Heartbreaking! This book was wonderfully written and constantly tore at my heartstrings. I had to sit it down and walk away at times. And, that ending! It completely did me in! It’s a great book!

SPOILER REVIEW

Let me begin by saying that I did not encounter a single intelligent person in this novel. I know that’s harsh, but it’s challenging to conjure positive feelings toward a story when the characters all seem to share a single brain cell.

I realize that Harry and Zara were desperate and grieving. Their emotions were sure to affect their choices. But blinding emotions can only excuse so much. Their behavior, overall, failed to earn a pass from me, and they weren’t the only foolish characters.

I also found myself confounded by how shocked these parents were regarding certain things they learned about their 17 year old daughter. Has the author ever had a teenager? Has he ever been a teenager? It seems like the answer to that second question should be an absolute yes, but I really wasn’t sure. Yes, things concerning Sophie do get a bit more convoluted down the line, but the first few parental shocks had me scratching my head.

And then there was the suspicious neighbor. Did it really make sense for him to make himself look guiltier and guiltier with every action? I didn’t feel any legitimate suspense was built around him because of this behavior. Furthermore, as a reader, with so much of the focus on this character, it was easy for me to recognize that they wouldn’t find Sophie within his grip. The distraction was obvious, but it did serve the plot since the parents were, in the present day storyline, on trial for his murder.

The last ⅓ of the novel, set almost exclusively in a courtroom, was incredibly dull. I was dragged through mundane details because the author apparently thought he would shock me with it all. He did not succeed. Very little in this story proved surprising. It all felt quite basic, with nothing innovative to help shape it.

Once that whole courtroom fiasco came to an end, it was time for the title of this book to reach its resolution, as Sophie’s whereabouts were still unknown. This reveal was the only aspect that actually surprised me, but not in an impressive way. None of it was developed well enough for me to believe it. It felt more like an afterthought, or a rushed, sloppy resolve, and it was alarmingly anticlimactic.

I also want to note that this story is told through dual perspectives, but you wouldn’t have known that if the chapters hadn’t been labeled. Harry and Zara sound exactly the same. There isn’t even the slightest indication that they have different voices, and it was easy to forget which character I was engaging with.

Finding Sophie is supposedly an emotional tale of two parents consumed by grief. They are aggressively navigating a lack of closure after their daughter goes missing. The way the story was written, however, did very little to gnaw at the heart. Harry and Zara’s method of dealing with their daughter’s rebellion before she disappeared was awful, which made it difficult to fully envision them as sympathetic characters. Overall, they came across as terrible people. Additionally, most of the lines describing their emotional states felt like cliches. This was not evocative storytelling, which would have been the only thing to save the book for me. I can forgive a lot when a story actually makes me feel something, but this completely missed the mark.

I am immensely grateful to Bantam and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

This book was harrowing in the way that it had me confronting what I would do if I were put into the position of the couple we meet in this book, Zara and Harry. After the disappearance of their daughter, Sophie, they continue the search for answers even when the police have lost their leads. The one person who continues to avoid them in their search is a neighbor, and it makes them increasingly suspicious of the man.

This is told in dual timeline, between six weeks after their daughter’s disappearance and one year later during a murder trial. I enjoyed the trial aspect and everything it entailed, but it was the human element in the book that I was drawn to most.

I loved the raw portrayal of parents in pure grief. They reflect on ways they could have been better parents. They grow apart and simultaneously yearn for one another in the wake of this traumatic experience.

Would I have made the same choices they made in the path of their investigation? I don’t know. I hope I never have to find out, but this was incredibly powerful!

Harry and Zara would do anything, even the unthinkable, to get back their daughter Sophie, who disappeared without a trace. When the police come up empty handed 6 weeks later, the couple takes it upon themselves to interview every neighbor on their block who may or may not have seen something. Everyone is cooperative, except for one.
This book is a bit confusing at first as it goes between 2 timelines, the present when there is a murder trial going on; and the past when Sophie disappears. The author does a good job showing how grief affects each parent differently. Zara turns to religion, while Harry consults psychics. It explores the feelings and emotions of each parent as it tells the story from each of their perspectives. I did find it odd that Harry could not say the name of his daughter, as if he already knew she was gone. As they investigate on their own, they realize Sophie kept many secrets, some of which may have contributed to what happened. The suspense and pacing here is excellent and I was eager to see how this story would end.

"Finding Sophie" was such a great read! It really goes to show the depth a family will go to find a missing child as well as the turmoil it causes to those left behind searching and grieving. I think we assume that family members feel the same when they lose a loved one but everyones internal struggles are different. This book does a great job of showcasing that as well as having a true crime/thriller feel to it as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Imran Mahmood for an ARC of Finding Sophie. I did not know a thriller could put me through so many emotions as this one had. Zara and Harry have lost their only daughter Sophie and they are doing (literally) anything and everything it takes to find out what happened to Sophie. They have interviewed everyone in the are, but one tenant at 210 refuses to aid in the search for Sophie. Why would someone not answer questions if they don’t know anything? Harry and Zara are obsessed - 210 must know something! This moving novel depicts the hardships of a child going missing and the life of day to day hardships of trying to remain afloat and not losing themselves in the grief. For me, it was a bit of a slow start, but well worth the wait for what is to come!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Finding Sophie by Imran Mahmood due to be published March 5, 2024.
One day 17-year-old Sophie King leaves the house and never returns. Her parents, Harry and Zara, are naturally devastated. Harry cannot even bring himself to say her name and calls her S.
The story takes place from Harry’s and Zara’s point of view, alternating between six weeks after Sophie disappeared and the trial one year later.
They have questioned everyone except the mysterious person in house number 210 who they think must be guilty. Meanwhile, as they continue to search for Sophie they begin to grow apart.
I cannot imagine anything worse than having your child disappear, so I was hesitant to read this book. But Imran Mahmood did a fantastic job in the dual timelines and never got too overwhelming.
Mr. Mahmood truly shows how grief can affect people differently and it can either make them grow apart or bring them closer.
Finding Sophie had her parents doing everything they could to find out what happened to Sophie – some legal, some not. It had lots of twists and turns and came to a very surprising conclusion. It will not be my last book by Imran Mahmood!

.#NetGalley #ImranMahmood #RandomHousePublishing #FindingSophie

This review is my honest opinion.
Harry and Zara’s daughter, Sophie has disappeared. With no police leads, the King’s take it upon themselves to investigate. Their investigation is fueled by obsession. It consumes their days, nights and marriage Right or wrong, no matter the reason, the lines become blurred. The depth of their grief is well written and their obsession catapults themselves into doing things they never expected.
Be prepared to find several parts of this book to be very slow, but persevere. The ride of the unexpected twists and a shocking end will make it worth it. Thank you Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for an early copy.

Although I do not like dual timelines and different voices, both work in in this novel, written by a talented author. The realistic characters keep the story moving quickly. There is no lull in the sequence of events, and there is no confusion. Parents have a missing daughter, Sophie. They look for her…this grief of losing their daughter causes problems in their marriage. A secretive neighbor adds to the mystery. Family and friends…grief and loss.. this is a novel that is fiction but reads, at times, like nonfiction . Thanks Netgalley.

This book is a slow burn thriller that takes its time getting to an explosive end. The writing soothing for a thriller and I read slowly even though at times I couldn’t read fast enough.
This is not your standard thriller. It a slow spiral down into dark places for the two main characters. This is my first book by the author and it won’t be my last.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 4⭐️

this is a book well worth reading for me as an adult and for my older students. Lots to think about, relationships between the parents, relationship with the daughter, guilt, presumed guilt and innocence. what is truth. tense and moving, story with depth.

I loved this book! The suspense, the emotion, the mystery., I fell in love with the characters and Imran Mahmood’s writing style. 5 stars!!

A story that asks, what you would do if your daughter went missing? While I did not agree with every decision that Harry and Zara made I could find ways to relate to these complex characters. I thought it was a well write that kept me intrigued and I did not figure out the ending.

As the title states, 2 parents are trying to find their daughter, Sophie.
Throughout the story you find out more and more about Sophie.
Is she dead?
Did she run away?
You are kept guessing from page 1 on.
You also learn about her father, Harry, and her mother, Azara. You find out who they were and what this trauma has turned them into.
Having read other books about parents searching for children, I thought this book would follow the same formula.
Thankfully, it did not.
I give this book 4-1/2 stars, and yes, I would recommend Finding Sophie.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Harry and Zara's daughter Sophie disappears. The police have no leads and Harry and Zara make it a mission to find their daughter.

They are very suspicious of their neighbor, whom they rarely see.

Their marriage starts to collapse and the emotions run high.

Harry and Zara not only have to reconcile the fact their daughter is missing but their marriage is in shambles.

Told from both of their perspectives and during the timeline between the disappearance and current day murder trial, this story unfolds and portrays just how far parents will go to save their child.

Brilliant novel, excellent writing and dialogue. I would highly recommend for a thrilling, deep read! Thank you for the free ARC for review!

Zara and Harry experience every parent's worst nightmare when their teen daughter Sophie goes missing. Days turn into weeks, and the parents feel like they have to take things into their own hands as time slips away. Intermingled are chapters from the past and present, where an unnamed character sits on trial for a murder.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF at around 70%. Despite interesting characters and wanting to find out Sophie's fate, the pace wasn't working for me. I liked Zara, but Harry's inability to use the name Sophie seemed a little corny. I think if the book was edited down and certain pacing elements were sped up, this would have been a fun read.

Ooo this one was definitely a great thrill. It really made you think but also could confuse you at the same time. I loved the writing and thought the characters were fantastic.

Thank you to Netgalley, Imran Mahmood, and Bantam Publishing for this e-ARC.

I love a good legal thriller, but this book was that, and so much more. I felt all types of emotion through this book.

Zara and Harry grieve for their missing daughter Sophie. They look for her every day after taking leave from their jobs. They question everyone they know, but they have one suspect in mind, a nearby neighbor who refuses to answer the door or any of their questions about Sophie.

In the midst of searching for Sophie, the two parents are put on trial for a murder. The chapters alternate among Zara, Harry, and the trial. We aren't given any answers to anything until very close to the end, which in my opinion, makes a very intriguing story. I love when a book keeps me guessing, and this one did just that.

If you like legal thrillers, and books full of emotion and suspense, you'll love this one.

Wow! As I was reading the book, I thought about possible endings to the story, but I was definitely surprised by what actually happened. The author does a great job of expressing the frustration of Harry and Zara at the lack of progress by the police in finding their missing daughter, Sophie, and by the protocols that the police must follow, as well as the desperation and emotional devastation they feel at the continued absence of their daughter.

In the weeks since Sophie disappeared, Harry has spoken to at least one person in every household along the nine roads that Sophie could have taken to leave the neighborhood before reaching a main road with traffic cameras and CCTV. The only household where Harry cannot get an answer is Number 210 on their own street, owned by John Douglas Herman. That house is also more closed off than all the other houses -- high-walled front garden, tall wooden gates with a padlock, heavy curtains, etc. Harry and Zara begin to suspect that Herman knows something about Sophie's disappearance, and Harry takes increasingly risky and illegal actions to find answers, but even when he discovers information that suggests Herman is a viable suspect, the police will not act because the information/evidence lacks the proper chain of custody that would be needed if charges would be brought and/or is not sufficient to obtain a warrant or make an arrest.

Herman will end up murdered, but is the killer Harry, Zara, both of them together, or someone else? A significant portion of the story focuses on the murder trial of Harry and Zara, and the prosecution's argument that they planned and carried out the murder together. However, proving the joint enterprise will be difficult, especially as Harry and Zara have dealt with Sophie's disappearance in different ways and have not shared everything they have learned or done with each other. In fact, Harry has gone to great lengths to try to keep his actions isolated from his wife, so that she cannot be implicated in the things he does.

I would like to say that I would never do or attempt to do some of the things that Harry and Zara do or are suspected of doing. However, if something happened to one of my children, I would go to great lengths to get them back or protect them, and the pressure to cross legal or moral lines, if necessary, would be high. I think that is one of the most appealing aspects of the story -- Harry and Zara are taking the actions that, as parents, we would want to be able to take if we were facing their situation. The detailed planning by Harry and Zara, and the legal machinations, are also enjoyable as well.