The Life She Left Behind, wasn’t what I expected from the description,

I really did enjoy the story, but I feel I connected with Nicole's previous books, a lot more then I did with this one. But a lot of people have really enjoyed it, so I seem to be just in the minority.

#The LifeSheLeftBehind#NetGalley
This book is about an extremely abusive husband and father. This book would be a hard for anyone who has been a abusive situation. But it may also help them leave that bad situation. Rachael and her mother leave without her brother as Reynoldsburg father will kill them when he comes to. It places you at a decision that a mother makes to save one child over the other. Rachel has told many lies because she has agreed to tell anyone. Rachael has been married to Ben for nine years, and they have a year old daughter Beth. They 're gently !moved into house in a new devolopment.. When Rachael is home alone with Beth one night she hears someone down stairs banging into stuff. She goes to Be the bedroom locks the door. She calls Ben he is still at work and he tells her to call the police. And the police arrive they find no break in and nothing stole Rachael finds something from her childhood that lets her know she has been found. She keeps it to herself. Her mother is dying from cancer so she is unable to tell her. This is only the beginning. Who is stalking Rachael ? Will they come back ? Will her family be safe ? The Story makes you keep reading to find the answers. Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book immerses the reader in a world which fortunately most of us will never have to experience. You are placed in the middle of the world of a little girl nicknamed "Little Bird" by her abusive father, who beats his wife and son and will soon start beating "Little Bird" as soon as she turns 8 years old. He has it in his mind that 8 is the magic number where a child is taught to be the adult they are supposed to be, and there is a good chance that will require some brutal force. In the meantime, she tolerates lots of mental abuse, one instance where he destroys one of her dolls because she doesn't have it put on the shelf in her room. Her brother Kevin is growing up to be just like his father and constantly torments this little girl as well. This entire book just breaks the reader's heart and makes them cringe every time brother or dad show up, because you don't know what kind of mood they are in or what they are going to do.
"Little Bird" aka Rachel grows up and is raising a family of her own, her husband Ben struggling at work, and her mother is dying of cancer. This book just keeps delivering the sad, dramatic moments, and she continues to struggle with anxiety as her beloved dolls from childhood which she left behind keep showing up, everywhere! She swears "the monster" from her childhood has found her as the first chapter describes an intruder in her house, so there is a little bit of a thriller mixed into these pages. I found it to be a quick, enjoyable read and I could not wait to find out what happened next. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book for an honest review!

This book is a heart tugging book. The thought of what Rachel went through is heartbreaking. As the book unfolds, you learn more about Rachel’s past. The story is told in the present with glimpses into her past until the full story is revealed. I would definitely read more books by this author.

Rachel's kept a secret for 28 years but now someone is stalking her and its about to come out. She's recently moved with her husband and daughter to a new home in a sparsely populated area. He's got a secret too. Rachel's mother is dying of cancer, which is traumatic enough but she was the one who kept Rachel safe all those years ago. Then one night a creeper breaks into the house and leaves behind a troll doll. And then there's another doll left in a car and so on. Is it plausible that an abusive father or brother would hold a grudge against a seven year old for 28 years? Probably not but this is a well done suspense novel. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A page turner.

The story is cleverly told through alternating points of view as well as alternating time periods. These alternating chapters slowly revealed past secrets, giving an insight into how and why Rachel has got where she is today, allowing time for the reader to speculate.

The setting added a real sense of unease as Rachel and Ben are living in a new build house with empty land all around. After living in a flat surrounded by other people, it really hits home just how alone they are and how easy it would be for someone to creep around in the dark unnoticed.

I loved the flashback chapters as they come from a mystery characters who are linked to Rachel’s past. It soon becomes clear who these people are and I was left with conflicting feelings about all of the characters, driving home just how complex and cleverly written this story was. Each character was written in such a way that it was easy to work out who’s chapters were who’s, even without the chapter titles.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and wished I hadn’t had to put it down for so long. Although it was very easy to pick up right where I left it even though I hadn’t read it for a week. It was complex, chilling, gripping and thought provoking, with an unexpected twist. I really thought I had it all worked out and wasn’t expecting the ending at all. After the big reveal I found myself mentally retracing my steps through the story, remembering certain scenes and seeing them with a new light. I really recommend this book if you’re looking for a good Thriller.

(Full review is on my blog)

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Life She Left Behind’ written by Nicole Trope in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Rachel is seven years old when her mother packs a few belongings and together they run away from home when her mother can no longer put up with the abuse suffered for years at the hands of Rachel’s father. Years later Rachel marries Ben and she keeps her childhood a secret but she has to tell him the truth when small troll dolls start appearing in their home and then their daughter Beth goes missing from her bed.

‘The Life She Left Behind’ is the harrowing story of a dysfunctional family where the father thinks it his right to beat his wife and psychologically abuse his children. Although the topic is chilling and tells of how three lives can be destroyed with little regard for their health and mental wellbeing, it’s been written with sensitivity and compassion. The last few chapters are tense but the ending is heart-warming and a perfect conclusion to the story.

I'm giving an honest review of this book, for the publisher and the author, Nicole Trope.

This is a great read, and honestly I could see how it could have brought up a lot of old trauma and PTSD of things that I experienced as a child. I loved how the author really understood and wrote about mental and physical abuse, and how it affects every single person in the household, even those that you wouldn't think it would affect.

The way that the brother came back into the picture, and him being angry about how his life had turned out, truly opened my eyes to his point of view.

Thank you for writing this book and for allowing me an early release for an honest review.

Wow oh wow, what an absolutely gorgeous read. I have devoured this beautiful book in just over an hour. Although, this is a sensitive and hard topic to read about, I found it extremely well written.
I am ashamed to say I haven't read any of this author's previous books, however after this one I will definitely be adding more to my ever growing TBR. I have adored the writing style in this one, the author writes elegantly and in a way that just pulls you into the pages.
I cannot say anything negative about this book, I have been truly engrossed and shocked by how quickly I read this one. I didn't want to put it down. This is definitely a beautiful read by a very talented author.

Rachel and her mother fled an abusive husband and father when Rachel had just turned seven, sadly they could not wait and left her thirteen-year-old brother behind. The pact between the mother and child was that it was a secret and they would never tell.
Twenty-eight years later troll dolls from Rachel’s childhood keep turning up not just in her new home but in her husband’s car and where her daughter can find them too, she is undoubtedly scared thinking her father had finally found her and worried at what he will do now. She cannot confide in her mother as she is in a hospice now with not much time and drifting in and out of consciousness due to the pain killers, she doesn’t want her last thoughts to be of worry either. She will have to deal with it herself.

This was an emotional read and is very real for some people. Told in a few different points of view past and present we see how it affected not only Rachel’s life as a small child watching and hearing her father abusing her mother and her life now but more importantly the damage done to the brother they left behind, his mental state and how it was for him after they left him.

Nicole Trope wrote a fantastic book and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

I would like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book.

This was not the book for me. I was not expecting some of the domestic abuse scenes to bother me as much as they did, and I had a very hard time reading some of the POV's. If there was a trigger warning, I missed it, I guess. It almost leaves me feeling like I read a very different book from everyone else, as most have rated it so high, said it pulled them in and was 'unputdownable'. For me, it was a very easy book to put down and walk away from.

I will say, though, that the scenes that bothered me the most were well written - otherwise they may not have bothered me at all. However, I still don't know that I would have really enjoyed the book. Had this not been a gifted ARC, I would have walked away from the book early on. But I think this is all a personal reaction to the book.

Rachel has come a long way since her traumatic childhood. She has a loving husband and a lovely little girl and has just moved into a new house. Everything should be perfect, but her mother, who she is very close to, is in a hospice dying of cancer and the secret she's been keeping since she was seven is about to emerge and could endanger everyone she loves.

This was at times a harrowing tale of Rachel's early life. Told from several points of view we gradually learn what happened and the danger she is in now. Although, I didn't really understand why she felt she could 'never tell' her secret once she started to get really scared of what was happening, the plot was chilling in the extent of the fear it generated both during Rachel's childhood as well as her current life. The threat that Rachel and her mother had to live with (trying to hide from a violent, abusive man) as Rachel was growing up is a very real one for some women and well depicted in the novel.

A highly emotional read that had me hooked from the start this is another fantastic book by Nicole Trope!

The story delves into some difficult subject matter around domestic violence so might be a trigger for some readers but I think it was written in such a way that, as shocking as it was, really brought to light the unfortunate struggles that some families go through which is utterly heartbreaking.

The characters were fantastically written as usual and I loved how each chapter was told from the perspective of a different character each time. I was completely invested in Rachel and Ben’s story and my heart hurt for them throughout. The twist at the end was unexpected but really ended the story in a satisfying way.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced digital copy to review!!

When I started “The Life she Left Behind” I was doubtful that I would enjoy a story where domestic abuse was so prominent. Once I started reading I became vested and I couldn’t put it down. This story was so well written I to began to hate the abuser and cringed when I knew he was coming home. This is the first book I have read by Nicole Trope, but it will not be my last.

I have read a few of this authors other books and they’ve been brilliant. She is definitely becoming one of my favourite authors and I know her books won’t disappoint. This one was fantastic and I loved it. Such a great storyline and the chapters alternating between timelines and characters flowed so well.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley, I was provided an advance review copy (ARC) of "The Life She Left Behind" by Nicole Trope in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book was very intriguing. What if you have a secret that you've been living with for twenty-eight years? You can't tell anyone, and the life you've built is based on keeping this secret safe. What if that secret comes back to haunt you?

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. It was that good. It was definitely emotional, and left me guessing until the end. This book is told from four perspectives, a writing style that I especially enjoy. We hear from Rachel, her husband Ben, "Little Bird" and an unnamed person who is not identified until the end. The varying viewpoints added an extra layer of depth and suspense that would not have been possible in a different writing style.

The author did an outstanding job of illustrating domestic violence, why women stay, and the heartbreaking choices a mother must make to protect her children. While it was tough to read at times because of the content (particularly the portions from Little Bird's perspective), it was an exceptional novel that I would recommend to anyone. It will be released on July 1, 2020.

What a fantastic book!! I absolutely loved it, and it is hands down the best book I’ve read this year so far.

Rachel has a good life, a wonderful caring husband and a beautiful daughter… but the secret of her past, and the life she has tried to hide, is about to catch up on her and her new family.

The story is an emotionally difficult one to read, with the main triggers including physical and mental abuse and domestic violence. Trope paints a terrifying and sad storyline that also makes the book difficult to put down… I had to force myself to stop reading it as I didn’t want it to end.

Personally, I felt that the characters were the strongest part of this book as they are all so fantastically written and developed. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a character, which admittedly is a style I always prefer. Despite their flaws, Rachel and Ben are so likeable, believable and just plain damn lovely that you can’t help but route for them from the start. As for the antagonist of the book, well, it’s been a long time since a character has made me so unbelievably angry (which says it all).

The book paces brilliantly, never feeling like it was rushed, nor dragging on. I loved how casually the twist towards the end was revealed… I simply did not see that coming at all. Amazing. And the ending felt so natural that it absolutely didn’t disappoint!! You finish the book completely satisfied with (almost) everything that has happened.

Fantastic book. I couldn’t recommend it more highly. Now I’m off to buy several more of Trope’s books to get stuck in to.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Nicole Trope for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Personally I found this book hard to follow and I couldn't get drawn into the story line unfortunately.

I much preferred Nicole's previous books which I absolutely loved but this one just wasn't for me, although I am sure I will be in the minority.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

A well written story involving the difficult subject of domestic abuse. Another good book from Nicole Trope and well worth five stars

A Mother’s Choice

This is the heartbreaking story of a dysfunctional family. A father, a mother, The son Kevin and the daughter Rachel. I held my breath as Rachel describes the abusive acts her father committed against her mother, her brother and herself. No one was brave enough to resist until one day when Rachel and her mother left leaving her brother behind. A decision that would haunt both of them for years to come.

Rachel is now grown with a family of her own. All at once troll dolls start appearing everywhere, her home, her husband’s car, her husband’s office. Rachel is sure her father has found her because he troll dolls were hers as a child. She can’t tell her husband he thinks her father is dead and her mother is dying in the hospice center. She doesn’t know what to do.

Then she finds out her father is dead and her daughter is missing from her bedroom. She knows it has to be Kevin, he was mean to her as a child, has he grown up to be like her father? Will she find them in time to save her daughter?

This book is filled with suspense start to finish. I would recommend it.

Thanks to Nicole Trope, Bookouture, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy in return for an honest review