So undecided about this book. On one hand I loved the story. On the other hand when it went onto the cult aspect it lost me as it seemed so far fetched. However, over all it was an enjoyable book.   This would actually make a good tv series. 
A girl travels to France. She has recently suffered a bereavement and discovered the woman that brought her up actually kidnapped her. She here to find her birth mother. However, death follows her. 
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review

UPDATE: (After reading through this review, I’m adding this up here – you really should give this one a try. There were some good twists, and it was definitely a psychological thriller. What follows is my experience with the book, which may be completely different from what other readers experience).

I have to start by saying that I thought this book was going to go in a totally different direction from where it actually ended up. 
When I first started reading, I thought that it would be about Phoebe, who may be Maya, finding her birth mother (Kay) after her mother (Roz) dies. Clear on that? It has great premise for all kinds of psychological mindgames. 
And I did get that…somewhat. 
I thought that Kay and Phoebe’s “reunion” was a little bit farfetched. The whole thing seemed off-kilter, as if neither one really believed the reality of the situation, but each was hoping that was true. I’m still not sure if that was by design to set up the rest of the plot. But it left me confused. 
A tragedy occurs after Phoebe finds Kay, which sends Phoebe on a hunt to find out her true identity. Again, plenty of opportunity for some twists and turns as Phoebe realizes that there are more lies than truth in her past. 
The problem for me is that the story ended up being something completely different. This is no fault of the author. I think I just had a difficult time switching gears when the author took the story in an alternate direction. 
The plot seemed to meander – but it actually did trace Phoebe’s search, and searches are rarely straightforward. So, I suppose that it was clever writing. I just wanted more of a concrete search (again – no fault of the author, just of my own expectations).
I did like the references (and remembrances) of Africa. I thought it was a good way to ground Phoebe when she began to question all of her other memories. At least she knew the ones of her growing up on the animal reserve were true, even as certain assumptions she had were shattered.
Somewhere along the way, there’s a cult involved and a few more tragic incidents that illustrate how screwed up Phoebe’s life really has been. It seems as if the author was going for keeping the reader as off-balance as Phoebe was, and that was very successful 
I think if I were to have read this from a different attitude or been able to switch quicker with where the author was going, I would have enjoyed it more. As it is, for the first time, I am considering re-reading a book with a different state-of-mind to see if that changes my perception. Stay tuned for an update.

Fifteen years after the abduction of Maya Dujcan, Phoebe knocks on Kay Duncan's door clutching a yellow rain hat with Maya's name stiched into the back. Phoebe is convinced that she is Maya Duncan and that Kay is her mother. When Phoebe sees Kay the memories come flooding back. Butna shocking discovery shatters the fragile relationship they'd began to build. 

This is a fast paced read that's captivating from the first few pages. There's quite a lot of characters but it's easy to follow. There's lots of twists to keep you guessing.  The susoense builds throughout. The book has a great plotline. The story is addictive and can easily be read in one sitting..

I would like to thank #NetGalley,,#Bookouture and the author #SamHepburn for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Moly!!! Sam Hepburn can WRITE! Gone Before kept me so gripped from the first page right through to the last. There were some twisty shockers but I did work out quite a bit of it from early on. Even so, I still loved every minute of it! I loved the character development. I loved not knowing who to trust. Phoebe is so tortured as she tries to figure out who she is and where she came from. I couldn’t figure out if she should trust the journalists or not. I don’t want to spill any details so I’ll just say that I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and thought about your characters throughout my day and even after finishing this one! My only frustration was that I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! 
Definite 5 stars from me! 

Huge thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading this book in advance!

Fifteen years after the worse case of child abduction in British history, a young girl named Phoebe shows up at the doorstep of Kay Duncan, who she was told is her real mother after the woman Roz who abducted and raised her passes away from cancer.  She has the childhood memories of the five year old named Maya Duncan and when her maternity test comes back negative and Kay turns up dead, she is determined to find the truth of who she really is in this interesting psychological thriller. Death, sadness, and unanswered questions seem to follow her wherever she goes.
She learns things along the way who her father is and more details about both of the mysterious women in her life. Kay had been harrassed and her named dragged through the mud as the media and society believes she killed Maya in cold blood all those years ago. Roz joined a cult when she was young and impressionable, escaped with her baby, and raised her at a nature reserve in Africa. There were so many character's lives woven into this book that sometimes it was hard to keep up, but it all ties together quite well in the very ending. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to leave my honest review.

This is the first book I've read from this author and I can't wait to read more. A psychological thriller full of twist. Stunningly written fast paced addictive from start to finish.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it. The book is about Maya Duncan who went missing fifteen years ago aged five without any trace. Now a young woman known as Phoebe is convinced that she is the missing Maya and tracks down the woman she believes is her birth mother Kay Duncan.
When Phoebe sees Kay, the memories come flooding back, and it appears that mother and daughter are reunited but a shocking discovery halts all the celebrations. Kay commits suicide and Phoebe is left guilt ridden. Phoebe wants to uncover the truth to her past and her identity but discovers a disturbing link to the woman who raised her and a secret that could put her life in danger.
An intriguing story with lots of twists that will keep you guessing throughout. Good characters and a well paced plot making this a very good read.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to read this book and it's not because it was not a good one. On the contrary...

It had a lot of things going on these last few days and that meant I had less time to read. It usually annoys me heaps but this time it was good. This story has so many twists and turns that on the one hand you need time to stop and think but on the other hand you want to rush and find out how it all will come together.

I would recommend to read at a slower pace and let everything sink in before you read the next part. In my opinion this is what this book needs or what you need to do as a reader. Of course, it's all up to you how you do it, but this was my experience. :)

As I said before: lots of twists and turns that will leave your head spinning. I had to check sometimes whether mine was facing backwards or not. ;)

Take your time, let it sink in and you will be rewarded. It's a complicated but great story. 5 stars.

Thank you Sam Hepburn and Bookouture

Maya Duncan disappears at the age of 5.  
15 years later and Phoebe knocks at Kay Duncan’s door, convinced that she is Kay’s long lost daughter.  Phoebe, who has been brought up in Botswana, has a letter from Roz, giving details of the abduction.  She found them after Roz died.  

As Phoebe starts looking into Kay’s life, that’s when things start going drastically wrong.

This is a new author to me and I enjoyed her style of writing.  I liked the characters and all the investigation work that linked up for Phoebe in the story.  I found myself feeling sorry for Phoebe, alone in a foreign country and without the woman she had thought of as her mother for so long.  I liked the twists in the story, there were certainly plenty of them!    I will definitely be  reading more from this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. 

This is the first book I have read by Sam Hepburn and I was really impressed. The story revolves around Phoebe who after the death of her mum believes she is a stolen child. The book is full of twists and turns until you discover the truth behind Phoebes true past an exciting and face pasted book.

Following the death of her mother Roz, it is revealed to Phoebe that her name is not Pheobe and the woman she is mourning is not her mother. She is Maya Duncan the victim of a highly publicized abduction case from 15 years ago. 
Armed with this new information Phoebe sets out to find her mother and uncover the truth about how Roz, the woman she loved could have committed such a horrible crime. 

This book is very twisty.
I always thought I knew what was going to happen, and then something would happen, and I would doubt myself, and then something would be revealed, so you think THAT'S the twist, and then there is another twist... 

This book was all over the place, in all the right ways!

This is a 5 star book is a well plotted,  stunningly written, fast paced thriller. Completely unpredictable. Every time I thought I knew where the book was taking me I was wrong and I couldn't put the book down.

Drew me right in a really tense chilling story.So many twists and turns kept me up reading late into the night.Highly recommend.#bookouture#netgalley

Well this certainly kept me on my toes, it’s almost two parallel stories about Phoebe both in terms of her believing she is Maya and approaching Kay and the subsequent fall out and also about her investigating her ‘foster’ mum’s past to try unravel the truth behind her identify. It’s pacy with quite a cast of characters but easy to follow, possible to guess at some elements but even the twists have twists. I found it fresh, definitely original and quite a decent page turner overall.

Great book , loved all the twists and turns . Certainly kept me up at night trying to race towards the end . 5 star book I would highly recommend

This is my first book from Sam Hepburn and won’t be my last.
The story revolves around Phoebe and her search for her mother and the truth. Phoebe was actually a character I really liked. She was independent, fiesty and smart. 
My only downfall for the book was that there was too much going on. At first it was about finding her actual mum, then it became about Roz’s past and somehow in the middle a cult got involved. Reading it you understand how it’s all linked but I just couldn’t find the story believable.
I wish the ending was different but it did bring the whole story together.
I look forward to reading other books from this author!

this is the first novel i have read from this author but after reading this it certainly won't be my last. this book is an instant hook and i couldn't read it fast enough.

Why in heavens name have I never read this author before.  Well that will all change now.  After reading this fantastic book I’ve gone and downloaded this authors debut thriller.   Gone Before is a book that I thought was excellent.   From the first chapter I just knew I was going to love this twisty thriller.   This is a must read for fans of psychological thriller books.

a well written thriller! An abducted child returns home  with a compelling story about the life she has lived and how she knows she is the missing Maya..... or is she? Memory can be faked, DNA can not... or can it? 
A twisty turny novel that delves into child abduction, murder and cover ups with a cult thrown in for good measure. This was a great read start to finish. The characters were well done. The story was unique and enjoyable.

On the whole this was a good read with interesting characters, although at times I seemed to get a bit lost with it.  

Overall it was a good well written book but unfortunately didn't 'grab' my full attention.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.