Only Daughter

Wow - this is a cracking read, one that I devoured over the course of a day and an evening. With an interesting blend of intriguing characters, I was hooked from the first page, in which we meet our protagonist, who, when caught shoplifting, refuses to give her real name and instead gives the name of a girl who was abducted 11 years ago. Right from the off I was pulled into the story - I wanted to know everything about this girl, and what she was hiding. In the plot line that follows, we are led on a dance between past and present, with viewpoints from both the abductee and the imposter. I felt compelled to read on at the end of every chapter and spent the entire book feeling as though something wasn't right, but unable to put my finger on it. With a twisty ending that took me by complete surprise, this is an excellent example of a psychological thriller, with the author keeping me doubting myself at every turn. Bravo.

I really had no idea what to expect from this book. My heart was in my mouth for most of the ride, and I devoured the book in one sitting. Fast-paced and gripping, Only Daughter will take you on a wild journey filled with secrets, lies, and terror.

The characters are incredible, particularly our protagonist, whose real name we don't know, but who from now on will be referred to as Fake-Bec. Running from her own secrets and past, Fake-Bec becomes Bec in an attempt to escape her own life, and herself, completely.

Although what Fake-Bec does is misguided at best, you can't help but like her. She worms her way into Bec's family, posing as their loving daughter and sister, but along the way she senses that something isn't quite right. Where did Bec go? Is she dead, grabbed from the street? Is she being held somewhere? Can her old friends be trusted, or will they realise that Fake-Bec is, well, fake? And who is texting her phone, warning her to get away?

I won't give anything away, but you will not believe what happens. Or, I should say, how it happens. I couldn't have guessed the outcome, but I didn't try, because I was so absorbed in the story Snoekstra has presented us with.

I always hesitate to compare books to other popular ones, but Only Daughter has the potential to be as big as Gone Girl, The Girl On The Train, and Before I Go To Sleep. If it isn't made into a movie or a TV show, I'll be surprised. I sincerely hope it reaches the right audience, and Snoekstra receives the praise she deserves. An excellent thriller, so good it will send shivers down your spine. Read it.

Rebecca Winter was a typical 16-year-old, working at McDonald's, flirting with the boys and hanging with her best friend, Lizzie. Strange things start happening ... she feels that someone is watching her, following her. She feels a presence in her room in the middle of the night.

Eleven years ago she disappeared.

Today, she has been replaced. A young woman, after being arrested for shoplifting, tells the police that she is Rebecca Winter.

And soon this woman is living Rebecca's life .... loving the family she's never had ... the mother, the father, the twin younger brothers. Learning the friends' names.

Her new family are not quite what she expected. As she dodges the investigator who doubts her story, she begins to look into why the real Rebecca disappeared.

And whoever knows the truth is a danger to this imposter.

This is an exceptional psychological thriller, full of twists and turns. The story is told two-fold, One is the real Rebecca Winter, telling the reader what had happened in the days before she disappeared. And then there is Rebecca today relating her story. As they start to dovetail, the reader realizes that everything they've known up to that point .... is not what it seems to be. The ending was totally unexpected.

Extremely well written, ONLY DAUGHTER is a debut novel by this author. Ms. Snoekstra is absolutely an author I will follow.

Many thanks to the author / Harlequin (Australia)/ Harlequin (UK) Limited/Mira - Mira UK / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Rebecca has been missing for eleven years. Eleven years later she is replaced by someone pretending to be her. But what happened to the real Bec and is the imposter in danger from all of the people around her?
Read this book in a day! So well written. Told from the new Becs angle and the missing Bec. Gripping to the end. A well crafted story which creeped me out in parts and I really wanted the imposter to get discovered but as the book moves on I really felt for her and desperately wanted her to find put the truth about the disappearance. So engrossed in the story I didn't want it to end and I was shocked at the ending. I was not expecting that at all! Some unanswered questions but that has added to the brilliant story which I know I will be thinking about for days. Can't wait to read more from this brilliant author.

The imposter has been caught shoplifting and sees a way out of her arrest by pretending to be a young girl who went missing 11 years ago, and mysteriously it works! She seems to have everybody convinced, even the doctors and police!

As the story unfolds we have the present day goings on of the imposter and the historical narrative of Bec, the missing girl, and it flows so well. Snoekstra builds up a really intense creepy feeling that didn't leave me for a good a few hours after I had finished reading. I didn't know who was Bec's friend and I didn't know who the imposter should believe in, I didn't know where to look for answers and I was genuinely shocked by the ending!

Snoekstra really gets under the skin of the reader, I was totally enthralled from the off and I finished it in one sitting. I was astounded that this was a debut novel! Her writing is so elegant and intense; she completely drew me into this twisted tale of deception and duplicity and I didn't want it to end.

It really is one of those books that will be spoilt by too much conversation but trust me, this is definitely one you need to go out and buy now!

Absolute praise for Snoekstra, Only Daughter is a spine-tingling, dark and twisted thriller that had me literally on the edge of my seat and I can't wait to see what else she has to offer.

I would like to thank the publishers and author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Only daughter by Anna Snoekstra is a mystery and THRILLER and general fiction read.
In 2003, sixteen-year-old Rebecca Winter disappeared.
She’d been enjoying her teenage summer break: working at a fast food restaurant, crushing on an older boy and shoplifting with her best friend. Mysteriously ominous things began to happen—blood in the bed, periods of blackouts, a feeling of being watched—though Bec remained oblivious of what was to come.
This was a fantastic read with brilliant characters. Wow I didn't see that coming. It had me right up to the last page. What a disturbing family. Highly recommended.. 5*. Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc.

Only Daughter is a very fine debut novel. It propels you headfirst into its

Rebecca Winter has been missing for eleven years. She vanished seemingly without a trace on her summer break. Her life was largely carefree, she was working in a fast food restaurant, crushing on an older man and despairing of her family.

Eleven years later and a young woman on the verge of arrest for shoplifting, declares herself to be Rebecca Winter. She returns to the Winter family and the local detective wastes no time in re-opening the investigation into Rebecca's disappearance.

"Rebecca" claims she can't remember a thing about her disappearance, she is just glad to be home. Or so she claims...

There is something undeniably creepy about the Winter family, that is difficult to put your finger on. But this only adds to the overall tension of the novel.

Without saying too much more, Only Daughter is a novel that will keep you gripped, and turning its pages frantically to discover what's coming next.

I absolutely raced through this book although I wasn't too sure about it when I started. We meet a nameless girl who has just been picked up for shoplifting. She has obviously been through some difficult times as she's desperately hungry but she doesn't want to give her real name (in fact she remains nameless throughout the whole book) To avoid getting arrested she remembers a case she saw on tv where her boyfriend said she looked like a missing girl, and so tells the police when they arrive that her name is Rebecca Winters, and that she's the missing girl. Now at this point I thought "What? How's that going to work then?" But it has been 11 years since Bec disappeared after her shift at the local McDonald's and I know there have been well documented cases where impostors have fooled grieving family members who are only too desperate to believe they have their loved one back. Yes, there were a few times I needed to suspend believe but ultimately this dark and suspenseful debut grabbed hold of me and became a gripping page turner as I was desperate to find out what happened to Bec all those years ago.

I do hate comparing books to Gone Girl but there was definitely an essence of that here with its sinister secrets and characters that all seemed to have something to hide. There was a darkness that belied the fact that it was set during a heat wave-it felt gloomy and shadowy as we follow Bec through her last few days before her disappearance. And in the present imposter "Bec" starts to realise that something is very wrong and that whatever happened to the real Bec may also be about to happen to her. At this point I have to say that I enjoyed both timelines and didn't rush through Bec in 2003 to find out more about "Bec" in 2014 or vice versa.It followed perfectly and I just loved the sense of foreboding throughout as the tension grows steadily towards the climax. And what an ending! I'm still feeling shocked and slightly grubby as I sit here now! I think it would transfer well to the big screen so hope someone snaps up the rights to it pretty soon or they will be kicking themselves!

I really enjoyed this and would quite happily pre order the next book written by Anna Snoekstra on the basis of this one. I received my advanced copy via netgalley in return for an unbiased review.