Picture of Innocence is the darkest book I've read in a long time! I feel dark is an overused word in book reviews so when I use it you know a book is dark! Some parts were honestly hard to read, I literally had nightmares last night because of Picture of Innocence and I'm not easily scared. Emotional, disturbing and thought provoking; what else could you want from a psychological thriller!?

This was a well written harrowing tale that I really enjoyed. Thank you for the chance to review., I look forward to more.

A great book. It is most definitely a page turner.
An intelligent plot, well thought out characters and a difficult subject tackled very well

Excellent read! Absolutely harrowing at times, but so well written and so sensitive to the awful matter within.
Maddie is a stressed mum to 3 children, Noah being only a couple of months old, and being as difficult as a baby with colic can be. She is familiar with the symptoms of post natal depression after having.suffered with it with her son Jacob, so is covering up memory loss, and strange behaviour for fear her husband will stop trusting her! When tragedy strikes, she goes through a roller coaster of a police investigation all the while wondering if not her, then who would hurt her baby.
Running along this is the devastating story of Lydia - abused, neglected, terrorised! But who is Lydia? Is it Candace, her sister in law? Or Maddie? I guessed after a while - but that didn’t alter my enjoyment of the book.
As dark and distressing a story about child abuse and murder can be, this was an outstanding book which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Emotional family drama, of who did it. Innocent lives born into evil. It’s a page turner that keeps you wondering until the end.

I liked the subject and the main character, but felt that there was a lot of gray area with the character interactions and relationships that made this book fall flat in many parts for me. The writing was sharp, but it seemed like there was a lot that was drug out that needed to be condensed and tightened up for a more cohesive reading experience. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

https://bibwithblog.blogspot.com/2018/12/read-this-not-that-review-of-tj.html?m=1

As always, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book, Picture of Innocence by TJ Stimson.

I really liked this book, but there are some things that I think a reader should know even before they go forward in this review. In addition to the death of an infant, which is a main part of the plot, this book also deals with child abuse, both physical and sexual. It was very hard for me to read and I have never lost a child, so I can’t imagine how hard it would be for someone who has.

That being said, this was a great read. Don’t get me wrong, Maddie was sometimes hard to read and even after the ending, Lucas rubbed me the wrong way. I felt like Maddie was too quick to take the blame for everything and something about her inner weakness was very hard for me to vibe with. I wanted to shake her. Given everything she was dealing with, I’ll be the first person to say that’s probably an unfair reaction; if she was too resilient, it probably would’ve been unbelievable. Lucas seemed like a man’s version of what would be a woman’s ideal man versus what most women really want. Except for the couple times when Stimson was trying to mislead us about who Lucas was and what his character was (specific as I can be without giving spoilers), he just felt so flat, like a cardboard cut out of a man.

Every other review I have read said that the reader was so shocked by the ending: I wasn’t. By the time I realized “Lydia” was a character who existed in both time streams, but under two different names, I guessed who she was. Ditto to the final twist. There were a LOT of clues and—no shade—it makes me wonder how closely people really read their books these days. Then again, I’ve been told repeatedly that I overthink, so maybe that’s my bad.

The twist didn’t really matter to me, if I’m being honest. I guess this book ultimately has some elements that would categorize it as a thriller, but that’s not what the book is about. It’s about family, loss, grief, shame, the nature of evil and, ultimately, forgiveness. It’s a very human book that not only kept me turning pages, but kept me reading. This is another must read.

4/5

With three children under ten, Maddie is struggling. On the outside, she’s a happy young mother, running a charity as well as a household. But inside, she’s exhausted. She knows she’s lucky to have to have a support network around her. Not just her loving husband, but her family and friends too.

But is Maddie putting her trust in the right people? Because when tragedy strikes, she is certain someone has hurt her child – and everyone is a suspect, including Maddie herself…

This is an emotional, raw, dark family drama that keeps you sucked in and guessing until the end!

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of Picture of Innocence by TJ Stimson
Pub Date 18 Apr 2019

5 stars for this twisted, sad, emotional mind game of a book.
Yes, lots of this book were hard to read due to the topics and situations but the author did a superb job of handling those topics. It was no different than watching Olivia Bensen handle an SVU case.
I really enjoyed the two stories of two women in two different periods of time and watching how those stories intertwined,
The ending?! Wow didn’t see that coming!

Thank you #Netgalley, the author and publisher for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review. I highly recommend this book. Also posting on Goodreads.

I enjoyed this dark disturbing thriller. I could have done with a bit less of the descriptions of child abuse, but otherwise a fine and enjoyable read.

Wow! What a wild ride this book was!
This story was so well written...I had absolutely no idea what direction this book was going.
I don’t think any reader will be able to see the twists and turns coming.
Just when I thought I had it figured out....I didn’t.
This was a read in one sitting...page turner and I loved it.
I am so excited for TJ Stimson to write her next book, I will definitely be first in line to read it...utterly FANTASTIC!

While I enjoyed this book, I thought I was going to like it more than I did. The synopsis drew me in, but I found it slow going, but did manage to finish it, overall still a decent read and would still be interested to see what comes from the author next.

Thank you TJ Stimson for the pleasure of reading and review this book. I have become an immediate fan; thought provoking, disturbing and intriguing. Can evil be inherited or learned. Nature versus nuture
One mother must do all she can to protect her babies, even the ultimate sacrifice

I was given an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! I've not read Tess Stimson before as I understand she wrote primarily romance novels before deciding to try her hand at a thriller. Well, I hope she doesn't stop there because PICTURE OF INNOCENCE is an absolute compelling page-turner! I'd read the first half in one sitting and had to call it a night at 3am to actually get some sleep. Needless to say I completed it the following night.

PICTURE OF INNOCENCE is an emotional family drama meets psychological thriller with a killer twist you won't see coming! I didn't see it till just before it unfolded and then I got that "a-ha!" moment and began to realise just what erally occurred. Admittedly, I did suspect at some point as just an idea - a notion - I'm not sure I really expected it to be what actually happened. But WOW!

The story begins with Maddie, mother to three children - Emily, Jacob and Noah - and husband Lucas. Outside, she is a happy young mother running an animal sanctuary charity as well as a household; but inside, she is exhausted. Maddie is struggling to juggle everything with the demands of a colicky newborn who is constantly crying and unable to settle, a teething toddler and the financial restraints her charity is facing. Her one true rock is her husband Lucas and her 9 year old daughter Emily, who had always been a happy and settled child from the moment she was born. Maddie was mistaken to think her other children could be as well-adjusted as Emily.

But then strange things begin to happen. Maddie begins losing time, suddenly finding herself somewhere - in a room, in the car, in her office - without any memory of getting there or what she had been doing beforehand. It frightens her but she doesn't confide in Lucas or her mother. Or anyone. Then in the early hours of one morning, she suddenly wakes to find herself in her rocking chair beside Noah's cot...with no Noah. What happened? She is alarmed to find Noah had slipped from her arms down beside the chair with his face wedged against the arm railings. Afraid to admit the truth to Lucas - should he begin to question her ability to look after the children - she absently makes up a story of finding him wedged against the bars in his cot.

All is forgotten until Noah is found dead in his cot the following morning. It is assumed it was a simple yet tragic case of cot death, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (known here in Australia as SIDS), but then the police begin to question how Noah actually died. The bruises on his face. They don't believe Maddie and question her for hours. But she would never hurt her son. But...what if she can't remember? DID she do this in one of her blackouts? Should she tell the police about them? Maddie doesn't know what to do, as her life begins to fall apart.

While Maddie's story is unfolding we then meet a young girl called Lydia. There is no time on when Lydia's story takes place, but it begins when she is about four. Lydia lives a horrific life, abused at the hands of her mother. One day when her mother is "entertaining" one of her punters and he absently corners Lydia in the bathroom, her mother confronts the punter and asks him "How much?" From that day on, Lydia is regularly prostituted by her mother from an early age. Her mother made no secret of what a bad girl she was and how she should have gotten rid of her before she was born. Lydia had no self-worth and no self-confidence. Whilst being raped by her mother's punters, she took herself to a place where she felt nothing. Although her mother constantly told her she was a bad girl, deep down Lydia knew she wasn't an evil person...but maybe she was a bad person. Because when she was 11 years old she did something bad. Something unforgiveable.

As Lydia and Maddie's stories unfold, you begin to wonder who Lydia is and how she fits into this present day story. As there was no time as to when Lydia's story took place, you find yourself pondering who is at a loose end in the story who could be Lydia. The most obvious seemed the most likely particularly as Ms Stimson threw in a few aspects that would lead the reader to the said conclusion. But was it too obvious? Or was being too obvious just a red herring to lead us in a different direction? Either way, once you discover Lydia's identity it will make perfect sense. And of course sends Maddie on a journey to find out the truth, because she is appalled to think that someone she knows, loves and trusted could have done such a horrible and unforgiveable thing.

But then Maddie has another blackout. This time whilst driving. And the next thing she knows she wakes up in a foreign place without any memory of how she got there or what had happened. Everything she had learnt about Lydia's past is wiped from her memory when she had the blackout. And Maddies wonders who can she trust? Can she even trust herself?

PICTURE OF INNOCENCE is every mother's worst nightmare. In more ways than one. But it is not a story you know...and nothing is what it seems. Looks can be deceiving because everyone is capable of terrible things. Even the most innocent.

A dark and disturbing story, PICTURE OF INNOCENCE explores themes or nature vs nurture, grief and loss and how far we'd go to protect the ones we love. A multi-layered thriller that will give you the chills and keep you guessing to the end, PICTURE OF INNOCENCE is a definite book to look out for when it is released. I HIGHLY recommend it! You won't be disappointed.

Thank you to the #TJStimson, #Netgalley and #AvonUK for an ARC of this most exciting and compelling read in exchange for an honest review.

Picture of Innocence by author TJ Simpson is every mother's worst nightmare. It revolves around questions no mother wants to ever have to ask if wonder but is also very eye opening.. Who can you truly trust? And everyone is a suspect when it comes to hurting your children. Not everyone is as innocents they seem.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of Picture of Innocence in exchange for an honest review.

A good, well written family drama with interesting characters and an exciting page turner with twists and turns along the way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Emotional family drama with psychological thriller elements, Picture of Innocence is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, with some realistically drawn characters and a huge moral dilemma right at the heart of it.

Picture of Innocence explores themes of nature v nurture, grief and loss and how far we'd go to protect those we love.

Ms Stimson keeps you turning those pages, especially after tragedy strikes and we are in the realms of every parent's worst nightmare. The underlying emotional core is brilliantly described and completely heart breaking- this is one of the huge strengths of this story because you are edgy and worried what will be revealed..

To be fair at a certain point well before the end it does become pretty clear who has done what, if indeed anyone has - but it's right at the moment that you get that realisation, even before it's spoken, that you want to weep for them all. 

An intelligent plot, well drawn characters, a difficult subject tackled extremely well, that's "A Picture of Innocence and I definitely recommend it.

Review to be updated to my website nearer publication.

A book that takes you on a journey that you just don’t know what direction your going to go next. Thank you to both NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Disturbing & addictive this kept me guessing till the end really enjoyed it. Thanks for the preview.

Maddie mother of three her youngest a colicky infant.Maddie exhausted ,suffering from post partum depression.Maddie happily married or so she thinks when she dicovers a bank loan a large one she doesn’t remember signing for she begins questioning how well she really knows her husband.Before she can deal with that she makes the most horrific discovery a mother can make she discovers her baby dead in his crib,This chilling multi layered thriller will keep you guessing to the end get ready for a chilling read. #netgalley #pictureofinnocebce #avonuk