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.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
I have read other books by Alex Lake before and enjoyed reading them. I found Seven days totally engrossing and the storyline was absolutely terrifying. It was a book that you didn’t want to stop reading in case you lost the flow of the story. This was a really good read.
Highly recommended.

From the very first sentence, Seven Days is absolutely gripping. This book is so full of suspense, and beautifully written making you not want to put it down. The character development felt strong and the family dynamics after a horrific event is very well written, from the parents relationship to the siblings struggle; the book shifts seamlessly from past to present without any jarring lag of who the characters are. I felt Maggie's character was well written, you could feel all of her emotions as the books progresses. This is the first Alex Lake novel I have read, and going from this I will definitely read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the copy of the book to review.

I was totally relieved to get to the end of this book. Not because it wasn't good, it was! This had me tense the whole way through, worrying about the characters, what would happen next and sadness about the storyline. However, I will say it was an absolutely gripping, if traumatic, read!

‘Seven Days’ by Alex Lake suffers from the obvious comparison with ‘Room’ by Emma Donoghue. Whilst the latter was a superbly written novel told in the voice of five year old Jack and exploring extraordinary depths of resilience and love, ‘Seven Days’ is a much more straightforward thriller as young mother Maggie counts down the days until the seemingly inevitable taking of her son Max on his third birthday by her captor, the ironically named Mr Best. Why is she so certain he will do so? Because that is what has happened to her elder sons, Seb and Leo. Understandably, she is desperate to find a way in which to overcome this evil man.
Alex Lake does not just focus on the activities in the squalid bunker under the garage. She also shows us what happens to Maggie’s family as they live with the horror of her disappearance. Whilst this angle certainly adds to the narrative, the characterisation had a ‘painting by numbers’ feel and some of the coincidences are implausible. It was difficult for the reader to really engage with their emotions as we are given quite a lot of ‘tell’ rather than ‘show’.
As Max’s birthday draws ever nearer, naturally the reader is hoping that Maggie’s determination will pay off and so the novel does become a page turner. However, the events which make up the final chapters are a little far-fetched and the ‘Six months later’ section felt very rushed and matter-of-fact. Alex Lake can certainly tell a story but, in contrast to Donoghue’s ‘Room’, this wasn’t one that made me think much.
My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

I found this an easy quick read but couldn't rid myself of the feeling that it was based on Emma Donaghue's Room.
The issues of the children were different but for me it was still a very similar story. The kidnapper is described as himself, away from the situation that he has created which added interest.
I can recommend it for those who enjoyed Room, but I felt that it lacked originality.

Wow this book is amazing!! When I first read the description I admit I may have done a little eye roll at another of those 'trapped in a room' stories but this is definitely not one of those books, not at all! The story is amazing and once I'd started reading it, I couldn't stop. I wanted to know what was going to happen in the next seven days but to also read the events leading up to the 7 day countdown was brilliant. I was so absorbed in this book I was especially drawn to Maggie and her family and really felt for her parents and little brother. This book literally blew me away one of the best books I've ever read, and I read a lot!

I loved reading every page of this book! A brilliant read. All the characters I really sympathised with except the bad guy or course who I disliked intensely. So well written. The tension just didn't let up,heart in the mouth when the author was writing about the kidnapped girl and her relationship with her abductor,heart wrenchingly sad when the author was writing about the family whose child had been abducted.
Just wow!

Best book I’ve read in a while! Absolutely brilliant! Have just read the entire thing in one sitting, could not put it down once I Started! A definite must read.

What a book! An absolutely thrilling read that kept me hooked from the first page. Maggie is trapped and has seven days to save her son. The author uses multiple narrators to build up the plot for multiple angles and it was interesting seeing how Maggie’s predicament impacted upon other people’s lives. The short chapters made it well-paced and I thoroughly enjoyed every page.

I would highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a thrilling read.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest and objective review.

Read far too late into the night to finish this book. It really is a page turner , fast moving and tense.
The story switches between the past and present and between the plight of Maggie , kidnapped and held prisoner for the past 12 years, and her family. I found the characters and their situations compelling and had to read in one sitting to find out what would happen. Highly recommended.