Member Reviews
This was a very scary story for me, even before all of the action started. From the minute Rebecca feels like someone is following her, I was reminded of the movie "Wait Until Dark", as Bec was also blind. It leaves the reader feeling quite helpless throughout, as she navigates the streets, public transportation, etc. Your heart will hurt for her, as you learn of her recent losses, like her husband (before the birth of her baby) and her mother. Bad luck seems to be following her.
The gist of the story is that one day Rebecca goes into the nursery to pick up her crying baby and discovered that it is not HER baby. Of course, no one believes her since she is blind. What puzzles me is that when all was said and done, and the book was finished, all the experiences of someone being in her house, following her, etc, were never explained. I hope this isn't a spoiler!
That said, I really enjoyed the book and want to look for more by Rea Frey!
I received this ARC from Netgalley for my honest opinion.
What would you do if the had been a great musician and then lost your sight? What would you do if you lost your husband to an accident when you were 3 months pregnant? What would you do if your mother, who was the caregiver/helper died as well and you were alone raising a 3 month old alone? What would you do if you were the only one you could count on? What would you do if someone swapped babies with you but no one believed you? ,
This book was a bit “out there” but once the story develops it was worth the read. It does make you stop and think and be thankful for your good fortune, because there are people that have it harder than you.
Until I Find you by Rea Frey Reviewed Aril 23, 2020 3 + rounded up
A reviewer said “Be sure you have your tissues ready”. This is a good warning!
There is no doubt; this is a very sad situation and yes an emotional ride.
Note: I have had serious eye problems and have had corneal transplants in both eyes. I wear
Contact lenses and really cannot function without them… I just wasn’t sure that this was going to work for me
Rebecca (Bec) Gray is a visual impaired new mom whose husband died recently. She wants to prove to everyone that she can be a good mom and can take care of her infant son. She does have a good support system, however, there is no doubt it is difficult.
She has been having feeling of being watched but when she reports it. There nothing to be found, everyone thinks she has left the door unlocked, in another case, she surely closed the baby’s room door and didn’t leave it opened. This feeling continue, one day while taking the baby for a walk in the park accompanied by a friend, Bec has a faintly spell. She is fine and her friend tends to the baby and takes her home. Later at home when the baby is fussy and Bec goes to pick him up to comfort him, immediately believes that the baby isn’t her infant Jackson but another infant; who according to others looks like Jackson.
Twists and turns that will throw off most psychological thriller fans.
I ended up liking this more than I thought I would.
Additionally I enjoyed reading [author: Rea Frey] thought on this subject in her “Acknowledgements” (BTW: I always read and typically enjoy reading this section of a novel ~ I feel it definitely gives us readers the inside info.)
There is no doubt Ms. Frey did a lot of research on the subject of visually impaired.
She makes the comment “A protagonist with a disability isn’t something we see in “thrillers ~ very often”.
This is only my second novel by Ms. Frey. The other novel [book: Not Her Daughter] also dealt with kidnapping a child. I am wondering why that is something on her mind????
Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this early release granted in exchange for an honest review. Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 11, 2020
I received a copy of UNTIL I FIND YOU on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.
Five stars and here’s why:
I love it. I was so engrossed in what was happening and was pulling for Bec the whole time that it kept me up all night reading. I suffered a serious book hangover! If you like excellent writing with several twists and turns that you won’t see coming, then this story is for you. Highly recommend.
The story of Bec, who believes her baby has been swapped for a different one is domestic suspense at it’s best. Amazingly easy to identify with Bec, and the challenges and fears she faces, with diminished sight. There were some convenient situations in the story line, but it didn’t interfere in the least with an extremely readable book. Not my normal genre. So glad I was selected to receive a copy of this book.
When I read the synopsis I didn't think I would like this because it seemed way too far fetched. What a pleasant surprise. This was excellent! Emotional and well written. Kept me guessing until the end.
Wow! One of my new favorites! I did read this one as fast as I could because I needed answers. This author never disappoints! Thank you very much!!
This was a quick easy read and I know it received some great reviews but this book just didn’t have any wow factor to it. Maybe for me is was the storyline itself. Typical kidnapping type scenario that at times just didn’t seem plausible and dragged a bit. Thank you netgalley for letting me give an honest review of this book
Rea Frey has quickly become my favorite author. I have now read all of her books and they are quick and exhilarating reads.
4.5/5 A domestic thriller that shows how much you can really love your child. I loved this fast-paced drama. It detailed how a mother who is blind can truly know who is her child and who isn't. I loved this ride. I loved the two points of views and the voices given to each mother. A Great book that I highly recommend. Thank you to #netgalley and St. Martin's for my review copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Until I Find You.
Rebecca Gray is a new mom struggling to cope with the death of her husband and her mother in the past year. She has decided to move into her mother's suburban home looking for a quieter life. Learning how to be a single mother has been hard enough but her degenerative eye disease has left her almost completely blind, oh and she gets the feeling that someone is following her. When she awakens from a chaotic fainting spell with a group of her mom friends her worst nightmare comes true, something has happened to her son, Jackson. The baby in her arms is perfectly healthy with one slight change...he's not Jackson.
I have read two of Rea Frey's other work and have enjoyed them a lot so I was very excited to get an early copy of her latest work. Her thrillers have twisty plot twists and a array of characters that you're never quite sure who to trust. Her portrayal of Rebecca's blindness and how it impacts her search for her son is very intense and builds an added layer of suspense to the story. I would recommend this one!
This was an excellent book that kept me hooked from start to finish.
What would you do if you reached into your child’s crib and the child you picked up wasn’t yours?
What would you do if no one believed you?
What if you were also blind,alone,and had no proof other than the scent of your child in your nose.
This is the reality Rebecca is facing.
What would you do?
Rebecca would do anything.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: August 11, 2020
Rebecca Gray has suffered immeasurable lost in the last year. After her husband, Chris, passed away, Rebecca started to lose her sight, thanks to a degenerative eye disease. Almost totally blind, Rebecca is hit with another loss when her beloved mother passes away. Left with only the house she grew up with, and her three month old son, Jackson, Rebecca is slowly learning how to rebuild her life. While spending time with her son and her “Mom group” friends at an outdoor park, Rebecca passes out. When she wakes up, she is embarrassed and ashamed but on top of that she notices one thing- Jackson’s stroller is there, and there is a baby in it, but it isn’t Jackson. Due to her limited sight, Rebecca cannot get anyone to believe that the baby was switched out of his stroller. Finally, with the help of her detective ex-boyfriend, Jake, Rebecca begins to unravel what really happened to her son.
“Until I Find You” is the third book by Rea Frey that I have read. All of her novels have been pulse-pounding, gripping suspense novels full of family drama and powerful relationships. This one is no different and in fact, Rebecca’s near-blindness helps a reader bond with her even more. Starting completely over, Rebecca must face the challenges of first-time motherhood in a world that she can no longer see. Her bravery and dedication to her son is admirable, and highlights the bonds of a mother-child relationship.
This novel started off slow, with a lot of characters thrown at you all at once (all the females in the Mom group were difficult to differentiate at first, as they all had similar personalities and common enough names), but once the story got rolling, and every character find the right slot, something clicked. The plot became un-put-downable and absolutely gripping. As the ending drew near, I was able to guess the “who” but when the “why” came, it completely knocked me off my feet. I did not expect the final twist in this plot, and I really appreciated how Frey builds up to it, making the ending unpredictable yet still believable.
Well told and high intensity, Frey delivers with “Until I Find You”. It’s a novel that has a unique plot in an over-done genre, and I’m happy to see it. I look forward to Frey’s next work with anticipation.
I liked this one. I went back and forth over believe Bec lost her so or maybe she’s just losing her mind. I thought the end was completely ridiculous which is why I didn’t give it 5 stars, really it was more like 3.5 to me. Savi, is 10 years old and sophisticated enough to swap two infants and never let it slip? Poor Bec knows her son is not the baby in her crib, yet Savi says nothing. That just didn’t make sense to me. Also, Crystal, savis mom said she didn’t realize until the vigil for Jackson. How does this woman not realize the infant in her home has been swapped? Quick read, and I did enjoy it. I just have issues with the unfolding of the big reveal at the end.
Bring out your tissues and get ready to be highly tensed! This book may rock your world and break your heart at the same time!
This story wrenched, ached and hurt my heart deeply. Rebecca (Bec) Gray, widowed mother suffers from degenerative disease and loses her vision, and the darkness grows and seeps through her life, slowly destroys everything she worked on. And she has responsibility of her three month old baby Jackson. She needs to accept more help! How can she handle all those burdens and move on her life? And the worst part starts one day at the park, she thinks her baby replaced with other one but when she informs the authorities, nobody believes her. But a mother always knows. This is instinctive! When you give birth to a child you share a sacred place from your soul and your heart with him/her. This unique bond will always stay between a mother and child.
Does Bec suffer from another psychological illness called Capgras delusion (Cotard’s syndrome): people who experience it will have an irrational belief that someone they know or recognize has been replaced by an imposter. It can be associated with brain injury, schizophrenia and Alzheimer. But Rebecca only loses her vision not also her mind! At least we want to believe in her story and root for her from the beginning.
We’re also introduced with Crystal who lives a few blocks away, recently widowed, raising her ten year old daughter Savi and their nanny Pam. She and Bec form a genuine friendship at their grief support meetings. She is the other narrator of the story, suffering from depression and loss. She and daughter try to help Rebecca, supporting her even though they seem suspicious about her declarations about her replaced son story.
I liked the idea of the plot and gripping, depressing, dark atmosphere of the story but there are so much repeating which ruined the building mystery a little. The ending was still great but some parts are predictable. It was still emotional, terrifying, tear jerking, provocative and effective story about grief, friendship, loneliness, motherhood, depression. The conclusion was satisfying and writing was riveting.
I cut some points for plot holes and illogical parts (Forensics may solve the problem by blood test to make sure Rebecca was not delusional.) and repeating drama. But I’m still rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 because of the promising plot and great outcome of the story.
I’m looking forward to read more books of the author.
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this heart wrenching ARC with me in exchange my honest review.
Until I Find You by Rea Frey is a compelling domestic drama that will tug at the heartstrings of any mother. This was my first foray into the writing of Ms Frey, and I am certainly anxious to explore more in the future.
Rebecca Gray is steadily losing her sight to the point of almost complete blindness. As a recent widow who is mother to a three month old son, while also grieving the loss of her own mother, Bec has much to contend with as she adjusts to her new reality. During an outing at the park with her young son, Bec suffers a fainting episode, and when she resumes consciousness it is to the discovery that the baby placed in her arms is not, in fact, her own son, but another child. So begins a search that will find a mother in a desperate plea to reunite with the only family that she has left in the world, her beloved son Jackson.
While I did find the beginning of the novel difficult to engage with, the momentum picks up steadily, as does the emotional investment of the reader. I will certainly be seeking out more from this author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.
I absolutely LOVE every book by Rea Frey. So I knew this would be a good one. Oh my goodness. What a journey! A mother’s love, told through the eyes of a young new mother, who has devastatingly just become a widow and lost her own mother in a short space of time. Not to mentions she is a talented musician who has lost her sight. This book leaves you guessing the whole way through. I kept thinking I knew what was coming next but I never did. Rebecca is tough, smart, and a force. How the author describes her dealing with a new baby without her vision is amazing and yet incredibly scary. Bec has surrounded herself with good friends and people she trusts, so she doesn’t feel alone. But when her worst nightmare happens, who can she really turn to? In a twist of events her ex comes onto the scene and timing couldn’t be better as she needs him and his expertise more than anything else in the world. I don’t want to spoil what happens, suffice to say it’s a rollercoaster of emotions. I thought I had it figured out but I was way off, this book keeps you hooked until the very last word. Another wonderful book by this author that I highly recommend. You won’t be able to put it down. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the privilege of this ARC.
I had a hard time with this book. The characters did not resonate with me and I finally stopped reading. I am giving it three stars because it may have just been my frame of mind at the time. I couldn't deal with a blind mother of an infant who is basically alone in the world. I guess I just needed something a little more uplifting at this time.
The pace was consistent throughout which definitely kept me coming back to read more. I wanted to know what was going to happen! Honestly, just that aspect alone is a big achievement for my rating scale. I even looked for parts where it would slow down, but the relationships were strong enough that I was curious about their interactions and made me want to keep going. Even Bec’s inner dialogue was strong enough to keep the story going. Overall, really happy with finding a book I wanted to pick up again and again.
I’m happy the ex-boyfriend romance role wasn’t blown out of proportion. I was glad he was there as a friend and advocate in the criminal process and there wasn’t unnecessary drama between them.
Rea Frey brought to life every mother’s biggest nightmare. The loss of a child with a twist! To be a blind mother taking care of your baby by yourself would be scary enough. But to reach for your child and realize that’s not your baby but you can’t see so who will believe you? This was a book I could not stop reading once I started. I highly recommend to all to get this book as soon as it is released. It will capture you entirely. You will ride the roller coaster of emotions with Rebecca as she tries to navigate this nightmarish journey and finds that maybe not all is truly lost. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the requested ARC and all opinions and thoughts are my own.