3.5 stars...rounded up to 4.
I really enjoyed reading Not Her Daughter. It was a quick read that I couldn’t put down. Some of it was a little unbelievable...meeting Ryan and staying there...but didn’t take away from enjoying the book. I kept wondering how it would all end. I felt the ending was rushed. I like the end result it just didn’t feel realistic. The author did an excellent job of connecting the reader to her characters. I felt the pain of Emma and Sarah that was caused by their mothers. I cannot even imagine what some children have to endure. Great read. I will recommend to friends. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s publishing for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

The cover grabbed my attention and I was immediately sucked in by this one. Great first read by Rea!!

Not Her Daughter was a fast-paced suspense novel about a 5 year old girl who goes missing. The story alternates between the thoughts/experiences of Emma’s mother Amy and those of her kidnapper/rescuer Sarah. It also goes back and forth from “before” and “after” to “now.”What I liked from the very beginning of the book was the author’s detailed descriptions of the experiences, settings and characters. I could so easily picture the people and the action. It was like watching a movie...my favorite kind of suspense novel and why I like to read them from time to time. In addition, this novel offered important issues to think about...which partly explains why it took me longer than usual to finish this book. What does it mean to be a mother? What is a good mother/parent? Can people change? I also loved the cover! It was a cover that would have called to me if I saw the book on a book display at the library or a book store. I read this as an ARC on my kindle, but I really prefer physical books...I think that would have given me a clearer idea of the time line, which I occasionally found a bit confusing.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

Not Her Daughter by Rea Frey

Brief Summary: Emma is a five year old beautiful child whose mother is stressed, frustrated, and not cut out to be a mother. Sarah is a young, broken hearted, successful, entrepreneur of a children’s coloring book company. Sarah witnesses Emma’s relationship with her mother at the airport; then encounters her again through her business. Concerned for Emma, she takes her on a cross country adventure and the two form a bond. This is the premise for a stunning debut novel.

Highlights: Who hasn’t had their heartstrings tugged by a child who is suffering? Kids are suppose to have happy childhoods not riddled with abuse. In my job as a summer camp counselor for kids with disabilities; I certainly saw kids who struggled to have good relationships with their parents and wondered what I could do to improve their lot. This book was gripping and I constantly wondered what Sarah would do. The ending was completely satisfying; though I wondered about the logistics.

What makes this book unique?: Is kidnapping wrong if you are concerned for a child’s welfare? This premise was incredibly thought provoking! I kept filling my boyfriend in on the plot because I was dying to talk about it and I also kept reading it in front of him. I can see struggling parents relating to this; not everyone is cut out for the parenting role. It also gave me hope that perhaps not all kidnapping is malicious; maybe some kidnappers do in fact have reason for concern and will protect a child’s wellbeing.

Explanation of Rating: 5/5: This book was creative, engrossing, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it!

Psychology Factors: Long term implications of negative childhood attachments with your parents. Wanting to save someone else from what you went trough was powerful.

This is a great read for parents, teachers, and others who work with kids. This is also so thought provoking and provocative! This should be your next book club pick! This is one of the best books I’ve read this year! I will absolutely look forward to reading forthcoming books from this author!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Not Her Daughter is a very intense book. I really for sucked in to it from the beginning. There's such a struggle during reading it because you want the kidnapper to keep Emma. You know it's wrong but her real mother is so awful. I was shocked at the end. Being a mother myself I can't imagine having feelings like that about my own child This was a really good book. I was hooked from the start to the end

NOT HER DAUGHTER (St.Martin'sPress) by debut fiction author, Rea Frey raises the questions of what it means to be a mother and how far someone will go to keep a child safe.

Sounds like a bunch of books you may have read in the past, huh? But Rea Frey takes this subject and turns it on its head. That's why I'm nominating it for my favorite summer page-turner. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of loose ends that I would have liked neatly tied up, but NOT HER DAUGHTER is so original.

Emma Grace Townsend. Five years old. Gray eyes. Brown hair. Missing since June.

Sarah Walker. Successful entrepreneur. Broken-hearted. Abandoned by her mother. Kidnapper.

Amy Townsend. Unhappy wife. Unfit mother. Unsure she wants her daughter back.

As Sarah and Emma avoid the nationwide hunt, they form an unshakeable bond. But her real mother is at home, waiting for her to return—and the longer the search for Emma continues, Amy is forced to question if she really wants her back.

NOT HER DAUGHTER grabs you by the throat. It's emotional and it's one hell of a roller coaster ride. You'll find yourself questioning what's right and profoundly wrong. The cover design is so intense, it dares you not to read the novel.

NOT HER DAUGHTER is called one of summer's best books by POPSUGAR. REFINERY 29 calls it one of the best summer thrillers. NOT HER DAUGHTER is soon to be a major motion picture.

*****



Rea always wanted to be a novelist.

When she was little, her nose was either stuffed in a book, sniffing paper, absorbing words, or letting her imagination wander. If not reading, she was writing. In journals. In notebooks. In diaries. On walls. In the sand. On legal pads. On typewriters. With quills.

In college, she majored in fiction writing and somehow fell into nonfiction and personal training. Her dreams of sitting in a writer’s haven on the water, wrapped in a sweater, penning her stories, was swapped for health and wellness gigs and her first fractured steps into the important world of the Author Platform (aka social media).

After four nonfiction books were published, countless magazine and newspaper articles written, editing jobs taken, content management contracts executed, a gym co-owned, and certifications sought, she realized she was hustling for the wrong type of writing.

So, she quit.

She gave herself a window to write a novel. Eight weeks, she told herself. Eight weeks to change everything.

Never one to back down from a challenge, she wrote her novel in just a month.

The rest went something like this: Secure a phenomenal agent, join a writer’s group, bear witness to the magic of self-belief as the book got into a bidding war and landed her a two-book deal with St. Martin’s Press.

Now, when asked what she does, she says the following: I’m a motherfucking writer.

Rea is a novelist. She writes books. And swears. And drinks lots of coffee. And has a daughter. And a dreamy husband. And still manages to find the magic in books.

She hopes you will put down the phone and pick up a book (preferably hers when it hits the shelves). And find the joy in reading.

Because there’s nothing quite like the power of words...

*****

Thanks to St. Martin's Press we're lucky to have one copy to give away. Just tell us your vote for best summer read.

We'll announce a winner soon. Good luck.

GIVEAWAY: USA only, please.

A good story was right on being evasive and trouble .
Was last read a book about her daughter
I was given an arc

Traveling Sisters Group read reviews

Not Her Daughter started off inquiring and we really thought the premise of this story was interesting. Who hasn’t been there witnessing a scene like this one between a Mother and child and want to recuse the child from the mother. It opens up some moral questions and provokes some thought. This is where things went sideways for some us including me as the story takes off in a chain of events and direction way too implausible for belief and the characters and events became very stereotyped to provoke any moral dilemma for some of us to ponder.

Some of the TS found the story a page-turner and really enjoyed the moral dilemma of the story and the suspense was enough to move the story forward for them. The ending to this one was were some of the TS ended up in the middle of a coulee with mixed feeling.

Not Her Daughter did make for an interesting discussion among us and left us with lots to discuss but unfortunately just not enough for this story to make for a deep discussion.

Thank you so to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Rea Frey for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

For more on the Traveling Sisters thoughts and reviews please see our blog.
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/2...

I wish I was able to suspend my disbelief enough o emerge myself in this world, I would have enjoyed the novel a lot more. However, I live in Montana and frequent Fairy Lake, which the author represents unrealistically so I got stuck on that.

The general premise is strong: Sarah is a successful business woman recovering from a major breakup, who has been permanently scarred by her mother leaving her when she was a child. When she witness Emma, an adorable five year old, being repeatedly mistreated by her mother, Sarah takes drastic action. Sarah's decision effects the lives of everyone around her, from her employees to her ex. And of course that of Emma and her family, leaving the abusive mother to wonder if she and her daughter are both better off now.

The novel is presented from various characters' points of view and different places in time. That was confusing at first, but once I got the hang of it, I found the novel compelling. The writing fluctuates between simple and poetic - there were times I rolled my eyes at the cheesiness and others where I highlighted powerful lines. I couldn't quite get myself to root for Sarah but I wanted to at times. It's a fascinating exploration of mother-daughter relationships and family dynamics.

I really liked the idea behind this story. The blurb is actually what made me really want to read this one. I even liked the way the chapters alternated time periods of before, during, and after the kidnapping. Even though there were several things I really liked about this story, there was something missing. I ended up putting my Kindle down and not touching it for a week because I really didn't want to mark this one as a DNF, but I also wasn't very interested in picking this book back up.

I voluntarily received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not Her Daughter is the first book I've read by Rea Frey, but it won't be my last. I was immediately drawn into this story by the descriptions of Emma. I'm sure most of us have been in the same type of situation, where we see a child we think is being neglected or ill treated and wish we could step in. I know I have and the author's description of this sweet little girl tugged at my heartstrings.

I will say that I'd have given this book 5 stars had there not been two things that bothered me. The first was the body shaming. It seems like this author equated overweight with homely, slovenly and a poor mother. I didn't care for that at all. The other thing was the ending. It just left me with lots of questions although I do appreciate that it was the best way to end the book.

Overall this was an emotional and very interesting ride and if you enjoy suspense this one's for you. Totally. Check it out.

3.5 stars!

Not Her Daughter has left me with mixed emotions. This is a story, which made me question the right and wrong? And left me conflicted to the core. I will not say this book is perfect. Honestly, it has some major loopholes. However, this novel sure does implore a person’s moral obligations, conscience and righteousness. Motherhood is a bliss. We have grown up hearing and seeing how beautiful an experience it is but what if there is an ugly side to being a mother?

Emma is five-year-old child with beautiful big grey eyes. A wilful child who attracts everybody’s attention. A child of average looking parents. Emma is everything that her mother Amy is not; she is beautiful, cheerful and pretty. Amy never really wanted children; naturally, her relationship with Emma is complicated and even abusive at times.

Sarah is a successful entrepreneur, who is going through a major relationship crisis. She is sad and lonely and therefore when she first meets Emma at the airport terminal, she is smitten by her charm. Sarah also notices Amy, who is downright rude to Emma. She brushes off Amy’s behaviour as a stress to travel with small children. Then months later she encounters Emma again by chance and this time witnesses Amy’s abusive behaviour with her own eyes. What she sees shakes her from within and she just knows that she has to do something for this beautiful girl. Therefore, Sarah takes Emma with her away from home and her obnoxious mother. What follows is a nation-wide hunt for Emma and a story that questions the integrity of each character and their actions. Above all, it asks us what it really means to be a mother?

“But a child belong to her mother. A That was the law of nature. No matter how much I loved her, no matter how much I wanted her, no matter how much I cared.”

POSITIVE THINGS

Rea Frey's writing is quite honest and easy to comprehend. The story moves seamlessly between events. Frey creates quite an impossible situation for us readers to root for any character in particular and I was left with worry for only Emma. There is a sense of disquiet, urgency to the story, while the dynamics between Sarah and Emma are explored, which was also the highlight of the story for me and had me in hooked in the first place.

The narrative is told by both Amy and Sarah and is divided into before, during and after which I really appreciated. The story being told by both these women makes us believes in the actions of these characters. We know why Amy does not connect with her daughter; we see her day-to-day struggle, we know how unhappy she is with her family, with her husband and with herself and we know the reason behind her lashing out. Same goes with Sarah, she is the supposed kidnapper but we know why she did what she did, we know her reasons, her past, her own complicated relationship with her own mother and even if her actions may not be morally correct, we were able to understand her mental status. Frey has given her characters a distinct voice, which makes them extremely believable and real.

Even little Emma’s character is so authentic. First, we meet her as a child who was bullied by her own mother and then she is with this other woman, who cares and loves her so much. The shift in her mental and physical well-being was beautifully portrayed by the author along with the message that children needs are very little to be happy.

NEGATIVE THINGS

• Body shaming. It makes me sad to say and write this but I was not okay with so many fat and ugly reference to Amy. Even though she was not a very good mother was her physical beauty any relevant? A simple average looking would have sufficed.
• The part with Charlie and Ryan seriously again how was even that related to the story?
• Sarah was a sloppy kidnapper, she never planned to take Emma away, it was a hasty decision and she left so many trails yet the police failed to track her down. It was somewhat implausible.
• The ending again not believable. I am not going to tell you what happened but I thought it was quite impractical. Because here I was hoping that Amy would learn from her mistakes but well nothing sort of that happened so yes! I was a little disappointed by the way, it all ends.

Overall, Not Her Daughter was a quick read for me. It was gripping, riveting and quite captivating in its own nutshell. A unique kidnapping story with lots of potential. Even with all its shortcomings, I cannot deny the fact that Frey raises some serious questions about parenting and motherhood. This story has given me a deeper and unique perspective into the human physiology and has left me with many things to process.

Is kidnapping a child okay if you feel you will give her a better life?

Emma is a five-year-old whose mother mistreats her, both verbally and physically. This breaks the heart of single, childless Sarah who has never fully recovered from being abandoned by her own mother. So, she does the unthinkable: she kidnaps the kid and heads out of town with her. Once they’re on the road, it’s too late to turn back. What now?

The story is told from the points of view of both Sarah and Amy, Emma’s mother. Amy is a thoroughly unlikable person drawn with a heavy hand. She is grossly overweight, has pock-marked skin, and possesses no self-control. Deep anger toward everything and everyone in her life consumes her. She’s a lousy wife to Richard, who is small, scrawny, and prone to tears. He’s also oblivious to the bruises on his daughter. These two certainly don’t deserve to have a child, especially Emma, who is an exceptionally beautiful little girl with huge gray eyes and a sweet smile.

Sarah, meanwhile, is attractive, successful, and rich — a self-made businesswoman. Her father is pretty much of a weakling, still waiting for his incommunicado wife to come back after twenty-five years, but the other men in Sarah’s life — Ethan and Ryan — are hunks. However, she longs for her own mother, and so she needs to save Emma the way she wishes someone had saved her.

Besides creating unappealing — and thereby undeserving — characters via significant reference to their physical appearance, this book is rife with crummy mothers. Sarah, on the other hand, in spite of the fact that she takes a five-year-old from her home and family, is meant to be a better bet than any of the parents we’ve seen so far. So, how could Emma not be better off?

More than once — three times to be exact — the author had one of the narrators tell herself that what was happening was real, not something in a movie or a book. Besides jolting me out of the story to think, “except this is a book,” the line served as a reminder of how unrealistic this was. The happy-go-lucky conclusion made it even worse.

Rather than a thriller, this was a fantasy.

I was excited about this book when I read the description and several positive reviews. I cannot hide that I felt disappointment while reading it. There were a lot of holes in the plot, and the writing just was not that great to begin with. Implausibility was a big issue for me. The kidnapping was a very spontaneous affair which made it captivating; however, poor and reckless choices made by Sarah were just completely unbelievable. For example, her driving in the car that was spotted and entered in to the system by a police officer, on two different occasions. Taking Emma to many highly occupied places such as diner, playgrounds, etc. even thought there was an Amber alert issued for her. Meeting a guy and staying at his home, even though she did not know him, especially in her circumstances. The list goes on and on even after being spotted on several occasions.

“Sure. Why not?” was the phrase used through the book that made me annoyed. It felt like everyone in the book was a huge fun of coffee; Sarah, Amy and her mother, there would not be anything wrong with that except that you could count on reading about coffee in every single chapter... Overall the book had a lot of potential, but the author just did not deliver.
It’s a provoking domestic drama that keeps the reader engaged and for that I am giving it 2.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for a copy of this ARC.

I enjoyed this book, but found it somewhat unbelievable. There were several parts where I felt I had to suspend my disbelief to accept what was happening. At the same time, I feel that Rea Frey was probably on target with how her characters were feeling. Ultimately, I think you end up with a very emotionally real story with unrealistic details. Depending on what you find important in a story (Are you an emotional reader or a details person?), you may love this one.

I feel like there has been a huge trend lately to call books thrillers that really aren't. I suppose because Sarah has kidnapped Emma in this book that there is a general sense of suspense, but really nothing I would phone home about. It just doesn't fit into the genre like a lot of the popular thrillers these days.

That said, I did like the story. I felt the prose was well-written and it was an intriguing story--kind of that whole one person's trash is another one's treasure. Although that comes with a lot more implications when we are speaking of a 5-year-old girl.

I suppose my biggest issue with the book is that the characters were so stereotypical. Of course the bad mom is a gross, overweight and depressed beast. And of course, the kidnapper mom who's amazing in every way is gorgeous, slim and successful. And of course the little girl, Emma is gorgeous. Because why else would she be so desirable to Sarah as her daughter?

The generalizations just didn't sit well for me. I'm sure there are plenty of self-obsessed gorgeous women who are probably terrible moms as well as the more plain average bad moms. And I'm sure there are lots of attractive and less attractive criminals. I would have liked to see characters with a bit more depth than just surface characteristics that pointed to their inner true nature.

We are led to believe that although Emma was born into her life with Amy, that she was meant for Sarah. But who is Sarah to decide that? She is playing God by snatching the little girl up. Don't get me wrong--a child should not have to live in an abusive household ever. But there are appropriate channels. And while Sarah may not have gotten Emma, she could have fostered or adopted any number of children legitimately.

So in the end, it's a bit a fairy tale--albeit a readable one--of a princess who is saved by the beautiful queen from the awful witch. And they all live happily ever after.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was relatable to any mother out there. Sarah’s overwhelming need to protect a little girl and Amy’s need to just survive motherhood with a difficult and exposive child hit me to the core as a mom of three little boys. Loved the twists along the way and the internal struggles each character went through. Would highly recommend!

I will honestly say that I wasn't sure if I would like this book. The fact that the story centers around a little girl named Emma and how she came to be abducted was almost enough for me to not want to read it. I am so glad that I did. I was hooked in the second I started reading. I found that I could relate to the reasons that would drive Sarah to kidnap a little girl even if I would never be able to comprehend doing this in real life. I just dropped my daughter off to college for the first time and it was scary as Hell sitting there listening to the various active shooter drills planned, date rape prevention, stalker awareness, and how security is armed and not with tasers. I just kept thinking how easy it still would be for her to go missing and she is not a 5 year old like Emma is in this book. You wouldn't think in this age of modern technology and Amber alerts that not only could a child be so physically and verbally abused at home but to literally be taken and no one notice it for hours or longer. I never thought there would be any scenario where I would find myself sort of rooting for the kidnapper to get away with such a horrible act. This book tackled so many tough and sort of taboo type of scenarios. I honestly believe it would be impossible for anyone to read this story and not start to empathize with Sarah or be angry and disappointed with Emma's mother. I finished the book and still felt a little shook up by it. I hope the upcoming movie will do this fantastic 1st novel from Rea Frey justice. I look forward to the author's next book.

Emma decided to go into the woods and Amy, her mother, tells her I have told you so many times not to go into the woods. She tells her to get over here right now. It's time to go inside. Emma reaches for her- an apology, or a hug, and Amy lifts her right hand and strikes her daughter across the face, knocking her body into the dirt.

Sarah Walker wants to make an anonymous phone call to the school and hopes to get this family some help. But she knows how hard it is for mothers to change. She sees Emma in the woods and she takes Emma since her mother locked her daughter out of the house, and she was only 5 years old. She takes her away from her mother, her house and her life.

Amy locked her daughter out of the house and thinks that Emma, five years old, is alone. Any can't find her daughter anywhere. She is gone without a trace. Amy thinks that since Emma ran away on purpose, she probably hiding in a place where the cops can't find her. She is a clever girl. Richard and Amy were just terrible parents.

Sarah asks Emma, Do you want to go to the lake? Yes! Can we play in it, Emma, asks. Sarah tells her the same tale, Ethan told her, about the small fairies and lots of gold. Emma's eyes widened at the possibility of actual magic in the water.

I did have some mixed feelings in the vetoing but after the beginning it turned out to be an emotional gripping read. It was a page turner and just loved some of the twists. I was so intrigued that I couldn't put it down.

The characters were done so well. My favorite character was Emma. She was just adorable. She was five years old, grey eyes, and brown hair. She was so lonely. Her mother Amy was an unhappy wife, an unfit mother. Sarah Walker was a successful entrepreneur and broken hearted kidnapper.

I loved the ending, and it ended just the way I wanted it too.

This was a Traveling Sister Read and it was a great discussion and I enjoyed reading this with them.

I want to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin and Rea Frey for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you think that kidnapping can ever be justified? This is the question that readers are likely to ask themselves as they read this story. Sarah first saw Emma at an airport. Her second encounter with the little girl convinced her that Emma needed to be rescued from her mother, Amy. However, instead of calling the authorities, Sarah makes the drastic decision to kidnap Emma.

The story is narrated by Sarah and Amy. Through Sarah’s narrations, readers get to understand her background and also follow her narrative about being on the run with Emma. There were so many tense moments and I kept wondering whether or when the two would get caught. So many close calls that had me holding my breath. I kept turning the pages to see how the story would end.

On the other hand, I can’t really say that I liked Amy. I sympathized with her a couple of times but she was seriously flawed and some of her decisions were a hard to understand. However, at times her portrayal seemed a bit harsh.

Having the story narrated by the two escalated the tension in the narrative. At the same time, it made the events more thought-provoking. I kept wondering whether the kidnapping was justified or was it just better to have the child stay with her birth mother. Did her mother, Amy, deserve a second chance?

This ended up being an emotional yet thrilling read. I liked how engaging the story is. It made me think about motherhood and the challenges that come with it. As much as I wasn’t a fan of Amy, there are a couple of times that I found myself feeling sorry for her. On the other hand, I really liked Sarah and hoped things would also end well for her. An emotional roller-coaster is what this story turned out to be.

I have read so many books about missing children but this is the first time that I found myself rooting for the kidnapper. Rea Frey definitely came up with a unique story. It is well-written, easy to follow and quite immersive. It is also the kind of story that I am certain will stay with me for a long time.