I have read several books by this author and loved every one. This was no exception, a good storyline with several likeable characters and a few twists and turns. It kept referring to “the bad thing” so was intrigued to find out what that was. I would recommend this book and author.

First read of this author. Thoroughly enjoyed the book. I love stories which feature family drama and this one had me hooked from the beginning. I read it in less than a day. There were lots of twists and turns, the author really kept me doubting what I thought knew. Well done, great characters. What a rollercoaster for poor Hope...

I received a free copy of #TheChildinthePhoto from @bookouture via #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

"THE BAD THING" What??? When you read a book and it keeps referring to "the bad thing," you wonder what it could possibly be. Then through in other quotes like, "I didn't want to be special or different. I wanted to be like everyone else." "The biggest lies are built on the smallest." "All the best lies are based on truth," and you know you are in for a whirlwind of an experience in a book.

Readers will be in awe as Kerry Wilkinson takes you through a few months of the life of Hope, or is she really Jane? Was Hope adopted, sold and/or stolen? If you are looking for a good page turner The Child in the Photo is definitely that.

The Child in the Photo by Kerry Wilkinson

*Thank you to Bookouture for allowing me to read this book before the release, in return for an honest review.*

34 year old Hope has lived a relatively normal life - she grew up in a loving home, with loving parents. Then one day, her life is flipped. She finds an envelope pushed through her door with just her name written on it. Inside, she finds a newspaper clipping from an article written 34 years prior, about a 6 month old baby who had been kidnapped. After reading the clipping multiple times, something in the photo finally catches Hopes eyes. Could the past 34 years have been a lie?

The Child in the Photo is cleverly written this psychological thriller that grabs your attention from the start. It’s well paced, has some surprising twists along the way and makes you question what could happen next. Wilkinson’s writing style makes you empathise with Hope and you start to feel some of the emotion that she feels - the confusion, the anger, the hurt. It makes you think about what you would do if you were in Hopes position and wonder how you would react.

The plot itself was interesting and engaging - i found myself wanting to keep picking it up and reading it. With that being said, I was slightly disappointed with the ending. I felt like it could have been slightly more dramatic than it was - but that is personal preference.

I enjoyed the relationship between Hope and her best friend Stephen, the dialogue between the two really added another element to the novel - the two characters balanced each other out well.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend if you want an easy-read thriller to be your next read.

The description of this book immediately drew me in! The idea that a 30 year old article showing a picture of a baby who went missing was placed anonymously in someone's mail slot....crazy!!!! THEN...the woman who holds the article in her hand notices that the baby in the picture has the exact same physical disfigurement that she does. In a heart-pounding start, readers will bond with Hope and empathize with the circumstances surrounding the upheaval of the life she knew for 34 years! And...she keeps mentioning "The Big Thing"!!!!! Readers will undoubtedly read into the night to discover the mystery behind this unexpected piece of mail. Prepare yourself for a twisted ride as you learn along side Hope as she figures out how many people she can truly trust in her life. As any veteran reader of psychological thrillers can tell you, always suspend your judgement on "who the bad guy is" because it's not always who you think! ENJOY!

Hope comes home and checks the post, there is an plain envelope with her name on, no address or postal marks. Intrigued, Hope opens the envelope to find a newspaper clipping from 34 years ago, about a baby girl, Jane who was snatched from her mother’s car. Hope looks closer and notices baby Jane has the same disfigurement as Hope and believes she is baby Jane.
Then a stranger appears claiming to be her sister. Hope goes on a crusade to find out if there is any truth in this article and encounters several people from her past that had involvement in what happened.
A great thriller with plenty or twists throughout the story. Hope is a likeable character which you warm to instantly. Definitely one you can devour in one reading sitting.

Another read-in-a-day-er. Letters sent to people directly without stamps always intrigue me. It's a very distinct trope I enjoy. This was a fascinating psychological thriller that had me until the very end. Very thankful to have read this one early!

Absolutely loved this book, devoured it in one sitting, so many different twists, fantastic characters,great story.

My feelings about this book are mixed. On the one hand, it's an intriguing story - one with enough twists and turns to keep me turning the pages of my Kindle all the way to the end. But the end? It happened so abruptly - and in my mind, incompletely, that I actually said out loud, "Wait - is that all there is, or did I miss something?"

But back to the beginning: Someone slips an old newspaper article to 34-year-old Hope Taylor about a baby girl who was taken from her mother three decades earlier. Nothing to get excited about, at least until Hope spots a very unique and unusual physical characteristic on the baby that she shares. Coincidence? Unlikely - but Hope loves her parents, who took good care of her, especially when she was in a bad accident. Her mother, when Hope confronts her, says all the right things; but the next day, Hope sees her burning papers in the garden and her reasons for doing so are less than satisfactory.

When she tells her good platonic friend, Stephen, what happened, he insists that they go meet the woman whose daughter was stolen all those years ago. They break in, and Hope finds evidence that this woman's baby wasn't the only one stolen back then. Later still, Hope returns and actually meets the mother, who is absolutely positive that Hope is her missing daughter - a daughter she wants back in her life. In the midst of all this, Stephen must deal with a personal incident that could have been deadly.

Still reeling, the only thing both Hope and Stephen are sure of is that they don't want to tell the police. And that was a turn-off for me, because I just couldn't buy their rationalizations for not doing so (although if Hope, in particular, had done so at that point I guess there wouldn't have been much of a story left). Then Hope gets a visitor who brings an even bigger surprise; and with that, I must stop and not give away anything more. Suffice it to say that trying to sort everything out becomes an emotional roller coaster - one on which it's next to impossible to see where the next turn will come and where it's going.

Most of what happens gets resolved, but not all; as I indicated at the beginning, I wasn't totally satisfied and felt that several loose ends never got tied up. But overall, there's plenty of action here that should keep most readers not wanting to put the book down (think: Summer's coming and a relaxing chaise on the beach with a good book is starting to sound great). I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Took me a little while to get into the story line but it was an excellent well written thriller which did keep me interested once I had got into it.

The characters wee good although for me personally it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat but I can recommend this book.

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

A quick and easy read, that drew me in immediately due to the really engaging writing style. However, while the writing was strong, the plot was a little underwhelming. The 'truth' behind the mystery of the newspaper article and what really happened was revealed quite early on, and then you spend the rest of the book sort of just waiting for there to be something more complex. There's a further attempt at a bit of drama at the end, but its immediately resolved, and it all just felt quite flat to me. It's a shame, as the initial section of the book really drew me in, but the rest of the book wasn't what I wanted, and I personally wouldn't describe it as a thriller - more of a family drama, that is light on the actual drama. However reading other reviews shows that I'm very much in the minority in not loving it, so it might just be me!

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

Read in a day - the writing sucked me in.
Hope goes through her mail to find an envelope shoved through her slot - no return address, no stamp.
Inside is a delicate newsclip - an infant stolen from a mother's car. Hope wonders why it's in her mail when she notices the baby's ear - the top is missing. Just like hers.
Her mother denies it all. But Hope can't let it rest. With the help of her bestie, Stephen, Hope begins an adventure of intrigue.
Loved the characters.
Excellent build up to the end - though predictable, enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture, and Kerry Wilkinson for allowing me to read this Arc.
Hope gets an envelope through the letter box containing an old newspaper clipping from thirty years ago. It's about a baby girl who was kidnapped and never recovered. The baby, strangely has the same birth date as Hope. But even more strangely the baby has the same unique scar as Hope!
When Hope questions her, her mother acts furtively.
Hope's life may not be as she thought!
I loved this book. Kerry Wilkinson always delivers and this was no exception.

The Child In The photo was so not what I expected, honestly it was better. Hope arrives home to a envelope that's been hand delivered and inside it is a newspaper clipping from 34 years ago saying how baby Jane was kidnapped at 6 months old, she reads and re reads it not making any sense of it until she sees in the photo the baby has a deformed ear identical to herself. On Hope's search to find the truth there is so much to contend with she also finds herself overwhelmed and has no idea who she can and can't trust anymore.

I really liked Hope as out protagonist, she honestly felt like any regular person that you could meet in tesco. She has money but doesn't splurge it, she has a charity for youth but doesn't act like a do gooder, she has a disability but it doesn't define her and honestly she just seems like a nice person. So I've read loads of adults finding out they've been snatched books and they all have a very similar line of who am I. But I felt this story was written much better. Of course there's a lot of self discovery and confusion but it's not the only focus.
Hope searching for answers I loved and I also loved her relationship with her mum whether or not they are blood related their relationship is special. I found the investigative side to this book really intriguing and although I could tell people were lying at points I struggled to work out what about.

Now Hope's story would be incomplete without Steven her best friend and would be husband if he weren't gau. The two of them are a laugh and yet serious. They have the kind of friendship that comes along once in a lifetime, if you have that person in your life you will get it. I felt Kerry Wilkinson did a great job at writing their relationship, as this book in essence is about relationships. She manages to highlight the complexities surrounding the different types of relationships.

There are a lot of secondary characters that play a big role in the book, but as to not spoil any anything I won't go into detail. I will say a line that Steven says it's better to hide a lie with the truth. I just loved that and it totally sums up a lot of this book.

The writing style is one of my favourites as it's in first person. I really enjoy learning information the same time as the protagonist. Although it's in first person Hope's dialogue isn't filled with loads of what she wants to say verses what she does, I have noticed how often writers do that so I appreciated that this happened only a few times. I enjoyed with the explanations that were given as well because it reads almost like a diary entry in certain parts. The author manages to convey serious and humour so well and often in the same sentence. It's so my type of funny as often it's things you should never say aloud and I loved the use of the friendship to convey these moments.

It's definately a psychological book not much thriller but it has you thinking throughout. Its written so well that honestly I didn't know who to trust and who to not so I stuck with Steven although I started doubting him at one point. Oh and the neighbour omg what a dream of a neighbour a concerned older gentlemen who just wants to play scrabble ha. I fell in love.

Would I recommend this book?

Yes I absolutely would it makes a change from the typical psychological thriller but yet fits in the genre. Also it takes a different take on the whole stolen at birth stories that are often super predictable. As always there's a bit of a twist but at that point it all slotted together for me and I still loved it. It's an easy read got through it in a day and have now purchased a few more books by Kerry Wilkinson as I just loved her style of writing. I rate 5 stars 🌟

Thanks to Netgalley, the author Kerry Wilkinson and publishers Bookature for the digital advanced copy in exchange for my fair and honest opinions.

I always enjoy reading Kerry Wilkinson novels, fast paced, interesting characters and totally addictive plots. This latest book is typical of his writing and I hadn’t read too many pages and I was already planning to change my plans so I could finish the book.

The lead character Hope is sent an old newspaper cutting about a young baby snatched from a car. On closer examination Hope notices that the little girl in the photo has the same scar as her and all at once her whole life is in doubt.

Everything Hope believed is now questioned and she is eager to confront the woman she calls mother, can this be a coincidence or has her life been built around lies. Her mother convinces Hope that it is purely a coincidence and all is well until she witnesses her mother acting suspiciously while burning papers in the garden. Who sent the newspaper article to Hope, who is her mother and what is the truth.

I enjoy Kerry Wilkinson’s writing, not overly complicated, good characters, fast paced and truly addictive plots.

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

1 ⭐
I was very excited forthis book just based on the premise. I have never read the author, but I was intrigued. Girl sees baby picture of herself and realizes her life is a lie.
I really wanted it to work. I could not connect at all with the writing. The writing was very simple, and frustrating to get through. I really don't feel like the plot was played out as well as it could of been either. This was such a disappointment all around.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Hope Taylor, a recent amputee who lives alone, receives an anonymous post that contains an article of a six-month-old baby who was kidnapped thirty-four years ago. On a closer look, Hope realises that the baby in the photo has the exact same ear deformity that she herself has. Suddenly, all those doubts that she has had as a child comes rushing back with a vehemence. But does that mean the woman who raised her is a liar? And who are her real parents?

This was a slow-paced story with an interesting premise. Hope comes across as a low-profile person who has already faced one setback in life. Her desire to know more about her real background and her hesitation to rock the boat are understandable.

Overall, an interesting read. Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First, thank you to the publishers at Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC of The Child in the Photo.

I requested The Child in the Photo after I saw it listed on Netgalley under the mystery/thriller section, my favorite genre. I was instantly interested. Cold cases, especially ones involving missing children, have always been of interest to me because I’m always holding out hope that the child will be found and reunited with their parents.

The Child in the Photo is about a missing child, but she doesn’t know that she is missing. Kidnapped at 6 months old, she’s been living with her mum and dad for the past 34 years of her life. While there were a few times she questioned the legitimacy of her blood connection to them, it isn’t until an old newspaper article is delivered to her door showcasing the missing child with a resemblance that can’t be mere coincidence.

I was sitting on the edge of my seat during the entire story. This read was fast paced and exciting. We see a lot of the English countryside during this story as well, which was interesting for me as an American who hasn’t traveled to Europe.

There are plenty of twists and turns in the story to keep you guessing at just what the endgame might be. I wasn’t entirely shocked by the ending, but I enjoyed the findings that were made in relation to Hope and her backstory.

I highly recommend this book if, like me, you enjoy stories about missing/found children, mysteries, and fast paced reads! 4/5 stars!

I really enjoyed this, from the very beginning It picked up pace. The plot was easy to follow, and I found myself noticing things at the same time as Hope, our protagonist. I liked the way Stephen had his own sub plot going, and this didn’t distract from the main story line at all.

If you like short snappy chapters where one turns into four or five then this is for you!

Another brilliant book by Kerry. His books never fail, always page turner you want to constantly know what is going to happen next.