This is a heart stopping story about an accident that happens in a family and the fallout of blame, self doubt and trying to keep moving on. The question remains after years of trying to get through the grief would Alice breakdown on a road between home and her sons school and walk away with out a trace?
Even though Nicole has been awful to her mother somewhere deep inside she does not think she would walk away. Nicole promises her brother Evan she will find their mother.
Nicole has a new lead and as a result finds herself in this small town looking for her mother. Where is she? Did she really leave a note saying not to look for her? Is it significant that her mother disappears is on the 5 yr anniversary of her little sister Molly?

The story is well woven together. Thank you Netgalley for complimentary copy. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wendy Walker is a master of the unexpected ...an accomplished and incredible versatile storyteller. This book had me captivated from page one and I needed this escape from reality right now.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

It is just absolutely heartbreaking what happened to this family. The characters were so well-done. I cared so much about each and every member of the Clarke family. Molly Clarke and her family are still reeling from the death of the youngest member of their family 5 years later. Of course they are.
How does one even cope with something so horrific? It is further complicated by blame and guilt. The family is broken. But are they beyond hope?

It probably felt that way the day that Molly walked in the rain contemplating walking away from it all. But would she really do that? Would she really walk away from her family?

This was one intense and emotional page-turner! I said in a recent review that I want characters in the books that I read, to break my heart over and over again... I'm a sadist that way. And that is EXACTLY what I got with this book! I got totally wrecked - mascara dripping, sniffling, but still speed flipping pages kind of ruined.

And can I tell you, when little Alice entered the story - as implausible as it would have been - I was sitting there thinking, it's Annie! She was somehow stolen from the scene or the hospital or... No, it wouldn't make sense, but I so badly wanted what had happened to them to be undone!

And THEN after all this turmoil, they must endure more! Would their MOTHER put this family through more??? What do you think? Are you a mother?

I related so much to the characters and loved them and let them break my heart while I tore through page after page of this wonderful suspenseful thriller.

Loved it.

MY RATING:
Characters: 5
Story: 4.5
Overall: 5 stars (technically 4.75 but come on that's ridiculous)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!!
Follow me & see more reviews @ www.mamaneedsabook.blogspot.com

Holy crap. 4am. That was the time I finished this pulsating book! If you need a major distraction with the world right now, this is it!

Molly Clarke is a mom who feels neglected and unloved. And when she disappears everyone seems to think she left on her own accord. But where did she go? That is the question her daughter Nic tries to answer by traveling to the place where her mom was last seen.

I honestly was hesitant to read this because I read another book by the author and wasn't too impressed. This had a few gripes(repetition) but it was far more twisty and turn then I expected and I didn't see the twist...or the next twist coming.

Not going to reveal any more about the plot because you need to go into it blind. Grab your favorite beverage and prepare not to get any sleep until you finish this one! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I've been in a reading slump lately but this book reminded me why I love thrillers so much. I was completely hooked from the very first page and I never lost that interest. This book is everything I love about thrillers and more. It is creepy. Very creepy. There was this sense of impending doom and dread that just kept growing and growing. The characters are creepy as heck (I'm looking at you Alice) and just so cleverly written. I've never read anything by Wendy Walker before, but after reading this, I will for sure be checking out her other books.

Going into this I hadn't read any reviews. I honestly didn't know much about the book and that worked in my favor. As I say for most of my reviews, it's best to go in blind for this one. I'm not even sure how I would go about explaining the plot because I don't want to give anything away. It's layered, complex, sad, and it's just an excellent book. The pacing never let up and I felt like the story was always moving forward. There are some twists which is to be expected, but this book doesn't rely on them. There isn't some promise of a huge, jaw dropping twist that only ends up being ridiculous. This book didn't need it and I'm pleased with how everything was revealed. I found myself trying to figure everything out, but I honestly couldn't. Also, everything made sense. In my opinion, there wasn't anything that happened that was thrown in just for shock value. This story is packed with tension and that sense of dread I mentioned earlier. I found myself holding my breath for some parts. I did want to briefly single out one character who I found to be the most compelling. Without giving anything away, I just want to say that Alice has to be one of the best written characters. She is complex, layered, and it was so interesting to read about her.

I always talk about endings because they make or break a book. This one is done perfectly. It's not thrown together or rushed. Honestly, this is one of my favorite books I've read so far this year. It brought me out of my reading slump. This is a multifaceted story with characters that are some of the best written ones I've read in awhile. I was creeped out until the last page (again, I'm looking at you Alice). I read this one in two nights because I was just that hooked. I 100% recommend this book if you are a fan of psychological thrillers or just thrillers in general. This has just the right stuff in it.

Many thanks to the St. Martin's Press team at NetGalley for the digital review copy!

I received this gifted copy of Don’t Look for Me in exchange for an honest review. #netgalley #partner

I enjoyed this fast paced psychological thriller. It was a classic case of who done it but with many interesting twists. Every time I thought I had it figured out, something would happen to make me change my mind. It’s was everything I look for in a well written thriller.

When Molly Clarke’s car breaks down on the side the road in the middle of a hurricane, she realizes how easy it would be to just walk away from it all. Walk away from her husband, who doesn’t love her, the daughter who hates her, the son who ignores her and of course the daughter she killed. But when a stranger and his young daughter stop to pick her up, she quickly realizes she doesn’t want to run away and takes the ride they offer. She soon realizes that this is a grave mistake that she is actually a prison who cannot escape. With eyes everywhere she has to take care of the little girl and plan he escape.
Nicole Clarke is troubled, burdened by the lose of her younger sister she takes up drinking and one night stands. But when her mother goes missing, everyone else thinks she walked away but Nicole knows her mother wouldn’t just walk away and leave her two surviving children. Nicole starts a search for her mother and begins uncovering secrets in the small town where her mother disappeared. Will she find her mother before it’s too late or will she become the next victim?

“Don’t Look for Me”—Wendy Walker [5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️] I’ve read other books from this author that I really enjoyed, and this one was no different. This was a fast-paced psychological thriller that gripped me right from the beginning all the way to the end. This book was full of suspense, twists and turns, and had you questioning every character. Molly Clarke’s family hasn’t been the same since the tragic accident of her daughter five years ago. On the way home from her son’s football game, a bad storm hits, Molly runs out of gas, and is stuck on the side of the road. A man and his young daughter stop to help her, she gets in the truck, and then she disappears. As the police investigate the incident, they make it seem that this is just another case of someone deciding to just abandon their family. Molly’s daughter Nicole is adamant that her mother would not just pick up and walk away from her, her brother, and father after all they’ve been through. Nicole starts to do her own investigation in the small town of Hastings but she doesn’t know who she can trust. Everyone she meets keeps sending mixed signals and is confusing her more and more as details keep getting revealed. Will Nicole find out the truth of what actually happened to her mother? This story shifts between the perspectives of Molly and Nicole and was so well-done to help us understand what’s going on. I highly recommend this book when it comes out in September if you’re a fan of a great psychological thriller 👍🏼 *Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review*

4 stars. A pretty quick, action packed read. Molly and her family experience an unimaginable loss that results in major changes within herself, her marriage, and her family dynamic. Molly disappears and now her family must determine if she left on her own accord or if she was taken. The story is told between alternative perspectives and speaks of the past and the present. It seems as though every small town has its secrets, and Hastings is no different. I loved the pacing of the story as well as how emotions were conveyed to the readers! Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

"Don’t Look for Me", introduces us to Molly Clarke a woman reeling from a tragic loss trying desperately to keep her family together. After the death of her 9 year old daughter five years before Molly is returning from her son Evan’s football game and there is a storm brewing outside as well as in the car. Molly has just been snubbed by her teen son after driving hours to his boarding school. Her twenty something daughter Nicole, once the golden child has slipped into a life of partying to numb her own pain. Molly fights with her daughter and is ignored by her husband and drowning in guilt. So when Molly’s car is found abandoned on the side of the road, and note reading the titled words, is found with her clothes in a hotel room, it’s not hard to imagine that maybe she decided to step away from her life. Her daughter Nicole is not ready to accept this. With a strange phone call barely two weeks after her mother’s disappearance she sets out to look for her.

Wendy Walker’s Novel grabs you and keeps you reading. Walker explores more than just the mystery of a missing woman but lives her absence affects. "Don’t look for Me" is every bit a thriller but with smart and realistic characters. This is a must read.

Thank you to #Netgalley and @StMartinsPress for an advanced copy of Don't Look For Me.

This is my second Wendy Walker book, having read The Night Before last year - which I loved. Don't Look For Me did not disappoint, another excellent thriller!!

Molly Clark is in a bad place emotionally. Her youngest daughter is dead, her husband has distanced himself from their relationship and her 2 older kids don't want anything to do with her. As she's driving home one stormy night she considers just disappearing, perhaps everyone would be happy again?

Well Molly disappears alright and her daughter, Nicole seems to be the only one still willing to look for her.
.
The story is told from both Molly and Nicole's perspectives and it was really fitting for this book. Great twists and turns kept me up late!!

Definitely recommend Don't Look For Me, comes out on September 15, pick it up as soon as you can!

THIS BOOK. How have I never read a book by Wendy Walker before? I have The Night Before on my shelf and I think it'll have to be one of my next reads because I absolutely loved Don't Look for Me.

This book was so creepy. Reading it at night had me on high alert and because of the alternating perspectives, I had to keep reading more to end on a lesser-creepy note (didn't work out very well.. I finished this book in TWO sittings).

Don't Look for Me opens up in Hastings - a small, creepy town that if you don't have to stop in, you won't and if you have to, hopefully it's only for gas. When Molly Clarke is traveling back from her sons college football game, there's a bad storm and she runs out of gas. Unfortunately, the gas station is boarded up and so is the closest inn. When she's walking to try to find someone, she's approached on the side of the road by a man and a young girl, Alice. She gets into the truck with them for shelter with the promise of being taken back into town the next day but Molly quickly realizes that she's never leaving that house again...

Molly left behind a husband and 2 children. Her family and the police believe that Molly got sick of her life and just up and left it all behind, but her one daughter, Nic isn't so convinced that her mom would leave them all behind. Nic sets out to try to find her mom which takes her back to Hastings, where she uncovers small town secrets that run decades back.

This is one of the best thrillers I've ever read. Twists and turns that had me guessing until the very end and the creepy factor was HIGH on this one. I think this will be one of the best thrillers of 2020 so you should definitely try to get your hands on it once it's out (or early if you can!)

Thank you to St. Martins Press, Wendy Walker, and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another hit from Wendy Walker! She is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This book is fast paced and kept me reading late into the night.

The only way to start this review is WOW! Wendy Walker has a vivid imagination and there were times I cringed at what the characters were doing. This is not a straight forward story but eventually all the separate story arcs merge into one bombshell of a conclusion I'm still trying to accept. Some characters were just too slippery to get what should have been coming to them. The characters were skillfully crafted to be completely believable, some in their goodness others in their manipulative meanness. The overall story was cleverly written to reveal only some of what was going on without revealing the full reality until the plots were close to the final reveal. This was definitely a five star read for me.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from the author and St Martin's Press through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
#Don'tLookForMe #NetGalley

You are in for an emotionally compelling psychological thriller if you read this latest book by Wendy Walker. Why did Molly Clarke "walk away" from her husband and family? But did she? Her car was found abandoned and a note was found at a motel. When the search is called off her daughter Nicole is determined to find her - her mixed emotions of rage and grief add to the suspense as she finds clues that lead her into dangerous territory. This is a brilliantly written suspense with intense character development that give a striking observation between mothers and daughters and would be daughters, their shifting personalities and how they are connected. You won't be able to put this book down till the very last page - and then you will still be thinking about it - I am! I loved this book Wendy Walker - it is your best one yet!

If this is one of the first thriller reviews you've read from me, please note that I have a tendency to be much more critical of this genre than any other.

The premise behind this multiple POV thriller is pretty heavy. On the fifth anniversary of her nine-year old daughter's accidental death, Molly Clarke has disappeared and clues left behind lead everyone to believe that she walked away from her life willingly. Told from the perspectives of Molly Clarke and her surviving daughter Nicole (Nic), Don't Look for Me is a fast paced thriller that is told chronologically out of order over the period of a few weeks. When Nic returns to the last place Molly was seen to continue the search for her mother, she finds there are more layers to the mystery than she could have imagined. Not only was this a wonderful thriller, but it was also a hard dive into the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, and the darkest places one can go when facing guilt and grief.

This was my second book from Wendy Walker that I have had the chance to read and while I was not a huge fan of her previous release, The Night Before, I truly found myself completely engrossed from page one of this one. This was only the third book this year that has literally kept me up all night reading. As I mentioned, I am a fairly harsh critic, and this one came so close to being above my usual 4.5 max thriller score!

All in all it was a fast paced, well developed plot, but I found certain aspects of the ending twists to be unnecessary to the overall story, so I am giving this one a 4.027 out of 5.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the early access to this book in exchange for my honest feedback and review!

A gripping, edge of your seat thriller that will leave you hanging and biting your nails as you read this chilling and addictive novel. A wild roller-coaster ride of a novel that you will absolutely love!

Molly Clarke is married with children. Something happened a few years ago that tore their family apart and they all haven't been the same since. They are struggling to keep their family together, and so when Molly goes missing one day and cannot be found she has been considered to have just walked away form her life and family. I mean it happens all the time, right? People walk away from their life to start over, not wanting to be found. Is this the case or has something more chilling and sinister happened?

I loved reading through the chilling and dark chapters and learning what exactly was going on and what happened. This novel is chilling, suspenseful, addictive, amazing and edge-of-your-seat thrilling! I loved flying through the chapters and not everyone is truly who they appear to be.. I was shocked a few times especially with one major twist that I did NOT see coming at all, and I LOVED that!! And that ending, wow! Way to go Wendy, this novel is seriously amazing!!

I cannot say enough good things about this amazingly written novel. Wendy Walker has done it again with another magnificent novel. Be sure to add this bit hit to your TBR now, you will love it!!

Thanks St. Martin’s Press & Netgalley for providing me a copy of Don’t Look for Me by Wendy Walker.

Out September 15th!

In Wendy Walker's thrilling novel Don't Look for Me, the greatest risk isn’t running away. It’s running out of time.

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?

Wild, crazy, and intense. Excellent thriller, excellent story. Intense and worth the read to the last page. A lot of twists and turns!

I loooooved Wendy Walker's book, The Night Before, which I flew last year so was thrilled to receive an advance copy of this book. Don't Look for Me is a fast-paced thriller that kept me guessing through the entire book and had a few twists at the end I absolutely did not see coming. This one met all of my expectations. I highly recommend for fans of psychological thrillers.

Thanks Netgalley and Atria for the advance copy! #partner

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Don't Look for Me.

I've read previous books by this author so I was intrigued to see what Don't Look for Me was about.

Molly Clarke is a woman in dire straits on the night she disappears. Still mourning the loss of her youngest daughter, she and her husband have grown estranged, and she faces nothing but scorn from her two remaining children.

When the case is closed after it is believed Molly left of her own accord, her eldest daughter, Nic, resumes the investigation when a witness reveals she saw Nic's mother the night she disappeared. And she wasn't alone.

As Nic fights her internal demons, she struggles with the guilt she has borne over her part in the loss of her sister, and resolves to find her mother, dead or alive.

I wasn't a fan of Nic, but I did end up rooting for Molly more than I expected to.

She was tough, determined and fighting to survive, despite her sorrow over the accident that took her daughter.

I don't mind flawed characters, but Nic sounded too much like similar 'heroines' I've read about; beautiful but self medicating with booze and men, her life is a shambles but she manages to figure out where her mother is.

There are plenty of cliches here; the hunky cop Nic falls for (natch), the small town where secrets and lies fester; also, let's not forget how beautiful Nic is, this fact is mentioned more than once.

There are scenes a bit hard to suspend disbelief for, but for the sake of the story, because I wanted to see how Molly would free herself, I was willing to suspend disbelief a bit longer.

There was a final twist I didn't see coming, and yes, though it may be hard to believe, I was willing to accept it because I didn't see it coming and I love when an author can surprise me. It rarely happens.

What did I just read? The plot so well drawn out.

The characters are so easy to see- the mom next door, her husband and kids all with subtle issues we all tend not display, but know are there. Old wounds that they are all struggling to deal with years later.
When mom, Molly Clarke, vanishes - her daughter, Nicole, can’t accept that she ran away from her problems and her family.

What Nicole finds when she returns to the small town of Hastings is hopeful to finding her mother. What she actually finds will make you turn the pages so quickly in awe.