A family saga filled with secrets and twists.
The final big twist was a huge surprise.
The characters are very well developed.
A good book

This novel was a tad slow to start but picked up for me and I was loving it by the end. Definitely twisty and thrilling.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for fair and honest review.

Amanda always knew she was adopted, but was told her adopted parents had no information on her biological family. She was then told that her biological grandmother had left her a house in Avalon Falls, CA where her birth mother Angie grew up. She learns that her biological mother was 16 when she was born and died shortly after.
Amanda was given up for adoption by her biological grandmother because "it was the right thing to do". There was no information on her biological father. Amanda moves to Avalon Falls to prepare the house to be sold and to try and uncover the truth once and for all about her biological family and find her birth father.
I have to say I didn't see the twist coming! I enjoy a good surprise and this story had one! I liked the pacing and ending!
Thanks to Lauren Westwood, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.

A bit of a slow start to this one. It took me a while to get into it, and I found my interest waning. Then, I was finally into it and discovering all the secrets. Small town life sure is unique. I often say I'd love to live away from it all, in a small town - but I'm not sure I would do well with everyone being all up in my business. This is the story of Amanda's need to discover her history. And for the reader who just needs to get lost within the pages of someone else's journey, this is a good one to curl up with.

This author reminded me of one of my favourite authors. Diane Chamberlain. Plenty of lies and secrets in this family drama. Didnt find out the big secret till the end of the book which was awesome - kept my attention. the whole way through.

The best thing I can say about this tale is that there is an oppressive atmosphere throughout. Amanda is in a car with her two children, on her way to see something from her birth family. Once there, she digs her heels in trying to figure out the identity of her father. We are provided with multiple people who could be the one, each harbouring their own secrets.

The women who are introduced to us, band together in a way that felt unusual for the genre but was pretty realistic. Threaded through the narrative, we have bits of the missing letter Amanda’s birth mother wrote to her, which eventually reveals the culprit to us at the same time that the current narrative does. I cannot say much more due to the nature of the storyline. It was a quick read, but the ending was something that made certain other events in the story mildly unpalatable to me. This does not mean I disliked the book, I would recommend it to others who read this genre, but on the whole, I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would when the story began. I also would not hesitate to pick another book by the author.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This Author is really great. I really loved this book. This tale was highly engrossing and highly recommendable!!

I found it a little slow to get going but once it did I was hooked! This is a great story filled with intrigue and family secrets. Beautifully written and will keep you up all night trying to figure out what's going to happen. Thank you for the chance to review!

What a powerful story. A very sensitive subject dealt with in a compassionate and sensitive way.
A story of adoption and trying to find out about your birth mother leads to a small town with small town views and principles.
Maybe the truth is best left buried? Read on to find out more.
Brilliant!!!

"A twisty maze of dreams and nightmares, following a trail of breadcrumbs deeper into the forest. A trail that led to a terrible truth."

So the above quote was taken directly from the book and in my opinion is the best way to describe this story.  I could try to describe the story in my own words but truth be told, this quote does it perfectly. 

Well taking the above into account, it's safe to say that I really enjoyed reading this story from start to finish.   It was well written, truly thoughtout, plus brilliant characters, plenty of drama, speculation, twists and turns, not knowing who to believe, who's lying and who's telling the truth.  It really was quite a rollercoaster of a journey. 

If you haven't read any of Lauren Westwood books yet, then all I can say is that you are truly missing out.

Lauren Westwood has done an amazing job of portraying the anguish and emotions of the characters in “The Daughter She Lost”. With more twists then anticipated it was a great read. The book flowed seamlessly. The characters were well developed and easy to connect with.
Amanda Fieldings world has been turned upside down. She knew her whole life, that she was adopted as an infant. She had loving parents and a wonderful childhood. However, she always wanted to know more about the biological parents she knew nothing about. She grew into a successful adult with a husband and two beautiful children. It wasn’t until her world started to crumble around her, and the past began to shine through that she realized she needed more.
Following her need and curiosity to uncover the past, she drags her two children to the tiny town of Avalon Springs. To a house that was left to her by her biological family. Does this house hold all the answers shes been searching for her whole life? It sure is an interesting place that’s for sure. She makes new friends she wasn’t really looking for. Bringing together a small town and uncovering a tidal wave of secrets and lies that have been buried for so long.
Just when you think the story is coming to an end, that the truth Amanda is so desperate to find has been uncovered, the story thrusts you into a different direction. I was very pleasantly surprised (and horrified in a good way) at how this book ended. Kudos to Lauren for an plot twist so twisted that I didn’t see it coming. I give this book 4 stars, only because it did drag in some areas, but don’t let that deter you from what an amazing read it is. All the information comes together so beautifully.
Thank you to the Author, Lauren Westwood, the publisher Bookouture, and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley. This is my first read from Lauren Westwood, and what an emotional book it was. It was a little slow in the beginning, but the ending....I was not expecting it.

Amanda Jennings is the main character, who finds out that she was adopted and has inherited a house from her birth mother and grandmother in a town called Avalon Springs. Amanda decides to go to this house where she finds a collection of letters from her birth mother, Angie. There are so many secrets in Avalon Springs. What happened to her mother? She sets out on finding her birth father to find out.

The author was fantastic at revealing things slowly with a crack at a time. It sucked me right in.

The Daughter She Lost had me hooked! The premise was exciting from the outset. Amanda inherits a house from a woman she doesn't know. She decides to travel to see the house to decide what to do with it but before she leaves, her adopted mother tells her that the house belonged to her biological grandmother. Amanda's trip then turns into a journey to find out who she really is. She knows that her biological mother is no longer alive but what about her father? Can she find him?

I read this book until 2am, in my excitement to find out who her father was! And while I thought I had figured it out, there were other surprises that I didn’t see coming! Highly recommend!

The only criticism I have about this book is that the two main characters names were very similar, so had to keep reminding myself who was who. Putting that aside I really enjoyed this story. It was about Amanda, who had inherited a house from Gloria, her grandmother who she knew nothing about. Once Amanda has got over the shock of finding out about Gloria, her main aim was to find out the background of her natural birth parents. This didn't turn out quite as she expected, but she made some good friends along the way, who helped her find the truth

Amanda has always known she was adopted but nothing more, when she is left a house by her grandmother she travels with her children to Avalon Springs to clear the house and put it up for sale.

People seem to clam up when she tells them who she is and Amanda's determined to find out why and learn about her birth mother Angie.......

I enjoyed the story, which could have been a real dark thriller but sometimes felt a bit comedic. I didn't feel particularly fond of the characters that Amanda encountered along the way. The neighbour did remind me of someone I know though.

Amanda seemed to fall in love and be thinking of a future within days , form close friendships within hours then lead said friends into a madcap whodunit and it all just seemed a bit unrealistic. However I did not predict the ending until very near the end of the book which always makes it worthwhile.

The book wasn't a bad book I was just a bad match as a reader. Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture and Lauren Westwood for the opportunity to read this arc.

Wow what a fantastic book. I haven’t been able to put this book down.
This has been an emotional read which I have devoured in just one sitting. I have absolutely loved the main character. I have wanted nothing but good for her throughout this entire book.
The story is consistent throughout this book and there is enough drama to keep the reader guessing and engaged throughout.
This is my first read by this author but it definitely won’t be the last. This is definitely a five star read which I would highly recommend to others.

Small towns and secrets … is there a better combination than this? Nope, definitely not!

Amanda Jennings has always known she was adopted. But she’s always been told that her adoptive parents had no information whatsoever about her birth parents. It therefore comes as a shock when she discovers that she’s been left a house by her biological grandmother, in a place called Avalon Springs. She decides to set off, with her two kids in tow to find out what she can about the house, and if possible, about her past.

Avalon Springs is a small place where everyone seems to know everyone else, and it’s quickly evident that many of them also know quite a bit about Amanda’s grandmother Gloria, and her mother Angie too. As soon as she mentions their names, moods shift, conversation dries up and as much as they try to deny it, Amanda knows that they hold the key to the information she’s looking for about her roots, which clearly lie in Avalon Springs.

Amanda is torn in numerous directions. What was meant to be a brief visit to see the house and quickly sell it, becomes an extended stay. She manages to settle her children, grouchy teen Madison, and anxious Theo, but while they are otherwise occupied she can’t manage to dispel the growing sense of unease that began the minute she first arrived at her grandmother’s house, the house where Angie, her mother grew up.

There are twists, there are turns. There are red herrings, deliberately thrown in just so that the reader will go wandering off along the wrong path, only to realise they’ve got things completely backwards! Lauren Westwood weaves a clever web of deceit against a backdrop of small-town bigotry and jealousy, where everyone knows your business and you can’t hide your shame. And when the past comes calling and everyone scrambles to cover up what they know, and what their role was, are there really ever going to be winners, or only losers.

Westwood’s characters are believable and readers will immediately be drawn to Amanda, who simply wants to know about a family she didn’t think she’d every have a chance to find out about. There are the usual suspects: those who’ve always wanted to leave who were never able to; those who’ve always loved their town and never understood the ones who wanted to leave; those who’ve been successful and use that success to lord it over others. But who is guilty and who is innocent, or are they all just victims of a past that they had no control over?

This is a highly recommended 4-star read.

What do you do when you inherit a house from a stranger? You travel to a small town and uncover family secrets, of course! The plot unfolds as Amanda gets to know Avalon Springs and its inhabitants. The author does a great job of illustrating how people tie to each other in a small town. All of the characters are interesting. I related to Amanda instantly and was interested in her perspective to the end. I would recommend picking it up for an escape. For more thoughts, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

Small town secrets and lies are revealed when newcomer Amanda arrives in town, She has always known she was adopted but her adoptive parents told her they knew nothing of her birth family. This was a lie and when her biological grandmother dies, Amanda inherits her house and decides to visit the town and find out more about her mother.
She discovers that her mother was Angie, a girl of sixteen who died from complications caused the pregnancy and her grandmother's decision to avoid medical care due to the shame of having an illegitmate child in the house. Amanda's focus switches onto trying to find her biological father and she narrows it down to 4 men...
Amanda's journey of discovery is both fascinating and heartbreaking as it unfolds. We also see Angie's perspective through odd installments of a letter she wrote to her newborn daughter.
A strong theme in this book is women working together. Amanda develops strong friendships with Tessie, Frances and Linda whilst also causing them emotional pain as they confront the past. The women are all strong despite the unkind twists of fate that have shaped their lives and relationships.
I enjoyed how the mystery of Amanda's father unfolded over the course of the book. In the final chapters, it becomes obvious to us who was responsible but she is trying to avoid reaching the same conclusion due to the emotional fallout it will cause.
I really enjoyed The Daughter She Lost: it pulled at my heartstrings whilst also being a satisfying mystery.

I really enjoyed the concept of this story but I found it to be too predictable throughout the entire novel. I liked the premises that Amanda was searching for a long lost mother, but why does there always have to be a love interest right off the bat? I found all the characters to be likable, however, I found it unrealistic that everyone was so invested in being a relation to Amanda that the story was becoming unbelievable. And who didn't see that ending (for both Amanda and Madison) coming from a mile away?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.