Member Reviews
Yet another thrilling 5 star review for one of my favorite authors. Kiersten never fails to keep me turning the pages and taking me on a roller coaster of plot twists.
I cannot say enough about how enthralled this author will entwine you in her web of turns...
If you read this, then you will definitely be going through the previous and want to get them all.
I received a copy of this from the publisher in exchange for fair and honest review.
Missing daughter by Kiersten Modglin.
I really enjoyed this book. Great story. I liked Ginny and Cameron. I didn't trust Alex. What a read. Full of twists. 5*.
Ginny and Cameron experience a parent's worst nightmare. They wake up to find their daughter missing. Who has taken her?
Missing Daughter starts with background information on struggling mom Ginny, very involved dad Cameron, and friend/therapist Alex. These characters are interesting but not always likable, and they all have secrets. This book also touches on mental health issues (and its impact on the entire family) as well as societal expectations of mothers. In contrast to the slower pace of the first half of the book, the second half is fast-paced and action-packed as it centers on finding the missing child. My favorite thing about Kiersten Modglin's books is that the final twist is always unexpected and mind-blowing! And, Missing Daughter doesn't disappoint.
I enjoyed this twisty, drama filled thriller!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the digital copy of this book.
After the traumatic birth of her daughter Skylar Ginny struggled with post partum depression, but recently thanks to her new friend Alex, a therapist she feels she's getting much better. Until Skylar goes missing the night of her 3rd birthday party. Then resentment and recriminations start flying between Ginny and her husband Cameron. Can their marriage survive and will they be reunited with Skylar.
Told in past and present by both Ginny and Cameron this book delves deeply into post natal depression symptoms and how both partners are affected. However Kiersten has written it very well without the reader feeling overwhelmed. Although I'd guessed what had happened with Skylar the reasoning why made me invested in reading.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review
When Skylar turns up missing, parents Ginny and Cam search tirelessly for her. I think I may be in the minority here, while twisty and turny, I found this one a little predictable and a little long. But I wasn’t sure of everything and there is always that shocking last page twist. I just find it hard to like a book when I don’t like any of the characters and they aren’t compelling enough for me to want more.
I think many will love the family drama and all the twists and turns.
This was my first book by Kiersten Modglin and it won’t be my last! I was hooked after reading that first chapter, narrated by a mysterious character. It was a real page-turner with short chapters that kept me glued to my kindle. There were a lot of twists I didn’t see coming but I had a good idea of the whodunnit pretty early on. There were so many levels to this story that kept me on the edge of the seat and the ending left me with chills!
Amazingly suspenseful! The first part of the book set the scene and kind of dragged because it was telling backstories but the second half was action packed and full of twists and turns! I absolutely loved the ending!
Another book by KMod that has left me blown away. I’m convinced she’s the QUEEN of jaw dropping endings!
The book talks a lot about Cameron and Ginnys relationship and at first I was very interested in them as a couple but the more the story went on the more I was rooting for them. Once I got to that point, I couldn’t put the book down! I stayed up SO late reading this book. I’m officially be reading anything and everything KMod puts out!
*This review may contain spoilers*
I want to say thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture for the advance copy of this book. I’ve recently discovered Modglin’s twisty thrillers within the last few months, so when I saw this started popping up on Instagram, I ran to Net Galley to request it and was so excited when I got approved! I started reading it immediately and wanted to get my review out there by pub day. I ended up reading it pretty quickly, but I would definitely classify this as a “slow burn”. I love Modglin’s plot twists, which I can usually never guess, but with this one I figured it (mostly) out half way. I still didn’t predict the very ending, though! I thought this book was a little long, so that coupled with the slow burn of the plot made it difficult for me to get through until the last 3/ 4 of it. I also found characters Ginny and Cameron both annoying in personality, which made it difficult for me to connect with them. I did enjoy the growth of both characters, however. While Missing Daughter is not my favorite of Modglin’s thrillers, I love her writing style and can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!
Holy Cow! I don’t think my old heart can handle anymore Kiersten Modglin books. I just finished Missing Daughter and it is the best book I’ve read of hers to date. BTW…just kidding!! I’m a diehard fan and will read her books as long as I’m alive. Gosh, she is so good. I can never figure her books out nor can I see the twists before they hit me between the eyes. I don’t think you will either.
This book deals with every mother’s worst nightmare. Ginny wakes up one morning to find her three year old daughter not only missing from her bed but vanished into thin air. Cameron and Ginny tear the house apart and search their property to no avail. The police are called. I can’t tell you anymore. You have to read the book to get all your questions answered.
If you love Psychological Suspense at its best, Missing Daughter by Kiersten Modglin is the book for you. I haven’t read another author quite a good as she is. Her books are compelling. I urge you to read this book and let me know what you think.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from #Netgalley, #Bookouture and #KierstenModglin. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
What a great book! It is really full of suspense and mystery and I certainly was blown away by the ending of the book.
Another great twisty story from Kiersten Modglin! I give this one 4.5 rounded up. And the half star deduction was only because it was hard to get into the story since I couldn’t connect to any of the characters. I did think Kiersten did an excellent job depicting someone struggling with mental health concerns and how this would impact her roles as a mother and a wife. I did guess what had happened and how it would end but I did enjoy the twist of why. Ginny has struggled with postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter. This has left her daughter and husband much more closely bonded and her struggling to figure out how to play with or connect with her now three year old daughter. On a chance day at the park she meets Alex who is watching her niece and they connect and become friends. When Ginny finds out Alex is a therapist she begs her to take her on a patient and she does (which is highly unbelievable but it happened). Fast forward a few months to Skylar’s third birthday party. The party goes well but the morning after Skylar isn’t in her bed or her room or the house.
When it comes to a psychological suspense novel, I find that it helps if I can relate to the targeted character. Not that it’s a total gamechanger. But if I can put myself in the main characters shoes, I feel the suspense more.
Let me get the bad out of the way first. This is something I struggled with in this book. I had a very difficult time relating to the main character. In fact, she annoyed the you-know-what out of me for a good portion of it.
As a result, I spent quite a bit of time disliking her and not really caring what happened.
That being said, however, I have a feeling that other readers may have a very different perspective on Ginny. Women who experience childbirth and the months immediately following will definitely relate to her.
I hope that doesn’t give too much away. Not that you can’t find it in the blurb. Honestly, that’s a huge pet peeve of mine – stop giving away so much of the story in the promo info!!!
But I digress.
Through the first part of the book, Ginny is whiny and weak. I couldn’t get a feel for her. Cam (her husband) is a little more clear-cut. Until there is a (somewhat sneaky) reveal.
And it is at that moment that the momentum in the book changes. Everything that happens from then on shines a new light on the previous action.
The author takes the clever, and somewhat risky, chance of turning everything on its ear. Suddenly, the reader does not know who to trust, who is lying, and who is responsible for the major events in the book.
At that point, everything moves faster and the second half of the book skims along at a quick pace.
Ginny even becomes more likeable – or at least not as annoying. And I like how she draws strength even when she thinks she can’t. She is also smarter than she gives herself credit for.
A few subplots seem thrown in to be red herrings, but they don’t amount to much. And the biggest revelations toward the end are full of details. I just wish that the author had provided a few more clues along the way.
Regardless, if you can stick with Ginny through the first part, you will enjoy the second half immensely.
Thank you Bookoture. This one UNFORTUNATELY was not for me. It was to slow and I guessed the twist early on.
This book is more of a slow burn and the twist wasn’t hard to guess. As always I love the secrets, multiple points of view, and the cliffhanger type ending.
Rating - 3.5 rounded off to 4.
Synopsis -
When Ginny wakes up after her daughter Skylar’s 3rd year birthday party, she realizes that she has been taken from their home. She hasn’t had an easy pregnancy and is struggling postpartum as well. When Ginny and Cameron begin searching for their daughter, they find themselves entangled in a tangled web of secrets and lies.
Review -
Narrated in alternating POVs of Ginny and Cameron, the first few chapters were great to suck me in quickly. But as the plot progressed, I just lost interest. I was just waiting for something to happen to keep up my curiosity, but almost until mid-way hardly anything came.
Modglin deals with a heavy subject of postpartum depression (trigger warning) here and she actually does it well. But for me personally, it was just too dark and gloomy at times making it hard to carry on reading. I did sympathize with Ginny though, it’s just horrifying to wake up and find your child gone! As a mother such a situation is unimaginable!
The book did pick up after about half way, but only to just brush the surface of excitement.
It’s more about the “why” here than the “who” and by the end of it all, I just didn’t care what happens. Predicting was easy and I just wanted to get to the ending. A few things were just too far-fetched and I didn’t think it was justified satisfactorily.
However, I did enjoy the ending scenes, with the final chapter done cleverly.
This is my first book by Modglin, but certainly not the last. I would definitely want to check out her other books.
The Missing Daughter by Kiersten Modglin was impossible to put down. This story is about Ginny, Cameron, and their 3 year old daughter, Skylar. Upon wakening the morning after Skylar’s third birthday party, Ginny discovers that her daughter is gone. She has vanished from the house with no signs of burglary or forced entry. Who took her and why? We are swept into the life of Ginny and the difficulties that she experienced after the birth of Skylar. You will find yourself questioning the whole way through the book if she is involved in the disappearance. Is Ginny involved? If not her, then who? The police are obviously examining the family, as there is no overt signs of anyone else being in the house. You will be swept up in the relationships that are explored in this book between Ginny, Cameron, Skylar, and Ginny’s therapist. This book has unexpected twists and turns and is a true psychological thriller that will keep you guessing. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.
I have been wanting to read this author after hearing so many rave reviews on social media. This is my first book by her and I can't believe how disappointing it is.
I was initially quite invested in the story and the short chapters made the book easy to get through. However after a certain point, everything was predictable and the villain was so glaringly obvious. Several things also struck me as problematic e.g. blaming The Other Woman instead of the husband.
One thing I liked about this book is its deep dive into the complexities of being a woman and a mother. You just can't win. I thought it handled the topic of postnatal depression well. Pity that it didn't work for me as a thriller.
I struggled with this book and could see the ending, not quite, from the beginning. The husband Cam was so hatefully drawn in the beginning - I do get that it was a device. I just couldn't believe that the couple would get themselves into the situation - but once I suspended believe it was okay and then went with the flow.
It was as enjoyable way to spend a cold autumn day.
I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.
Kiersten Modglin does it again!! This book was so good it got me out of a reading funk I’ve been stuck in. The twists as always were amazing, the characters were lovable. 5 stars!