I really enjoyed the writing style in this book. The twists and turns kept my attention throughout. I will definitely be checking out other books by this author and I would recommend this book to friends and family.

I have loved all of Kerry's books and when his latest came out I just had to cancel my chores for the day, find a comfy spot, open my kindle and start to read it. Oh my it did not disappoint!
The Child in the Photo by Kerry Wilkinson was another excellent read. I loved it and was hooked from the second page. This is another book full of twists and turns throughout that will have you gripped! Kerry, You have done it again! An addictive page turner.

I highly recommend this latest book and then again all of his books. Kerry is just an excellent author!

Big Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Kerry Wilkinson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

I was so excited for this book, as the premise sounds more than interesting.
The writing and the main plotline were good and kept me interested.
Unfortunately there were too many loose ends (like Hope's "bother" phonecall? Like, what now?) for me to enjoy it.
Also, I hoped for this book to be more twisty as it felt too mellow for me.

I’m giving this 3.5 ⭐️. This was a mystery with lots of deception. Just when you think you’ve figured something out, another wrench is thrown in there. Hope seemed to be an ordinary person until you start to pull back her layers. She has to decide what or how she’ll process this information.
It started off very interesting but I wanted more. I felt like the author tried to hard to bring to a lot of stuff together only to talk about it one dimensionally. It wasn’t horrible I just thought it could of been better.
Thanks Bookouture via Netgalley.

Having read and enjoyed a fair few of this authors books, it wasn’t a difficult choice to decide to read more by this author.

The story plot and characters were very well written, and I really enjoyed getting to know each and every one of the characters. I liked the character of Hope well enough but I do think she was very naive and way too trusting when it came to letting Stella stay at her place, I mean come on, Stella is a complete stranger no matter the circumstances.

The story was a good one, well thought out, not too slow or overly fast paced, just right, especially as there is plenty happening within each chapter. I was gripped from start to finish and I literally couldn’t turn the pages fast enough for wanting to see what was going to happen next. Although I had guessed at one of the plot outcomes before it happened, this didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the story as a whole.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

I really enjoy this author’s books. This was a great, quick read. Lots of suspense and twists, I am always trying to solve the mystery before the author reveals it, usually unsuccessfully.

Hope Taylor finds an envelope with her name on it with her mail, a crumbling newspaper story about a stolen baby is the only thing in it. As she reads the article she realizes the baby is about her age and has a notched ear, just like her. What does this mean, who could this baby be? With the help of her friend Stephen, Hope tries to figure out if this baby could possibly be her. As Hope gets closer to the answers, things start to make less sense. Hope’s life feels like a tv drama, one that she wishes she could turn off.

I enjoyed the way the book was written and the cast of characters were great. Cannot wait for the next book from this author.

Wow. A good book took me a minute to get into but once things started to price together it got super interesting not in love with the ending but overall a good read

I really, really enjoyed this book. I watched a movie growing up about a boy on the milk carton and have always had a fascination with abducted kids that find out their story one way or another and how all that plays out.
I knew this book would be one I would enjoy based on the description. Hope sees a picture of a missing baby that has the same scar as her. She asks her mom about the scar and her mother blows it off, telling her the story of her birth and her scar. She can tell her mom acts differently though after the conversation. She gets her friend Stephen to help her investigate the photo and see if there is more to the story.
The author did a wonderful job telling the story…while I wouldn’t describe this as a thriller, I was definitely in suspense a few time and questioning what would happen next. This was a very enjoyable read for me!

This book sure gripped me making me not want to put it down! Fantastic, wasn't expecting events that happened. Glad I was able to sit throughout the whole book without having to do anything because I would of found it a huge struggle to put it down! Fantastic author

2.5*
I have been a huge Kerry Wilkinson fan. But lately… I’m not sure what happened?🤷🏻‍♀️. This is the second book in a row of his that I’ve just struggled to get through. This latest one took me close to a month to read! Yup…a month! And I finally just skimmed to the end just to finish.

The premise was great. Hope receives a newspaper clipping of a baby that went missing. Strangely enough that baby has the same scar on her ear as Hope. Is that photo of her? Could her parents have kidnapped her? Hope is determined to find the truth.

As good as that premise sounded (though not all that original) this book just never grabbed me. I never felt connected to Hope thus had a difficult time following her quest.

There are some great positive reviews for this book so please take a look at those when deciding on this book. I am definitely in the minority here.

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

I was expecting more as the blurb was so intriguing and many people were giving it good praise. It missed so much for me and I ended up being bored and annoyed with the predictable plot. Most of the time predictable isn't that bad (it's gonna happen when you're an avid crime reader anyhow) but this wasn't even well written enough for it to be forgiven. Definitely had more potential

This is the first book I read from this author and it kept me on the edge of the seat. The book is well written and the plot is unpredictable, making me guess until the end. The characters are believable and well developed.. I’d recommend this.book.

A young woman is shocked to discover a photo of her younger self as a missing child, while trying to keep some secrets of her own. A frightening yet fascinating story that I completely recommend to all those who enjoy a good mystery.

I love Kerry Wilkinson but this was not the thriller I had expected. Full of twists but a lot of questions unanswered. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the storyline and how it was fast paced. I feel there were a lot of questions unanswered.

I have mentioned many times how much I enjoy this author’s work. Although I still think that After the Accident is the highwater mark, this book kept me turning pages.
Which, actually, was a little weird because I never really connected to any of the characters or felt immersed in the story. It was more like I was a fascinated outside observer.
I don’t know why it struck me like that.
Anyway, the author did keep me guessing and wondering who was behind what event and how their motivations may have worked into the situation. In that regard, I didn’t figure much out before it became apparent in the story.
That being said, there were some misses as well.
Some of the red herrings were good, but others seemed thrown in just to create doubt. That’s fine, but I would have liked them to have a little more depth.
For example, take Hope’s ex-boyfriend (Aki) and his new girlfriend Angel. I know why the author set them up in the story, but I think it could have been more fleshed out. A pivotal moment involving Angel, essentially at the climax of the story, almost seemed like more of an aside.
Conversely, I thought that what happened to Stephen would have much more bearing on the story. I also had to suspend disbelief a few times. It seemed very strange that in the course of everything that happened in the past (that trickled into the future) nobody ever thought to really involve the police.
Also, I thought that for all that Hope was hit with, she was WAY too trusting of people. I think I would have been super-cautious about every little thing and every person I came in contact with would be suspect. And the ending seemed very abrupt.
I guess that’s the thing for me with this book. There was a lot of untapped potential in it. I almost felt like this was an earlier book that the author wrote and returned to, because other recent books have been more put together.
I know the review seems like I didn’t like the book, but I did. And it certainly kept me guessing. I just don’t know if it was for the right reasons. Other readers may have a completely different experience with it. You should definitely pick it up and try it.

I enjoyed this, a good twisty thriller, quite an easy read but with a good plot. I enjoy a good thrillers and this is what you get, it is quite a fast paced with twists and misdirection for the reader. You do need to keep going to see how it all comes together as there are some parts where I wondered how it was going to go. Would recommend!

Absolutely thrilling. An addictive pageturner. I couldn't put this one down. This author never disappoints, delivering a polished, clever, absolutely stunning read book after book, story after twisted, suspenseful, pacy story. This is one of his best and that's saying something. Highly recommended.

I really loved this book and read it in one sitting. Imagine finding out that the whole story of your life was built on a lie and that maybe your mum is still lying to you now. That’s where this story started and then it’s just filled with twists and turns and it’s an exciting read. Some times the truth is even darker than it seems.

As soon as I read the book description of The Child in the Photo, it struck me as something I’d enjoy reading. And, for the most part, I did.

Hope receives a newspaper cutting through the post about a stolen baby some thirty-odd years ago, and upon closer examination of the image she recognises herself in the child by virtue of an unusually-shaped ear. That sets her mind racing: could she be that child? Was she stolen and raised by people who weren’t her parents?

Her confrontation with her mum, I found disconcerting. It made me wonder how I’d react in the same circumstances. But I understood her need for the truth, so it made sense for her to track down the mother of the stolen baby. Not only does she find her “birth mother”, but on returning home, the person who posted the newspaper clipping is waiting for her, and she claims to be the real daughter of the couple who stole Hope (Baby Jane).

How Hope deals with all this new information is the crux of the story, aided and abetted by her best friend Stephen, and her sweet, elderly neighbour, Mr Bonner. Was she the only child to have been stolen? How did knowing the truth affect her life and relationship with her mum? Great stuff!

There’s a side story about an accident that Hope had, which rendered her an amputee that, for me didn’t tie into the story as much as I expected.

"Because all the while, I’ve been hiding my own secret. Does whoever sent the article know what really happened the day of my accident?" (Blurb)

For the life of me I don’t recall finding out the answer to that question posed in the blurb. There was also an issue around a phone call Hope received from her birth mother’s stepson that also seemed to run out of steam.

That said, I did enjoy this book and found the premise fascinating. The dilemma facing Hope caused her to reflect on her past and to see for the first time the lies and drama around her birth. At times, it felt as though she was being led a merry dance and I had to wonder whether she’d come out of it all with her family relationships intact.

A riveting read with a few surprises on the way.