Amazing, brutal, thought provoking, honest. A thriller yes and also a commentary on society that is gut wrenching and hard to read in places with the author pulling no punches . Where one woman a week on average is killed by either an ex-partner or current partner in Australia this is a story of our times and a classic example of the Stockholm Syndrome within a relationship.
Just another brilliant story from Nicole concerning relationships with the hope any woman that reads this and see themselves portrayed find the strength to move on.
A NetGalley read.

This book has a HUGE twist! Six years after Nicole's abusive ex-husband kidnapped their 6-year-old son Daniel from school, she gets a calling telling her Daniel has been found. Nicole has a new husband and a new baby, but never stopped hoping her eldest son would return. But now that he's back, Nicole realizes she has no idea who her son is now.

When the relationship between mother and son is strained, and the relationship between Daniel and his stepfather and half-sister is hostile, Nicole realizes her ex-husband poisoned their son against her. And Daniel is hiding a secret that will turn everything upside down.

Daniel is a complicated young boy, and I felt so much sympathy for him. I also understood why Nicole was uncomfortable and even scared at times. The narrative, which moves around in time, shows how heart-wrenching it was when Daniel was missing. That made it even more frustrating that the mother/son relationship was so strained upon Daniel's return.

I can't say enough good things about this novel. It's suspenseful, dramatic, and has an ending with a twist that I thought I had figured out but went way beyond what I expected. Any lover of suspense will adore this novel. I plan to read Nicole Trope's other book soon and will anxiously await her next novel.

Wow. I read this book in two nights....could not put it down! It was full of so much suspense, I found my heart racing through some parts wanting to know what was going to happen next. Megan's son was taken from her when he was 6 years old and 6 years later she received the call every mother would want to hear "they found him." I could go on and on reviewing this book but I do not want to give anything away. A mother's love is something like no other....pick up this book now and read it.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an early copy of The Boy in the Photo. I have sooo many emotions regarding this book. At one point, I wanted it to be over because it was taking forever to get to the point of the plot. On another level, it was written with sooooo much emotion, I couldn’t put it down even if I wanted too. I figured out the main plot but there were sooo many more twists I was shocked. All in All, fantastic book. Thank you Nicole Trope.

Six years ago, six-year-old Daniel was kidnapped by his father, Greg. Megan, his mother, has been praying for his return these past six years. However, when the preteen Daniel is reunited with his mother, he has little in common with the loving six-year old boy who was kidnapped. If anything, he is more like his father Greg, as can be seen by the cruel comments he makes to his mother. The story alternates chapters of the present reunion with separate chapters about Megan and Daniel’s feelings over the six-year period when he was with his father.

At times I found the story a little slow and repetitive. However, the action really picks up in the last few chapters with a compelling twist at the end. The author drops hints and clues throughout that let the reader in on what Megan doesn’t yet know. This is a thriller worth reading.

Thank you to Bookouture, the publisher, and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an emotionally engrossing book involving the disappearance of a six years old boy with his father.
Now Daniel is back and he is twelve years old and he is nothing like the way he was before his long disappearance.

The chapters alternate between Daniel's perspective shedding light on the trauma he endured and other chapters from his mother's perspective on her quest to figure out who her son has become and how to reconnect with him.

An emotionally charged journey that I highly recommend.
Thanks Netgalley, Bookouture, and author Nicole Trope for an ARC in exchange for a fair review.

4 stars. We follow the story of Megan, whose ex-husband Greg abducted their son, as well as her husband, and son Daniel. The story shifts between past and present, from both Megan and Daniel's perspective.

Daniel returns and he is a cold, withdrawn 12 year old who is not even remotely similar to the 6 year old child Megan remembers. Readers are given glimpses of Daniel's time with his father, and the trauma he experienced. We also follow Megan's journey of figuring out who her son is as a 12 year old, and how she is coping with the vast difference in her son's demeanor when compared to how he was prior to disappearing with his father.

As a whole, the story moves along at a decent pace, but for me the ending fell flat. I read this book every chance I had, as I could not wait for the ending. Although there were no loose ends at the conclusion, it just fell flat for me.

Special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was provided a digital advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest feedback. Aside from the digital ARC, I was not compensated in anyway for my review and all opinions are my own.

What a ride!

"They found him." This line is ominous and eerily chilling. This line sets up for the second greatest disruption to Megan's life, second only to the day that her 6-year-old son, Daniel, was kidnapped by her abusive ex-husband. 6 years later, "They found him." Her little boy is returned.

It is wrap this novel into a neat little genre box - it is a mystery, it is a thriller, and it is a family drama. The narrative structure is unique, pulling emotions from the reader that vary from chapter to chapter, as we flash between the present day, where Megan, her new husband, and baby daughter attempt to acclimate her traumatized, estranged son into their new lives and the past where Megan faces crippling depression, desperation, and anger while she attempts to find her son, cope with the idea that she may never see him again, and finally attempt to continue living, finding love again and having another child.

The chilling element is the characterization of Daniel, who is returned to his mother, a virtual stranger, parroting expressions and lies fed to him by his father during his 6 years on the run with him. His mother never wanted him. She wanted to hurt his father and take him away to send him to foster care where he would be hurt by strangers. The only person who loved him was his father. If you break the rules, if you tell anyone, if you touch the computer or the phone there are grave consequences. "He said you would say that" Daniel says repeatedly when his mother tries to explain that she had been looking for him, that she had wanted him, and that losing him was the worst thing that happened to her. It's unsettling to read, and as the novel builds towards it's climax, becomes more and more foreboding and ominous.

I saw the twist coming, but it wasn't completely obvious, more like a little thrilling nag in the back of my mind as I read, and needing to KNOW if my hunch was right kept me hooked and reading well into the night. The conclusion was oh, so satisfying! I don't often give out 5-star reviews for books I've read, but The Boy in the Photo deserves all 5 and more if possible. I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys mystery, twisty psychological thrillers and family dramas. Hoping to recommend as a pick for my Mystery/Thriller Book Club for the Fall!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this brilliant book

and what a book it is...from the the time daniel is taken by his father and from the time he returns you run a gauntlet of emotions

at every pitstop along the way you feel for all those involved and that conclusion....what an ending...i can actually admit to having a tear in my eye when i finished this book...

this book will keep you up at night as you try to keep up with how the story unfolds before you very eye

another author to add to the growing list of authors to keep an eye out for

Absolutely blown away by this book, couldn't put it down! A great psychological thriller that is hugely gripping with some good twists. Nicola Trope is a new name to me but will be going on my must read list in the future!

This was a very good psychological thriller. Set in Australia, the plot centres around the abduction of a 6 year old boy by his estranged dad. Daniel is reunited 6 years later and it was interesting that the tale jumped back and forth between the past and present. The author described beautifully the emotional state of the mother and child when they were reunited. A bit predictable in parts with a stunning ending. I would recommend to lovers of the genre. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC. Reviews on Goodreads and Facebook.

First I would like to thank NetGalley, Nicole Trope, and her publisher for and ARC copy of the boy in the photo. I love a good thriller and after reading about this book I couldn't wait to read it.
One day Megan's son Daniel is abducted from school by her ex husband. She never gives up hope finding him even after the years go by. Fast forward to six years later and Megan is remarried and has a little baby girl when she finds out Daniel has been found. You come to find out he is not the same boy he was six years ago and all she wants is to regain her sons trust. He seems to blame her for everything.
Although I have to say this book was slightly predictable I really enjoyed it the whole way through especially how they would go back in the past and give you little hints about things that have happened. I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author.

This book grabs at your heartstrings from the very beginning. A mother six year old son was abducted by her ex-husband for six years. Lies were told and this child was held hostage for all these years. It begins with a mother getting the phone call she was hoping for, her child has been found alive. This book was a thriller as you witnessed the struggles her new family incurred while trying to mend. At times it was a little predictable but a very satisfying read. #theboyinthephoto #netgalley

5 stars!
What a great read and so well written. I enjoyed that this story went a different direction than some of the kidnapped/return home books and Lifetime movies go in.
The author created deep and intense characters and everyone had a purpose in the book.
This was an emotional read and I found myself wanting to just hug my five year old because this book hit on a mother's worst fear.
Excellent read with some twists! Highly recommend.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, #Bookouture and Netgalley for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Megan's son Daniel is taken by his father he is only six years old. Megan asks herself the same questions over and over again. Is he being loved ? Is he being fed proper food? Does he have friends? Does he miss his comforter? Does he miss me?

Six years later Daniel has been found, but at nearly 13yrs old will he still be the same boy she knew and loved? Where has he been?
It's obvious that Daniel has suffered some sort of trauma as well as the trauma of being separated from his mother. Daniel is keeping things back from her and she's not sure she likes the boy he has become.

This story is told in the days and weeks after Daniel is found with flashbacks to the yearly anniversaries from both their points of view.
I read this book in a day,couldn't leave it. There are very tense parts to the story especially towards the last few chapters when the pace quickened.
My heart broke for Megan and how hard she was trying to make things right.
I feel if I say any more about the book I will spoil it for other readers and I don't want to do that. All I have to say is, read this book!

This is the first book I’ve read by Trope. I found it to be a quick, enjoyable read. It’s about every parent’s nightmare, but it has a twist when Megan’s missing son returns six years later. He’s no longer the little boy she remembers, and, in fact, he scares her. Some plot points were predictable, and I did figure out a couple twists, but it was still a good book. I liked the past/present telling of the story, which added to the buildup and filed in details when and where necessary. Clues for the ending are provided along the way if the reader pays attention.

Where do i even start. This book is an emotional rollercoaster. The book was about a mother trying to reconnect with her son who is taken from her for six years by her ex husband. You go through the pain and trauma with Megan searching and waiting for her son to come home. Brilliant book by Nicole and i would highly recommend The Boy In The Photo.

Wow!

Honestly, where do I begin. This book was heartbreaking, powerful and beautiful.

I wasn’t sure how much I would like this book. The premise of losing your child to kidnap and having him return six years later sounded good, but not being a moth I had wondered how I would connect with the story.

I needn’t have worried. I loved everything about this book. The heartbreak of finding out your child had been taken from you, the years of grief and yearning for him to return, and the torture of having him in your life once more only to realise he is so different from the little boy you remember.

This book was so beautifully written, I just couldn’t put it down. I had at one point guessed part of the plot twist and then disregarded it. Even that didn’t take away from my love of this book.

I definitely need to read more from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Nicole Trope for the advanced copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

‘He is somewhere in the world, Megan, and once you’ve had a child , you’re a mother forever. That cannot be taken from you.’

When Megans son Daniel is kidnapped by her estranged ex husband her whole world crumbles.
Her obsessive abusive ex takes their 6 year old child from school one day,never to be seen again.

Megan,remarried,a mother again,gets the call 6 years later she has been waiting for. Daniel has walked into a police station, Gred is dead. Megan can come get him and take him now.

What unfolds next is a can't put down story I devoured,anxious to learn the ending.

This was an incredible, sometimes distressing, emotional roller-coaster of a book and it's going on my list of favourite reads of the year. I had tears streaming down my cheeks as I flipped the book closed and it's not often a book effects me in that way.

We start the story as Meghan goes to collect her 6 year old son, Daniel from school, only to learn that his father has already collected him. A father that she has recently divorced. He's a violent bully of a man and will stop at nothing to exact his revenge for the hurt she has caused him. Daniel has disappeared. Personally, this is every woman's worst nightmare.

Meghan is torn apart and even a desperate search for her son reveals nothing. She will never give in but eventually she has to start to move on with her life however Daniel is never forgotten and even when Meghan re-marries and they move to a new family home, Daniel's room is still there, ready and waiting for his return.

As the years go on Meghan has to accept that she may never see her son again and this line really effected me: She hopes that her son is no longer missing her even though she misses him every single day.

One day, Daniel just walks into a police station and tells them who he is. A tragic accident has left him with no one and finally he is re-united with this mother. The trauma for this family is not yet over and instead they have a whole new set of challenges to face.

This books flips from the the years of searching to the present day and seamlessly the story is told from both Meghan's side and her missing son's Daniels. After being separated from his mother for half of his life they are finally reunited but Daniel is no longer the happy, cheeky six year old that she lost but a sullen twelve year old boy that is distant and broken. He is angry. Angry at her for giving him away, Angry at her for not looking for him and angry at her for starting a new life without him.

One day at a time is the only way that Meghan can start to deal with Daniel. There are moments where his disturbing behaviour leads her to almost believe that he isn't in fact her son. She thought it would be easy but the truth is, it is much harder then she ever imagined. She has to learn to get to know the stranger that she has brought home and welcomed into her house. Underneath that is the story that Daniel may not appear as he seems and he could be capable of inflicting harm on both Meghan and his new family.

I don't want to give the plot away but the twists at the end are brilliant. They are so cleverly woven in so that I ,as the reader, didn't even noticing what was occurring before boom, I was blown away. I never once saw the ending coming. It made me gasp at points as people that you believed were helping, turned out not to be all that they seemed. There were points near the end that I physically put the book down as I was unable to process the information and I so desperately needed the happy ever after. Not just for Meghan but for Daniel to.

I really can't say enough great things about this book. It is a must read and I have to confess that I have already ordered more of this authors previous work.