Member Reviews

A suspenseful thriller about a mom who disappears and the daughter who keeps looking for her. Molly Clarke disappears when her car runs out of gas during a storm on a remote highway near a small town. It appears actually that she just walked away from her life because she is grieving the loss of her 9 yo daughter whom she killed accidently a few years prior. Her other daughter, Nicole, is looking for her in the same small town hoping for a clue or a lead or something to lead her to her mom. There are many twists in this story and I did not know what was going to happen until it happened at the very end...to me this is the sign of a great book! There are many different characters that Nicole is investigating a long with different clues from her mom's disappearance two weeks earlier. Everyone is suspect but as she draws closer to the trail, she starts ruling them out to find where her mom really is. Quick read! Suspenseful, intriguing mystery! Thanks to NG for the ARC!!!

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Wow! I really enjoyed this tense and disturbing thriller. I could not stop reading it and finished it in 2 sittings. If you enjoy psychological thrillers I highly recommend this!

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Molly just disappears one day on the way to watch her son’s football game. The car is found but there is no word of Molly. Molly has been depressed since she accidently ran over her nine-year-old daughter. Nic, her 21-year-old daughter, is desperate to find her mother. Told from the perspectives of Molly and Nic, the astute reader will probably understand what happened to Molly before it is revealed in the book. This does not make the book less enjoyable, tension continues to build until the end.

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I have binged all of Wendy Walker's books and her newest did not disappoint! She is an auto-read author and I always go into her books blind. This is such a good domestic suspense and highly recommend you pre-order a copy today!⁣

I was sucked in within the first chapter and binged this one in two sittings. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger and I loved the pacing, backstory, heart-pounding feeling, creepy vibes, and the need to see how this goes down! I don't want to give too much away but so much worked so well for me - the red herrings, the twists, and I loved how you are guessing right up to the end.⁣

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Did She Walk Away?

Five years ago Molly Clarke’s car struck and killed her five-year-old daughter. It was a tragic accident that affected the whole family. Molly tries to connect with her teenage son Ethan by going to his football games, but he makes it plain he doesn’t want her there. Her husband, John, is distant, and her daughter Nicole is out of control feeling guilty for her part in the accident.

On the way home from one of Ethan’s games, feeling rejected and lonely, she runs out of gas in a storm. Leaving her car near the gas station she starts to walk to the nearest town. A man in a pickup stops and offers her a ride. She accepts, but when the doors lock she make have made a terrible mistake.

The family looks for her, but when a note is found asking them not to try to find her the police and her family begin to think she walked away to start a new life. Then a woman comes forward with new information and Nicole goes back to the scene to investigate.

The premise of this story is interesting and the plot suspenseful. The problem is that it moves rather slowly. The story is narrated in alternate sections by Molly and Nicole. In Molly’s we learn what she’s experiencing. In Nicole’s sections the story focuses on her interactions with the townspeople primarily the sheriff, deputy sheriff, bartender and the hotel manager.

I enjoyed the book, but it does move slowly with a lot of emphasis on what the characters are thinking.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

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Molly Clarke is stranded on the side of the road when her car runs out of gas on a stormy night. A man and his daughter stop to pick her up with a promise to help. The doors lock and Molly quickly becomes aware that she may be in danger. When she doesn't return home, her family begins to search only to be told that Molly left a note stating that she was leaving the family and walking away to start a new life. But her daughter, Nicole, is not giving up the search.

This one has all the creepy vibes: a dark and stormy night, a small town with secrets, and some sketchy characters. Definitely a perfect book for the fall season. I really enjoyed the pace of the story and did not expect the ending. At one point, I realized nearly every character was suspect. A really great thriller read! Would definitely recommend.

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Title: Don’t Look for Me
Author: Wendy Walker
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5

One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life.

She doesn't want to be found.

Or at least, that's the story.

The car abandoned miles from home.

The note found at a nearby hotel.

The shattered family that couldn’t be put back together.

They called it a “walk away.”

It happens all the time.

Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over.

But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke?

This was not what I was expecting at all, and a little odd and creepy…in a good way, I suppose. Molly has been through the worst thing she can imagine, and her family has fallen apart ever since that fateful day. Some days she wants to walk away, but she’d never actually go through with it…or would she?

There are many layers in this novel, many twists and turns and false trails, but the reader always gets the sense that something else is going on. The author does an excellent job building the suspense and keeping the identity of the person involved hidden—and there’s a bit twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. This is not a small town I’d like to visit.

Wendy Walker is a bestselling author. Don’t Look for Me is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

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When Molly Clarke’s car is found abandoned on the side of the road, the search begins, but it seems she’s just walked away. Molly has every reason to run away from her life. Her youngest daughter is dead, her oldest daughter hates her, her middle child is away at boarding school, & her husband can’t be in the same room with her. Did Molly really walk away or did something else happen to her?

WOW! I really, really enjoyed this one. The story shifts between Molly’s & her daughter Nicole’s POVs. For me this really added to the atmosphere of the story. The story wasn’t easy to figure out and even when I thought I knew what was going to happen, there were more twists and surprises! This one gets 4.5 well deserved stars!

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Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of Don't Look For Me.

Molly Clarke and her family have been through a lot in recent years after her youngest is killed in a car accident the family begins to spiral out of control. One night after returning from her son's football game a massive storm strikes and Molly's car runs out of gas, she abandons the car and her phone and walks away from her life. At least that's the story every one is being told. Molly's eldest daughter Nicole has taken a self destructive path after the death of her sister drinking way too much and picking up random men in bars. Determined to find out where her mother went she returns to the small town where she was last seen to look for any clues as to why she left and where she went.

I was a fan of Wendy Walker's The Night Before so I was very excited to read her newest novel and it lives up to her previous work. She tells the story from the dueling perspectives of Molly and Nicole but still manages to keep a lot of plot points hidden. This is a good read for suspense fans looking for a good mystery.

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This amazing book is one of the best thrillers I have read this year. The book starts with a mother who is at her lowest... her marriage is falling apart, her two kids both act like they hate her and the grief of the lose of her youngest eats away at her. What starts as a night in a storm and excepting a ride turns into her worse nightmare. The story goes between mother and daughter and has so many twists I could put the book down.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book.

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Ms. Walker always delivers a fast paced story that leaves you hanging by the seat of your pants. The creep factor abides. The story moves along quickly. The ending leaves you a bit chilled. This one does not disappoint in any of those categories.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book.

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Prepare to be held captive by this top-notch psychological thriller about a wife and mother of three declared to be a 'walk away' (hence the book title) and her 21-year-old daughter determined to find her.

From their alternate points of view, mother and daughter take us readers into a neglected New England town filled with secretive characters and into their own heads filled with guilt; and we end up taking them into our hearts.

It's a riveting read, with gasp-out-loud twists and a hair-raising denouement.

A great book club choice, lending itself to discussion of various themes, from a good mother to loss and resilience. Vodka and tea optional

Bottom line: Author Wendy Walker's best yet! Highly recommend

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader copy!

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This is the first time in reading this author with I am so glad I came across the story. I do not think I have really read one quite like this one. The promise of suspense lured me but boy did it deliver. There has been people that have I have heard of with the walking away from disappearing for one reason or another. In this one the one who is questioned is Molly Clarke and what is really going on that keeps you in this. I like puzzles and mysteries which that this one brought to the table. It does make you dig in to find the answers to the questions that are brought up. The drama also keeps you in but slowly you inch forward in wonderment. Nicole will have us turning the pages digging into this as it unfolds until we get it all.

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I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

Although I have Wendy Walker's novels on my "to-read list," I have not had the pleasure of reading any until now. Why have I waited so long to read any of her work?

I could not put down her latest novel, Don't Look for Me. Told from two points of view, Molly Harper and her daughter Nic, we discover a family broken by tragedy, an accident from years ago. Molly is wracked with guilt and struggling to keep her family together. Nic, broken by guilt and anger, lashes out at Molly. Later Molly's car is found abandoned on the side of the road. The police think she walked away from her life. Nic refuses to believe her mom would leave them when they are all still recovering from tragedy. If she did not just walk away, then what happened to Molly?

Walker's brilliant writing leaves you unable to put the book down. She creates hard-to-forget characters. Often when an author includes numerous characters, they are flat. Walker's are fully formed, and her writing style leads you to suspect many outcomes.

I am sorry I waited so long to read Walker, but I am going to make up for time lost.

This review was published on Philomathinphila.com, on 9/15/20.

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I am not going to say too much about this book because I do not want to accidentally spoil anything. This was a well-written and engaging thriller. I loved the way the clues were slowly revealed and put together.

The story is told from dual perspectives, from the daughter as she searches for her mother and from the mother. So, you know immediately whether the mother walked away or not, but there is always more to find out and surprises in store. I'm not sure how I feel about the conclusion because it wasn't completely realistic, but it was unexpected and interesting.

This is definitely a book worth reading. I read most of it in one day and was not bored at all. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys a thriller with a bit of mystery. I'm so glad that I decided to take on the extra ARC. I will look for more of Wendy Walker's work in the future.

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I have never been in more suspense with a Wendy Walker novel! I freaking loved the build-up, the relationships, the family dynamics, and the piles and piles of secrets. I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend it.

This mystery is told from 2 perspectives, Molly and Nicole. There are so many things I want to say, but going in with minimal info is always best with this genre. If you enjoy mystery suspense and haven't tried a Wendy Walker novel, you won't regret it.

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Wow! This is high on the thrill list for me. I love when a book starts off right away with action and doesn’t waste time or give you the long version. It was so creepy and so plausible which I really really loved and the anxiety it induced inside me, I haven’t felt that since Whisper Man. I highly recommend this work of art to all thriller lovers!!

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Whoa! What a thrilling ride this read was! Molly has had a rough few years after a tragic accident left her and her family devastated. While driving home in a storm, Molly goes missing. Her husband and the police all believe she abandoned her family and doesn't want to be found, but her daughter, Nicole, doesn't believe that. After having a strained relationship with her mom, Nicole decides to put the investigation into her own hands.

Told in alternating narratives of Molly and Nicole, you are going to love the suspense this one has! I was suspicious of every character! I was on the edge of my seat many times throughout this story!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Wendy Walker gets better with each of her books, and Don't Look for Me was a heart pounding ride of a story. This will have you thinking you have it figured out, flipping back to previous chapters to check for clues, and when it finally clicks into place, not feeling like you've been tricked or misled but taken on a rollercoaster instead. This is also a multiple point of view story told really well, and I looked forward to both sides as I read. There are some very sad moments talking about the death of a child. As a whole it's an ominous, gripping story that is definitely the author's best yet.

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I just finished reading DON’T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker. Out today!

Synopsis from Amazon

They said she walked away. But what really happened to Molly Clarke?
From the bestselling author of All Is Not Forgotten comes a compelling and emotionally powerful story of a daughter's desperate search to find her mother before it's too late.

They called it a “walk away.” The car abandoned miles from home. The note found at a nearby hotel. The shattered family. It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to start over. But what really happened to Molly Clarke?

The night Molly disappeared began with a storm, running out of gas, and a man offering her a ride to safety. But when the doors lock shut, Molly begins to suspect she has made a terrible mistake.

A new lead brings Molly’s daughter, Nicole, back to the small, desolate town where her mother was last seen to renew the desperate search. The locals are sympathetic and eager to help. The innkeeper. The bartender. Even the police. Until secrets begin to reveal themselves and Nicole comes closer to the truth about that night—and the danger surrounding her.

Just Riveting!! I could not put it down. I loved the way things were revealed in this book. It was as if it were an onion, with multiple complicated layers.

This is my third #wendywalker book and I think just like wine she gets better with time. With this book she has officially become an auto-buy author for me. You have to read it!

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