party, The Dinner Party, The Wedding Party). She lives in Adelaide with her husband, three children, and border collie.

In this episode, we cover:

The Reese factor: hype, Lisa Jewell blurbs, and whether the book club pick lived up to expectations.

That hook: a mother watches her son stab a man—and then starts living time backwards.

The pacing problem: did the constant “one more day back” structure get repetitive, or was it clever plotting?

Time travel, fate, and suspension of disbelief—fantasy or crime?

Plot twists we didn’t see coming: missing babies, undercover cops, and suspiciously convenient husbands.

The emotional punch: how McAllister balanced high concept with heart.

Rebecca’s reading habits: auto-buy authors, DNFs, hype regrets, and books that made her cry (one of them was Rach’s latest - out soon!)

📚 Books Mentioned on the Pod

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

The Lucky Sisters by Rachael Johns

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

1984 by George Orwell

Rebecca’s auto-buy authors:

Liane Moriarty

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Jane Harper

Gillian McAllistar

Lucy Foley

Every author Rebecca knows 😊

💋 And, of course, we rate it: Kiss, Kill, or Marry?

Which way did the votes fall? You’ll have to listen in…

⏰ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: meet guest author Rebecca Heath04:00 – Setting up Wrong Place Wrong Time (and the Reese factor)08:00 – Gillian McAllister’s bio and book accolades11:00 – Kiss, Kill, or Marry verdict14:00 – Clever concept vs. pacing problems19:00 – Time travel, disbelief, and the “mum strength” theory24:00 – Plot Twists29:00 – Craft chat: avoiding clever-for-clever’s-sake32:00 – Rebecca’s reading life: DNFs, recommendations, hype regrets37:00 – Crying at Rachael Johns and TJR41:00 – What we’re reading next

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