Well, I have a lot of feelings about this book, so buckle in!

First, I loved the way the author got inside the protagonist’s head. The voice was so distinct.

I normally hate prologues, but this piqued my interest and made me want to read on to find out more. In grabbing my attention, it did its job. It oozed mysteriousness and eeriness, also setting the tone for the rest of the book.

It was fast-paced and kept me turning the pages. I read late into the night because I needed to discover everything the book had to offer me, to find out all the secrets hidden beneath the surface. It kept my brain working hard, thinking about what the protagonist did that was so awful. I had an inkling what was going on around 50% into the book but I was still desperate to race through the story to find out if I was correct or not!!

The story got repetitive. We also seemed to be told a lot that Eve was carrying this horrible secret that nobody knew, yet we weren’t really given any information about it until right until the end. Which got frustrating, and like we weren’t rewarded with small reveals for sticking with the novel.

I enjoyed the ‘before’ and ‘now’ alternating chapters. I loved being able to see what happened in the past and how that led to Eve’s present life and how everything affected her. I liked how the chapters mostly alternated in a pattern, so I always knew which was coming next. It helped keep me rooted in the story.

I did not trust Eve at the start, and the author did a great job of portraying an unreliable narrator. It was interesting trying to figure out her motivations, and I questioned everything she was doing. She wasn’t exactly a likeable character at the beginning, but she was real and complicated and interesting. I also had sympathy for her, so the author did a good job with her character development.

As the story went on, we got to see inside Eve’s head and the truth about why she left her baby. Everything became clear, and the author did an amazing job of turning a somewhat unlikeable character into one we could sympathise with and understand. The twist at the end was so unexpected and heartbreaking. I didn’t have any words.

I don’t want to give too much away but the author did a great job with the subject of this book, realistic and raw, not leaving anything out, no matter how horrific it might have seemed to the other characters (and us readers).

Although Eve was a well-developed protagonist, many other characters didn’t feel fleshed out enough. Character motivations weren’t always clear either, making it hard to believe some characters’ actions and made the plot feel over the top and unbelievable (and not in a good way).

Some of the dialogue also felt really wooden and monotonous. The same with some of the description — there was a lot of telling and not enough (in my opinion) showing.

Now, hmm the ending. I don’t always need every end tied up in a pretty little bow, but I just didn’t feel satisfied. I had most of my important questions answered, and then were hit with this epilogue that raised more. I mean, it’s safe to assume the answers, but you can never be sure and that’s why it didn’t feel entirely satisfying for me, unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book.

Slow Burn…
Slow burn suspense eventually explodes in this well crafted, fluid and immersive tale. Despite her once desperation to become a mother, Eve’s eventual pregnancy and birth is nothing but a living hell. She now pretends that it never happened. As Eve holds her secrets close, someone else wants them imploded. Difficult issues are handled well and with care and characters are credible and well drawn.

I have enjoyed many of Kathryn's books and this one was also a good read. I would class it as a family drama rather than a thriller and felt (as I do quite a lot in these books) that if the couple had just spoken to each other at the start all these issues could have been avoided. Seemed to be so much angst that was avoidable.
However, the reasons why people did what they did are justifiable I guess and it was a good page turner.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So, the thing with this book is, that there are huge pacing and plot issues. I wasn't actually hooked to keep reading to figure out the "mystery" because it wasn't very compelling (it wasn't a big of a mystery to keep reading). Still, I read the entire thing because I felt like it was the right thing to do to provide a review for this ARC. The twist comes in after 90% of the book and there's a twist in the Epilogue as well. They were great twists though. I did not guess them beforehand! Still, the plot wasn't "thrilling" enough to get to the twist.

The written style/language is okay, very mediocre. It's written in a single POV and it jumps from the present to the past alternatively which is a common trend these days. Nothing extraordinary.

I would actually read some other work from her just because the twists were great. Maybe they'll be better and I can't judge the author from just this book. And she has great potential and I wish her all the best!

Eve and Aidan endured the devastating heartbreak of infertility for years before their rainbow baby Kayla was born. But instead of being overjoyed, Eve walked away from her marriage and infant daughter without explanation. Two years later, she is desperate to get her little girl back, but someone is just as determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Fans of slow-burn suspense will enjoy this one, but it was a little too slow for my taste. The early part of the story is a bit repetitive and takes a while to gain momentum. Eve’s internal dialogue makes some of the suspense feel manufactured instead of allowing it grow organically as the story develops. Once the plot got going, the story was intriguing and twisty, and I ended up enjoying it. I didn’t see the end coming (always a bonus!) but it took a little while to get there.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I was interested in the storyline while simultaneously struggling with certain aspects of it. For one, it moves too slow for my liking, especially in the beginning. There are so little clues to what the secret is and there are characters that are likely related but it’s hard to piece together where they fit on and why. Second, the main character is incredibly hard to like which is frustrating but also, ironically, makes the story captivating. She’s intriguing. There are components of her story that make the reader empathetic (spoiler alert here) - miscarriages, wanting her daughter back, the rape… but yet somehow she’s just not someone I wanted to like. The author does a really good job of building her character into someone complex.

Overall, a very good read. I wanted to see how it ended and the ending was, like the main character, well done in a way that answers questions but still leaves the reader why the characters in this book are just not good people.

I’ve always loved this author’s books, and this one is no exception. Really gripping from page 1. I love books with a now and then narrative. Can’t wait for the next one.

Eve was desperate for a child, so why did she walk away from her family and her life when she finally had the baby she longed for? This is the premise of Kathryn Croft’s latest book and the hook really intrigued me.

For the most part I loved the book. It was well paced with just enough intrigue to keep the reader guessing without getting overly convoluted or fantastical. The descriptions of PND were raw and I liked the exploration of the fact that infertility and subsequent PND aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.

It was quite dialogue heavy, which some readers might prefer more than others, but I thought the characters were mostly well developed.

It was definitely a page turner, but I did feel things got a little far fetched towards the end (for example the very convenient arrival of the boyfriend just in time to see where they were going and save the day). There was so much subterfuge and betrayal, it had me questioning whether people would ever really act this way (appreciate this is fiction but you still want it to be credible!).

The ending also felt a little rushed, as if the author was desperate to wrap things up. The epilogue felt unnecessary, and i think it would have been better to leave the reader wondering who was responsible for the death.

Despite these minor gripes I really enjoyed the book overall and would give it a solid 4 stars.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy.

I love Kathryn Croft and her new one is fantastic. A hard and real read as a parent but a really dark and compelling story that kept me hooked. Highly recommended all of Kathryn Crofts books xx

This was my first Kathryn Croft novel and was a really enjoyable read.

Eve waited for years to be a mother, suffering multiple miscarriages before finally having her daughter, Kayla. However, in the present day we learn that Kayla is no longer in her care but we don't know why except it was something deeply significant and traumatic.

The story moves between the present day and the past before Kayla was born as we understand why Kayla is no longer in Eve's care whilst we follow Eve's attempts to come back into her life. It is one of those books where the reader is constantly in the dark, looking to find out why things have played out how they have as we weave between both timelines.

Croft clearly has that knack of steering you the way you think it is going to play out and then hitting you with a cracking twist at the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Took a while to get into it, but then enjoyable. I like this author but have preferred her previous work. I'd read her again.

Kathryn Croft has done it again - an outstanding psychological thriller which had me completely gripped with so many shocks and surprises. What I like most about her suspenseful and intriguing writing style is that its all so frighteningly believable. In all a memorable blockbuster not to be missed.

My Review:
Wow, wow, wow!!!!! I couldn’t put this one down. I already loved this author for many years but after reading this book I love her more if that’s even possible. This was by far the best book I have read by her yet. I do want to warn you that this book tackled some hard subjects but that this author handled them with such grace and dignity. I don’t know where to start with this one. This book starts off with a mother leaving her child and starting a new life without her. Despicable, right? We come to find out this mother had her reasons for leaving and now wants back into her daughters life. Now this is when the problems really began and where the story takes off. Let’s talk about the characters. Some of the characters that you find despicable in the very beginning you’re going to love them in the end and some that are likable from the jump start you’re going to hate them in the end. I loved that about this book. This book also kept me guessing the whole way through. I knew something big was going to be revealed the whole book but wow was it huge. It really made the book come full circle and made me love the ending. Endings for me is what makes a book great and this ending was speechless. In fact, the whole book was a roller coaster ride full of emotions. I can’t wait for this author to write her next book. Hopefully I won’t be waiting too long.

In conclusion, the plot, the characters and all the twists in this book made this book an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Very predictable I’m afraid and it was very repetitive also, not for me at all but I did persist to the end..

Thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Eve left her 3 month old daughter and husband 2 and a half years ago. No she has returned, wanting to be a part of her daughter's life but her husband has moved on with another woman and doesn't want her around.

4.5 stars.

This was a quick read and I definitely wanted to know what was going on. You know Eve had post natal depression when she left but she keeps eluding to the fact that there was more to the story and it was too awful to speak about. I found the constant references to these secrets to be really annoying but at that same time I really wanted to know what these secrets were. I really had no idea how this one was going to play out or what the secrets were and when I found out, I wasn't disappointed. Overall a really good read. Minus half a star for constantly referencing the secret early on.

Another exciting standalone psychological thriller from one of my favourite authors Kathryn Croft.

Eve and her husband Alan were desperate to start a family but their hopes diminish time after time with heart-breaking miscarriages. When Eve finally gave birth to daughter, Kayla, what should have been the happiest time of her life became a nightmare she had to escape from.

Eve now pretends that she never had a child and aims to keep it a secret. but someone knows the truth and is going to tell the world. If the truth comes out people will never look at Eve the same again. She decides she wants her daughter back in her life but that is not going to be easy.

This is quite a slow burner but there are twists and turns all the way making it a riveting read. Strong characters and a thought provoking plot make this an addictive read.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Canelo for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

After 4 miscarriages, Eve and Aiden Conway had resigned themselves to being childless. You can imagine their excitement when Eve discovered she was pregnant. When Kayla Rose was born, it should have been the happiest days of their lives. Unfortunately, for Eve, it was a nightmare and she was desperate to escape.

One day, Eve decides to walk away from it all. She doesn’t tell her bestie, Sophie, nor the staff at the school she teaches at, nor her mother, nor Aiden. She just walks away and leaves him to raise their 3 month old daughter. Sadly, Eve lost more than her family when she left. Returning will mean she’ll have to pay the price she escaped paying this time.

As suddenly as she leaves Kayla Rose’s life, she wants back in it again. By this time, Kayla is 2.5 years old and Aiden is happy to have the support of Nicole Richardson to raise his daughter. Can she find a way back to Aiden and Kayla? What about Nicole? Oh, and then there’s Jamie. Can she unravel their complicated history and create an opportunity to be part of her daughter’s life?

Author Kathryn Croft explores the emotional trauma of miscarriages and adoption, as well as the effects of postnatal depression. In addition to showcasing manipulation and control, she reveals the ripple effects of our choices and highlights the strength of a mother’s love.

Although this starts a little slow, it ramps up to an intriguing mystery. I liked not knowing who to trust and the twists surprised me - especially the epilogue.

I was gifted this advance copy by Kathryn Croft, Canelo, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*

The Mother's secret - it was a pretty good read. It kept my attention and I was really anxious to find out the secret that Eve was hiding. I've read other Kathryn Croft books and this one is not quiet as good as some of the others, but I enjoyed it.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Moving reflection on motherhood as well as a psychological thriller, I really didn’t see the end coming! My favorite from this writer thus far.

My first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it started off a bit slow but soon picked up the pace.and i couldn't stop reading it. Plenty of twists and turns made for a great storyline. I will definitely look to read more by this author.