Not My Boy by Kelly Simmons is a suspense story that moves relatively quickly. I like that it is told from two POVs, it was a good way to fill in some of the back story. Touted as a domestic thriller, I think the book fits that description as the story revolves around sisters, their children, and their secrets. The story kept my interest in wondering who the murderer was, as there were several suspects throughout. I thought the ending was rather abrupt and wished there had been more detail. Morgan Hallett and Suzanne Toren did a great job narrating the story which made for an enjoyable listening experience I was given a complimentary copy of the audiobook through NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for the #gifted copy.

This was more of a slow burn for me. I wanted to love it, but sadly there were too many things that just didn't work for me. It was definitely more of a mystery than thriller and perhaps my experience was flawed because I did listen on audio.

This was a realistic, mystery that was packed into a super-fast read. Kelly Simmons has done it again!

Not My Boy was a super fast read for me but, wow!, was there a lot packed into such a short listen. It easily wove you through a mystery, quite a bit of suspense, and allll the family drama - all while keeping you on your toes. I had no idea who the "bad guy" was the entire time - it was so easy to suspect everyone - while also feeling bad for all those involved. It really got you thinking about how far you'd go to protect the ones you love... even if it means turning against someone you loves as well. The audio as really great and I enjoyed both narrators.

I wasn't able to finish this book before it was archived. I had a really hard time getting into the story and couldn't connect with the characters, which made me start and stop this book many times before it was ultimately archived. The pacing of the book was also very slow.

This was a good book and I was invested in the family's future, but there was something--and I can't quite pinpoint what--missing that caused me to merely like it, instead of love it.

Not My Boy falls under the domestic suspense/thriller genre, but the pacing is too slow for that thriller part. The blurb sounded like an edge of your seat tale, but I don't think it ever got that intense. I think it had the potential to get there, but it fell short. Part of that falls on character development or lack of development. The characters just fell flat for me, and I couldn't get invested in any of them. So, instead of that intense thriller, this ended up being a lot of domestic drama with family turning against family. Even the big reveal wasn't all that exciting, but I think that was because I was rather bored so much of the time that I'd kind of checked out on this one. The narrators did well with what they had, and I'd certainly listen to either of them again. In this case, I think it was the story that fell short.

From the description I really thought I would enjoy this book also this was my first audible book. It’s fortunate but I was not able to finish, found it to hard to follow along

3.5 stars

There is a mystery at the core of Not My Boy, but it's really more about family than who killed a young girl. In fact, the murderer is almost an anticlimactic bit of information because Kelly Simmons invests you far more in Hannah's relationships with her mother and sister, to the point that the murder feels almost intrusive on the rest of the story.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed Morgan Hallett's and Suzanne Toren's narration. Morgan helped me picture Hannah, with her occasional helplessness and frustration. As Eva, Suzanne captures an insecure yet domineering mother, someone far more concerned with what her daughters think about her than she should be. Even with her expert narration, though, Toren can't inspire me to care about Eva.

If you're in the mood for an entertaining mystery of sorts, this is a decent choice. If nothing else, you might have fun trying to figure out who the murderer is.

I had trouble getting into this book. I had to put it down and come back to it again a couple times. Even the third time, I still was not interested in the book. The characters were all unlikeable, which made it had to feel any emotion while reading the book. The concept of the book was interesting, but there was never a major climax and the entire book felt slow moving.

I enjoyed the narration and voices of the narrators. The story line was not as thrilling as I had hoped for, but nonetheless a fun mystery that held my attention.

Not My Boy” by Kelly Simmons in my opinion was a very well written psychological thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy.

Hannah and her son moved next door to her sister and not far from her mother in hopes to bring some normalcy to their lives. Days after they moved in though, a young girl goes missing. Hannah’s mom saw the son speaking with the little girl before she disappeared.
Who took the girl?
Will Hannah’s sons secrets be exposed? Hannah’s brother in law has always been great with her son but now could he have something to do with the girls disappearance?

2.5 stars for me on this one.

This was a bit of a frustrating listen for me. I thought the overall story was interesting - a girl in the neighborhood goes missing, 1 sister’s son is a suspect & the other sister’s husband is a suspect. I had a few major problems with this though:

1. The narrating characters. I understood why Hannah would be a narrator, but did not understand why her mother and not her sister (who had a husband accused of the crime) was the alternate perspective. The whole mother character seemed to be a bit out of place in the story so to then have her as a narrating character was especially odd to me

2. It felt judgmental. I’m not sure that’s quite the right word, but it’s the only one that I think somewhat fits. There were these ideas that married men can’t be at a poker game where a female cook is serving food or that getting drunk is something shameful. Had these views been relevant to the story and served to move the story ahead, it wouldn’t have bothered me. There are people with those views. But this just seemed to be in there as a way to shame these other characters & my extension, possibly the reader. It was strange.

3. The ending felt very rushed. Things were starting to ramp up a bit & then all of a sudden, there was an abrupt conclusion and what seemed like an un-separated epilogue.

So, this was a bit of a miss for me, but I did find that I kept wanting to know what happened and how the story was going to turn out.

The narration was well done and fit each character well.

I would like to thank NetGalley, RB Media, and Kelly Simmons for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Not My Boy is a slow-burn murder mystery told in alternating POVs between Hannah and her mother Eva. When a child is murdered in a posh East Coast neighborhood Hannah has to figure out who did it before the police arrest her tween son Miles. Eva is torn between the strong personalities of both of her daughters as the police investigation seems to narrow its focus on both of their homes. It is only when Eva, Hannah and Hillary work together can they get to the bottom of what happened to the tiny 6 year and old.

This more of a story of family and wealthy small town secrets (book clubs, DUIs, private poker parties, “She Sheds” and affairs) than it was about a murder. Although it is very mysterious with a lot of red herrings I wouldn’t categorize it as a thriller. When the true perpetrator is finally revealed it is more with a whimper than a bang.

For me this one was a solid 3 star experience on audio. I liked the alternating POV’s and the description of this privileged town but would prefer a little more focus on the victim and what happened to her. The ending was wrapped up so quickly I thought I missed something. There was also very little tension or creep factor which would make it a better read for people that like their mysteries on the less stressful side.

Thank you Netgalley for the audio copy. Recently divorced Hannah has moved next door to her sister Hilary with her son Miles. When a young girl goes missing and turns up murdered Miles becomes a suspect alongside Hilary's husband. Both girls set out to prove their boys innocent. Beautifully read.

I tried to stick with this book but struggled. I did not experience any emotional connection towards the characters or their situation. In fact, they kind of came off as everyone for themselves. The further I got into the story, the more I realized that I did not care who was guilty and why. After getting about a third of the way into the audiobook, I stopped and could not listen anymore.

When it came to the narrator, I thought both narrators did a good job telling the story. I could her the two voices and they way they gave the voices to the different characters. It is not their fault that the story did not jive with me.

Not My Boy follows Hannah and her son Miles, her sister Hillary and her family, and their mother Eva. Having fallen upon tough times, Hannah and Miles move into a house right next to her sister and down the street from her mother. Running from her husband, Hannah is also worried about Miles' behavior. He seems to have a fascination with death. Hannah has tried everything in her power to keep this family secret close to heart. She even moved because Miles was bullied; however, right after the pair move in, a little girl is found dead.
The neighborhood is visibly shaken by this newest discovery. Suspicion is flying rampant. Neighbor is blaming neighbor. Neighbor is blaming stranger. Family is blaming... family. Will a game of point the blame pit formerly inseparable sisters against each other?
I'll start this review by saying that I really enjoyed Simmons writing style. I love when points of views are switched and the past is hinted at for the first portion of the book. Writing it the way she did allowed Simmons to truly create an air of distrust and accusation. Her use of multiple points of view also allows for more information and discoveries to be shared - a luxury we would not have when reading just one character's story.
However, the book itself just fell flat for me. What started as a promising suspense novel ended in a jumbled mess. Despite the fabulous writing style, it still took me about one-third of the book before my interest was truly peaked and I couldn't put it down. Even then, I felt as though I was reading it to get to the end... find out what happened, but not necessarily of interest. When the accusations were flying, the book was actually suspenseful. I was second-guessing everything. Once the mystery began to unfold, I felt myself getting disappointed. It was still suspenseful, but I wasn't pleased with the ending.
Finally, I thought the ending was rushed. Everything that had come into question was quickly answered in the last few pages and wasn't satisfying at all. So much was focused on Miles and I felt like there were no answers regarding that. What was going on with him? Was he healed? It was alluded to, but not stated outright and that leaves me wanting more in a negative way. Even Hannah's past was barely stated after being alluded to for nearly 300 pages! How did she reconcile? How did it help her with me3? What even came of me3 after all the scandals???! I didn't necessarily dislike this book, but I'm not sure I would recommend it...

I listened to the audio version of Not My Boy. It’s definitely a slow burner. I’d say it didn’t pick up until around the 50% mark for me. It’s a quick listen. The storyline is ok. My main issue was with the narration. There are 2 POVs, the daughter Hannah and the grandmother. They speak at 2 very different speeds and I couldn’t find any speed that could make it an enjoyable listen for me. I know I am in the majority here and that’s ok. Maybe next time!

I received and voluntarily listened to this audible from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was thoroughly enthralled by this book! Huge thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for my review copy. Rating of 3.5 rounded up to 4.

I am a huge fan of psychological thrillers, sometimes referred to as "domestic mysteries". I love the way authors of this genre inject ordinary family situations with something truly frightening that turns the usual dynamics on its head. There's nothing more chilling than following normal, everyday people with normal, everyday lives as they face something earth shattering.

Kelly Simmons is a new author to me, but I can already tell fans of Lisa Jewell and Gillian Flynn will be right at home with her atmospheric and domestic who-dunnit style.

This book follows Hannah and her troubled son Miles who have moved to a new neighbourhood to be closer to family. When a little girl goes missing suddenly everyone is a suspect, and the family struggles with some uncomfortable questions.

I enjoyed the mystery at the heart of this book and was driven to keep reading until the final twist was revealed. The POV changed at regular intervals throughout the story, however there was a certain spot toward the end where I was completely confused for a good half of a chapter due to a sudden shift.. looking back I can see it was entirely intentional and designed to cause confusion, but it had me scrubbing backwards a few times convinced a large section of the audio was missing!

While the ending was satisfying, the elements came across as very neat and convenient, a little like the main characters themselves. I don't think I've come across citizens with such strong investigative drives before..

All in all this was a page-turner and I enjoyed the ride. The writing was spot-on and I found myself making extra time to listen. The narration was of a very high standard with two voice actors who used their tone and pacing to add nuance to each of the characters. I'd recommend this one to anyone who enjoys domestic mysteries.

Thank you NetGalley & RB Media for this audio book in exchange for an honest review.
**
What could possibly be more of a parent’s nightmare than you 6 year old child missing? Well for Kendra, the mother, it was her daughter being found dead.
For Hanna; it’s the fact the cops are looking to her adolescent son as a possible suspect.
For Hillary; it’s the cops arresting her husband and him being their prime suspect.
For Eva; it’s her two adult daughters Hanna and Hillary facing such problems and not looking to her, their mother, for help and guidance.
**
Not My Boy is a tale of two sisters who will do that it takes to save their boys; one a son and one a husband. Three woman band together to save their family from facing a danger they know is lurking, but is unwarranted.
The way Kelly leads her readers down certain paths had me at certain points thinking it was Hanna’s son; or even Hillary’s 6 daughter who was guilty of the poor girls death. As the story unravels you will see how deeply people keep their secrets close to home.