To be perfectly honest, I found this book to be somewhat confusing. Two mothers, one baby and a very convoluted story that combines the two families.
It was well written, but really not quite for me.

The Day I Lost You kept me engaged from start to finish. It was quite gripping, especially knowing it’s drawn from real events. The writing is strong, though the characters could use more depth. The suspense builds well, with new details revealed gradually, like a door slowly opening. I enjoyed it and look forward to more from the author..

I was intrigued by the author’s intro, referencing a real-life case, which drew me in to this story from the start.

This is a cleverly plotted story told through shifting timelines and the perspectives of both Lauren and Hope, each compelling, yet unreliable.

Some scenes were uncomfortable to read about, but the ending was unexpected and a sharp reminder of how fallible people can be in emotionally heightened situations.

Based on a true story, this cleverly structured story takes the reader through emotive and distressing relationships. The build-up is quite slow, at times overplayed in putting the reader in a character’s shoes, but captures the fears, panic and deceptions, all made worse by lies and denial. I had expected rather more in terms of the legal tying up – a bit too tidy and quick, given the way the law operates! But the resolution was handled with empathy and realism.

A powerful, emotional, thoughtful book that deals with a lot of sensitive issues throughout.

I must say that whenever I was reading a chapter from another perspective I found that I was able to draw on a lot of empathy. I was amazed at that. Everyone seemed to be a decent human being.

The ending was impossible to predict and provided answers to a series of traumatic events.

Top class author in Ruth Mancini! A star!

I loved this as the twists aren’t loud: they’re devastating. And what remains isn’t just suspense, but an emotional residue.

The introduction by the author had me curious, discussing the real life case that inspired the story.
This is a cleverly plotted book, switching between a variety of timelines, alongside Lauren and Hope as the main characters, both telling very compelling stories, both proving to be unreliable narrators. I was never quite sure who I believed or how this situation came about.
There are moments that will make you uncomfortable with their actions, cringing at the lack of subtleties.
Ruth Mancini described all the settings vividly, taking me on the journey with each character.
I loved the ending, seeing an unexpected resolution unfold and realising the fallibility of human nature and split second decisions.

An enjoyable book told from multiple points of view and timelines. A lot of the plot is told backwards. The three main adult characters are not particularly likeable, so it's hard to be invested initially, however its worth persevering as it speeds up and yiu get really involved. It revolves around baby Sam and a dilemma between which one of the two women is the mother. With the father having an affair. Both women have given birth between months of each other. It's really twisty and unexpected, which leaves you guessing, which I really enjoyed. It's fascinating to know that this book is based on criminal proceedings that the author was aware of when she was a solicitor in the criminal courts. It's a great read with gaspable moments.

This was certainly an intriguing read. I had no idea who or what to believe. There was far more to this book than finding out who were the real parents of Sam. This book was thrilling, intriguing and very emotional.

I mostly enjoyed this story but found it a bit long and plodding at times. The story is set in parts of different timelines which confused me at times.

I enjoyed this book. It was very cleverly written with twists and turns throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

i enjoyed Ms Mancini's last book and this one is just as good. It's very cleverly plotted, giving glimpses of where the story is going and the back story of the characters, - and then completely wrong footing the reader! The author deals sensitively with all the main protagonists and it was interesting to read in her introduction that it was inspired by a case she had been involved in in her job as a solicitor.
i wasnt 100% convinced by the ending and It's definitely a book that needs to be read in a short time in order to remember all the twists and turns, but well worth a read.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

The Day I Lost You is an emotionally charged psychological thriller that blends grief, suspense, and the complicated bond between a mother and child. From the opening chapters, Ruth Mancini hooks you with a parent’s worst nightmare — a missing child — and then peels back the layers to reveal a much deeper story about trust, trauma, and resilience.

What I liked most was how Mancini balanced the pace of a thriller with the raw emotional weight of the protagonist’s journey. It’s not just about what happened, but why — and the emotional unraveling that follows is just as gripping as the mystery itself. Some twists I saw coming, others caught me off guard, but the real strength is in how human and believable the characters feel.

If you enjoy psychological dramas that are as moving as they are suspenseful, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

After reading The Woman on the Ledge last year by Ruth Mancini, I had no doubt I was in for a complex twisty read with this one. The Day I Lost You didn’t disappoint. It begins with Lauren, now living in Spain with her young son Sam. However following a police visit investigating a missing child, Lauren takes Sam and with the help of a friend, goes on the run.

We then move to England and to Hope and Drew. Their son Sam is missing. What on earth is going on? With both women claiming to be Sam’s mother my brain was frazzled.

The story then moves back and forth in time slowly revealing the history between the two and all may, or may not, become clear.

Told from multiple POV in a shifting timeframe, I’ll admit that there were times when I was utterly confused. Whatever you think the truth is, be prepared for a rollercoaster read with duplicitous characters that I wouldn’t trust an inch. Everyone seems to be hiding something and I found it impossible to pin down my suspicions on any one person. When the truth was finally revealed there was a sharp intake of breath amidst a myriad of emotions.

Ruth Mancini excels in tense and gripping thrillers that also have an emotional impact and in this case, a moral dilemma. The author states at the beginning that this story is based on a real life case that she dealt with in her job as a solicitor. Her legal background clearly shines through in the writing and whether you like or dislike the characters they are fully formed on the page. I very much enjoyed this and I have another author to follow.

Wow this book is one I will be thinking about for a long time! Brilliantly written to keep you hooked from start to finish.

This story challenges your perception of right and wrong, of justice and punishment. In a world of pain do we hold people to the same account as those not suffering?

For me however the real point of interest is right at the end and can’t be discussed without some level of spoiler so stop reading if you don’t want a SPOILER!

When a child has lived for 2 years in one life, is it right to take him away from this? Even if you are correcting a wrong, but he can’t remember the before? How do you ever help him to come to terms with this and not have anger or confusion forever? I would love a sequel to look at how this worked out!

Continuing where she left off with The Woman on the Ledge, Ruth Mancini here treats us to another riveting, twisty, page-turner of a read; one so deviously crafted that it left me slack-jawed with admiration.

The Day I Lost You opens with an impossible conundrum:

Meet Lauren, who after a terrible loss has escaped with her son Sam to start a new life in Spain.

Meet therapist Hope, who is living in her forever home with husband Drew in the English countryside.

When Hope reports her baby Sam missing, the trail leads to Spain, where Lauren insists that Sam is her child, and she has the birth certificate and passport to prove it.

Cue utter consternation on the part of for reader.

What follows is a masterclass in misdirection and the art of the unreliable narrator, as Mancini skillfully weaves a web so tangled it defies unraveling.
The narrative leaps about, going back and forward in time, giving glimpses into the story as told through the alternating voices of Lauren and Hope, and latterly Drew.

Mancini skillfully builds intrigue and suspense by dropping tiny crumbs of information and manipulating the reader’s opinions of the three protagonists. Among the secrets, lies and betrayals, there hides tragedy, lost memory, and a deep well of sadness.

It all makes for a tantalizing, propulsive read; one made all the more authentic due to Mancini’s experience as a solicitor and criminal defence attorney (please read her foreword).

The ending could have gone several ways, but Mancini pitched it perfectly. It was the right resolution for everyone, and I heartily approved.

Lauren Hopwood is living in Mantilla de Mar in Spain, she had moved there with her two year old son, Sam. Her neighbour, Gabe, who Lauren and Sam had got very close to, was with Lauren when the police arrived at her apartment.
Back in England, professional couple, Hope and Drew Dunsmore Faris, had accused Lauren of kidnapping their son, Sam.
Lauren knew that she had to stop running, she had to return to England and face the accusations but no way was she taking Sam, he would go with Gabe and live with his family until she returns.
This story is written from various points of view and over different timelines, the author has thrown in red herrings by the bucketful, she leads you down paths with dead ends, so many times I thought that I had figured out the outcome only to be proved wrong, who was Sam's mother, Lauren ot Hope ?
This story twists and turns and I must admit that at times I was a bit confused, I did think that the ending was a bit of an anti climax but having said that it was an enjoyable read and kept me guessing.
Thank you Net Gallery for this ARC, this review is totally voluntary.

When therapist Hope takes on a new client, Anna she feels there is something ‘off’ about her and soon decides not to continue to work with her. Lauren is living in Spain with her son, Sam, but is accused of abducting him from the home of a woman in England called Hope. And son begins a twisty thriller.

This was an interesting read, told from several perspectives and with lots of twists and turns. Well worth a read

This is another twisty thriller from the author of “The woman on the ledge” which was a great read.

This one started very strong with a very tense and compelling storyline, the characters are very well written and throughout the story I wasn’t quite sure who I was rooting for as each perspective unfolds.

There are a few twists, but without any jaw droppers just a new angle or perspective to add to the complicated storyline.

Overall for me it was just middle of the road, lots of emotions and very deep themes.

An intriguing start to this book as there are several potential storylines. Is Lauren the actual mother of Sam and she has taken him to Spain for a new start? Or is Hope the real Mum and her son Sam has been abducted? We know Lauren had a baby she had named Sam so could this be a surrogacy gone wrong? So many options and my thoughts changed and changed again as the storyline developed. A well written and at times very emotional story which wrapped up neatly at the end which I found a bit deflating as after all the trauma both mothers walked away content.