This book kept me guessing until the end. These 2 sisters and their mother are all unreliable narrators! This is a thriller about a missing girl but also about the family dynamic between the sister Hannah and Hillary their mother and their children. No one wants to believe the worst of their child, their husband or their neighbors but the child is missing and someone is to blame can the ladies find the culprit before the police blame the wrong person?
Morgan Hallett & Suzanne Toren’s narration was very well done Toren’s voice reminds me of someone but I can’t put my finger on it. But both women gave a great performance!
This was my first book by this author but will not be my last I enjoyed this one a lot!
3 ½ stars

Newly divorced Hannah and her son, Miles, move in next door to her sister Hillary, hoping that this will be the clean start that she is looking for.  When a little girl disappears, members of both families are under suspicion.

The story is well written and fast paced - an average psychological thriller.  I found most of the characters quite irritating and just couldn't connect with any of them, however, and the ending felt a bit contrived.  The narration was done quite well though, so I am giving it 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, sourcebook landmarks, and the author Kelly Simmons for this ARC audiobook!

This book is about a mother and her son who relocate to be closer to family and wind up in the middle of a murder investigation that occurs right around the same time they move into the neighbourhood. The investigation strains the relationships amongst thIs family and starts turning everyone on each other in their attempts to clear their own names.

This book was from the perspective of Hanna, the mother just recently moving into the neighbourhood, and Eva who is Hannas mother who also lives close by. I enjoyed both the perspective of Hanna and Eva and the narration was very well done and easy to follow. The characters were well developed and interesting and their were multiple twists and turns that kept me wanting to find out what happened. I did however find the ending to be fairly anticlimactic and uneventful in a way, I found there was a bit too much lead up and not enough getting into the mystery of it all and why it happened. It ends fairly abruptly and left me wanting just a bit more out of it. Overall though it was definitely well written with good character development, and an interesting plot.

I rated this book 2.5/5 and I would try more books by this author in the future!

Great mystery! Two sisters are neighbors and everything is fine until a child disappears and family members become suspected. One is one sister's son and the other is her sister's husband.

It was a slow burn and I switched between the audio book and the kindle edition, sometimes finding the narration a little jarring.

Overall great mystery.

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.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A copy of Not My Boy by Kelly Simmons was provided by Netgalley for review purposes

I felt like this could have been great but it felt flat for me. It was hard to keep up & there was a lot going on but with not much direction in my opinion. I really wasn’t able to connect with the characters either. Some people might enjoy this if they’re domestic suspense & true crime since it does dabble in that as well.

I strongly agree with the Advance Praise provided by Net Galley (which came from Booklist, starred review). "Told from alternating perspectives, Simmons throws readers right into the middle of the mystery and keeps them guessing the whole way through. Readers who enjoy the suspenseful reads of Liane Moriarty won't be able to put down this novel.”

As I began reading this story, I learned Hannah has just recently moved to a new town with her son, Miles. She is hoping for not just new surroundings, but for new beginnings. Hannah bought the house right next door to her sister, Hannah. And their mom, lives close by as well. So…everything looks good for a promising future for Hannah and her sensitive boy.

But we are unexpectedly, thrust into a murder investigation. A small girl went down to the creek to catch frogs, but she never came home. Not My Boy pulled me in right from the start. Having the story told from several perspectives really kept my interest. As the investigation into the little girl’s murder proceeds, we find there is much to learn about the lives of Hannah, her mom, and her sister Hillary.

I have more to say about Not My Boy and I will posting a full book review on my website soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for an advanced audiobook to review.

The biggest issue I have with this story is how illogical all the characters were. I feel that in general I have no problem suspending belief or slightly looking over occasional plot holes. But the train of thought of the characters and investigators didn't seem to make sense most of the time. Especially why the main characters were keeping secrets from each other that were unimportant but at the same time playing amateur detectives to solve this case.

I was also very upset with how the almost whole family automatically started to accuse / question Miles on the neighbor girl's disappearance just because he was very empathetic to animals. Even though there was never any indication of any violent tendencies. As well as no one ever had a real conversation with him and instead just pushed him off on a therapist like something was wrong with him.

Lastly the slight revel at the end for Hannah did not really add anything to the story or her character.

*received for free from netgalley from honest review* ngl had me a few times and didnt care for the grandmas attitude, and like, its normal for people to talk about/be open with weed now. In my state you can just go to the store and buy it exactly like alcohol.

but overall ended pretty good, thought it was going to be a one star there for a second but luckily redeemed the ending lol

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review>

Not My Boy was a pretty interesting audiobook to dive into. It had a good balance of family drama the mystery/thriller aspects. At least for me and since I'm a horrible detective.. anyone and everyone was a suspect to me. I think this had way too many details for my brain to latch onto because I just kept switching my mind for who did it.

That being said, with the big reveal at the end.. I feel like my brain was just way too tired and gave up. Was I surprised or shocked? A bit I guess.. but that's mostly because I couldn't make or keep a decision at all. I will say that I definitely enjoyed the two POVs and the narrators did a great job. Kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

There's just something about mystery books that make me want more and more.

I enjoyed this book as a slow burn dramatic drama. Would gladly recommend it. The narrators were really good

Family Drama + Missing 6-year-old = Compelling Read!

After Hannah divorces, she moves with her 12-year-old son Miles to an upscale neighborhood in Philly, right near her sister Hillary and her mother Eva. Miles is an "outcast" who was bullied in his old school and Hannah is hoping that a new school will be a positive experience for him. All three women are thrilled that they now live close to each other. Their happiness is short-lived and shattered, however, when 6-year-old Liza Harris goes missing.

SECRETS AND SISTERS. The police investigation results in family turmoil and the three women must ask themselves this question: What would you do if you found someone YOU love under suspicion?

Although I was intrigued by this book's premise, I was seeking more of a "thriller" and less of a "family drama". Also, I prefer fast-paced books and this book frequently seemed to drag. And, finally, the "Oh not my child, look at this family member instead" line that was used by family members was deeply troubling and hard for me to embrace.

I listened to the book's audio version and I always love when there are multiple narrators. This book had two narrators and both of them were superb.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not My Boy is a fantastically haunting and suspenseful thriller. When a 6 year old girl goes missing, police seem to be focusing on a mother and son who recently moved into the upscale neighbourhood to live in a small cottage next door to their sister/aunt. The son seems a bit odd at first, but we soon learn that he's not the only one who has a troubled past and there are several possible suspects.

The audiobook is narrated in 2 different voices to represent Hannah, the mother of "the boy" and Eva, his grandmother. The story is gripping and unpredictable, and has wonderfully developed and complex characters. It was a quick read because once I started listening, I couldn't put it down and had to find out what happened!

An upscale suburban neighborhood with dark secrets behind closed doors is the setting of Simmons domestic suspense. I was drawn into this quickly and enjoyed the alternating viewpoints, which added a later of suspense with the two different interpretations of events unfolding. The audio version very successfully utilized to different narrators, which worked incredibly well. Both narrators did an amazing job. The story was ok for me but not completely plausible at times and I felt like the ending came about too abruptly with no enough detail or explanation.

was a slow burn that fell a little flat for me. I found the storyline to be a bit unbelievable at times and the characters were hard to connect with. I usually live a multiple pov book,  but this one just didn't work for me. I must say that I had no idea who the perpetrator was until the end which is also something I enjoy in a book.

Hannah picks up her past and moves her and her son to a cottage beside her sister in a luxe neighborhood. Shortly after the move a little girl goes missing and police begin to swarm the neighborhood with searches in houses,  the river and woods. Hannah's house seems like the spot the police are gravitating towards, do they think he son had something to do with the little girls dissappearance? The sisters then decide to take it upon themselves to identify the killer.

This audiobook has 2 narrators. While both did a good job being expressive and fluent, the older narrator did so well that I almost believed she was Eva.

This story follows the ups and downs of a couple sisters and their families, as well as their mom, while the police investigate the death of a little girl in their neighborhood. During the course of investigation the police alternately suspect the one sister's husband and the other sister's son. After moments of doubt, anger and a final screaming match they decide to work together with their mom to clear both of their guys and find the real killer.

I loved how real all of the characters felt. I had a special connection to the grandmother, Eva, as she seemed to do, think and say what I would have in the same situations.

This was an interesting and compelling story that was told well. I would definitely recommend it to adults and older teens.

While I enjoyed the premise of the story, I had a hard time following along. Perhaps it would have been different if I read it versus the audiobook. The narration was fine, it was the story itself that I struggled with. The twists and the turns came a little too late for me. I didn't love the characters, couldn't relate.

I'm not giving up on this author and look forward to reading her other works.

Entertaining story with great narration. It's a dark and cozy story with various layers. I appreciated the narration of the audio book because it kept me engaged and absorbed in the story. The story itself was well executed and I enjoyed the dynamics involving the neighborhood and family.

While I can honestly say I didn’t love this book, I can’t honestly say I didn’t like it either. It was just ok. Although I did appreciate that it was a quick read, it still managed to be a very slow burn. I did like the various POV, and there were several times that I didn’t see the twist coming, but in the end, there was no big “wow” moment they put it over the top.
It was a family drama, and as soon as all signs pointed to the one character, I knew he wasn’t going to end up being the killer. Although, to be fair, who the killer ended up being just kinda seemed thrown in at the last minute. I did like the mother’s character, Eva. But other than that it just kinda came up short to me. I did enjoy the audiobook narration though.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad book, it just didn’t stand out in the crowd.

“You can’t know everything all the time despite your desire to.”

Hannah, a single mother with a questionably troubled son, moves next door to her sister in an upscale neighborhood hoping for a fresh start. Almost immediately after moving in a young girl goes missing and her son, a boy with a strange attachment to dead or dying animals, is a prime suspect. Desperate to protect her son she will point the finger anywhere else she can...including her own sisters husband. As tensions mount and loyalties are questioned, will the killer of this innocent little girl be found? And will this family be able to stay intact when they discover who is truly to blame?

Well this is a first for me. I actually rounded UP my star rating based on the narration of this audio book. The story...meh. I struggled to stay focused at different points because not a lot was happening. Like at all. During most of the book.

The narrator for Eva, the grandmother, was superb! Her voice gave the character life and heart. I found myself looking forward to her chapters and wanting to skip over Hannah’s.

Thank you to netgalley for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. Available now!