Cover Image: The Other Daughter

The Other Daughter

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Member Reviews

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The best book that I've read by this author so far! A gripping, heart-pounding intense read that kept me at the edge of my seat the whole way through!
Can't wait to read more from this author!

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"The Other Daughter" includes everything that vivid psychological thriller lovers, like myself, look for in the novel and thrive from.

Catriona's life, like a domino effect, is crashing down at a rapid speed. In a state of shock, she makes a decision, that will change her life as she knows it. In the meantime, on the other side of London, Rachel is taking a two and a half years old Holly to a playhouse, not knowing that it will be the last time she will see her daughter.

Two devastated mothers, two timelines, one appalling story...

I love everything about this book. I will honestly admit that I didn't see the plot twist coming. Phenomenal writing, very catching storyline. And the characters are outstanding. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a free and advanced copy of the novel.

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About as twisty and turns as a suspenseful thriller can get, this kept me guessing right until the end!

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EXCERPT: Catriona realises she still has mud caked in her fingernails. Her clothes are still a bit muddy too. She should go and have a shower before Darren gets home. But then she remembers...and with that vivid flash of memory, her body begins to tremble once more - a strange, unsettling shaking that she has no control over. And she realises that there's no way she's going to be able to go back into that bathroom.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Nine years ago her daughter was taken. And 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 living a quiet life in Dorset. She’s tried to keep things together since the traumatic day when she lost her eldest daughter. She has a new family, a loving partner and her secrets are locked away in her painful past.

Until one afternoon when Rachel meets a new school parent Kate and her teenage daughter Bella. Rachel’s world is instantly turned upside down – she’s seen Bella before. She’d recognise that face anywhere – it’s her missing child.

And she will stop at nothing to get her back…

MY THOUGHTS: The Other Daughter is one of those books that when you aren't reading it, you're still thinking about it.

I started this last night, read until I fell asleep with it in my hand, was a little late to work because I read too long over my breakfast, and came home from work early to finish it because I just had to know what happened, and no, I couldn't possibly wait another hour and a half to find out.

Now, just a word of warning...there are times when you are going to have to suspend belief, but it's worth it.
There were times when I was reading along when I would think 'wtf? Don't care - read on.' This doesn't often happen. Usually little 'holes' annoy me no end. But Shalini Boland has written a cracker of a novel that swept me along, keeping me feeling excited and anticipating her next move. And never, in my wildest dreams, did I anticipate that ending!

#TheOtherDaughter #NetGalley


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THE AUTHOR: Hello :) I write suspense thrillers and dark adventures, and I live in Dorset, England with my husband, two children and our dog.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Other Daughter by Shalini Boland for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage

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I really got hooked into this story. I enjoyed the past and present chapters and was completely blindsided by the ending.

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I don't know how to write a description of The Other Daughter without giving away any spoilers really. I guess that is why I am not a "Book jacket writer". Let's just say I have been longing for a good book with a psychological twist and this is it. I am still trying to keep it all straight in my head.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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3.75 Stars.

Talk about a Twisty Turny, WILD Ride!

Rachel remembers the day nine years ago when her daughter Holly was kidnapped and yet she has never spoken of it - not to anyone since moving away from that dreadful place and building a new life with her boyfriend Matt and raising her other daughter Jess, and having another child with her boyfriend. Life must go on.

When a new family moves to town, Rachel’s world is turned upside down when she meets their eldest daughter “Bella” who is Holly’s spitting image. Only Rachel is sure Bella is not just a lookalike but Holly and Rachel will do whatever it takes to get her daughter back. The problem is that she’s afraid to tell her boyfriend or anyone else what she’s up to.

Be prepared for the craziest ride ever! While I rolled my eyes quite a bit at Rachel’s antics, when the ending rolled around, I was wholly unprepared and admittedly I must give Shalini Boland props. You got me! Bravo!

This was a buddy read with Kaceey.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Shalini Boland for the arc.

Published on Goodreads and NetGalley on 11.24.19.

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Kate Morris and her 3 children have just moved to Wareham from London and is getting the children sorted into new schools. Her older daughter, Bella, age 11, goes to a different school.

Kate meets Rachel Farnborough whose 2 children are in the same classes as Kate’s 2 younger children. They comment on how their children seem to be making friends. But when Rachel sees Bella, she is shocked because she looks exactly like her daughter, Holly, who was abducted 9 years ago when she was just age 2. She was taken from a shopping center and she and her abductor were never found.

The loss of Holly destroyed her marriage and after a divorce, she moved to Wareham with her second daughter. There she met Matt and has a son with him, but they have never married. Matt does not know about Holly.

Who took Holly and why? Will Rachel ever solve this and find her daughter again?

This book started out OK but seemed to turn into a bit of a jumble for me. It became quite complicated and I have to say that I did not enjoy the book. Having written that, I’m sure that a lot of other readers will.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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The Other Daughter is a psychological/suspense thriller with an excellent premise: a woman whose daughter Holly went missing years ago sees a family with a daughter who looks like hers, at the age she should be, move into town. Rachel, the mother, is a sympathetic character. Her plight is easy to understand. So are the measures she takes in order to get close to this family, and most importantly, their oldest daughter Bella. At least, they are at first....

The mystery of whether Bella is actually Holly is central to this novel. However, Rachel begins to take increasingly extreme and dangerous steps in order to solve it. Is she in the right? Or is she harming an innocent family? These fascinating questions will keep readers going for about three-quarters of the novel.

That said, the ending has a twist that seems simultaneously out-of-nowhere, yet almost predictable for this genre. My disappointment in the ending is the reason I'm deducting a star. This is good train/plane/waiting room reading, anyway.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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I wasn't expecting that!

You need your imagination with this one.

A child abduction story that is fast paced with lots of unexpected twists and turns along the way.

Hang onto your hats and enjoy the ride.

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Well Shalini has done it yet again, she has provided us with another outstanding brilliant and gripping read.

I thought the story was brilliantly well written and the characters are all so very well portrayed and believable. I loved getting to know all of the characters and trying to suss them all out. It was a truly gripping and entertaining read from start to finish.

I've said it before but I'm going to say it again, Shalini has such a way with words that she just draws you in right from the beginning, keeps you enthralled throughout and leaves you with bated breath right to the very end. Which is exactly what she did with this latest book of hers.

So if you are looking for a book that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat in eager anticipation as to what will happen next, with a shocker of a twist come the end and be completely captivated throughout, then you really need to read this book.

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You can always expect Shalini Boland to deliver a tense story that will keep you hooked throughout and The Other Daughter does exactly that.

Every parent’s worst nightmare comes true for Rachel when her two-and-a-half- year old daughter, Holly, is abducted from a shopping mall. Now, nine years later, Rachel has moved away, picked up the pieces of her life and has a new partner and a new family. But then Kate and her family move into town and when Rachel meets Kate for the first time, Rachel’s life comes tumbling down around her. Because she is absolutely convinced that Kate’s daughter Bella is her very own missing daughter, Holly.

And off we go to find out if Bella really is Holly. Rachel is quite obviously the character to root for. She is going to stop at nothing, which is completely understandable. Yet I couldn’t help but think some of her actions were a tad on the dubious side. But it all does make you wonder what you would do in a situation like that.

Is Rachel imagining things? Is her conviction that Bella is her daughter driving her somewhat paranoid? What is Kate hiding? So many questions and the answers take quite a long time in coming. This story is one big puzzle, often switching between “then” and “now”, and I had a really hard time trying to put the pieces together. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have bothered because I couldn’t have predicted the outcome at all and it absolutely boggled my mind.

The Other Daughter is a twisty, gripping and addictive story that I devoured in one afternoon. Granted, there were moments where I felt I needed to suspend belief somewhat and I wasn’t entirely sure if things actually made sense in the end but I enjoyed it anyway. This is yet another suspenseful read from Shalini Boland and once you pick it up, you will not want to put it down.

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The Other Daughter is a psychological thriller that will keep you wanting to keep reading to see what is going to happen next. Very clever writing with a fabulous ending.
Thanks to netgalley and bookouture for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review.

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THIS BOOK! You must read it if you haven't yet. I can honestly say I was shocked, so many times throughout the read, for so many different reasons! Seriously, I loved it so much, that I immediately grabbed another book by this author when I finished this one because I was just not ready to be done with her yet. The writing is impeccable, the story is so well told and so original, and the characters are relatable, in a way that hits so close to those parts of you that you probably don't want to show to the world. Highly recommend.

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A solid thriller with a great twist! Kept me reading long past my bedtime because I just had to find out the truth.

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Boland does it again! I love thrillers written by Shalini Boland, because she truly knows how to write a thriller in that twisty, chilling, thrilling, and shocking manner that I absolutely love. This was by far one of her bests, although I say that every time! She had well developed characters and story, making it absolutely impossible to put down. I highly recommend!
Will make sure I buzz it up!

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Wow what a great read. It really is a rollercoaster of a book.

Nine years ago Rachel experienced every parent’s nightmare when her daughter disappears. After falling apart she rebuilds her life and starts a new family, so she is shocked when meets another person called Kate and her daughter Bella.

Bella is the image of her missing daughter, and she is determined to prove that she is. A decision that throws not just her life turned upside down.

What I loved about this book, is just when you think you have it all sorted out, the author goes and turns everything around. I am pretty good at sussing out twists but I didn’t see this one at all.

Brilliant read.

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This was such an emotional novel which really tugs at the reader’s heartstrings. When the two-year-old Holly is kidnapped it’s chilling, but even more so because we see it happen from the perspective of the kidnapper. It’s devastating to watch and genuinely quite disturbing to see the logic of the kidnapper, but it’s unique for sure.

The book then moves on to the perspective of Rachel, who becomes obsessed with a child she sees who would be the same age her daughter would be. Again, watching her slowly unravel has quite a chilling undertone to it. For some reason there are elements which were seriously creepy, but others where I totally understood why she was doing what she was doing.

I really liked the contrast between the past and the present as the differing tones made the book really fast-paced. It was quick, unnerving and the characters were brilliantly written.

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I love these kind of books... I really feel as if the authors just have the best characters and bring them to life. Which Shalini Boland definitely did! It was excellent and you all need to start reading this one now!

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Fantastic I was gripped from the start so many twists and turns you don’t see comeing I loved how it shows ho easy it is for something to happen if u take ur eyes away for a second

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