The Favorite Child is an excellent read. I am great at guessing suspenseful parts in a book but this book had some great suspenseful parts I was not expecting. This is a new author I have never read and look forward to reading more by her.

Annie’s sister Sunday goes missing during a family visit, but Annie’s family are dismissive of her concerns. Who can Annie trust, can she even trust herself when she doesn’t know the difference between her memories or dreams?

The Favourite child was a good read, at times I could really feel Annie’s frustration at the things her family were doing to her, how powerless she was in that house.

The favourite Child was well written and I really immersed myself in Annie’s story.

I loved this book! It was one that I couldn’t put down, I had to know what happened. I loved the ending….. I can’t wait to read more by this author! Revenge is Sweet!

Creepy, witty & suspenseful family drama / domestic psychological thriller. Perfect writing style, easy to read in one sitting.

I liked The other couple by the same author a bit better, but I am definitely gonna read all her books eventually!

I enjoyed the eerie, Gothic feel of this book. It kept me guessing throughout, and there were parts when even I was questioning if Annie was being gaslit by her family or if she was truly hallucinating everything she was seeing.

There a number of twists and turns, some predictable and some not, but I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy books about dysfunctional families with lots of drama and secrets.

This book was very slow paced but once it picked up, it was gripping. I liked Annie, though honestly could not understand why she would want to stay with her family and it was infuriating. It wasn't predictable at all, though didn't make sense at times either

I don’t know about Annie deciding to stay with the most dysfunctional family of all time despite her husband trying his best to persuade her to run but I wanted to leave.
Complex in a way it didn’t need to be and unlikely in every way. Not for me.

I loved this.
Annie is a great character to connect with.
And the pace of the story was just right, it definitely kept me reading.
.it was however, a slow burner but once it picked up, the suspense gripped you
This book had it all, suspense, secrets and believable characters
Now I want to go and find more by this author.

The favourite child…… It's that most engaging of treats, a big, fat, intelligent psychological thriller. It is a first-rate crime novelist's ability to lead her readers up the garden path….

Annie's family is entirely unconcerned when her sister Sunday up and vanishes. Her tight knit family swings from treating Sunday as their favorite to acting like she is impulsive and bratty after her disappearance. The community gaslighting in this novel is absolutely infuriating, and frankly unsettling.

This was a quick, fun late summer read. It has good pacing, and wasn't predictable.

I throughly enjoyed Cathryn Grants writing style this is the second book of hers that I have read and I was not disappointed the story kept me engaged from page one and kept me wanting to keep reading to find out what would happen next!!!! Some of the characters were likable some not for obvious reasons but the Author gave them all great depth!!! I also loved that horses were apart of this story too!!!!

Thanks to #netgalley and #bookoture for selecting me to read and review this Arc ...all thoughts and opinions are my own

I will also be posting a review in the Facebook group I created @DOMESTIC THRILLER READERS BOOK CLUB

I received a gifted copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Favorite Child is a slow burn book about a dysfunctional family, non of them likeable. When Annie's sister goes missing, Annie is the only person worried and concerned over her sudden disappearance. As Annie digs deeper into the mystery of Sundays disappearance she unearths secrets and the reason Sunday has disappeared becomes clearer towards the end. This was a book I found very slow in the build up but enjoyed the twists and conclusion at the end of the book. The family are all pretty creepy and if I was Annie I wouldn't have trusted any of them and being pregnant I would have run, but her devotion to her sister kept her plowing through.
A good quick, slow burn psychological thrilleroverall.

I want to thank Netgalley, the author and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book....


I was excited to read the book, but was disappointed. It was easy to read but highly unbelievable.

I've never read this author before, but the synopsis of the book is what initially got me interested. I got a real Rosemary's Baby vibe in reading the book, as the family is described as being obsessed with moral values, with the patriarch being a wealthy author and motivational speaker. Throughout the book, everyone except for the main character is unconcerned about the disappearance of Sunday, always revered as the favorite child of the family (and snubbed by the jealous siblings). You feel for the main character because not only is she worried what happened to the sister, but she's also pregnant, which adds a whole other layer of paranoia to the story. We do get some great twists in the story, which were a bit predictable, but weren't enough for me to think it was in a bad way. I definitely was on the edge of my seat while reading, and really hoped her sister Sunday reappeared alive and well. I liked that there were some flashbacks to the siblings childhood, which further added to the ominous trajectory of the story. In conclusion, I thought this was a pretty great book, and I would definitely read more from Cathryn Grant.

This book was actually like pulling teeth, I've never felt so bored by a book in my whole life. None of the characters were likeable and I didn't care enough, it was an actual struggle to get through. Absolutely not worth it.

"I think there are too many secrets in this family, don't you?"
Annie is in a good place in her life, married to her husband, Michael, and pregnant with their first child. But when she returns home for her family's yearly summer holiday, her sister, Sunday, goes missing after a scene with their father. Why does no one else seem to care?
Let me summarize this for you:
Annie: Something must've happened to Sunday.
Family: It's only been a few hours.
Annie: Something must've happened to Sunday.
Family: She packed up her things, so she must just need some time.
Annie: Something must've happened to Sunday.
Family: You're being dramatic.
Annie: Something must've happened to Sunday.
Family: Your pregnancy brain is making you paranoid.
Annie: Something must've happened to Sunday.
Family: I guess you were right.
This was so redundant and slow... And I hated how Annie's family treats her, and how she doesn't stand up to them, it doesn't make sense to me. This is a dysfunctional, toxic and twisted family if I've ever read one. All of the characters were so unlikeable... I did, however, make it to the end, because I wanted to know if my predictions were correct (and they were).
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Really good read. You do get an idea of what's going on as Annie thinks her sister Sunday is dead. But is she correct. I wanted to keep reading to see if she was right. Had a good twist at the end.

After having loved several of Cathryn Grant's previous books, I couldn't wait to see if this latest one lived up to the hype.
This one didn't seem to have the same 'wow' factor I've come to expect. The suspense around Sunday's disappearance felt more intrigue to me, and I got frustrated with noone trusting Annie and her concerns. I wish she had an ally to bounce things off. The first half was more slow-burn than I'm used to, but I loved the second half.
The family all had great characters and I didn't trust anyone, which I love. The internal battle of trying to predict the big reveal is part of the thrill for me.
I did love the ending. Whilst I predicted some of it, i enjoyed it playing out and I can't wait to see what Grant comes up with next.

Dark, Menacing Undercurrent…
When Annie’s sister goes missing, she is most definitely concerned. The trouble is that no one else seems to be. Annie’s own life is rattling along just fine, she thinks, but she cannot comprehend her own family’s lack of of concern for her sister. Something is definitely wrong - but what? As Annie digs deeper she begins to realise that things may be darker than she could ever have imagined. Slow burn, tantalising suspense with a dark and menacing undercurrent of dread throughout. Secrets will out.

At A Glance
domestic thriller
mystery
dark, tense
must-read

Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About
Annie’s sister has gone missing. Why doesn’t anyone care?

Annie feels like she's at a good place in her life. Happily married, expecting her first child, and enjoying a vacation with her extended family at their beautiful coastal home.

But then her sister, Sunday, suddenly goes missing.

Annie is immediately concerned, but the rest of the family assures her that everything's fine, this is the kind of thing Sunday does, and she'll be back.

But Annie knows in her heart that something is very wrong. And she won't rest until she sees her sister safe and well.

As Annie digs for the truth, she realizes that some of her family are not what they seem. And as she draws closer to uncovering their horrifying secret, Annie finally understands that she and her unborn child are in terrible danger.

Review
Thank you to @netgalley and @inkubatorbooks for allowing me the opportunity to receive this advanced reader copy. This review is voluntary and is my honest opinion about the book.

In a word: chilling. This is a perfect October/spooky-time read! I had shivers and goosebumps through several scenes and I could not wait to get lost in this book every day - I had to drag myself away to resume "real life" several times and very begrudgingly!

The ending was wholly unexpected - which I love in a mystery and thriller novel. I don't want to give anything away, so I am saying very little!

I unquestionably recommend this book. It's an edge-of-your-seat, unprintable and unforgettable novel and I will quickly dash off to pick up Cathryn Grant's other books!

The Favorite Child was published earlier this month and is available on Kindle Unlimited, as well as hardcover, paperback and eBook!