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!

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.

This is a twisty psychological thriller. It centers on Phoebe, who is told by the woman who raised her that she is actually Maya Duncan, a child who was abducted at 5 years old 15 years or so ago. This was a famous case so Phoebe had no trouble tracking down Maya's mother, Kay, to tell her who she really is. Nothing is that simple though, and these events lead to Kay's suicide and Phoebe desperate to find out the truth.

There were a good deal of surprises in this book, many that I pretty much figured out but couldn't exactly put the pieces together, which made for a satisfying read when it all started to click. I had minor frustration with Phoebe at points for not figuring out the things that I had solved more quickly. There was a point in the back end of the book where the twists got a little confusing, but the author did a good job of tying up all the loose ends and pulling it back together by the end. I also thought Phoebe was a likable character, flawed and believable.

Overall, I liked the book- while some of the things that happened were a tad predictable and others a tad confusing, I felt like there were some fun surprises, a decent mystery, and a likable main character. I'd recommend the book for those who enjoy mysteries and psychological thrillers.

Gone Before by Sam Hepburn is the first novel I've read from this author, and I am certainly keen to read more. This story revolves around a missing person case and, for me, this alone is an instant hook. You will fly through this one as you navigate all of the twists and turns.

Maya Duncan vanished when she was only five years old, seemingly without a trace. Fast forward fifteen years and Phoebe, convinced that she is Maya, tracks down Kay Duncan, believing her to be the mother that she has longed for all of these missing years. When Phoebe begins to dig into Kay's life in London, she will discover a terrible secret that once again will put her life in jeopardy, and call into question everything she thought she knew.

This was a compelling premise, and I was certainly lured in by the intrigue surrounding the case of Maya Duncan, although I'm not certain that I was able to engage as emotionally with the story as I would have hoped. I am anxious to see what this author has in store for us next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

4.5!
This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read. I couldn’t put it down because it’s so well-written. I loved the mysteries, the twists and I didn’t see any of it coming. Absolutely loved it and I highly recommend it!!

Gone Before was right in the middle for me but good. It was a tad slow at times but toward the end I wanted to find out what happened and how it would end.

I think the synopsis gives too much of the plot away. The synopsis is actually the worst part of the book!

Gone Before does not compare to any book I’ve read before! It’s got a great synopsis, a cover that draws the eye and I couldn’t wait to dive in. After the first two chapters I was hooked! 60% through I was enchanted. This is one of those suspenseful, addictive stories that has to be read in one sitting.

There’s a lot going on, Gone Before is fast paced but doesn’t lack any plot! I thought I was coming to the end several times to then find myself delighted to find more book! Lots of surprise twists and turns and of course the ending was fantastic!

Nothing negative to say about this story. It’s a perfect 5/5 from me!

Exquisite. Perfect from start to finish. Addictive. Charged. Suspenseful. A masterpiece. Highly recommend this to everyone. Five stars are not enough. One of the best thrillers I have ever read.

I can’t remember when I last read a book with so many twists and turns. Wow! Skilled writing, indeed! Maya has been missing since she was five. She’s most likely dead, but it has not been confirmed. Her mother is famous. She’s famous for being the wife of a world famous musician, her drug and alcohol filled life, and she is the mother of the most famous missing person case in the U.K. Phoebe grew up in Botswana, raised by Roz, not her biological mother. Roz dies and in a letter Phoebe finds out she is in fact Maya. She decides to find out the truth about herself and her past. But is she really Maya?

The book kept me captivated, and I had to finish it in one go. The twists and turns just made me crave for more, and the suspense was too much for me to simply stop reading the book. Who is telling the truth? Who is lying and why? Phoebe goes through so many emotions and setbacks, but she is determined to find out the truth. I really like her. She has spunk. It is not easy getting to know the truth, and everything that people try so hard to hide from you.

This is a gripping tale of finding the truth. It is a page turner, and I was not prepared for all the totally unexpected twists that most definitely took me by surprise at times. The descriptions in the book are vivid. I really felt like I was with Phoebe in the same place, no matter if it was in a remote villa in France, drinking in a pub, or amongst the renovation mess in Fulham.

This was the first book by Sam Hepburn I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. 4,5 stars. I received an advance copy from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Phoebe’s foster mother, Roz, dies, she leaves a letter with some pretty incredible revelations. Phoebe, according to Roz, is really Maya Duncan, famously abducted from her wild-child mother, Kay, when she was just five years old. The case captured the attention of a nation - ever eager to condemn Kay for irresponsible parenting, if not child murder - but Maya was never found, and is generally believed to be dead.

Phoebe, who was raised by Roz on a Botswana nature reserve (I’d like to have seen a bit more of this, but I guess it’s not really part of the story) sets out for a reunion with her real mother - but as it turns out, that’s only the beginning of a story filled with twists and turns (and a dodgy cult. I love a dodgy cult.)

I really enjoyed Gone Before - it was one of those books which grabbed hold of me and whenever I wasn’t reading it, I was desperate to get back to it. The story is told by Phoebe and I liked her character- despite some crushing blows and being pretty much alone in the world, she is determined and resourceful. The plot does get quite complicated towards the end.

I do feel the book description gives a bit too much away - I like to know as little as possible when starting reading, but there’s a lot of information in there which I’d really rather not have known in advance, including a huge and game-changing thing that happens about a quarter of the way in.

A great read which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Twist after twist!

5 year old Maya goes missing.

15 years later Phoebe knocks on Kays door claiming to be missing Maya.

The story unravels but who is Phoebe & who can be trusted to tell the truth.

I loved this. Sam Hepburn is a new to me author, but I was definitely not disappointed. I love books with a good twist and this had more than its fair share. Kept me going through the early hours of a sleepless night.

This is an intensely emotional domestic thriller with many twists and turns that investigates the aftermath of the disappearance of a five-year-old girl. After her guardian passes away, Phoebe reads her letter that sets out how Phoebe was kidnapped and taken to Africa as a young child. Keen to track down her birth family, Phoebe arrives at the home of Kay Duncan. At first, it appears as if mother and daughter have truly found each other again, but their burgeoning relationship is cruelly ended when Kay commits suicide. Full of sorrow, guilt and other unresolved emotions, Phoebe moves on to London to find out more about Kay’s life, unaware of the grave danger her discoveries put her in.

A riveting read, the novel asks the questions to what extent individuals will go to establish their true identity Superbly plotted, this novel will have you alternatively rooting for Phoebe and for Kay, two characters who are very well developed. Definitely a novel that I shall recommend and pass on to my friends!

Fifteen years after the abduction, Phoebe knocks on Kay Duncan’s door, clutching a yellow rainhat with Maya’s name stitched into the back. Phoebe is convinced that she is Maya Duncan, and that the woman behind the door is her real mother.

When Phoebe sees Kay, the memories come flooding back, and it seems that mother and daughter are to be reunited at last. But a shocking DNA fail result shatters the fragile relationship they have begun to build, Kay commits suicide, leaving Phoebe riddled with guilt.

Alone and unanchored, Phoebe travels to London to dig into Kay’s life, hoping to uncover the truth behind her own identity. But as she pieces together Kay’s past, Phoebe discovers a disturbing link to the woman who raised her, and a terrible secret that even now could put her life in danger.

This is an amazing psychological thriller that holds your attention right till the last page!

The plot is so well written and all the characters were great ,with each of them playing a significant role in the plot. I loved reading Phoebe's journey discovering who she really was.

There are so many twists in the plot that the suspense is maintained throughout and the revelation at the end was unexpected.

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Maya Duncan vanished years ago, and now Phoebe, convinced she is Maya, knocks on the doors at Kay Duncan, Maya's mother. DNA test fails and soon Kay's drowned body is found.

Phoebe is adamant to find out real truth.

Very twisty story. I've enjoyed it immensely.

I was scrolling through Netgalley when I came across this book and I was so glad I did, it caught my attention from the first page and all I wanted to do was keep reading to the end. I usually don't mention twists or endings in reviews but there was a few in this and the ending which I guessed a little bit was a good one. Sam Hepburn is a new author for me and I definitely will be checking out more by her.