I am obviously in a minority here, but I just could not get into this book at all. Sorry but this one wasn't for me

This book comes with trigger warnings and can be quite a tough read at times. That is worth noting.

However, I really enjoyed the way the author portrayed the protagonist it felt so real. The story line was definitely a page turner which kept me guessing all the way to the end.

Thanks to Net Galley and Joffe books

"Not My Child" by Jane E. James is a gripping psychological thriller that explores the complexities of family secrets and their devastating consequences. Tara's seemingly perfect life is shattered when a young man claims to be her long-lost son. James expertly weaves a tale of suspense and intrigue, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the shocking revelations unfold. This story will leave you questioning how well you truly know your loved ones and the secrets they may be hiding.

Although a bit slow at times it was a good story that managed to keep my interest with a few twists thrown in

I absolutely love books that start from the end, or alternate between the past/present, & this was no exception! I would consider this a medium paced thriller, with some unforgettable plot twists. I definitely DID NOT guess that ending. I loved it so much that I hated it, I wanted more answers!

Wowzers!! I loved this book and could not put it down, I love how we start at the end (almost, as we don't actually know what's happened yet) and then find out what happened before this and then revisit where we started for that one final twist to play out!

Brilliantly written and unputdownable, a really well thought about storyline with twists and turns throughout. I loved seeing our characters develop, and that added to the shock of the twists that happened as you felt that you had gotten to know them.

This book was very interesting and I loved every minute of reading it. I was very shocked in a lot of moments
and most of the time this book took me down paths I didn't even think would be possible. Our book starts off with the death of our main character Dino's wife, Tara. While he is grieving he unfortunately discovers that his loving wife wasn't who he once thought she was after all as a bunch of her secrets get revealed. There were so many twists in this book that I found myself super excited to see what was going to happen after ever turn. The book itself is told through three different perspectives, Dino, the man grieving his wife and learning about her past as it comes up, Tara herself (Dino's wife) in the form of letters that she wrote confessing her deep secrets, and Ryan Tara's child. The way that the author managed to keep all the plots flowing seamlessly was
astonishing and helped keep me immersed in the plot even with all of the changes. This one was full of twists that continually kept me guessing. I think my favourite part was all of Tara's segments, I loved finding out all of the things that she was hiding and why she refused to share that information with her husband even if some of those things were terribly sad and heartbreaking. Very good read and I'm so glad that I got the chance to check it out it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. With a bunch of twists this book leaves the reader amazed and shocked after every turn. I couldn't get enough of the characters and I was so sad
to see this book end. Great read and I'm so happy that I was given the opportunity to check it out. This is the kind of thriller that all the rest strive to be. The ending of this book was a real shocker than I never imagined but it put a very different take on the whole story. I loved this book and can't wait until everyone else is able to read
it as well.

Wow what a book. Good plot and some twists I did not see coming. I liked how it goes between past and present. Would definitely recommend to others.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow the twist!
This book had me questioning everything from the first page. It was a pretty easy and fast read for me. I enjoyed it so much and will be reading more by her! Thanks for much for giving me the opportunity to read this!

WOW! this was an absolute page-turner from the very start! I enjoyed the style and pace of this book and anticipated a twist at the end of the book, but didn't realize my expectations would be met through nearly every chapter. Further, the characters were so very real and relatable. We have all been the victim at times, the one closed off at times, the fighter at times, maybe even the attacker at times. Well-done and I am now actively looking for more from you. Thank you for sharing this work.

The main characters, Tara and Dino, are not especially likeable but I still wanted to know what was going to happen. There ended up being too many "twists" that I figured out beforehand, my reactions turned into, "of course that's what happenend..." it just seemed to be a lot of over the top tropes. I wish it would have been less trying to shock me and more diving in to one or two of the twists.

Not my child is a fantastic thriller that had me addicted, and wow what an ending that was a shock!! Can't wait to read more books by this author.

I could NOT put this down. This book was incredible and so suspenseful. So many secrets! Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe books for this ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. Not My Child was a roller coaster of a book for me, but in the end I really enjoyed it! It started out kind of slow, in my opinion, but then at about the 25% mark, it really picked up. The book alternated mostly between Dino and Tara narrating, which I really liked, and it was also in a past vs present time. The author gives you a solid background story for Tara and Dino, so you get a good sense of their childhoods and how they each grew up. I think that plays in really well at the end. Tara spends most of the book searching for her lost son and I felt like she never really seemed whole. The ending of the book was so tragic, twisty and crazy! It was really shocking to me, I definitely did not have it figured out. There were a couple parts of the book where I thought things moved really fast and other times where it was really slow. Dino went from making all the wrong choices to everything being just great in a matter of less than a year, which I thought was a little unbelievable. Overall, though, Not My Child was a 4 star for me. I really enjoyed all of the twists, turns and shocking moments! This one kept me guessing and the ending was not what I expected at all!

Although a bit predictable, I still enjoyed the read. I needed to see it play out. Was pretty emotional at times, but that seemed to add to the suspense. The graphic nature might be a trigger to some but it helped develop the plot and characters.

A great page turner with a host of characters with hidden secrets. Plenty of twists and turns along the way and a stunner at the end!
Covers several challenging themes: sexual and emotional abuse, adoption, dementia, hidden family secrets to name a few so not for those easily triggered by such themes but great for lovers of a good domestic suspense novel.
I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book and am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Thank you to Joffre Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book! This book will definitely have you on your toes from beginning to the very end.

Tara had to give up her baby as a teenager and 18 years later he comes to find her. This is the story of how he came to be. Tara’s been keeping it a secret from her husband but it’s all about to come out.

I was completely shocked and floored by the twist in this book. Absolutely took me by surprise. The whole book you are wondering how the story will come to unravel. And when it does, watch out. Your mind will be blown!

This was a quick read with very short chapters, enabling the reader to engage easily with the main characters.

There were some surprises along the way but I found the supposed twists and turns quite obvious and a bit far fetched.

Great storyline, but also a very sad and powerful subject. Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing and a killer twist at the end.
It did take a while for me to get thoroughly gripped into the book, but after a couple of chapters I couldn’t put it down! The chapters were very short and straight to the point which I prefer. All in all I can’t wait to read more books from this fantastic author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC of this emotional and powerful book. I loved the two person voices and the before and now layout of the book. The story was intense and even though some of the twists were predictable I still found myself reading to see how all the threads would tie up. I'm not sure if the ending was as I expected but there was no other way to end the book. I thought the characters were well written and the story was easy to follow. I love the short chapters and had trouble putting it down. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone.