Sometimes with a book, you want a sweeping story. Other times you want to be connected with the emotional turmoil that the characters are going through. And then there are times when you learn things that you might never have learnt. With Mine, you get all three.

The novel comprises of two entwinned stories - Now (in 2000) with Luke and Then (early 1970s) with Alice. I wrote on Twitter when I was half-way through reading that this book is 'splendidly intense'. Having now finished it, I completely stand by that statement. There's something about Clare Empson's writing, and it's hard to put a finger on it, that draws you in right from the very beginning. In the opening chapter, we're confronted with the very awkward first meeting between Luke and his birth mother, Alice. From then on Luke's story is about reconnecting with Alice (or trying to) whereas hers describes the passionate love affair that brought Luke into being. I was totally caught up by both. And that's where the emotional turmoil comes in. Luke struggles to make sense of all the emotions and memories rising up in him. Alice, aged 19, embarks on the most passionate love affair of her life. It made me wonder if this kind of love only lives in books or TV or films but I think not. At least, I hope not. Both stories are exquisitely and intensely written.

But I also learnt things from this book. Clare Empson goes into great detail about art and techniques and there are a few chapters set in Florence. It reminded me of some of the paintings I saw (or tried to see over the hordes) at the Uffizi. Luke is an A&R man. I have to confess I had to Google it. I've heard of it but didn't know that A&R stands for Artists and Repertoire. In a sense, it's almost the equivalent of a literary agent but not quite. The A&R person works for the record label and it's his/her's job to find new talent and sign them. So Luke has to keep his wits about him if he's going to get in ahead of the rest to sign the latest big thing. Probably not the best time to be having issues with his birth mother.

However, what really set this book apart for me, were the 'quotes' about adoption at the beginning of Luke's chapters. I thought this was a real book but in fact, Clare Empson has made them up based on research she did on adoption. Each 'quote' was utterly convincing and set the tone for Luke for that part of the story.
The intensity of Mine meant there were times when I had to put it down, even though I wanted to continue reading. But I had to give myself a bit of space to absorb all the raw emotions spilling out of the characters. A heart-breaking and compelling read.

Today I am very excited to be sharing my review for this superb read by Clare Empson. This is a new author for me and I can't wait to read more after diving into this one!

Mine is a book that lures you in really quickly, the dual time line flits between Alice in the seventies and Luke present day. As you get to know the characters you start to realise there is more to events that are happening than meets the eye.

A vivid book where the colours and music burst out of the story, I love the musicality throughout this story and the links to art. The sketches are well described and it helps you to visualise them as the story progresses.

I liked the split time line and how they tied together as the story progressed and more was revealed about the characters in the family as the story picked up momentum.

Overall a superb book that will make you smile, break your heart and make your heart race as you grip the book a little tighter as I was never quite sure where the story was going to go next.

This is quite a memorable read which deals with loss and grief and takes a close look at the nature of Motherhood. You get to follow Luke and Alice's story and the action moves between the present day and the time of Luke's birth, decades earlier. You know from early on that Luke was adopted and the emphasis is very much on the effect this has had on his character and on his birth mother. Luke's relationship with his adoptive mother is complicated and your view of her changes as the story develops.

In addition, Luke and his partner, Hannah have recently had their own son, so you also get to examine how they feel about their child and their hopes for him. You feel that Luke's approach to Samuel can be traced back to his own babyhood. He cannot bear for him to cry. Clare Empson displays an empathy for issues around adoption and this is a sensitively written novel. There is an element of tension but I hesitate to talk of it as a psychological thriller as it has a thoughtful and gentle pace. The ending though is intense and shocking.

Thanks to the author for a copy of the book

Mine is a book like I’ve never read before.
This book is so much more than a psychological thriller, I’ve never had a book in this genre that has left me feeling so much emotion for the characters!
We start this book by meeting Luke and his girlfriend Hannah who have got their newborn son Samuel. This journey of him being a father sparks the desire to find his real birth mother as he has always know he was adopted. The book is split into two timelines with alternating chapters which work well. Alice his birth mother in the past and Luke in the present.
I don’t want to go into this book as I think you need to experience this with no back ground knowledge, all I can say is it will leave you emotional as the writing style and descriptiveness of it are fantastic. I will just say that the first quarter of the book moves a little slow but this is merely setting the scene and the start of the ramping up of playing with your emotions.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This is a psychological thriller with an emotional edge.

Luke had been adopted when very young and he now has a family of his own. He has a young son, Samuel with his partner Hannah.

He is newly reunited with his birth mother, Alice who helps take care of Samuel so Hannah can go back to work.

Told in two distinct times lines, Alice’s from the past and Luke’s in the present and set in the world of art and music.

Without spoiling the plot, this is a beautifully written story with a slowly building tension, a family drama with a twist that’s gripping as you watch someone fall apart.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Mine for free. This is my honest, unbiased review.

I've heard lots of good things about Mine and was looking forward to reading it myself. It is, in many ways, the perfectly formed psychological thriller. The things that go wrong don't happen straight away but an atmosphere of unease is there from the beginning: I knew something wasn't right but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. I had to keep reading to find out more and I loved the way the tension built gradually to a frantic ending.

The chapters in Mine alternate between Alice in the 1970s and Luke in the present day. This helped me to see the parallels between their lives and built tension further as we learnt what really happened to Alice and her friends around the time of Luke's birth.

In Mine, Empson explores several issues. I particularly liked the way she wrote about the emotional impact of adoption on the birth mother, adoptive mother and adopted child as I haven't read about this subject before and it gave me a lot to think about. Empson also writes about mental health very well and weaves the issues into a very compelling story.

Good pace, good intrigue and suspenseful writing made this book hard to put down. If you're looking for a thrilelr, it's a good option.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

I think that there is a need in all of us to know about our parents and their parents before them. It gives us stability. This was brought home even more to Luke when he and his girlfriend Hannah have a son themselves. Luke had been adopted as a baby and always felt out of sorts with it. Now knowing how strong his own feelings were for his son he needed to find out how his own mother could have given him up.
Luke now 28 years old finds his beautiful 47-year-old mother Alice and a sort of relationship begins to develop between her and Luke, Hannah and baby Samuel. The connection between Alice and Samuel is instant so when Hannah has to return to work it is Alice that takes on the role of carer. Luke also meets his father but there are more secrets and lies to uncover yet.
The story bounces between Alice's story of her home life to having her baby and the constant churning and changing feelings that Luke is experiencing. There are so many underlining stories that just made me read the last quarter of the book with pure dread. This is an absolute belting story that covers so many issues. Something happened in the book that I knew would be a game-changer and it put tension into every single page that came after it. This story will simply rip you apart and stay with you. I won't ever forget.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Luke had been adopted shortly after his birth. But he has now traced his birth mother, Alice. Luke, his partner Hannah and their son, Samuel are now meeting up with Alice and his birth father, Rick on a regular basis. Alice starts minding Samuel when Hannah returns to work. But Luke is jealous. His mother is having a relationship with his son, forming a bond that Luke never had.

The first half of their book sets the scene. I didn't think it was a psychological thriller but it was a good read just the same. Theres quite a few unexpected twists that will keep your interest. Thenstory is written in two timeline getringbthe story if before and after Luke's birth. This is an emotional and moving read. I throughly enjoyed this story.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Orion Publishing Group and the author Clare Empson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn to Mine by the amazing cover showing the peace and tranquillity of a baby's nursery behind a shattered pane of glass. I have to say that I felt as broken as that pane of glass when I finished reading; Clare Empson really put my emotions through the wringer with her outstanding second novel.

It's always emotional reading where adoption is concerned and Mine is a double-whammy of emotion; it's a dual timeline novel telling the story of Luke introducing his birth mother Alice into his family and also the story of Alice's history up to the point where she handed over her newborn son for adoption. It is like a simultaneous knife to the heart and an elastoplast over her shattered heart when Alice meets Luke's baby son Samuel who looks just like Luke did when he was born. When Alice starts to look after Samuel, Luke feels pushed out and unwanted all over again but in Alice's mind she can right the wrongs of the past. Emotions begin to run high and I feared this would all end in tears, but I didn't expect the tears to be mine!

With a strong emphasis on mental health, I read Mine with a sense of foreboding but still wasn't prepared for the shock and emotion I felt at the end which had me gulping back tears. Alice's story is completely heartbreaking and I had tears in my eyes on several occasions at the events that changed a talented young woman's life forever. My heart also went out to Luke who felt so confused and hurt when he should have been building a new relationship with his birth mother. The character who stood out for me, rather surprisingly, was Christina, Luke's adoptive mother; she was kept in the dark about Luke meeting Alice but when the chips were down she showed what unconditional love is all about.

Mine is a powerful and highly emotive story about motherhood. It felt dark and ominous at times so I wasn't prepared to feel so bereft at the end. Beautiful, sensitive and utterly heartbreaking Mine is highly recommended and completely unforgettable.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Absolutely fantastic book. I loved reading this and could not put it down?! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it.

A & R man, Luke has always felt like a bit of an outsider, which he puts down to finding out he was adopted when he was a child.

Although, on the surface of it, he seems to have to ideal life - a job he loves and a girlfriend, Hannah, he adores - the arrival of their new baby son, Samuel, has made Luke realise that he really needs to find out something about his roots. Maybe his life will then be truly complete?

When Luke finally meets his birth mother, Alice, he is overjoyed to feel an instant connection with her. She seems to fit into Luke and Hannah's life so beautifully - and Samuel loves her too.

So, when Hannah goes back to work, Alice seems like the ideal person to look after Samuel, especially since it will help her get over the grief of losing Luke all those years ago. But although things start off well, Luke soon feels that he is losing his connection with Alice, as she becomes more and more obsessed with Samuel.

Something is definitely not right with Alice and the way she relates to Luke's child, but can Luke get to the bottom of what is going wrong before it is too late?

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Mine is a cracking story from start to finish - and so much more than your usual psychological thriller!

The chapters alternate between the points of view of Luke from the the present, and Alice from the past, so it cuts deliciously back and forth between the heady 1970s and the events which follow when Luke is reunited with his birth mother as an adult. Through this, we discover that the past is not quite as Alice has portrayed to the grown up Luke, that she is hiding something from him, and the suspense begins to ramp up.

I really liked that the chapters from Luke's side of the story are preceded by quotes from a expert about adoptive children, as each one gives us a little prophetic snippet about where the story is heading. At each stage we get a view into how Luke sees his developing relationship with Alice and why he begins to feel unhappy about where things are going. The similarities between Luke and his real father are also pretty interesting.

The thriller element is strong with this one, and will have you perching on the edge of your seat as Luke starts to have suspicions about Alice's motives and behaviour. But being able to understand why Alice's sanity starts to fracture as events progress gives an unusual depth to the story that is quite special - although it doesn't make it any less chilling - and the glimpse into Alice's rock and roll/artistic youth is very evocative.

This a very emotional tale and really rather sad, but is an absolutely gripping read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am now off to investigate Clare Empson's debut novel Him, which was published last year - she is definitely an author I will have my eye on from now on.

I read Mine over a few days a d have mixed feelings. The first half sets the scene but it really does seem to be so slow paced with very little action. I would advise to stick with this book as although it’s a slow burner, the premise does make it a worthwhile read. There are a lot of complex characters and some twists to keep you entertained. Thank you to NetGalley, Orion Publishing Group and the author for the chance to review.

This was an emotional roller coaster, about family, love, death and adoption.
It is told from two points of view.
Luke - Now. His family and meeting his biological mother.
Alice - Then. Her love, her art and the reasons for giving Charlie aka Luke up for adoption.
This book is beautifully written and takes the reader to every emotion possible in one book.
I would highly recommend.

Bear with me while I pick up the pieces of MY SHATTERED HEART!! The author has done it again and written another novel that has burrowed itself deep into my heart and soul, ripped them apart and left me broken. It has taken me weeks to write this review as I simply don't have the words to do the book justice.

Luke and Hannah have the perfect life which is topped off with the birth of their son Samuel. Having a child of his own encourages Luke to contact and meet his birth mother Alice who abandoned him 27 years ago. There is an instant connection between Luke and Alice and their relationship quickly develops, so much so that Alice becomes the carer for baby Samuel when Hannah has to return to work. It is obvious that Alice is besotted with Samuel while seemingly not so with Luke which leads to some jealousy.

The chapters of Mine are headed with a little psychology information on the relationship/feelings between an adopted child and their birth parents which was really insightful. I wasn't adopted but raised by a grandparent in my early years and could definitely recognise the emotions.

Throughout the book we are taken back to Alice's younger days and the reasons behind her decision. I loved this, the food, music, locations brought everything to life for me (and left me with a hankering for seafood and Pink Floyd!). Nothing is as straightforward as it seems and as more of Alice's past is revealed the tension intensifies.

I am in awe of this author - Mine is so much more than a psychological thriller. It is a highly emotional exploration of family ties and true love and one that will stay on my mind for a long time.

This was an emotional and moving read.

This story is told in two dimensions the then and now!

The now we meet Luke who after the birth of his own son Samuel is desperate to have a relationship with his own birth mother and found out the reason why she gave him up for adoption. The then follows the story of Luke's birth mother Alice as she grows up and makes the decision that saw Luke being adopted. Having the story told from both sides really made the book for me as it gave an important inside into both Luke and Alice.

This story has lots of character building, you find yourself being sucked into the dilemmas that the characters are facing and rooting for them along the way.

The story has been well written and portrays the relationship between a mother and her son (birth or otherwise) beautifully!

The story of a boy who was adopted and later in life meets his birth mother who takes a shine to his baby son....a gripping read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Mine is Clare Empson’s second book and is categorised as a psychological thriller, but in my opinion, this is so much more than the bog-standard psych thrillers. This book is a combination of domestic noir, emotional family drama and a deep and powerful story line.

Twenty-seven year old Luke has recently become a father. He has a loving girlfriend, a career in an industry he’s passionate about and on the surface everything is wonderful. However, Luke was adopted and has never felt like he fits in anywhere and being a new father gives Luke the courage and confidence he needs to search for his birth parents.

When Luke meets his birth mother Alice he unwittingly steers both of their lives onto a path of pain and guilt, blame and feelings of abandonment. Both mother and newly acquainted son are overcome with strong feelings and harsh reminders of their past. Alice has no alternative but to face up to her past and grief. She narrates her story through chapters based in the past. The tale of her and Luke’s father is utterly heartbreaking and so emotionally powerful that as times I had to wipe away a tear (or two).

Each of Luke’s chapters start with a passage from a book called Who Am I? The Adoptee’s Hidden Trauma which gives the reader a greater insight into the mind and mental health of the child seeking their birth parent. Following Luke’s very personal journey was deeply moving and thought-provoking.

I was absolutely captivated by Luke and Alice’s story and devoured each page and chapter. Flicking back and forth from the past and the present, the author manages to bring these main characters to life and give them so much depth and vulnerability.

I would definitely recommend this book and it also goes straight into my Top Ten books of 2020.

Alice gave her son up for adoption soon after he was born.
Now 27-year-old Luke finds his birth mother and is eager to build a relationship with her... but she is more interested in his baby son.

The story following Luke in the present is interspersed with Alice's recap of the past, leading to her giving her son away.
It is a slow-paced story without much suspense, focusing mostly on the emotional aspect of the adoptee/birth mother relationship.
But although it didn't turn out the way I imagined, it is definitely a story that will stay with me for a while. I felt for each one of the characters even though sometimes their intentions were questionable.
But...this book is classed as a psychological thriller, and to me, it felt more like a drama, therefore I'm on the fence about the rating.
It's a moving and heartbreaking story, and if I went into it with the expectation of drama, I'd probably give it 4 stars, but as a thriller, I didn't find it suspenseful enough to warrant the higher rating, so I decided on 3 stars. I hope the author won't hold it against me.
I will definitely reach for other past and future books from Clare Empson. I've read the description of her previous novel and have already added it to my wish list.

After reading her first book HIM a really good five star read I was hoping for more of the same. This book had me hooked from the first page. A quick synopsis young girl gets pregnant and gives her baby up for adoption. Fast forward twenty years and mother and son meet. Their lives will never be the same again. I was sat on the edge of my seat watching a young child's psyche crack and then as a young man watching him unravel. In places my heart was in my mouth. Atmospheric, chilling and definitely not what I was expecting. Almost five stars and highly recommended.
Thanks to Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC.