This book by Jess Ryder explores themes of manipulation and betrayal.

The Night Away really packed a punch with its clues and twists. New parents Amber and George should be over the moon as they have been through a lot to get their precious baby girl, Mabel. But they are finding parenthood a struggle so when Amber's sister, Ruby, suggests they take a break they agree, albeit rather reluctantly, and only for one night. Ruby babysits and all is apparently in order, so the stressed and harassed couple go away again, this time taking separate breaks, only to find that little Mabel has been snatched from her cot...

In some clever narration between Amber, Ruby and, the abductor, Jess Ryder does a superb job portraying the chilling aspects of the story. I could feel the characters' despair and guilt as I pondered over who might be the couple's stalker. George blamed Ruby, and both Amber and Ruby blamed themselves for Mabel's disappearance. All of the characters had a different set of problems going on and each had their flaws. There were so many secrets within the storyline making The Night Away a full-blown page-turner. I didn't care much for either Amber or George but they suited their roles in this tremendous tale, as did the secondary characters.

Jess Ryder's writing is so compelling and suspenseful making this novel a great reading experience and I continue to be impressed by her. The Night Away is my second book by this immensely talented author and I will be reading more from her. An electrifying psychological thriller that I highly recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Bookouture via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Night Away is a twisty psychological thriller that is a great book to escape into and forget about what is going on out in the world for a few hours. It is a gripping page turner that captures your attention right off the bat and pulls you into the story.

Jess Ryder puts her own spin on a child kidnapping story which sees a well needed night away for couple Amber and George, become their worst nightmare when their seven month old baby girl Mabel is kidnapped whilst in Amber’s sisters care.

Why becomes the focus and as the tension and suspense builds up along the way, you think you know where it is all leading, only for Jess Ryder to pull out the rug from underneath you to take it in a completely different direction! I do love when this happens in a book.

The only thing I did find, was nearly every character was unlikable. Whether that was intentional or not, I just could not sympathise with Amber and George. Ruby and baby Mabel were the only ones I felt anything for, but in saying all this, each has been well written in their role.

The Night Away is a tense psychological thriller where secrets long buried rise to the surface and as each are revealed, brings you closer to the truth. It is a slow build to start, but as you get further along the pace does pick up. This is another great addition to Jess Ryder’s bibliography and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with for her reader’s next.

Thank you to Jess Ryder, Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Night Away, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I flew through this book, lapping up every sentence, development, twist and revelation!
There is a tricksy little voice that tried interrupting my thought processes to say, yes, but there are a lot of books written in this way about similar things, and yet I quelled those statements because when you are enjoying a book, there doesn't always have to be an in depth analysis of why. I just knew from the very beginning that The Night Away was a book that I would sail through because I knew it in my heart. I fell head over heels for the characters, the location (William Morris Terrace in the Lilac Park area of Waltham Green) and the emotion conveyed by a mother, father, sister and grandmother when baby Mabel is abducted from her own home.
The reader is treated to the usual police questioning and because I love learning about what motivates individuals to make the choices they make, no matter how fictional these individuals are, it makes for fascinating reading in my opinion. Who is straightforward in their actions, who is driven by deceit, who is guilty and who is not?
You can feel the horror, the shock, the despair, and the denial but then emotions are multi-layered things and we are soon treated to many more emotions which are obscuring the truth. The reader is kept guessing and in this way the book is riveting. The characters stalk the pages, hiding in a new chapter, lurking at the end of a paragraph and an unknown narrator is eventually given a gender and a motive, but does that necessarily mean we have The Answer?
Ruby, the sister who was babysitting is an especially delightful character and it is her trademark forgetfulness that makes this such a plausible plot. Amber, Mabel's mother, whilst distraught, has also been experiencing many thoughts and feelings, that, as they leak out slowly leave you questioning just what she is capable of.
Is there a happy ending? Will Mabel be found alive? You are only going to find out if you pick up Jess Ryder's latest work and then not put it down until the end! A true page-turner!

A slow paced, predictable book. The story is told for multiple points of view and the characters are not very likeable. And all of them had secrets of their own.  Amber and George needed a night out since Mabel was born so they left her with Amber's sister Ruby and Mabel disappears from her crib.

The sinister start of someone following Amber and Mabel had me gripped. They know Amber's routine, they believe they can look after Mabel better, as Amber is struggling and unhappy. 

Mabel is taken in the night. Throughout the story secrets and family issues are revealed. 

I loved how the story is told from the perspective of Amber, Ruby and the abductor, which keeps the pages turning. I didn't know who had taken Mabel. There are lots of twists and turns. An enjoyable, gripping thriller. Certainly won't be the last book i read by Jess Ryder. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

#TheNightAway #Bookouture #Netgalley #JessRyder #thriller

I loved how a single idea sparked Author Jess Ryder’s evil brain to come up with a scary concept of a child being taken from its own home. A thrilling ride was this with my favorite missing child arc.

Mom and Dad had their own weekend go, so aunt came to the rescue of babysitting the child. The darkness of the night hid the footsteps of the intruder who whisked the baby away from its cot.

The story seemed simple in its concept, but the prose took some great dips which had me holding my breath. Some of the twists were expected, others blew me away. Emotions of mother and aunt were bang on, though the grandma was weird. There were a few names drifting on the outskirts that caused me to suspect them. Was I right? Were all of them hiding the truth? Was the child still alive?

The cops were kept plenty busy by the characters. The perp also had a few pages devoted for the reasons of such a abysmal task. Justification was provided, there were some convoluted reasons. All these and more made this a UNPUTDOWNABLE book as there was a need to know the truth as ingrained in the words chosen. The author sure compelled me to read it a bit faster as each page turned to bring out its own thrill.

Overall, the book and the characters kept me busy to read it at one go. My fun breakfast read.

Another one bites the dust on my #tbrpile thanks to #jessryder and #netgalley for allowing me the privilege of spending this #sundayfunday in bed with #thenightaway most of us have been there. Have a baby. You’re exhausted. Quite possibly struggling with #postpartumdepression your #marriage is on the rocks. Husband goes out of town on business for the weekend. And you decided to take a weekend away. To sleep. To unwind. You ask your sister to come stay with the babe. But. The unthinkable happens and your darling girls is gone. How? And who took her? #bookstagram #booklover #bookrecommendations #bookstagrammer #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreviewer #booksbooksbooks📚

"It only takes one night to destroy a family"

Okay! So now I have had just about the entire cast of characters locked up and the key thrown away, before the identity of the  abductor eventually became obvious, even to me!!

Never have I manged to put so many names in the frame, for them all to be found innocent - well of the crime which was being investigated at least!

This story is narrated mostly by Amber and her sister Ruby, although the mystery abductor, whose name isn't revealed until very close to the end of the book, is brazen enough to add in the odd chapter or two from their own perspective, which was definitely chilling and more than a little disconcerting.

That very first line of narrative, "I come to Lilac Park every day to look at babies",  sets the nerves on edge and the tension building, and whilst maybe a little formulaic and predictable (although aren't all police investigations), the storyline is built sentence by sentence, towards a satisfying if rather tentative conclusion - perhaps 'Happy Ending' isn't really appropriate just yet! - but that's after the one explosive shock that I wouldn't have seen coming at all, although which did little to challenge my emotions or sympathy!

Jess built a very multi-layered, multi-faceted storyline, which was intense and moved along at a cracking pace, with barely a break in the action. The short chapters switched narrators regularly, which kept me on my toes, mentally making suspect lists and adding new virtual evidence as I went along. This gripping and disturbing, yet strangely compelling storyline, had good depth and range in its fluid narrative and dialogue, with the palpable suspense and sheer desperate intensity of the situation, bubbling away, never too far from the surface.

Whilst the central theme of child abduction obviously made this a strong plot driven story, there were also several sub-plots and reveals, which gave just about all the character cast their moment in the spotlight, so that I got to know them all up close and personal, although I wished I hadn't in some (most) cases!

As if having your child abducted wasn't enough on its own to make a situation tense and nerves frayed, when lives were put under the spotlight, the fragile veneer of normality, respectability and unity, with which these people held their complicated worlds together, cracked and crumbled, leaving behind a rather disgusting mess of lies, deceit, broken promises and lives destroyed - even lost forever.

For a while, Jess had me introduced to a well drawn and developed cast of characters I really wanted to invest in, to sympathise and empathise with. However, she very quickly revealed their selfish and complex layers of deception, to the point where just about the only one of them I had any connection with, was poor baby Mabel and I'm surprised that she wanted any one of them to be her parent!

I seriously could NOT put this book down! It had me hooked from the beginning to the end. This book plays into the fears every new mother has about leaving her baby with someone else. Someone is watching Amber and wants to ruin her life? Amber and her husband George, desperate for a night away to have some time alone, come back home to find that tragedy has struck. The secrets that Amber has desperately hidden are slowly revealed. My mind was racing trying to figure out these secrets and once revealed my mind was blown. The author kept me guessing until the very end. Add this book to your reading list, you wont be disappointed!

This is a great read that had me hooked from the first few pages. 
Amber and George have been struggling since the birth of their daughter, Mabel, so Amber’s sister, Ruby offers to look after her while they have some time alone. 
They go away for a night and come back and everything is fine, but Ruby can’t find the door key. We know it’s been taken by the person who has their eyes on Mabel but Ruby and Amber are clueless. 
Amber decides on a weekend away a few weeks later, but then receives a frantic call from Ruby to say Mabel has been taken. 
The story is told from three perspectives - Amber, Ruby and the person who takes Mabel. 
The connection to Amber and the reason for taking Mabel seemed a bit weak but who knows what goes through people’s minds. Also, the conclusion felt a bit abrupt and we don’t really know if the person got away with it. 
A great read nevertheless. 
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Wow what a book!

I absolutely loved The Night Away by Jess Ryder. From the first page it had me hooked and it kept me that way until the end. There were so many twists, turns and skeletons in the closet that I had no way of knowing how it was going to end. 
I found all the characters interesting and I liked them all especially the sisters Amber and Ruby.

I have never read anything by Jess Ryder before but I will definitely be reading her books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

This was my first read by this author and I was completely pulled in and intrigued by the cover and the title.

It tells the story of Amber, George and their much loved and long awaited daughter, Mabel. Despite her unconditional love, Amber is finding motherhood tough and lonely, and is feeling that George is slipping away from her…

So when her sister offers to babysit for one night so that the couple can rest and reconnect, Amber is reluctant but eventually decides what could possibly go wrong? Ruby is forgetful and a little disorganised, but she is also her sister and loves baby Mabel as if she were her own, so it will all be fine, right?

Wrong! There is a complete unravelling of events and lots of twists, turns and surprises. I was kept hooked on this one as the writer used different perspectives and time frames to slowly reveal to the reader what had happened to baby Mabel.

I loved how she used a variety of narrative voices so that we could hear from a distinct set of characters, sometimes without revealing who those characters were.

There were some bits where I was sat thinking “That seems to be a bit odd to be true”, so I was glad when the ending revealed I was right to be suspicious! The ending was original, climactic and well written.

This was an original take on the well trodden psychological thriller plot of a missing child and one I highly recommend to fans of this genre.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Since the birth of baby Mabel seven months ago, Amber and George have been desperate for a night away. Mabel is all that Amber ever wanted but she can't deny that at times she struggles. George books them into a luxury hotel and Amber's sister, Ruby is babysitting. But someone has been watching and taking notes, someone who is desperate for a child of their own. 

Who took Mabel? I was desperate to find out. But the pace was slow and the plotline was a bit predictable. All the characters were a little annoying, unlikeable and they are all hiding secrets. I also heard the ending was a bit far fetched. The story is told from multiple points of view. The only person I liked and felt sorry for was Ruby.

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

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The story centres around couple Amber, George, and their daughter Mabel. Amber is struggling with motherhood and has postnatal depression. George books him and Amber a night away and Amber’s sister Ruby agrees to babysit for the night. The following weekend George has to work away, and Amber decides to also go away as she can’t face looking after Mabel herself without George being there. Again, ruby agrees to babysit. Except this time Mabel gets abducted in the middle of the night while Mabel and Ruby are asleep. A police search begins and people come under suspicion, but Ruby and her boyfriend Lewis are the main suspects. As the story unfolds we learn that everyone has secrets and motives. We read the story from the perspectives of the two sisters and the abductor, which I really enjoyed.

This is the first book I’ve read from this author, and will not be the last. The storyline was great, and it was eye opening to see an element of how social media can hinder a police investigation as much as help it. The writing was good, and flowed really nicely. There was always something happening. And when I thought I knew who it was, I was completely wrong. A real page turner, and highly recommend for fans of the domestic thriller genre.

As a Mom I can relate to how it feel the first night you decide to leave your baby away with someone. I loved this book from the very beginning. 

Told in three perspectives - Amber, Ruby and the stalker - THE NIGHT AWAY, which was actually two nights away on separate weekends, is a well written tale that will have you hooked from the very first page. There are so many secrets within the story keeping it a page-turner from beginning to end. I was encapsulated by the stalker and who they may have been, as well as Amber and Ruby's tangled lives. There were several twists, some of which I didn't see coming. But I picked up on a little tidbit dropped to the reader in passing and I snagged on that little morsel till an idea began to evolve.

This was my first book by Jess Ryder and it was a real page turner. Thank you Netgalley.

Amber and 'gorgeous' George. The perfect couple who have completed their family with the adorable Mabel. Now seven months old Mabel is proving more of a challenge then they were ready for. In need of a break Amber's sister Ruby is left to babysit with unimaginable consequences. Unaware that someone has been following their every move a chance mistake means Mabel is taken in the dead of night.

Will she ever be seen again? Will she found dead or alive? And just how much have the secrets that Amber and George are hiding contributed to her disappearance?

A real page turner with fantastic twists had me guessing until the end. A fabulous 5 star recommendation.

In some families children have their place:  The Responsible One and The Flighty One.  Here we have such a family alongside the partners, parents and a child who goes missing while the irresponsible one was in charge of her care.  The thing is, there are lots of secrets that each are desperately trying to hide.  While the police work tirelessly to find the child, the secrets spill one by one.  This is an interesting and engaging read - definitely recommend!

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Jess Ryder's addictive new domestic thriller THE NIGHT AWAY.

There have been quite a few missing child stories/thrillers in recent years and I admit to being a bit of a sucker for them. But this one is slightly different in that we know from the beginning what happens to baby Mabel...although not who is responsible or why. And that makes this thriller a little more enticing.

Someone is watching Amber. Someone watches her every move...her routine, her habits, her flat. Someone sees how desperately unhappy she is and curses her for being so ungrateful for her perfect life, her perfect husband and her perfect baby...the baby that should have been someone else's. Not Amber's. And one night when Amber isn't watching, her whole world is going to fall apart.

New mum Amber should be ecstatic. After months of trying to conceive unsuccessfully, she fell pregnant and both her and hubby George were over the moon. Throughout her pregnancy she glowed and couldn't wait to meet her precious longed-for bundle of joy. And then baby Mabel arrived...and since then, Amber has felt nothing but the crushing and overwhelming sense of guilt and unhappiness. She wanted Mabel so much and now she is paying the price by twenty four non-stop hours of trying to deal with her incessant crying and demands of her time. She should be happy...she knows she should be. She wanted Mabel so much...but was it too much?

Amber's younger sister Ruby can see her sister is struggling so suggests a week away from it all. A week? Too long. Five days then? Mabel would miss her. OK, so a weekend then. In the end, they decided on a night away. Just one night away. And Ruby would babysit. George took the opportunity to book a gorgeous and romantic getaway for them so they could spend some precious time reconnecting with each other.

But then one night while Ruby babysits Mabel, someone walks into the flat in the dead of night, creeps into the nursery where Mabel is sleeping...and takes her from her cot. And then the real drama begins. George instantly blames Ruby, for being inattentive and for letting Mabel disappear on her watch. Amber blames herself, for wanting Mabel too much and this is her punishment. Ruby blames herself...after all, she was supposed to be looking after Ruby...how could she not notice her disappear in the middle of the night?

But who was to blame really for Mabel's disappearance? Who took her? And why?

Told in three perspectives - Amber, Ruby and the stalker - THE NIGHT AWAY, which was actually two nights away on separate weekends, is a well written tale that will have you hooked from the very first page. There are so many secrets within the story keeping it a page-turner from beginning to end. I was encapsulated by the stalker and who they may have been, as well as Amber and Ruby's tangled lives. There were several twists, some of which I didn't see coming. But I picked up on a little tidbit dropped to the reader in passing and I snagged on that little morsel till an idea began to evolve.

I didn't much like Amber or George, nor Amber and Ruby's mother, but they were perfect for this role. I loved Ruby probably because I most identified with her. Not being a mother myself and thrust into the role of babysitter and finding the task a little more daunting than at first thought...lol I think I would have been left exhausted myself. The other minor characters were also a perfect addition to the story and worked well.

I especially loved this excerpt from the second chapter when Amber woke at 5am declaring she was not a morning person...

"She can hear him (daddy) singing to Mabel as he baths her...It's not Mabel's usual bath time, but she woke up with a full nappy, the contents of which had mysteriously spread up her back, and it was the easiest way to clean her up. Judging by the protests coming from the bathroom, her daughter isn't a morning person either."

I can so relate! There were a few laugh out loud moments in the book though mostly it was an edge of your seat thrill ride.

The ending was a bit anti-climatic as you anticipate the police bursting in ready to rescue Mabel and whisk her away back to her frantic parents. But overall, THE NIGHT AWAY is a well plotted addictive thriller that will keep you guessing until the big reveal.

Definitely recommended for lovers of domestic thrillers.

I would like to thank #JessRyder, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheNightAway in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Away, by Jess Ryder is a thrilling and suspenseful story with an explosive ending!  In The Night Away, Jess Ryder conveys emotions so acutely that she pulls you into the story and you LIVE every moment of it! Her depictions of the characters, events, experiences and emotions are mesmerizing! You don’t just read The Night Away - you FEEL it, and are drawn into the story as if you were living right alongside the characters! It is impossible not to get swept away with this riveting story of love, loss, fear and betrayal!

The character development is superb, and Jess Ryder makes it easy to love some of the characters...and love to hate some of the others. It is an emotional whirlwind with twists that you’ll never see coming! I felt so connected to the characters and enthralled by the plot that I was glued to the book and couldn’t put it down! I loved Jess Ryder’s writing style so much that I immediately searches for other books written by her as soon as I finished The Night Away. The emotional upheaval had me reaching for the Kleenex several times! I was hooked from the beginning until the end, and couldn’t stop thinking about it after I finished reading it! Although I was able to figure out who was guilty and it became slightly predictable at times, Ryder’s writing was so magical that I was under a spell that made me desperate to find out more. Captivating, enthralling, suspenseful, and thrilling, The Night Away is definitely a jaw-dropping book that will shock you to your core!

Amber is exhausted. Being a new mother to a challenging baby isn’t easy, and Mabel is certainly  challenging! She refuses to admit that she’s suffering from postpartum depression and has shut herself off from the world. Desperately needing a brief break from reality and a chance to rekindle the romance with her husband George, Ruby offers to watch Mabel so they can have time to themselves. Ruby, Amber’s younger sister has never been the model of perfection that Amber always was, but George assures her that Ruby can handle Mabel for the short time they are away. Shortly after they return, George tells Amber that he has to be away for the weekend due to the demands of his job, and Amber immediately panics. She cannot even begin to imagine taking care of Mabel by herself all weekend! She immediately starts secretly making plans to see the one person who George has always forbidden her to see, and asks Ruby to babysit Mabel again for the weekend.

Amber has been living in such a fog of denial, secrets and guilt ever since Mabel was born that she never noticed someone had been following her and watching her every move. While George and Amber are away, Rudy spends the day taking care of Mabel and puts her to bed in her cot. The next morning Ruby wakes up in an empty house and Mabel is gone, with no signs of forced entry either. Amber and George rush home, and the investigation into Mabel’s disappearance reveals secrets that go well beyond the kidnapping. No one is prepared for the fallout and everyone has reasons to be considered a suspect.

Thank you Jess Ryder, Bookouture, and Netgalley for allowing me the privilege of reading The Night Away. My feedback is voluntary and expresses my honest review.

I loved the suspense of this story. I was going back and forth in my head who took Mabel, and I was learning about new characters and their past with Amber.
I’m a bit disappointed with the ending of the story though. With all the evidence and work done by the police, I was really hoping that they’d put the pieces together and come barging in to catch the guilty party. I found the ending to be abrupt.