This domestic thriller is full of secrets and lies. Although sometimes repetitive, I enjoyed not knowing what to believe and how the twists unraveled at the end.

"Self Blame is useless. If you have made mistakes, you learn from them and move forward."

wow I loved this book !!! Jenna Kernan has a great way of leaving you completely speechless with her books. I went into this book thinking if was an adoption gone wrong story- but it was so much more than that. I can't go into much detail without spoilers but the layers in the story will make you want to keep digging!! I loved Dani as a character !! She is brave and strong in her own way, even tho she is broken inside. She puts her daughter first just like every good mother should, and she takes care of herself.

you will just have to trust me with this one... this book is great !! go read it immediately !!

triggers: Infidelity, Death, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Dementia, Infertility, Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, and Mental illness

Thank you Bookouture, Netgalley and Jenna Kernan for and ARC of this book !!

This is a Psychological Thriller. There were things I liked about this book, but there were things I did not love about this book. I found a lot of things that were told to us over and over and over, and I got so sick of the information getting repeated to me. I just wanted to get to the point. I also found a good amount of this book to be moving very slow. The twisted I saw coming way before they were revealed. I did enjoy the ending. I also found the main character to be interesting and really enjoyed getting to know her. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Bookouture) or author (Jenna Kernan) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

After a devastating car accident, Dani is affected with prosopagnosia, which is an inability to differentiate facial features. Dani is in counseling, dealing with the aftermath of the accident and the fact that she cannot recognize her own husband. She also has enormous guilt for the injuries caused to her twin sister in that accident. Then Dani and Tate adopt a little girl, and life is perfect for a while, But memories begin to surface, and Dani starts to realize things are not as they seem.

This is a novel filled with deception, betrayal, and suspense. The first half of the book builds the tension and the second half is diabolical, thrilling, and filled with surprises you won’t see coming. I had never heard of prosopagnosia, so this story also taught me something new. The plot is expertly crafted and the characters are well developed. This is a gasp-inducing, eye-widening, read-in-one-sitting thriller! Don’t miss it.

I received a free copy of this book from Bookouture via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

My first thought about this is that the premise is incorrect. The adoption is a very small part of the narrative. It’s not the focus of the book by a long shot. The baby itself doesn’t show up until half way through the book and even then it’s not the main part of the storyline. That being said, I did enjoy the book, just because it wasn’t what I expected doesn’t mean it wasn’t good.

I felt for Dani, she’d been through a lot and it had obviously had a major effect on her, Tate was untrustworthy, I never really felt that Dani was safe with him. He pushed her too hard too fast, I wanted to give him the squint eye.

The start of the book is a lot of scene setting but the last quarter has twist after twist. One of them I was pretty certain of before it was announced, the other had all the hints there, I’d made a note of things I’d noticed that didn’t add up and it still didn’t quite trigger in my mind, a version of it was debated but I never quite managed to get my head around it. I think if the first half of the book was condensed I would have given this another star, but it was well worth the voyage through the first half to get to the more enjoyable second half.

I think many people will find this book enjoyable but it wasn't for me. The concept was interesting. Face blindness is something I'm not familiar with, so appreciated the unique premise. The book was too slow and repetitive for me. And the dialogue was clunky. Also, a minor thing, although the book seems to acknowledge reality (like COVID) but gets wrong how State Supreme Court Justices in Florida are selected (appointment by the governor). I didn't knock any points off for that but it nagged at me the entire book. Thanks for the advance review copy.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Adoption' by Jenna Kernan.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Jenna Kernan, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous.

Publication date 11th May 2022.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'The Hunted Girls' which I would also recommend.

I was originally drawn to this book by its colourful and interesting eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. I am a fan of Jenna and if this is half as good as 'The Hunted Girls' it is guaranteed to be a page turner. It also stated in the synopsis that 'Fans of The Woman in the Window, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us won’t be able to put down this incredible thriller from bestselling author Jenna Kernan'. I am a huge fan of 'Gone Girl' so am looking forward to see if it lives up to this. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue and 30 chapters. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Florida, USA 🇺🇸.

This book is written in third person perspective with the main protagonist being Dani Sutton. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

Wow!! What a non stop action packed psychological page turner!! Fantastically written with vivid descriptions that really put you in the storyline. The synopsis, title and civet worked perfectly with the plot.

The plot itself is unique and intriguing and filled with heart in your mouth in the edge of your seat moments. Several times I realised I was holding my breath and biting my nails. This book has everything you could want in a psychological thriller novel!! It was filled with love, mystery, deceipt, secrets, tension, suspense and several messed up people!! I was completely absorbed from page one until the explosive ending. I cannot wait to read more books by this fantastic author. Just when I thought I had worked one thing out I was absolutely mind blown by another shocking reveal!! It is getting harder and harder to shock me when it comes to thrillers but this book absolutely messed with my head!!! Well done Jenna!! The storyline is unique and I've never come across one like it before. It was also intriguing that it mentioned covid as I've only read one other book that mentions Covid before. It was also interesting to read about Prosopagnosia as I've never heard of it before. The fact that Jenna has done her research absolutely shines through so another congratulations for that! There's nothing worse than a book littered with mistakes as the author has not spent the time researching their subject.

The characters were all very different with their own unique personalities. They were all strong and well developed characters along with being very believable. I was completely invested in Dani and my heart completely went out to her for all she went through. I loved seeing her character develop throughout the book and was extremely proud of her at the end. I lost trust in both Tate or Enid and started disliking them both extremely quickly. However I won't say more than that as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. Regardless of whether I loved or hated the characters they all worked perfectly together to create an unputdownable psychological thriller.

Congratulations Jenna on yet another fantastic page turner!!! Here's to your next success 🥂

Clear your schedules as you won't be able to put this book down!!

Overall a heart stopping, page turning must read psychological thriller that will suck you in from start to finish.

Genres covered in this book include Psychological Fiction, Suspense, Domestic Thriller, and Psychological Thriller amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Angela Marsons, Carol Wyer, M. J Arlidge, 'The Woman in the Window' , 'Gone Girl', 'The Wife Between Us', PJ Tracy and anyone looking for a book guaranteed to shock you!!


407 pages.

This book is just 99p or free in kindle unlimited (at time of review) to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Your little girl is all yours… isn’t she?
Dani and her husband Tate’s life together is almost perfect. But Dani is haunted by guilt for causing a terrible car accident that left her unable to have children. She can’t remember why she was driving so fast that day or where she was going. Her therapist says she should try to move on.
So when their application to adopt is accepted, Dani sobs with joy. As perfect little Willow nestles in her arms, Dani looks at Tate’s loving smile and knows he will always provide for his family, no matter what.
When Dani sees a woman staring as she pushes Willow’s stroller around the safe, gated Florida community where they live, she tells herself it’s simply an admiring passer-by. After all, Dani herself used to watch the local moms and wish she was in their shoes.
But when Dani wakes in the night to find Willow’s crib empty, their perfect life becomes a nightmare.
In her frantic distress for her daughter, Dani’s memories of the accident flash through her mind. And with a jolt she realises: everyone around her has been lying about that day.
Will Dani find out the truth before it’s too late for her baby girl?
Or will facing her own dark secrets tear them all apart?

This is a gripping read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own hone\st voluntary review.

First, I want to thank Jenna Kernan, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

O.M.G. Jenna Kernan my mind can’t stop spinning from the events that unfolded in The Adoption! How in the world did you come up with that crazy, twisted, devious, mind boggling storyline that left me speechless multiple times. It is just a brilliant storyline that is written totally out of the box! I loved it and couldn’t get enough of it!

One thing that I liked is that Jenna made her story present day by adding the aspects of the pandemic into the storyline. I feel that we will see more authors go this route.

The Adoption has so many powerful and intense layers to this storyline. Some very important issues are addressed that will have readers talking.

Jenna’s storylines will pull you emotionally and mentally in many different directions in The Adoption.

There were so many characters in this book that I had a love hate relationship with. One minute I would like them…and the next they would rub me the wrong way…so much so I would yell at my Kindle.

Out of all the characters in the book Dani I had a sweet spot for. My heart broke for everything she had gone through and was going through.

In the middle of the book I had an idea of just how the book would end. It just made sense. Ohh no she went a lot deeper than what I had pictured! It was an ending that was jaw dropping and left me totally speechless.

Set in Florida, this tense domestic thriller by Jenna Kernan is all about Dani Sutton, recently released from a psychiatric hospital and who has been thrust into motherhood. As a result of a car accident, Dani has prosopagnosia (facial blindness) and relies on voices and other markers to identify those around her. She and her husband, Tate have adopted Willow but as Dani tries to settle into a routine, she finds everything is at sixes and sevens. Can she trust anyone?

Although the first part of the novel is relatively slow going, I found The Adoption to be an extremely enjoyable read, overall. In the first half, I felt Dani’s vulnerability and there was a palpable underlying uneasiness as well as a sense of mistrust. The second half of the book was faster paced and I found myself wanting to see what might occur next. Highly recommended, I'm keen to see what this author pens going forward.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Adoption is the first book I’ve read by this author and it’s a gripping domestic thriller. The first half of the book is quite slow paced but once we get past that it’s like being hit by a steam train there is so much going on in the second half. I felt like I was on a roller coaster at times with all the twists and turns. Often in a book I’m reading I know who to trust and where things are heading but with this one I was completely clueless and didn’t know how things were going to turn out. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’ll certainly be reading more.

This book was a big disappointment for me. The pace was slow in the first half of the book and confusing and too much going on in the other half. And I was expecting the twist. I did care for the main character, Dani. I could relate to her need to have a baby. I also felt that the novel was longer than it should have been but I did want to see where the novel would go.A more enjoyable reading experience would have been ensured if we hadn't spent most of the first half reading details about Dani's disabilities over and over again.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book. This was a honest review.

Tate and Dani are in a loving marriage for 3 years. Dani is in a horrible car accident which left her unable to have a child and suffering from face blindness.
👶
Her therapist sets her up with clues to recognize people. Her husband wears the same shirt and tie while she is in the hospital. Thankful Dani had a trust which paid for all her medical bills.
👶
As Dani’s health improves they decide to adopt a baby. A baby girl quickly comes into their lives. Dani questions her husband as they had been declined an adoption before. Tate always manages to get things done. He is a powerful man with connections. They agree to name her Willow. Dani relies heavily on her twin sister Shelby’s advice as they are really close!
👶
Dani has seen this woman near her home and out an about. She starts getting paranoid. Tate is really worried about her. Things happen and she questions everything, but Tate keeps assuring her she is doing well.
👶
This lady tells Dani she wants her baby back!!! Is she hallucinating? Tate tells her he cannot confirm the lady exists and tells Dani a story about the adoption. Is he telling the truth? Why would he lie? Secrets, lies, this novel has it all! Is her therapist who she says she is? Is her neighbor who she says she is? Can she trust her sister who she tells everything too? Is Dani seeing things or is everyone around her lying?

After reading and loving Jenna’s Agent Nadine Finch books I was looking forward to seeing where she would go with a standalone domestic thriller. From the first page it was unmistakably her writing, with it’s familiar easy flow and interesting characters.

This time the protagonist is Dani and it starts just as she is being released from a psychiatric facility. She entered the hospital voluntarily for depression, following a car crash that left her with a brain injury and her sister Shelby paralysed from the waist down. As well as the mental trauma Dani has been left unable to have children and also with the inability to recognise faces.

With gaps in her memory she has no idea why she was driving so fast that day or what led up to the accident. With her therapist encouraging her to move forward, her and husband Tate adopt a little girl called Willow. Then Willow is taken and it seems everyone has been lying to her……

As with all Jenna’s books it is the characters that held my attention here. Prosopagnosia, the fascinating condition that Dani was left with really heightens her paranoia. I can’t even imagine being unable to recognise people you are with every day. Even little things like her husband wearing a yellow shirt after researching that it is the most unworn colour by men and women showed the detail the author has included. As for Tate my guilty radar had pinned him as dodgy no matter how thoughtful he was doing that.

While the first half of the book is slow and often repetitive it is worth sticking with for what comes next. It transforms from a tortoise to a hare and as the lies and betrayals are revealed it is pure dynamite, amazingly plotted and with a very unexpected ending.

Dani Sutton is the wife of Judge Tate Sutton who is running for the Florida Supreme Court. Six months ago, Dani, while angry, was driving with her twin sister, Shelby, and started driving so fast, she had a terrible accident. Dani ended up with a neurologic brain injury where she can never recognize people’s faces. In addition, she cannot have children. Shelby, on the other hand, is paralyzed from the waist down. Before the accident, all Dani remembers is that she was very angry which made her drive so fast.

Dani’s parents left her and her sister a $23 million dollar trust to care for them. Dani and Tate live in a large home in Florida and there is a large suite for Shelby when she is able to visit.

The story is slow to start and quite confusing at times. As it picked up, it became more and more bizarre. In addition to being way too long, I kept cringing as I read things that were just too crazy. The dialogue seemed to come straight from a soap opera. As someone who has read and reviewed a number of thrillers, I prefer one that is much more believable that this one. Sorry.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved the sound of this one and started really knowing it was going to be right up my street.
I loved being in the dark, the psychological issues alongside the plot make it impossible for you to guess what's coming next or what's really going on.
It's twist after twist that almost gives you whiplash! It makes for seriously compulsive reading!
An excellent tense and intriguing read. I only deducted a star as the beginning was a little slow, but once you are invested its a book you can't put down.

This book cannot be taken seriously but all in all I really enjoyed it and just went with the flow. It was addictive and wanted to find out what happens. You do have to suspend believe but that is what a good book does for you - takes you away from everything.

It was one of those books which I had to finish in one setting to know what happened next.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Emotional twists and turns will grab your attention! I was captivated by the premise of this story, however it fell flat in the end for me. There was much potential as the story unfolded, yet a good bit of repetitive and disjointed prose made the connection sag. I liked the character depiction, the development was iffy because of time shifts and overall confusion of what was happening and who was truly in the story. I felt the very end gave a little more insight into what the author was going for, but not a favorite by this author for me. Holes needed to be filled, more concise suspense needed to be in place and less retelling of the same happenings or feelings.

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 - Trauma, Accident, Violence, Stalking, Death.

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀.
The Adoption follows Dani, who suffers face blindness after a terrible car accident. Struggling with the trauma, she keeps full faith in her husband, Tate, who is doing everything in his best to make her feel normal after the accident. Unable to have children, the couple decides to adopt a child and sweet Willow brings happiness to their life. But, when a woman starts harassing Dani to give her baby back, Dani realizes the truth is not what it seems...

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆.
The story started slow and too much information was provided which made it difficult to proceed. But once the story increases the pace, everything becomes so chaotic that I love it. There were so many twists and turns, and the rising tension towards the climax was amazing. This book is very engaging and will keep you hooked till the end.

I love the mystery part, even though it may be predictable for some, I loved it coz I couldn't predict many aspects. This one kept me on the edge, guessing and double-guessing what is actually happening. Once you read it, you'll see how predictable this book was but I have no regrets about not being able to guess. It was worth reading for all the OMGs and WHATs!!

I have read two books now with the protagonist suffering from memory loss and past trauma which causes this much chaos. I love the confusion it brings as it makes it difficult to predict what's going on. I guess this is something I should look for in future books😅

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.
Even if I talk about how I love the protagonist suffering from mental problems creating mayhem, the truth is I feel so bad for Dani. What she went through in this book was so heartbreaking because she lost so much. Barely holding herself after the accident, she went through hell and everybody around betrayed her.

But she is an extraordinary woman. So resilient, she became stronger despite everything. Losing so much, Dani stood bravely in front of the ones who wanted to hurt her and her baby. Even when her mental conditions worsened, she fought for her daughter's safety and to find out the truth. A truly incredible female protagonist!!

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Why the blurb is so different from the actual story? It says the daughter gets kidnapped and problems arise because of that. But that doesn't happen anywhere in the book. The blurb is so far away from the story which is disappointing because it is the first thing that makes readers pick up a book.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Overall, The Adoption is an amazing psychological thriller which will keep you hooked. A little slow at the start but worth reading for the chaos and confusion that follows. With so many twists and turns, it was amazing to see how strongly the protagonist fought for her sanity and safety. Recommended for mystery and psychological thriller lovers who like chaotic plots.

This book will be released on 11th May 2022. I would like to thank Jenna Kernan, NetGalley and Bookouture for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review. #TheAdoption #NetGalley

This book was a roller coaster ride that had me on the edge of my seat! Every time I thought I knew where the author was going with the storyline, she threw me a curveball. I could not put this one down!

The only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because the first couple chapters were very slow for me and the chapters we long. Other than that, I was hooked and definitely recommend this book. This was my first book by Jenna Kernan and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Synopsis: Dani and Tate have an almost perfect life together except for the fact that Dani was in an accident that left her unable to have children. Dani has trouble remembering the night of the accident, but all she can remember was it caused severe injuries to her and her twin sister, Shelby.

Tate surprises Dani by telling her they were approved for an adoption. Dani is elated to welcome her daughter Willow and everything is going great, until it isn't. She starts to notice Tate acting strange, a woman is harassing her about Willow, and Dani's therapist doesn't seem too concerned. Dani eventually has a breakthrough and realizes that she can't trust anyone because everything they told her were lies. Will Dani be able to piece everything together and figure out the truth?

Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.