I received this book from NetGalley and HQ in exchange for an honest review. This statement is always true. I’m not given compensation to discuss a book and I’m not told how to rate a book. I am given a book in exchange for my opinions on it, and I am truthful in all my reviews whether I loved them or not.

The book was well written. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, the plot thickened. I was left in suspense and needed to read it. I managed to finish it in one sitting.

This story follows Frances and her anxiety over her daughter who was in an accident. On her way to the hospital, she sees a young girl crying out for help. She has to make a choice, either aid to her daughter, or follow a child who is desperate for help and recognition. It is also Frances story, her life with her happy family, or is it? Her past, her present, and her future all lie within these two events. How does someone choose to help a distraught child or her own flesh in blood? Her choices make an impact and change her course of life.

If you love psychological thrillers, you will love this. There is so much to grasp in this story. It is not overloaded and there is great character development and each person is unique. The struggles, the family stresses, the bonds that are built and broken, it is a roller coaster of a ride. I wish I could bring myself to say more, but I do not do spoilers, but it is a great read with mystery, thriller, suspense, and psychological twists an turns that may make you think you have it all solved, but you don't.

One part that was a little confusing is that there were no chapters, but they were labelled with the character who was the narrative at that moment. It seems at times, these narratives veered off into another character's narrative, which led to a small bit of confusion, but easily solvable with little backtracking.

I had found so many typos in this ARC. There were a lot of spaces missed between words, so the words were blurred together and I mentally had to separate the words and re-read the entry. I reported as many that I could find through the "report error" page. With this being an ARC, errors are expected, but this was overload. Every page at least had one and as much as 5 or 6 in a single paragraph. I hope that these errors are resolved by the time of the release.

An unreliable narrator or an unsuspecting victim?

I’ve not read from this author before but I was compelled to pick it up purely based on the synopsis and wow am I glad I did! Right from the start this book’s plot line moves quickly and doesn’t fail to grab your attention. Beautifully written, this book was effortlessly to read and only made me read it quicker than expected.

I loved how as a reader need to decide whether the narrator is reliable? Whether what they saw was true or imagined? And if it were true, why this is all happening? It’s spun in a way that you can’t help believing everything and yet believing nothing.

Told from the perspective of Frances and her daughter Naomi you get to see the actions and reactions that surround the situations that Frances gets herself involved in. Added to this the book also throws in a chapter here and there telling the story of ‘the girl’ who has been abducted and is now living with her ‘new’ mummy and daddy.

I loved it! This book kept me entertained for hours. The only reason I didn’t mark it higher is because I felt the ending was drawn out much longer than necessary and was too neat and tidy. I like a little ‘what happened next’ to be left for my own imagination and for me, this book didn’t do that. But overall a really decent read, I’d certainly look out for another from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I started this book while winding down for bed and ended up reading all of it in one sitting. I often enjoy books that leave you questioning the narrator’s reliability and this book left me questioning and changing my opinion every few chapters. Not predictable, interesting twists and makes you question if Frances is spiraling into madness or involved in something sinister. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Stories for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #TheGirlWhoVanished @HQStories

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, so I didn’t know what to expect. I certainly didn’t expect to read it in one day.

A brilliant storyline with unexpected twists and turns, and it really had me gripped. Frances is woken from a nap by a phone call from a London hospital, telling her that her daughter has been in a road accident and Frances needs to get there as soon as she can. She lives in Bath so it’s a couple of hours to get to London. Whilst driving, she sees a car going past with a little girl in the back, mouthing the words ‘help me’ out of the window. Frances is really worried and doesn’t know whether to keep going on her journey to London or to follow the car and help the little girl. She keeps going and then stops for a break at the motorway services, where she spots the other car again.

Absolutely loved this and will definitely look out for more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ/HQ Digital for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Definitely my kind of book, great from start to finish, I’m looking forward to seeing what is next from this author

The Girl Who Vanished is a predictable mystery. The couple of twists are unoriginal and easy to figure out. The storyline of a character confused about what is happening is overdone. As a reader I struggle with this concept. This book brings nothing new to this genre.

Wow, so many head-spinning revelations in The Girl Who Vanished by R.M. Ward. The story is about Frances and is also told from other perspectives. Frances has just received the phone call every mother dreads. Her daughter Naomi has been in a life-threatening accident.

As she races to the hospital, Frances catches sight of a child in another car, a girl screaming for help. She doesn't know whether to follow the car or get to the hospital.

The story and writing flowed nicely, and I kept trying to guess how this would all unfold. I was guessing until the very end. A diabolical storyline and how dementia and PTSD can be confused.

I liked this author's writing style and how she unraveled the story. The story has good, solid characters and an entertaining and mysterious storyline. I would recommend this book. I read this book in one day!

#TheGirlWhoVanished #NetGalley @HQstories @Rachel-Wardbooks

This is an excellent book. I read it in a few short hours. Instead of focusing on a missing girl, it seems to portray the anguish and frustrations of a woman who may be approaching dementia. It is told from multiple points of view, and , at times, you wonder how much is real or imagined. I can’t say much without giving parts away, but this book is highly satisfying. It also wraps up any remaining questions very nicely. Give it a go! You won’t be disappointed!

Frances Brookman receives a call that her daughter has been in an accident and she needs to get to the hospital urgently.
On the way, a car passes her, and there is a little girl in the back and it looks as though she is screaming for help.
Just along the motorway, Frances stops and uses the restroom, and the girl is in there, with an adult woman, and while the woman's back is turned, the girl writes "HELP ME" on a napkin.

Unfortunately, Frances gets a call and by the time it is over, the girl has disappeared.

Strange things are happening in her home, and Frances feels she is losing her mind. Perhaps she is, or she is in the early stages of dementia.


I did enjoy this novel, it was quite tense, but flowed well. I could feel how desperate Frances felt when these things were happening in her home, unsure of whether she was losing her mind.

I hope that the errors are fixed before this book is officially released. It wasquite annoying to read sentences with wordswithoutspaces!!

I do recommend this book, despite that, it kept me engaged throughout.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Good book! Wow! What a story! This book had a crazy storyline! It definitely made my heart pound and kept me glued to my Kindle! It had suspense, intrigue, kidnapping, gaslighting, and some crazy twists and turns! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I got nothing done today because once I started this book, I couldnt put it down. The writing flows really nicely and the story is kept moving aping at a good pave. There are lots of twists and turns thrown in and you trully don't know who to believe for the entire book! The characters are well written and it's hard not to become invested in their journey, both mother and daughter. I did have a slight suspicion about how it would end but I absolutely had no idea about 90% of what was to come! Loved every second, don't have a bad thing to say about this. A perfect example of a domestic noir

This was a fantastic thriller which will have you racing to the very end. I wasn’t sure who to trust. It is told from mother and daughter’s perspective as-well as a young girl. It will have you gripped from the very start and gasping at the end when you realise what has been going on. Great thriller which I will definitely be recommending to everyone who loves a thriller.