Maggie has seven days until her son is three. On that day he will be taken away from her, exactly as his two brothers were. Maggie is determined it won't happen again. but how can she stop it?
Twelve years ago she was abducted and has been kept in one windowless room since. She has been repeatedly raped and abused and how will she ever escape?
But sometimes the impossible happens.
This is a roller coaster of a book and I couldn't put it down. It is heartbreaking at times but will a mothers love win this time.

A good psychological thriller with a well developed story line, dark and twisty and full of suspense with good descriptive characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Although it is something of a reviewers cliche this truly is a roller coaster of emotions as a read.
Firstly I recommend not reading it if you have had a trying day with a 3 year old as by chapter 2 it just makes you want to gather them up out of bed and hold them tight forever.
Secondly do not start this book if you do not have time to finish it in one sitting- it will not let you put it down!

The book begins with a calendar as Maggie counts down to her sons birthday- not with excitement and gifts but with fear and pain as she knows that on the day he turns 3 he will be taken from her. Abducted and trapped in an underground room by "the man", she spends her days trying to make her childs life a happy one, building her strength and planning for and wishing for an opportunity to escape.
The characters in the book are so well written that you feel everything along with them, from her families anguish at her disappearance to her own fear an loathing in equal measures for the man and to the police officers (Wynne) gut feeling that she cannot shake but cannot prove.
The book made me almost shout out loud at various points as the creepy man carries on his life undetected whilst Maggie and Max suffer in the basement of his construction.

A fantastic read that will stay with you for days after you close the final page.

Even though this is a fictional story, I love the way that it showed that if you really want to try something, you will succeed, you will not let anything get you down. It was also a harrowing story that I think happens more than we would like to think!
Thanks to netgalley for the ARC!
Recommended.

This is my first book I have read by Alex Lake and I have discovered a new author. This book was gripping from the very start. I couldnt put it down and read it in a day. Staying up until late into the night to finish it as I just had to know how it ended. We meet Maggie and her family and encounter their worst nightmare with them when Maggie is taken. She goes through some testing things and i am in awe of her strength and her bravery. This book is stunning and i will definitely read more by this author. Especially his next book due out next year. After the snippet at the end of this one i was hooked already. I will definitely be looking out for it.

This has to be my favourite Alex Lake book. Definitely 5 stars for this.

A unique and different angle to kidnapping, mostly from Maggie's point of view. Good insight in to how Maggie came to be where she was. Another angle was from the family at home, bearly holding it together with the disappearance of Maggie. Also, yet another angle was from DI Wynne for trying to find Maggie and the determination to link Mr Best to the case. Oh so close.

A brilliant story. Really enjoyed the tension of the whole plot. I couldn't put it down and spent a good few hours finding out how the story ends.

Maggie was abducted 12 years ago, aged 15, while on her way to her cousins house. Her captor never tells her his name, he is just ‘the man’ trying to keep her pure. She’s tried to escape several times but is punished hard for each failure. She’s getting more desperate to escape now, as her son, Max, will be 3 years old in a weeks time. ‘The man’ took her 2 older boys away on their 3rd birthdays.

Alex Lake doesn’t just focus on Maggie, but also her family and friends, how they cope, and the impact it has on their lives and careers. Even the lead detective, who continues searching for Maggie, convinced that her initial suspect was responsible. Around the anniversary of the abduction the officer is taunted with letters from the person responsible for the abduction. I found the ending slightly rushed in comparison to the earlier chapters. I didn’t find this book easy to read, mainly because of the subject matter, but it is gripping enough that it kept me reading to the end

A very well written an suspenseful story. I was hooked from the first chapter. The characters and the plot are will thought out. I was gripped until the very end.

Louise's review 

Sep 28, 2019  ·  edit


really liked it


** spoiler alert ** I'm eternally fascinated with true life locked in basement stories,so this book caught my eye (it's not true life)
In reality our main character has had three years to work on how to save her son,but we just see the last seven days.
It's beyond creepy the way her captors slides into her families life whilst she is missing.. 
I enjoyed the different timelines and how the kidnapping impacted on the whole family.
I really was racing to the end,and that caused a few winces along the way as they tried to escape.
Very addictive,total page turner.

Pulse racing, heart pounding my oh my what thrill of a ride this really is a magnificent read. Seven days that’s all Maggie has to save her son and from then on we are taken on a heartbreaking journey of just how all this came about. Going from past to present and different points of view this is a book you just can’t put down and it’s written superbly, not only the terrible situation Maggie finds herself after she is abducted but also just how her parents and brother deal with the loss of a daughter/ sister and the not knowing if she is dead or still alive somewhere.
The book is so damn addictive and so well crafted it was hard reading at times due to the subject matter but ohhhh I just loved it and what an ending !! so please don’t miss it it really is that fabulous and a definite 5 whopping big stars read and many many thanks to Alex Lake for the brilliant story.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Harper Collins Uk for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It's books like these that make me wish I had half star ratings! Seven Days isn't quite a five-star read. The writing style is prosaic, there is a bit of unnecessary repetition (we are told about an event that happened in the past, then shown the same event with barely any more additional detail), and the psychological impact on Maggie of the awful things that happen to her is glossed over (the book suffers in that respect from the obvious comparison to Room). However, it kept me reading and the end section genuinely set my heart racing as I wasn't sure how things were going to turn out. So I would recommend it – just don't expect the literary skill or depth of Room.

Seven Days is haunting. I completely lost myself within the plot and found myself terrified at times. What a scary experience and I was so worried for little Max.
Suspense is high throughout.
I particularly enjoyed the way the characters all have a voice and how we’re shown that their lives have changed since Maggies abduction.
Thrilling, chilling and a little bit scary. 4/5.

Oh this book was heart pounding and terrifying. An amazing suspense thriller. Highly recommend for fans of this particular genre

Wow.... this was one of those books which I had to stay up to read. Once begun I just wanted to know what the outcome would be. Yes it is similar to 'Room' but not the same. In this novel we hear so much about the family who miss their daughter and this gives the book a broader dimension. The characters were well portrayed and realistic, most of whom I really liked and could empathise with. I will definitely be reading more by Alex Lake in the future.
Just a note of warning, it is graphic and pretty gruesome in places, so not for the faint hearted or young. Great read.

Initially this certainly gave me the feeling that this was going to be another Emma Donoghue’s, Room. However, although the circumstances of the main character ‘Maggie’ can be compared, the story-line really can’t be.
Seven Days does not just focus on the kidnapper and his victim. Alex Lake delves into the heart-rendering consequences the kidnapping has on the family and others.
I particularly loved the way the timeline jumped back, and forth which only added to the suspense.
The final chapters although perhaps a little rushed in my opinion were still very emotional and I’m not ashamed to admit, bought a tear to my eye.

This can be read in one sitting and was very easy to read. I would happily recommend this to any Thriller readers who are looking for a good quick read.


Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
The addictive new psychological thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of After Anna and Copycat.

SEVEN DAYS UNTIL HER CHILD IS TAKEN.

SEVEN DAYS TO SAVE HIM.

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 was located in a village I knew well and I found myself fully engaged very quickly. It drew me in and I became addicted and found myself reading until late into the night. It was thought provoking once finished , wondering how I would have coped in Maggie's situation. Lots to discuss for a book club.

Wow this book is addictive and I haven't done much reading lately but this has definitely put me back on track.
The seven days refer to Maggie's son Max who is 3 in seven days and Maggie knows that on that day Max will be taken away from her. She was kidnapped 12 years ago and she knows 'The Man' will take Max away. We get to look back to her life locked away by this man and how she manages to survive in a windowless room and having to rely on her captor for everything. The family that was left when Maggie disappeared have tell their own stories and it is heartbreaking the way they have coped, (or not) and the life they are living still wondering what happened to Maggie.
This is in my opinion the best Alex Lake book so far and the writing grabs you and holds you there until the very last word.

I have read other books from this author and this one did not disappoint. I loved it. Five star recommendation.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Alex Lake for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

What a plot! I didn't want to keep reading, because the idea was so awful, but I just had to find out how the matter was resolved. I think I can sleep again, now that I know. Really good effort and well paced. I'll definitely read more from this author.

Maggie's little boy is three in seven days. In seven days he will be taken from her. She has seven days to stop it from happening again.

I raced through this book and loved the writing style.

I found the characters relate-able and I enjoyed seeing how each character was affected and coped (or didn't) by Maggie's disappearance.