Extremely well-written story about a little girl’s disappearance from a funfair. I really liked how the author described each character, so much so that I really empathised with Jill, despite her failings! I wasn’t sure if I liked Claire, she was a little selfish, I thought, Ollie was tied up in knots and Laurel was rather self-centred. These characters were so real and I felt I knew them all.
I’m always afraid of giving the plot away in my reviews but Shalini Boland never disappoints! I could not put this down, I was reading so late at night I was exhausted the next day! Excellent stuff, I loved it!

Wow! What a gripping, twisty-turny rollercoaster ride this was! I had no idea who had taken little Beatrice or why and there were so many suspects that I felt dizzy trying to spot the real clues that were hidden amongst the red herrings that were scattered along the pathway to the truth. Told via multiple viewpoints, everyone seemed to be hiding secrets and telling little white lies-and at the heart of all this dishonesty there was a missing child who deserved the adults in her life to be putting her first! My Little Girl will certainly have you shouting at your kindle as you frantically the turn the pages, desperately seeking the safety of an innocent child!

Claire is furious with her husband Oliver as he was supposed to take Beatrice to the fair but when something comes up, Oliver asks his mum Jill to go instead. But a moments distraction by Jill leads to the loss of her only grandchild and all hell breaking loose! The relationships between the adults are all very complex and they all start suspecting each other due to the secrets they all seem to be keeping! I especially felt sorry for Claire as she was so clearly being lied to by those closest to her! I can’t imagine how it must feel to have lost a child let alone one who was being looked after by someone you’re supposed to trust! Having everyone’s personal points of view really worked well as it added a compelling edge trying to work out whether or not that person was involved in the abduction. I had a few ideas about who the mystery narrator was but I wasn’t completely sure until the final few pages when everything was revealed-alongside a few more surprises!

Shalini Boland is a real favourite author of mine and I can always rely on her to deliver an edgy, twisty psychological thriller with characters you either love or hate-and there were a few more hateful ones this time! If you haven’t discovered Shalini before then you really must as I promise that you will become as hooked as I am on her addictive and unputdownable narratives. Fabulous!

What a page turner! My Little Girl is a suspenseful book about a missing child and a messy family. Everybody's family has secrets and every person has insecurities - this book plays on those. Each character is pushed to the edge and forced to question the people around them. The narrators are seemingly reliable - but are they? Everyone seems to want to help find the missing child yet all seem like possible suspects. You will question every character in this book and the answer may seem right in front of you. If you don't read many thrillers, this one will take you for a ride! If you are a big thriller reader, you might see that ending coming - I had the kidnapper pinned early on and was pretty convinced. However, I loved the way that so many potential suspects were set up and how information was released bit by bit to put the pieces together. Great book!

What a nightmare for Jill. She loses her granddaughter in a matter of seconds. What started as a fun day turned into the worst nightmare. This is another case of, what you see is not what you get. Interesting and engaging story. Ms. Boland is one of my favorite authors. Can not wait for her next book. Thank you NetGalley, publisher and author, for allowing me to read this copy for free.

Bea is missing at the fair. Jill, her grandmother, was on the phone and with the crowd in mirror room, she was gone from her sight. It's a nightmare for Claire, Bea's mother. The story was told from Clare and Jill's perspective. After a few chapters, there is a very short chapter told by the abductor. Again, @shaliniboland doesn't disappoint me, I love her simple writing style, yet she describes each character deeply until I feel everybody is a suspect.
Definitely one to pick up for your TBR list

Having read so many psychological thrillers about missing children I was wondering if this would be able to keep me in suspense but I was happily proved wrong! I enjoyed the characters, my quick changing opinion of the characters, the additional back stories that all came together and the chapters going between the mum and grans perspectives!

I am a big fan of Shalini Boland books and am so glad I came across her books at my local library a while back. Would highly recommend any of her books if you enjoy psychological thrillers.

Thank you to bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This will be released on 22/4/21

Just wow. What a well written book

In a big fan of shaking boland. She didn’t disappoint me in this book

Had me wanting to read more and am I thinking there might be a second book?

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy for a honest review

A gripping and twisty page-turner from the queen of psychological thrillers!

I get so excited whenever I hear that a new book is coming out by Shalini. She is one of my go-to authors and I have thoroughly enjoyed every book I’ve ever read by her. I think I can quite confidently say that I would read her books without even reading the blurb!

Jill is thrilled when she gets to take her granddaughter to the funfair. The fact that her son Oliver trusts her is a huge thing and the perfect chance to prove to him and his wife Claire, that she is quite capable of caring for their darling Beatrice. Is she though?

Whilst having fun in the house of mirrors Beatrice disappears! Jill claims that she didn’t take her eyes off of her and that she vanished in the blink of an eye. With no witnesses or sightings of the young girl, things really aren’t making much sense. Surely if she were abducted, somebody would have seen something!

The story is told from the perspectives of Jill, the unreliable grandmother and Claire, the worried mother, with occasional chapters by an un-named character. The chapters are short and enthralling, each one making you think ‘oh go on just one more.’

We follow Claire, Oliver and Jill as they try to find Beatrice with the police, and at times without! With twists galore, this book held my attention from start to finish. I didn’t trust a single character, suspecting everyone from the fairground staff to the old lady next door!

Very well written and cleverly plotted this book is a hugely addictive read. I think I thought of about ten scenarios of what happened to Beatrice and I wasn’t right with any of them! I really love it when a book keeps you guessing and this one does just that.

An awesome thriller with a compelling opening hook and a nail-biting, action-packed ending.

Thank you so much to Shalini Boland, Bookouture and NetGalley for my early copy of this book.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'My Little Girl' by Shalini Boland.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Shalini Boland, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 22nd April 2021.

This is the fourth book I have read by this author. The previous books I read are 'The Other Daighter', 'One Of Us Is Lying' and 'The Wife' and I highly recommend each of them!!

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. I loved Shalini's 'The Daughter', 'The Wife' and 'One Of Us Is Lying' and am hoping this will be just as good. It also stated in the synopsis that this book is 'Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us'. I loved 'Gone Girl' so am looking forward to see if it lives up to this, as you can tell I'm a huge fan of Shalini and I'm sure I won't be disappointed!! I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 54 chapters and an epilogue. It also includes 8 'snippets' throughout the book. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in in Dorset, England, UK. I love books set in the UK as I live in Wales, UK and sometimes I have been to the places mentioned so I 'see' it more clearly when reading. Considering I've been to Dorset many times. I have actually visited a theme park in Christchurch, where the book is based, several times already.

This book is written in first person perspective with the protagonists being Jill and Claire. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.

Wow!! Where to even start?!? Firstly I must say yet again I was NOT disappointed by the very talented Shalini Boland!!! I started reading this book this morning and finished it in a day.

It is extremely well written as is every book I have read by Shalini with vivid descriptions that really put you in the storyline. The blurb and cover work perfectly with the storyline. Every single time I told myself I'd finish the chapter and then put it down and every single time I was left with a sort of cliff hanger refusing to allow me to put it down. If your planning on reading this I would recommend clearing your schedule!!!

Absolutely gripping storyline which I got completely sucked into. A great unputdownable page turner filled with suspense, friendship, family, deceit, mystery, love and lies. I loved the storyline, especially the shocking plots that I would never have seen coming! Not just one either!! There's nothing worse than when you have worked everything out and your not even half way through a book so a massive well done for that!! I definitely did not even have the person involved in my suspect list AT ALL, soooo many red herrings. I haven't been that shocked in a book in a while so WELL DONE Shalini!! I really had y head set on a certain person, I can't say as I don't want to spoil it but I'm sure many other readers will feel the same. I really could not compliment this book any more it is an absolutely gripping, addictive and shocking page turner.


The characters were all well rounded and realistic with their own personality traits, strengths and weaknesses. It was very interesting watching how the bonds strengthened and weakened between characters throughout the storyline. What happened to Claire is a mother's worse nightmare but at times I did feel sorry on Jill, yet at others I felt like shouting at the woman!! Loved the last chapter, something I love with Shalini is that she always seems to dedicate the last chapter to a certain character in books and really makes you want to see what happens and several times I've been left hoping and wondering if that storyline will be carried on.

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Shalini Boland for another absolutely fantastic success!! I cannot wait to read more of your amazing work!! I really would love to see your books on the big screen one day, I can guarantee they will be a success if they are even half as good as the books you write!!!

Overall a page turning, epic psychological thriller that will keep you thinking about it long after you have finished. I would love to see this turned into a film.

Genres covered in this novel include Psychological Thriller, Suspense and Psychological Fiction amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us and of course Shalini Boland and just anyone looking for an epic read with a twist. What are you waiting for?? Go grab your copy now!!!


363 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it!!!!) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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This is the story of any parent's greatest nightmare - the disappearance of their child. Brilliantly told.

This is a story told from the perspective of two women - Claire, the missing girl's mother, and Jill, her mother-in-law. In many ways, this story is vivid a portrait of these two women and their relationship. Women who at first glance do not have much in common, apart from the obvious love for little Bea. Claire's strong personality, which keeps her constantly searching for her missing child, adds a lot of drama to this story. So does Jill's insecurity, as she is unable to find strength after her husband's death. In the background, we also have Claire's husband, Oliver, whom Claire says is the perfect husband, but his behaviour is a little suspicious. And Laurel, Oliver's ex-wife, who apparently still hasn't come to terms with the divorce after eight years. These are good and interesting characters that make this dramatic story.

You also have an excellent and suspenseful plot. There are many people who behave suspiciously, not only the main characters. There are also numerous suspicious events and coincidences. You clearly feel the desperation and frustration of Claire who, in her despair, investigates every, even the most improbable clue. The author did an excellent job of building tension.

Especially since we do not know what the police are really doing and how the investigation is going on. We only know as much as Claire and Jill know, and the police are reluctant to share information with them. This makes it even easier for us to feel the frustration of Claire and her sense of loneliness in this situation.

I didn't know who was behind the kidnapping of the girl until the end. And the ending surprised me for sure.

This is a great story with a well written atmosphere that I would definitely recommend to anyone who, like me, got interested after reading the blurb. You will not be disappointed.

Having read all of the authors previous 11 psychological thrillers ( the most reviewed by any author in any genre) I pretty much knew this would be a great read
And it was
In the ups and downs of reading it’s fab to pick up a book by an author who you know is going to deliver, if you want an exciting, whodunitish psychological thriller written for the reader to fall into and be welcomed with a good plot, great characters and a lot of ‘mmmmm wonder if it’s her/him’ then this is for you
I have to mention the Mother In Law, Jill, superb characterisation and I built a pic of her within seconds
Love the setting of Christchurch and surrounding areas and how the combination of a mellow setting works so well with the taut excitement of this story
And any book that mentions jammie dodgers has to be good 😎😁
I don’t know what else to say except if you love this author you will devour this and if you are a 1st timer you will be checking out her previous books as soon as you finish it
Loved it
10/10
5 Stars

There's no such thing as a bad Shalini book. Even one as different as this. MY LITTLE GIRL is not like her usual domestic thrillers but the tension is just as great. The queen of the killer twist may not have her usual twist in this one but there is still a twist or two to keep you guessing throughout.

Seven year old Beatrice Nolan disappears in the Hall of Mirrors at the visiting fair where her grandmother Jill has taken her and her young friend Millie. Having taken her eyes off the girls for a split second to take a phone call from her ex-daughter in law, Laurel, when she looks up...Beatrice has gone. Although the colours in the Hall of Mirrors is distracting with its distorted reflections, Jill isn't sure when she last saw her granddaughter and Millie, who is busy reflecting on her own reflection, is as surprised as Jill to find Beatrice no longer beside her.

Claire was supposed to have a relaxing night out with her best friend Freya and friends but upon receiving a startling phone call to say that her daughter has gone missing from the fair, she feels guilty for wanting a night of freedom away from being a parent for a few hours. She was supposed to be with Bea and Millie tonight but she made other plans so her husband Oliver was taking them instead. So why on earth did her scatty mother-in-law take the girls instead? Where was Ollie? After several small mishaps under Jill's care, both Claire and Ollie decided it was best that his mother not be left alone with Bea...let alone her friend as well. This is just the thing she was afraid of happening on Jill's watch...and now it has. Claire is furious but she has no time for that now because they must find Bea.

And then there is Oliver. All of a sudden, in the wake of their daughter's disappearance when he and Claire should be supporting each other he is instead mooching off on the pretext of filling out tax forms for submission for his business. But when Claire seeks him out at his shop she finds it in darkness with no sign of him having been there for a couple of days. When Ollie finally does return home, he is blotto having spent the day at the pub instead. He gives Claire some lame excuse that didn't even wash with me so I knew Claire wouldn't believe him for a second. Every day since Bea's disappearance, Ollie has been acting strange. Why? And why is he lying to her?

And Laurel, Ollie's first wife. Why did she call Jill at that exact moment in time? The moment that Bea disappears? Was the phone call just a distraction to nab Bea? After all, Laurel has made no secret that Ollie was the love of her life and although they divorced, she never really got over losing him. He thought she'd been having an affair but she denied it which, of course, knew she would and didn't believe her. So is her friendship with Jill just a ploy to get closer to Ollie? The two women have maintained a close friendship despite the divorce and the fact that Oliver is now married to Claire. So just how close is Jill to Laurel?

Despite the police investigation into Bea's disappearance, Claire finds that she cannot sit back and wait for something to happen. She must get out there and help look for her daughter. Someone somewhere must have seen something...surely? She expects the support of Ollie throughout this but he's nowhere to be seen, disappearing himself in the early morning and not returning until the evening. What the hell is he up to? And where the hell is all day if he not with his mother or not at the shop?

The fallout from little Bea's disappearance on the Nolan family is near imploding with each of them dealing with the trauma in their own way. Jill is organising search parties and newspaper interviews, Claire is setting up Facebook pages, papering the town with flyers of her missing girls and trespassing properties to follow leads while Oliver remains suspiciously MIA throughout the day only to turn up drunk most evenings. Then the kidnapper begins to taunt the family with anonymous messages that none of them share with each other so the family begins to implode. Is Claire going to lose both her daughter and her husband? Or will she get her little girl back before it's too late?

While many have expressed a boredom with "missing child" tropes, I on the other hand love them! Sure, there are a lot of them out there but each of them are different and unique in their own ways. It takes a special talent to take a not-so-unique concept and make it your own and Shalini has done just that. Throughout the story she has put her own stamp on it in the way that Shalini does. Instead of the investigation being the focus, Shalini shines a light on uncovering the lies, the secrets, the deception and the truths on the characters during this most traumatic time of their lives. The way she tells the story brings it to life in your mind that you feel you are living the trauma with them.

Whilst MY LITTLE GIRL is not as compelling as some of her previous thrillers, it is still addictive and had me turning the pages until 3am. That, and the fact I just love Shalini's style. You just know, that even if you do figure out who's behind it, there will be a killer twist at the end to throw us off. After all, Shalini is not the queen of the killer twist for nothing. And she delivered with a satisfying conclusion.

Unfolding through the eyes of three perspectives - all of them in the first person - we have Jill and Claire's narratives intertwining with the anonymous incerpts by the kidnapper. The whole thing felt like a cat and mouse game in which Claire and Jill were chasing their tails while the kidnapper orchestrated the entire thing. It was highly entertaining with a few red herrings thrown in along the way. Although I did feel some of those were a little obvious making the guesswork as to who was behind it all a little easier perhaps. Well...maybe I'm just used to looking where others don't. Either way, I had my suspicions early on and narrowed it down till only one remained. It didn't ruin the suspense or the mystery for me. Part of the fun is trying to work it out and then seeing if I'm right or not. Shalini can usually hoodwink me...but not this time! haha

MY LITTLE GIRL is not your usual missing child story. It is more than that, exploring the secrets, the lies, the love, the jealousies and begging the question how well do you know the people around you?

As usual, Shalini delivered another addictive and fast read with her flair for dramatic storytelling and the ultimate killer twist. I always enjoy her books, as there is never a bad one. Each of them are unique in their own way and MY LITTLE GIRL is no different.

Definitely recommend it for fans of Shalini and domestic thrillers.

I would like to thank #ShaliniBoland, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #MyLittleGirl in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a great twisty thriller then look no further than any book by this author , Shalini Boland. I think that I have had the great privilege to read all of her psychological thrillers and have enjoyed every one. I love the writing style, the characters and the pace. All of which keep you reading and wanting to find out who dunnit and why.

At the start of this book we meet Claire and her husband Oliver, proud parents to young daughter Beatrice. One fateful trip to the local fair sees Oliver’s mum Jill, who has previously been presumed to be unreliable in the babysitting stakes, taking granddaughter Bea and her friend Millie in place of dad Ollie who is tired after work. Jill is distracted by a call from her ex daughter-in-law Laurel and before she knows it Bea has disappeared.

We are the family fall apart. Why has Bea been taken and by whom? Why is Oliver not at home?

Tension mounts and mum Claire is ferocious in her search for her daughter. Everybody seems like they may be a suspect. Why is dad Ollie behaving suspiciously? What is Jill doing in M&S? So many great twists and turns it wasn’t until almost the end that I guessed what had happened and why.

A good book that I would definitely recommend and many thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Every parent's worst nightmare…the abduction of your child, it sends shivers up my spine. “My Little Girl” is my first by Shalini Boland and it’s so so good it grabbed me from the very beginning. The plot keeps you engaged on every single page.

There’s twists and turns on every chapter, I thought I had it figured out but, poor me, I was so wrong. What I also loved is the small snippets between chapters, comments from the abductor/ers?? which kept me engaged throughout.

Highly entertaining and highly recommended. Now If you’ll excuse me I’m goner check her other works.

This is my first book by Shalini Boland but I have heard great things about her so had high hopes for this one. I was not disappointed - It was fantastic. I was drawn into the story straight away and it held my attention throughout. I found the characters well written and well developed and I just loved the style of writing.
I will definitely be looking for more books by this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

Claire Nolan receives a panicked phone call, telling her that her seven year old daughter Beatrice has gone missing on a trip to the fair. Her mother-in-law Jill was meant to be looking after Beatrice but the little girl disappeared in the hall of mirrors. Claire races to the fairground to find police officers everywhere. She's distraught and desperate to uncover the truth. But it was Claire's husband that was supposed to take Beatrice to the fair, but he changed the plans without telling her.

I read this book in one sitting. I could not put it down. I needed to know who had taken Beatrice and their reasons why. Jill had taken her granddaughter Beatrice and her friend to the fair. They were in the hall of mirrors when Beatrice disappeared. Her dad, Oliver was supposed to take them to the fair. There's a list of suspects to choose from that includes the fair ground workers to The Nolan's next door neighbour. Oliver's ex-wife is still friends with Jill. This is a quick and easy book to read and it held my attention throughout. The pace is steady.

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

Shalini Boland is one of my favorite authors, I love the way she brings her characters to life. This is a very good whodunnit with multiple point of views that helps to keep the story fresh and suspenseful.

A little girl is missing, vanished from the fair she was visiting with her grandmother and a little friend. One moment she was there, her red dress reflected over and over in the mirrors of the funhouse....then her grandmother's phone rang and there was no harm in answering as long as the children were within sight...

Claire is furious. Her husband was supposed to be watching the girls, not sending them off with his mother. Instead he changed plans without telling her and, while Claire was getting ready for a girls night out, their daughter was taken.

The book begins just moments before Beatrice's disappearance and alternates between Claire and her mother-in-law. There's been tension building between the two women for quite a while and it seems like the older woman is only making things worse. It's an entertaining, fast paced thriller, but I feel like the ending was drawn out a bit longer than it needed to be.

A little girl goes missing and the search that follows to a happy conclusion. The suspense is predictable and the story told from the viewpoint of the mother and the grandmother doesn’t really give the underlying turmoil of the people involved. There is more of bickering and blaming and childish squabbles. The police don’t seem to be doing anything much. This is more of a domestic drama than a psychological thriller.

The plot keeps you engaged, not a surprise with this author. Boland has a knack for knowing what the audience wants. A thriller is intended to keep you on your toes and guessing. Achievement unlocked.