I got this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I devoured this book in one day! I was really interested in the blurb of this book, and it was an author I have not heard of before. This book was intense from the start, not just the disappearance of the daughter, Scarlett, but the relationship between Karen and Paddy is clearly strained and is evident that it is having an impact on Scarlett. I was hooked from the prologue and proceeded to read, until I realised that I had finished the book. I was not disappointed. This book has enough drama and angst, and had me on the edge of my seat needing to know what was going to happen. There are block chapters in other character POV, which I didn't enjoy, I usually like alternating chapters, rather than four or five chapters from a character, and then another character. But this didn't deter me from reading. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who wants a fast-paced, quick read.

Firstly, I loved this book. It was extremely well written and well thought out.
The setting was wonderful, the author created an atmosphere that really draws you in as well as the characters that are written beautifully, All of this combined with a fast paced plot culminates in a stunning novel.
I’d highly recommend this to everyone.
5 out of 5

Great story, fast paced, enough going on to keep you on the edge of your seat! I particularly liked the shorter chapters because it meant you could fit more in during each reading session. From start to finish it really was 10/10!

Karen O'Hara is a mum-blogger and influencer, her husband Paddy is always busy at work and has to travel a lot.

Karen's world is turned upside down when their 8 year old daughter, Scarlett goes missing from their rural Irish home. Scarlett is profoundly deaf and the batteries of her cochlear implants are running low, making time even more crucial.

Secrets come out and the cracks in Karen and Paddy's marriage deepen.

This is a really solid, gripping thriller, especially for a first novel. Many thrillers can feel like they all have the same plot, but this one is really different. Looking forward to more from the author.

Karen loves her eight year old daughter Scarlett, who is deaf and relies on her hearing aids to hear anything. She even stays in a loveless marriage for the sake of her daughter. When Scarlett vanishes, Karen knows she will do whatever it takes to find her daughter. As shocking secrets come to light, karen races to find Scarlett before it is too late...

I loved this book! It is thrilling, tense, creepy and addictive and I couldn't stop turning the pages until the shocking ending. Brilliant!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

To begin with I loved the creepy, ominous cover. I found that the plot was very different to others in the genre and kept me wanting to read more. Will be recommending and would happily read the author again

This book was gripping right from the start, it had me on the edge fo my seat. It was twisty and unpredictable and kept me guessing until the end.

Karen and Paddy are a couple who have a daughter called Scarlett.
Karen was pregnant with twins, and only Scarlett survived. As a result of being born so early, Scarlett is deaf, but has cochlear implants that enable her to hear.

Karen was a high powered businesswoman, and because of depression, gave up her job and became a stay at home Mother. She decides to work for herself as well as be a wife and Mother, but there is a lot of tension between Paddy and Karen, she is sure he is having an affair.

One afternoon, she sets Scarlett up to play while she is on a conference call, and Paddy returns home and finds that Scarlett has disappeared.

The race is on to find her as the batteries in her implants only last a few hours, and she is terrified of the silence when she is without her implants.

This story is fast moving, engaging and thrilling. I really loved this book and it kept me on the edge of my seat right until the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately I cannot find this book on Amazon or Goodreads to post the review.

This book reeks of ableism. Do better, NetGalley. This is the second book I've found on here that is ableist. DNF..

A clever psychological thriller - well constructed and hard to put down. Plenty of tension and surprising twists and turns as a family search for their young daughter who is only able to hear with special implanted cochlear hearing aids. A broken family, a gifted young deaf girl, watchful neighbours and special insights drive the story to a climatic ending. I highly recommend this gripping novel that is worthy of five stars.

Good book! I wasn't to sure about this one but I'm so glad I read it! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, and a few crazy twists! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! I will definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I really enjoyed the book Into the Woods by Lorraine Murphy - I read it in 24 hours. The book follows the story of family in search for their missing 8-year-old daughter and flashes back to the various moments in time in the preceding years that lead up to the crisis. The author does a great job with describing the setting and integrating conversation without weighing the book down with it, which makes it an easy and enjoyable read.

The author also did an interesting job of highlighting some current social issues, like the pros and cons of using social media and women's experiences and perceptions of pregnancy/maternity.

I would definitely recommend this book to others - particularly readers who like domestic thrillers. I will post it on my Instragram book blog (@barkxbooks) as the publication date gets closer.

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for sharing a digital copy of the book with me!

Into the Woods
By: Lorraine Murphy

This book, I'll tell you what, I was not expecting this! First let me thank the folks at NetGalley for this ARC and also Lorraine Murphy for sharing this insane book with me!!

We have an average family, just living their best life or so it seems. The mother Karen, father Paddy and sweet daughter Scarlett, live in a gorgeous lakeside house with a beautiful lawn and views to die for. But, (because there's always a but, it is a thriller after all!), the father quickly discovers early on that the little girl has vanished and the race is on to find this little angle of girl. However with little to no information to go on, everyone is left stumped.
As the story progresses the reader is shown snippets of the past, and a slow meandering road map of just how it is that we got to this point. This will lull you into a false sense of direction, do not fall for it! At break neck speed, the reader is thrown from one theory to the next. The mistakes that were made area highlight. This is not done in a malicious way, it shows that no one is ever perfect, and bad things happen to good people. This broken family desperately tried to keep it together for this little girl and all her medical problems and triumphs, but what does it really do to the child? This is a darker view but not too far off from a nonfiction situation that happens literally everyday single day.
Unlike in these true stories we hear on the news, this one has a mildly happy ending. The layers that we go through with this story, and the multiple points of view keep you on your toes, and makes who question who should really feel sorry for (besides the innocent child!) This is something that I have found is a little harder for other authors to do, however it seems to come so naturally in this book. Well done Lorraine Murphy, well done.
All these wonderful things the book has going to for it I do have a question or two. Like the opening about the Dr she is trying to host, and doesn't reappear until the very end of the book. Why? We aren't really told why she is important, just that Karen felt her visit and pulling off this who event was one of the reasons she was so distracted. You could argue that it is because it is not a main plot point, this is also why the epilogue had me wanting just a bit more.
All things considered I truly enjoyed the book! It was well thought out and put together. It literally kept me on the edge of my seat and did not take me long at all to finish it! If you enjoy thrillers and suspense read this book. If you love a twisting story that will almost leave you breathless, just read this. It is fast passed book and a quick read for a rainy day or snow day, or basically any day you just want to escape into another world.

INTO THE WOODS by Lorraine Murphy
Format - BOOK (psychological thriller)
Star Rating - 3
Published Date: 21 August 2022

Paddy & Karen O'Hara and their 8 year old, daughter, Scarlett - a family, really?

I was looking forward to reading this book but at chapter 6 I was switching off and disconnecting from the characters and the O'Hara family. I did not enjoy the back and forth character and timeline chapters. The storyline did not hold my attention as the story progressed. I was disappointed.

This story is about bereavement, family and loneliness. It was dark and creepy in parts, but, sadly, not for me.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

Into The Woods by Lorraine Murphy.
A lost child. A broken marriage. A ticking time bomb. Karen will do anything for her eight-year-old daughter, Scarlett. Even holding together a marriage that is way past broken. So when Scarlett disappears from their rural home, Karen is one hundred percent focused on a single goal – finding her little girl as soon as possible.
And time is of the essence. Because Scarlett is profoundly deaf and would live in utter silence if it wasn’t for her high-tech hearing aids. Karen knows that within hours their batteries will run out, leaving her daughter even more isolated and vulnerable. As the search for Scarlett intensifies, shocking secrets are revealed and Karen realises she may have to look for answers closer to home. When the reason for Scarlett’s disappearance finally becomes clear, Karen finds she is living her own worst nightmare – her daughter is in deadly danger and time is running out.
A brilliant read. Twisty and tense. Definitely recommend. 5*.

I loved this book. It was great to have the perspective of a deaf child brought into the plot and I also welcomed the frank and open discussion of cancel culture and the pressure on women to be mothers at all costs. The characters are not that likeable and it was interesting how that shaped my analysis of the mystery itself.

Karen will do anything for her eight year old daughter, Scarlett even holding together a marriage that is way past broken.
So when Scarlett disappears from their rural home, Karen is one hundred percent focused on a single goal finding her little girl as soon as possible.
And time is of the essence because Scarlett is profoundly deaf and would live in utter silence if it wasn’t for her high tech hearing aids, Karen knows that within hours their batteries will run out, leaving her daughter even more isolated and vulnerable.
As the search for Scarlett intensifies, shocking secrets are revealed and Karen realises she may have to look for answers closer to home.
When the reason for Scarlett’s disappearance finally becomes clear, Karen finds she is living her own worst nightmare her daughter is in deadly danger and time is running out.
Really gripping story and really enjoyed this book totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Inkubator Books
I just reviewed Into The Woods by Lorraine Murphy. #IntoTheWoods #NetGalley

Family dynamics…love and marriage… children…deafness…secrets and adultery…kidnapping…themes running through this book…this author is talented and gifted at writing a cannot put down novel…while I do not like reading books that switch back and forth to characters’ voices and different timelines, I still enjoyed this book. It was sent to me by Netgalley for review…thanks to the publisher for a quick read…mystery and intrigue…surprises abound…