So it seems that domestic thrillers are fast becoming a guilty pleasure of mine. Yes, they’re genre so essentially follow a tried and tested formula but when they’re well written they’re utterly addictive – and luckily for me, Now You See Her is completely, totally unputdownable. In fact, I read it in one sitting (I say read – guiltily consumed it when I should have been working is more accurate). Therefore, I’m marking it as a bathtub book – as in, run a bath and be prepared not to move for the next three hours ☺.

The story focuses on Charlotte, a busy mum of three kids. Two weeks ago was the day of the school fete, when she agreed to look after her hyper-protective friend Harriet’s little girl along with her own children. Harriet’s daughter goes missing and Charlotte is beside herself – but is she actually guilty of negligence or is there something else going on? The book alternates between the events of two weeks ago, Harriet’s childhood and the present day and as it progresses we are slowly drip fed information about what has really happened. And seriously – a lot of shit has gone down.

I LOVED the way that Now You See Her was written. Heidi Perks did a fantastic job of writing such well-rounded, believable characters and built the tension up through the narrative brilliantly. I thought that the reactions of all of the characters was utterly believable and the sense of dread and panic was palpable. I also liked the way that the novel alternated between then and now – I’m not always a fan of a time slip but this one was easy to follow and didn’t require an idetic memory to establish whereabouts in the timeframe each chapter was taking place. In a lot of ways the book reminded me of a less complex Big Little Lies, but faster paced and with more drama. High praise indeed!

I really empathised with Charlotte’s character. She wasn’t perfect but she seemed very real – just an ordinary busy mum trying to keep all of her plates spinning. As the novel progressed and we found out more about Harriet she went from being a slightly annoying, one dimensional woman (the classic no-fun mum) to a complex, ambiguous individual with a disturbing past and an even more disturbing present. I really liked how the characters were played off against each other as it added to the drama and the twist at the end made me want to stand up and cheer. 

I wasn’t a huge fan of the “now it’s a year later let’s see how everyone’s getting on” final chapter as it felt a bit flat after all of the drama – but that’s only a minor criticism. 

Overall I thought that Now You See Her was a great novel – not hugely original but completely engrossing and would make a fab beach read.

Thank you for letting me read this book. Wow, Wow, Wow what a page turner. This is the first book by Heidi Perks I have read and she certainly knows how to keep you gripped. The book has you guessing, sometimes rightly but that really doesn't matter. Highly recommend and would give more than 5 stars if I could

It's every parent's worst nightmare.... the disappearance of a child. But what if it's someone else's child? One that you're supposed to be looking after? Is that better or worse?

This book unfolds in two time frames.... the 'now' when we meet Charlotte in a police interview; and the 'then' just a few weeks before as her best friend Harriet drops 4yr old Alice off for Charlotte to babysit. An over-protective mother, it's the first time Harriet's been away from Alice so Charlotte's pleased her friend's entrusted her with her daughter.

And then the unthinkable.... Charlotte looks away for a minute (and yes, she is briefly on Facebook) but she's also grappling with three kids of her own - and Alice disappears.

Harriet's devastated but her husband Brian - who Charlotte barely knows despite five years of friendship with Harriet - is furious with Charlotte and intent on posting blame with her.

We're in both Charlotte and Harriet's heads in the days and weeks after Alice's disappearance so it's impossible not to feel sympathy for Charlotte - once a popular mum, suddenly a pariah within the school community; and Harriet dealing with her husband's fury... intermingled with concern for his wife.

We soon learn that there's some 'history' that led to Brian and Harriet moving to Dorset and Brian - who comes across as a controlling bastard (just quietly) - is constantly having to remind Harriet of things she's forgotten; or things she's done, or not done.

There are quite a few twists and I was surprised by some. There's a confrontation of sorts 'after' the climax and I kept thinking another twist could be forthcoming but it wasn't (well, for we readers anyway.) I wasn't sure about the scene itself (ie. whether it was necessary) but guess it offers some closure for one of the characters and gives us a sense of things being resolved... and reflecting the uncertainty of life.

3.5 stars

Now You See Her is an excellent thriller by Heidi Perks. It is a well-written domestic thriller with plenty of twists and turns that will keep readers guessing from start to finish. If you're looking for an unpredictable, suspense-filled ride, Now You See Her is exactly what you're looking for. Be sure to check it out today!

I haven’t read Heidi Perks other book, however, after reading Now You See Her I plan to check it out. Now I’ll be honest, I’m getting a bit tired of every thriller or suspense being labeled as a “gripping thriller” or “unputdownable,” but Now You See Her was unputdownable!! I read this entire book in two sittings, on the last day I started out at 35% but couldn’t stop reading until I was finished. It really was a compulsive read!! I was pleased with Ms. Perks writing style and descriptions. She really drew out that parental fear. The storytelling was creative and I felt like I was being giving puzzle pieces one at a time. It was a gradual process that I really enjoyed. 

Now set the scene... you’re at a school sponsored event and you have 4 kids, a throbbing headache, it’s hot, there’s tons of people especially excited and happy kids bouncing and just plain running amok. You just want to sit down and catch your breath, take a couple Tylenol, and rest your overstimulated mind. You see your kids laughing and running through a bouncy house but where’s quite little Alice?! Panic doesn’t kick in immediately but Alice isn’t your child and she isn’t one to wonder. Queue the hysterics and total panic! It’s bad enough to loose your child but to loose someone else’s child is just beyond horrible, almost monstrous!! Can you even imagine?!? 

Ms. Perks does a great job of really projecting both sides. Then these parents lives all start to unravel. It’s fascinating to see all the pieces starting to fall into place. The little morsels of info that Ms. Perks feeds us is enough to keep the reader intrigued and horrifically fascinated! It’s the train-wreck passerby’s can’t look away from. Now You See Her started out a bit slower and really it didn’t start to feel compulsive until about 25%ish.  I kept reading this book and thinking back to the old saying that only two can keep a secret if one is dead. This is an interesting storyline with just a nightmareish plot for any parent out there! 

<i>I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.</i>

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Oh my gosh! I loved this. LOVED it! I could not put this book down. Such a brilliant plot but also quite a distressing read. I felt so emotionally invested in both Harriet and Charlotte. 5star!

Harriet and Charlotte are best friends, one day Harvey asks Charlotte to look after Alice, but Alice goes missing while Charlotte is minding her, days pass with no word of Alice, Charlotte is devestated that her friends daughter was kidnapped while in her care and Harriet will not speak to her. Harriet’s marriage to Brian looks great to outsiders but he has been controlling Harriet for years, secrets start to come out and the book is turned on its head. A great read that kept me turning the pages from the beginning.

Charlotte is looking after her friend Harriet’s daughter Alice. She’s taken her to the school fete along with her children and sees them head to play on the bouncy castle. She sits down to check her phone then realises she can’t see Alice. She’s disappeared! The book follows both Charlotte and Harriet as they are interviewed by the police as they try to piece together what happened.

This book has a great plot with well thought out characters and is a compelling read but something just lacked in it and didn’t grip me the way I’d hoped. There’s some good twists and turns but overall I found the book to be ok. I know others have loved it but I struggled to gel with any of the characters and thought the character of Brian was a bit predictable. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and the author for the chance to review.

This book was full of mystery and suspense. Really enjoyed reading this one. Would happily read more from this author.

A fantastic read. Thoroughly enjoyed this and it is not something I would usually pick up. Will look for more from this author in future.

When Charlotte is left in charge of her best friend Harriet's daughter Alice she sees it as a real privilege. Harriet rarely lets Alice out of her sight. On the day in question she has little choice, as her presence at a book keeping course is required.

Charlotte, mother to three of her own children, is looking forward to having Alice for the day. She is a quiet and obedient child and is looking forward to the school fete where they are all headed. The fete is packed as these things usually are, and Charlotte is relieved for five minutes peace when the children all head for the jungle gym.

Her quiet time is short lived when the children return, without Alice.

Charlotte is devastated at the realisation her best friends daughter is missing, whilst in her care. How on earth is she going to break the news to Harriet? She must find Alice, and quickly. The police are quick to arrive, and quick to point the finger at Charlotte.

Was she distracted somehow? How did she lose another woman's child.

Charlotte could not feel any worse than she already does, but somehow the police make it seem even worse, treating Charlotte like a criminal.

I can't say too much more without giving anything away, but I will say that there are some surprises in this novel, and it may not take you exactly where you expect it too. For this reason, I really enjoyed it, though the subject matter is at times difficult it is worth persevering with.

I found it impossible to put this book down. It's a two person account of a missing girl and you can't trust any of them.

It's not often I can relate to a missing child thriller but my now fully grown son at the age of 2 once threw his tricycle over the gate along with himself and took himself off on an adventure for a few hours. That feeling, the horror of trying to explain how you took your eyes off them for an instance to the police will never go away. So whenever I read these types of books I have a bit of insider knowledge on how people might feel. For me then, this story perfectly captured these feelings; the horror, guilt, fear and being terrified no one will believe you. The writing around this is excellent.

However no thrill is ever that simple and as the plot unravels no on is as innocent as they seem. The first twist comes half way through the book and confirmed that by suspecting all three of shenanigans I was right when the actual truth came out but then we get another twist 3/4 of the way through which I really liked.

I really liked the way that the two women's stories were interwoven and trying to guess who was telling the truth, who was lying and who merely thought they had all the facts. Nothing can be taken for granted. It's quite the page turner, it's fast paced and there's no let up in plot.

An excellent book.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, for providing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Still a little unsure what my feelings are about this book. 

I struggled with the characters initially and felt the book was a tad long. 

Overall though I'm glad I persevered as there were a couple of unexpected twists.

I really enjoyed this book and would heartily recommend. Clever story, enjoyed the writing and was eager to find out what would happen next. Brian was such a creep but it was believable that he could act like that and get away with it. Alice & Hannah were very likeable as was Hannah's dad. I was sorry to get to the end of the book.

I literally could not put this book down. So well written. What would you do if your best friend lost your child? Would you hate them? Such a good book with great characters. The story was quite intense and I just wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. Loved it!

This is the story of most women's nightmare, that you look up from your phone and the child of a friend (whom you were supposed to be watching) has now disappeared. It then develops into a story about female friendship, controlling relationships and what is justifiable in protecting a child.

So, an interesting premise and it's quite well written, I just found the characters frustrating and the story plodding and confusing at times. I'm sure many will love it, just, not me.

An OK read.


Thanks to netgalley and Random House UK for the opportunity to preview in exchange for this honest review.

I am already a huge fan of Heidi Perks and this book did not disappoint. Right from the beginning I was hooked and absolutely did not see the twist coming. The writing style is perfect for me and I loved the storyline. Would definitely recommend to family and friends.

Once I started this book, I literally could not put this down!! The story starts off really quickly which I have found hard to come by these days as most books have a slow paced build up which can take time to get into - this book is faced paced from the first page! It has twists and turns you wont see coming and the story will stay with you for a long time. The book is well written and has some beautiful descriptions of the coastlines and Dorset. This book will not disappoint and should be on everyone's 'to be read' piles!!

Actual rating 3.5 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story up until the point the author revealed what was actually going on, and unfortunately I wasn’t so keen after that. I honestly had thought the story was going in a different direction.

This is a story with plenty of twists throughout. Nothing is as it seems and the author has done a great job of keeping the reader guessing until she is ready to reveal all. Even then she isn’t finished with the twists though.

The main female characters are well written, but I ended up not liking Harriet very much by the end of it. 

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I had previously never read anything by Heidi Perks before picking up this book. Whilst it was well written and her writing encapsulated the emotions throughout the story, I felt the whole thing was far fetched. I was disappointed in the twist. I disliked all the characters, which also didn't help as I felt no sympathy towards any of them.

The premise of the abducted child has been done to death and I was hopeful that this book was going to put an original spin on it. Unfortunately, it failed in this respect.