What happens when you give a child up for adoption, but don't tell your new family and she finds you? What if she has resentment and isn't what you expected, yet you are the only one who can see that? What if she didn't have the life that you thought she would when you gave her up, and she sees that your kids have everything she missed?

That's this book with alot of twists and turns and unexpected wows. The book alternates between Jade the mother and Erin the daughter she gave up. The writing is smooth and the book isn't choppy, so it is a well written read.

This book is at the top of it's game as a psychological suspense thriller and I think will make quite a splash in this years books.

I have read most of Jess Ryder's books and this one does not disappoint!

A story about many secrets. Adoption. Family. Friends. Betrayal...

I kept guessing as to whether Jade was really the daughter Erin "gave away".?????

A lot of powerful drama and superb suspense definitely lead to a 5 star rating!!!

Many Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for one of this year's best reads!

WOW. I finished this book last night and have not stopped thinking about it since. It was very different from what I expected, given that the short book description listed on NetGalley does not reveal much about the plot. But, in this case, it's a good thing.

I liked that the book switched back and forth between a few perspectives, both past and present, to give a better backstory. I also liked that the book took a new position/outlook on mental illness - a lot of the time, mental illness is portrayed in kind of a throwaway manner in books, usually just as an explanation for a character's actions. But I felt that this book not only used a unique mental/neurological illness that is not typically written about, but also used this illness in a better way than many fictional books would (yes, it was an explanation for behavior, but also tied in a lot to the main story of the book). All in all, it felt like a new perspective and a new story, when many mysteries and thrillers I've read lately all feel like different iterations of the same story.

I felt that a few storylines were left hanging at the end of the book, but that was not necessarily a problem. In most cases, it kept me thinking about the story, and thinking "what if" about those storylines, rather than being upset that a storyline was just dropped. Overall, I enjoyed the story, and will continue to think about it for a while.

Having read all Jess Ryder’s previous books was excited to read this one, it did not disappoint. Was gripped from the first chapter, kept me guessing, plenty of twists, did not see the ending coming. Definitely worth reading.

The Girl You Gave Away by author Jess Ryder is yet another great domestic thriller novel by Ryder! There has yet to be a book I did not like and The Girl You Gave Away did not disappoint! Absolutely recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!! This is a gripping book that had me reading until the wee hours. From the first chapter I was pulled into the story and didn’t want to put it down. The book goes from Jade to Erin, alternating chapters and years but it blends so smoothly that you don’t notice the change. There is everything possible in this book, mystery, love, heartbreak, twists, blind alleys.... Erin is a married mother of two when she receives a birthday card from the daughter she gave up for adoption when she was 15. As the story progresses we see exactly what Erin’s life was like growing up and you can only like her and want to sit with her and give her a hug and support. The other characters are well developed and some I hated instantly for being arrogant, others for being conniving and yet others for betraying Erin. Jade is an amazing character and my feelings for her changed with each chapter. You will be sucked into their lives and with each new twist you will begin to read faster, anting to find out the truth and also not wanting it to end. The book is one of the best psychological suspense stories I have read. You don’t want to miss out on reading this book. Thank you so much NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book. 5 stars all the way.