Wow! The storyline of this book, it drew me in from the first chapter. I liked the way the book was told from different times and perspectives. I didn’t connect with any of the characters, but that didn’t make me want to put this book down. I was hoping for more from the ending, I didn’t feel like everything was wrapped up and there were still questions left unanswered, but overall I’d give this a solid 3.5 stars.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Erin had a daughter when she was 15. She has never told her husband or their 2 kids. Now the daughter had found her and is threatening to tell her family and ruin the life she has built.

3.5 stars.

Really there wasn't much to this book. I had sniffed out the one big twist well before it was revealed. It was really just a lot of family drama. I gave it an extra half star because I think Jess Ryder is a very capable writer but this book was just ok for me.

This novel started of so well and had me interested from the first chapter but it hit around 25-30% and just seemed to lose it.

I found the characters a bit lack lustre and completely unrelatable which for me impacted the whole book.

It felt like a whole load of topics had been squeezed into one story.. blackmail, adoption, family issues, mental health, kidnap, attempted murder... just way too many in one book.

It just didnt do it for me unfortunately.

1.5*

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Erin had a good family, a good education two great friends and everything was going well for her.
That is until she meets Dean who introduces her to drugs, drinks and cigarettes.
Erin got pregnant and gave her baby away.
In later years she married Tom and he said they should have no secrets between them, Erin never told Tom about her secret baby, they got married had two children, and then what Erin feared happened her
Baby now grown up came to find her.
I enjoyed this story very much, thank you netgalley for the opportunity to give you my honest opinion of this book.

Wow, wow, wow!!!!! This book had me hooked line sinker from the very start. This is the first book I read by Jess Ryder and she sure did not disappoint. It is a stand alone novel and not part of a series.

This book was about a mother who was young and naive who had to give up something she loved with all her heart. Erin made many mistakes but there was one big one that she had been paying for since she was fourteen. As she got older and tried to forget what happened the past came knocking on her door on her fortieth birthday. As Erin found out secrets don’t stay that way forever.

I want to start off by saying that I loved the storyline of this book. Nothing gets me more than when something from your past catches up to you. This book shows that you can not run from your past mistakes and must own up to them or they will haunt you forever. I also loved the growth that Erin had by the end of the book. She finally tried to right the wrong that she did so many years ago so she can move forward in life. This book was very fast paced and had so many twists and turns. I did not see that shocking ending coming at all. What I had thought in my head was totally wrong and I loved that. That ending is going to take me a while to get over. I am definitely going to be reading many more of Jess Ryder’s books.


Between the plot, characters and all the twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Wow!! I just loved this book and could not put it down. Wonderfully developed characters that were so easy to love and others made me want to pull my hair out.
Such an unusual domestic thriller. Story lines and relationships were intricately woven together for the ultimate family tale.
Wondering who was trustworthy did not always match up with who I wanted to trust!
This novel was so well done. I could identify very closely with several characters.
I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the second book I have read by Jess Ryder and I loved this one more than the first.

This one, although having its similarities to The Dream House, that I previously read, feels different. It still uses a lot of back story but I also felt that there were alot more secrets and twists woven into these backstories.

I really enjoyed that the author was able to create a web of lies and deceit for everything that was happening, but through them backstories and the dual narratives, she was able to weave just enough clues and enough information to keep you guessing and keep me hooked on the story to find out the outcome and how everything was going to revealed.

I really enjoyed this book and will be looking out for more by Jess in the future.

I have read one of Jess Ryders novels previously and thoroughly enjoyed it so when I saw this one on NetGalley I requested it straight away. The storyline opens with several thrilling chapters that pulled me straight in to the storyline which kept pace throughout.

I find the authors writing style captivating with many threads of suspicion running through the story. I find this to be one of the most appealing features of her novels.

The characters were well formed and could relate to Erin. Great characters, some I loathed but most I loved. Another great novel with twists I missed!

What a great book! The depth you are invested into these characters is unreal and grabs at all your emotions. 10/10 to infinity and beyond.

Erin is celebrating her 40th birthday when she finds a card on her doorstep wishing her a happy birthday from 'the girl you gave away'. Jade is that girl and she spends her days working in a charity shop. The problem for Erin, who has two teenage children and a husband who abhors liars, is that she has never told him about this child she was forced into adopting as she was only 15 years old when she had her.
For anyone who is part of the adoption triangle, that is relinquishing mother, adoptee or adoptive parent, this situation is actually handled quite sensitively from all points of view. Although Jade appears a loose cannon, in actual fact she has a good reason for appearing a blight on Erin's life. I am part of the adoption triangle and this story brought to my attention an issue that I have never heard discussed in regard to adopting a child so congrats to Ryder for bringing this issue to attention. Indeed it may go some way to explaining why those children who are adopted are so over-represented in the prison system, the mental health system and suicide statistics. As a bonus it's well-written.

I enjoyed this insightful novel very much. The storyline flows at a great pace, and the characters are well fleshed out. Highly recommended!

Release Date: 20 March 2020
Publisher: Bookouture

Erin is celebrating her fourtieth birthday. Happily married, with two teenage children and professionally successful with her own business, life is generally good.
That is until the day of Erin's fortieth birthday party when a little red envelope lands on the doormat, inside, a card from her daughter Jade. The daughter she got pregnant with at the age of fourteen and gave up for adoption. A secret she has kept to herself for 25 years.

Why is Jade suddenly getting in contact now? Does she want a relationship with her birth mum Erin or does she have some other ulterior motive? How is Erin going to explain this to her husband and children?

The story alternates between past and present from both Erin and Jade's point of view creating a complimenting story line to each other and giving a great understanding of how the past influences the present.

This was a suspenseful story that kept me wanting to read to find out what was going on! Full of twists and turns, blackmail, kidnapping and attempted murder that kept me intrigued about how this was going to end!

Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture and Jess Ryder for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2020 has had me in such a reading slump. I whipped through this book though and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I will say the plot twist was pretty obvious but still intriguing. I did find the ending less than satisfying.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I would say this book is a 3 star rating. I didn’t love it but didn’t hate it. It definitely had done good twists and turns however I felt it was a bit disjointed. The ending was a tad disappointing. However still a fun read.

I like the story this book told. Secrets from the past have a way of coming back to haunt you. It was well told and the characters were very relatable. However I did find the story dragged on a little and could have been a little more streamlined.
Overall it was a good read, a good story. Not really an edge of your seat suspenseful story but a solid good to read book.

The Girl You Gave Away by Jess Ryder
Publisher: Bookouture
Publish Date: March 20, 2020

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bookouture for the ebook ARC of The Girl You Gave Away by Jess Ryder in exchange for an honest review.

It’s Erin’s 40th birthday party, she is surrounded by love and laughter and feels like she is the luckies woman alive.

And then a little red envelope lands on her doormat and everything changes.
Inside is a birthday card from somebody she never dreamed would get in touch. It’s message is a chilling reminder of the dark past that Erin worked so hard to bury, a past that could put her family in terrible danger.

I give this book a rating of 4 stars. The book was kind of slow to start but kept me wanting to read. A lot of unexpected twists and turns and I never knew what was going to happen.

#TheGirlYouGaveAway #NetGalley

On the day of Erin’s 40th birthday, she is shocked to receive a birthday card from the daughter she gave up for adoption.
As she tries to come to terms with how to tell her family, she is forced to keep her secrets hidden or risk losing her husband. As things spiral out of control, Erin discovers there is more at risk than just her marriage.
Overall good read. I felt indifferently about the new ending, but still enjoyed the book overall.

*I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

As a young teenager, Erin felt stifled by her strict parents. Looking for adventure, the inexperienced Erin rebelled hard and fast. Falling into a bad crowd and making some terrible decisions, Erin is desolate when she finds out she is pregnant. Her bad-news boyfriend disappears, and she is alone. Regarded by her prim and proper parents with contempt, Erin is forced to give the baby up for adoption.

Erin eventually turns her life around and…flash forward to her 40th birthday party, she feels sublimely at peace with her life. Everything is rosy. Until it turns Jade.

Her past comes back around like a fast-flying boomerang. Jade, the baby girl Erin gave away, suddenly wants to have a relationship with her birth mother.

Erin has never told her husband about the baby she gave up and she knows his reaction will be far from accepting. And how will her children accept the shocking revelation? Erin gets caught up in lie after lie, until circumstances turn ugly.

The Girl You Gave Away is an exciting read. The storyline is full of plot twists and turns, to the thrilling end. I read both endings and admit to preferring the one without the epilogue. The original ending left the reader suspended mid-thought, imagining the many different ways it could have gone.

I highly recommend The Girl You Gave Away.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for Jess Ryder’s read of, The Girl You Gave Away.

Opinions expressed in my reviews are my own.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for this ARC.

I have never read anything by this author and I enjoyed reading it.
I have a hard time saying it was a thriller tho. I was very Into the book at first and than felt like it dulled out as the book went on.

This was a suspenseful story where I thought I had part of it figured out, only to find out I was wrong at the end. Author Jess Ryder does a great job fleshing out the characters, and is very descriptive. I would recommend this book.

NOTE: If you read this book from NetGalley, the new epilogue is better than the first. I would recommend downloading the new version before the book is archived.

Thank you to Jess Ryder, Bookouture, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.