Ten stars for this one!

I loved this novel. Had me from the very first page and continued to blow me away. Great story, writing and characters. Realistic and mesmerizing. Highly recommend!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Step Daughter' by Georgina Cross

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 2nd September 2020

This is the first book that I have read by this author and it most certainly won't be my last!

I was originally drawn to this book by its intriguing title & blurb. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue and 6 acts which are made up with 63 chapters which are short in length so perfect to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is written in first person perspective with five protagonists. I always enjoy reading books written in first person more as it feels like I'm sitting across the table from them while they are telling their story or in the book next to them. I also enjoy books from several perspectives as it gives you a bigger picture of what more people are seeing, doing and feeling so this is definitely a big positive for me. It is also written with 2 timelapses which helps create a bigger picture as you can how events lead up to the present day.

The way it was written made me feel like I was right next to the characters and going through the events with them.

Wow!! Where do I begin? What an absolutely gripping, intense psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, flying through the pages and full of suspense!! Filled with twists, turns, red herrings, lies, secrets,shocks and a big bang bang you won't see coming.

It was very well written and a true page turner. Filled with fantastic descriptions that makes you feel your following the characters around while you wonder whats around the corner. I just did not want to put this book down.

Excellent characters who all 'played their parts' perfectly, very strong, realistic and detailed it was very easy to picture them and I enjoyed seeing events unfold from different perspectives.

I cannot wait to read more books by the very talented Georgina Cross who I will definitely be adding to my top authors list!!!

Overall a mind blowing, suspense filled psychological page turning thriller!!!

Genres covered include Suspense, Mystery, Romance, Coming of age, thriller, police procedural, Psychological thriller, Crime fiction, Noir fiction and Domestic fiction.

I would recommend this book to fans of any of the above as well as of page turning books that leave you shocked.

302 pages.

This book is 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I loved it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Vanessa’s stepdaughter Mia swims every afternoon. She is an excellent swimmer who can do laps in the pool by herself without concern from her parents. But one day, Vanessa goes to check on her and Mia has vanished. Gone without a trace.

Even her towel is by the pool, still dry. Meanwhile, the house next door is on fire. Could Mia have gone inside for some reason? The StepDaughter by Georgina Cross is a suspenseful novel about a missing child and the circumstances around the day she disappears. The police don’t really believe Vanessa and suspicious is immediately placed on her. Tripp, Mia’s father and Vanessa’s husband, is angry with Vanessa since Mia vanished when Vanessa was supposed to be watching her.

Take a look:

My husband can’t understand how I could I have let his daughter disappear. And when the police come asking questions, I wish I could wind back time to that normal afternoon when I was cooking lasagna for my family, Mia’s favorite. I can tell the officers don’t believe me: they’ve cast me as the evil stepmother.

I just wish I could understand the messages I’ve found from my husband on Mia’s phone: I’m so sorry, I still love you. And why his wedding ring is found at the bottom of the pool after Mia disappeared. He never told me it was missing. What else is he hiding?

But the detective keeps asking me where I was during those ten minutes when Mia vanished. And I can’t tell her my secret. From the way she’s looking at me, I know she thinks I did something to my stepdaughter. Mia and I haven’t always been that close and sometimes she drives me nuts, just like any normal teenager, but I would never hurt her.

I just need you to believe me.

This was a great suspense novel, I really didn’t know what could have happened to Mia and why. I usually try to figure things out, but in this case, the disappearance of Mia could have gone in many directions. I had no idea what was going to happen or who was responsible. In books like this, its best if you go in with not many ideas about how the plot is going to unfold.

The StepDaughter comes out on September 2 and is only ninety-nine cents, which is an amazing deal that you can’t pass up!

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of this Awesome book! I Absolutely LOVED this book!! I liked the characters and the story was so good, the ending got me. All in All a Great read.

This book took off like a bullet and never let up the whole time. I was thrilled to read this book because I love thrillers and the premises sounded exactly up my alley and I wasn't disappointed. The book starts out with our main character Vanessa turning her back for a second, distracted by a fire at her neighbors house. When she suddenly looks back to the pool where her step daughter, Mia, was swimming she notices that Mia is missing. There were a few different characters that took major rolls in telling the story and while I normally don't like that the author did a great job of keeping them separate and they each gave very interesting and important points to the plot. I had a very hard time picking a favourite character from all of them because I thought that they were all well written and each one was so realistic. This thriller had me hooked from the beginning and it was so interesting to see everyone's views of what they saw and what they didn't on that day that Mia went missing. It was nice to see little things that wouldn't normally matter make a huge difference the more information that we got the deeper we got into the mystery. There was so much emotion put into this book that I'm not sure how the author managed it. Great read this is one that everyone needs to check out I'm so glad that I got the opportunity to read it. The ending was amazing I never saw any of that coming. The only thing I suggest for this book is to clear your schedule because once you pick it up you won't be able to put it down. This book is one that you will recommend to all of your friends and will read it again and again because one time just wont be enough. Even after you finish the first read you will want to go back and see what you missed. I loved this book even with the sad subject.

This was a dramatic and believable story of a stepmother whose teenaged step daughter disappears. You can literally feel the terror and helplessness she faces. A great book!

I really enjoyed Georgina Cross’ debut novel The Stepdaughter.
It’s the story of Vanessa. She meets and falls in love with Trip, who had lost his wife 2 years earlier. Since his wife’s death, he had been a single parent to his daughter Mia.
When he and Vanessa marry, she gains a stepdaughter.
I loved the way the story was told. It was told from different points of view up until the middle of the book. Then the author starts to give us readers clues about what happened to Mia.
What did she know? What happened that night? Who was there? Who is lying?
The story develops, characters lie and I think I changed my mind half a dozen time’s as to who was the bad guy/girl.
I really felt for Vanessa. No children of her own but she is trying so hard to be a good Step Mum to Mia who was still grieving for her mother. I liked Vanessa’s character. She literally have up everything for Trip and Mia and my heart broke for her. She should definitely have got rid of Trip, I think her friend’s warning about him was spot on.
In the end I did work out the whodunnit but it didn’t take anything away from the story and I will definitely be on the look out for more books by Georgina Cross
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mia is the stepdaughter, Vanessa, her stepmother, Tripp her biological father, Julia and Thomas her next door neighbors. None are particularly like able. That’s the total chart of characters. (okay, Julias elderly confused mother was their too). I was fully engaged, immersed and had difficulty putting it down. Kudos to the author Georgina Cross. . So, Mia goes MIA while swimming at the exact time the home next door explodes into flames. The story is told from their different POV’s on and before the disastrous day. As we learn more about the two families we switch our suspicions accordingly. With several good twists and several red herrings I was never too sure until I reached the final reveal.

Wow! What a great read, this packs a punch from page 1. I loved it and will defintely look for more from this author.

I feel like I've missed something with this book. Everyone seems to have loved it but I was bored for the first half of the book. The first half provided a fair amount of information needed for the plot but it just wasn't written as well as it could have been. The second half of the book feels completely different to the point where it felt like a different person wrote the two halves of the book. All the information provided in the first half was reiterated in the second half. To me, it felt like the book didn't really start until the second half.

Whilst this was a bit predictable at times and I did guess some of the big twists, it was still an enjoyable read which is why I didn't give up on it. The fast pace of the book makes it very easy to read. It would be a great holiday read that you can get through fast without needing to concentrate too.

this so good Vanessa has it all money the house and the husband Tripp and a stepdaughter Mia . but one night everything changes Mia has has vanished .but the house next door is on fire . wont say anymore the twists in this book is so good a must read

Wowser! This was a fast mover. I literally read ‘The Stepdaughter’ in two sittings and don’t know where today went. When something begins with a bang, in this case a missing teen, I have to keep reading. Mia was missing and I had to know how and why.

I think I suspected just about everyone at some point. I loved Vanessa’s character and felt myself totally rooting for her. I felt the awkwardness of her position. The tension between the rest of the cast was so cleverly written, building to a shocking crescendo.

As for the writing, it took me on a speedy journey and I barely noticed the words on the page. It was brilliantly structured, just revealing what the reader needed to know at the right time.

I had such a clear image of the garden, the street, and Vanessa’s home. I also have to give a special mention to Charlotte’s character - she was adorable. I’d definitely recommend this book to fast-paced psychological thriller lovers. It’s not one to be missed. Be prepared to lose time once you start reading!

The Stepdaughter is Yep, about a stepdaughter. Her dead mother, the father, the stepmother and their neighbors. It has alternating narratives and goes back in time. Not a favorite genre of mine but I wasn't as annoyed with The Stepdaughter. It's a fast paced read with an engrossing plot line. Not many red herrings throw in. I would recommend this book..
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Honestly I’ve had a really bad run of books recently. Like so bad I thought I was the problem but The Stepdaughter has made me see I’ve just been reading shit! The Stepdaughter has broken me out of my funk and I could kiss Georgina Cross!

I really liked Vanessa, she felt like a real person. I think Tripps character needed exploring more.

Now I wouldn’t call this book mindblowing since I thought it was an average thriller but sometimes all you want is an average thriller! It’s the equivalent of sticking Love Island on at the end of the day (no judging haha!) you want entertainment but you don’t want anything heavy!

The pacing is strange. One chapter can tell you nothing new or give you all the information at once. It’s The Stepdaughters biggest flaw.

Bonus for having small chapters from police POV, kept me on track with the story but slowly solving the mystery at the same time (I didn’t!)

3.5/5
A well rounded read for casual thriller readers.

When a teenager Mia dissapears from backyard pool and in the same moment the neighbour's house is on fire, and it seems that is the peak of twisty drama. But beginning is in the past. All hidden emotions between Mia and Vanessa, the stepmom, emerges and husband has his secrets too.

Characters are very well described, Vanessa is likable and relatable, it seems that she has an understanding for everyone, and even in doubts she tries to soften the situation. The story is written from different perspectives, based on involved protagonists.

What a page turner! I've read it in one sitting, love it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent debut novel by Georgina Cross. Mia, Vanessa’s 13 year old step daughter, goes missing one afternoon while Vanessa is in the house. Mia is a gifted swimmer and disappears while swimming laps in the backyard pool.

Told from Mia, Vanessa, the detective and neighbor’s POVs in current and past timelines. Little by little different secrets are revealed. A quick read offering multiple twists. I look forward to reading more by Ms. Cross in the future.

This is a great debut- a quick and twisty read. It centers on the disappearance of 13 year old Mia from her backyard pool and the mystery/investigation around what happened. Told primarily from her step-mother Vanessa's POV, the reader also gets glimpses into the POVs of Mia's father, Tripp, Mia herself, and their next door neighbors.

I particularly liked the references that came from the elderly neighbor, Charlotte, who was in the house that day and had dementia. Though Charlotte was a bit character, the author did a great job in giving her a backstory, and thus giving me empathy towards, her, and the things she told Vanessa and the detectives added to the overall creepiness of the story.

With the exception of Charlotte (and Vanessa's friend Janie), the characters were not really nice people. Mia was a spoiled brat who probably needed to see someone to deal with her feelings about her dead mother and her treatment of Vanessa. Tripp had an unrealistic view of what Vanessa's role should be in their household, and Vanessa herself frustrated me the most for allowing Tripp and Mia to treat her the way they did. Even the neighbors weren't quite what they seemed as the story progressed. I wish that the author had endeared me more to the main characters., but appreciated the "normalcy" that the tertiary characters brought into the overall dynamic.

Overall, this was a fun and fast-paced read that I'd recommend to those who enjoy mysteries and domestic suspense. I am very impressed it was a first novel and am looking forward to what Georgina Cross comes up with next! Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

From the prologue I was drawn into this thriller wanting to know what happened to Mia. “The Stepdaughter” is a well written faced paced book. The characters come alive as the author writes the story from different points of view. The book had many twists and turns, some that were predictable and others were not. I highly recommend this book.

One normal afternoon when Vanessa walks out the patio doors of her kitchen to check on Mia, her stepdaughter, who is swimming in our backyard pool, she finds her missing. She is in shock as she was watching over her and was distracted just for a few minutes due to the fire at her neighbour, Julia's, house.

Her husband, Tripp, can’t understand how she could have let his daughter disappear. And when the police come asking questions, the officers don’t believe her, as they’ve cast her as the evil stepmother.

But then she discovers the messages from her husband on Mia’s phone: I’m so sorry, I still love you. And when his wedding ring is found at the bottom of the pool after Mia disappeared, she realises he is hiding something since he never told her it was missing.

Though Vanessa has a secret of her own, apart from the fact that Mia and she haven’t always been that close, she is adamant that she would never hurt Mia. All Vanessa needs is everyone to believe her.

This book was simply amazing. It was such a quick read and it was enjoyable right till the end.

All the characters were well written and each of them had a significant contribution to the plot. It was well narrated through the alternate versions of Vanessa, Mia and Julia, with a few by the investigating officer Angela.

There was quite a few twists in the story that holds the suspense right till the end. At some point, I did have a suspicion as to who might have done it but it did not spoil my reading at all since there were quite a lot a surprises that I couldn't guess.

Overall, an thoroughly enjoyable read. Highly Recommended!

Thank You to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!!

I really enjoyed this , picked it up and finished it in an afternoon . In haven’t read any previously by this author but I wouldn’t hesitate . The book is told mainly from the prospective of Vanessa , married to Tripp and stepmother to Mia and Julia her neighbour . Other voices join the story but these are the main ones . Mia has vanished , she was swimming in the pool in the back garden , Julia’s house is on fire so Vanessa steps out and in those few minutes Mia is gone . The investigation commences and we soon realise that everyone is keeping secrets , including Mia’s dad . This was fast paced and very entertaining . I did work out what had happened to Mia but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment at all . A brilliant book to pass a couple of hours on a sunny day