Sherry and Richard or overprotective parents Sherry is because she watches True Crime shells and is super aware of the dangers and Richard has his own reasons. So when Kayla doesn’t come home one night sherry is beside herself she is chain-smoking and standing vigil at the front window. That morning Kayla and her dad got in an argument because he insisted he drop her off and pick her up from school she was also upset with her mom because she had Kayla‘s passport and when Kayla asked her about it she lied right to her face even though Richard had already told Kayla her mom had it. While this is going on Tess is sitting in the car across the street watching the house she is positive Richard isn’t the person he’s claiming to be but the man who victimized her as a teenager and she wants revenge but when she starts having blackouts and comes to full of mud and unaware of what happened and find out the next day that Kayla is missing she doesn’t know what to think but more than that Amelia her girlfriend is suspicious of what Tess may have done as well. when reading this book I thought why would the author line up what’s happening in the linear time frame but oh no that isn’t what she did! This book is full of twist interns and OMG moments. I love thrillers and thought this one was Uber excellent, totally great a truly awesome read! I received this boat from net galley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

What a brilliant fast paced read this was I loved every page which kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning until the great ending.

I got on with all the characters and I have nothing negative to say about this book, everything was just brilliant, well done Casey Kelleher I hope to read more from you in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this fantastic ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending.

This was a very entertaining read, I could kind of see where it was heading from a few chapters in but it still had a few curve balls to toss my way as I approached the nicely twisty final reveals.
The characters were well written to make it easy to care about them and what was happening in their lives and although the storyline touched on some very dark areas, it was an enjoyable read that I barely put down from start to finish!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. This is the second book I have read by Casey and both have been amazing! A daughter disappears one night and the reader has to figure out if it's the mom, dad, or the mysterious Tessa behind it. Secrets and relationships are revealed the reader did not see coming!. Great suspense. Great storyline. Loved it.

WHOA!!! Great book by Casey! So I will say I had many of the huge twists figured out ahead of time, but def not the main culprit! Cannot wait for more by this author! Suspense was good. Hard to put down....powered through it.

Only Child by Casey Kelleher

Fifteen year old Kayla is missing. Did Kayla run away or was she kidnapped? Some very dark secrets appear to be hidden by Kayla's frantic parents. Will the secrets ever be revealed?
A great book with lots of twists to keep you guessing until the last page. You think you have it sussed and then something else happens and you realise you were way off.
Casey Kelleher has shown again that she is the best at what she does.

𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯. 𝘞𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢’𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 , 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵! 𝘈𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵. 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴!

Oh my goodness, Casey Kelleher has gone and done it again, another outstanding book that's so gripping you will not be able to put down, I absolutely loved every single minute, the twists was just amazing.

Well this was one I flew through mainly because I was so hooked from the start and desperate to find out how it was going to end!
A fifteen year old girl Kayla goes missing and her parents aware distraught, did she run away from her completely overprotective mother or was she taken by someone. Well from that beginning the secrets begin to mount up and the twists come thick and fast as the plot progresses.
The characters were well rounded and the book was extremely well thought out and written I did feel perhaps the plot was a tad far fetched but that in no way spoilt my enjoyment and my interest was held throughout, so a 4 star read andI am looking forward to reading more books by this very talented author.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Only Child by Casey Kelleher is a very interesting whodunit. Filled with chilling deceit and intricate lies, this curvy story makes it tough to differentiate fact from red herrings. A number of plot twists were used by the author to keep the reader on their toes.

Synopsis:
Fifteen year old Kayla is missing. Did Kayla run away or was she kidnapped? Some very dark secrets appear to be hidden by Kayla's frantic parents. Will the secrets ever be revealed? Is Kayla ever meant to be found?

Only Child is definitely an interesting read with several distinct characters. The writing kept my curiosity piqued until the very last chapter. As with most psychological thrillers, it pushes the boundaries of realism, but that did not detract from my enjoyment of the novel. This mysterious quick read is a great way to kick off the fall season. I look forward to more books from Casey Kelleher.

Only Child by Casey Kelleher is available on October 7th.
(4.25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫)

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for sharing this thriller with me! I appreciate you!

#OnlyChild

Three words to describe this book - CONVOLUTED YET PREDICTABLE. Reading the synopsis of the book it was clear how the ending would play out yet there was a parallel storyline that made no sense at all. The last 25% of the book the entire story went off the rails and became incredibly confusing. between two separate time periods and I did not enjoy the flip flopping between the past and present. Thank you to Casey Kelleher, Bookouture and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fifteen-year-old Kayla is the apple of her parents’ eyes, their beautiful only daughter. They tried for so long to have her that she was even more precious when she arrived. 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. In desperation, Sherrie and her husband Richard call Kayla’s friends. They scour the streets, their search becoming more and more frantic. Until the police arrive and deliver the shocking news, when their worst nightmare comes true: someone has their daughter.
As Sherrie and Richard grill friends, family, and even each other, Sherrie starts to wonder, has the secret they’ve been hiding all these years finally caught up with them?
Because Sherrie and Richard are living a lie. A lie so huge, so shocking, that it could destroy the one thing they hold most dear – their daughter.
And if the truth comes out, their family will never be the same. But if it doesn’t, they will never see their precious girl again…

This book was so interesting. Kept my nose stuck in my Kindle all night.
It was gripping and so many twists that I didn't see coming 5*****

OMFG what have I just read!!!!!

I started and finished this book in one day, I couldn't put it down. I felt as if I was physically in each and every page watching everything unfold, my nerves jangling every step of the way. Amazing, amazing story.

Only Child is a gripping, can't-put-down thriller that follows two couples (Sherrie and Richard, Tessa and Amelia) after Sherrie and Richard's daughter, Kayla, goes missing. While there are quite a few "child goes missing"/kidnapping books out there right now, this one is unique. I definitely did not feel as though I had read anything similar. The story is told through three POVs, with two of the POVs set in the present and one set in the past. Both the multiple POVs and the time changes are artfully done and truly add to the overall mystery. There were quite a few twists and reveals, many of which I was not able to predict early on.

I hadn't read any of Casey Kelleher's books before, but I will definitely be reading this author's work going forward. I'll be recommending Only Child to anyone looking for an exciting, page-turning thriller! Easy five stars.

Oh my word, what an amazing book!! It had me totally glued from page one. Casey Kelleher has produced a work of art with twists and turns keeping you entranced to the very last page. Completely unputdownable, with an ending I really did not expect. Brilliantly written, great story! Well done Casey Kelleher, can’t wait to get stuck into another of your books!

Only Child
Author Casey Kelleher
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication date: October 7, 2022
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Description:
The police are here. The feeling of pure dread swirls in my stomach as a million scenarios start playing out in my head. My whole life I’ve expected something bad to happen to my daughter. It is as if part of me has been expecting it. As if I deserve it. Fifteen-year-old Kayla is the apple of her parents’ eyes, their beautiful only daughter. They tried for so long to have her that she was even more precious when she arrived. 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. In desperation, Sherrie and her husband Richard call Kayla’s friends. They scour the streets, their search becoming more and more frantic. Until the police arrive and deliver the shocking news, when their worst nightmare comes true: someone has their daughter.As Sherrie and Richard grill friends, family, and even each other, Sherrie starts to wonder, has the secret they’ve been hiding all these years finally caught up with them. Because Sherrie and Richard are living a lie. A lie so huge, so shocking, that it could destroy the one thing they hold most dear – their daughter. And if the truth comes out, their family will never be the same. But if it doesn’t, they will never see their precious girl again
🔪🛑 MY REVIEW 🔪🛑
Wow what did I just read??? I have been in a book slump for so long that I forgot what it felt like to read a book that pulls you in and before u know it you turned the last page without ever putting the book down. Only Child is a expertly crafted story .The plot is suspenseful and thrilling at all times. It truly is a heart-pounding amazing very well written story. I loved it so much that i honestly never wanted it to end. Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down. Finished it in one day. It is full of twists and turns. Each chapter ending in a way that you have to keep turning the pages. All of the characters are really well developed. One you will hate right from the start.
This is my first time ever reading one of Casey Kelleher's books. I definitely will be adding more of her books to my tbr list. I wish I could fly through the rest of my books that I am behind on reviews for the way I did this one. I would be caught up in no time.

*******Disclosure*******
I received a free E -ARC copy of this book from netgalley prior to release. Many thanks to NetGalley ,the publisher and the author for the chance to read and review a copy of this interesting book in exchange for my honest review. I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All opinions I have expressed are my own. As always if you like the book you read please take the time to leave a review for the author in places like goodreads & Amazon. It does not have to be long. Just a few sentences saying you liked the book will do. Authors really appreciate every review they get !

#Onlychild #NetGalley
#Bookouture
#CaseyKelleher

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Casey Kelleher for letting me read “The Only Child” in exchange for an honest review.

Are you kidding me? What have I just read? This book was the bomb! A serious contender of my top books of 2022. THIS is what I call a psychological thriller that keeps you guessing right until the very end. Super, super well written and totally unexpected.

The kidnapped child trope is not new. Not even the one this story is about. I have read it before. But this was done just so so so well!!

The story is split into different point of views. We have Tessa, a trauma survivor. We just know that she survived something awful and that HE is still out there.

Then we have devoted mother Sherrie who is the epiphany of a helicopter mother. She is married to Richard and they have a 15-year-old daughter, Kayla.

We also get some glimpses of Kayla and her life under the thumb of her overbearing mother.

Then we have a first person POV. The kidnapped girl…. Maybe I keep quiet in this one.

Tessa is in a happy relationship with Amelia. But she is still fighting her demons about escaping abduction. Then one day she sees him. Due to previous episodes nobody is taking her too serious. She starts watching. At the same time, Sherries young daughter disappears. Is the same predator still out? Who took Kayla? Was is even Tessa? Or did the girl simply ran away?

We get thrown back and forth. You think you know it, but you know nothing.

Seriously, run and get this book, it was that good!

Only child…. This book was such a pleasure to read, such a beautifully written, atmospheric book , everything about this book is just so perfect, the writing, the characters, the world building and the story. I was so ecstatic at how good a read this was and it completely blew me away. Thoroughly, highly and wholeheartedly recommend this to everyone and can’t wait for more.

Wow! Casey Kelleher does it again! I enjoyed this latest domestic thriller.
I liked the differing timelines as well as switching characters per chapter. Lots of twists and turns with crazy reveals. Pretty creepy!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Slippery Seals! 😳😯🤯

This one had so much potential and promise for me, but unfortunately I figured it all out early on in the novel. & that may be on me rather than the author. I will say that even though I already had it figured out super quick, I still very much enjoyed the entire ride that Kelleher paved with this plot. If I hadn't managed to figure it out, I would've been far more surprised and satisfied with this novel. Kelleher definitely knows how to throw you for a spin quite a few times and question each character and narrative that can leave you with doubt and unsure-ness. The tension is tight, the anxiety & fear is real, the dilemmas and insanity are in abundance. The twists are fun, enjoyable and definitely intriguing!

Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Sherrie and Richard adore their only daughter, Kayla, who will soon be sixteen. Like any teenage girl she's testing boundaries, limits and authority. But when Kayla doesn't come home from a night out with some friends, Sherrie's worst fear as a paranoid, helicopter parent are amplified. But you see, she has reasons. And those reasons threaten to be life-changing. Because Richard and Sherrie have been living a lie. A lie that could be deadly.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for this ARC.
Release Date: October 7, 2022

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 3 / 5 Autumn Leaves! 🍂