It’s a parents nightmare come true when a child goes missing , be it 5 seconds, 5 minutes or 5 years. The heart stopping terror you feel when you look and they are out there is an awful process to go through. That’s the fear that the author has imbued into the pages of the book, the terror, the helplessness and the fear they will never return. Add to that fear the nightmarish scenario that invades your mind that a bad person has them somewhere and you become overwhelmed and broken. All these feelings sweep you along in their wake as you follow the lives of Claire, Ollie and Jill as they wait for news of their missing child. Written from the POV of Claire and Jill it gives insight into their deepest fears and the frantic way their minds are working in order to retain some sense of hope. An book that builds up the tension,the fear and the dread page after page, yet you dare not put it down because you can’t walk away from it not knowing what is going to come next. A nail biter of a book that delivers one heck of an almighty great twist that will leave you open mouthed.

I would imagine that most parents at some time in their lives have experienced every parent's worst nightmare, the heart stopping moment when you are out somewhere and lose sight of one of your children. The overpowering emotions, fear, terror and panic as you frantically search from them, constantly calling their name. Then the immense feeling of relief when you find them again and wrap them in your arms, swearing never to let them out of your sight ever again. Now, imagine that you couldn't find your child, that they had just disappeared, vanished, gone, without a trace, no witnesses, no evidences, they were just simply ....gone.

This gripping thriller is the story of the mysterious disappearance of seven year old whilst she was at the fair with her Grandmother Jill. When Beatrice's mother Claire is informed that her beloved daughter has disappeared, she is understandably upset but also angry and confused because as far as she was concerned her husband, Beatrice's father Oliver was supposed to have taken Beatrce and her young friend to the fair. Oliver knew that Claire thought that Jill was too ditzy to take proper care of Bethany so why the hell had he gone against her wishes and broken his promise to take the girls himself?

Claire and Jill start their individual searches for the missing, innocent little girl but where is she? who is the twisted, manipulative, puppet master behind the champaign against the family and what was the motives behind their actions?

The chapters alternated between the perspectives of Claire and Jill, two vivid, realistic female characters who found themselves trapped in a living nightmare, struggling to know who they could trust and being pushed to the emotional limit as the story unfolded. Although as a parent I felt a lot of sympathy for Claire, I can't say that I thought she was very likeable for a variety of reasons. I thought that Jill was a wonderful realistic blend of conflicting emotions, yes,she was a bit ditzy but then so am i, I think it's just part of getting older. She obviously loved her Grand daughter and I thought that the way Claire treated Jill and passed judgement on her was unfair but I could also full understand Claire's attitude towards her after Beatrice disappeared. Jill didn't help herself by insisting in keeping in contact with her ex daughter in law Laurel who definitely didn't like Claire but were her feelings of hatred and jealousy so intense that she would be prepared to kidnap a innocent little girl just to cause trouble between Claire and Oliver? Life can often be difficult and relationships can be be tested by average everyday issues, I cannot imagine the strain that a missing child can put on a couple but I imagine that it would be immense and they would really need to be supportive of each other. Unfortunately Oliver's idea of supporting Claire appeared to consist of him disappearing for hours in end and getting drunk. Was he drinking to forget his feelings of guilt over his involvement in the disappearance of his daughter, simply just selfish, uncaring and insensitive or was there another sinister reason behind his behaviour?

I love Shalini Boland's psychological thrillers and My Little Girl was no exception, it is a incredibly well written page turner, a intense take of secrets, lies,manipulation and deception that as always as me hooked in from the first page and glued to my kindle. The characters were vivid, realistic and relatable, there was numerous red herrings, there was numerous red herrings and a chilling concluding sting in the tale Shalini Boland is very talented and one of my favourite author's. Worth all the stars and more and very very highly recommended.

My Little Girl by Shalini Boland. I absolutely loved it. I raced through to the end, sneaking off to read it when I could. I could not wait to find out what happened to Beatrice.

Beatrice’s grandmother Jill brought Beatrice and her friend to the local fairground. Jill took her eye off them for a minute to take a phone call and when she looked around, Beatrice was gone. Just like that. Jill’s son Oliver and daughter in law Claire, are sick with worry – where is Bea and who took her? Jill is doubly worried because she knows Claire doesn’t trust her with Bea and has already made a few mistakes while looking after Bea in the past.

Claire is furious, she should never have left her daughter with Jill. Coupled with this Oliver is acting very strangely, disappearing, telling lies and not being supportive when they should be united as a couple and searching for their daughter. There are a few suspects close to them and somebody is sending horrible text messages. But who took Bea??

At some points I found the plot a bit unbelievable but all in all a fast paced solid thriller Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and, the author for the ARC.

Visiting the fairground with her grandmother Jill, seven year old Beatrice disappears. Jill only took her eyes off her for seconds, didn’t she?
Told in both Jill and Beatrice’s mother Claire’s point of views, we follow their lives from the moment Bea goes missing. How and why their relationship is so fractured and them frantically searching for Bea.
This is a mother’s worst nightmare, especially when she wasn’t there when it happened. Guilt and betrayal play a big part in this.
This was a great thriller, with a great storyline and very well written. Giving you red herrings throughout and leaving you shocked at who the actual kidnapper was.

Shalini Boland has done it again, another fantastic read!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book via netgalley.
Well written, intriguing plot with many twists. I suspected the perpetrator early on but could not work out the motive until the "confession". An interesting read.

Beatrice and her friend Millie are taken to the fair by Beatrice's grandmother.
While in the hall of mirrors Beatrice's grandmother Jill takes a phone call and takes her eye of the girls.
Jill cannot find Beatrice but Millie is there .
Where is Beatrice has she just wandered off or has someone taken her.
Claire gets a phone call as she is getting ready to go out to tell her her daughter is missing but Claire is puzzled as her husband Ollie was taking the girls to the fair.
While searching for Bea Ollie is acting rather strange and keeping secrets.
There are a lot of characters that you think could be involved in Bea going missing.
Great read
Thanks NetGalley

Bea and her grandmother are having a good time until Bea disappears. And now the nightmare begins. The story is told from the point of view of the mother and grandmother, the police figures are almost not there.
Thank you Netgalley for this adventure.

her husband’s ex-wife taken her daughter?

Which one of them is lying? And who really knows where Beatrice is?

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. I have read and loved a few of this authors previous books

I raced through this in one go , it was addictive and completely blew me away . Who can be trusted? Who is being honest and who on earth has taken your little girl?

Written in alternate narratives we get to read this event from all angles .

Highly emotional and chilling as parent. Twists and turns aplenty this is a fast paced tense book.

A real rollercoaster of a psychological thriller. Shalini Is a fantastic author and I’ll definitely be reading more from her.

Published 22nd April

Jill takes her granddaughter Beatrice and friend to the fairground but a happy day out turns into a nightmare when Beatrice disappears. Beatrice's parents Oliver and Claire are panicked. Who could have taken their daughter and will they ever forgive Jill or trust her again?
My Little Girl is a book about every parent's nightmare: a missing child. The book is written from the first person perspectives of Jill and Claire as they wait for news. There are occasional short passages from the abductor.
The character and plot development of Jill and Claire is utterly captivating. The two women have a difficult relationship at the beginning of the book and things obviously worsen during Beatrice's disappearance. However, as the women begin to understand each other better, they soften and adjust their behaviour which was really heartwarming amidst the crisis.
The style of writing is engaging and both women are handled sensitively. I think I would have been much more frantic and less reasonable but I hope I never have to find out!
It becomes clear from the abductor perspective that cruel mind games are behind their actions. I did guess the person responsible but the full reveal at the end was so enthralling that it didn't matter. The epilogue was a superb and made me go 'oooooh!'
My Little Girl was a compelling psychological thriller.

While I normally loathe missing children books, i absolutely love Shalini Boland and was smart to give this one a try! In her unique style, she riveted me with this twisted tale! Full of tension, twisty Turns, chills, thrills, and shocks! Amazing character development, fast paced writing, and riveting suspense makes this one unputdownable! Grab today!

I enjoyed this thriller a lot. At the beginning I had lots of ideas as to who took Bea. I did, correctly guess, at about 60% but I was riveted none the less and couldn’t put the book down. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author (I have already read a couple of others) and possibly seeing some of these characters again. Definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC of this book.

Shalini Boland's books never disappoint There were so many twists, and I did manage to guess who had abducted Claire's daughter but I wasn't completely sure until it was revealed. A good ending of the book, but there was also a cliff-hanger... Highly recommended
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When seven year old Beatrice goes to the fair with her friend & grandmother, Jill it should have been a fun day out. However in the hall of mirrors Jill takes her eyes off the girls whilst she answers her phone & suddenly Beatrice has disappeared. When Beatrice's mother finds out she is frantic but she is also furious- she had said that Jill shouldn't take Beatrice out unaccompanied as she felt she was too absent minded & easily distracted. It hasn't helped relationships that Jill gets on with Laurel, Oliver's first wife far better than than she does with Clare. Told from various points of view the reader is taken through the anguish of these people.

I am a fan of Shanali Boland & have read a number of her books, however I found this one a bit disappointing. I think it was maybe that I didn't take to any of the characters- except poor old Jill & even her I wanted to shake at times!! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Well Shalini has done it yet again, she has provided us with another outstanding brilliant and gripping read.

I thought the story was brilliantly well written and the characters are all so very well portrayed and believable. I loved getting to know all of the characters and trying to suss them all out. It was a truly gripping and entertaining read from start to finish.

I've said it before but I'm going to say it again, Shalini has such a way with words that she just draws you in right from the beginning, keeps you enthralled throughout and leaves you with bated breath right to the very end. Which is exactly what she did with this latest book of hers.

So if you are looking for a book that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat in eager anticipation as to what will happen next, with a shocker of a twist come the end and be completely captivated throughout, then you really need to read this book.

Readers can always rely on Shalini Boland for a creepy read that will keep them on the edge of their seats throughout and she is on top form with her latest gripping thriller, My Little Girl.

When Claire’s seven year old daughter Beatrice goes missing, her entire world is turned on its head. Beside herself with worry and desperate to find her little girl, Claire is unable to stop herself from shaking. Nothing about the day her daughter disappeared makes any sense, but Claire is willing to move mountains in order to find her precious child. However, could the threat to her daughter not be some ruthless stranger, but somebody who is very close to home? Claire finds herself looking at the people she should trust and wondering whether one of them could have taken her beloved Beatrice…

Her mother in law Jill was meant to be looking after Beatrice. Jill swears that she didn’t take her eyes off the little girl, but her version of events simply doesn’t add up. Claire’s relationship with Jill has always been fractious, but could her mother in law possibly have anything to do with her daughter’s disappearance? What is Jill keeping from Claire? Does she know where Beatrice is? Or might Jill have ended up doing something that could end up having very serious repercussions on her family’s future?

Claire’s husband should have been looking after their child but at the very last minute he changed his plans – yet he didn’t inform Claire. Why did he not tell her that he wouldn’t be able to look after Beatrice? She would have sworn that the two of them never kept any secrets from one another. Claire starts to worry how well she knows her husband – and whether he has other secrets which he is keeping from her. Claire begins to wonder whether her husband’s previous wife Laurel could have had something to do with Beatrice’s disappearance. After all, the two of them never really got on and Laurel has always resented Claire…

Which one of them is lying? Will Claire find her little girl? Or is her world about to continue to implode even further?

Shalini Boland’s books should come with a warning: don’t start reading her thrillers at night because before you know it, it will be breakfast time and you won’t have got any sleep! My Little Girl is a tense and chilling thriller that kept me engrossed and gleefully turning the pages until I reached the final jaw-dropping conclusion. Shalini Boland is such a fantastic writer – she never shows her hand and she keeps her readers in the palm of her hand desperate to find out how the story will unfold.

Gripping, scary and unputdownable, Shalini Boland ticks all the right boxes with her latest novel, My Little Girl.

Oh my GOSH I just LOVE Shalini’s writing!!! I just love the first person perspective chapters from multiple characters! I love that I was so sure I knew who the kidnapper was but then my mind flip flopped soooo many times throughout the book! I’ve read everything Shalini Boland has written and she never fails to make me love her and crave her next book!!!

Sorry Shalini, I realise this was released a while ago now, but I just haven't been able to be gripped by it.
I'm at about 40/50% in, go back to it every so often but it's just not hooking me this time.

Unable to review

This book started off as any other missing child story - panic, misplaced blame and high tempers. Everything seemed so cliche at first that I wasn’t sure I was going to finish it. But, somewhere around chapter 20 I got hooked! I HAD to know what was going on. The tidbits from the kidnapper definitely kept me going; it was the perfect amount into their mindset without giving too much away.
I knew our first suspect was a red herring despite the fact that I just couldn’t stand her and wanted her to be the bad guy. Jill also drove me crazy at times, but you could tell how much she loved her family and had been struggling since her husband died. *Spoiler* I also really appreciated that neither of the parents had anything to do with it and that this didn’t ruin their marriage. I did figure out who the kidnapper was somewhere around the halfway point, but I loved the crazy/psychological aspect about why she did it. The last chapter left me indifferent...I could go either way on the continuation or just letting the story stop there.

This has got to be every parents worse nightmare " A missing Child" this book follows the fall out and the hunt to find said missing child, a family tested to it's limits will they survive the trauma?

This was an easy engaging read for me, good plot well thought out, lots of drama, suspicion and drama.

All Jill ever wanted to do was look after her granddaughter; to be a part of her son's family. Yes, she messed-up sometimes, but don't we all? It's for certain that Jill didn't deserve what was to happen. The past has a 'funny' way of biting us in the backside when we aren't looking behind. I really couldn't put this down - an incredible read!