DNF I couldn’t finish this novel because I hated all the characters. I did feel bad that when Erin was fourteen, her very strict Catholic parents caused her to rebel and start drinking too much and hanging out with a not nice guy, who definitely shouldn’t have been having unprotected sex with an underage girl. I also felt bad that she had no idea that sex should actually be enjoyable and—gasp!—maybe even loving and fun, and that she was too ignorant to understand the signs of pregnancy. She gave birth to the girl and was forced to give her up for adoption and essentially abandoned by her parents.

I felt bad that Jade, the daughter Erin was for to give up, has some developmental disabilities, which are possibly responsible for the fact she’s a pathological liar. Except for that, she was adopted by a very loving couple who forgive her for all the terrible decisions she’s made for herself. I know people who are adopted, and I’ve never met one who’s any more screwed up in the head than the rest of us who were raised by the parents whose DNA we inherited.

The fact that Erin felt she couldn’t tell her husband about what happened when she was so young because she thought he’d leave her makes me not like him, and the daughter she had with Tom is also awful (I liked her nerdy book worm son who is actually a nice human).

The writing style and characters just didn’t work for me. This will be released March 20, 2020. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

I enjoyed this book. The character development was great. It really held my interest all the way through. Now for what I didn't like. There was two major questions that were left unanswered. I felt that the ending was abrupt and seemed unfinished. That being said I still feel the book was entertaining and deck worth reading.

Thanks Net Galley for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I literally tore through the pages of this book. It was nothing like I expected it was a hundred times better.

This was quite a shocking read. We have all read the story where a young mother has been forced to give away her newborn and years later they are reunited and all live happy ever after. I haven’t read a book where the mother has kept the newborn a secret her whole life and when the reunion takes place the mother is none too happy about the secret coming to the surface.

The tension in this book was there all the way through and I did find myself wanting to shout at the pages when some of the unexpected twists were revealed.

The multi-layering of the characters really kept me intrigued. I have to say that I loved and hated each of them. Each had a good side but equally they have a devious bad side that one minute made me want to stand up for them and side with them but at the same time wanted to shout. “How could you do that?”

I really don’t want to give away too much of the storyline so I will leave it at this is a brilliant fast paced read that just left me wanting to know more. I would love to know what happens to the family now that the truth is out and all of the secrets have been revealed.

Thank you Netgalley for my ARC

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The book was hard to put down for parts 1 and 2. Part 3 I started losing interest but kept reading. Story was starting to be unbelievable, not enough information in some parts of the story - a bit choppy.

It didn't read like a thriller so not sure why it's listed as a thriller. Nonetheless.... i did enjoy the book and would read another story by Jess Ryder.

I struggled with this book a little, either though I found the authors writing OK and idea of the story OK, it just didn't work for me. Nothing really happened and I really didn't like any of the characters. I also felt like I had a couple of questions unanswered once I finished the book.

Wow! The storyline of this book, it drew me in from the first chapter. I liked the way the book was told from different times and perspectives. I didn’t connect with any of the characters, but that didn’t make me want to put this book down. I was hoping for more from the ending, I didn’t feel like everything was wrapped up and there were still questions left unanswered, but overall I’d give this a solid 3.5 stars.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Erin had a daughter when she was 15. She has never told her husband or their 2 kids. Now the daughter had found her and is threatening to tell her family and ruin the life she has built.

3.5 stars.

Really there wasn't much to this book. I had sniffed out the one big twist well before it was revealed. It was really just a lot of family drama. I gave it an extra half star because I think Jess Ryder is a very capable writer but this book was just ok for me.

This novel started of so well and had me interested from the first chapter but it hit around 25-30% and just seemed to lose it.

I found the characters a bit lack lustre and completely unrelatable which for me impacted the whole book.

It felt like a whole load of topics had been squeezed into one story.. blackmail, adoption, family issues, mental health, kidnap, attempted murder... just way too many in one book.

It just didnt do it for me unfortunately.

1.5*

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Erin had a good family, a good education two great friends and everything was going well for her.
That is until she meets Dean who introduces her to drugs, drinks and cigarettes.
Erin got pregnant and gave her baby away.
In later years she married Tom and he said they should have no secrets between them, Erin never told Tom about her secret baby, they got married had two children, and then what Erin feared happened her
Baby now grown up came to find her.
I enjoyed this story very much, thank you netgalley for the opportunity to give you my honest opinion of this book.

Wow, wow, wow!!!!! This book had me hooked line sinker from the very start. This is the first book I read by Jess Ryder and she sure did not disappoint. It is a stand alone novel and not part of a series.

This book was about a mother who was young and naive who had to give up something she loved with all her heart. Erin made many mistakes but there was one big one that she had been paying for since she was fourteen. As she got older and tried to forget what happened the past came knocking on her door on her fortieth birthday. As Erin found out secrets don’t stay that way forever.

I want to start off by saying that I loved the storyline of this book. Nothing gets me more than when something from your past catches up to you. This book shows that you can not run from your past mistakes and must own up to them or they will haunt you forever. I also loved the growth that Erin had by the end of the book. She finally tried to right the wrong that she did so many years ago so she can move forward in life. This book was very fast paced and had so many twists and turns. I did not see that shocking ending coming at all. What I had thought in my head was totally wrong and I loved that. That ending is going to take me a while to get over. I am definitely going to be reading many more of Jess Ryder’s books.


Between the plot, characters and all the twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Wow!! I just loved this book and could not put it down. Wonderfully developed characters that were so easy to love and others made me want to pull my hair out.
Such an unusual domestic thriller. Story lines and relationships were intricately woven together for the ultimate family tale.
Wondering who was trustworthy did not always match up with who I wanted to trust!
This novel was so well done. I could identify very closely with several characters.
I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the second book I have read by Jess Ryder and I loved this one more than the first.

This one, although having its similarities to The Dream House, that I previously read, feels different. It still uses a lot of back story but I also felt that there were alot more secrets and twists woven into these backstories.

I really enjoyed that the author was able to create a web of lies and deceit for everything that was happening, but through them backstories and the dual narratives, she was able to weave just enough clues and enough information to keep you guessing and keep me hooked on the story to find out the outcome and how everything was going to revealed.

I really enjoyed this book and will be looking out for more by Jess in the future.

I have read one of Jess Ryders novels previously and thoroughly enjoyed it so when I saw this one on NetGalley I requested it straight away. The storyline opens with several thrilling chapters that pulled me straight in to the storyline which kept pace throughout.

I find the authors writing style captivating with many threads of suspicion running through the story. I find this to be one of the most appealing features of her novels.

The characters were well formed and could relate to Erin. Great characters, some I loathed but most I loved. Another great novel with twists I missed!

What a great book! The depth you are invested into these characters is unreal and grabs at all your emotions. 10/10 to infinity and beyond.

Erin is celebrating her 40th birthday when she finds a card on her doorstep wishing her a happy birthday from 'the girl you gave away'. Jade is that girl and she spends her days working in a charity shop. The problem for Erin, who has two teenage children and a husband who abhors liars, is that she has never told him about this child she was forced into adopting as she was only 15 years old when she had her.
For anyone who is part of the adoption triangle, that is relinquishing mother, adoptee or adoptive parent, this situation is actually handled quite sensitively from all points of view. Although Jade appears a loose cannon, in actual fact she has a good reason for appearing a blight on Erin's life. I am part of the adoption triangle and this story brought to my attention an issue that I have never heard discussed in regard to adopting a child so congrats to Ryder for bringing this issue to attention. Indeed it may go some way to explaining why those children who are adopted are so over-represented in the prison system, the mental health system and suicide statistics. As a bonus it's well-written.

I enjoyed this insightful novel very much. The storyline flows at a great pace, and the characters are well fleshed out. Highly recommended!

Release Date: 20 March 2020
Publisher: Bookouture

Erin is celebrating her fourtieth birthday. Happily married, with two teenage children and professionally successful with her own business, life is generally good.
That is until the day of Erin's fortieth birthday party when a little red envelope lands on the doormat, inside, a card from her daughter Jade. The daughter she got pregnant with at the age of fourteen and gave up for adoption. A secret she has kept to herself for 25 years.

Why is Jade suddenly getting in contact now? Does she want a relationship with her birth mum Erin or does she have some other ulterior motive? How is Erin going to explain this to her husband and children?

The story alternates between past and present from both Erin and Jade's point of view creating a complimenting story line to each other and giving a great understanding of how the past influences the present.

This was a suspenseful story that kept me wanting to read to find out what was going on! Full of twists and turns, blackmail, kidnapping and attempted murder that kept me intrigued about how this was going to end!

Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture and Jess Ryder for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2020 has had me in such a reading slump. I whipped through this book though and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I will say the plot twist was pretty obvious but still intriguing. I did find the ending less than satisfying.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I would say this book is a 3 star rating. I didn’t love it but didn’t hate it. It definitely had done good twists and turns however I felt it was a bit disjointed. The ending was a tad disappointing. However still a fun read.

I like the story this book told. Secrets from the past have a way of coming back to haunt you. It was well told and the characters were very relatable. However I did find the story dragged on a little and could have been a little more streamlined.
Overall it was a good read, a good story. Not really an edge of your seat suspenseful story but a solid good to read book.