This book was such a fast, gripping read. I could not put it down. This was suspenseful and very compelling. If you are looking for a well written, heart pulling, suspenseful read, this is it!

There were moments that my heart was racing and there was no way I was going to put down this book. This is when I knew I was reading a good one. No spoilers, but if you love thriller, grab this up and start reading it today.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I highly recommend her. I thoroughly enjoyed being drawn into this suspenseful novel.

To find yourself in a similar nightmare situation is where Gilly is. Knowing that what some consider dreams are really visions makes it more disconcerting.

This novel is full of suspense which has you second guessing at times. I enjoyed the Texan setting as well as the characters.

I received a digital ARC of #WhatLiesBelow from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book was rather confusing initially as a lot of characters are introduced, or mentioned briefly. It is a task to try and keep them all straight in your head and to remember who is who, who is related to who etc.

I've not read anything by this author before but would definitely read more by her in the future. The characters she creates, and their somewhat complex back stories are just brilliant. I had an idea who had taken Zoe but I didn't work out why, or see the big twist that was involved. I also really liked Gilly's past being brought in at various times of the story to add depth to the main plot. It definitely added to the overall story.

Based on the cover of this (never judge a book by its cover, yes I know!) I had anticipated it to be really dark and graphic but it wasn't at all, which I was pleased about. I couldn't put the book down! Will be recommending to others!

Gilly's one woman who knows what it means to hit rock bottom and who knows just how far being broken and vengeful can take a person, so when she dreams about Zoe, the little girl who comes to the restaurant for breakfast with her dad, she knows that it cannot be good news. She also knows that not many would take her dreams positively, but as events unravel, she learns so much about trust, truth and most of all forgiveness.
I loved the range of characters that this story offered me. I loved how precocious and spontaneous Zoe was. I loved how Jake, Zoe's father, was both in-control and cautious and how this changed towards the end.
More so, the actual revelation of the culprit threw me off balance for I did not see it coming. Thank you Netgalley for this eARC, it took me a while to read but it was worth it!

Great mix of mystery, suspense and romance. The story was not predictable so I found myself constantly being surprised by the various twists this book threw at me.

Within the first few pages, I became completely endeared to the father-daughter relationship between Jake and Zoe. A dad who paints his fingernails regularly because his daughter wants his to match hers! – Wow, that is so sweet! His love for her is evident from the beginning. His fear for her when she goes missing and the loss and determination he feels during the search are so real that I didn’t want to put my kindle down. Both the past and uncertain glimpses of the future impact the story of Jake, Zoe and Gilly. It is written with a smooth and engaging flow of words and dialogue. I was very interested in Gilly’s pre-cognitive dreams & visions and how they come into play in the search for Zoe. This is the first book I’ve read by Barbara Taylor Sissel, and, now that I’ve read this one, I definitely want to read her other books!

I remember requesting this book because I liked the “psychic” angle when I read the blurb. Having absolutely loved The Gates of Evangeline & The Shimmering Road, I thought this could be a great story too. And What Lies Below was definitely an addictive and emotional book. However, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

I loved Gilly, the main character of this book. She hasn’t had it easy because of her “gift” and she’s suffered a lot, but she’s still determined to help other people with her visions. At one point, there were so many villains looking for Gilly that I lost count. Her ex-husband’s killer, the baby’s father, Zoe’s abductor… What a dangerous life you’re living, Gilly!

I liked the small town setting for this story, as I thought Wyatt was rather lovely and the perfect place to start a new life. I would certainly move there as well if I had experienced a trauma like Gilly’s! The story gave me a bit of Practical Magic mixed with Sleeping With The Enemy vibes and that’s what kept me glued to the pages. This is the perfect book to read with a cup of hot chocolate beside you. Especially if it’s raining outside.

In the end, though, my main issue with What Lies Below was that I found the story super predictable. There were no shocking reveals and I ended up feeling a bit disappointed when I realized I had been able to guess the why and the who and there were no surprises left. Sometimes I don’t mind it that much, but this time I really wanted to be wrong.

However, if you read the blurb and decide this looks ideal for you, don’t let my review prevent you from reading this book. If you check out Goodreads, What Lies Below has stellar reviews all around.

What if you woke up one day and realized you had a "special" gift? And what if NO ONE believed you? Barbara Taylor Sissel's What Lies Below takes you through that obstacle with the main character, Gilly. A thriller novel mixed with paranormal, the suspense build in this book will take your breath away!
Edit

A review is generally the encapsulation of the journey the book takes you on. I love books which take me on a wild journey leaving the realities behind. This book took me to the edge of precipice and left me there. It didn't allow me to fly.

I have read books by Barbara Taylor Sissel, and I have enjoyed her writing. Her blurb captured my imagination.

A missing child + psychic dreams = fun read

But for that fun read to occur, the main character has to accept herself and her talents. The book felt half cooked in that idea. I liked that the author dealt with a lot of social issues like aftereffects of death of a partner, miscarriage, addictions, mental health.

But the story went so much into these issues that the rollercoaster ride which the blurb promised me was forgotten. The book was fun to skim read, but it had no twists, no turns, no intrigue, no suspense, over reactions by the main character. The main character Gilly wasn't someone I would want as a friend, she sees the dream of Zoe being kidnapped, is friendly with the father, yet does not warn anyone, as in the past nobody believed her.

It is all me, I believe children should be protected, and whatever we can do as adults, we should do it, even if the world does not believe, even if there are people criticising you. Even if we can save one child, we have done our primary duty as a human being.

But Gilly doesn't, is in her own world and the story moves ahead and I could reach — The End

I was on the edge of my seat guessing through this whole book. Gilly has run from her problems to try to heal, only for them to come full circle back to her when Jake's daughter, Zoe, disappears. I could feel all of the emotions from this book. As a parent, my own heart was hurting for both Jake and Gilly. I definitely plan on reading more work by Barbara Taylor Sissel!

I love this book. I read it in 2 days, reading whenever I had a few spare moments during the day and then in evenings. Gilly has a great story, and it kept me guessing throughout the book. Was she involved, did she do it, etc? Jake, and his ex-wife Stephanie have an interesting back story as well. As the story continues, we learn in what ways Stephanie and Gilly have similar histories. Zoe, although a toddler, was the star of the show and very likeable. Throughout the book, I found myself routing for her, hoping that no harm would come to her. I recommend it as a quick suspense thriller with undertones of romance.

This is a new to me author. I, thoroughly enjoyed this book! The excerpt pulled me in and made me want to read the story. There was a vulnerability to the protagonist from the beginning that made me want to find out more about Gilly O'Connell.

Gilly relocates to start her life over. She wants to be in a place where she's not known. She's suffered a terrible tragedy and personal issues; one of which was a gift that she thought of as a curse. She dreams of things to come, except one dream became her nightmare. Gilly gets a job as a waitress, although she tries to keep to herself, Gilly is drawn to Jake Halstead and his little four-year-old daughter, Zoe. Gilly dreams that Zoe will be taken, but she doesn't trust to tell anyone for fear of opening a can of worms. Then when she learns that Zoe was taken, she makes a slip that the police start to look into her background.

This story touches on the topic of experiencing something so traumatizing by another human being, that the knee jerk response is deep anger and a need for revenge. Is revenge always the best outcome? I liked how the author gave readers the perspectives from the victims and the perpetrators.

I received an ARC from NetGalley via Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Barbara Taylor Sissel knocks this one out of ballpark. A must read for this summer. We meet Jake and his little girl Zoe. Zoe suddenly disappears from preschool one day. Who took her? Gilly is the new girl in town who works as a waitress. She loves making pancakes for Zoe shaped as animals. But Gilly's past is troubled. Was it Jake's ex-wife Stephanie? The list grows longer. The town comes together to look for Zoe. The gossips and list of suspects grow. The ending was a total surprise. Barbara Sisssel is one of the most talented writers out there. A must read this summer.

A child missing, a waitress with visions who also has a hidden past, a father with troubled romances in his past, a mother with drug addictions. So many scenarios that could be at play here. These characters will make their way into your heart and you will love little Zoe something fierce. This is a story that will keep you captivated and guessing with every page and one you will want to add to your list!

This was my first book by Barbara Taylor Sissel and this one was definitely a doozie! I couldn't read it fast enough. If you enjoy suspenseful reads, this is the book for you!

A fast-paced, well-written mystery that won’t disappoint!

Gilly has dreams that have a tendency to come true. She dreamt that her husband was murdered and it happened causing her to lose control. Now that she’s sober, Gilly has moved to a small town to start over again as a waitress. Everything is going fine until she dreams of little Zoe’s kidnapping the night before it happens. Gilly eventually tells the police of her dreams and instead of thinking she’s crazy, the police now view her as a possible suspect. Now to clear her name and to help find the little girl, Gilly must try to dream again even though all her life she’s been taught to ignore them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a compelling exciting book I could not part with until the last page. It is riveting reading ! This book is so good it would not do it justice to give the plot away for this review.
I loved it and highly recommend it. This is a intense thriller , a bit of the paranormal and heartfelt sympathetic charcters so well crafted you are captivated by each character. and their story. The author has a gift for unfolding the events of the plot that enthrall the reader one by one. I love this authors writing and look forward to more of her work. What a thrilling body of work this book is !

Thank you with gratitude to Net Galley and the publisher for this excellent 5 star read.

A little girl has gone missing, a woman dreams it will happen, that same woman has taken a child before. I thought this was a good mystery that kept my attention throughout!

Gilly sometimes has dreams. She was in the third grade when she dreamed that her best friend's brother was going to be shot in a hunting accident. She spoke up, told her best friend. It didn't happen. She lost her best friend.

She dreamed later on in life that her husband, Brian, was going to be shot in robbery. He was.

Now trying to move on, she has moved to a new town, lost her architectural business and is now working as a waitress in a small town cafe. One of her customers is a four year old little girl, Zoe, that Gilly adores. She makes her animal pancakes every Wednesday. One day Gilly dreams that Zoe is taken by a woman in a metallic blue sedan. Her legs go dead beneath her the next day when it actually happens.

The disappearance of Zoe brings everyone, good and bad, out of the woodwork when that dream is revealed on TV.

What follows is a suspenseful plot twisted story that brings Gilly's past front and center.

An excellent read that I just sped through and could not put down.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.