Cover Image: The Other Daughter

The Other Daughter

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Member Reviews

Love all of Shalinis books and I loved this one too, she rarely disappoints and safe to say she didn’t this time. Fast paced and gripping it’s a treat to read one of hers as always, devoured it in one sitting and didn’t stop for breath!

6 stars

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Shalini Boland does not disappoint. Whatever she writes I’ll pick it. This was another engaging, surprising, fast paced read.

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I was hooked at the start and couldn’t put this one down. What a twisty ride this was. I was surprised by the ending and didn’t see it coming. You will be up all night reading this one.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Rachel’s daughter is taken nine years ago while playing in an indoor playing area.
Catrioni is unshevelled and dirty when she sees Holly and takes her.
Rachel decides to move and set up a new life
While taking her other two children to school she meets Kate whose eldest daughter Bella bears striking resemblance to her daughter Holly . Rachel finds out that Kate and her family have come from London
Rachel embarks on a mission to find out the truth that Bella is her missing daughter
Good book
Thanks NetGalley

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Whenever Shalini Boland publishes a new book, I am on board.They are always entertaining and she writes characters that feel quite real, places in situations that are out of the ordinary. At first I was sure I had The Other daughter all figured out at the halfway mark and was a little disappointed, but then quite a significant twist really surprised me and kept me on my toes! It's not my favorite of her books, but definitely entertaining and fast-paced. If you're looking for a clever, engaging mystery that isn't gory or too creepy, you might want to give this author a try!

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Shalini Boland does not disappoint her readers in her latest novel, The Other Daughter! It started off with the devastating kidnapping of a beautiful and beloved little girl and follows duel storylines and points of view over a ten year period of time.

Total misdirections and continuous twists and turns result in a complex story filled with fully developed characters that are hiding secrets and leading deceptive lives. I highly recommend this book to those who love to not find out who the bad guys are until the last page! Boy, was I fooled!!

I highly recommend this fast paced psychological thriller and give it five big stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A huge thank you to the talented author, Shalina Boland, to NetGalley, and to the publishers, Bookouture for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Other Daughter. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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Rachel turned away and 3 year old Holly was never seen again. Nine years later, after starting her life with her boyfriend and two young children she sees a girl she thinks could be Holly.

What follows is Rachel’s mission to get her daughter back. As always, Shalini’s books are a great read and this was no exception. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

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It was a very insightful novel, with a strong cast of characters. I enjoyed the story line very much and would definitely recommend this book.

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Having read other books by the author, I was ready to be thrilled and chilled by the plot and I was not disappointed. Boland hooked me from the first page with the moms in the playground and then Rachel’s child goes missing. The author describes well the emotions of a parent whose child is abducted and does a very good job of explaining how Rachel is able to move on and has a new family in a country town instead of London where little Holly disappeared. It is in this small town while waiting to meet her children after school that Rachel meets Kate, another school mom waiting for her teen-aged daughter. This is where the story got a little woo-woo for me because Kate’s daughter Bella is a dead ringer for Rachel’s missing daughter Holly. Once Rachel sees Bella, she is determined to prove that she is actually Holly and to get her back. I didn’t the characters a lot in this book because the moms seemed too one-dimensional to me. On the other hand, I really liked Matt, Rachel’s boyfriend and the father of her two younger children. Fans of short, quick-paced psychological thrillers will enjoy this book. Be warned that there is a huge twist in this book, as I have found is true of all of Boland’s books and is one of the things that attracts me to her novels.

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The Other Daughter begins with the abduction of a toddler. Horrific for any parent to endure or even imagine.
Years later, Rachel has accepted that her daughter is probably dead. But then a new family arrive in the local area and she is instantly convinced that their eldest daughter Bella is actually her lost girl.
Is Rachel desperately clinging to hope or are the girl’s family acting suspiciously…?
Shalini Boland had me hooked from the very first page. The scenario of the abduction is so realistic and terrible. A split second decision to chat to a friend instead of keeping your child in your line of sight for every second. Mum guilt at its worst.
The narrative structure of the book is divided into two parts, then and now. The then is the past, the events of the abduction as seen through Catriona, the abductor’s, eyes. The now is the present day as we see Rachel’s composure shattered by the sighting of the girl she believes may be her daughter.
This splitting of the plot is a really clever way to show us two viewpoints and help us to gain an understanding of the emotions underpinning the actions of the main women in the book. Whilst I may not agree with Catriona’s decision to snatch Holly, I can comprehend the devastation she faced in her own life that made her take such desperate action. Equally, Rachel’s despair and increasingly frantic behaviour is completely believable as she is finally hopeful of finding her daughter after so many years of loss.
The Other Daughter has an amazing twist right at the end that almost had me jumping out of my seat in astonishment, just like Shalini’s other books which I have also loved (The Marriage Betrayal and The Perfect Family)!

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9 years ago Rachel's two year old daughter Holly was abducted from a play area while Rachel was momentarily distracted chatting with a friend .Holly is never found and though Rachel never gave up hope of finding her daughter again, she has moved on. She now has a wonderful boyfriend as well as 2 young children and is as settled as she can be. But when Rachel meets a new school parent Kate and her teenage daughter Bella she is convinced Bella is her missing child and will stop at nothing to find the truth.

The Other Daughter was a fast paced psychological thriller by Shalini Boland. A little far fetched at times but still an addictive read with a crazy twisty ending . Highly recommend and cannot wait for the next one by Shalini Boland !

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

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I love Shalini Boland. Her books always deliver. The Other Daughter did not disappoint at all. Quick, engaging story that stands out from other similar storylines. Shalini’s writing is superb and this book is excellent. I was pleased with how it concluded as well.

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A clever suspenseful novel full of twists that keep you engaged and wanting to find out more. The story gripped and intrigued me right from the first chapter. The plot builds, the suspense is tense and the ending is definitely not one you see coming.
Shalini Boland has a knack of pulling you in and making you read until you are satisfied with the outcome.
I would definitely recommend this book to friends.

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The Other Daughter.
It didn’t take me long to read this book, wow Shalini I need to read more of your books. Thank you netgalley for this book for an honest review. I loved it from page one and read most of it on a flight to Belfast, it has a really unexpected twist at the end which I did not see coming. Perfect thriller for me thank you 😊

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Nine years ago her daughter was taken, now she’s back. Two-and-a-half-year-old Holly is playing happily in a pink plastic playhouse, while her mother Rachel sips coffee and chats with a friend nearby. It should be an ordinary day for all of them. But, in the blink of an eye, it turns into every family’s worst nightmare. Holly is taken by a stranger and never found. Nine years later, Rachel is doing her best, living a quiet life in Dorset. She’s tried to forget the traumatic day when she lost her daughter, hide her broken heart and put everything into her new family and loving partner, who know none of the secrets in her painful past. Until one afternoon when Rachel meets a new school parent and her beautiful teenage daughter. Rachel’s world is instantly turned upside down. She’d recognise that face anywhere – it’s her missing child. But Rachel knows it’s Holly. And she will stop at nothing to get her back.

As you can tell from the description, this is everybody's worst nightmare put down on paper. We follow Rachel as Holly gets abducted and then see her nine years down the line, stronger but more determined then ever to get her daughter back. I was absolutely engrossed in this read. I know I say this a lot but honestly I could not tear myself away from this.

This makes for incredibly intense reading however I would not say I was expecting twists. Then THE twist happened! Boland, from out of nowhere, completely changes the plot, I truly did not see it coming and it left me stunned from the shock of it all. It is possibly the best twist I have read all year and certainly makes for unforgettable reading, well it bumped my rating up to 5 stars!

I think it is clear I loved the plot but Boland's characters are complete perfection. They are wonderfully crafted, getting the balance right between being flawed and likeable, after all they are human and this comes across extremely well. I felt for everyone involved in this horrendous situation and my time spent with them was very special indeed.

'The Other Daughter' is an addictive, exhilarating read with a twist that will leave you breathless. I adored this and cannot wait to keep recommending it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance copy.

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<b><i>4.5 stars</i></b>

How do I review this book without giving any spoilers?

This was my first Shalini Boland book, and I wasn't disappointed — it was quick paced, and a page turner; and I swear I grew more anxious as I kept reading. Some times, I had to take a break from it simply because of how it stressed me out. Gah, I hated how it made me feel, but loved it for how it made me feel. An oxymoron, really.

And that twist that I didn't see coming. OH MY GOD. So good! Aaaaaaaaaah!

Basic premise: Rachel lives a life of domestic bliss in Dorset — Bumps into a new family that's just moved there when she's picking up her son and daughter from primary school — Realises the new family's eldest daughter looks like the daughter she once had, the daughter who had been kidnapped ten years ago — Tries to prove that she's this other girl's real mother when no one else believes her.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. I can't wait to read more Shalini Boland books!

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me this amazing opportunity to read this book.

Edit: One thing I forgot to mention is that the book/narration was a little too verbose at places. It rambled on. But I wasn’t really bothered by it because of how good this book was. A 5-star read despite that.

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While the story line may not be unique, Shalini Boland's version definitely is different from all the rest. When your life has a dividing moment such as losing your child, the directions you travel change. This change takes this mother to a place where she finds her daughter. It is her daughter, right? How she unravels the story and finds the truth is full of twists and turns that you'll not expect. The ending is definitely one you will not see coming.

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This wasn't quite the psychological thriller I was expecting. While the plot had promise, the ending was somewhat ridiculous.

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This was such a roller coaster ride filled with twists and turns. This was such a great read. Having heard such good things about her , I cant wait to read more of her books.

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Child abduction is booming right now in the country. It's madly terrifying, even for me, who's not having kids. Yet. I mean, how could someone do something to break the bond mother and child have.

This issue became the premise of this book. It's interesting to read. Rachel was a mother of three whose her first daughter being kidnapped by a stranger in coat while under her watch. Years later, she met someone new in the town and suddenly recognized the utter resemblance of her daughter. She suspected that girl is hers and she tried to prove it, because obviously everyone she knew looked at her incredulously when they knew the story. It's a little crazy, what this woman thought about, but who can blame someone who already through a lot like Rachel. I could feel I was symphatetic with her. I worried what could happen with her, could she make it, prove it, reconcile with her lost daughter? Really, child abducting is so horrifying and just by reading this story I could feel my mind flick the anxiety on.

I had no problem with the language, Shalini Boland had very light storytelling and it's easy to enjoy this book after you are experiencing book slum or boredom. The characters were likeable and not too many like some mystery books. All I had problem with is the plot. Not entire plot, it's a good plot and I couldn't wait to finish this. But the final execution of this book was a little bit disappoinment for me. It was a great idea of the ending, but how the author played it felt like anticlimax, detached. This was great book, nontheless. It made me curious of Shalini Boland, I wanted read more of her.

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