Lost you by Haylen Beck starts off as a missing child story but it has more layers than just that. It opens up the dark side of surrogacy and the plight of the mothers on both sides. Libby, a new author goes to a resort for a much-needed vacation with her son Ethan where he goes missing. When the security find the kid with a woman who looks almost like Libby, this woman, Anna claims she is the mother of the kid. It then kicks off the question - who is the mother? Do they know each other and what is the backstory?⠀
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Anna decides to take the job of being a surrogate mother for another couple who live in another state. Libby who is desperate for a kid goes through this whole process but Anna bails at the last minute. I understand how horrible that situation would be for Libby and what her mental state must have been.I didn’t really like the lead character Libby for the extent she goes to obtain the kid. But I totally empathize with her situation.⠀
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The first half of the book is really good as it throws you right away in the action-packed race in the mystery but the ending did let down slightly. I wished the second half complimented the first in the twists/turns and the writing too.⠀
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Twisty and dramatic for sure!⠀

I thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. This author was new to me and I was not let down. It was a great story and very well written. The characters were easy to relate to and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend this to everyone!!

This book was just okay for me. I liked how the story started and the main shift the plot took, but the second half felt very different from the first half. The suspense I thought was building was reduced almost immediately after the twist, and while the second half had a lot of good storytelling, it just wasn’t what I was expecting. The first half felt believable and had tension to draw me in, but the second half felt like it was all explanation and setup for a twist that was already revealed.

Lost You by Hayden Beck is the story of an apparent abduction of a three-year old, and the struggle between two women who each believe she is the rightful mother. I finished it in a day and a half, with a massive book hang-over from the many twists and turns. This is a thriller that combines action and psychological and emotional impact. For me, it was an unpredictable ride that left me breathless and sad at points in the story.

Beck’s skill as a writer are extraordinary in two ways. First, the plot line sucks you in the first few pages. There is one significant jump in time that seamlessly propels the story. Second, all of the characters are portrayed with sympathy and understanding, despite the shocking choices that they make. Those characters will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review. I definitely recommend this book!

Title: Lost You
Author: Haylen Beck
Publisher: Crown Publisher
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:

"Lost You" by Haylen Beck

My Rationalization...

Wow! What a suspenseful psychological thriller read that will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. If you are looking for a 'gripping tale of surrogacy, missing child, motherhood, adoption, and obsession' you have certainly come to the right place for a little bit of it all. What will happen as one mother is forced into surrogacy and the other woman has lost her adopted child during a vacation stay at a hotel? Get ready for a story that will go back and forth as the reader will get the reason why these two woman lives get spun out of control that will have you shaking your head as you see how this struggle with their self-esteem and obsession is all grind up in wanting to be simply a mother.

"Lost You" will definitely bring to you one gripping story where you will be easily immersed and hooked with quite a storyline, plot, characters, unexpected twists and turns, and a very unique writing style that author brings to the reader. I will say that I felt the story showed a very 'dark side of surrogacy that was devastating to all involved' after all was said and done.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and Haylen Beck for the opportunity to read his latest suspense novel.

Lost You is a thriller about the dangers of using surrogacy as a way to have a child.

Libby can’t have a child. Her husband, Mason, is fine with adopting. However, after four years on a waiting list, the couple start looking for a surrogate. Using an expensive surrogacy matching service, a surrogate named Anna is found. Anna is a young waitress desperate for a new start in life. The $75,000 for having Mason’s baby plus living expenses seems like a chance of a lifetime. Then, all three of their lives spiral downward.

The beginning of Lost You is fast-paced. It opens a door into the shady world of paid surrogacy. Unfortunately, the book then slows down the pace to a crawl. It feels like it takes nine months in real time to get to the birth. Once there, it picks up again. But it was a case of too little, too late for me. By that point, I disliked all the characters and figured they deserved whatever horrible end the author had in store for them.

If you have an interest in either side of surrogacy, then you might like this book. It just wasn’t for me. 3 stars.

Thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lost You by Haylen Beck is a recommended psychological thriller.

Libby Reese has just sold her first novel and she is taking a well-deserved vacation in a resort with her three-year-old son, Ethan. Her husband left her when Ethan was a baby and she has raised Ethan on her own. Now she is enjoying the resort while trying to keep a close eye on Ethan. When he suddenly darts off into the elevator, laughing, Libby doesn't get to him in time and the door closes. Ethan then disappears and the search is on. We know from the opening that a woman has him. Security footage shows a woman, identified as Anna Lenihan, with him. When she is found, she claims he is her son. She must be crazy... or is she?

The plot starts out in what seems to be a very predictable direction and then, suddenly, jumps the track altogether, changes direction, goes back four years earlier, and becomes an entirely different novel. Now we meet Anna when she loses her waitress job in Pennsylvania. She is desperate for money when she learns about a medical research clinic that will pay well and she goes to an interview. It's to be a surrogate mother and Anna decides to do it.

The sudden leap into a different story is startling and will completely throw you off track. Both of the female characters are well-developed and complex characters, with flaws and Libby is shown to be an utterly different character too. They are both emotionally unstable. It also makes the novel much more interesting, adding twists and turns in the plot and in our emotions. The novel also becomes creepier, and heads toward the unbelievable too. It is a compelling story and relatively fast-paced to keep your interest.

The novel was a rollercoaster for me. It began as a commonplace plot that took a different turn. It became a character study, with comparing and contrasting personalities. There are bad decisions and poor choices. Then it became menacing and... unbalanced. At the end I was unsure exactly how I felt about the novel as a whole.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Crown/Archetype.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/08/lost-you.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2924145610
https://www.librarything.com/work/22639796/book/171659491
https://twitter.com/SheTreadsSoftly/status/1158124370457497600?s=20

Beck’s story of how a mother’s love can develop into something more extreme, something that seeps over the line between protectiveness and obsessiveness, starts with a climax and the rest of the story explains how everything built up to that point.
I truly thought the story was straightforward, and that Beck was just telling us a story about two women claiming the same boy is their son. Obviously, one of them has a screw or two loose… but which one? I thought I knew which one was the mom and which one was a little cuckoo, but oh my, I was wrong.
The beginning of the story, as Beck introduces one of the women and the son in question, cleverly lulls the reader into a false sense of security, and it can almost be forgotten that the book is about to pull you into a mind-[fudge] (you know what word I mean}. It is almost cozy and quite beachy- a newly single mom taking a much-needed vacation with her son. There’s sun, a bunch of pools, fruity drinks, and some quality mother-son time. Then, the roller coaster drops. The pacing of the book is perfect, and I read the book in about two days. I was riveted. I wanted answers!
I also appreciated the focus on motherhood and its complexities – the deep desire to have children; the bond between mother and child in the womb; the fierce, almost feral love for the child; childbirth itself. I’m not a mom, but it does seem that Beck captures these themes quite well, and in doing so gave depth to his characters.

Oh boy. I did not mean to read two books about surrogacy so close together (The Farm). These are two slightly different takes on the topic, but also kind of the same in a way. I will soy that this one had me HOOKED from the first chapter, but then it went into flashback mode, and I was a bit bored with the deets and the pacing in the middle. This middle part is also where it is a little similar to The Farm, e.g. the surrogate is paid a lot of money, she is given a place to live, a weekly allowance, and although she has a lot more freedom in this book, the reason is probably because we have Mr. Kovak. Who is this you ask? Well, Mr. Kovak is a man who is kind enough to ‘check in’ on the girls. And by ‘check in’ I mean he threatens them if they miss doctor appointments, chokes their friends if they are having second thoughts, you know, as one does.

The other difference from The Farm is that we get the perspective from the client side as well, aka Libby. But all is not as it seems here either with her, and I will just leave that right there.

So, I was all prepared to give this a ‘meh’. And then, it takes a turn. A glorious, whatisgoingonthisissoinsaneamireadingthisrightnow turn. It’s all sorts of 50 shades of effed up, and let me tell you, I was here for it. I literally sat with my mouth open once it was done, scared my dog with the words I (allegedly) said, and overall, enjoyed this messed up ride.

TW for abuse, murder, assault, kidnapping. Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the advanced copy to review. All opinions above are my own. Pub date is 8/6/19.

Lost You

A gut-wrenching, compulsive read of two women’s obsession to have a child

SUMMARY
Three years ago, Anna is an out of work waitress and in need of money to make ends meet. She explored an advertisement stating “Financial opportunity for healthy women aged 21 to 35. Call this number 24/7 for details.” Anna’s friend Betsy encourage her to make the call. The company was willing to pay her $500 just for answering a few questions and no obligation or commitment required. The Schaeffer-Holdt Clinic is looking for surrogate mothers, and Anna is a perfect candidate. If she agrees to participate she would make $75,000. It would be hard to do, but that money would change her life. She agreed and signed the contract. She was committed up until she felt the butterflies in her stomach.

Libby has had a rough few years. She is now a single mother who needs a vacation. She’s headed to a luxury resort in Naples, Florida with her three-year-old adopted son Ethan. Libby feels out of place in such a nice hotel. Ethan loves playing in the pool and is equally enthralled with the buttons on the elevator. The first two days of vacation were perfect. On the third evening, Ethan runs ahead and pushes the elevator buttons before Libby can catch up with him. The elevator takes off. As Libby races the elevator, up the stairs, her worst fears come to pass. Ethan has disappeared.

REVIEW
LOST YOU is a gut-wrenching, compulsive read. One mother is being economically forced to surrogacy and one woman has lost her adopted child at a hotel. And what comes between these two events will have you on the edge of your seat. The writing is smartly structured and goes back and forth in time to reveal a story of two women whose lives spin out of control. Both Libby and Anna struggle with self esteem, and their obsession with being a mother. LOST YOU is fast-paced, easy-to-read and packed with surprising twists.

The story is an emotional gripping tale of surrogacy, a missing child, motherhood, adoption, and obsession. Hayley Beck is the pseudonym of Edgar Award-nominated author Stuart Neville, whose crime fiction has won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Beck’s first gut-wrenching novel was HERE and GONE(2017). Thanks to Netgalley, Crown Publishing and Haylen Beck for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Publisher Crown Publishing
Published August 6, 2019
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Many thanks to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and Haylen Beck for the opportunity to read his latest suspense novel. I was a huge fan of Here and Gone and this book also ranks as a 5 star read for me.

The trauma that childhood brings to many lasts a lifetime. Both of the women characters in this book needed to be healed and were searching for that fix. Libby is a single mom to Ethan. Libby and Mason struggled for years to have a child and turned to surrogacy to make that happen. The stress of all that caused Libby and Mason to divorce. Things are finally looking up for Libby; she sold her first novel and is taking a well-deserved Florida resort vacation with Ethan. However, Ethan, fascinated with the elevators, gets into one by himself and is gone. We know the end of the story at the beginning; the middle is made up of the backstory into two women who both believe that Ethan is theirs.

You can feel for both of these women and their struggles. I really got lost into this book and couldn't put it down. Highly recommended!

This psychological thriller touches deeply into the heart of motherhood - the good, and the bad aspects of motherlove. I found it very disturbing - as I am sure Haylen Beck intended. It was a novel I read front to back with only a lunch break, as I am sure was also intended. Both the front and back of surrogacy are well presented, leaving the reader with a better understanding of the price of that gift given to another mother.

My heart did weep for Anna. I had no sympathy left over for Libby, but Mason had a slice of my compassion. However you read it, I think you will find Lost You a compelling read. I am pleased to recommend it to friends and family.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Haylen Beck and Crown Publishing Group. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

I am a sucker for psychological suspense novels, especially ones with children involved, and after reading the summary of “Lost You”, I was intrigued and interested. Fast forward to when I was actually reading the novel... Completely and happily immersed and hooked. I gave this book five stars because I loved the storyline, the plot, the characters, the writing style, the unexpected twists and turns, and, not but last least, the fact that I did not want to stop reading! Great book and new author for me to follow.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for my advance copy of Lost You by Haylen Beck!  This book was released YESTERDAY, so you're able to run out and get yourself a copy TODAY!

I dove in to this book knowing nothing...and honestly, I loved that aspect.  I knew it was a thriller and I absolutely loved the surprise roller coaster ride this book took me on, so don't expect much of a description on this book from me. 

The main subject in this book is surrogacy.  At first I thought this book took place almost like a dystopian place, where (paid) surrogacy is illegal.  I became curious and so I googled the subject...much to my surprise surrogacy is NOT legal in all 50 states!  This book highlights a couple living in New York (where it's illegal to have paid surrogacy) going through an agency to obtain their own baby.  They use the surrogate's egg, husband's sperm.  Oh what a tale that unfolds!

The opening paragraph is a sneak peek at the ending...it doesn't spoil ANYTHING for the reader, just makes you more curious once we start to meet the characters!  At first I thought they had given the ending away and when I went back to reread it, oooooo, what a move...WHAT. A. MOVE.  I couldn't put this book down after that realization!!

Fantastic 4 star read.  This was a fantastic, fast paced thriller with secrets and twists and turns throughout.  The only thing that bothered me throughout the book was that NO ONE took into consideration the fact that this was the husband's baby too.  I would have to research more to see what all entails in this kind of situation, but man, what an eye opening read about the issue of surrogacy.  I could absolutely see this kind of situation happening...never mess with a parent and their child!  Hooked yet?  Get this book NOW!

***Will be published on August 7, 2019 to donnasreadingchair.home.blog***

Where do I start? This book was a psychological roller coaster of twists and turns and I loved it!! This story was of a little boy, his mother, and a surrogate and how their lives intertwined. And how they are intertwined is the story and what a story it is.

The book leaves you surprised on so many levels. It follows the lives of both women to the point where their lives intertwine. It was not a dystopian novel but reminded me of a certain popular show on Hulu and how things can happen to women that because of economic hardships or despair are not the correct choices for them.

Such a great book. You will not be disappointed with this thriller! I would like to think Netgalley for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

“Lost You” starts off with a bang—a woman clutches the 3-year-old child she has just snatched to her chest as she stands on the edge of a rooftop at a Florida resort. A security guard desperately pleads with her to give him the child, whose name is Ethan. Suddenly, she makes a fateful decision and all is chaos. Then the book steps back a few days to recount Ethan’s arrival at the resort with his mother, Libby, a soon-to-be-published author who’s decided to celebrate her upcoming book with a mini vacation. Libby and Ethan are soon befriended by a married gay couple, Charles and Gerry. This was a red flag for me—why would this couple take such an interest in Libby and Ethan to the point that they invite them to dinner that night and the next? It was the first time in “Lost You” that characters’ actions strained belief—something that was to become a theme throughout the book. But soon Ethan has been snatched and the search and investigation is under way, and now Libby is acting strangely as well—what mother absolutely desperate for the return of her child (and, as we will see, with good reason to suspect who snatched him), holds important information back from the police trying to find him? Again, though, I put it aside and kept reading—the book at this point is a page turner and I decided to just go with it. And then the story steps back to four years earlier and things really start to go off the rails for me. It’s not fair for me to give anything away, so I’ll only say that the believability that was strained earlier gets blown completely out of the water—the two main female characters act in completely irrational and inconsistent ways that suggest that all women are a bit unhinged. Throw in a creepy and totally unbelievable character called Mr. Kovak and the equally unbelievable twists he introduces to the plot, and I limped to the end of this book shaking my head and rolling my eyes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Sorry it wasn’t for me!

This story starts out with what appears to be the case of a missing child but soon backtracks into a story that deals with the toll illegal surrogacy has on two women who become increasingly desperate and unstable in their desire for one child.

Once the story goes back in time, we lose the suspense and the story takes on a contemporary fiction feel. Not a bad thing, but not what I was hoping for because the story lost a lot of steam at this point. It didn't help that I didn't like or sympathize with either of these woman (but I did feel for little Ethan who didn't appear to have the best outcome either way).

The suspense picks up again at the end, but it is short lived as the twist is revealed leaving readers with an ending that is tied up too quickly but feels too contrived to be believable. Overall, this was a decent read but I missed the intense thrill that Beck's previous book Here and Gone held for me last year.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Crown for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book, via NetGally, in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this! As a mother of a 3 year old it was a difficult read at times but still so good. Definitely recommend this as a great summer beach read!

This was a quick read and I liked the format - starting with a scene at the end, flashing back a few days to Libby's story and then flashing back three years for Anna's story. The pieces all came together, and the end wrapped everything up nicely. My criticism is that you did have to suspend a bit of disbelief for some of this. Both Libby and Anna are very much obsessed with babies, so this makes the pregnancy/surrogacy/adoption aspect of this interesting.
I did like the questions that this book raised about who makes a mother, what makes a mother and who deserves to have a child. It explores the dark side of surrogacy, which often isn't talked about.
However, there were unnecessary details seemingly thrown in that went nowhere (the gay men's issue with drinking? the one random line about Anna's sister and the priest?). It almost seemed that the book wanted to check off a few more boxes of issues it brought up, but these were unnecessary and detracted from the actual story.

A fast paced and twisty domestic thriller that keeps it grip on you from start to finish. Tense and action packed it had me hooked and I read it in one sitting. In the beginning I felt empathy for both women at different times, but as the story progresses my feelings definitely did as well. This book shows a dark side of surrogacy that was devastating to all that were involved. Two women, one child. Who is Ethan’s mother?