When They Find Her

I didn’t know what kind of thriller I was getting into with this audiobook so it was a little bit of pot luck. I love reading new authors so the fact that this was a debut thriller was what attracted me to it. Thank you to @MichaelJBooks and @liamiddlet0n for this advanced copy of When They Find Her in returned for an honest review. When They Find Her is due to be published on 25th March 2021 and you can get a copy here.

Description 🔖

Naomi had the life she’d always dreamt of since she was a little girl. Until it wasn’t that anymore and her husband left her, along with her baby girl. She’s given what she understands to be a huge opportunity when her ex husband allows her to have their daughter overnight and she is desperate to prove her trust worthiness.

Except it all goes terribly wrong when there is an accident and Naomi finds herself tangled in a web of lies she can’t seem to extract herself from. The lie that she tells is bad enough in itself, but what’s worse is that she has no idea what what the truth really is.

General Thoughts 🤔

When people describe a book as unputdownable I always think it’s just a tag line for sales. But there is no other word I can think of that fits this book better. I quite literally could not pull myself away from it. I listened to this book well into the night with my eyes dropping but just couldn’t find one of those moments where you think it’s a good time to pause.

There was no friendly, happy intro with this book. The unthinkable happens pretty much right away and I sat listening with my hand to my mouth and my breath held. The storyline is the stuff of nightmares and I spent so much time feeling claustrophobic, tense and terrified for what was going to happen next. This book was a rollercoaster and there was nothing that I didn’t like about it. Bold statements!

Characters 👫👭👬

I don’t do spoilers in my reviews so I want to be super careful what I say here. I think to be safe, it’s best that I just discuss my thoughts on the main character; Naomi.

My feelings towards Naomi shifted and changed as the storyline progressed. I went through empathy, anger, sympathy and pride. Not in that order and probably different emotions at multiple times. What Naomi went through would be every mother’s nightmare, but would every mother react in the same way? I’m really not sure. I found her to be a complex character and I think she was written brilliantly.

Writing Style ✍️

I always feel in awe of authors that can write in a way that is compelling and gripping without a moment in the book that feels like it’s just there for context. Lia Middleton has achieved this magnificently with this book. To create such tension through words is amazing. I particularly enjoyed that not only was I kept wondering about what was going to happen next, I was also trying to piece together what had happened in the character’s histories.

I listened to the audiobook of When They Find Her and the narration was such a perfect fit. Charlotte Ritchie (the narrator) IS Naomi Williams and I will not be told otherwise. She did such an amazing job of injecting even more life into the narrative.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖️

If it wasn’t already obvious, I fell in love with this book. I was already ranting about it to friends when I was only a couple of chapters in. It’s one of those books that I’m sad to have finished because I want to do it all over again (without knowing what’s going to happen). What a fantastic debut from Lia Middleton; I cannot wait to see what she pulls out of the bag next.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Lia Middleton for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Wow, what a book! Heart stopping, gripping and thrilling. This will be the book of 2020. I could not stop listening to this. I can’t recommend enough!

This debut audible book exhausted me after 11 hours of listening over two days!

Firstly, the narrator, CHARLOTTE RITCHIE is EXCELLENT! Charlotte's voice, accents and narration really make the characters jump into your ears, it's exhausting, exciting, fast and furious rollercoaster of a listen! Twists and turns will keep you listening till your ears burn! The chapters jump back and forth through 4-year period and tell the story of married couple, Naomi and Aiden Williams and their 4-year old daughter, Freya and a LIE, a big LIE that escalates out of control!

This story of love, lies, grief, bereavement, long-time friendship, trust and a whole lot more. I would recommend this audible book.

I give a 4 start rating.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF LISTENING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS AUDIBLE BOOK

4.5*
This is a very strong debut. I had the audio
🎧 version, the narrator Charlotte Richie is good, adding well to the tension and angst.
Naomi always wanted to be a mother, but 3 years ago her husband left taking their daughter Freya with him. Now her daughter has come to stay her one chance to rebuild her family but that night there’s a terrible accident followed by a lie that she can not take back.
It’s told from Naomi’s perspective, with time frames from when she is first pregnant to current. From being happily married to being divorced and struggling.
We are told the outcome from the beginning, it can be difficult with this style of book to maintain the tension. This book achieves it really well.
We are led by the revelation of secrets and lies told by an unreliable and mentally unstable narrator. I usually struggle with unreliable narrators as I get irritated by the lies and ‘convenient’ lack of memory. I loves it, the pace kept my interest although the middle section lagged a bit. There were revelations and twists galore. It was a book that kept giving.

I listened to this via audiobook and loved the narrator. She really brought the story to life.

I was totally hooked from the beginning. One lie was all it took for everything to spiral out of control. Naomi gets overnight access to her daughter. She's promised she off the tablets she been taking but when she wakes up her daughter is lying dead at the bottom of the stairs. She can't remember hearing her daughter wake up! So she hides her body!

I really enjoyed this storyline. It develops into quite the thriller and plays on your fears of being a mother. The story flowed really well and you got snippets from Naomi's past. Loved the ending and thought it was the perfect end to this tragic story. If you love suspense and mystery this is the perfect book for you. I loved it. One of the best debut novels I have read. If I could give it 10 stars, I would!

This is a cleverly written story which reveals little at first. Told from the perspective of Naomi, mother to four year old Freya, who clearly has dark secrets in her past. Why does Freya live with her father? The truth is drip fed throughout the story with flashbacks and trips into the past. The shocking revelation towards the end took my totally by surprise and had me reading into the small hours.

This was an incredible debut thriller, I can't wait to see what Lia Middleton does next!

In this story we follow Naomi as her daughter is allowed to stay overnight with her for the first time in many years. When it all goes horribly wrong, Naomi tells a lie and reports her daughter missing. What follows is a real spiral of lies situation and you can really feel the tension building up as the lies continue to grow.

I loved the tension of this book, and the way it pulls you so completely into Naomi's life. Whilst at first you might want to yell at her for the decisions she's making, you really come to feel for her and the emotions she's going through. As well as following Naomi in the present day, you also see snippets of her past, revealing ever more about what has brought her to this place. I did not want to put this book down, it was so gripping and I definitely could have read it in one sitting! Highly recommend!

The audiobook of When They Find Her Is a chilling depiction of postnatal depression and the loss of the family unit.

At the start of the book I couldn’t work out why on earth Naomi would act as she did and what would cause any mother to make the decisions she did!

As the story went on Naomi’s inner narration makes perfect sense of it all. Twists and turns up until a satisfying ending. The audiobook version enhances the story so much adopting brilliant voices for all of the characters and Naomi’s thoughts.

This was a hard listen - due to the subject matter. However it was brilliantly written and read by the narrator.
Loved the ending. - it was just perfect.

The legal elements were brilliantly researched and explained which is not a surprise given the authors background.

I am not going to write any of the plot details - as it is better to read/listen and go with it and follow the twists and turns.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and Penguins audio but the review is entirely my own.

A satisfying read!
Naomi is divorced from her husband Aiden and they share a child Freya. The narrative flits between the past and present day to explain the break up of the marriage , and the complex issues Naomi experiences and the reasons behind them.
Freya lives with her dad , but comes to stay over with Naomi, and this is where the nightmare begins. There is an accident which then leads to a lie , and Naomi finds herself in an uncontrollable situation.

I did find the beginning of the book a little annoying I couldn’t understand why Naomi would make such choices. The calibre of writing is excellent and the story redeemed itself later in the book when all the pieces fell in to place, and the reader can then acknowledge the thinking behind the choices Naomi made.
Serious issues are explored in this book, loss , grief , addiction and mental health problems which highlight how a seemingly perfect life can quickly fall apart.
An excellent debut from Lia Middleton, and look forward to reading more from this author..
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK Audio.

I’ve read this as an ebook and now listened to the audiobook. It’s a great novel firstly, full of shocks, pacy and chilling. I loved the ebook but the audiobook adds another dimension. You get a real sense of the feelings Naomi, the main character, is experiencing. Brilliant

A great read that has you wondering and trying to guess the outcome. I guessed and was wrong! Fast paced and a book you don’t want to put down (or stop listening to in my case). I liked the main character and was rooting for her throughout. I will definitely be picking up the author’s next book when it’s published. Great narration, too.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the audioARC of this book.

This was fantastic!
After 50%, I wondered what other events would transpire but I would never have predicted the final twists!
Absolutely brilliant, I listened to the audiobook all day as I couldn't wait to get to the end. The plot was gripping and the character Naomi was a well thought out one. Whilst I didn't agree with some of the decisions she made, the writing was so effective that it also made me understand her reasoning and that those decisions were questionable.
The narrator was also brilliant, her accents for the police officers and supporting characters were so good!
This author and narrator are now on my watch list!
Thoroughly gripping, and highly recommended.

Naomi has lost pretty much everything that matters to her. Her husband has divorced her, taking their daughter with him. After years of trying to persuade him to trust her again he has allowed her a night with her. But by morning a terrible event has happened. As police and media put Naomi under scrutiny there's only one truth she is certain of.....she has no memory of what happened.

This has all the requisite thriller ingredients....an unreliable narrator, an awful event, secrets and twists popping up left, right and centre. It's a great audiobook but sometimes hard to listen to for the tragedy at the centre of it. It's hard to sympathise with the main character due to her actions both before and after the catalyst of this story and there's part of me that thinks had I read this I might have rated it lower. But the narrator Charlotte Ritchie does an excellent job at bringing both frailty and sometimes almost a manic tone to Naomi that kept me listening raptly, hoping despite her bad decisions and self absorption there would be some redemption for her.

A good story made excellent by a fantastic reader.

This is such an emotional, devastating and disturbing book! You are hooked from the first couple of minutes right through to the end. It has fantastic pacing and amazing twists. Charlotte Richie's narration was perfect, her intonations were spot on, adding to the drama and emotional pull of the story as it plays out.
Amazing debut by Lia Middleton, I hope to read more from her in the future.

‘When they find her’ is an impressive audiobook from an author with who I was previously unaware, Lia Middleton.

Naomi, a mum who has suffered with postnatal depression, and subsequently become dependant on sleeping pills, has lost custody of her daughter, Freya, to ex-husband Aiden.  Naomi finally persuades Aiden to let her have 4 year old Freya for an overnight stay, when the unthinkable happens - Naomi wakes to find her worst nightmares have come true….

What follows is a tale of deception on multiple levels.  This is such a gripping read and SO well narrated by Charlotte Ritchie.

Told exclusively from Naomi’s perspective, we are given insight into the thought processes behind some questionable decisions Naomi makes, which is fascinating in itself, and no doubt excellent for developing empathy skills in the reader!

This is an audiobook I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone looking for a decent psychological thriller.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this audiobook in exchange for an advance copy.

Firstly, I enjoyed the narration as it was subtle, not full of the narrator’s own character, which can cause you to lose the full power of the story.
I have to admit, I nearly stopped listening to this book very early on. The theme is so disturbing and I didn’t feel like I could cope with it at that time. However., I am so glad I continued listening. The author digs deep into the psyche of a woman struggling with past demons, addiction and postnatal depression. What’s more, the twist and the ultimate end are perfect

Four years ago, Naomi was happily married with a newborn and she finally had the life she always wanted. Now, she lives at her family’s farm alone while her ex-husband Aiden lives in London with their daughter, and his new wife.

Four year old Freya is having her first sleepover at the farm with Naomi since Aiden left with her three years earlier. The next morning, a terrible accident occurs and in a moment of sheer panic, Naomi lies. When They Find Her follows the aftermath of this night as Naomi's lie spirals out of control, and both Naomi and the police try to piece together what really happened that night.

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When They Find Her is Lia Middleton’s debut novel, and what a debut it is! I could not put this book down, it gripped me from the start and held me until the very end. The characters were so well developed. There was no good or evil, everyone was deeply flawed and at different times throughout the novel, you rooted for each of them.

I had many suspicions throughout, but the revelation of what really happened that night took me by surprise which in this genre isn’t always guaranteed! Lia Middleton clearly has a real talent for storytelling, and I cannot wait to read what she releases next! Also, notable mention to the narrator Charlotte Ritchie who was incredible.