"Not My Boy" is a very family-oriented story about mothers trying to protect their children. As a mother, I resonated deeply with this book. It's a quick and easy read, something that you can breeze through within a matter of days.

Family dynamics are portrayed in this suspense. A mixture of family and neighborhood drama. This was a quick read for me and I give 3.5 stars.

*Thank you to the author & publisher for an advance copy*

How far will a mom go to prove her son’s innocence? How far will a wife go to prove her husband’s innocence? This book is full of family drama & nasty neighbors, and finishes off with a surprise ending. The beginning and end of the book were hard to put down, but the middle was a bit slow for me. Still, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery or suspense

A huge thanks goes out to the author, Kelly Simmons, the publishing company, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for the early advance electronic copy for an honest review.

This book, Not My Boy, is a great read of a mother's love and fierceness to protect her son, however in doing so, she has to cast blame to her sister's family, which starts to cause a rift between her sister, herself, and their mother.

We get to see two times of a mother's protectiveness, with one mother protecting her son from the law, while her own mother is trying to protect both her daughters and their families. As a mother, you always think that your love for your kids outweighs everything, however you never put in perspective that your own mother thinks the exact same way.

The author never wavers in her absolute confidence in a mothers love, and she also keeps plenty of secrets along the way--Kelly Simmons, awesome writing!! I cannot wait for the next one.

This book was so slow and pretty anticlimactic for me. The author’s writing style was amazing, but the story just wasn’t interesting enough to keep me entertained for long periods of time. I honestly had to take breaks while reading it because I wasn’t ever really HOOKED. A young girl goes missing & people are blamed. A pair of sisters are put against each other when one has to defend their husband and the other, their son. Read to find out who’s responsible!

The big standout for me was the clumsy way the auther tried to make things more ominous by tacking a "but if I'd only known then what I know now" type of sentence at the end of every chapter. My other takeaway was flimsy characters with terrible ideas, an almost compulsive inability to use logic, and way too much time on their hands.

This is a very compelling story of family dynamics, those that work and those that don't. I immediately like Hannah and was drawn to her fierce protectiveness of her son, but I always felt like there was something off about the boy. The way the author kept that undercurrent of suspense going was superb. I really connected with Hannah's mother and loved how she was grandma to her grandkids. What a special relationship came alive on the pages.

I really enjoyed the story and highly recommend it.

Not My Boy
A Novel
by Kelly Simmons
SOURCEBOOKS Landmark
You Like Them
Sourcebooks Landmark
Mystery & Thrillers | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 26 Jan 2021 | Archive Date 29 Jan 2021

This is a book that was not for me. I struggled to get through the book. Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for the ARC. Not my favorite read.

3 star

I really enjoyed this one . It had believable characters and good plot. Such a good book
Thanks for letting me review this book

Two sisters that have been extremely close all their lives have what they have wished for. They are finally neighbors. Windows practically looking into each others homes.
Home is a little saddened when she is left out of things that the sisters share. She's not really jealous, just would like to be included in their lives.
It is rather difficult when one of her daughters tells her something in confidence.
When a little girls disappears from the neighborhood and is found murdered, the sisters find themselves divided. Each is certain she has information that points the finger at the others loved one.
Maybe being neighbors isn't that great, when you know the family secrets.
Interesting, well written.

I have enjoyed Kelly Simmons' other books, but unfortunately, NOT MY BOY was not a winner for me. Overall, this is a finely crafted domestic suspense novel. Simmons is clearly a talented writer. I just didn't connect with Hannah and didn't understand her motivations, especially with regard to her son and sister. That was a real problem for me.

Also, while the narrative drive kept me turning pages, the ending felt a little less than 100% satisfying. Something about it felt tacked on or rushed. I was hoping that there would be more payoff, especially since I had trouble connecting with Hannah throughout the story.

I'm glad I read the whole thing so it certainly was not a "bad" novel. I do look forward to her next book!

Kelly Simmons just took it to church! I mean WOW! I read this book in one day! That’s how mesmerized I am by her writing! I couldn’t stop reading! This book starts off fast paced and you just can’t put it down! I’ve read every one of her books and they keep me guessing til the very end! This book comes out Jan of 2021 and thanks to Netgally for my ARC these opinions are of my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was just okay for me. A decently-written mystery about a little girl who goes missing in a neighborhood where everyone has secrets. I was really excited about it at first, and then about halfway through I had to force myself to keep going. Some of the things the characters did were so ridiculous as to be almost unbelievable, and the main character was super concerned about behavior of her son’s that I found pretty...normal? I don’t know, I didn’t get it. And the ending felt thrown together. Not for me. 2.5 stars.

WOW...I this was unputdownable.
The younger sister, always second, always a little less than her bigger sister, always needing an extra boost from her big sister. A divorce, a backstory of an event from high school, a son with an uncomfortable fetish of sorts.
A big sister that appears to have it all pulled together in a tidy (not so)little house.
A mother who may or may not have her daughters best interest at heart.
A missing six year old both pulls the family together and then rips the family apart. How far are you willing to go for family against family?
Great story that keeps you turning pages. A picture-perfect community ripped apart when a six year old little girl goes missing.
I was disappointed that a few storylines were left dangling a bit, but overall a great read.

A good, intense, and emotional read.

This kept my glued to my Kindle. It’s compulsive. Engaging. Encompassing.

What an amazing story....I could not put this down! I have not read any other books by Kelly Simmons but am now eager to do so. I loved how the story was told from the point of view of Hannah and her mother, Eva. Very suspenseful right up to the end. I will wholeheartedly be recommending this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Hannah has moved in next door to her sister, hoping family and the nice neighborhood will help both Hannah and her son start over. Things go south quickly when her son is suspected in the disappearance of a local girl. Hannah will do anything to save her life, even if it means destroying her sister. If you liked Defending Jacob, you’ll love this twisted story of motherly love

Compulsively readable! I couldn't stop and wanted to know what happened. Kelly writes such emotionally real characters and scenes. These pages flew and I couldn't stop reading until I knew everything turned out the way it should. In each novel that Kelly has written she has grown and you can see her growth as a writer in the more complex story lines and relationships. One thing she has not lost is the emotion. I wanted to call my niece and hug her close as I was reading this novel. It just felt so real. I also loved the special shout outs she gives her readers and was honored to be named as a character (won at a charity auction!) thank you for the little shout outs - A handsome Phillies player buying a house (and thanks for not making him the bad guy - spoiler), the little shout out to Party of Five and our favorites was so nice too. Kelly has been a go to author for her writing but has become a go to person and friend. I am so excited to share this with all the readers I know in the new year. (fun fact t comes out on my sister's birthday!) One of the best Ive read this year :)