*thank you to Netgalley, Lucinda Berry and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


4.5 stars!

When She Returned is my second novel by Lucinda Berry. Once again she has written an extraordinary story! Centred around the past and the present, a mother has ended up in being lured into a Cult by a man named Ray. For 11 years her husband, Scott and now 16 year old daughter, Abbi, have been trying to find her. Then suddenly, there she is. She has turned up at a Gas Station clutching a baby to her chest. She is reunited with her family and as the story unfolds, it seems things aren't exactly as they appear and then the unthinkable happens which changes the families world once again.

I was drawn into this story from the very first couple of pages. It never got boring. There are 3 people telling this story. Kate, the mother. Abbi, the daughter. Meridith, who is Scott's new wife. It makes this such a fascinating read. It felt quite accurate aswell, like how the characters played out is what I would pretty much expect. The reactions to Kate having been found and brought back to stay in her old home and then Kate's PTSD. There were a few things about that that I had agreed with because it's exactly how it would have played out. I would definitely recommend this, especially to those with an interest in cults as that is a pretty heavy theme in this book. I really enjoyed this and no doubt it won't be my last book by Lucinda Berry.

3.5 stars

SPOILERS IN REVIEW

11 years after Kate Bennett goes missing, leaving a husband and young daughter behind, she is found in a gas station parking lot, desperate for help, clutching an infant close to her chest. She is reunited with her family, although her husband has remarried and her daughter has grown up, while the police investigate the shocking circumstances behind her disappearance.

When She Returned is a carefully developed psychological family drama with many thought-provoking points. While I’ve no doubt that Lucinda Berry’s background as a psychologist contributes to the depth of her stories, education and experience don’t always lead to understanding and empathy. These qualities are wholly Berry’s and they bring immense power into her work.

This makes it incredibly difficult to define why the story was just okay for me. It explored a topic that I find incredibly interesting and multiple perspectives were presented, which added to the emotional complexity of the narrative. Yet, I struggled to feel engaged for first half of the book. This is definitely a slow burn novel and, admittedly, I hadn’t expected to encounter any twists after the first several chapters. I was both surprised and satisfied with the way things took off in the second half.

One thing I do wish had been different within the story’s building process was the development of the manipulation. I felt Ray moved too quickly from a charming man to a frightening cult leader. I fully believe both components of his character were accurately portrayed and although Kate’s vulnerability was apparent, it felt like she was swayed too quickly, which made the rest feel less credible. I would have liked to see their relationship develop more while he was still being saccharine. His mistreatment seemed too abrupt, in terms of subtle manipulation. I understood what was supposed to be happening and why. I just couldn’t connect with it and, for me, that lack of development was the problem.

With all that being said, there were other areas that were well-developed and did make sense to me, including Kate’s dependence on everyone else’s view of Ray within the religious movement. I get it. Kate looking to them for guidance and taking their silence as approval of his actions made sense to me. I can see why she stayed. I can see why she dismissed and devalued her own concerns. I can see why she was confused.

I think Berry is a fantastic and insightful writer. She addresses important topics and gives the reader an opportunity to understand how circumstances we shake our heads over end up occurring. She definitely understands how fragile human beings are. I think anyone interested in human behavior, family dramas, and an understanding of cult dynamics will get a lot out of this unique and heartbreaking story.

This is one of the better mysteries/thrillers I've read this year. The pace was right, and I didn't figure out what was happening until about 2/3 of the way through, which is great! And I finished it in less than two days, and a quick read is sometimes just want you want.

This book was especially interesting because it was written from threw different perspectives, Kate -- a wife (to Scott) and mother who disappeared 11 years earlier and has just been found in the introduction of the book, Abbi - Kate's now 16-year-old daughter, and Meredith -- Scott's new wife. It was interesting to read from these three perspectives, each with their own agenda, and it helped keep the plot moving and kept it from being bogged down too much.

A few flaws --.there's an FBI agent who could have been better developed since he seemed important; a best friend of Kate's is mentioned and then never discussed again; a couple other things that I won't include because they would give too much away. But these seemed like editing room decisions since they weren't essential to keeping the book moving.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinion has not been influenced.

Thank you Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

This was a great book which had me wholly enthralled. I loved the suspense and couldn’t get to the end quick enough. A perfect book to lose a day in.

I will be reading more by this author.

I have a weird relationship with religion, and when I realized where the story was heading, I was a little worried that I'd been cheated and was sure I wouldn't like this book. I was wrong. It was different from anything I'd ever read before. I don't think I've ever read anything about cult survivors—not recently anyway—and it felt real and creepy as should be. The story’s pace increased regularly, still going back and forth between present and past. It works pretty well, and there should is no stalling. Well written and thoroughly entertaining.

This was such an amazing read that I couldn’t put it down. It went everywhere with me. To the doctors office, the dentist, the eye doctor. IT WENT ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE. I was so sad when it ended that I immediately went and bought more books from this author!

Oh my god...... this was...... creepy? When Scott’s wife and Abbi’s mother Kate is back after eleven years they are thrilled. Kate is being pronounced dead and there even was a funeral to help the family to move on. But now she’s back and her body shows signs of abuse. What happened the day Kate didn’t come home? Only Scott’s new wife Meredith is seeing something isn’t right. But nobody believes her. And than Abbi’s life is in danger.
I read the book in one sitting. The story had me captivated and luckily this is the weekend and it’s okay reading ’til late in the night. But I couldn’t stop. It was horrible to see how easy it is to be drawn into something. Even for an intelligent, happy person as Kate was. Everyone should read this book, it’s an eye opener and a really great psychological thriller.

Wow--that's exactly the way a psychological thriller should be. Kept me guessing what exactly was going on the entire way through, and what a ride that was. Lots of surprises, and I had a difficult time putting it down (I know it sounds cliche, but it's the truth!)
The narrative moves quickly and we get points of view from three characters in the past and present. It sounds like too much, but the flow works well and makes complete sense, each of the characters has a distinctive voice and it's easy to keep them straight.
The entire thing, while really out there, is actually believable. I've read enough about cults to feel like the story is really authentic, and the characters act in ways that might seem totally bonkers, but it seems very real.
The premise of someone missing and then returned is intriguing in itself, and the writer does an excellent job at conveying the story. Well done, I will read more of her work in the future.

Eleven years after she disappeared in a mall parking lot leaving her husband, and young daughter behind, Kate Bennett suddenly returns battered and traumatized and with an infant daughter in tow. Her older daughter, Abbi is excited to get know her mother, but it's not so easy for husband, Scott who now has two wives, or his new wife, Meredith, who is not sure where she fits in the family now, or for Kate herself who is not only having trouble adjusting to being back in the fold, but may still be keeping worrisome secrets. This is a really exciting book that draws you in a right away and keeps you wanting to turn pages. It is told in alternating points of view switching back and forth between the present and the past and the voices of Kate, Abbi and Meredith in a way that keeps you feeling sympathy toward each of them until the book reaches its shocking conclusion.

Well, this definitely wasn't what I was expecting after reading The Perfect Child, a far superior novel by Lucinda Berry .

I loved that book. When She Returned...not so much. Don't get me wrong. This is very well-written, and if you're looking for a character study examining the effects of losing a loved one to a cult (or how incredibly smart people fall into such a destructive trap), this is definitely a story you'll love. I just couldn't really connect with any of the characters, and both books I've read by this author included incredibly annoying, totally duh-headed males protagonists. Beyond that, I think I was simply expecting something a little more grisly. I needed something more grisly. What I got was flat, and not even remotely shocking.

The timeline was wonky. For example, Kate, a journalist, used the internet to research Ray for her story...but later, upon her return, acts as though she's never heard of it before. And she was supposedly gone for 11 years, but the sections of the story told from her POV most definitely did not cover 11 years. The whole story was anti-climatic...and predictable. I won't say more for fear of spoilers, but from the moment Kate arrived home, I suspected how things would play out, and I was correct...which sucks.

Overall...I'm feeling pretty "meh" about this novel.

**Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for my candid review.

Fast and Furious!
Kate disappears from a parking lot 11 years ago
Her hubby and daughter are devastated
Eventually Scott remarries and him, his new wife Meredith and his daughter Abbi have a new life but they never forget Kate
And then, one day, she appears, with a baby
Where has she been? Who took her and why?
I’m not going to say the answer to any of the questions but its a fascinating and very dark story and extremely well researched, thought out, presented and written and scarily believable
The adjustment to all their lives is massive and things start to spin out of control
But then, the ultimate blindside, had me gasping out loud and ok will use the word ‘twist’ happens and its a raw, evil and shocking one
Its brilliant
At times brutal, other times gentle this book is dramatic and sinister and above all else very very readable
10/10
5 Stars

I really loved this book from beginning to end!

Kate Bennett disappeared from a parking lot one day, leaving her husband and young daughter to search for answers about what happened and where Kate went. Years later Kate appears at a gas station, in a different State and clutching a 7 week old baby. This causes even more questions as investigators try to figure out what happened between all these years, and Kate tries to find her place with her husband, her now teenage daughter and her husband's new wife.

Wow! This book had SUCH an interesting premise and I loved where it chose to go with Kate's disappearance. We learn about the investigation after Kate was found through the perspectives of Abbi, Kate's daughter, and Meredith, Abbi's new stepmother. We also learn about what happened when Kate disappeared and in the following years from Kate's perspective. I thought this was a really fantastic way of telling the story as we got to really see into the thoughts and motivations of the characters. All the characters were well developed and I felt like I actually got to know them. I think Meredith was my favourite to hear from because her situation was so complicated (not that they all weren't) and I think I would have reacted similarly to her if I were in her shoes.

I found a few of the misdirects to be a bit silly, but otherwise I thought the author did an excellent job keeping me interested and keeping the story going. As I mentioned, I loved where Berry chose to have Kate disappear to and found the chapters exploring her in between years to be really fascinating.

I will definitely be picking up anything else written by Lucinda Berry and suggesting this book to friends.

4.5 stars

When She Returned | Lucinda Berry
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
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This is available on Amazon Kindle today for £1. GO AND BUY IT!
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Meredith and Scott met at bereavement counselling. Both their spouses are dead, or presumed dead. Eleven years on they're now married and seem to be very much in love and happy.
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But Scott's wife, Kate has just returned. With a six week old baby.
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Where has she been? Why is she acting so strangely? Why exactly is she back?
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I LOVED this book. If I'd had the time I would have devoured it in a single sitting! The story is told in the present day through the eyes of Meredith and Abbi (Scott's 16 year old daughter). We also hear from Kate, building the story leading up to her disappearance and why she's now returned.
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It's a pacey book with short chapters which we all know I love. I can't say I particularly loved any of the characters but I was definitely invested in their story.
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In case I didn't mention it, go buy it!
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Thank you so much to @netgalley for sending me this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

When She Returns by Lucinda Berry is a story about a woman who disappeared from a parking lot eleven years ago and all of a sudden returns with a baby in her arms. Even though her husband had remarried, he invites her into his home. After all, she is the mother of his daughter Alli. But things are not well. Secrets are becoming revealed on bother sides, some are not very nice and cause more problems for all. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This is one of the least-thrilling thrillers I've ever come across, but it is not a bad book at all.

I really enjoyed reading When She Returned. It is the story of a woman who disappeared from a parking lot 11 years ago and, in a shocking turn of events, came back alive and is believed to have been abducted by a cult.

The rest of the story is told in three perspectives—Kate, the woman who returned; Abbi, the daughter she left behind; and Meredith, Abbi's stepmother—and how these women navigated through their new life. I also find the three of them likable, so maybe that is the reason why I enjoyed reading this book.

The ending was okay but the way it was told, as well as the build-up towards it, could've been improved. I like the author's writing style and, of course, how the book perceived trauma. It was an interesting and different read for me, definitely felt authentic, but some parts of it felt rushed while some dragged on endlessly.

I would still recommend this book, though!

I’ve received this book from Netgalley, the author and it’s publisher - Thomas and Mercer, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and are completely unbiased.

While I absolutely enjoyed the read, I have to agree with some of the other reviews: more mystery than thriller or suspense. Mind you that doesn’t lessen its rating for me. I still found the book just as intriguing and worthy of 4 stars from me.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Lucinda Berry for the opportunity to read her latest psycho9logical thriller. I loved this one - 4.5 stars for a thrilling read.

Kate Bennett vanished from a Target parking lot, leaving her purse and phone behind as well as her husband and young daughter, Abbi. Searches turned up nothing. Kate had been investigating Love International, an organization that promised to help addicts, when she disappeared but there was never any connection found. Fast forward 11 years, Kate has been declared dead and her husband Scott remarried Meredith. Abbi's only real recollections of her mom come from all the stories her dad shared with her. Then a phone call saying that Kate has been found in Montana with an infant turns everyone's world around.

Told from Kate's point of view in the past, and from Meredith and Abbi in the present time, this book brings up so many interesting topics - how does everyone now relate when Kate is back in the household? What secrets is everyone not sharing?

Kate Bennett went shopping and disappeared. Her keys, purse, groceries were found in her car still parked at the shopping mall. She left behind her husband, a young daughter, and a promising career.

Eleven years later showed up at a gas station, clutching an infant and screaming for help.

In the meantime her husband had her declared legally dead and has since remarried. Her daughter barely remembers her.

Problems begin when the former husband invites Kate to stay with him, his now-wife and daughter while she recuperates from the traumas she has suffered.

It seems like they all have secrets ... and some secrets are much more menacing than others.

The story premise is a good one, although I can't say it was highly suspenseful. It's more a mystery than a thriller. It's Kate's voice that leads the reader from the days that led up to her disappearance, what happened while she was gone, from them to now. It also tells the story of how the new wife accepts this woman into her home and the turmoil this causes.

As the family unravels, a series of shocking revelations shows that Kate’s return is more sinister than any of them could have imagined. The ending was somewhat predictable ... but the book is still well worth reading.

Many thanks to the author / Thomas & Mercer / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I wouldn’t say that this was a thriller as much as a domestic drama. Either way, the story kept me interested and engaged throughout.

This is about a woman, Kate, who suddenly returns to her family after being gone 10 years. Her husband is remarried and she has one daughter. The chapters move fast covering the points of view of Kate, her daughter Abbi, and the new wife Meredith.

I don’t want to give too much away but the circumstances of Kate’s disappearance are interesting and I was engaged throughout the book. Great story.

The writing is OK, except the constant changing of POV. It's not a thriller, however, as it will not give you any thrills. It will only make you sad about people's stupidity. Not entertaining at all.