This is a brilliant debut. The characters are well developed and relatable. The storyline is very fast paced. The pacing is spot on. The story is compelling

Fans of true crime will most likely really enjoy this one. The story follows an Irish family on vacation in Florida, who's adopted daughter goes missing on the beach. I was often reminded of the Madeline Mccann case often throughout the book. Of course, the blame falls on the parents, but are they responsible?

Full of twists and turns, the story took me on a fun ride. I read this one fast and the writing flowed smoothly. I did chuckle a few times when the author described "boot sales" and "car parks" when referring to yard sales and parking lots in Florida. I imagine that it's challenging to write a story set in a country that you don't live in.

Overall, this was a great story full of flawed characters and lots of twists. A great summer read!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley/ the publisher to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A luxurious family holiday turns disastrous when a young daughter goes missing. When the police's attention and the public eye turn on the family, all is not as it seems. Soon, the young girl's mother is suspect number one but what really happened that day on the beach?

This book! From reading the very first page I was enthralled. I didn't know who I could trust in this one as everyone seemed guilty/suspicious! Told through the dual POV of Mirren, the missing girl's mother and Rolle, a detective on the case, this story is full of little twists and turns. Just when I thought I could tell where it was going next, Cassidy turns it all around, which I loved! The reader is kept guessing right up until the very end, and what an ending!

If you're after a dark, suspenseful summer read, you need to check this book out!

* Please research any trigger warnings before reading *

Mirrens daughter has gone missing. There is alot more to the story than that though. Is it something to do with Mirren or is it something more sinister? I flew through this book, the plot is very compelling. I loved finding more out about Mirren and her background. I will admit that I was judgmental. I found the POV from Rolle to be more interesting and it really adds something to the story. I enjoyed the authors writing style and would love to read more books by Amanda Cassidy.

I flew through this book a lot quicker than I thought I would! I was gripped by Mirren’s backstory and loved how the author explored difficult themes around motherhood. The chapters from Rolle’s point of view I didn’t find as absorbing and skipped through a bit but I can see their merit having finished it and I think lovers of detective novels will enjoy them more than I did. Overall a fast-paced entertaining thriller.

I really, really enjoyed this book. I loved that outside of the gripping storyline, break-neck pace and well-evoked characters, it explores the complexities of motherhood and identity. It is also a searing look at family, parenthood and marriage, themes that are explored through the flawed people who make up it's pages. I love a family drama and a story with moral dilemma, and this combined with a thrilling concept make for such an enjoyable and riveting read.

The inclusion of the POV of Rolle will delight readers who love a detective novel, and it provided a welcome break from the intense missing-child narrative. The writing is assured and engaging, and the twists and turns will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

A great read that I highly recommend to fans of thrillers and crime fiction.

Questions surround Mirren after her daughter goes missing from a beach in Florida. After all, why wasn't Mirren with the child? Why was she in a bar drinking instead? A very timely novel about motherhood, trial by media and guilt. Absolutely compelling.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book by Amanda Cassidy. I really enjoyed this and was hooked from the beginning. Good writing and characters with enough suspense to keep me guessing where it was going. Very enjoyable!

Breaking

Amanda Cassidy

This is a really good debut from Ms Cassidy. Polished, nicely paced crime drama that built the tension and kept this reader engaged throughout. Setting the drama in a Florida holiday resort gave the novel an extra something that worked really well. Looking forward to novel number two!

Many thanks to Netgalley and to the publishers Canelo Crime for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

What an amazing debut and an author I will definitely be on the look out for again in the future! Nothing is black and white. Everyone has a past and the way everything links is incredible. This book is the perfect beach read thriller.

A decent thriller set in Florida at beach resort, reminiscent of the Madeline McCann case. The characters were nicely developed & we learned quite a bit about the 2 main ones - the mom & detective. Some of the story fell short & I had the kidnapper solved right away.

A thriller surrounding the disappearance of a young Irish girl on a Florida beach when on holidays with her family. This story focuses on the perspective of the mother and one of the cops assigned to the case. A story that kept surprising you with layers of the back story and larger context slowly revealed. Dealt with some tough storylines such as human trafficking. Many thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for the ARC.

Breaking by Amanda Cassidy was a page turner. It was intriguing to get to know the characters and easy to get pulled into the plot. It was an enjoyable read and I had not anticipated the final twist. It enjoyed how the author created doubt around the character of the mother, and caused me to question why the public can be so quick to point the finger at parents when we all know just how difficult being a parent actually is. I particularly enjoyed getting to know the detective and at times I found myself more intrigued by his story than anything else.

A compelling read that keeps the reader guessing all the way through. Well-paced and plenty of twists.

Couldn’t get into this at all. I found it hard going and it didn’t capture my imagsyion they I hoped it would. The ending was a utter cop out and found it too hard to believe Thanks for the ARC but not for me

I am late with this review, I read about 30% of it and got distracted by something else. Finally returned to it and glad I did.
An assured and well researched debut. Once I got into the book on the second attempt, I read it quickly. I think had I felt some sort of emotional connection to any of the characters, I would have given this one a higher rating. I don't need likeable characters, but Mirren left me cold and given the subject matter, it surprised me that I felt little. Stronger on the procedural rather than plot but there was enough to keep me engaged. I would definitely read more from the author.

I always get a bit of anxiety reading a debut. A debut can set a readers expectations of an author, allow them to decide if they will read the author in the future. Amanda Cassidy has converted me as a fan, this is a debut that should be on everyone’s TBR.

A missing child is enough to send chills down anyone’s spine. However, I have been completely unsure of who to trust in this one. I have found the family particularly unlikeable, the case has gripped me completely.

Breaking is so well written, I have felt as though I have been with the characters watching the events play out. This is a talent of the author- it feels personal and real as you read.

The tension and suspense is laced in each chapter of this one. My heart has raced, my pulse has pounded and my attention has been completely on the events taking place in this one.

This is original and unique, I’ve been a little speechless at the ending. This is intense and completely gripping. Amanda Cassidy is going to be an author to watch out for.

An eight year old girl goes missing on a beach in Florida. Her mother, Dr Mirren Fitzpatrick, pleads for people to help find her daughter. But the police are immediately suspicious of Mirren who was drinking at the bar and not watching her daughter. A trial by media ensues and Mirren is painted as the villain. When a body is found dumped in the ocean, is Mirren heartbroken or is she a murderer?

A story with an interesting premise and a truly terrifying ordeal for any parent to go through. When I read this book, I couldn’t help but think of the similarities to the Madeline McCann disappearance.

I empathised somewhat with Mirren but it was very hard for me to connect with her or any of the characters in the story. All the members of the family have something to hide and none of them can be trusted. There were plenty of twists in the story and I didn’t see the twist at the end so that’s the mark of a good thriller.

The inclusion of the chapters with the police storyline slowed the pace of the story down but they did help to build the tension and suspense within the book. I enjoyed the chapters from Mirren’s perspective and for me, Breaking is a solid debut novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the arc. Breaking is out now.

Dr Mirren Fitzpatrick is on holiday with her family in Florida. Her husband Nick and two daughters Rea and Alannah. It’s the stuff of every mothers nightmare when Alannah goes missing from the beach

It further comes to light that Mirren had been drinking in a bar at the time. She had left both girls unattended. Rea was lying on her towel listening to music. Alannah was by the rocks on the beach playing in the sand, at least that’s where Mirren left her!

Cassidy’s debut novel Breaking is a tense, page turning psychological thriller. Which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was compelled to finish the story and find out what happened at the end.

I must say my favourite character by far was the detective, Antonio Rolle. He gave me massive DiNozzo NCIS vibes (IYKYK).

I will admit it took me a few chapters to get everyone sorted in my head character wise and what each person was contributing to the story. I think that was a personal level rather than anything to do with the story.

This was a great read that I devoured as quickly as home life would allow. I equally adored the setting as it made me feel it was an Irish novel but then being based in Florida added another layer to the story.

A truly wonderful debut that everyone should add to their already massive reading lists!

Thank you Netgalley & Canelo for an eARC of Breaking by Amanda Cassidy!

What’s it about?
On a sunny afternoon in the Florida Keys, a child goes missing from the beach while on vacation with her family from Ireland. Dr. Mirren Fitzpatrick will do anything to find her 8 year-old adopted child. Why are the police immediately suspicious of her? Is Mirren the architect of her daughter’s fate?

This was a great debut by Cassidy and a perfect read for my honeymoon beach vacation in the Caribbean. This one had me questioning everyone - There’s a lot of missing person thrillers, so it takes great writing and twists to keep my interest piqued throughout, and this one does just that. There’s a police procedural element to this one as well as it goes back and forth between Mirren’s POV and the detective’s, who I felt myself wanting to know a lot more about. I’m hoping there will be a 2nd by her that continues to follow his story! Also, whoa, that ending…