The plot was gripping with short chapters that kept me engaged. The writing was very fast paced but the characters were underdeveloped. The ending is rushed

I really enjoyed this book, it was entertaining throughout, and is a solid read with a surprise ending! Recommended.

This was a fast paced, unsettling story and every mother’s nightmare! The sense of dread was palpable throughout. The writing was solid, the characters fleshed out, most are unlikable and one is completely vile. TW for domestic abuse. Fans of BA Paris may enjoy this one. Thank you NetGalley, Hera Books and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Available now

Dark thriller that had you hooked from the off. The book was very well written. Great plot. Very exciting. Fast paced to get your heart racing. Loved this book

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fast-paced, chilling and captivating!
The differing timelines added an extra element to the story that I throughly enjoyed.
None of the characters were particularly likeable, but the plotline made up for that.
Dark aspects handled amazingly by the the author, this book is absolutely a must read.
Can't wait for the next book from this author!

This was a book that wasn’t for me and I didn’t finish it. I initially put this as a will not leave feedback, however this affects our ratio and someone like me who reads almost an entire book a day, I also DNF more than 100 books annually.

I’m not someone who feels it’s fair for the author to leave a star rating on a book I did not read…but I feel this is my only chance of having a reasonable ratio.
Thank you for the gifted book and I appreciate it more than you know.

Scarlett and Cole or is it Nick and Gemma?

Nick is married to Gemma and their baby is missing. Gemma knows who took him, too, but why did she? Well, turns out that Nick is having an affair… and his bad acts lead to some bad things, like his son being taken.

But then there’s Scarlett. She is OBSESSED with finding out who her father is. This side story gets old and repetitive. And really affects the ending…

I like that the story was fast-paced. I didn’t even mind the 2 storylines - that don’t really converge. But I didn’t like the repetition and definitely didn’t like the ending. Felt like she tried to put in as many twists as she could to wrap it up. Umm, no. Not needed. It was a solid 4-4.5 star read until then. She could have wrapped up the 2nd storyline much quicker and without all that and still been good. So, that dropped it to a 3-3.5 star read for me. Which is unfortunate because I really liked it up until the last couple of chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy.

Even though I found it hard to connect with the characters, I still really enjoyed this book. It was a fast paced book which I could say the ending was a little strange, and the book was a little predictable.

A very twisty piece of thriller in its most parts, I had so much fun with this book. Clever writing kept me guessing, keeping me on my toes, as author Ruby Speechley hoodwinked me many a time in the subplots.

My mind whirled and swooped, even when I knew most facts, about how the subplots were going to be streamlined. The book gave me the most delicious joy while reading, never wanting it to end. Missing child is my most favorite trope. The pages turned as fast as my eyes could read.

But a few niggles popped up. The ending was too fast. The subplots should have been tied up neatly with a couple of twists, but a few more were introduced and linked. And domestic abuse became the core. Characters needed to be anchored well to their careers.

There was a new mini story at the end which could have made a brilliant book on its own. So I would say I enjoyed it and would read this author again.

One last question – Who was the face at the window?

This wasn't a very enjoyable read for me for many reasons, unfortunately. The characters were not at all likable or even a bit realistic, and the pace was super fast, although it was easy to catch up with what's going on, it felt like an emotionally thrilling book like this should have been a tiny bit slower in pace.

Gemma is one of these people on the internet that people marvel at, the perfect family, the perfect home. This is not Gemma though; not really, she curates a grand perfect life but she has secrets about her past that her husband doesn’t even know.
Then Gemma and Nick’s five day old son is kidnapped by someone who works for Gemma.
She will stop at nothing to get him back!

This book is told from two points of view and is not just about the baby Thomas’ abduction but there is so much more going on including domestic abuse and violence.

It was a tense but gripping read.

The conclusion seemed a bit rushed but it did tie everything up.
I enjoyed the book and really like Ruby Speechley’s writing.

When Gemma leaves her baby with a girl she trusts for just a couple of minutes her world is plunged into a nightmare.
This book has lots of twists and turns in it
A well written book
Thanks NetGalley

This book is a roller coaster of emotions. It’s a thriller that will highlight manipulation, physical and mental abuse and grooming alongside other serious issues that are happening in todays modern world. This book is a page turner and is thought provoking!

I really found this to be a fun, unique, unputdownable, and twisted read! It was very well written, with fantastic character development, which only further hooked me to this fantastic story! I found it to be very chilling, thrilling, and shocking! I highly recommend it ti mt fellow thrill seekers, as I think it will definitely give you the things you seek!

Will buzz around platforms and use my top Amazon reviewer number on release!

Reasonable book but not particularly well developed characters. The plot was made more interesting because of the double storyline but it was predictable and the whole thing was a bit insubstantial.

I really liked this book! It’s a deceptive suspense novel that really will keep you guessing until the end. Of course the number one question is who has taken Thomas and why? This mother will stop at nothing to find her baby.

The moment you read the synopsis for the The Face At The Window It sent a chill down my spine, already setting the tone for what was a captivating read.

Gemma has what appears to be a picture perfect life, a handsome husband and a gorgeous home, not to mention her beautiful baby boy – all aspects of her life she willingly boasts about online. But behind closed doors things are far from what Gemma would have people believe. She is desperately miserable and trapped in an unhappy marriage to an abusive husband, the only good thing she truly has in her life is Thomas – her newborn son.

So when Thomas it taken Gemma is thrown in to turmoil, questioning who would do such a thing and more to the point, why would they target her family?. Of course, Nick doesn’t react well to their son’s disappearance, and unfortunately Gemma bares the brunt of his anger, something I must warn you can be rather difficult to read (and a potential trigger to some.) but it also played a rather pivotal role within the story.

The story is told from the two contrasting perspectives of Gemma and Scarlett, two women who share their view on the situation from different points in time. Scarlett is struggling to move forward from things within her past, and on top of this she finds herself in a rather difficult situation in the present too. As these two women’s storylines intertwine we are provided with an abundance of twists and turns and a plot that i thoroughly enjoyed trying to piece together.

The characters were well fleshed out and had their own motives and reasons for their actions. Gemma was a believable character who I really found myself feeling for as the story progressed, and as we delve into her life it also highlights how we shouldn’t always believe what we see online. A truly gripping story that has you on the edge of your seat as the story concludes.

Reading Between the Wines book review #90/115 for 2021:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 📱: The Face at the Window
Author: Ruby Speechley
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED on July 28, 2021!!!

Sipping thoughts: A stolen baby is probably every mother’s worst nightmare. Gemma experiences this nightmare while trying to navigate problems and secrets in her marriage.
This book drew me in immediately and kept my interest throughout the quick chapters. The unfortunate thing was the ending completely ruined it for me. I felt like the author not only rushed the ending but also it reads like she wrote the book then decided to add a new ending on top of the old one. It just seemed disjointed. With that said, the first 85% was really intriguing that I do not regret reading it.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @HeraBooks for an advanced copy of @TheFaceAtTheWindow

#TheFaceAtTheWindow #HeraBooks #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThriller

The Face at the Window by Ruby Speechley is an evocative, gripping story that had me on the edge of my seat. It was an emotional journey as well. The writing is tight, and compelling and the nature of the plot was intense.

The characters are well developed with some who are likeable and some who aren’t. I love the way the characters help push the plot along. This is my favorite kind of book – character driven. It helps with the emotional connection for me.

I’m looking forward to reading more from this author. I highly recommend checking this novel out. 5 stars.

Thank you to Book On The Bright Side for the review copy and the opportunity to honestly review this book on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.

Poor Gemma and Thomas. Freshly home forming giving birth to him Gemma is feeling overwhelmed and isolated. It’s going to get a whole lot worse. Nick, her husband has been busy himself. He used to be a teacher and met Gemma as his student. Wonder why he isn’t a teacher any more? In a parallel storyline line we meet two young women, also past students of Nick who know him by the name of. Cole. One is in lust with Cole and expects him to leave his wife for her. And is currently stalking him. Okay, we know how this usually works out. Now add in their decision to kidnap the baby to punish Cole and to terrify Gemma who they both hate. I want to punish Nick/Cole myself, a despicable character to say the least. I enjoyed reading about Gemma and her struggle with independence but a side story of the kidnapper trying to find the identity of her father seemed filler in what could have been more tightly and tensely written. In the end, I was satisfied but wanted to see a dead husband.