Another great book from Alex Lake. I can’t say I enjoyed the subject matter and for most of the book I felt depressed but the quality of the writing and the tension got my heart pounding and adrenaline flowing. A very solid four stars

This was one of the best books I have read in a while. It is like “Room” but on crack…in a good way. I completely devoured this book and I was devastated when it ended, not due to the story line but due to the fact I didn’t get to read any more!

Lake seamlessly switches between present and past and from differing characters perspectives which helps to build tension and allow the readers emotions to evolve with the characters. She explores the raw emotions of a young girl who has been kidnapped, her abductor and his belief he has done nothing wrong, the stress on the relationship between the parents of an abducted child, the scarring that is left on siblings following such a traumatic event and the innocence of young children who are oblivious to the goings on around them.

I cannot recommend this book enough. You will be on the edge of your seat and cheering the characters throughout (excluding the obvious villain). You’re heart will be in your throat at points and you may just find yourself shouting out loud (note: I don’t recommend reading in public for this exact reason, I had a few strange looks from my co-workers during my lunch breaks!). Just read this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Seven Days, I thought the intersecting timelines allow the reader to really extrapolate on where they think the plot will take them, and it was a lot of fun. The ending was satisfying, and if I had one criticism it would be that I couldn't handle some of the gorier 'solutions' our heroine utilizes, but it serves me right for reading it in the dark.

What a book!!!

I really, really enjoyed this book from the very first page. The story was engaging and the book moved at a great pace. I thought all of the characters were really well thought out and executed, and I especially liked the focus on the effect that the kidnapping has on the remaining members of the family

This is definitely a book that I will be purchasing in physical form to keep on my bookshelf!

I really enjoyed this dark, disturbing story. It was really compelling and I couldn't put it down!!

This was a fascinating thriller that kept me up past my bedtime. Excellent character development along with a twisty story. Highly recommended.

Oh wow! Found myself wishing this book had just a few more pages! Utterly gripping. Maggie has been imprisoned for 12 years and given birth to three sons. On their 3rd birthday, her captor takes them from her. It's her third son Max's 3rd birthday in a week...

Wow wow wow! This book is fantastic!!! I was completely hooked from the beginning and throughout until the very end. The story starts with a calendar showing there are just Seven Days until Max's birthday. The chapters alternate between the present and all those years ago when Maggie was taken. The present chapters get more and more tense as they count down the next seven days one by one.

This story is soooo good! Jaw dropping, heart pounding, edge of your seat good! The thought of anything happening to a child, even in a book, can be terrifying, so I knew this would be a gripping and emotional story! I am kicking myself for putting it off for as long as I did!

This was my first book by Alex Lake and if definitely won't be my last! Highly recommended!!

What a book this has me hooked from the very beginning so graphic and spine chilling found it near impossible to put down thanks to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Stunning book, beautifully written and I loved the storyline, I adored Maggie and Max and was rooting for them through the book, I was devastated when the book was over and I would have given anything for another few chapters!

Cried my eyes out in places and smiled like an idiot in other places, there wasn’t anything I didn’t loved about it and can’t fault it....

Yep I loved it that much, not sure if there’s any other books by this author but I’m off to have a look, if they are good as this one I’m in for a treat.

6 stars!!!!

This was a really fast paced, action packed psychological thriller.

While there wasn't much of a mystery in this book, as who the culprit is pretty clear early on. Although, I can't lie I was hoping for a shocking twist at the end.

This book jumped between timelines and perspectives but at no point was it confusing or hard to follow.

I really enjoyed the writing style. It was easy to read and fast paced. I was gripped from the start.

It also did a great job of discussing family and what happens when someone goes missing. I loved how it looked at each characters perspective in turn. It was an honest and very Frank discussion.

I would have perfered for there to have been more of a mystery or at least a shocking twist at the end. It was a bit disappointing.

This book had a lot of graphic descriptions surrounding rape. Definitely something to bare in mind if that is a triggering subject for you.

Overall, this was a really well paced, engaging and action packed thriller. Definitely willing to check out more from this author in the future

TW: abduction, rape, torture and cancer

She has seven days to save her son

Maggie was 15 years old, on the way to see her cousin Anne who lived on the other side of the village, when she made the mistake of speaking to an elderly man in a car that slowed down to a stop next to her. When she wakes up, she is looking at a ceiling, covered in some kind of dark carpet tile, lying on a narrow, thin mattress in a small room lit only by a dim lamp on a table by the bed. A windowless, locked room and she realises – he had prepared the room for this purpose. He had a plan. And she was now part of it. He came every morning, with breakfast, and every afternoon with dinner and sometimes….. he came at night. She has been his prisoner for 12 years and she knows what happens when any of her children turn three – he has come and taken Seb and Leo on their third birthdays and Max is turning three in seven days. She named her third son Max after the boy in “Where the wild things are” because the storybook Max was able to escape his room through a magic door and freedom was something she longed for her little boy to experience.

Her disappearance devastates her mother, father and brother and robs them of a normal life. It also profoundly affects the lead detective tasked with finding her, an unsolved case – a detective's worst nightmare. I gave the book 4 stars because I know about the effects an incorrect diet and no exposure to sunlight has on the growth of a child and it seems a little improbable to me that the boys were as healthy as they were. The horrifying thing is that this is not just a work of fiction, things like this do happen in real life!

Saphira

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

What a fantastic, gripping read.

Maggie Cooper is just 15 years old when she is kidnapped by "The Man". When we first meet Maggie, it is 12 years later and she is still being held captive. Never having seen so much as a sliver of light since she was first taken.
Even though 12 years have passed, many things have happened to Maggie. She has given birth to 3 baby boys during this time. The first two having been taken on their 3rd birthdays and now Max, is just one week away from his birthday. Maggie knows that she just has seven days left to come up with a plan to save Max and hopefully herself too.
The story alternates between the present day and the days following her kidnap.
We also see the devastating impact that Maggies' disappearance has on her parents and little brother as well as the police officer who has been involved in the case from the beginning.
At a risk of stating the obvious, this touches on dark subject matter and I felt just about every emotion possible whilst reading. Having said that, there are parts of the story that are uncomfortable but they are not gratuitous or overly graphic.

This is such a well written book that I just couldn't put it down.

Fantastic read, had me gripped from beginning to end, a great storyline and a sensitive subject dealt with well, loved it

So while walking to her cousin's house fifteen-year-old Maggie is kidnapped and kept locked in a basement.
Her kidnapper has no name just the man, he gets her pregnant allowing her to keep her child until there third birthday when he then removes them from her care.
Maggie's third son Leo is approaching his third birthday and she knows if she doesn't find a way to free them both history will again repeat.
So this recounts back from when Maggie is first abducted all the way up to the present day flipping back and forth between the two timeframes.
It was told from numerous Pov's so you really get a sense of where everyone is at.
This also showcased the aftermath and overall effect on maggies, immediate family, after she is taken and it was truly heartbreaking to realise just how near she was all this time.
All the small undetected clues that were screaming out but were undiscovered so sad.
I didn't enjoy this quite as much as my previous read by this author but it was still a solid offering.
slightly farfetched at times and I felt it did go on a bit too long and could have done with some condensing, Still, this was a suspenseful thriller that I did enjoy.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of Seven Days.

Initially, this book really reminded me of Room by Emma Donoghue. A teenager is kidnapped and kept in a hidden room.

However, I liked the characters in this book and really empathised with the family.

It’s easy to read and the last 20% is particularly gripping!

It’s told from points of view of different characters at different times but it’s easy to follow.

I enjoyed this book and would read more by this author.

Omg this book was amazing very ha4d to read at times a chilling read which will have you sitting on the edge of your seat all the way threw heart breaking story line but I couldn't put it down I had to no what happened brilliant book

This book didn't take long to read with its short snappy chapters.
It was a good read but i kept thinking it was called room due to where she was.
I liked the characters in this book. Nice to see how a brother rather than him being pushed to the sidelines and it being all about the parents. Guess we will never know why they had to leave at 3. One question i did want answered.

A really gripping read about a young woman who is abducted as a teenager. This book differs from Room or other similar plots in that it also follows the lives of her family outside and I think this adds an extra layer of interest. It's fast paced and exciting without being gratuitous.

This book grabbed me from the very beginning. It held my attention throughout and kept me on the edge of my seat trying to guess what would happen next. A tense and chilling read.
A must read for thriller fans.