Summary
Sarah and Michael Wick were on vacation with their three children Daniel, Abigail, and Rebecca when the unthinkable happens. Sarah returns to their cottage to see Michael frantically calling for four year old Abigail. As the search ensues, a witness calls in a tip that they saw a man running with a stroller and narrowly boarding a ferry before departure. Nearby cameras confirm the witnesses account but cannot determine the identity of the suspect. Fourteen years go by with no signs of Abigail.

Until one day, a young woman turns up at a police station claiming to be Abigail Wick. And while she has a resemblance to Sarah’s missing child, Sarah can’t shake this feeling that this woman, whoever she is, is not Abigail. But if she isn’t Abigail, then why pretend? What does she have to gain? And if she is Abigail, where has she been? What happened that fateful day on the beach?

Review
This story is primarily told from the shifting perspectives of Sarah and Abi. These POVs give the reader a sense of Sarah’s thoughts and suspicions as well as Abi’s mindset. Between these two characters, the timeline also hops from present day to the past intermittently. There are also little sprinkles of an anonymous third voice tucked into these pages.

Characters are well developed and the writing is really well done and easy to follow.

With all the red herrings, my suspicions of each character ran high and created a sense of tension. I wouldn’t describe this book as a “thriller” but it had elements of a psychological thriller. While this book isn’t action-packed, I was actively engaged throughout and never had a hard time turning the pages.

Im super behind with reviews so I’m going to try and be more on it this week, and I’m kicking it off with this absolute belter of a book 🤩

Annoyingly I can’t really say toooooo much beyond what you read in the blurb without giving away massive spoilers, but suffice it to say I was completely hooked with this one. Totally unpredictable, I gave up trying to figure out who the mystery person in the background was and just gave myself over to the rollercoaster @lauren_c_north takes us on! And boy, what a ride!!

Perfectly written to take us back and forth between Then and Now, told from both Abi’s and Sarah’s POVs (as well as a few from the mysterious third person), throwing out twists left and right, She Says She’s My Daughter is the definition of unputdownable 👏🏻

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange of an honest review of She Says She's My Daughter by Lauren North.

Sarah and Michael's young daughter, Abigail, was kidnapped 14 years ago. One day, a girl walks into the police station claiming to be Abigail. Is she or isn't she? Why is Sarah convinced she isn't and her husband Michael is convinced she is? And who is the mysterious stranger that appears to be controlling the narrative?

Wow! I couldn't put this book down. The characters seemed so real and believable. I really felt like I was watching a great thriller movie unfold. I was shocked and surprised at the twists, and was actually wanting more!

Very satisfying thriller - 4 stars. I immediately researched the author, Lauren North, to order more of her books!

When I read this book’s description I was excited. Stories like this are always scary , sad, and intriguing.
So Sarah’s daughter Abigail goes missing when she is young and obviously this leads Sarah, her husband, son, and other daughter on heartbreaking search to find her. 14 years pass and as most times in these situations this has caused many issues in each of the family members lives. Then suddenly after 14 years a girl shows up at the police station saying she is their daughter Abigail. Obviously this turns their world upside down once again. Who is this girl , is it Abigail, is it an imposter , where has she been? While the rest of the family is immediately overjoyed and opens Abigail with open arms Sarah has a feeling she can’t shake and so it begins!

I loved the idea , thought , and premise for this book as I said these cases are so wild. This book alternates between the POVs of Sarah and Abigail. This was truly fast paced and I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know who was lying, who was honest , what happened , I needed all the answers’ so it was a fast and easy book to devour.

The downside for me was I didn’t connect with most of the characters (I don’t want to say too much because of spoilers), but as I guessed a few twists I didn’t guess it all and the final blurb from our real villain sent chills down my spine !!

Overall enjoyed it and think a lot of people will and the author did an excellent job!
3.75!
Thank you netgalley, Lauren North, and Bookouture for an ARC !

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up

Imagine your daughter being abducted and missing for almost 14 years, you finally begin to come to terms with the fact that she is gone when she walks into the police station and identifies herself as your daughter. Are you excited? skeptical? Do you think you would recognize her?

This book is from the Mother and Daughter’s point of view, and flips from past to present as it sheds light on this family’s personal experience from grief, to skepticism, to hope. Thought provoking, and terrifying, it left me wondering what I would be capable of.

Thank you netgalley for a copy for my honest review.

Sarah's daughter Abi goes missing age 4, the only way Sarah can cope and be a mother to her other 2 children is pretend Abi is dead.
14 years later a girl appears claiming to be Abi, who is she and what does she want?

A great book which kept me up reading past bedtime, lots of twists and turns.

Thanks to net galley for this arc

4 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review..

Wow, where do I start ? I read the first 3 points of the book and had to re read them thinking I read them wrong haha.. It had me gripped already. All throughout the book, I had 2 suspects thinking I had it figured out either way.. Boy, I was so wrong !! Near the end, I thought wow, what a happy ending. Then the end happened.. You have to read this book to understand.. It was an amazing ride ! I believe there should be a second book, I want more !!

This is a very interesting story. Very well written with an original plot.

I LOVED the character of Abi. She became one my favorite literary characters tbh. I wish we had a book solely about her, her story, her background, her childhood and her future. Everything about her is so interesting. I devoured the chapters from her POV and any mention of her past life.

The twists and turns were very clever. Delivered slowly. Maybe a little too slowly.
That's my only critique. The first half of this book is very slow paced. Nothing worthwhile seems to happen. The second half was much faster paced, but the book could've been shorter. It drags unnecessarily for a while.
All in all however, this thriller is dark, tense... simply superb.

Thank you for my ARC of this book. I haven't heard of this author before but I thought why not give it a try.
Overall I enjoyed the read, it was well written and I liked the different POVs and timelines.
Only thing letting it down for me was the grip factor, or lack of. I didn't find myself saying omg what is going on and sitting reading on. I finished it because the storyline line was actually interesting although a little out there.
Definitely worth a shot if you want something quick to read though.

I had to request this book from netgalley after reading several positive review, and I’m very glad I did. This was an energy-fueled plot perfect for keeping you turn the pages. What’s not to like with a mysterious appearance of a daughter who was kidnapped 14 years ago? What really happened, and is it Abigail or is something more sinister going on? The book reminded me a bit about the second life by Ava Rivers, which I also loved. But although there are similarities there are different outcomes and twists. It’s hard to talk about the twists and ending without spoiling anything, but let me just say the twist made sense and it was quite emotional. Generally, the writing style of the author was to my liking. She treats words with respect and her love for writing is apparent. Also, North manages to describe and bring to life emotions like grief and hope convincingly. There are several POVs, and the alternations worked, there wasn’t too much detail or unnecessarily over-explaining. Masterfully, there was references towards someone wanting revenge, but you just got drips at a time and that kept up the fast pace.

This novel was clever and thrilling. I would absolutely recommend it to lovers of psychological thrillers.

Thanks so much Netgalley and bookatoure for the arc!

A parent’s worst nightmare occurs when their child is reported abducted while on vacation. Many years pass and a teenage girl shows up saying she is their daughter. The mother does not believe her while everyone else in the family embraces her. Who is telling the truth? What is the truth? This fast paced thriller kept me up way past my bedtime but the twists were worth it. This book is a winner.

There’s nothing more likely to strike fear into a parent than a child going missing. Lauren North uses this fear to her advantage, creating a compelling and deliciously twisted tale. Fourteen years ago, Abi, a four-year-old girl, was snatched from the beach. Thirteen years later, she’s back! Where’s she been? Who took her? Sarah the mother of Abi, can’t shake the feeling that something is amiss. Doubts arise as inconsistencies emerge in Abi’s story.

The novel alternates between Sarah and Abi and peppered with chapters from an unknown voice. It’s these snippets that are chilling and hint at something far more sinister at play. I appreciated that Lauren North incorporated both POV. You get a sense that neither of them is telling the whole truth. Why is Sarah adamant that she is an imposter? I found myself questioning both parties, trying to look for inconsistencies in their narrative. Is Abi lying? What’s Sarah not telling us? Don’t you just love a book that keeps you constantly guessing?

The strength of this book is Lauren North’s ability to instil fear and paranoia in the reader through Sarah’s POV. Many of her family and friends seem to be guilty of hiding something! As the story progressed, I became suspicious of every character in this book. I thought the pace slowed a little in parts, but I appreciate the author uses this time to build on the tension and suspense. For a psychological thriller to work, there has to be that all-important element of surprise, and there are surprises alright! In fact, the final revelations are brilliant, dark and perfectly executed. She Says She’s My Daughter made for a cracking, addictive read and one I really enjoyed. Highly recommended.

My review will be posted to my Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/thebookreviewcafe and all relevant book sites nearer publication day

Ok, I’ll admit it I’m addicted to the books by @lauren_c_north. They are amazingly twisty and turns and keep you guessing the whole way through with short snappy chapters that I love! This book is a shining example of that exact format with lots of little clues given to keep you guessing the whole way throughout the story, but enough twists so that you could never guess the ending!! I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a crime thriller with a psychological twist and fans of @fmcfaddenauthor and @johnmarrs.author will also love this!! Thank you to Lauren and the teams at @netgalley and @bookouture for allowing me to read and review.

This one grabs you right from the first chapter and keeps simmering- twisting and revealing tidbits of information - until the last few chapters. I didn’t see the ending coming!
Thank You to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Lauren North for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC.

This is the third Lauren North (aka L C North) book I have read this year and it did not disappoint. I massively enjoyed this book and it kept me guessing right until the end. I love it when a book keeps you guessing, manages to shock you and is still believable. You know you’re onto a good book when you get up early on a Sunday to get to the end!

Abigail Wick went missing on holiday 14 years ago. It was thought she was abducted and taken abroad. Skip to present day and a girl claiming to be Abigail turns up at a police station in London claiming she is Abigail Wicks and has been living in Colombia all this time. She’s come back to find her real family having after reading a letter from the man who she thought was her father.

Sarah doesn’t believe this girl to be her daughter, but her family so wish to believe she is and goes along with it, ignoring all the doubt she feels. Who is this girl, and why has she come?

This book was very well written and in the same style is Lauren North’s other books, who can you trust? Whose version of the truth is correct. The ending again left me wondering if I believed anything anyone said!

I can’t wait for Lauren to write more books, she is fast becoming one of my favourite authors!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this advanced digital copy in return for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had a really hard time putting this book down once I started it. I just KNEW I had the plot figured out multiple times and realized I was wrong almost every single time, and the one twist I did figure out, I second guessed over and over up until it was revealed at the end. And then the ending was one that I wasn't expecting right after that! I was completely hooked from the start of the story and would definitely recommend this to others that I know. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

An enjoyable read which quickly draws you in. It will keep you guessing at the final outcome and will surprise you with that conclusion and the reasons behind it. ….

Interesting (if unbelievable) storyline. It kept my attention and was an enjoyable read. Some characters could have been developed better, but I appreciated the chance for the ARC!

This book was amazing. So well written, so suspenseful, so heart wrenching and OMG that plot twist! I cried, I doubted everyone and I could not put it down. It was my first book by Lauren North but it definitely won't be my last!

I've read some great crime fiction this year and this one certainly didn't disappoint. In fact I would go as far as to say it is in my top 3 reads of the year.
The reappearance of Abi after having been missing for 14 years rocks the Wick family to the core but why is Sarah so sure that she is an imposter? This really had me questioning the entire case and ensured that there was no way I could put this book down. I read late into the night with my tension levels ramped up to 11. Every time I was sure I had figured out what was going on there was a plot twist that implied that I was wrong. The truth of the matter came as a massive shock to me and the last page left me reeling. If this book was an hotel it would be 5 star deluxe but unfortunately I can only give it 5 well deserved stars.