I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from NetGalley.

I found this book a very slow burner. For me, it didn't pick up until about 50% in. The early part is heavily focused on the grief for the missing child and I thought it was interesting how certain sentences were repeated at the start of each chapter, to reflect the ongoing nature of the grief. 

The book explores marriage, friendships and commuties and how well we really know people. 

After about half way I started to question what might have happened and did Ava's actions lead to the tragic event? 

My favourite quote:
"The bulbous bonnets of shiny cars curve hugely, their wheels enormous, their occupants like lords and ladies in horse drawn carriages."

The ending was excellent, but also heartbreaking.

Ava and Matt married, living happily with their 2-year-old daughter Abi. Until one day their whole life went upside down.

   One day Abi went missing from their home after the front door was accidentally left open. After an immense search by the police and the locals, they could not find her. With no leads, the case went cold very quickly. A year went passed by and Ava & Matt spent their life full of heartache, guilt, despair, and loss, until one day one of their neighbors throws a housewarming party, showing off the results of their renovation.

Little that Ava knows that this party will change the whole truth and Ava learns something new about the day she has relived a thousand times. A throwaway comment which could change everything….

 This was a slow-burning and slow-paced thriller full of emotions, guilt, and grieves. The story was from the  POV of Ava, Matt, and their neighbors/Friends.

What I like most about this book is how the author describes the emotions of each character and paint them on readers mind. Also, the plot twists that happen in the book captured my attention from time to time. 

But on the other hand, I found it far too wordy. I also found the writing style repetitive, at one point I felt was reading the same paragraphs/sentences and words over and over again, making the whole story less thriller and flat. The real action starts from the second half of the book.

As a thriller book reader, after seeing the cover and reading the description, I was ready for more mystery and suspense, but I found this book to be more of a dark family drama and it was nothing like what I had expected.

That been said, I'm satisfied with the overall reading and recommend to anyone who is looking for a good Thriller/mystery book.

Thank you to the Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
I Highly Appreciate it for giving me a chance to read The Housewarming.

#netgalleyreviewer #netgalleybooks #netgalley #thehousewarming #selynesauthor we are introduced to a couple. They have an adorable toddler. Mom goes upstairs to potty. Leaves the little ones strapped in her stroller. When she gets back downstairs her little girl is missing. The front door has been left open. The terrible journey this author takes us on is unbelievable of a search for a little girl. Learning who we can trust. Who our friends are. The twists and the turns you take are extraordinary. Pick this up and you won’t be let down. #mystery #missingtoddler #bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer

This book wasn't what I was expecting, but found it fairly entertaining. Not the most original story I've read but it definitely has its place

Thank you SE Lynes for once again making book reviewing easy!

 

Five glasses of bubbles for this tightly plotted taut thriller. I could stop there and say, just read it, but…

 

As soon as I see that SE Lynes has another book about to be published, I get all excited- for one thing I know that it’s going to be well written & for another, I have not yet been disappointed with a story which is always well structured and so hard to put down.

 

The first chapters of this novel are hard to read and distressing due to the subject matter, as over & over again Ava relives what happened on that terrible day when her young daughter disappeared. This is so realistic and credible, in a time of extreme tragedy this is what happens, as what ifs & blame continually go round in Ava’s head. The terrible guilt of a mother who has failed her daughter- or has she?

 

Around half way through the book, the pace changes, after the long anticipated party held by Ava's neighbours, and following that the twists are relentless. Characters unravel but ultimately all questions are satisfactorily answered and loose ends tied up.

What a fantastic book! When Ava’s 2 year old daughter toddles out of the open front door, she is never seen again. Ava relives this moment constantly, always blaming herself, never able to move on. On one of her first outings out of the house, almost a year after little Abi vanishes, she is told something which turns everything she thought she knew on its head. 
I loved this book. The repetition of Ava blaming herself really got me inside her head and reliving that “If only” moment with her. The book was well written and had one of those endings which I mull over for hours, if not days, afterwards. Another absolute cracker from Susie Lynes.

The Housewarming was a psychological thriller that just kept on giving.
Ava has only been in the toilet for a few minutes but when she comes out her daughter, Abi, is not in her pushchair where she had been left. The front door is open but Ava swears she shut it. A hunt starts as police and neighbours try to find little Abi. Matt, Ava’s husband has been out all day with his best mate but no one can her. My heart was in my mouth as Ava ran around the neighbourhood trying to find her daughter. We meet Ava a year after this dreadful day and find her and Matt are just surviving but things are about to change. 
This was a book that made you emotionally involved, the thought of that happening is too bad to think about. The twists in this just kept on coming and confused me at times in a good way, making me think outside the box as this story continued to intrigue me. The ending was done well, even then though giving the last twist and making sure it was the best and one I never saw coming.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my days!  Such a sad book but so well written.  

Ava and Matts daughter Abi disappeared one morning while strapped in her buggy while the front door was left open.  Every parents nightmare - this book had me feeling every emotion going until the very end.   The characters were so well developed and I very quickly found myself absorbed in the story and I was only sorry that ‘life’ got in the way of my reading time and I was glad to be picking it up again when I could.  Towards the end of the book, I could feel myself reading slower, not really wanting to find out the truth about what happened but also I didn’t want the book to end either.  I feel this book is going to stay with me for a while yet - haven’t felt like that about a book for a long time!  

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ava left her daughter alone for a few minutes and in that time she disappeared without a trace. A year later Ava and Matt are still dealing with their guilt and pain. They must root out the lies to find the truth. Finding the missing pieces is the only way to find out what happened to their daughter.

This was a really good plot. The characters came to life and the emotions were well written. I quickly found myself immersed in the story and desperately wanting to know what happens next. One of the books that you have to know what happens but don't want to end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for permitting me to preview this excellent book.

A parent's worst nightmare.  Preparing for a walk to the park, Ava buckles her 2-year-old daughter into her stroller and leaves her alone downstairs for just a moment.  When she returns, Abi is not in her stroller and the front door is wide open.  Where is Abi?  Did she get out of the stroller by herself?  Did someone walk in and take her?  Did Ava not lock the door?  Was this her fault?

It's now a  year later.  Abi has never been seen or heard from.   When Abi disappeared, Ava was pregnant and now has an infant son.  The guilt, the grief of not knowing what happened to her daughter has left her life in shambles.  She doesn't seem to care much for anyone or anything ... and there are days she wishes fervently to go wherever Abi is ....

When the neighbors next door throw a housewarming party, Ava and her husband are invited.  But Ava really doesn't want to go ... she has to almost be forced to leave the house for any reason .. and she hates how people always say .. How are you doing, Ava?

Her husband finally talks her into  going ... even for just one drink.. but this is the night that everything from when Abi disappeared changes forever.  Just a random remark, but what she heard makes her doubt she actually knew what happened that night.

Everything she thought she knew ....  was wrong 

This is an emotional read that takes the reader though a family's grief, loss, guilt, suspicion to an ending that will hurt your heart.  How does a parent survive when their child goes missing?  How do they keep hope alive that she's out there ..somewhere?    The characters are deftly written and the reader in invited in to many of their lives.  Someone knows more than they're telling.  And Ava is losing her sanity.    I was not prepared for the unexpected conclusion.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological fiction.  Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

One day Ava put her daughter Abi into the buggy, she strapped her in and made sure she was safe.  Abi was playing happily and chatting to her toy. Ava took the opportunity to run upstairs strip the bed linens and spent a couple of minutes on social media. Abi was quiet and presumed safe.  When Abi goes downstairs she notices the front door open and Abi not in her pushchair.  She runs around, up and down the roads but Abi is no where in sight. She is only small where could she have gone.  Ava returns home searches everywhere still no Abi.  She calls her husband who returns and calls the police, still no sighting of Abi.  Life goes on, Ava and Matt have another baby, a boy but every day she thinks where did Abi go, was she taken? Then they are invited to a housewarming party. The drinks flow neighbours  chat about the day Abi vanished and Ava has new information. As a mother and grandmother I found this book frightening and dark, but a good read.

In the beginning it was slow and not very intriguing right away. The beginning of this book was a good portray of a families grief but to me it did drag. 
The shocking part of the book did not happen until the last chapters. And the housewarming party (the title) didn't happen until the middle and what was said in the description that something would be said and change everything wasn't that crazy.

Thank you so much to Bookouture and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. 

<i> Ava only left her daughter in the pushchair for five minutes. The buckle was fastened, and she was sure it was safe. But when she came downstairs, the door was open and Abi was gone </i> 

So first things first, this was amazing. 

I had such an emotional connection from the first paragraph to the main character Ava. The way she is obsessing over the little details, and the inner monologue we are privy to just reflects parenthood when something goes wrong. I have a similarly aged child and the way she is repeating to herself just sucked me in, and I was right there with her. 

I read this so quickly. 

The disappearance and the 24 hours that follow start the book, then we are thrust a year into the future no further along into understanding what has happened. 

The unravelling and the twists and turns we go on are tremendous. I had inklings on parts, and was completely thrown in others, and I was hooked.

Thank you netgalley, the publisher and the author
This is the heartbreaking story of a mother who looses her toddler, a mother’s worst nightmare comes to life in this book.
Thru the chapters we see how Ava copes with the loss a year after the fact. This book is well written, heartbreaking.
Recommend.

This book kept me hooked from start to finish. I constantly changed my mind to what happened to little Abi throughout the book often going back and forth hoping to pick up clues. A heartbreaking but gripping story that keeps you wanting more. Fantastic for those who love psychological thrillers. A huge 5 stars

OMG WHAT HAPPENED TO ABI?????? HOW CAN A TODDLER DISAPPEAR JUST LIKE THAT??! Yes I am shouting… it’s my befuddled mind’s reaction to The Housewarming and my first journey into the world of S. E. Lynes.

My heart broke with Ava’s. I can’t imagine one of my boys as a toddler vanishing without a trace. I’d be in bits, devastated. Not to mention blaming myself given the situation Ava found herself in. I don’t know how this woman coped with her life from the day Abi disappeared.

But then my heart broke again and again as the story developed. Ava’s life around her was crumbling as the anniversary of her daughter’s disappearance looms. Ava is still killing herself emotionally and mentally over Abi but you would wouldn’t you? Without closure, it’s so hard to move on.

Lynes’ writing took me by surprise; not entirely sure why, given I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews. But what I didn’t expect was to be gobbled up into the world she’d created, unable to escape. I was there in that street, I was Ava. I felt the torrid emotion that Ava felt as she lived life without her daughter, coping again as a new mum. And oh the party…

I have given myself a severe reprimand for failing to join the S E Lynes party before now. I’m in serious trouble with myself. The Housewarming has so many twists and turns throughout, I felt dizzy. She spins a serious web to confuse and intrigue a reader. Its an impressive art to perfect and Lynes has definitely done that with The Housewarming….

Now I need to squeeze in all my purchases of her back catalogue…..

First, I want to thank S.E. Lynes, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

The Housewarming by S.E. Lynes literally shattered my heart into a million different pieces. It is an unforgettable story of a mother's horrific nightmare come true. I wanted to hug my nieces and nephew after reading this book. 

Instantly, the reader is brought into Ava’s world where she turns her head for a second and can't find her daughter! S.E. Pulled out all the raw emotions and behavior when looking for little Ani. The way the scenes were written you felt like you were right there with her looking for Ani.

In S. E. Lynes book you will find it to be incredibly fast paced as she grabs you into the storyline. There are so many secrets with shocking revelations, so many twists and turns that I never saw coming. Guaranteed you will be at the edge of your seat reading this dying to know what happened to sweet Ani. 

S.E. Introduces us to a teenage character who has Angelman syndrome. It is a condition I had never heard of before. Someone who has it will smile a lot, flaps her hands, and has obsessions. With this disorder she is Echolalic where she has limited language but can attach words to things or people.

Ava left her daughter in the pushchair for 5 minutes while she cleaned. When she came downstairs the front door was wide opened and her daughter was missing. How could Abi have gotten out? Ava could have sworn she locked the front door and had Abi strapped in the chair.
She walked down the road calling her daughter. Looking everywhere and never finding her.
A Year later the neighbors, lovegoods, throw a party. Ava doesn't want to go but her friends and husband convince her to go. But she starts hearing things and being told somethings and now she has questions because things just don't add up or make sense.

Wow, what a ride. This was a solid 5 for me. It was masterfully written and touched on so many emotions. I was hooked from the beginning and it had me on the edge of my seat. And just when I thought I had it figured out there would be another twist. Absolutely worth the read. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Two year old Abi goes missing when her mom, Ava, runs upstairs for a few minutes.  Matt, her dad, rushes home and what follows is heart wrenching as they search for their daughter, try to cope and find out what happened.  A year later, Matt persuades Ava to attend their neighbors housewarming party.  Tiny secrets and behaviors observed at the party don’t add up.  Matt and Ava are forced to consider their best friends and neighbors may know more than they are saying about the day Abi disappeared.

I didn’t love or hate this book.  Pretty much middle of the road.  It has some great parts, a few twists, but I felt it dragged on and was repetitive.  I would still recommend checking it out.  It is definitely a different topic from any thriller I’ve read before