Matt Westbrook only went into the shop for a couple of minutes. But when he comes back out of the shop, the car along with his three children inside, has disappeared. He thinks a car thief has stolen it not realising that the children were in there. But then Matt gets a ransom text message telling him if he wants to see his children again, and what the ransom is. Matt and his wife Annabelle are horrified. They have to make a sacrifice, but really, there is only one option.

This story is told through the past and present day. The past is when Matt and Annabelle were at university. I had a good idea who the kidnapper was., but I was wrong. I eventually got it right just before they were revealed. What a weird and wonderful concoction of characters. The pace is steady in this well written book. I didn't want to put the book down.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Alex Lake for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was absolutely over the moon to be given an advanced reading of Alex Lake’s, The Choice. I have read many of his books and as usual I was not left disappointed.
Matt Westbrook made the unmistakable action of leaving his three children unattended in his car while popping into the shops which turned his and his wife Annabelle’s life upside down, meaning a unbearable choice had to be made his wife for his children.
I enjoyed the story being told in the present of the kidnapping and then the past, going back in Matt and Annabelle life and living their history.
I found the story intriguing, fast paced and I enjoyed the guessing of who was the kidnapper, why are they doing this and will Annabelle be safe and I was not disappointed.
I highly recommend and can assure any reader would not be disappointed.

A kidnap… a ransom... a choice...

Matt Westbrook nips into the shop to get some essentials on the way home, leaving his three kids in the car, when he emerges five minutes later the car and his children are gone, what he at first thinks is a prank, played by a friend, becomes much more sinister when he arrives home and receives a text telling him not to inform the police or he will never see his children again, the ransom demand is his wife in exchange for the children. They have a few hours to make their decision and the clock is ticking...

This latest by Alex Lake hits the ground running, from page one the drama unfolds and quickly turns into the crisis that every parents dreads, but the ransom demand is very unexpected, if they wanted Annabel, why not just take her? There is so much more to this than meets the eye! The plot is complex, imaginative and creative, and there are lots of twists along the way. The story is told over two timelines; the present day and Matt's uni days, it's fast paced with choppy chapters which made it an easy read that I finished in a day, and the characters are very well written. Another great book from this author and I'm looking forward to the next one which is out next year.

I'd like to thank HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. By far, the best book by Alex. I powered through this book. The suspense was great, it kept you guessing as to who the kidnapper was. I didn't guess correctly! It was a very quick read and well paced. Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The story centres around married couple, Matt and Annabelle Westbrook, and their 3 children who get kidnapped after Matt leaves them in a car outside a shop while he grabs some items. He comes out from the shop to discover his car and 3 children gone. Then he receives text messages with the kidnappers ransom demand. The kidnapper wants him to trade his wife for his 3 children, and of course they agree to the kidnappers terms. Then follows a cat and mouse hunt in trying to find Annabelle once the exchange is done.

The story was great, fast paced, and something happening at every turn. The characters were relatable, and I really enjoyed the fact the author had incorporated the coronavirus into the timeline, which made it all the more real.

I enjoy all Alex Lake books, and this one was no different. A great crime thriller!!

Matt Westbrook is a lawyer. His wife, Annabelle, has asked him to pick up some food on the way home. He stops at a small shop and leaves his children sitting quietly in the car while he pops inside for the groceries. But when he returns to his car it's gone, along with his children too.
I love a good thriller and I loved this book. I started reading at 3.00p.m. on Sunday afternoon and finished at a little after 7.00p.m. I had planned to watch a Sunday night movie, but I abandoned that plan because I couldn’t put down my Kindle.
A good writer can make you think you know where the story is going but then deftly lead you up an entirely different path. Lake is one such writer. In the first few chapters you may pick from any number of characters, any of which could feasibly be involved in the kidnapping of Matt and Annabelle’s children. We meet Lindsay, the angry and bitter, bunny boiler ex-girlfriend from Matt’s university days. Then we are introduced to Annabelle’s effusive reader fans who seem far too enthusiastic in oddball ways. It could be any one of them and you quickly realise that you have definitely NOT got the kidnapper sussed!
I haven’t read any of Alex Lake’s other books, but on the basis of The Choice, I will be more than happy to spend another Sunday afternoon and evening up to my eyes in more of his writing. Thanks to #alexlake and #harpercollins and #NetGalley for free copy in exchange for review.
****/5

This was my first Alex Lake novel. Yet, one look at the story peg, and I knew I wanted to explore it. A family has been ripped apart. A lawyer’s children have been kidnapped, and they will be let go only if his wife agrees to swap herself for them! Should she? Would he let her? Is this a trap?

I'm very excited to see this out now! This was a great edge of your seat thriller!

I've posted this on my website: thebookbuff.com for a longer review

Also on Instagram @therealbookbuff as well

Incredible thriller, a novel worthy of a top ten spot. Matt turns his back for a moment, leaving his kids in the car – when he next looks they’ve vanished. It’s a one in a million possibility, but its happened and the ransom is his wife Annabelle. The ultimate sacrifice – your life for your children. Matt and Annabelle have no idea who is behind this but are desperate to save their children. What follows is a heart stopping, breath taking race for Matt to save those that he loves. The story is told primarily by Matt, Annabelle and the kidnapper but also include a back story of when the couple met and their early years together. There’s something about Lake’s writing that pulls me in, the way it flows just wants me to read more and more. I look forward to reading more by this author. I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an edge of your seat thriller that I really enjoyed.
Matt goes in the shop to get some essential shopping and leaves his three children in the car. When he comes out of the shop, the car and his children have gone.
My heart sank for him and when he tells his wife, she’s devastated. They then get text messages to say the children have been kidnapped and to get them back they must exchange the children for Annabelle.
Matt can’t even consider this but Annabelle would do anything for her children.
They call close friends to help but have a tight timeline from the kidnapper and are told not to call the Police so how will they get them back?
I liked the chapters from the perspective of the kidnapper as it gave an insight into their warped mind.
This is a very original thriller and one that well and truly had me hooked.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Matt Westbrook parks his car and makes the decision to leave his three children inside and quickly pop into a shop. What harm can it do? When he goes back outside, the car is gone and the children with it and he obviously goes into panic mode. He runs home to tell his wife Annabelle and then they get some very scary text messages and their lives unravel. The story is told principally by Matt, Annabelle and the perpetrator in 2020 but backtracks to the couples life from 2004.

The book starts really well, the premise is good, Matt’s panic is palpable, the perps nerve comes across loud and clear and the ransom is very twisted sister. The couples past lives are intriguing as you have several possible contenders for who the offender is in 2020 and one of those is particularly fruity loops which is interesting! For the first 50% there is some tension especially at the ransom meet up and there are some exciting sections here. Then unfortunately for me it starts to go pear shaped as it begins to lose plausibility. It is obvious after a while who the perpetrator is so the element of surprise is lost. The offenders ‘voice’ does not feel authentic, the delusions are a bit bonkers which would be ok if there’s menace but this does not come across in the writing, it just feels a bit mad. It leads to some eye rolling but not in a good way. The very short chapters don’t help as there are some very abrupt ends as the dialogue switches to another characters perspective which makes it feel disjointed. The pace picks up towards the end which is quite exciting.

Overall, the first half is 4 star, the second is 2 and so it’s an overall 3 star read for me.

With thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins, Harper Fiction for the ARC

I enjoyed the premise of this novel, which was imaginative and creative - a man's children are kidnapped and held to ransom, with the ransom being his wife. However, while this was a fun read, I felt a little disappointed in the execution of the story itself - the chapters are so abrupt and choppy, I found it hard to actually get invested in either the story or the characters. There is no real character development from beginning to end - which isn't surprising as there isn't really room in the brief chapters for any development to take place - and the red herrings are almost laughably obvious. I guessed who the real culprit was from the beginning as the clues are so clunky, and this took away the thrill of trying to work out what was happening and why, which would usually be the big pay off or reveal at the novel's climax.

I enjoyed this as a fun one-time read, but for me this one didn't deliver on its promise.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher who provided me with a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness what a roller coaster of a read, just brilliant, full of twists and turns and I was gripped from the very first page, an addictive psychological thriller with excellent characters.

This book just drew me in and I couldn't stop reading, a very worthy five stars from me. I have read a few books from this author but this one is far by the best.

Well done Alex, I look forward to your new one next year.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the opportunity to read this fantastic book.

Really enjoyed this, another fast paced read from Alex Lake. Loved the characters and although I worked out the twist, I still wanted to read. Brilliant final scenes!

The words a real page turner was written about this book. I have never read anything by Alex Lake before (a situation I will certainly be resolving). The premise is an odd one kidnap a families kids but rather than wanting money they want the wife in the family. The question is why.
To say too much about this book would give too much away but it had me gripped from start to finish and I read it in one sitting which is highly unusual for me.
The pace is fantastic and I really connected with the characters. The story switches between the past and the present to broaden out the characters.
This is the must read thriller of 2020 no question.

The Choice By Alex Lake
Seven Days by Alex lake was my joint favourite book out of 150 books in 2019, so I was delighted to get mt hands on this book.
Its not often I start a book the same day I get it, but I did with this and had it finished the next day.
You are straight into the action. Three children are kidnapped, and their mother is the ransom. As a mum of 3 myself, I could really put myself in this couples place, and the characters were well written. This book hooked me from page one and kept me gripped right to the end. I really enjoyed this.

Matt Westbrook nips into the shop for a few things, he only has his back turned for a moment but when he looks back his car containing his three children is gone. Then the messages come, confirming that this is a kidnap and demanding a ransom... but it isn't money the kidnapper wants, it's Matt's wife Annabelle. Matt and Annabelle have to make a choice, let Annabelle be taken, or risk their children being killed. What follows is a tense, thrilling tale where we are kept guessing who is responsible and wondering if the children and Annabelle can both be saved. I was kept on the edge of my seat the whole way through the book and couldn't wait to see what happened. The revelation was shocking and the last bits of the book were really tense and exciting. I absolutely loved this gripping thriller and really recommend it. Another great book from Alex Lake. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

This was such a quick read and I think mainly because it was a book I just could put down. We start with the kidnap of three young children left alone In the car for just a few minutes whilst their dad Matt goes into a shop to pick up some things. Coming out to find his young children and car gone Matt panics and is about to call the police when he receives a text message and is told to involve no police then in a further message he is told the ransom is his wife Annabelle and as the title of the book says it’s a choice !!
Well what a start to a gripping story that has suspects galore and is written in such a fabulous way flitting from past to present giving snippets of information that I found myself suspecting everyone. I did have an idea of who it could be from about halfway through the book but this never spoilt my enjoyment as I was intrigued to find out why !!
A thrilling quick read and excellently written, the characters were a weird and wonderful bunch and overall it was a really good read if a little bit implausible at times.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Its the weekend and the sun is shining so what better way to spend it than reading an advance read copy of Alex Lake’s new book. I honestly couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting. My heart was pounding and this only served to make me read faster!!!

Matt Westbrook only left his three young children alone in the car for mere minutes while he ran into the corner shop for provisions. He thought it was safer than them running about with coronavirus doing the rounds. He was wrong, very wrong. Somehow in that short period of time someone manages to make off with the car with his three children in it. At first he is bewildered - is it a prank by friends? did the kids manage to release the hand-brake? And then the messages arrive and be is filled with terror. They have been kidnapped and the ransom is not a barrel load of money but his wife, Annabelle. Yes, if he wants to see his children alive then he must trade them for his loving wife and mother of his children.

This was fast-paced and exciting. Probably my favourite of Alex Lake’s books to date its set to be another best seller.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

The Choice is one of those books that keeps you turning the page, promising yourself, just one more chapter, the only problem is, one more chapter turns into eight or nine and before you know it, its one am!

Alex has written a book that constantly keeps you guessing and the excellent part is, when you find out 'whodunnit' so to speak, the book doesn't end, the drama continues to unfold - I loved this concept.

We begin the book with Matt and Annabelle. Annabelle has a cold and asks Mike to pick up some items from the shop before returning home with his young children. He thinks it's ok to leave them in the car whilst pops into the shop and this is when the children vanish.
The book moves between the past and the present - Matt's university life, his girlfriend, meeting Annabelle, Annabelle's career as an Author - all whilst setting the scene, it is planting those little seeds into your mind - is it her - is it him?

The writing is concise but full of suspense, it doesnt waffle, it gets straight to the point - just the way I like it.

I will definitely be reading more of Alex's work - in particular the new book - there is an excerpt in the back of The Choice.

Matt and Annabel and are a happily married couple and devoted parents to three children. When Matt pops into a shop one day, leaving the children in his car whilst Annabel is at home nursing a headache, he never expects anything untoward to happen. But when he comes out of the shop just a few minutes later his car, containing all three children has gone.
Matt receives a text message that they have been taken, he must await further instructions and tell nobody. It subsequently transpires that he and Annabel must agree to exchange Annabel for the children!
Who would make such a demand? Should they go against what the kidnapper says and contact the police or go along with their demands and hand over Annabel? Are Matt and Annabel really as happy as they make out? Does one or both have something to hide? Has something from their past come back to haunt them? Who can they trust?
A good thriller, I really liked the main two characters and changed my mind throughout about who could and could not be trusted!
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.