I haven't read anything by this author before but I'll definitely look out for her in the future. I did work out what happened to mia but it took a while to figure out why. This didn't diminish from the story though. Good characters and a good story told in the perspectives of 2 neighbours mainly.

I've had this book on my kindle for so long now that I'd basically forgotten it was even there but after picking it up I've read the entire book in less than 36hours and ended up staying up way past my normal bed time last night to finish it which hasn't happened with a book in a long time! I think this may be the book to kickstart my reading mojo again!!

Georgina hooks you in from the very first few chapters, they're quite short which means you can read through them quickly and the action starts as soon as you open the first page with Mia in the pool. It then just gets more and more tense as you go on with developments and secrets coming to the surface all over the shop, you start doubting things and wondering just who could be behind everything. You get chapters from a few different points of view which I quite liked as it gave you a differing perspective into the situations, and also different time lines, sometimes being at the present day and sometimes flicking back to memories. Despite this it was really clear to follow and I just found myself becoming hooked and wanting to read more and more to find out what had happened to Mia.

I wasn't able to guess the majority of the reveals but I did loosely think about the very last one and could see this coming but that didn't spoil it for me at all, it actually gave the book a really good finale and the whole thing has now left me searching out the rest of Georgina's books because I want to be reeled back into her world asap!

I enjoyed this book a lot
It was gripping and had many twists and turns
This is told from multiple POVs.
This was an addictive and well plotted book

Being a stepparent is not easy. You start a relationship with someone who not only has baggage, but also expects you to take care of the children they already have. You have to get to know them, but also take in consideration the fact they often are grieving and comparing you to the missing loved one. This comparison regularly resulting in you not doing anything right, because you are not their mom or dad...

The stepparent often feels frustration, trying their best to do things right, but more than once failing in the eyes of the child(ren).

You keep on trying, because you love your partner and want to make it work, but it takes two or in this case three to tango,doesn't it...

I totally enjoyed this book, not knowing who, what, where or why and that's is very, very pleasing. I could not figure out who was trustworthy and who was lying through their teeth. I also had to shed a few tears. 5 stars

Thank you

It’s a normal afternoon when I walk out the patio doors of our kitchen to check on Mia, my stepdaughter, who is swimming in our backyard pool. But she’s gone. My heart stops when I see the back gate is open, her pink, fluffy towel lying folded on a chair. I was just feet away. Why didn’t I hear her scream? Who took our little girl?

Wow, what an amazing and gripping read this was, the story was quite different to other missing children stories and I absolutely loved it, it's kept me gripped throughout.

Wow! So many layers to this story! Told in multiple narrative voices that keep you wanting more. The final little kick at the end is just the cherry on top of a phenomenal read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Georgina Cross and Bookouture for hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

There are a lot of books which centre round a missing child and sometimes they feel very samey but this one seemed a bit different and had a bit more intensity in the plot which kept me intrigued throughout

It’s a normal afternoon when I walk out the patio doors of our kitchen to check on Mia, my stepdaughter, who is swimming in our backyard pool. But she’s gone. My heart stops when I see the back gate is open, her pink, fluffy towel lying folded on a chair. I was just feet away. Why didn’t I hear her scream? Who took our little girl?
What a gripping mystery

This was a very disturbing but good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension - impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

Great thriller that kept me turning the pages. Great story, great writing and characters. Really enjoyable and would read this author again.

A domestic thriller about a 13 year old who goes missing while her step mother was supposed to be watching her. The. Ending. Is. Unreal! Total plot twist, definitely kept me guessing until the end because everyone just looks so guilty-I guess that's what happens when you keep so many secrets.

This book could easily be read in one sitting if you live a life full of no distractions and have a few hours of uninterrupted time-I sadly have neither. But that didn't stop me from enjoying this book and always thinking about the characters when I wasn't reading it. I had to know who took Mia.

The one thing I really didn't like about this book was the over emphasis that was put on Vanessa being the stepmother and Mia being the stepdaughter. They don't refer to Mia as Vanessa's "daughter" ever, despite her being the only mother in Mia's life for the previous 6 years after the passing of her mom. Maybe it's just a personal peeve of mine, or maybe it really was purposely written this way to try to develop the relationship between the two. But it was definitely over the top driven home-this is Vanessa's step daughter (as in not her daughter).

what a brilliant book! loved every minute of it. great characters and great story. red it in two days.

Couldn't put it down! Very riveting. Good twists and turns to keep you guessing. A little predictable with the ending but still a great read.

Georgina Cross is a new-to-me author and I love psychological thrillers so I decided to give this one a chance. I am so glad I did!! I loved it!! I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn't put it down. I finished it in one day which I never do!! I highly recommend.

Wow The Stepdaughter by Georgina Cross was just beautiful written book I was hooked within the first few pages and I just loved this book. This is a must if you love psychological thrillers. iI highly recommend this book

I am so glad to have discovered this author. I will be waiting eagerly for her next books in the future..

I would like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

It all starts on a normal afternoon when Vanessa comes out of her house and can't find her beautiful daughter Mia. The police once questioned the beautiful mother remains suspicious. What she doesn't understand are the messages on Mia's cell phone sent by her husband. Especially after the disappearance of Mia the wedding ring is found in the bottom of the pool. He seems to hide his game well. The inspector keeps asking her where she was and what she was doing during Mia's disappearance.

A book read in one go so much I was hooked on the story so moving in some passages, captivating, gripping, addictive, filled with suspense, intrigue and twists with very endearing characters.

This book centres around every parents worst nightmare, a child going missing. Vanessa has left her stepdaughter Mia for only ten minutes, but when she returns the back gate is open and only a pink, fluffy towel indicates she was ever there. Husband Tripp can’t believe what’s happened and seems to lay the blame at Vanessa’s door. Yet, what’s with the messages he has been sending to Mia, found on her phone - I’m sorry, I still love you. There’s also the matter of his wedding ring, found at the bottom of the swimming pool. Vanessa was distracted by something serious, not a whim. Next door’s house was on fire!
I was a bit confused by several things. Anyone would be distracted by their neighbours house being on fire, even a teenage girl. I’d have assumed she’d walked out of the garden to look or popped to a friends, especially considering Mia’s age. My head was full of questions. Why was nothing disturbed? There’s no water round the pool like someone got out or was pulled. The parents seem to be suspicious or even a little ‘off’ with the police. I would have thought they’d be jumping up to help. It feels like there’s previous unfinished business here. There’s also the fact that the police seem to have immediately put her in a role - wicked stepmother. What do they know that we don’t? I liked the dual timelines with the past informing the present and I kept reading because I wanted answers to my questions. There are several narrators giving us different perspectives on events. I wasn’t sure about any of them. I felt constantly suspicious and didn’t really like anyone much. I read it, pretty much in one sitting. So it’s certainly addictive and although I had some ideas about what had happened, some revelations were surprising, a good holiday read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was fast paced with twists and turns that had me hooked from the beginning. The only let down for me was the ending as it seemed a bit unbelievable and wasn't quite the twist it could have been. Other than that it was a very good read.

Highly recommended.

Thank you Bookouture and Netgalley.

First of all my favourite plot is involved " missing person" Grabbed me from the start. This was a well written book with the story told by different points of view from the main characters. Lots of twists and suspense. I could connect with the characters which was great.

The premise of this book gave hope for an action-packed and tense story, but it turned out to be antyhing but. The main motivation behind the actions of the MC seemed a bit off and some decisions felt like they were done just for the sake of drama or because it was convinient for the story. The ending and wrap up of the story also really underwhelmed the whole point of this whole plot.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.
Wow, I'm so angry with myself for not reading this earlier.
That was really intense.
The author did a really good job at making me feel engrossed in the book through and through.
The plot was really well written, and the secrets kept unraveling throughout the book, you think you finally got it and feel happy with yourself, then the author gives you a new secret that throws you away, and all of that while keeping a reliable narrative and in sensible order.
I just loved it.