Member Reviews
A little girl disappears from a school fair, and the woman who was looking after the girl gets blamed for the disappearance. The parents are distraught, and things become to unravel very quickly. This book was a definite page turner and and enjoyable to read, with several twists, but because of these very difficult to review without giving anything away. Suffice to say that this is a psychological thriller and deals with a range of things, amongst others domestic violence and psychological manipulation, and the lengths we would go to to protect the ones we love. It has everything a book of this kind has - suspense, good story and various twists. My one criticism is that the three main characters have too similar backstories and all are damaged, albeit in different ways. This seemed a bit too contrived. Aside from that definitely a book that you want to get back to to find out what happened. |
Debbie O, Reviewer
Great story about a little girl, Alice, going missing whilst being cared for by her mother's best friend. As the story evolves, you really get to feel for the different emotions being felt by the characters - the grief of her parents and the guilt of Charlotte, the friend caring for her when she disappeared. However as the story evolves little snippets come out and we see that nothing is as straight forward as it first looks. |
This is a story of two women’s friendship, the trust between them and the lack of confidences shared between them. Charlotte is confident, divorced, and the mother of three young children who tells her best friend Harriet everything. Harriet is quiet, withdrawn, reserved and married to Brian, with a 4 year old daughter Alice, who she dotes on. The book begins with Harriet leaving Alice with Charlotte for the first time. Charlotte is taking the four children to a school fete for the afternoon and whilst playing there Alice disappears. Then the nightmare begins for Charlotte and Harriet. Harriet’s childhood history is revealed and also the problems in her marriage and it becomes evident that her and Brian both have secrets. The story is told from alternate points of view and set in time both before Alice’s disappearance and after. This is a book with plenty of twists and turns, secrets, deceit and lies and one that you will not be able to put down. A recommended read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. |
This book has everything, tension, a fast paced story line. I read this in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. I look forward to the next book by Heidi Perks |
Jayne S, Reviewer
Thanks to Net Galley and Random House UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. This is a fast paced read and will definitely keep the readers attention, lots of surprises. Charlotte has been asked by her friend Harriet to keep her daughter Alice for the day, while she attends a course, she has never entrusted Alice with anyone before now. Charlotte is taking Alice, along with her own three children to the school fete, one minute Alice is there and the next minute she is gone. Charlotte had literally only taken her eyes off the children for a few minutes, how could this have happened. The search for Alice commences, the police are called, Harriet and her husband Brian are informed. In the days that Alice is missing Charlotte blames herself, feels ostracised by the other school mums who suddenly don’t trust her, she meets with Harriet who can hardly look at her friend. The story is told by Harriet and Charlotte in a before and after style and there are a few secrets revealed and twists and turns to the story. The story is about the disappearance of Alice but it’s also about the loss of friendship and trust between the two woman. Well deserving 4 stars. |
This was a new author for me and I found "Now You See Her" to be a great introduction to this particular writers work. It was a fast-paced read; managing to keep me on my toes throughout. Full of twists and turns this did a great job of retaining and investing my attention. The story itself revolves around friends Harriet and Charlotte and the fallout that results when the unimaginable happens. Charlotte at a school fete manages to lose Harriets daughter; one-minute shes there, the next vanished into thin air. How can their friendship survive this tragic strain and has the whole world looks on in horror Charlotte's perfect life starts to unravel as friends and strangers start to point the finger and judge. Crucifying her as a mother and friend. Meanwhile, Harriets fighting her own personal demons and with buried secrets ready to reveal all there's much more going on here than originally meets the eye. So this was a great book that really kept my interest. Its told in dual POV; Harriet and Charlottes and did an excellent job of portraying these flawed imperfect characters. I loved that both friends were far from faultless; each not truly showing all of themselves but still acting so clueless as to how actual real they were both outwardly behaving. I also enjoyed seeing the glimpse into the mommy mates playground dynamics showcased here, actually so typical of most school hierarchy's, shallow and superficial all the way. It's no wonder Charlotte as an individual altered so much through this as she slowly has her eyes opened to her friend's fakeness. Not even one apology amongst them for shunning and abandoning their so-called friend in her time of need. The only exception to this was her friend Audrey, she was a rock, I think we could all do with an Audrey in our lives. Harriet, as I mentioned earlier, has her own battles to fight and without going into to detail these slowly start to unfold as we venture further into proceedings. There is a lot of back and forth as we are taken back in time to the events as they occurred as both friends are questioned extensively by the authorities. And though this was somewhat predictable in places with no great surprises that I hadn't managed to guess for myself I still enjoyed myself here immensely. This was at its heart a psychological thriller but for me, it was also was a story about friendship and loss. This one gets a yay from me. Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of "Now You See Her" of which I have reviewed voluntary. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. |
Lynn F, Reviewer
4.5 stars. This was a cracking thriller full of twists and turns which I thoroughly enjoyed. I genuinely didn’t know what to expect or how it was going to turn out. It was so well written and compulsive reading. I haven’t read anything by this author before but will definitely be looking for her other books now |
This was a fast paced , psychological thriller about a child who goes missing whilst in the care of a friend. What a scenario and it lives up to expectations. |
A gripping and engaging psychological thriller. It was an easy read and kept me entertained. Thanks for the ARC. |
Oh my god I loved it and have read loads of books like this, it was brilliant and I believ a stand alone novel if I’d kind though there are many around none are like this!!!!..... Brilliant basically Charlotte is looking after her friends kid and the kid goes missing!....totally tense and gripping full of secrets and lies and who can you trust issues! Loved it can’t say enough get the book you’ll love it too!!! |
I love a good thriller and this fast-paced book did not disappoint. I would not put as high up as my personal favorites but it was certainly entertaining and kept me going. |
Wow! This book started off good, became great, then absolutely brilliant. It’s such a good story and the twists are completely unexpected. Read over two evenings I genuinely didn’t want to put this down |
Nicky M, Reviewer
Now you see her by Heidi Parks is a 5 star read. I loved this book so much I read it twice in a row and I know I will read it again. The author kept my interest from the first page and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. |
Susan D, Reviewer
This is an ok thriller. It's about a missing four year old girl. There were plenty of twists and turns and the book held my interest to the end. |
How much do you trust your friends? How much do you know about them? When mother-of-three Charlotte agrees to take her friend Harriet’s daughter to the school fete, she has no idea that this kind and mundane act will have tremendous consequences for everyone. I did not know either. I am now convinced I will never take my kids (or others’) to those events! Now You See Her talked to me instantly. The blurb was intriguing enough for me to not think twice and agree to review the book. What exactly drew me to it? First and foremost, the originality of the plot. No simple husband and wife domestic noir, no police procedural, no ‘regular’ psychological thriller. Another missing-persons case? Yes, but with a twist, a layer that I had never read before: women friendship. We don’t get to see them explored enough but the author’s idea of leaving your child to someone you talk to, you trust, you rely on, is the perfect background to set a compelling and intense read. Told through both women’s voices and with a Before and Now timelines, you get to know Charlotte and Harriet through each other’s eyes, something I felt was beautifully done. Where a relationship lays, two points of view happen. What you share, what you keep to yourself, how you interpret the other’s reaction, everything is subjective. At times, I felt I was reading two different stories with a oh-so-thin thread reuniting them: Alice. The missing little girl. Losing your child in a crowd is a parent’s nightmare, but what do you do when the missing child is not yours? I was torn between my sympathy for Charlotte and my broken heart for the mother’s horrendous ordeal. Reading the ‘Before’ chapters kept me hungry for more. I was given answers to questions I hadn’t thought about! Going back and forth kept me on my toes and had me thinking about just how quick things can go wrong. Two lives are at the heart of Now You See Her but the waves they swim through impact many other lives. Charlotte’s kids and ex-husband, Harriet’s husband, friends, neighbours, an entire town. In our days, missing kids make the front page quickly and journalists often act as vultures to reach their audience, feeding off people’s despair to satisfy a voyeurism we are guilty of. Have you never thought ‘It could have been me/my kid/my friend/mother…’ when reading or watching the news? I know I have. Now You See Me allowed me to put myself in the shoes of each party. Could Charlotte be considered guilty for Alice’s disappearance? Would it have been different had Harriet been less protective of her daughter, letting her learn how to behave on her own? Lots of questions ran through my mind when the search began but what I thought would be a case of two parties clashing in a black and white backdrop suddenly turned into a complicated tale of families, trust, friends, secrets, and lies. The author leads you into a dark room with no escape door, each character stuck in their role, in their guilt, in their life. I am not a mother, but God did I feel for both women. I can barely leave my dogs to someone for an hour, I can’t imagine leaving my child to someone. Yet, I was raised by an overprotective mother and I would be lying if I said it did not play a part in my being crazy!! On top of the obvious question about motherhood, Heidi Perks pokes into family life and family bonds, testing waters and most of all, what women can do for one another. Manipulation can take you so far, is there a hand strong enough to bring you back? The novel’s pace is absolutely perfect, ratcheting up tension as you turn pages, stirring feelings and leaving you begging for answers. Fingers are pointed. The weight of responsibility and our human need to find a culprit to alleviate our pain taint the novel in a chillingly realistic way. I did not know what to believe, I suspected there was more than met the eye and boy I was so right! I never once guessed what would happen next! I was simply and utterly addicted!! I couldn’t tear myself away from the book and I just got swallowed in the action and the skillfully dissected emotions the author played with. Now You See Her is a strong psychological thriller led by a five-star array of characters you will love to question! |
Once I started this book I couldn't put it down. Imagine your friend asking you to look after her daughter and she goes missing in your care. A nightmare for anyone. Harriet had never let her daughter out of her sight and Charlotte was happy to look after Alice since she already had 3 children of her own. And then the nightmare began. The twists and turns of the story were intriguing and held me captive eager to know the truth of hat happened. What a truth it was. A very enjoyable read. |
Now You See Her is a very good suspenseful thriller that I enjoyed and did not see the twist coming at any point. Charlotte is Harriet’s friend in fact she is her only friend, Harriett wants to get her life back on track so goes and attends a book keeping course, leaving her young daughter, Alice in the hands of Charlotte who with her own three children will have her hands full. Whilst Harriet is at the course Charlotte takes Alice and her children to the school fair but whilst there she looses Alice. When Alice has been missing a few days there was a niggle in me into how Harriet seemed calmer than I would have been but put it down to her awful husband, Brian who does nothing but put her down and makes her think she’s losing her mind. The story had a good pace throughout and I have to admit that Charlotte was my favourite character although she did lose Alice it could probably happen to anyone that quick and felt for her when she was left out of the circle at school and awful comments were made on social media about her. I would definitely recommend this as a book to read if you like a suspenseful read. I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Uk Cornerstone, Century for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review. |
Jade G, Reviewer
I would like to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book. What a tiny rollercoaster of emotions this turned out to be. The story is told from the sides of two best friends when one daughter is kidnapped. The story takes you on highs and lows as you follow the event and you find yourself going back and forth with feelings. (Well I did) Well done Heidi Perks for keeping me in the edge of my seat all the way through. I would definitely recommend this book. |
What a brilliant book, the story was so well written and not predictable at all. I started reading this last night and I didnt want to put it down. Charlotte only took her eyes of the children for a few minutes, but that is all it took for her to loose Alice her friends daughter. 'Now You See her' is a story of every parents worst nightmare and the lengths you may be willing to go out of sheer desperation. I can not recommend this book enough. |
A gripping tale of the sheer gut-churning agony of losing a child - bad enough to lose your own but to lose someone else's in your care is unforgivable. Clever twists which I did not see coming and a different perspective on the intricacies of relationships whether at the school gate or in the home, bringing up children or staying in touch with parents. |




