I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A really enjoyable story based on an important topic. The writer is clearly knowledgeable and well researched in this topic which shows in the story. The writing is good and the characters interesting.
However, it is difficult to get into as I found the beginning confusing and not hard hitting as you would expect it to be.
This was sadly disappointing.
On the whole a good book.

Such an interesting book! Set in London in 1976 and Switzerland in 2016, it explains women’s rights or lack of them, in Switzerland in the 70’s and how difficult life was for some children.
I think this is a great 1st book and look forward to reading more.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

Synopsis

Sylvia is a journalist in 1976 who visits Switzerland to write an article on women's rights.

Jess is her daughter who in 2016 is taking some time out after separating from her husband and taking a sabbatical from her teaching job.

As the two timelines progress we realise that more happened in 1976 than Jessica was led to believe and that this has shaped the person she is today.

Review

This is Caroline Bishop's first novel and I'm very impressed. I'm a big fan of the split timelines to tell a story. It's a bit like having the hot and cold tap running to create the perfect bath. The story unfolds at a steady pace. I thought I had worked out the ending but I was wrong which I was quite pleased about. The descriptions of Switzerland were stunning and made me want to visit.

I'll be looking out for novel number two.

I seem to be in a minority in that I did not enjoy this book particularly. It is well enough written, but it is slow and plodding, and gets bogged down in the political detail of 1970s Switzerland. This should have been interesting, but somehow it failed to spark any enthusiasm in this reader.
I could not connect with either Sylvia in the 1970s, or Jess her daughter, who comes to Switzerland many years later to find out the ‘secret’ of her birth. I found both characters to be thinly drawn, and Jess in particular to be not very likeable.
The dual timeline, with the constant switching back and forth between storylines of Sylvia and Jess made the narrative very disjointed, and ruined any flow it may have had. I have recently read another novel which employed this writing style to excellent effect, so it does work when it is done well. This one did not work for me on any level unfortunately. I really didn’t care enough about either character to continue reading to find out about the mystery of Jess’s birth, and so DNF.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

I initially found myself struggling to get into this book, as the story didn't immediately grab me. However, I am very pleased that I persevered with it. The storyline follows Jess as she travels to Switzerland to find out more about her birth. The chapters swap between 1976 and and 2016 following her mother Sylvia and Jess on their journey of discovery. I had been totally in the dark about the history of women in Switzerland and how late they were allowed to vote and become recognised as equal to men! This story is well written and explores these issues well, covering the impact on families and children. A enjoyable read.

Set primarily in Switzerland and covering the Women's rights movement in the 70's this book is faced past and wonderfully descriptive. Politics, journalism, and a search for another family lend an edgy, slightly tense feel to this brilliant story. If you like a mystery then this is a great story and will keep you guessing.

Womens rights in Switzerland, a girl who realizes her family are not her own. Journalists, nannies and a back and forth through decades, this book will grip your interest and keep you guessing. With an unusual outcome which I disagreed with but understood practically if not emotionally. A good read, stock up on the treats and read it in one go, it will transport you on a magical journey.

This was a book well out of my reading comfort zone, but I loved it! Swiss politics, the challenges of being a woman in the 70s who worked and the women’s movement during that time.

The research in this book was of a high standard and I enjoyed it that much I went on to do some research myself of the events mentioned. Well written and engrossing!

I marvel at how many new story lines and aspects of pastimes are discovered and written about. Here is another. Uncovering the history of both the treatment of 'fostered' children and that of the movement for equal rights for women. It has led me to do my own research and find out more about these topics. For that I am grateful.
Overall I enjoyed the book but it took me sometime to read as I was not riveted and only read a chapter or two at a time. The outcome was somewhat predictable and would have been improved by a more shocking twist (which I kind of suggested to myself, but it never materialised).

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.
Not read anything by this Author and thoroughly enjoyed this journey it was highly informative as many have said I knew nothing about swiss politics so found it more interesting can highly recommend.

It's a poignant, engrossing and interesting story that made me learned about the women movement in Switzerland and kept me hooked.
The historical background is well researched and vivid, the characters are fleshed out and interesting, the plot flows and never drags.
I loved this story and it's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

WOW. Absolutely phenomenal book, what a heartbreaking journey. I loved all of it, a truly great story. I wish almost the ending had turned out differently but I guess it was a happy ever after of sorts. Really well written.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this book. I found it to be a really interesting read about a subject area I knew little about - Swiss politics and life there in the 1970's. The story tells of Jessica who realised that there was something different about her birth, something which her mum didn't want her to find out... but Jessica wants to know what it is so she travels to Switzerland to try to find answers... As she does, we readers learn a lot about politics in Switzerland in the 1970's and I found it really interesting!

I enjoyed the story and really cared for Jessica - I wanted her to find out what happened to her and enjoyed learning it along with her.

I did find it a little hard to get into at first so for that reason it gets 4 stars. But I will definitely be looking out for more from this author in the future.

Interesting story which taught me about women’s suffrage and the challenges of being a working woman in the 70s. Had no idea about Swiss politics either. Ultimately this was interesting but took a long time to get there with many side stories along the way.
3.5* I learnt something but was lacking some oomph!

Jessica discovers a shocking truth about her birth so she travelled to Switzerland to get some answers. Her mother had spent some time writing an article on the Swiss women's rights movement. But she doesn't know what had happened to her while she was there. Jessica is desperate to find out the truth surrounding her birth.

This is quite an informative read. We learn of the challenges working women had in the 1970's and Swiss politics. There is a few side stories and it took me a little while to get into the book. The ook is well written and the characters well rounded. I'm glad I stuck with this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and the author Caroline Bishop for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed the style of writing, I thought it was incredibly gripping and the perfect escapism, which is what I'm looking for in books at the moment! I would definitely recommend this story and will look out for it when it's published. I think the cover artwork is great too - really eye-catching!

Loved this booked, had me guessing from the start and not the result I was expecting which was a real page turner, great story loved it x