Holy cow, this one was intense! Just the thriller I was looking for. I read this one in just a few hours, constantly turning the page to see what would happen. Reeds did a wonderful job of making us suspect many characters and I truly didn't predict the ending. There were so many possibilities of things that happened to Holly & the missing girls and so many characters introduced that it became a little confusing at times, but that is my only major drawback. I enjoyed Reeds's writing style and found myself rooting for Holly and a clear resolution to her circumstances and was pleased with how Reeds made it all come together. A good, quick read that I highly recommend! Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy. The Day I Disappeared is out August 25!

I enjoyed this thriller as we see Holly who was kidnapped as a child and then returned unharmed. Everyone is shocked and she remembers only snatches of shadows and darkness so she isn't much help to investigators. And a man remains in prison convicted of the kidnapping. But when more young girls go missing, Holly realizes she can't stop searching for answers. Told in alternating voices of Holly and her mother, the novel explores the depths we will go to to protect our own secrets and the lies we will tell to those we believe have wronged us.

I was unable to finish the book, I was really struggling with it the way it skipped from one person to the next, I really wanted to continue with it but was unable to, I appreciate the hard work that the author has put into it but unfortunately it wasn’t for me.

This book was very enjoyable. It details Holly, a victim of kidnapping who was mysteriously returned after 90 days. Holly was left unharmed and untouched, aside from an arrow scar on her arm. Twenty years later, it appears that a copy cat kidnapper is on the prowl. Holly works with investigators to help solve the case, prompting her to remember pieces of her past before it's too late. I found Holly's story very interesting, but the side characters were so unlikable it nearly ruined the story for me. It was a good read overall, if you're a fan of Lisa Jewell or Ruth Ware, check it out!

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the advance of this book.
I enjoyed the story but found it tough going in places and a little slow but it did pick up towards the end.
I would definitely read another book by Brandi again as it did keep my attention, although I did drift a bit in parts but the story did flow pretty well. .

This was a well written, riveting read, which definitely had my attention from beginning until end. I found the character development to be absolutely flawless, which a Leary’s helps me in thrillers; because I get invested. I can’t give a full five stars, as I felt it was not a holy cow wow, but was definitely a solid 4 star read! Highly recommend!
Will make sure to buzz around platforms and use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

Thank you so much to #NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This book started out great! A child kidnapped when she was only 4 years old and then finally returned to her family, but she has no memory of what happened to her.

Oh this book had so much potential. I was expecting to fly through it and not be able to put it down, but it was a little on the slow side and it took me longer than I wanted to get through it. There are some twists that are in there but a lot of it is predictable which is why I think I lost interest.

The main character, Holly was abducted as a young girl, only to be found with little to no memory of the time she was away. Now an adult, there is either a copy cat or the person who abducted her is still out there and doing the same thing to other little girls.

This was a book that grabbed me from the first pages. I love a good mystery and this book didn't disappoint. Although the ending was predictable to me, I think it is just from years of reading and not anything that the author lacked. Suspense until the end of the chapters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced reader copy, in exchange for an honest review.

This book is written mostly from the perspective of an adult (Holly) who was kidnapped as a child, and has to unlock flashes of memory that have been hidden all those years, in order to help the police investigate cases of other missing children that may link to hers. I haven’t read a book like this before, and it was so refreshing to have a more original format to get lost in. The story is told from the perspective of both Holly and Cecily, her mother, who is in a coma following a car accident.

I thought I’d started to figure it all out by about a quarter of the way through, and as more evidence came up, my theory gained more supporting evidence. It’s worth nothing that I wasn’t going for an obvious theory, and on the journey towards the resolution, I must have changed my mind back and forth about ten times. The pace was steady throughout, and really sped up towards the end - I felt like I couldn’t read fast enough to keep up with my brain! Reeds makes it all make sense, and I didn’t find any plot-holes. Every tiny detail had been thought about so carefully, and was an important piece of the puzzle.

Another point worth making - I really liked Holly’s character. She was completely three-dimensional, and I enjoyed her personal journey throughout the book and how realistically badass she was without becoming a caricature!

Without hesitation, I’m giving this 5 stars! It was the perfect length, had the perfect amount of action, and great characters. Thank you to Lake View Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It got my attention from the very beginning and kept my interest throughout. I loved how the author alternated between Holly (who was kidnapped 20 years ago at the age of 4) and her mom, Cecily. Holly can't remember much about the 3 months that she was gone, but she tries hard to make sense of the brief memories she does have to help the police when she finds out that little girls are still being taken. I thought the author did a great job with the characters - I think Cecily is relatable as she loves her daughter, but finds that parenting didn't come naturally to her (unlike her best friend/neighbor who can do it all, seemingly without even trying). This is definitely a worthwhile read.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

A quick, easy read with a succinct and well developed plot. The story is told from alternating perspectives with moderately developed characters. Brandi Reed’s writing flows well but the lack of full character development distracts from the plot rather than supporting it. Overall a decent read. 3 stars

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheDayIDisappeared which was read and reviewed voluntarily by @wayward_readers

I found the story slow moving to begin, I almost put it down. As I kept reading there were other parts of the story I wasn’t sure fit into the plot only to uncover, as Holly did, how they all tied together in the end. I’m glad I kept reading to the end. I have to say though it really bugged me that Holly (and all the other adults in the book) still referred to her best friend as “Kitten” throughout the whole book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book because I loved the cover and I love mysteries and I love stories that keep you going. It took me awhile to connect the prologue to what was happening because well, DER. I have no idea. The main character is Holly who was kidnapped as a little girl but showed up in the same place a few months later. There were a string of girls getting kidnapped but she was the only one that was found alive. She had no memory of what happened and 20 years later, she still has no idea what happened. But suddenly, she is contacted by the police because it seems to be happening again. When Holly was taken, it was at a public place, she was with her mother and her best friend, and her friend actually saw the person who did it. So when she told the police who took her best friend, naturally they picked him up (a man who was infatuated with young Holly) and thought it was over. That man is still in jail so now Holly is questioning everything and everyone in her life, including her mother...who happens to be in a coma because she went off a cliff while driving Holly's vehicle. All I can say is that this book was a wild ride all the way through and I absolutely cannot believe anyone is calling it slow moving or boring. It goes all the way to the last chapter with new twists thrown in. I would 100% recommend it to anyone who likes suspense novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of The Day I Disappeared by Brandi Reeds. I loved Trespassing and was excited to read her new book.

Holly was abducted from a playground when she was 5 years old and returned unharmed 94 days later. She has no memories from the time she was missing, but the police have found and convicted her kidnapper. Or have they? When detective Guidry approaches her twenty years later with a theory that the wrong man was convicted, Holly sets out to uncover the truth about her abduction in order to save another little girl.

I was so excited to see that this book takes place in Lake Bluff, Illinois, as I grew up in the Northern Suburbs as well. However, I found it hard to believe that a Northsider is die hard White Sox fan! What?? While the premise is solid, I had a few major issues with the ridiculousness of the story. From Holly’s best friend whose name was Kitten, and her dog who she called Dog, it just didn’t resonate with me. While there were a lot of twists and turns, I just didn’t believe the plausibility of the events. A lot of the characters fell flat and I wasn’t really invested in them. Overall, I felt that the writing was not as sophisticated as in Trespassing. I am still a fan of Reeds and will continue to read her books. .

3/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Brandi Reeds for providing me with ARC.
This novel is fast reading for me. This novel is about Holly that kidnapped when she was 4 years and getting back to her family when she grown up.
I loved the characters, they are amazing.
The cover also good.
#NetGalley #TheDayIDisappeared

This was a perfect quick read! It is a fast paced thriller focused on the story of Holly and her abduction as a child. There are several interweaving stories and perspectives that come together to tell you the full story. I struggled a little to get into the story and felt that the story lagged a little in the middle but overall thought that the pacing and storytelling were good. The characters were decently developed but I didn't really feel connected to them but instead was more engaged by the actual mystery. The last portion of the book felt slightly rushed but overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend as a good beach read.

Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Brandi Reeds for lending me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Holly Gebhardt found herself back at the same park that she was kidnapped from, three months later, with no memory of what happened. Not only does suspicion fall on a local man, Holly’s own mother gets caught in the web. Now twenty years later Holly is asked to help solve another kidnapping closely resembling her own. But what did happen to Holly all those years ago and who can fill in those blanks? Can Holly’s mother face her fears and tell Holly the secrets she’s held for so long?
This book was written from two points of view, Holly’s and her mother’s. Holly’s mother, Cecily, is in a coma recovering from a car accident. Both women are damaged by their pasts, haunted by demons they can’t understand and are too scared to face.
I wasn’t hooked right away, but about 1/3 of the way in I found myself totally hooked and engrossed in the book well past my bedtime! For me, a good thriller must have an ending I can’t predict. I was so sure I knew what was going on but brandi Reeds kept me on my toes to the very end. The ending wrapped up nicely and really brought the entirety of the book together! I will be checking out more Brandi Reeds books in the future!

Overall I enjoyed this book, although I felt it was a bit hard to get through in parts, the pace picked up towards the end. I'd definitely read books by this author again, as it kept my interest for the most part. The story flowed pretty well. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read!

From the moment I picked this book up, I couldn’t put it down! The story was so compelling, the characters so interesting. I love a thriller that takes you on a journey, and this one did exactly that.

The book alternates between two POVs, that of Holly and that of her mother. Holly was kidnapped at a young age, gone for a little more than three months before being returned relatively unscathed. Her mother, Cecily, narrates her part through her thoughts as she lies in a coma after an accident.

What makes this story so intriguing is that neither narrator is entirely reliable. Holly’s memories are almost nil, just bits and pieces and shards of visions that may or may not be real. And Cecily is an alcoholic in a coma whose memories may or may not be altered from years of abusing alcohol.

The story is given in bits and pieces, with hints and implications that keep the reader hooked. My favorite thrillers do exactly that, keep me dangling on the hook, wondering time and time again where the story is going. There were so many times that I was certain I’d picked out the bad guy, only to discover I was completely wrong.

However, there was one character that I just detested, and she wasn’t even the villain of the story. Kitten, Holly’s best friend, who’d been with Holly in the park the day she’d been abducted. She was just thoroughly unlikable. She was arrogant and condescending, a bridezilla to the point of insanity. She was the queen of making everything all about her, even Holly’s abduction. She was the least supportive best friend I’ve ever seen. The skeptical best friend was a great counterpoint to Holly and good for the story, but I just thought she was a little too much.

If you love twisty mysteries and intriguing thrillers, this is a fantastic read!

Little four years old Holly is kidnapped and then returned home. Unharmed and with no memory what happened. First suspect is her mother.
Twenty years later another child is kidnapped and Holly tries to find answers.

A slow moving story that has some twist and turns.