As soon as I saw this cover, I knew I had to read it. New author to me, I look forward to reading her again. A tough subject, missing child (now adult) and more missing children. To go into detail would be a disservice to this book and possibly give away some of the story line. The characters are well thought out and develop well from beginning to end. The back and forth of narrators keeps the tension flowing and heightens as the chapters get shorter. Family and friendships are tested with surprising results. 

The cover sets the tone of the book. Holly is returned 94 days after going missing the park where she was taken. Relatively unharmed with only an odd scar and no memory of what transpired. Other children are reported missing in the years after Holly is returned. Holly starts getting flashes of memory, but there is a lot of missing pieces and blackouts. Who can she trust? 

Thanks to Ms. Reeds, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

This was just what I needed to get me out of my reading slump this month. It was involved, it was twisty, it took me the long way around and turned all my assumptions on their heads. Once I started reading it, I couldn't wait to finish.

Holly was a victim of a child abduction when she was a young girl, and her abductor was caught and put away for his crimes. Or was he? She can't remember the days she was missing, but her unexplained behaviors as an adult might just point to something lying just below the surface, waiting for the right time or the right trigger to bring them back.

I liked that this story had a well developed plot and several subplots that all tied together in roundabout ways. The details were rich and the characters all had something to hide. 

The audiobook was well done with two narrators alternating between Holly's perspective and her mother's perspective from the past. Maybe a little on the slow side but I listened at 2.3 and it was just right for me. (I usually range between 1.5-2.0.) They were able to get the voices of the different characters across really well.

4.5 stars

The Day I Disappeared focuses on Holly who was kidnapped 20 years ago at age 4. Luckily she was released and  reunitied with her family. She does not remember the events of those 94 days but memories start to surface when a detective comes to her for help regarding several others cases of young girls missing. Are the case related? Is the person in prison for her kidnapping the right guy or could they have gotten it wrong? She starts questioning everything and isn't sure who she can trust. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I was pretty sure of who did it half way through but suspected several people throughout and I did not see all of the twists along the way. There were a few too many secrets and storylines throughout the story but overall it tied together well. I think most thriller readers will enjoy. Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc.

In The Day I Disappeared, five-year-old Amy’s older brother was supposed to be watching her. Instead he was outside fishing. However, when he came home later, Amy was missing. When later she was found drowned, her brother blamed himself.

Holly was kidnapped as a child of five. She was returned months later with her virtue intact. While Holly remembered nothing, she had a wound on her forearm and a missing tooth. One of her church members was convicted of the crime.

Twenty years later, Detective Jason contacts Holly. He believes Holly was the first in a series of child abductions that continue to today with the recent abduction of five-year-old Skyler. Only one of the ten was found alive—Holly. Another was found dead. The fate of the others is unknown but presumed dead. However, Skyler still has a chance.

Holly tries to help Jason, especially by remembering details of her own abduction. But with her mother stuck in a coma in the hospital, her best friend’s upcoming wedding, and her on-again-off-again relationship with her boyfriend, she already has a lot of balls to juggle.

The Day I Disappeared is an immensely twisty tale combining a serial child abductor story with some intense family drama. Both Holly and her best friend, Kitten, struggle with their relationships with their parents. While in a coma, Holly’s mother, Cecily, is also narrating part of the book. Be prepared to dislike many of the characters, but never Holly, while trying to determine who the abductor is and what caused Cecily to drive off a cliff resulting in her coma. I didn’t come close to guessing who did it. See if you can beat both me and Holly to the solution. 4 stars!

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

A story that spans years, and in the process of uncovering the secrets we learn a lot of things that add up to a mystery that never quite strays into the dark territory it could though it focuses on some potentially upsetting details.
Our main character is Holly, a young woman working as a builder for her father’s company. She has an on-again-off-again boyfriend, a long time crush on her childhood friend’s big brother and is struggling to come to terms with the fact her mother is in a coma. But the thing we come to define Holly by is the fact that years earlier she was kidnapped from under her mother’s nose, held for over ninety days and then released. No signs of sexual abuse, drugged and suffering with PTSD but a local man was imprisoned for the crime.
When police contact Holly to question her about similarities between her case and recent disappearances, we start to get the feeling this is not over. And so it begins.
Holly tries to recall anything that could help the police work out what happened, and save the little girl who has most recently gone missing. We also have some of the story narrated by her mother, so we come to learn more about the build-up to Holly going missing. 
At one point at least four characters were in line for being crowned the guilty party...we do learn the truth eventually, and it wasn’t quite what we expected. I couldn’t help but feel that having taken quite a long time to build up the situation around Holly’s abduction that the resolution came about just a little too quickly.

3/5⭐️ for The Day I Disappeared by Brandi Reeds. Thank you to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book received in exchange for an honest review. 

When Holly was 4, she was kidnapped; taken from a park where she played with her closest friend Kitten, and returned to the very same park 94 days later, with absolutely no recollection of what happened to her, and how she got the arrow-shaped scar on her arm. With the man charged with abducting her - who was already known for his disturbing interest in young girls - already serving his sentence in prison, the case appears to be pretty much closed. That is until Holly’s mother, who is also battling her own personal demons, realises that what happened to her daughter 20 years ago is much bigger than one kidnapping, and that the man who is behind bars may not have been responsible. 

This is definitely one of those books where you really aren’t sure which characters to trust and I really enjoyed that consistent uncertainty in the narrative. Reeds has a really natural writing style which made this book so easy to get stuck into and I finished it in less than 24 hours which is unusual for me. However, it was a pretty run-of-the-mill kidnap thriller; although there were some original elements, the characters - namely the ‘evil’ ones - were quite predictable and at times quite cliche in their behaviour/speech. I also didn’t feel that most of the main characters had as much depth as I would have liked, although this doesn’t stand true for Holly’s mother who I think has been developed really well and who I really felt for throughout the whole book. Holly’s mother is also manipulated and deceived by one of her family’s closest friends, and I think that part of the book was also done really well because as a reader I also fell for the lies which I guess shows pretty good storytelling on Reeds’ part!

Overall this was quite a gripping and fast-paced read and is the kind of book you can really devour in one or two sittings. If you like these types of kidnap stories then I’d definitely say give it a go, but if you’re looking for something with a bit more originality and depth then perhaps it won’t be for you.

Do not go into this book thinking it’s a Thriller. 
This is a slow moving story that has some twist and turns that kept me engaged. Twenty years ago, Holly was kidnapped and returned to the same park from which she disappeared three months later.
She has no memory of what happened. Now another child has disappeared in similar circumstances that makes Holly to wonder what really happened that night twenty years ago.  
The story is told in two points of views, Holly’s and her mothers who is comatose after an accident. The accident being from a drunken driving crash that may or may not have been an accident. Holly, like her mother, drinks excessively and keeps making questionable choices. 
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Solidly good psychological thriller. Even if you figure out the identity of the culprit before the book is finished, it is still full of surprises and well-paced action. There are no shortage of suspects for who might be involved with Holly's kidnapping and return as a young child, so it keeps the reader turning the pages to find out if suspicions are correct.
The narrative alternates between chapters from Holly's point of view and that of her mother Cecily, who is in a coma after a car accident that might not have been an accident. Although the mystery is front and center in the tale, there are also elements of romance and coming-of-age as Holly at age 25 is trying to discover the type of person she is and wants to be.
In a genre that is getting a bit saturated, this novel stands out as a winner.

Very mysterious!  I liked this book alot!  It was told with two POVs.  It kept me guessing and wondering what would happen next. Just like a mystery!  I highly recommend this!

You know at first I was very skeptical of this book. The synopsis was perfect and  I wasn't sure how much I was going to like it. But after reading about 20-30% into the book, it dug its claws into me and wouldn't let me go. I thought this was such a great book! It literally kept me guessing until the end. Everytime I would think “No, this is the person who did it. I’m sure of it”, I would change my mind and be persuaded to think otherwise. Brandi Reeds did such a great job with telling this story. I loved that it was mostly told in Holly’s POV, but I appreciated that some of the “chapters” were told in her mother’s perspective. I thought this was a great story about forgiveness, truth, understanding and the ability to grow. If you are looking for a great read that will keep you on your toes, this is a great book to pick up especially with the fall season coming soon!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Holly a four-year-old was kidnapped and returned to the same park from which she disappeared three months late, with no memory of what happened to her, though a local handyman was convicted suspicion also fell on Holly’s mother, Cecily. Twenty years later, another girl disappears in similar circumstances and Detective Jason Guidry in charge of the new case thinks Holly might be able to help solve it. But Holly is still missing some details of the past and she believes her mother can help her fill the blanks, they get together. But Cecily still has secrets she’s yet to share with her daughter. Should she dare to breathe a word, she could lose Holly all over again.

This book alternates between mostly from the POV of Holly and Cecily, who narrates all of her thoughts from a coma, both narrators were unreliable witch made this book a quite intriguing read. The characters are well developed, it has a few twists and turns and although you can figure out how the story will end, it is a very entertaining book.  
Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Brandi Reeds and Lake Union Publishing Seattle for allowing me to read this ARC and give my honest opinion.
What an insight into the lives of a family who have survived, and those who haven't, the kidnapping of a child. This story is told by the mother Cecily and the daughter, Holly, who was kidnapped at the early age of five. Holly was returned after 95 days with no memory of where she was or with whom. Now twenty years later a detective comes to see her to see if she can help him with another case of a missing five year old with eerie similarity to Holly's abduction  Could there be more? Is that kidnapper still out there? 
Holly is starting to experience flashes of things she can't explain or are they memories? Flashes of a little blonde girl like herself and small objects that play on her memories. 
Cecily is in coma in the hospital after an accident driving in the rain.  She went off of a cliff but was it an accident? Could she be so broken?
This is a book to keep you thinking and feeling. The hurt and the pain a non-perfect family experiences as they deal with such a horrendous experience. The danger to all involved if the perpetrator is still out there. And are these other cases of little girls gone missing related? Why was Holly returned? So many things going on in Holly's life now she has trouble focusing on being a good brides maid to her best friend who was with her when she disappeared but was left behind. 
I highly recommend this read if this is the kind of book you like! It is well written with characters you will like. The pain and agony of going through the kidnapping of your child, the distrust and blame from others including the police and even your own family. The way it can shape the future of all involved. 
Excellent read I highly recommend.

Edge of your seat reading that will have your heart racing.  Many twists and turns to keep you happily turning pages. Looking for a taunt suspenful read? Pick this up. You won't be disappointed. Happy reading!

PUB DAY REVIEW!

Thank you to @NetGalley for this e-ARC of The Day I Disappeared by Brandi Reeds in exchange for an honest review.

Dark. Mysterious. Compelling. 

Told through the perspectives of two unreliable narrators, this slow building thriller will have you suspecting everyone and trying to guess the ending all throughout the book. I did end up figuring out part of the twist early on but Reeds made me continuously second guess myself until the very end. 

I love that Reeds not only explored the mystery behind Holly’s kidnapping but also familial and romantic relationships, and the way tragedy can shape those relationships.  

I really enjoyed Reeds’ writing style. It kept me interested in the story despite the slow start and it ended up being a quick read. 

This was my first book by Reeds and I will definitely be reading more by her!

Read this one if you’re a true crime fan or a murderino. 

CW: PTSD, children abduction/trauma, violence, addiction 

4 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Holly was four years old when she was kidnapped from the park. Ninety four days later, Holly was returned to the park she had been taken from. She has little memory of what had happened to her while in captivity. Holly's mother had been a suspect in her disappearance. 

As a young woman, Holly does not have a good relationship with her mother. When the police ask for Holly's assistance with several kidnappings that were similar to hers, she can't remember enough to help them. But these children were not being returned to their parents and Holly's mother is under suspicion again. 

The story builds up slowly but it's definitely worth the wait. It will keep you guessing throughout. This is a well written story that in places, it's hard to read. The characters and plotline are believable, full of intrigue, mystery and suspense. The story is told from Holly"s perspective with snippets from her mother. This is a gripping read that's filled with twists. I will be looking out for this author in future.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author Brandi Reeds for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book, a returned abductee with little or no memory of her abduction, and unreliable story tellers had me gripped early on. In every chapter new information became evident, sometimes conflicting with what had been knew previously, sometimes adding detail, to what had been hinted at. 
There are more than  four layers to this story, told through : the abductee, the eyewitness, the parents, the neighbours, and other characters. It was a compelling read, and it’s twisty-turns kept me up reading all night. 
Gripping, psychological thriller.  
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

WOW! This is one of my favourite reads of 2020. Absolutely fantastic with a plot that sucks you in like quicksand. I read this one in hours and then wanted more. The first time I have read this author but not the last.

This has everything I love, crime, psychological elements, complex gritty and damaged characters, twists, reveals that blew me away, red-herrings and a book that stirred many emotions. That's quite a lot in one book. I really highly recommend this book. 

The search for the abductor of little girls with a similar MO is the focus of the novel. Our main character can hold the key to remembering her own trauma to help save another young girl but the blanks are many. She is a fantastic character, so realistic, very damaged reflective of her life journey. The hunt is on for the sick person that is focusing on these young girls. Not just any young girl. They must fit the picture perfectly. 

I suspected almost everyone in the book at one stage and loved the final reveal. The end chapters had me on the edge of my seat (well, bed) as the conclusion swept me up. In addition to the crime elements, Brandi has flushed out characters that are brilliant to get to know. Reletionship complexities, past secrets and many lies intertwine through the whole novel.

I cannot rave enough. This one is a must-have for your reading list. A stand-out book for me this year. 

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. My review is my own opinion and totally unbiased.

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked this one. It was quick paced and interesting. I read it in a day. Loved the family dynamics and the twists and turns along the way.

I also loved some of the minor details. The author did a good job of representing PTSD and safe use of a hand gun. 

Definitely recommend!

Holly was kidnapped when she was four and held for 90+ days before she was mysteriously returned to the same park from where she had disappeared. She doesn’t remember anything about being missing and a man has been jailed for the crime for years. Now there is another girl missing with the same modus operandi, so a detective wants to talk to Holly, is the wrong man in jail?

Her love life is a mess, her Dad refuses to appoint her foreman, and her best friend Kitten is marrying someone that she doesn’t like. However, she wants to help the detective find the girl who has been missing almost as long as Holly.

The other point of view in the story is from Holly’s mother Cecily. The twist is that she’s in a coma after a mysterious accident. We learn what has been happening in Cecily’s life prior to the accident and wonder if she will wake up. The chapters fly by as Holly seems to be remembering a few details now. 

The author did a great job with lots of red herrings and I suspected just about everyone in Holly’s life. I loved the premise of this one and I enjoyed the writing too, not a perfect read, but a good one.

A great read with a few twists thrown in. Overall this is a good read but I thought that it was predictable in places and rambled on a bit.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.