I read this book in one setting. .I could not put it down! This is a fast paced story with so many twists and turns that it sometimes becomes convoluted. The characters are all unlikable (except Poppy) the daughter who is kidnapped. I have read other books by this author that I have to say I enjoyed more than this one but it is still a very good read.
Thank you Net Galley for this ARC.

Let me start by saying I did enjoy this book, but I do have some reservations which I will get to after a brief synopsis.

Kit’s first wife died during childbirth and their daughter, Poppy, suffered some consequences which left her with special needs. Fast-forward and Kit is now married to Neve who has adopted Poppy. Although she loves Poppy and does everything she can for Poppy, Neve is nursing a longing to give birth to her own baby but Kit refuses to consider this. Not surprisingly this causes some friction in their relationship. This is not helped by two things: 1 Neve’s secrets and 2. her sessions with her art therapist and their mutual attraction.

Nevertheless, the little family decide to spend the night on their little boat. The next morning Poppy is missing.

This has an exciting plot with plenty of twists and turns and surprising developments. Good characters – so good in fact that I was often enraged with the actions of Kit and Neve. Really, I could have given her a good shake. Are you for real? And this is helping how? All in all, well-worth a read but just misses the 5 stars as I found it hard to believe Neve could be so stupid.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

This one just didn’t do it for me. The writing was fine, so if you’re interested, I wouldn’t say don’t read it, but it wasn’t for me.

I thought it took quite a while to get into the action, and then it just went odd. I was sitting there thinking “wait what?” Every so often, not in an edge of my seat, shocked way, but more baffled as to why the characters behaved how they did.

I would be willing to try another book by this author in the future, because maybe it was just the characters I didn’t connect with here.

Having thoroughly enjoyed "Sister Sister" by Sue Fortin previously I was excited to read SCHOOLGIRL MISSING. I mean, the title was enough to entice you. However, although it was a fast read that I sped through, it didn't live up to the hype I'd built for it and therefore I found it a little disappointing. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it...but some of the story just seemed a little unbelieveable. And the characters? I could't bring myself to like them very much at all. They all had an agenda - all except Poppy.

The story is centred around the disappearance of Poppy on a family boat trip leaving parents dad Kit and step-mum Neve worried. Although the story is essentially about Poppy's disappearance, this actual incident takes up little of the story.

We begin with a little background and a glimpse into their family life, and it is clear from the outset that Poppy is not like normal teenagers. Though she is 14, she is still very young and a little naive. When we first meet Poppy, she seems as though she has a form of autism due to her direct and literal nature. She cannot tell a lie and she is far more observant than one would believe of a normal 14 year old, who are generally far to wrapped up in themselves to observe anything that isn't related to them. It's not until the narrative explains that her mum died in childbirth with Poppy very nearly dying also, having been starved of oxygen and resulting in a form of brain damage.

When Neve married Kit some years later, she adopted Poppy as her own though she craved a child of her own. Kit, distraught over the death of his first wife and near loss of Poppy, declared from the outset "no children". Neve thought with time he would soften and they would have a child of their own, but Kit stood firm and refused to even discuss the matter. He knew Neve had suffered a miscarriage in her previous marriage, so I thought he would be a little more sensitive to Neve's needs and desire for a child. It was at this point I disliked him. To not even consider her feelings, despite what he has been through. This was not just about him but in Kit's eyes it was. He was controlling and deceitful. Even moving to a village far away from where Neve worked so the commute would be too much for her so she would give up her job and stay home for Poppy.

But Neve wasn't much better either. She had secrets from her past she hadn't shared with Kit. Though some things are best left in the past these were such major events to not share them with your husband is not normal. Added to that she was manipulative and just as deceitful as Kit! As much as Kit didn't appear sensitive to her feelings towards having a baby, Neve didn't seem to care much about his fears of losing another wife and a child through childbirth. Neve wanted a baby so bad it appeared she would do anything and manipulate anyone. Would she? She certainly seemed so. But does anyone really want a child THAT much? To hell with everyone else? Either way, Kit and Neve are completely dysfunctional that by the end I figured they deserved each other.

Then there are the supporting characters, I guess you could call them. The artist guy where Neve does her art therapy (what is his name? I've forgotten already!) - I didn't like him either. He just wanted to get into Neve's pants and declared he could make her happy. Neve was stupid enough to consider it! But how far would he go to win Neve's heart? And Lee. Well, we know from early on in the story that he has a history with Neve so I'm not spoiling anything for anyone by mentioning it. If anything, he was probably the one I disliked least...lol...if that makes sense. He may be a "wrong'un" and on the wrong side of the law but his crimes are petty for the most part. With Lee you knew where you stood with him, even when you didn't. I still didn't like him but I'd trust him further than I would trust Kit.

Then Neve's past came to light and I found myself sympathising with her. I could relate to her estrangement with her brother so well. Though the circumstances for their estrangement is different to my own, I could feel her pain, her loss and her sorrow. It was this part of the story that I found myself really connecting with Neve and understanding her a little better. But then in comes Kit and everything went off tangent.

Throughout the story, I found it hard to picture Poppy with a smile as she always appeared so serious and, despite her disability, I found it hard to like her. But then I found it hard to like anyone in the story. And I mean ANYONE! None of them were truthful about anything. None of them were likeable.

For the most part, the story is pretty believeable. But then it goes off the wall and it left me thinking "What the...?" There wasn't really an element of closure and it leaves you wondering what actually happened. It's not an ending you would really expect and there isn't enough to milk a sequel out of it either so as a reader we are left with questions. I guess you could say it was a clever way to end it - leaving readers guessing - but I'm in two minds about it.

Overall, SCHOOLGIRL MISSING is a good read - though it is more about the who, the how, the why than the actual disappearance - and very fast paced. It is thrilling, intriguing and enjoyable. I just didn't like anyone which made it hard to really enjoy it - added to that, having no closure at the end. If there was a breathtaking ending it would have sealed it as a brilliant read. However, I will leave it up to the individual and see what YOU think. The ending was clever, but was it enough? I am still in two minds about it.

Thank you to #SueFortin, #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsUK for an ARC of #SchoolgirlMissing in exchange for an honest review.

A book with plenty of twists, turns and red herrings.

Kit and Neve are having some struggles in their marriage and Neve is finding it hard to accept that Kit doesn’t want to have a baby with her. His only child, Poppy, who is Neve’s adopted daughter has special need after s traumatic birth, which led to the death of her birth mother. To try and repair the cracks in their relationship, Kit and Neve take Poppy with them on an overnight stay on their boat. But when Neve and Kit awake they realise that Poppy has gone !!

As the story unfolds there are several suspects and theories about Poppy’s disappearance and Neve realises that she will need to face her past. Kit discovers that his wife has never been honest with him but where will his own investigations lead him.

A fast paced story with plenty of twists to keep you engaged but I have to admit I really didn’t warm to either Kit or Neve and felt that the story was a little far fetched BUT it is an enjoyable read for anyone that loves a good twisty thriller.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Well, this was an intriguing read. It was fast paced, full of twists and turns, red herrings and unreliable narration. It was a good story line yet I could not warm at all to the two central characters, Kit and Neve. Two rather unpleasant human beings, I felt sorry for Poppy, the daughter caught in the middle. Her character, with her needs, and that of Neve’s brother and sister-in-law, were the only characters I felt any empathy with!
As the story played out though, I began to work out why I was uncomfortable with Kit and Neve and their view of events, and everything was very cleverly brought together at the end!
A recommended read for those who like intrigue, plot twists and a bit of unpleasantness in their thrillers!
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy.

Having read previous books by sue fortin I was looking forward to reading this one, It did not disappoint. Was gripped from the start and could not put it down till I finished! Great book

this author

is so talented never lets you down with her books alway delivers a brilliant story line Kit and Neve. and poppy . they would do anything to protect her but are they the perfect family one has secrets and one never tells the truth but both has secrets this book is twisty gripping and sad in a few places so highley recomend and all her other books

Very well written and easy to read - I flew through this one.

However...very predictable, and no likeable characters at all made it slightly boring. It’s not on my ‘read again’ pile.

This is the first book by Sue Fortin that I have read. I really did not know what to expect from it.
The book is well written and what I liked was that the book has strong characters.
Overall a good read.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Harper Collins uk for my eARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Schoolgirl Missing was a book I was looking forward to as I’ve read a couple before by Sue Fortin and enjoyed them, before I started to read I looked a few reviews like I always do and was a bit apprehensive about starting this book due to the low rated reviews but I had nothing to fear as I found this a fast paced thriller with a few twists. OK it’s not a particularly believable storyline and there was not one character I liked but somehow I enjoyed it.
Never is married to Kit and has adopted his daughter, Poppy whose mother died at childbirth. They are a happy unit until Kit sticks by his pledge from the beginning which was he wanted no further children and as time has gone by Neve after suffering a miscarriage in her previous marriage now feels her life wouldn’t be complete without her own child. The way Neve gets to what she wants is a very strange, weird way but this is a story at the end of the day and for me it worked.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first Sue Fortin book I have read. I had mixed feelings about the character of Neve. I was as frustrated as her husband by her constant evasiveness and increasing tendency to lie rather than just simply tell the truth about what was happening currently to her. Also why did she not tell him the truth about her past? I came to realise the clevernes of the author in just feeding the reader crumbs of information from Neve's troubled background. Is there any character in this story who is truly honest and innocent? And when you finish the book will you really know what has happened and why? I would maybe have liked the backstory of how Neve and Kit met and married.

I read two previous books by this author and loved them but I struggled with this one and found it quite disappointing.

Having really enjoyed The Birthday Girl previously by Sue Fortin I was excited to read Schoolgirl Missing. Although it was fast read, it was a little bit disappointing. I found the story to be a bit all over the place, with so many despicable characters - I could not like any of them.

Neve and Kit's marriage is a little unstable to say the least. She is stepmother to 14 year old Poppy who has special needs She has a desperate need to have her own child, but after Kit lost Poppys birth mother in child birth he doesn't want any more children. One night when they are spending the night on their boat Poppy goes missing and neither parent can remember what happened. All eyes are on the parents and Neves dark past comes back to haunt her, while Kit tries to put the pieces together. A bit predictable and over the top but a mostly good story.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

Schoolgirl Missing is the new book by Sue Fortin; having read several of this author’s books I was looking forward to this one.

Neve is so desperate for a baby that she will do anything to have one. She is stepmother to 14 year old Poppy but wants her own child. When her husband Kit says no, she puts a plan into action which results in Poppy going missing.

A story of manipulation, secrets and lies with rather unpleasant characters. I’m sitting on the fence with this one.

Read a few of Sue's books and enjoyed them all, this was no exception and I was hooked from the beginning.

I really enjoy the way this author writes, it held my interest throughout with good characters although not all likeable and I really enjoyed the ending too.

I look forward to Sue's next masterpiece and thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for giving me the opportunity to read this excellent book.

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed a couple of books by this author so I had high hopes going into this one. Sadly, although it ticked along nicely for the most part, it started to lose its way a bit towards the end so, for me, it didn't quite hit the spot.
The story is centred around the disappearance of Poppy who vanished on a family boat trip leaving dad Kit and step-mum Neve devastated and very worried. Prior to this incident, we get a glimpse into the life of our family and it soon becomes evident that not all is rosy in their garden. Not at all. Neve has troubles of her own stemming from her past, more details of which come forward as the story progresses, and Kit doesn't really help matters with his flat out refusal to have a second child which makes Neve spiral further, even though he told her this from the off. Neve then turns to another for support which drives the wedge in further. And then a face from her past returns to haunt her, reminding her of the frailties of life and of an event she is desperate to keep behind her. All this gives the reader multiple suspects with many reasons for wanting Poppy out of the picture but who really did it and why? The truth when it comes out will be shocking.
I say shocking, I have to add a bit implausible to the mix although, as the true characters of some of our cast started to appear, maybe it wasn't as unlikely give what became known. Sorry, I'm trying to be as spoiler free as possible but it's hard to explain my issues with the book fully without going down that road and I don't want to. Suffice to say that it all became a bit much for me towards the end and I started rolling my eyes as I began to count the dysfunctions and, dare I say, cliches, involved in the truth when it eventually came out. I am not wholly convinced of the way that a certain someone spiralled so far out of control so quickly without any warning signs whatsoever. But then again, I'm not a specialist in these matters but, for me, it didn't quite ring true or match up to expectations and I can only say it as I see it.
It probably also didn't help that I didn't really like any of the characters and, to be honest, didn't much care who did it or why or even whether Poppy was still alive or not! But I got so far through the book before it all went so weird for me that I didn't have too far to go to finish rather than abandoning it.
All in all, not the author's best work in my opinion but, with two other books that I have enjoyed immensely, I am not about to jump ship just yet. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I went into this story with a little apprehension as the few reviews I’d seen weren’t exactly great 😏 however I actually really enjoyed it!

Neve is one of our main characters and clearly has a few skeletons in her closet. She is not necessarily a “nice” character but I feel that’s part of the story’s charm? None of the characters are particularly “nice” but I did find them engaging and the story itself was fairly fast paced.

I read this in a day and while The characters weren’t people you grow to love as people (if you know what I mean? ) I really enjoyed how everything came together and the characters deserved each other in the end.

I did persist to the end (hence 2* rather than 1*) but it was a chore, not a pleasure. The characters were thoroughly detestable, unsympathetic, narcissistic, self indulgent manipulative creatures and quite frankly, the missing child was better off missing.

I tried very hard to like this book but I just was not able to.
I did not care at all about the characters or the story line.. I would not recommend this.