What a great entertaining read, couldn't put it down!!! I thought I had it all worked out but it had a great twist! Am off to find another read by Casey Kelleher !!!

Tessa lives with Amelia and they are happy but Tessa has been affected by a traumatic event in her past.Sherrie is married to Richard and have a daughter Kayla who is abducted after attending a party, and when that happens they are forced to confront their past.Which includes Tessa.Like all Kasey Kelleher’s books it had me gripped from the first page and Kasey has the transition between genres effortlessly,another great 5 star read from Kasey Kelleher..

Totally twisted story told in parallel POVs. Held my interest all the way through while speeding to the end where the biggest twist of all happens!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Having finished this book I felt a little undecided about my rating for it. Ultimately it was a great read so I can still give it a 4/5...but...yes there is a but. If I had read this book not knowing the author I would have thought it was a very decent read. However, this book strangely felt very different from previous Kelleher books and I think that is what has thrown me. The main characters are a fifteen year old Kayla and her mother and father Sherrie and Richard on one side. On the other side we have Tessa a woman that seems like her world is ready to collapse at any moment and as the reader you aren't quite sure why.


I liked the pace of this book and it kept me reasonably intrigued but I could see where it was going very early on and it turned out I was right (which I am sometimes but not often). Not only that, I guess I had a set idea of this kind of books I am using to seeing from this author and I devour each and every one. I think because this was huge departure in terms of style and characters I felt a little bit dis-jointed with it. That may seem like an incredibly negative thing to say but truly it isn't. It was still a great read and one that I have no doubt her fans and readers will thoroughly enjoy. For me, as much as this was a great read it felt like it was by an entirely different author and for some reason I just felt a little set apart from it.

Wow this book was fantastic I couldn't put it down . Kept you in the edge of your seat to no what happened at the end . Well worth a read .

What a fantastic book! I got a little lost in the beginning, but it finally all clicked for me. A must read! I couldn't possibly have guessed where this story was leading.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

Quite the twist in this one! Had some ideas of what it would be but I was a bit off!
I had a weird feeling reading this one, I was bothered by not knowing what exactly happened, and the fact that the characters knew more than I did. Unfolding the story was a little slow as a lot of the descriptive parts seemed a bit repetitive. But the over all story and the twists were pretty good. I think I like this one a little better than I'll Never Tell. I look forward to reading some more of her books.
Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for a free copy for my review.

I absolutely loved this book. What a thriller it was too. It was a real page turner and I wanted to know what had happened from the moment I started reading it. I didn’t predict what had happened at all and the ending was a real twist I didn’t see coming. Will be recommending this to all

This is an interesting and well plotted psychological thriller from the author. Told from two characters, Sherrie and her daughter Kayla. Also, Tessa who is traumatised by past events, adds to the tension throughout the book. It's built on lies and deceit and the ending was good. There is plenty tension but I was slightly confused at times as to which character was narrating, overall a good read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Thanks netgalley for allowing me to have an early edition of this book.
What a story this was and felt very emotional while I was reading it.
Brotherly love and love a parent have for their children is a very emotional part of this book and you cannot help being moved while reading it.
Zach and his brother were at school the day the gun man came to their school and changed their lives for ever.

This is the first book I've read by Casey Kelleher and I did enjoy it.
"Only Child" brings to life a parent's worst nightmare: a missing child.

15 year old Kayla, who is adored by both her parents but smothered by her mother, goes missing after a night out with friends. As they get closer to the truth of her disappearance, the lies they have told and the secrets kept are brought to light.

The writing style was very good and the author really did keep you guessing. There were some plot holes and I had sort of figured out the who-dun-it about 60% into the book but there was still a great twist at the end.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

This is the first book I've read from this author.
And I'll be reading more of her work.

The writing is very good, and it keeps you hooked in anticipation all throughout the book.
It made me confused at first and I honestly didn't have a clue as to what was real and who really is the villain in the story.

Engaging. I enjoyed the conlusion.

Only Child started off with a promising and intriguing opening chapter, but I read LOTS and I mean LOTS of psychological thrillers, so I’m always looking for that one book that stands out from the crowd. It has to include those jaw dropping moments. It also has to feature at least one unstable character whose unreliable narration and behaviour are questionable. Luckily for me, Casey Kelleher incorporated all the elements I needed and more to make Only Child a throughly thrilling read.

Fifteen-year-old Kayla is the apple of her parents’ eyes. The longed-for child that they thought would never arrive. But deep down, her mother Sherrie has always been terrified that their worst fear would come true: that Kayla would be taken from them. Then one day, just as Sherrie had dreaded, Kayla fails to return home after a sleepover. Their worst nightmare comes true: someone has their daughter. 

The story is told from three POV, Sherrie, a fiercely protective mother whose unhealthy relationship with her daughter is controlling. Sherrie’s daughter Kayla, desperate to break free from her overbearing mother. And there’s Tessa, a woman whose horrific past is about to collide with her present. How are the three connected? It’s not for me to say! Read the book to find out! But the way the author draws the threads of the story together is just brilliant.

At one point, I thought the story was pushing the boundaries of realism, but that’s the beauty of fiction! The ability to stretch one’s imagination. The strength of this book is how Casey Kelleher deviously misdirects the reader at every given opportunity. I was feeling smug as I thought I had it all worked out, but I was WRONG! Which is always a plus in my book! Only Child is a dark and twisted tale of secrets, lies and revenge. I really enjoyed this one and would happily recommend to fans of psychological thrillers.

I was fortunate enough to read this ARC because of NetGalley. What a page turner! Lies, secrets, interesting characters, and a missing child.
A family’s worst nightmare comes true when Sherrie’s and Richard’s daughter, Kayla doesn’t come home after a night out with friends. Her overbearing mother has been trying to protect Kayla from every evil in the world all her life, because she knows exactly what is out there. As the investigation begins its discovered that Kayla has been abducted and is not just missing but may also be in danger. Someone has their daughter. Sherrie and Richard start to wonder if their past secrets have caught up with them. If the truth ever came out their family will never be the same, how far are they willing to go to protect that? And will Kayla live to see her mother and father again?
There are many characters in this book and with many characters and their backgrounds comes many twists and turns. Who took Kayla and why did they take her?
This story is very engaging and kept me guessing! Until closer to the end of the book I really didn’t know who was trustworthy and what perspectives I could believe.
I really enjoyed this fast paced read and highly recommend it!

What a ride! Only Child had me on the edge of my seat so many times I lost count. This was a great thriller with a few good twists.

What worked for me: multiple POV’s, learning Tessa’s story in pieces, and the slow realization that the villain was the villain…but not quite knowing for sure until the very end. Amelia working behind the scenes was excellent too. As a person with anxiety and panic attacks, the mental health representation throughout the book was wonderful. Especially when Tessa had coping skills and still needed help from her partner to cope.

What I didn’t love: Tessa going rogue and keeping things from her girlfriend…hiding and secrets are something I hate in relationships!

Read if you like: domestic thrillers, overcoming obstacles, getting the whole story in smaller pieces, and a true “wait, WHO is the villain?” vibe.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


This book had me gripped from beginning to end. I’m usually pretty good at predicting the ending but my oh my this book had me guessing the whole way through.

This follows Sherrie, a helicopter parent of an ‘only child’ Kayla. Kayla is 15 years old and her mother is having a hard time watching her grow up and getting more independent. One night, Kayla doesn’t come home and as time goes on they are more concerned they may never see her again.
We also get the story of Tessa, who experienced an awful trauma. She is trying to live a happy live with Amelia. However, a normal errand turn isn’t insta PTSD for Tessa.

I had a very uneasy feeling reading this book and I LOVE that feeling. I think this is a wonderful read for spooky season! This books comes out Oct. 7, just in time!!

Again, thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Casey Kelleher for allowing me to consume this book! It was great! 4 stars!!!

Really enjoyed this book, it was written so well and different from the usual. Loved the huge twist!

Very compelling story. I did figure out the ending about halfway through, but there were twists that seemed to go in other directions that had me doubting myself. It was fun gathering all the clues to see where it would all go, and that's what kept me reading until the end. I also enjoyed seeing how well all the different parts of the story and characters were woven together, and it would be fun to go back and re-read while knowing exactly how everything ties in.

I'm giving the book 4 stars instead of 5 because the pacing was a bit slow at times. But again, the story was interesting enough that I didn't mind the slow parts too much.

Overall, I highly recommend this book and will be reading other books by this author in the future!

The Only Child is a thriller about a child gone missing. It alternates from different viewpoints. I think some reviewers will enjoy this book. Personally, it took forever for me to get interested in it. Felt like nothing happened until I was 80 percent into the book. The ending is excellent and worth the wait. All in all, this was a "middle of the road" book for me. Thanks for the advance review copy.

Wow what a great book. A real rollercoaster ride filled with twists that I thought I had figured out but then something happens to knock me off course and back to square one. A great suspenseful psychological storyline that I couldn't put down. I highly recommend this book and author.