Wow, wow, wow. I have no idea why it has taken me so long to read this book. I was hooked from start to end and raced through it. I was picking the book up at every opportunity I had.

The plight of Maggie and her son had me on the edge of my seat throughout the read. The audacity of the kidnapper was off the scale. It made me gasp at times, shake my head and want to grab and slap him .

I love books that are told over different time periods and from different people's view points. This book delivered all of this, very cleverly and it worked extremely well.

I have already recommended this book to everyone I know that reads. I will definitely be reading more books written by Alex Lake, sooner rather than later.

This book is so good and I can't believe it took me so long to read it.

In the early 2000s, fifteen-year-old Maggie Cooper is kidnapped by a man whilst on her way to a friend's house. She is kept in the basement of his garage for over a decade and during that time, has given birth to three boys, Seb, Leo and Max. When Seb and Leo turned 3, the man took them away from Maggie, never to be seen again.

It is coming up to Max's third birthday and Maggie knows she has to get out before she loses another son.

There are points of view changes from Maggie in captivity with each of her sons, to Maggie's parents and brother and how they are getting on with life following her disappearance. This is written so well and feels so sinister when you realise what is going on.

Maggie's brother James's downward spiral felt so real as I can imagine how his life panned out being something that could really happen.

A great, tense read!

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

This was a real edge of your seat thriller, with so many twists and turns, you wont know which way is up! Fantastic and gripping read!

Fast moving and a tense read. I would pick this book at every oppurtunity I got. It really pulls you and devastates you. Books like that are alway an amazing read.

A race against time to save her child…

In seven days, Maggie’s son, Max, turns three. But she’s not planning a party or buying presents or updating his baby book. She’s dreading it. Because in her world, third birthdays are the days on which the unthinkable happens… she loses her child.

For the last twelve years Maggie has been imprisoned in a basement. Abducted aged fifteen, she gave birth to two sons before Max, and on their third birthdays her captor came and took them from her.

She cannot let it happen again. But she has no idea how to stop it. And the clock is ticking…

This book is brilliant. Kept me hooked throughout. Thank you so much to Alex Lake and to the publishers for the ARC.

A great read, totally gripping. The pace was good too. Looking forward to reading more from the author.

I received a digital arc of this from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. After really enjoying a previous book by this author I was excited to read this one. It is made up of lots of really short chapters which keep you turning pages so quickly. I couldn't put it down. We find out fairly quickly who has kidnapped Maggie but that doesn't make the rest of the book drag at all! I was so engrossed in this and raced to the end. Would highly recommend.

I don't really get book hangovers but Seven Days gave me a huge one and that's a massive accomplishment especially seeing as I'm so picky with thrillers.

Maggie is just 15 when she is abducted. She is imprisoned in a basement and in seven days her son Max will be gone, he's going to be three and thats the age they disappear. That's the age Seb and Leo were when they were taken. Maggie can't go through it again. She has to get them out.

This book literally kept me awake at night. I hate to give away too much with thrillers as I feel like you need to go in to them pretty blind for them to have maximum impact, but this absolutely had me on the edge of my seat.
The thing I loved about this book is you feel like you are living through it with them. We get to see all perspectives, from the torment and desperation of Maggie's parents to the frustration of the detective in charge of the case.
Its twisty and thrilling every step of the way. I love a book that has you that captivated and literally makes you shout at the book and this does that.
Maggie's bravery and just utter resilience is remarkable. Her maternal instinct despite how her children were conceived is just mind blowing.
I found Seven Days deeply dark and disturbing but that's what I want in a thriller. Its a real page turner, but ultimately its about a mothers love and the courage to do whatever you can to protect your children.
Its such a clever, captivating read and if you love dark thrillers and haven't read this I highly recommend it.

Read November 2021

In seven days Maggie will lose her son because in seven days Max turns 3. 3 years old is when he takes them away. It's happened before. Twice. Maggie has been held captive by him for 12 years now.

This was so nearly a 5 star book. I loved the set-up, I loved the multiple points of view, seeing how things developed over the years. The writing was descriptive and emotional, a great study in humanity and how differently people can react to a missing family member.

There was one part of the plot that I initially thought was a red herring becasue it was revealed so early but as the novel unfolded the reasoning became clearer and it worked so well!

My main criticism was that it ended very quickly. It felt like the author was given a maximum page/word count that they couldn't go over so everything was tied up a little too quickly in my opinion. I wanted more of the "after" and how it was going back into real life.

Love love love and did I mention LOVE

Little Max is 3 in seven days time, his mother Maggie has just seven days before the man that holds her captive takes him just like he has done the others before. Maggie has been held captive for 12 years, she was just 15 when she was held prisoner, during this time she has not left her captives basement.

This book had me on the edge of my seat, it has so many twists and turns that you don't expect. I read it in one sitting from start to finish. Loved it!

Thank you to @harpercollinsuk and @netgalley for a #gifted advanced digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I'm sorry that it took so long for me to read it!

Seven days is a hugely gripping thriller that I couldn't put down. I found it addictive, needing to know the outcome for Maggie and her son, Max.

I thought the writing was strong and really portrayed how it must feel to be captive, but also the emotions of the family left behind and the pain they must be feeling, the unknown wondering where their child is or whether they are still alive. This really brought an emotional response to the situation I was reading, making me route for Maggie more and hooked me in further.

Fan of a dark thriller? This is definitely a must-read. Hopefully you will find it as captivating as I did.

Maggie is counting down the days to her son Max's third birthday but not with excitement and happiness like most mum's but for the worst reasons you could ever think of. Maggie has had two babies previously and the day they turned three they are cruelly taken from her and she never see them again.
Maggie had been abducted at the age of 15 and is being held captive by a man who rapes her and keeps her constantly locked up, each time she becomes pregnant she is able to keep the baby until it's third birthday, when they are taken away, never to be seen again. Max will be three is seven days time, can Maggie save him this time?

I usually really like Alex Lake as an author, but this book missed the mark for me somewhere. I couldn't get into the story line, and I didn't really seem to care about the characters.

a well-written book that deals with a difficult topic as sensitively as possible. definitely one to keep you hooked

This was an intense book that had you hooked instantly.

So emotional as you felt as though you were living through the experience with Maggie in the basement. Dark and twisted this was a rollercoaster of a tale.

Highly recommended thriller.

4.5 stars

This was SOOOOO good! I had it on my TBR pile for a while and can't believe it took me so long to get to this amazing book. So many deliciously bittersweet touches, I couldn't possibly begin to tell you about them, but if you enjoyed "The Room" you'll like this even more.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

I've read few Alex lake and I enjoyed this as much the other books and can't wait to read more.

The way it written it good.

Wow..a chilling and suspenseful read. I could not put this book down and read this in a couple of days. First time I ae read this author and I enjoyed this book that much I have just purchased The Choice.