My thanks to Nicole and NetGalley for allowing me to read A Life for a Life before the publication date.

There are lots of twists, turns and red herrings in this book as the search for Millie continues.
With the exception of Ruth, who would have thought that there could be so many hateful people in one story.
Ruth was very complicated until her tragic background was explained.
Keira’s character reminded me too much of another opinionated little madam.

4.5 stars

One of the best books I've read in a few years!

Trope grabs the reader's attention from the start, and they may just find it hard to put down. (I know I sure did!) Just when I thought I had it figured out ... plot twist! Lots of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. The story is told from three different viewpoints, all of which are believable and well-drawn. Her writing is tight and perfectly paced. Chapters are short and often end with a cliffhanger, so you don't want to stop reading! I can't wait for Trope's next book.


Possible trigger warnings: pedophilia, mental health issues, divorce, missing child

4.5 stars which I will gladly round up to 5.

The Step Child will grab your attention from the first page and not let go to the final one.

Twists and turns with characters you want to hiss at.

There are characters your heart breaks for: Millie who is missing, Leslie her mom and Millie's sister who was left in charge of her.

I thought everyone except her mum was guilty at one time or another and then I would change my mind.

What happened to Millie?

Secrets magnify as the pages fly by.

Heart stopping read that you can not put down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a page turning read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of one of my favorite author's new books. I don't know how she does it but Nicole Trope weaves a great tale. Shelby was left to take care of her three year old step-sister Millie and next thing her mother knows Millie is gone. There are many twists and turns unveiling lots of family secrets. What happened to Millie and who was involved. I won't give anything away here but just read it! You will be quite pleased you did!

As always with this author a great read,tense,intriguing,great storyline,believable characters a d really well written and enjoyable with twists and turns

The Stepchild by Nicole Trope is a psychological thriller that is every parents worst nightmare. The phone call comes, the words you hear are “She’s gone.” Mom Leslie has run to the supermarket, she left her three year old daughter, Millie, in the care of her stepdaughter, Shelby. It was only supposed to be a quick run, or that’s what she told Shelby. Leslie knew it was going to be longer, but she wouldn’t ever admit that to anyone. As Leslie races home, Shelby’s version of the story is she only went upstairs to the bathroom for a few minutes and when she came down, Millie was gone. But that really doesn’t make sense, and the story unravels, which is only more confusing and unbelievable. What is Shelby hiding? After a press conference to plead for help from anyone who may have seen Millie to come forward, Leslie receives a text message…”Your husband is not who you think he is.” It seems every person involved is hiding something.

Enter Ruth, she knows something, has her own secrets, and her only way to get through the day, thanks to her past, is her obsessive compulsive tendencies that consume her. Can she find the strength to overcome her mental health issues to come forward and tell the police and family what she knows?

There are three alternating points of view throughout the novel, Leslie, Shelby and Ruth. The characters are believable, their thoughts, emotions and actions are raw. At certain points, you would like to shake each one to tell the darn truth already, and they do, albeit in their own time. The story does flow well and causes the reader to rethink what they thought was happening, but it ties up nicely with a surprising twist at the end. It’s a tough read, it’s not graphic, but anything that involves a child is difficult. It touches on many hot topic issues, pedophila, mental health issues, messy divorces that involve children, and obviously a missing child.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was a little slow in the beginning, but stick with it because as it unravels, the chapters get shorter and it will keep you guessing. It is a true psychological thriller, it will get in your head, and camp out there until you finish. This is the first book I have ever read by Nicole Trope, and I intend on reading others. She can easily compare to other authors such as Hendricks & Pekkanen, Liane Moriarity and Karin Slaugher to name a few.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Bookouture, and Nicole Trope for an advanced reader edition of this book in exchange or an honest review.

I cannot lie, I loved this book. Tense and gripping from beginning to end. This author is new to me but I will definitely be reading more from her.

I’ve read a fair few books by Nicole Trope and I’d say that the step child is my favourite by far. 12 year old Shelby is left by their step mother Leslie to look after her 3 year old sister Millie why Leslie pops to the shop. She promises Shelby she will only be gone an hour and after that Shelby is free to spend the rest of her day with her friends as planned. When Leslie is out longer than planned Shelby goes upstairs to use the bathroom, she was only gone for a couple of minuets but when she comes down Mollie is no where to be seen.

Panicking Shelby phoned her step mother telling her that Millie has disappeared. The police are called along with Shelbys mother Bianca and her father Randal and soon the police, neighbours and local residents join the search for Millie. When the police speak to Shelby Leslie believes that her step daughter is hiding something however Bianca and Randal refuse to believe that their daughter is involved.

As the book progresses it becomes clear that this isn’t the case of a simple child abduction and this book was taken down a path that I really didn’t expect but at the same time I really enjoyed. Everyone had their own secrets in this book and the outcome was more shocking than I first thought it would be and everyone likes a nice unexpected twist in a thriller.

I also really loved the way that this book ended it could have easily been taken down a few other paths but I think the way it ended was a perfect ending for a such an exciting and slightly different abduction thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.

You can't tell anyone the truth. Shelby is busy looking after her little sister Millie when she disappears and she can't tell anyone the truth about what happened. Leslie can't believe that Millie is missing and she knows that her stepdaughter Shelby is lying to the police but no one wants to push her too hard. Leslie knows that someone is hiding the truth about Millie as why would she run away from home? She is only 3 years old and she would be afraid & cold. Leslie just needs to get the truth out of Shelby but Randall doesn't want to believe that his daughter had anything to do with Millie's disappearance.
The police are looking but no leads have been found so far. Will Shelby find the courage to tell the truth about what really happened?
Not too far way from where the family live doe someone know the truth but they are afraid that no one will believe them. Ruth knows that she has to make Leslie see the truth but so far she hasn't been contacted. She needs the truth to come out as she knows that he hurt the little girl. Ruth just wants to be free from all her pain and she wants to be able to save other young girls from what happened to her so she needs Leslie to contact her. Leslie is confused by the messages only when she looks properly does she realise the truth. She just hopes that she isn't too late.
A good thrilling read. Kept me turning the pages. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

So many twists in this great story. I thought I had worked out what was coming but I was wrong. And it's not until the very end that everything is tied up. Fab book and worth every one of the five stars.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC

This books is a wonderful thriller, which has you guessing the entire book, which makes you want to keep on reading to find the clues and solve the puzzle.

The books is based around 5 main characters.

Randall - Father of Millie & Shelby and husband of Leonie

Millie - The 3 year old missing girl

Shelby - Millie's 12 year old step sister who was babysitting Millie at the time she went missing.

Bianca - Shelby's Mum and first wife of Randall

Leonie - Millie's Mum

Ruth - A recluse, that has a hoarding disorder, and doesn't appear to be related to the family, but with each page you turn you know there must be some kind of link that you are waiting patiently to discover.

Everybody has a secret to keep, and watching these secrets unfold throughout the novel, is extremely dramatic and entertaining.

"A secret kept, is a secret you live to regret"

The book is very mysterious, and keeps you on your toes, always guessing whether little Millie is even alive or whether something horrible or sinister has happened to her.

I particularly enjoyed the way each chapter, tells the story by one of the main female characters, ie. Ruth, Shelby or Leonie. You discover their thoughts through this horrible ordeal and see their side of each moment as the path to discovery of what has happened to Millie is revealed.

Thankyou to Netgalley, Bookouture and Nicole Troupe for my advanced copy in return for my honest review.

3 Stars: It was a good book and well-crafted. I would recommend it to the right person.

Kept me guessing until the last page! Just when I thought I had figured out the plot twist, it twisted and then twisted again! Every parent's nightmare has come true when three-year-old Millie seems to have vanished from the face of the earth, but who was to blame? A gripping storyline that kept me turning the pages at an incredible speed. Highly recommended!

Every book Nicole Trope writes is brilliant! What I love most about the book “The Stepchild” is that I was captivated the entire time. It takes a lot for a book to suck me in right away, but this did exactly that! The ending was shocking and so well done. I will be telling everyone about it!

The Stepchild by Nicole Trope is a very highly recommended novel of domestic psychological suspense.

Leslie has Shelby, her 12-year-old stepdaughter, babysitting Millie, her three-year-old daughter, while Leslie runs errands. As she's leaving the grocery store, Shelby calls her and tells her that Millie is gone, missing; she ran away while Shelby was upstairs using the bathroom. Leslie rushes home and calls her husband Randall. They are all frantically searching for Millie. The police are called. Bianca, Shelby's mother and Randall's ex shows up, and then her new husband Trevor. It's every parents nightmare - a young child is missing and can't be found.

The Stepchild is told through the point-of view of Leslie, Shelby, and Ruth. Ruth suffers from agoraphobia, OCD, and a traumatic experience in the past. Her connection to the search for Millie is not discovered immediately but when it is slowly disclosed it will send your mind scrambling to find the clues and follow them. However, you will also know that Shelby is not telling the whole truth of what happened, which also will have you looking for clues in what she says. Leslie is frantic but she also didn't disclose every errand she was doing that day. Everyone has some secret, but Trope is very careful to disclose information slowly while providing plenty of misdirection.

Characters are depicted realistically and almost all of them will elicit sympathy. Some will evoke suspicion or doubt as new secrets are revealed and new clues exposed. You will not like all the characters, and your opinions will change several times as events unfold. Trope also handles the twists perfectly.

While I knew I would enjoy The Stepchild, I didn't realize how much I would enjoy it. The writing is clever and adroit. It is skillfully, tightly plotted and well-paced, which all serves to keep you reading just one more chapter as fast as possible. Almost every chapter ends with a cliffhanger or open question or foreshadowing which really works in this narrative to keep you guessing and frantically reading. The secret Shelby is holding and the cause of Ruth's pain is heartbreaking, but handled expertly and with great compassion. There was one element that was a bit unbelievable, but this is still an excellent novel. 4.5 rounded up

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Bookouture via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and Amazon.

Absolutely loved this book, when 3 year old Millie goes missing when her mother is out and her sister is babysitting, what did her sister do to her?
Thank you so much Netgalley and Nicole for the advanced copy of this book. It definitely deserves the five stars.

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕥𝕖𝕡𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕕
By Nicole Trope
Release Date 03/15/2022

Half a truth is often a great lie.
Benjamin Franklin

I swear, I thought I had the book guessed by page 30, I even messaged my book pal and asked her (she read it recently herself and recommended it to me), and I was advised I was completely wrong and to keep reading, and boy, am I glad I did

Shelby is 12 years - a typical child of divorce, her father Randall is too busy at work to deal with her. Her mother is constantly making snide comments about the new wife. And her stepmother Leslie has genuinely tried to be a good stepparent but can’t seem to break those walls down
Leslie leaves one Saturday morning to go to the store, much to Shelby’s begging not to babysit her little stepsister, three-year-old Millie. But Shelby uses the restroom and comes back to find the door open, and Millie’s gone. It’s pretty evident from the beginning Shelby is hiding something - and it’s not just about her missing sister.
This book is written in multiple POVs, my favorite way to read a book. Ruth, being my favorite, is an essential part of this story as well. You will understand more as you flip through the chapters how important she really is …


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The Stepchild
by Nicole Trope
WOW! Brilliant written. I was on pins and needles. A real psychological thriller! I felt the tension and held my breath thru the book. Best one yet. I’d like to thank Netgalley, Bookouture, and Nicole Trope for the e-ARC.

What another brilliant book from this author, well written with interesting characters and it kept me involved in the story line from the beginning until the end.

There were many twists and turns with a few surprises thrown in along the way and overall I found it an excellent read which I can thoroughly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The emotional tug-and-war when it comes to stepchildren and stepparents has always been of interest to me. I'm also a stepmother to two stepsons and also wrote a book called The Stepdaughter about what it would be like to have a stepdaughter who goes missing, and yet, people slowly accuse the stepmother (including the police). It's always a fraught relationship and Nicole Trope captures this essence in the book!

Featured presentation: The Stepchild by Nicole Trope

Children should be safe – always…

Cast: Leslie – wife, mother, home maker, discontent, guarding a secret. Shelby – child, stepchild, sister, unhappy, guarding a secret. Ruth – woman, daughter, alone, scared, guarding a secret.

The Plot: Three year old Millie has disappeared. As the search for Millie commences, the people close to her guard their secrets. As the search for Millie continues, the people close to her start to bare their secrets. Will it bring Millie back? Or will it only tear broken people further apart?

The blazing: The story is told from three perspectives: Leslie, the mother; Shelby, the sister; Ruth, a stranger. Leslie and Shelby’s POV is told in the third person, but Ruth’s is written in the first person. This gives us a broad view as things slowly unfolds and keeps us guessing all the same. Ms Trope gives each character a unique voice. These three start out as strangers to the reader and within a couple of short chapters, we become completely engrossed in their fates…

The time frame was perfect for the topic. The whole book takes place within twelve to eighteen hours. We feel the family’s pain, but it is not prolonged beyond necessary. We follow each of the three main characters as they deal with their secrets and fears almost in real time.

The bright: The fragile threads of family bonds are woven into the story, becoming more and more apparent as the tragedy unfolds. Leslie is the fierce lioness willing to do whatever it takes to get her daughter back, even if it damages her relationship with her husband. Shelby is caught between her love for her sister and hurting the person closest to her. Ruth is stuck at home with her memories of her mother and grandmother – the past her ever-present companion.

I’m usually in favour of a short epilogue – just tie the last couple of loose ends together in a neat bow and away we go. Ms Trope blew me away with the epilogue! She didn’t just provide the perfect ending, but she managed to effortlessly further the three main characters’ development to the point where I would like to see more of each (and I mean a whole book for each).

Millie! We get to see a bit of her from her mother and sister’s memories and she is such a doll!!!

The bleak: Some of the secrets, especially Leslie’s felt a tad forced. I understand the need for it in the overall scheme and her reasons. The conflict between her and her husband that followed was a bit watered down and almost ignored next to their grief for Millie…

The burned-to-ashes: Nothing.

And then The Plot Thickens and one simply cannot put the book down until all the questions have been answered: The “how?”s, the “why?”s and of course “will Millie come home?”

As the book progresses and more information comes to light, the plot sickens as you realise that this can easily be reality, your reality… The Stepchild shouldn’t be explained, it should be experienced! And then it should be remembered as cautionary tale while you protect your loved ones the best you can…

Studio: Bookouture

Closing credits: I willingly leave this review based on an eARC copy graciously granted to me by Bookouture and NetGalley.