OH MY GOD!!! Why isn’t people talking about this book??? When I read Here and gone I was mind blown. It was one of my favorites thrillers, it had everything you expect. This one was even better you guys!
Imagine getting paid a lot of money for a surrogate mother BUT you change your mind and want to keep the baby.
My heart ache for Anna so much. I was so immersed in the story that I couldn’t fathom the ending. The story goes by quick, trust me you will read this in one sitting.

Another kidnapping thriller. The flow of the story and conversation didn’t click with me! The first chapter for this book was interesting but then I quickly lost interest. There’s a lot of positive reviews for this book so this is just my personal view.

The kidnapped child trope is overdone in these thrillers. Here, the author tries to give it an extra twist and it almost works. Even though there were a few successful red herrings, the plot was predictable. I kept reading because I was curious about how it would all unfold, but I wasn't super eager to get back to the story, and nothing that happened shocked me. I didn't care much for any of the characters, and there were a lot of important factors that were glossed over. They all went into this super important scenario much too carelessly, and they were hardly any consequences for their terrible actions.

While some fans of thrillers may find this an enjoyable beach read, it wasn't for me. There are many other new releases out there that are much better.

“Lost You” by Haden Beck is a story that has been played out many times in one form or another, in one place or another. People have read some variation of it and have opinions about it. I will not disclose key plot details, but this variation is unexpected, surprising, and tragic.
The story opens in the “now,” in the present tense, with a sense of urgency.
“She climbs up onto the low wall that borders the roof, even as the police officers yell at her to stop. The brickwork scrapes her knees, but she doesn’t care… Seven stories. The people below back away as they stare up at her.”
The scene shifts back slightly in time. Libby, a writer, is on a vacation in Florida with her son, Ethan. She has been a single mom since Mason left when Ethan was six months old. This vacation is a well-earned reward after she got what was described as a “very nice book deal” for her psychological thriller. The first few days of the vacation are the best she can remember with the usual stuff -- swimming, meeting new people, having dinner, and wrangling a three-year old. Then, in the hotel hallway, Libby turns to speak to a new friend for just a second, and when she looks back, Ethan is inside the open elevator, laughing as he hits one button after another. The doors hiss closed, and Ethan is gone. The frantic search begins.
When the scene shifts back four years, readers get to know Libby better, much, much better. Libby’s past is interspersed with the events in the present, and this enhances the worrisome, even anxious atmosphere. Libby’s childhood abuse is acknowledged; her marriage to Mason is detailed, and her struggle to conceive is documented.
Officials conducting the search for Ethan suspect that something is not right, that Libby is holding something back.
“’Ma’am, is there something you want to tell me?’ ‘No,’ she said. And it was the truth. She didn’t want to tell him anything.”
The pressure is tangible, intense, and frightening. Fear hangs in the air. Panic, dismay, and distress, are replaced with sadness, regret and heartache as the search for Ethan takes a strange new form.
“Lost You” is a cautionary tale of parenthood, and the legal uncertainty people can face. It is a compelling work of fiction that shadows reality. Reality, of course, is not as extreme, not as deceptive, but is traumatic nonetheless. I received a copy of “Lost You” from Haden Beck, and Crown Publishing. I absolutely recommend it. I could not put it down.

A good suspense book with some twists but by the end you realize it is a sad, sad story where nobody really wins. You start off feeling sorry for one character and then next thing you know you liked the character that started out as the villain. Easy to read and hard to put down. Thank you Net Galley for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a psychological thriller that for any parent, maybe more so for a mother, is terrifying. Page-turning and intriguing book that will keep you engaged. Recommend.

#LostYou #NetGalley

As an adoptive mother, my immediate sympathies are for the people trying to conceive who end up turning to adoption or surrogacy. Through the process you continue to worry if something will happen and you won't get your child. Even after things are supposedly finalized, that fear can follow you. This story plays on those fears, adds in the fears and desires of the surrogate, and then adds a few more twists just to really stir things up. With my own history, I found myself angry with the surrogate and blindly siding with the hopeful mother. The story might play out a bit different for someone who hasn't been dependent on the actions and decisions of another to form their family. But regardless of the reader's past, Mr. Beck adds enough tension and action to keep them engaged. I'll admit that a few things felt forced along the way and some of the characters' behaviors were a bit unbelievable; however, thrown into a similar situation, does one really know how they will act? The book will give everyone something to think about and was definitely a good read!

Anna is desperate for money and Libby is desperate for a child. In Lost You, Haylen Beck explores the lengths these look-alike ladies will go for what they need and desire. Told in flashbacks, readers are introduced to the present time -- when Libby goes on vacation with three year old son, Ethan, he goes missing -- right into the arms of someone she wasn't sure she'd ever see again. The rest of the novel tells the story of how these ladies lives got intermingled -- and why they'll stay that way forever. This fast paced novel will keep you reading until the very end!

In Lost You, Haylen Beck shows us the dark side of surrogacy and the lasting damage it can do to all involved.

Abby's life is a mess, she needs money, and being a surrogate seems an easy way to pay off her bills and start saving. She can always have a child for herself later when she is more ready.

Libby is tired of waiting for an adoption to come through. It has been four years, and still no child. With or without her husband Mason's consent, she's going ahead with this surrogacy agreement.

But life has a way of playing havoc with anything we plan... And so it does in this novel.

Nothing here rated above average for me. The beginning is an attention grabber, but the middle gets a bit bogged down. While I empathize with the situation of each woman, I never reached the point of actually caring for either of the characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read a copy of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley, Haylen Beck and Crown Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.
Libby needs a break; three years ago her husband left her with their infant son to raise on her own as she struggled to begin her writing career. Now things are finally starting to look up, she’s sold her first novel and she and Ethan are going on their first vacation. Everything seems to be going her way, but she can’t help but thinking it’s all to good to be true. Libby’s never told anyone the story of Ethan’s birth, but no one can know about that can they? Three days into their vacation, Ethan goes missing, except Libby soon finds out that a woman has abducted him. They corner the woman, but all she’ll say is that she’s his mother.

This book was an incredibly fast read! I read this entire novel in two sittings and I couldn’t help but be interested by Libby and Anna’s lives. They lived so incredibly different lives and wanted totally different things in the beginning! I really enjoyed Libby’s character in the beginning, but then you find out that she isn’t who she made herself out to be and I found myself really sympathizing with Anna. I loved the layout of this novel and how it goes back and forth between Anna, Libby and another main character. I loved the totally different idea behind this book and how hard it is to give up someone you love. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire novel and how you slowly see the pieces falling into place! I would definitely recommend!

Out August 6th!

Thanks to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

The type of suspense thriller that kept me glued to my seat, but also making me constantly change my mind as to where I should place my empathy.

A relaxing vacation at a resort. A single mother. A three year old child goes missing. A devastating confrontation. How did this all happen?

Humankind and their secrets! Am I right? Main protagonist, Libby certainly held me in her grasp even if I did feel completely different about her by the end of the story. This is one of those books where most of the novel will give readers the backstory as the beginning of the novel gives the end.


Goodreads review published 19/07/19
Publication Date 06/08/19

Anne is a surrogate mother who decides to keep the baby and Libby is a childless woman who wants a child no matter what the cost. This thriller alternates between three narrators, but concentrates on Libby and Anne. I read this page-turner in a single day and loved it!

Lost You by Haylen Beck tells the story of Libby, a single mom, who takes her son Ethan on a dream vacation. Ethan is three and the type of child who likes to run to the elevator, get in, and push all the buttons. It happened a few times on this trip, but the last time Libby wasn’t able to stop him, and he disappears. You can tell Libby is hiding something, and later, Ethan is found with a woman named Anna, who claims to be his mother.

Flashback to three years earlier, Anna is a struggling waitress who loses her job. A friend recommends she reply to an ad looking for test subjects. Anna is not sure she wants to do this, but signs up anyways, only to find out they are looking for surrogate mothers to help people in states where paid surrogacy is illegal. Anna agrees to become a surrogate because the money is too good to pass up, and the agency she’s working with already has a family matched for her.

Libby and Mason have been struggling to conceive and find an agency where they can pay for a surrogate mother. They quickly find a match for them, and Libby is extremely excited to finally be a mother. Mason on the other hand has doubts which cause turmoil in their relationship. Libby becomes obsessed with the idea of motherhood to the point of wearing a prosthetic pregnancy belly and telling everyone that she’s actually pregnant.

Mr. Kovak is a veteran who works for the agency and watches the surrogates until they deliver to make sure they are being healthy and that they give the baby up when the time comes. He takes any means necessary to make sure that happens. When Anna decides she wants to keep the baby things take a turn for the worse.

This book started off great! I was pulled in right from the start. However, none of these characters are likeable. Maybe Mason, but he’s not a big enough part of the story. I honestly didn’t want any of these people to get the baby and didn’t care what happened to them. In the prologue, I liked Libby, and felt for her when her son disappeared, but then reading the back story, I couldn’t stand her. I felt bad for Anna, but she signed a contract and shouldn’t have changed her mind. As the story progresses, I stopped feeling bad for her because she was an awful person. Throwing Mr. Kovak in out of nowhere and making a huge chunk of the book about him was unnecessary in my opinion.

I do think the subject matter was interesting and haven’t read a book like this before. The book moved at a fast pace which is important to me. I just wish I liked the characters better.

Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Libby loses her son Ethan while on vacation. What unravels is a twisted story spanning years. Who took Ethan and what is their connection to Libby?

I really wanted to like this book but I didn't. The story didn't grab me and the main characters were utterly unlikable, save for Libby's long-suffering husband Mason. Even he was only tolerable. The structure of the novel was odd and the pacing was awkward.

Libby is taking a much needed vacation with her three-year-old son, Ethan. Even though Libby should be relaxing and enjoying the time away, she can't help but keep looking over her shoulder and going into a panic anytime that Ethan wanders out of view at the large hotel. Her worst fears come true when Ethan gets into an elevator alone and the doors close before Libby can get to him. By the time Libby catches up the elevator, Ethan is gone. As a search begins, footage finds Ethan being led by the hand by another woman. When police track her down she claims that she is Ethan's real mother.

This was a twisty and suspenseful novel exploring surrogacy, adoption and what it means to be a mother. The story started out strong as we pretty quickly got into the thick of the plot with Ethan going missing. Once we catch up with Ethan and the woman who is claiming to be his mother, Anna, we jump back in time to what led Anna and Libby to where they are now. While I was interested in the backstory, it started to drag in the middle of the book for me and I found myself not really caring about either woman's story. However, once we got to the end of the backstory (about 80% or so of the way through the book) the twist was great and I definitely did not see it coming. After that the story wrapped up pretty quickly (a bit too quickly for my taste). Overall, an interesting read that I think most fans of suspense novels will enjoy.

3/5 stars.

This was a quick read and the premise was definitely disturbing- stolen identity, the desperation of a mother, surrogacy nightmare from hell! I read this one in an evening and it was definitely a page-turner. Something about Libby's CRAZY, or maybe too many somethings just made this one so-so for me. It was hard to relate to her and I just found myself rolling my eyes at her actions and decisions. I wish I liked this one more, but it was just okay.

3 out of 5 stars for Lost You by Haylen Beck.

What would you do to become a mother? To stay a mother? These are the questions that swirl throughout this thriller. A quick and fun read despite two main characters who aren’t always the most likeable (which oddly enough, are always so intriguing). This one will make for a great summer beach read. Thank you to Net Galley and Crown Publishing for this eBook in exchange for my honest review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Great tale that sent me in an emotional tailspin. This novel is a complicated yet delightful story about motherhood and paternal rights. Would recommend everyone read it.

Fast paced and dramatic, the story is about two women, Libby, and Anna, and they love that each of them has for their own child.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crown publishing for the ARC of this book!

I received an e-ARC of this title - thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

Utterly engrossing. Beck's writing is captivating, the characters are absolutely believable. The story follows two women, Anna and Libby, who desperately want the same thing: 3 year old Ethan. I found myself identifying with both women at different times through the novel, and questioning if I would have done anything different - than either of them.

I liked the way the story started - at the end - and then backtracked to explain how we got to that point. Financially-strapped Anna loses her waitressing job due to the business failing. Her friend and coworker sends her a job advertisement, and Anna reluctantly goes through the initial steps. As she continues through the process, Anna learns that it's actually a maybe-not-quite legal surrogacy clinic, which offers a VERY generous paycheck to the young women who agree to go through a pregnancy. Anna winds up being "paired" with Libby and her husband Mason, who is reluctant to go through with a surrogacy, despite he and Libby having been trying to conceive for many years. The story then follows what happens as Anna starts to question everything, and Libby is willing to go to extreme lengths to get the child she feels entitled to.

The story is told in alternating past and present chapters which are easy to identify and follow. I really enjoyed the story of Anna's pregnancy and interactions with the clinic and its staff. I found Libby to be entirely insufferable and selfish, and maybe just a little bit crazy. It was difficult for me to sympathize with her a lot, but I think that was kind of the point. Overall, a totally compelling, fascinating, and heartbreaking story.