I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I requested this book because the premise sounded intriguing: a mother drops her 15 year-old daughter off at a sleepover and, when she goes back for her the next day, the woman who answers the door has never heard of her daughter, whose phone is now turned off.

However, it didn't really work for me: Whitney, the mother, was an unlikeable whiny character, who spent most of the book reminiscing on her past and coming up with reasons why it would all probably be OK and therefore not to call the police. There was no real forward momentum, what with all the reminiscing and then the flashbacks to the last few weeks, where her daughter behaved so suspiciously only some one like Whitney could have missed the clues. There was a big twist, which seemed inevitable by the time we got to it, so I suppose a star for that, but it was distasteful and extreme. I was glad when I was done not to have to spend any more time with Whitney.

Dear Amber Garza, have mercy on us! This happens when a powerful romance author takes her first steps to the dark side: she keeps throwing so much bombs into our laps and shocking the hell of us by bringing out heavy weapons disguised as smart twists! I enjoyed squirming in my seat and binge reading this delicious page turner!

Can you imagine an ungrateful, annoying step daughter of yours tricking you to drive her to the wrong house and the very next day when you bang on the door to pick her up, you realize she is not there. Where the hell is she? What kind of trouble did she get herself into? Also if you cannot find her, you may be in more trouble than her! What a terrible mess!

See that’s Whitney’s problem: she thought she dropped sixteen years old Amelia(typical moody, annoying teenage )to her friend’s house but she lied about it! Don’t blame poor Whitney! She normally meets with parents before leaving a daughter with her friend but Amelia thought this was humiliating so she finally gave up!

As Whitney digs more about Amelia’s friend circle and social life, she realizes she’s been lied for years! Does she have any idea what kind of daughter she’s been raising? Does she really know who she is! Definitely not.

As we get more glimpses from Whitney’s past via flashbacks, we also understand the demons from her past are still chasing her and it could be related to disappearance of her step daughter.

Two things bothered me about this wild, heart throbbing ride: there were too many coincidences related with shocking twists and I couldn’t relate with Whitney! She was one of the unlikable characters you may wish to disappear and more likable heroine takes her place!

But overall pacing was good, the story development keeps your attention intact! You never get bored! Even you want to punch the faces of most of the characters you still get invested!

Because of the intriguing writing style, mind bending twists, satisfying conclusion I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 I love how the book pull the rug out from under me stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This is the type of book where you get pulled in right from the synopsis and are summarily dragged through twists and turns until you hit the words ‘the end’. This book is deliciously bingeable (I finished it in a day) and well-written, but it tread way further into the ‘mommy thriller’ subgenre than I thought it would. I’m not a fan of that specific type of domestic thrillers (think: The Push by Ashley Audrain) but considering the renaissance they’re having right now, I think this book will be a hit.

It's every parent's worst nightmare - going to pick your child up at someone's house only to be told that not only is your child not there currently, but they've never been there.

This is the situation that Whitney finds herself in when she drops her 16 year old stepdaughter Amelia off at a friend's house. When Whitney returns the next day to pick Amelia up, the elderly couple who live there tell Whitney she has the wrong house - but Whitney knows where she dropped Amelia off. What follows is a twisted tale that draws in a lot of side characters to weave a tale of secrets and revenge.

Here are my notes for this one, which I feel may give you a better insight on what I thought:

- Why don't these parents communicate?!
- Whitney's incredibly unlikeable
- Red flags, so many red flags. A red flag factory (still cannot hear that as anything other than "fleg fectreh")
- Too many coincidences

As thrillers go, was it the worst one I've ever read? Not by a long shot. It was well paced, the writing was good, it drew me in - there were just SO many coincidences and I found Whitney really unlikeable. I didn't blame Amelia if she had run away. The Dad character was also unnecessary, he was literally just a pain in the ass who couldn't communicate to save his life. It was very, very twisty so if you like that kind of book I'd say you might really enjoy this one.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy.

I realize I am in the vast minority here, but I just could not get into this book... I was captivated by the premise. But I was quickly worn down by all the flashbacks of the horrible moments in the narrator's past, and that combined with the generally unlikable characters made it very difficult for me to ever feel connected to what was happening. I had a difficult time with Garza's last novel also - it too felt uneven to me, and I'm starting to think that's just her writing style and it just doesn't resonate with me. Not every book is for every reader - and apparently this one just wasn't for me...

TW: abuse, infant loss

WHOA. What a crazy, dark, twisty thriller this was. It was allll over the place in a really good way. Sometimes thrillers are ridiculously unbelievable but this one was just right.

I did NOT see it going the way it went...and I was SO immersed in this one, I couldn't put it down. I really enjoy a good WTF thriller and this definitely fits the bill.

Thanks to Harlequin/Mira for gifting me a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I kept waiting for this to get silly or to jump the proverbial shark, but instead found it both unexpected and engaging. Also, though I, as usual, was reading several other books simultaneously, i kept coming back to this one for "just one more chapter."

This one took some unexpected twists and turns but then the end really got me! Whew! Way to end with a bang!

Every parent's nightmare...

This book was compulsively readable and entirely engrossing. I just couldn't put it down until I unravelled the mystery and I was completely satisfied when I got to the end.

Such a great book and such a talented author!

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.