Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC. Full review to be found on Goodreads and on my website.

This is a great read and a well-detailed plot that kept me engaged from the very start. I really liked the well-thought-out characters and found them to be believable. I cannot wait to read what the author publishes next.

I read The Nowhere Child in less than a day and thoroughly enjoyed every page. The novel is told from alternating time periods (past and present) and connects Sammy, a 2 year old girl who goes missing, to Kimmy, a young woman with no idea how dark her past is. I loved how Christian White was able to tie everything together and look forward to reading all of his books.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I'd rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.

This was an interesting and suspenseful read! I really enjoyed reading through this one! It is perfect for the chilly afternoons that we are currently dealing with!
Kimberly's story was interesting, and the journey that she undertakes to find the truth about her past will keep you engaged throughout the entire book! Enjoy the read!

A woman in Australia meets a strange man and is told that he is her brother and that she is actually the grown child was kidnapped as a toddler from her Kentucky home. The story alternates from past to present as she tries to put the puzzle pieces together that will reveal the big picture of what actually happened those many years ago.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and found it intriguing and fast-paced. I always find plots that involve missing children to be captivating and this was no exception. The author seamlessly weaves the story together with elements of suspense and lots of surprises at the end. A definite worthwhile read.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Christian White for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Despite advice to the contrary, a young woman, Kim, journeys to the US from Australia, on a quest to discover her true identity. The novel tracks back and forth between the 1990s to the present day. In the menacing small town of Manson, Kentucky is anyone who they seem to be? As she gets closer to the truth, Kim finds herself embroiled in the secrets of a creepy fundamentalist Christian church, who’s scant parishioners believe in snake-handling and speaking in tongues. And maybe a few other dark things. A good read, with an escalating pace. Somewhat formulaic, and definitely plot over character but with a unique plot line. Recommended If you like: anything by Chevy Stevens, Laura McHugh, and Megan Miranda; The Hunting Party (Lucy Foley), What She Knew (Gilly MacMillan), and Under the Harrow (Flynn Berry). (Many thanks to Minotaur and Netgalley.)

This is a super-enjoyable mystery-thriller about a young Australian woman who is approached by a man who claims that she was abducted at age two, and that he is her brother. Told in intertwining narratives from the past and present I was engaged right from the get-go. Not too many good guys and bad guys, but lots of people caught up fiercely in their own beliefs and way of life. The author had me guessing right to the end. Will be looking for future novels by #christianwhite.
Thank you #netgalley for this e-review edition.

The Nowhere Child by Christian White is a debut novel has one of the more original stories I have read in a long time. What if your mother was not your mother and you found out only after she passed away. What if, who you are, is not at all who you are?

"...My class was set to start in five minutes so I made a point of checking my watch. 'I'm very sorry to hear about this girl, but I'm afraid I have a class to teach. Of course I'm happy to help. What kind of donation did you have in mind?'
'Donation?'
'Aren't you raising money for the family? Isn't that what this is about?'
'I don't need your money,' he said with a chilly tone. He stared at me with a pinched, curious expression. 'I'm here because I believe you're...connected to all this?'
'Connected to the abduction of a two-year-old girl?' I laughed. 'Don't tell me you came all the way from the States to accuse me of kidnap?'
'You misunderstand,' he said. 'This little girl disappeared on April 3rd, 1990. She's been missing for twenty-eight years. I don't think you kidnapped Sammy Went. i think you are Sammy Went..."

Kimberly Leamy is a photography teacher in Melbourne, Australia relaxing between classes when she is approached by a man who traveled from the United States to find her. The man is convinced that Kimberly is Sammy Went. A two year old girl who was kidnapped from her home in Manson, Kentucky twenty six years ago. A girl who was his little sister. Kimberly cannot believe him. How could this madness be possible. Her mother was a loving and caring social worker who raised her without a father involved, until she married Kimberly's stepfather. Worse is that Kimberly's mother died horribly from cancer only four years ago and all she has now is the memory of the woman. A memory this man with his accusations is tearing apart.

In the small town of Manson, Kentucky, on April 3rd, 1990, a two year old girl by the name of Sammy Went went missing. She was the daughter of Jack and Molly Went. The couple were struggling through their marriage and while Jack worked hard as a pharmacist and did his best two raise their three children; Molly became more and more involved in their fundamentalist church called the Church of the Light Within. But when Sammy went missing, the tenuous bonds that held the family together shredded.

Faced with her stepfather's silence on the possibility and a DNA test that suggests that Kimberly and Sammy are the same person, Kimberly decides to journey to the United States and look into the disappearance of the child that had been Sammy Went. But she is unprepared for what awaits her because a small town does not give up it's secrets easily.

"...Beecher stepped into the mill and joined Ellis by the wall. He looked at the names. 'Oh, this is one of them urban legends, Sheriff.'
'How do you mean?'
'You're s'posed to write the name of your enemy on this wall and within twenty-four hours they'll be dead.'
'How do you know that?'
'My kid brother told me. He comes out here with his buddies sometimes.'
'Your brother know anything about that?' He shone his flashlight over the porno mag.
Beecher chuckled.
'Well, I'll be.' Ellis said, stepping closer to the wall. His joints might not be worth a damn anymore and his hearing was on its way out, but he had the peepers of a sprightly young man. 'Take a look at this, Beech.'
'What is it, boss?'
Saying nothing, Ellis drew his flashlight up to illuminate a single name among hundreds: Sammy Went..."

The Nowhere Child is a novel of loss and discovery. Kimberly must deal with the truth that her entire life has been a lie. That the family she thought she had is not her family at all. The sister she grew up with, the man who raised her and the mother she thought had given birth to her. All had been lies. Worse she was a victim of a horrific crime. A crime that had been buried by not only the family she thought was hers, but the family she had been born into as well. She begins to dig into the past that should have been hers and finds out that no one really seems to want the truth to come to light. Not her family in Australia and not her family in the United States. For a moment, she feels she has no family and no home.

Christian White does a very good job of telling this story and though at times we lose the suspension of belief, he quickly gets it back and keeps the tale moving right along. This story of small town America and how powerful it holds onto its beliefs, no matter the sacrifice or pain, is searingly accurate. If there are any faults in this book, they can squarely be put on the fact that this is a debut novel which puts us in the anticipation that future novels will only be better.

One of the better reads of this young year!

Kim’s life is about to be turned upside down. As she finds out from a man, what her real name is, and how he believes she went missing at the age of 2. What would you do if your whole life was a lie? How would you cope and handle this new information. For Kim, I can’t even imagine, this book is a great thriller and a must read.

The Nowhere Child had such an intriguing premise I was hooked. The heroine finds out that her life has been a lie, that she was kidnapped as a child in Kentucky and raised in Australia. The book alternates timelines between present day and the time of the kidnapping. We get glimpses of the toll kidnapping takes on a family, of a dysfunctional family, of a cult like religion. The characters are engaging. The problem for me lay in the pacing of the story, it seemed to drag in places and was too easy for me to stop and not compelling to pick back up. The Nowhere Child was a n entertaining weekend read, perhaps a little predictable, but overall satisfactory.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

Fast paced, gripping debut, with a twist of creepy

Imagine you are going about your life when in walks a stranger claiming you are a long lost child that was kidnapped 26 years ago. Of course being only 2 at the time of the abduction you have no memory. Here begins Kimberly Leamy's search for the truth of what happened to her all those years ago. After receiving proof that she was in fact Sammy Went she makes the journey from Australia to America.

The story is told in alternating chapters of Then and Now and work together seamlessly. Both storylines were intriguing and often left off at a cliff hanger making me fly through the chapters.

I have read my fair share of thrillers, but this had an element I haven't read about before a cult. If the cult aspect wasn't enough to give me the creeps throw in the added factor of the cult's obsession with snakes to put me on edge.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Christian White for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Christian White took a tabloid headline and built the whole story around it. The headline "Family finds child abducted 28 yrs ago" The story? The book takes off a little slow, building background and then takes off, moving quickly between small town Kentucky and Australia. The author keeps the action jumping from past to present and keeping the reader trying to figure out the who and why of the abduction. It's rare to find a book that will keep you engrossed these days. I'm so happy to have found a new author to follow!

Man, that was good. Normally I wouldn't be all over a book that uses a fundamentalist church as a central plot point, but somehow I was hooked. Excellent suspense with well-developed characters, complex motivations, and intricate plotting with plenty of twists (including one giant one at the end that I didn't see coming in a million years). This is character-driven domestic suspense the way it's supposed to be. My only complaint was that the Australian author used a lot of Australian English in the mouths of American characters; as I read an advanced copy, I'm really hoping this was fixed pre-publication. Otherwise, awesome. Can't wait for White's next book!

I've done pretty darn well not requesting psychological thrillers, and can't say I'm much missing them. This is one I had before I made this decision. A two year old child is taken, a young woman now in her twenties is found by her possible brother and told she might be the child. A church, a cult? A leader with strange ideas that he seems to exert at will over his followers and snakes, Rattlers to be specific and I find snakes cringeworthy, and this religion has many.

Ended up liking this more than I thought I would when I began reading. It started out rather weakly, but thankfully both the plot became more interesting and the writing stronger. So many themes in this book, which was part of the problem with my perception of what was happening. All these different threads, all in one family, one town, one book? Stretches credibility. The pace after the initial slowness at the start picks up, and by books end, again my opinion, too many things are thrown into the mix. Though if you like a faster paced thriller, with a few likable characters, this one will do.

ARC from Netgalley.

This was a very interesting story with chapters alternating between "then" and "now." I can't honestly say which time period was more interesting to me and I think they were blended so well into one story. It is difficult to believe this was a debut. I will definitely recommend this book and be looking for more from this author in the future.

<b> Short Summary:</b>
This author is incredible at keeping you guessing until the final twist!

<b>My thoughts:</b>
A psychological thriller that is filled with shockers that reveal how far some people will go to keep secrets...and get what they want. I was so drawn into the story, I imagined myself Kim’s position...with SO many questions.

What would I do if I found out my mother abducted me when I was two-years old and why don’t I remember any of it?

Did she steal me or rescue me? Should I be thankful or angry? What would my life have been like if I’d grown up with my “real” family? How did I end up in Australia and why?

Who am I now? Am I Kim Leamy—a photography teacher who lost my mother to cancer, but still has a loving stepfather and sister? Or am I Sammy Went—the child taken from Manson, Kentucky and a damaged family...with a mother who is still alive but obsessed with her faith and cult-like church.

Told in alternating chapters that switch between then and now, this story is so well-written I had no trouble keeping up with the change in time frames. I thoroughly enjoyed this author’s writing style and plan on reading more!

<b>Recommend:</b> Yes...of course!

<b>My Rating: </b> 4.5 ⭐️’s

<b>Published:</b> January 22nd 2019 by Minotaur Books
<b>Pages:</b> 384

<b>Some of my favorite Excerpts/Words: </b>
<blockquote>”Stepping into the Manson Sheriff’s station felt like stepping into the Devil’s butt crack.”

“There ain’t no way we have enough chairs for that many rear ends, boss.”</blockquote>

Thank you to NetGalley / Minotaur Books / Christian White for this digital ARC, in exchange for my honest review!
#NetGalley #TheNowhereChild

<b>Book Blurb
Kimberly Leamy is a photography teacher in Melbourne, Australia. Twenty-six years earlier, Sammy Went, a two-year old girl vanished from her home in Manson, Kentucky. An American accountant who contacts Kim is convinced she was that child, kidnapped just after her birthday. She cannot believe the woman who raised her, a loving social worker who died of cancer four years ago, crossed international lines to steal a toddler.

On April 3rd, 1990, Jack and Molly Went’s daughter Sammy disappeared from the inside their Kentucky home. Already estranged since the girl’s birth, the couple drifted further apart as time passed. Jack did his best to raise and protect his other daughter and son while Molly found solace in her faith. The Church of the Light Within, a Pentecostal fundamentalist group who handle poisonous snakes as part of their worship, provided that faith. Without Sammy, the Wents eventually fell apart.

Now, with proof that she and Sammy are in fact the same person, Kim travels to America to reunite with a family she never knew she had. And to solve the mystery of her abduction—a mystery that will take her deep into the dark heart of religious fanaticism where she must fight for her life against those determined to save her soul…

I wouldn't call this a thriller so much as a small town mystery of a missing child. I enjoyed this book although it was sometimes slow so it took me awhile to get throught it. I have to say I never really knew who took little Sammy and I'm usually pretty good at figuring stuff like that out! I love the small town cult aspect and how real the story felt, like it could happen to you in your town.

In the Nowhere Child, Sammy Went is two years old when she goes missing from her home in Manson, Kentucky.

Twenty-eight years later, Kimberly is living her life quietly in Australia. She is approached by James who says he believes she is his missing sister, Sammy. After seeing a DNA test confirming their relationship, Sammy returns to Manson to meet her mother, father and sister. However, everyone in Manson seems to be hiding something. And what is with the snake-handling church her mother now embraces?

After reading thousands of thrillers and mysteries, I’m usually good at guessing the conclusion. However, not in this case. The twists toward the end came fast and furious. If you want to read a compelling and suspenseful yarn, the Nowhere Child is highly recommended. 4 stars!

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the premise of this story. As an adult, Kim is going about her day teaching at a school in Australia, when she's approached by a stranger and given a picture of a little girl who disappeared 28 years ago. The man tells her he thinks she is that little girl and the story is off and running. Kim begins researching the story of little Sammy Wents who went missing at age 2 in Kentucky. After much digging and putting pieces together, Kim decides she very well might be Sammie and agrees to travel back to Kentucky to find out for sure.

The story is narrated in alternating time frames which usually doesn't work for me and this was no exception. I found myself not caring about the past storyline, in fact, I found it weird. Lots of talk about cults, religious fanaticism, and way too many snakes for me. I was much more invested in the present day storyline but soon became bored with that too. I didn't connect with Kim nor any of the other characters and overall the story felt scattered and in cohesive to me