Olivia and Caitlin are two very excited young girls on the evening that their parents go out for dinner, leaving them alone at home for the first time ever. They spend a lovely evening together, before heading to bed - until Caitlin awakens to see her big sister being taken away by a man in a mask.

He has been watching them secretly, unbeknownst to the two girls. And as Olivia is dragged away, she makes a desperate attempt to protect her little sister by indicating with her finger pressed to her lips that Caitlin should remain quiet.

Despite all the efforts made by the police once the abduction is discovered (this bit reminded me of the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping), and every attempt that's made to recover Olivia, she is never found. Until, over a decade later, against all odds, Olivia returns home. Or does she?

Because as time passes, Caitlin becomes increasing convinced that the woman who is living in her parents' home is not her sister. The problem is, no-one believes her...

There are two parallel stories being told here, and it take some time before the connections between them are properly explained to the reader. I found one of them profoundly disturbing - and it says a lot about the book when I confess that it's not even the storyline that's focused on Olivia's abduction, which is surely disturbing enough already.

This is a really dark and twisted story. I read a lot of thrillers, but I have to give this one marks for originality as well as for creating a deep sense of disquiet in the reader's mind. It is a story that will linger for a long time in those who read it. But if you have a reasonably strong stomach and like twisty thrillers, this could definitely be one for you! It gets 3.5 stars and would have got 4 but I found aspects of the second storyline hard to deal with.

A fantastic thriller that kept me wanting to keep reading, I was so addicted, will definitely read more books by this author.

Dandy Smith sure knows how to capture your attention! I went to church today, couldn’t stop thinking about this book and hurried home so I could get back to reading. I’m still trying to wrap my head around all of the reveals near the end. Smith does a masterful job of casting just a hint of suspicion on almost every character, so you’re not sure who to trust. You don’t even know if the main character is a reliable narrator!

There are two stories being told here, and I promise that you will not guess how they are connected. I was so confused at first, wondering why we were learning about the second point of view, but it all comes together beautifully eventually.

Enough talking about this—go read it as soon as it’s published on February 8th!

Thank you to NetGalley and Embla books for the complimentary advance copy for review purposes.

I also post on Instagram as books_the_magical_fruit.

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