I received a digital arc of this from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book but didn't find myself totally immersed in it. I found I didn't root for either of the main characters which is unusual in this kind of book. I found both characters to be quite selfish and nasty in their own ways. It was a good topic to be covered though and I didn't expect it.

This was a proper page turner of a book, began with a woman trying to jump off a building, so from page one it’s all go! Loved it and haven’t read anything by the author before and so I’m off to find some more! I loved the characters which were brilliantly portrayed, Libby was my favourite, I thought the subject of surrogacy was handled well and sensitively and it was a really good book. More please!

Lost You is an exciting, gripping and twist filled crime thriller. I raced through this novel, it tugged at my heartstrings and was sorry to reach the last page.

It starts with a woman about to jump from a hotel roof with her child. But is everything as clear as it seems. A brilliant thriller about one woman's desire to have a child and the chain of events that follow. Would really recommend.

Great second offering from Haylen Beck. The dual timeline worked really well, taking us right up to a pivotal moment before jumping back to slowly reveal the what and the why. Particularly liked the character of Mr Kovacs - dark and deadly but with a human side too.

I was so looking forward to reading this book as Here and Gone was a favourite read of mine. Lost You is completely different but also gripping.
I had no idea where the plot was leading , which is what I love about a book. The delicate/controversial topic of surrogacy , to me . was written sensitively. The characters , especially Libby were brilliantly portrayed., likeable or not. With this subject you think you know what is about to happen,but you would be wrong. Quite a few heart pounding moments. Yet again a brilliant thriller from Haylen Beck. I can't wait for the next book.

I loved the author’s book Here and Gone so was really looking forward to reading this. I love thrillers and this was right up my street. I was completely caught up in the storyline from the first page. I loved the way the story moves back and forth in time. I loved the way the author explores the obsessions of both women in the book. Libby is determined to have a child and in her desperation turns to an illegal surrogacy agency. Anna is in dire financial straits and gets involved in something that should seem too good to be true. I loved the way the worlds of both women collide. I felt great sympathy for both of them. Libby has no real claim to her illegally obtained child but he is still her son. Anna did not give birth to him but she is his mother. My heart went out to both of them.

After a dramatic start I did wonder where this book was going - but I shouldn’t have been concerned. The plot is well thought out and well researched. I found myself wavering between Libby and Anna with my sympathies. A very fine depiction of what it is to be a mother.

Just an amazing book.

This is one of those books that once you have started it you just have to keep reading. Fortunately, I was on holiday so it was ideal for me.

Libby is a single parent with a beautiful 3-year-old son called Ethan. She is having a short break in Florida when in an instant her life is shattered. Whilst her back is turned momentarily, Ethan walks into an elevator, the doors close and suddenly he is gone.
Eventually, he is found with another woman, Anna, who claims that Ethan is her son.

We then discover that Ethan is a surrogate child and we learn all about the traumas and problems that this can evoke in both the surrogate mother and the recipient of the child. The author does not make any assumptions about this emotive subject but just describes how a woman desperate for money can agree to be a surrogate but as the baby grows and moves inside her changes her mind and cannot imagine ever giving up her child. We are also shown how when a child is given to his adoptive mother the overwhelming love is no different from having her own child.

There have been many books regarding surrogacy but the difference with this particular book is the amazing twists in the story. I had no idea what was going to happen and would not spoil the book by giving any clues, you need to read it yourself.


Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

A very fast paced book, engrossing and kept me swiping the kindle
Well defined characters, interesting subject and full of drama
10/10 5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Wow - what a rollercoaster of a story line!
Libby and Anna's ordeals are both heart wrenching. The reader is drawn to feel empathy equally on both sides of this emotional situation.
I thought I had in my mind how this book was going to play out, but I was wrong and the ending was a suprise.
It is difficult to write a review for this book. If this synopsis appeals, then go ahead and read, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

This was a difficult book to read at times as some of the content was concerning. but it was a very compulsive police procedural mystery. Some really good characters and non stop action. A good conclusion.

I loved, loved, loved the book. I couldn't stop reading it, even when it was 2am. I had to know the truth. The book captured me so slyly that I was the prey in the web it wove around me.

The cover and a missing child arc always makes me pick up the BOOK. The main character Libby paid a huge price for just a moment of distraction. Her son rushed to the elevator all by himself to press the shiny buttons. AND HE WAS LOST!! The cameras caught the back of a woman walking with him...

Haylen Beck is amazing, I couldn't believe the way his writing pulled me slowly into the story with its emotions. I thought I knew thrillers. What I didn't know was that a thriller can cause so many emotions to wrench my heart along with fear and angst. I loved the way the author made me go - No no don't do it!! But alas the characters didn't listen to me.

I didn't know one can have a story filled with a mind gripping thrill, the kinds that made me scream, with just two main characters. The scenes molded in a smooth manner, the tension never let go. There were times when I couldn't believe what I was reading, all in a good way.

How far could two women go when they believe they are entitled to a child... FAR... VERY VERY FAR

Having featured in my top 10 thrillers of last year I was hoping Lost You would live up to the extraordinarily exciting Here and Gone, and although it isn't quite as good it will likely feature in my top books of the year. Single parent Libby treats her and her 4-year-old son Ethan to an all-inclusive vacation after a difficult year. Having turned her back for merely seconds she realises that cheeky Ethan has boarded the elevator and pressed all of the buttons. She frantically sprints from one floor to the next but can't find him anywhere. Terrifyingly, CCTV shows him walking hand in hand with a complete stranger. Naturally, Libby is going out of her mind with worry knowing that the first hours are absolutely crucial in childhood abductions but she is too distraught to really help the police in a meaningful way.

What follows is a tense, action-packed race against the clock and when we learn the reason for Libby falling to pieces so quickly — she struggled to become pregnant and eventually used a surrogacy clinic to provide her with a child — you can't help but feel for her. There is an emotional exploration of motherhood, vulnerability, surrogacy and the potential for those desperate for a family to become involved in a less than kosher enterprise. It is a cross between a thriller and family drama but touches on profound, heart-wrenching topical issues. I cannot recommend this highly enough if you appreciate thought-provoking real-world problems considered through the eyes of relatable and believable fictional characters. This scenario is any parents worst nightmare and it is depicted in a compelling and sensitive fashion. Many thanks to Harvill Secker for an ARC.

“Here And Gone” was one of my top three reads of 2018, and whilst “Lost You” doesn’t disappoint, it just does not, for me anyway, quite have the same ‘wow’ factor as the former title.
Don’t get me wrong, “Lost You” will probably still rank in my top 10 for 2019. It is an excellently written thriller that enters the dark world of surrogacy., motherhood, and two desperate women whose lives don’t turn out quite as expected.. Libby, desperate for a child, cannot have her own, so goes for a surrogate. Anna, being in desperate need of money, agrees to the surrogacy. However, once the baby is born........well, you can probably guess the rest.
I was slightly annoyed, in a good way, at the ending, as I really didn’t see that coming. Looking back, of course I should have realised, but well done Stuart Neville for fooling me.
“Lost You” is very fast paced, realistic, unsettling and sometimes disturbing, but this really is one book that you are not going to want to put down until the end. The two women protagonists are complete opposites and sometimes I just could not believe they would act they way they do 100%, and I have to say, I didn’t really take to either of them. Maybe that’s because I’m a man.
All in all, this is a thumping good read of a novel, and if you enjoyed “Here And Gone” you will definitely like this, so go for it.

I'm a huge fan of Haylen Beck and couldn't wait to read this. Loved the two stories intertwining in the lead up to the prologue in the modern day. It is fast paced and the characters really draw you in too.

I loved Haylen Beck’s first book, Here and Gone so was really keen to read his second, stand-alone psychological thriller, Lost You. This book is so pacy, I read it in one sitting, while my heart raced and my emotions were caught up in this intelligent, disturbing thriller.

Lost You is a story of two women who share an incredibly strong urge; that of motherhood. Neither has had the best role mother, both struggle with mental health issues at different times.

The first part of the book focuses on Libby Reese. Libby’s marriage broke down and she is now a single parent to three year old Ethan. Libby has struggled to bring Ethan up on her own and he is the most precious human in her life.

Libby’s life is now looking a bit brighter. After slogging away, she has finally sold a novel and the advance she receives is enough to give her a bit of breathing space and to afford her a much needed break.

She takes Ethan away to a luxury resort and though she is the archetypal over protective mother, she is able to relax a bit when she meets a couple who are friendly and welcoming to them both.

All is going swimmingly (sorry!) when little rascal Ethan, who loves the resort’s lifts, gets in to one on his own in a rare moment when Libby is distracted and now he can’t be found. Libby is frantic with worry. The police are called and as they take Libby to watch CCTV images, Libby’s blood freezes. Someone is leading Ethan away by the hand.

Beck takes us back in time on an emotionally harrowing trip that explores in detail what Libby went through in order to have Ethan. Fertility issues dogged her desperate desire to conceive and her anguish at being unable to do so led to severe strains in her marriage.

Her desperation makes her explore previously unthinkable solutions and soon she is shelling out thousands of pounds to a dodgy broker in pursuit of her aim.

Beck’s exploration of the world where surrogacy and exploitation walk hand in hand is devastating, emotional and very disturbing. He offers up so many moral and ethical questions for the reader to consider, intertwined in a fast paced thriller that never lets up.

His writing displays acute knowledge of a range of vulnerabilities which make for an intense and harrowing read. His plotting is strong and his plotlines unpredictable, making for a strong and surprising read and his characters are well-drawn with light and shade.

Verdict: Emotionally engaging, suspenseful and the very definition of a ‘one sit’ read, Lost You successfully combines psychological thriller with obsession and heart –rending moral conundrums to keep the reader guessing.

I had not realised this was written by Stuart Neville under a pseudonym. Chapter 1 is the present day and a frightening scene of a woman threatening to throw herself and her child off a roof while everyone else stands by trying to avert disaster. From Chapter 2 we learn what happened immediately prior to this situation and the sympathy for Libby is obvious - a moment's inattention leading to a mother losing her child - terrifying! Libby's lack of cooperation with the police and security is understandable - she wants to look for her son herself - time is of the essence.
Then we are taken back 4 years and yet another story unfolds.
The twists and turns in this psychological thriller are many and this is a fascinating book of thrills and heartache.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Haylen Beck (aka Stuart Neville)/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Now. A woman stands on a ledge. She is holding a child. A man attempts to talk her down.
Then. Libby, a single mother, is on vacation with her infant son, Ethan. It is Libby’s first vacation since her divorce, one she was reluctant to take. But she is enjoying herself, as is her son. And then Ethan is gone.
Let’s not beat around the bush. ‘Lost You’ by Haylen Beck, Stuart Neville’s alter-ego, is one of the best novels of the year. Neville has always been an excellent storyteller, from his debut, ‘The Twelve’ (aka Ghosts of Belfast), to last year’s ‘Here and Gone’, his first as Haylen Beck. ‘Lost You’ surpasses them all. Ostensibly a story of child abduction, the book is so much more. Just when you think you know where he is headed, Neville takes a left-turn and the story goes to places you did not expect it to.
Neville creates sympathetic fully drawn characters, makes you care about them, only to reveal something to make you question your initial feelings. It would be unfair to discuss the plot in any detail but everything arises from decisions the characters make, decisions the reader can understand and empathise with, if not agree with. The characters drive the story forward to an ending that is as heart-rending as it is inevitable. The story will stay with you long after you have set the book down.
‘Lost You’ is stunning novel that deserves to be huge.

Haylen Beck has done it once again with an amazing and totally unputdownable suspense thriller.

The domestic thriller market is saturated with lost or missing children narratives - lets be honest, it’s easy to pick one off the shelf, there are so many to chose from! But it’s not so easy to find one that subverts all expectations and brings something new and fresh to the mix.

This novel was a mix of missing children, deep and dark secrets, surrogacy and outright obsession. I can not recommend this book enough for fans of twisty and suspenseful thrillers.

We begin the book by following Libby, a stressed out mother to one beautiful three year old boy, Ethan. They take a well deserved holiday in a remote location and start to relax - Libby especially. But it isn’t long before things take a turn for the worst. After getting into a lift all by himself, Ethan suddenly goes missing without a trace. Once the police are called and CCTV footage surfaces, Ethan is found with another woman. But she refuses to hand him over. Why? Because she claims she is his real mother.

OMG. Get ready for the rude of your life!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.