On Goodreads, I make it a point to look at, review, or fully embrace and read texts that not only hold my attention but give me a sense of having connected to not only the narrative but to the author and his or her intent with the novel. Unfortunately this novel read like so many on the market, and within the first 40 pages or so, I know it only knew the two possible directions of the narrative, but could predict conversations, pacing, and the ending. While I realize that not every murder mystery or kidnapping domestic women's fiction narrative is an Agatha Christie novel, based on the blurb, I had hoped for an experience of reading that had a little more depth than this. Unfortunately I can't recommend this book. At all.

This book was quite the wild ride! Molly Clarke is a mother of three who is grieving the loss of one of her children. As is to be expected her family's life has not been the same. One night, she begins driving and wonders what it would be like to leave her old life behind. She "disappears" but the news and police simply write it off as a woman who wanted to leave it all behind. Her daughter, Nicole aka Nic, doesn't believe it. She knows her mom well enough to know that she would never walk away from her entire life. So that leaves that question: What really happened to Molly Clarke? Once I started reading this put, I simply did not want to put it down. I felt like it was so intense from the very first page until the very last page. This was such a great thriller! I have been feeling a little burned out on thrillers lately, but this one was refreshing and unique. Wendy Walker is such a great author. Side note: If you are looking for other books of hers to read, I would suggest starting with Emma in the Night. There was a great cast of characters including Mick, Alice, Daisy, Reyes, Booth, Watkins, Nic, and of course, Molly. As Nic gets closer and closer to finding her mom and what really happened to her, Molly gets closer and closer to danger. I don't want to give too much about this amazing story away, but I loved everything about it. I will definitely be recommending it to everyone! Thank you to St. Martin's for not only an e-copy, but also a physical galley. I will be posting my review on my bookstagram page @readingmama_reviews before its September 15 publishing date.

Molly Clarke is plagued with guilt, grief and heartache after the death of her youngest child. It was all an accident, she didn't mean to hit and kill her daughter with her car. Sadness, resentment and pain has torn her family apart. She goes through the daily motions of maintaining a family. She tries her hardest to continue on for her husband, son and daughter. Molly Clarke is not sure if she can continue the charade...

On her way back from watching her son's football game Molly goes missing. It appears she just vanished in the middle of a storm. Her last known whereabouts are in a very small town on her route home. The family and police spent time searching for her, even hiring a private investigator, but nothing comes from it. The conclusion is that Molly walked away from her life and simply doesn't want to be found.

Nicole, Molly's oldest daughter, refuses to give up the search. She herself is wracked with guilt and grief over her sister's death. She has flunked out of college and turned into an alcoholic. She receives a phone call with a tip about her mother's disappearance and returns to the small town to follow up the clue, despite resistance from her father and small town police.

Meanwhile, readers get another point of view... Molly herself. Out of gas with a storm bearing down, a nice stranger and his daughter help her out. But everything isn't as it seems...

This book was very engaging and I loved the twist and turns that filled each chapter. Every character seemed well written and I liked the alternating points of views. The ending left me shocked and stunned! Not predicable in any way!

This was the second book I've read by Wendy Walker. Emma In The Night I read, loved and reviewed 3 years ago. Walker is a master at setting scenes, growing characters and adding suspense!

This was a 5 star read for me. I loved every single page.

"Don't Look For Me" is set to be released here in the U.S. on September 15, 2020. Pre-order now! Between fall weather arriving soon and the worldwide COVID-19 epidemic, you will need a good book to stay home and read!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an eARC to read and give my honest review.

Happy Reading!

Synopsis: One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life and her family. At least, that’s what the police assume after finding her abandoned car and a note at a nearby hotel. Nicole, Molly’s daughter, doesn’t buy it and won’t leave town until she figures out what really wanted to her mother on that night.

i stayed up waaaaay past my bedtime and bit my nails to their nubs reading this thriller. Definitely one of those stories that you hate because it's so scary and realistic but love at the same time because you can’t put it down. i also felt this was different than most thrillers in a super refreshing way, without a lot of the typical tropes and easy-to-guess plot points. i loved how put together the story was, in terms of character development, background, and how everything came together in the end. there were so many times when I swore I knew what the twist was going to be or how it was going to end, only to be fooled once again and find my jaw on the ground in surprise and suspense

This book kept me turning page after page and sucked me in. I got so invested in this story. I love a good mystery/thriller but hate when I can figure out who it was. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I feel a bit proud when I can but then I feel the author could have made the story line a bit trickier. The author here did just that. This book kept me guessing from start to pretty much finish. I couldn’t figure it out and was impressed with the story line. Highly recommend you check this book out!

Wow!!!! Talk about intense!! This is my third experience with this author and by far my best. I’m not even really sure how to review this book as I believe it’s best gone in blind. I love that Walker gave us such flawed characters to root for. An unspeakable devastation and an impossible situation drives the plot and drives it in a gripping and addictive way. I’m just blown away! Don’t miss out!

My first book by this author. Definitely kept me interested. Well developed characters, who all were quite messed up. Not usually a fan of a dysfunctional family, but with the psychological thriller aspect to the book, it kept me interested. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I have conflicted thoughts on Don't Look For Me.

I did enjoy the pacing of the novel; Walker drops you into the action right from page one and amps up the tension on every page after that. The situation, at the beginning, was entirely realistic as where Molly's thoughts. I appreciate how dark and deep this was. All of the characters are dealing with loss and trauma in some ways and the way they cope with that takes many different forms. The writing was witty, sharp, and overall enjoyable. Molly and Nic were both headstrong women that I loved rooting for. On top of that, they were smart. Molly did what she could to save her daughter, using her background as a science teacher to help her try and escape. Neither was a damsel in distress waiting to be saved.

I did feel like there was too much internal monologue that got repetitive. At first it did aid to the character building of the characters but after a while, it wasn't necessary. I did like how the ending connected a lot of the lore of Hastings from the last 10 years so we could get answers to that. But part of the ending just didn't sit right with me. I appreciate a good twist but this seemed to be out of left field to me.

4.5/5

A parent’s absolute worst nightmare comes true when a total fluke accident ends in tragedy. On her way home one night, Molly rounds the blind corner to her driveway just as her nine year old daughter races out to catch the ice cream truck. Annie is struck and killed by her own mother’s car.

Five years later and the family still hasn’t recovered. John, subconsciously blaming his wife for the accident has fallen out of love with her. Her middle child and only son, Evan, has disappeared off to school, seeking the positive affirmation that he’s enough from the football field. Nicole, her eldest, was expelled from high school and has fallen into a never ending merry go round of alcohol and strange men.

Molly is riddled with guilt. Though every investigation confirms she did everything right and the accident was truly that, how can she ever forgive herself? Not only has she lost her daughter, but the death is on her conscience and has pushed the rest of her family away.

After visiting Evan’s school for a football game, Molly gets stuck in an oncoming hurricane without gas. The day has been a total nightmare - from Nicole reminding her that Annie’s death is her fault to Evan outright ignoring her at the game, it feels like nothing can go right. Taking to the street to find shelter, Molly is relieved when a man with his daughter picks her up and brings her back to his house to wait out the storm.

But Molly’s anxiety radar is on high alert, particularly when the man refuses to bring her back to town the next day and his daughter, Alice, seems to know a bit too much about her. When confronted, the man traps Molly in a barred room, keeping her captive and forcing her to spend time with Alice for extended periods of time.

It’s clear Alice knows no other life and as Molly slowly gains her trust and peppers her for information, Molly suspects she isn’t the first woman who has been held captive here. Conspiring against her captor appears futile and when her daughter returns to the town on a new lead, Molly begins to worry that if she fails at becoming Alice’s “second mommy,” her daughter may be the new target.

This novel kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough! There were enough red herrings to keep me guessing but the pieces played out perfectly. The character development was really well done and the tragedy the Clarke family experienced was heartbreaking. I can’t recommend this one enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this novel.

This book was just okay. I did not care for thriller trope this book follows. The synopsis was very vague and that was what made me pick up this book. However, I can not stand this trope. I nearly did not finish this book. The ending was surprising and had a twist I did not see coming but I did not enjoy the story overall. I would give this three stars for the ending but I almost did not make to the end.

This was a quick read, but it still took me a while to get into it. I had a hard time connecting with both of the main characters. Some of the plot points just seemed disjointed as the reader, and the details revealed felt a little bit random. It was pretty obvious to me who the culprit was, but I will say that the "big twist" at the end I did not see coming. That did finally wrap up some of the previous plot points, but I still felt unsettled that everything was too neat and tidy. It didn't seem realistic enough.

Overall I liked this book much better by the end, and it was a solid 3.5 star read for me, but it wasn't my favorite from Wendy Walker.

My goodness. What a story line! It sucked me on from the very beginning. This train wreck of a cast of characters was a bit far fetched at times, but I loved every single hot mess story of their lives!

Loved it!! Enjoyed the characters, story and writing style. I was suspicious of everyone in the small town of Hastings, including Molly's husband. I pretty much thought everyone was guilty. Molly was my favorite character, although she must not watch Dateline or any of the other murder shows on the ID Channel. NEVER get into a stranger's car or you will either end up killed, locked in a basement or something equally as horrible. I felt bad for her. She had so much guilt for what happened to her youngest child. Plus her husband, son and daughter seem to blame her non stop. Nic was extremely hard to like in the beginning. The stuff she said to her mother was inexcusable. There were so many twists and turns. I never figured out the true identity of Mick until Molly did. I hate to say this but I found Alice extremely annoying. I'm not sure how Molly lasted so long being around Alice and playing games. At times Alice was purposely cruel. I guess it's understandable in the environment she grew up in. I loved the book but the ending wasn't my favorite. The part that I didn't care for was Mick's accomplice. I was definitely shocked and never saw that coming. That person seemed even worse than Mick. There are some crazy people out there.

Definitely recommend it. A great mystery/thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have not read Wendy Walker before, but oh does she write a good thriller! The pacing of the novel was excellent and you really felt the emotion from the characters. She did a great job of weaving past, present and mother and daughter's stories together. This kept me on the edge of my seat and parts I couldn't read at night. It will keep you guessing, highly recommend it. If this is any indication of her talent, I will be checking out all of Ms. Walker's books!

I could not stop reading this book!!! What a fresh, creepy, mind blowing, twisty thriller!! It seems that Molly, who has had her share of tragedy recently, has chosen to walk away from her life. She even left a note behind, asking her family to not look for her. Suspicions arise especially with her daughter, Nic, who is determined to find out the truth. Enter in a cast of interesting characters and a "missing" housewife who finds herself in a very unique situation. Every time I thought I had things in this book figured out, I was wrong! That made is so thrilling and enjoyable. A super solid thriller that I am sure will do well this year. Thank you for the ARC!

This book is a psychological thriller/suspense that keeps you guessing. All the pieces don't come together until the end and their were many twists and turns I didn't expect. This is a quick read that will keep you going! I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for a copy and my honest review.

Molly has been ridden with guilt for 5 years. She knows her husband doesn’t love her anymore, he’s probably having an affair. Her oldest daughter Nic is on a self-destruction course, blames Molly for their family’s grief and her son Evan is embarrassed to be seen with her. One night driving home through a major storm, she runs out of gas. She thinks, what if I just disappear? They’ll never miss me. They’ll be glad I’m gone. And just like that she’s gone... Nic is determined to find her mom. Her dad wants to give it up and come home. But Nic doesn’t believe she would just leave them... but She thinks back to that morning she disappeared. She said some horrible things, would she leave? Nic goes back and starts to piece things together.

I really enjoyed this book. I recommend this book.

Don’t Look for Me gave me the creeps- in a good way! I totally bought into the storyline and could not wait to see how it played out. Although I saw some twists coming, others caught me by surprise. I loved the alternating narrators so I could follow the hunt but also know where the hunted was located. Very well done and I cannot wait time read more from this author.

This had the makings of a great book but it fell short of its goals.

Molly's POV is an interesting one,I found myself skimming the parts with her daughter,but it feels like something is missing.
I like the idea of this novel more than the execution.I will suggest going in with as little info as possible.
This isn't a bad novel just a lackluster one.


I received a copy through Netgalley.

Creeptastic characters filled with mega tension! My first by this author but not my last. Yikes, she can really keep you guessing.