This novel focuses on the beginning and end of a 10-year time span in Karina McHugh’s life. Karina is a doting mother to her son, Jacob. They take a family trip with her husband, Ronan to Turkey and from there, thing get craaaaazyy! There’s no way for me to tell you much more than that without giving away spoilers 🫢😮‍💨 This book was a wild ride. It felt a lot like Stacy Willingham’s “All the Dangerous Things.”

AJ Wills writing style was easy to read and he paced this novel really well. There were constant twists and turns, but you were never left agonizing over the same question the entire time. Once one was answered, there was another thing that would pop up and leave you thinking and analyzing what you read all over again. This was my first novel from Wills, but I’m definitely looking forward to reading more soon!

It’s not very often I say this but I knew from the very first chapter that I was going to love this book! The writing style is impeccable. This story follows Karina and her husband Ronan. Their marriage is on the rocks so they decide to take a break with their son Jacob and fly out on holiday to Turkey. After an eventful day of nearly missing their flight and Jacob having an accident, Karina has an early night but isn’t prepared for what her life will be like when she wakes up and finds that her son is missing. Every trace of Jacob is gone, his clothes, his toys, even the pictures Karina took on her phone and then Ronan tells Karina that Jacob never existed and it’s all in her mind. But is it? Did Jacob disappear or is he a figment of the imagination?
This is the first book iv read by AJ Wills but I can’t wait to read more of their work!
It was twisty, suspenseful and it kept me gripped the whole time reading it! I finished it in a day because I couldn’t stop turning the pages! Loved loved loved! An amazing book to start 2024 with! It’s a book I definitely won’t be forgetting anytime soon! 4.5 ⭐️
Thank you so much for approving me to read this early!

The Phantom Child
by AJ Wills

First things first: I love how caring the author wrote the trigger warnings. Haven’t read them like that, it was appreciated even though I don’t really have any.
Trigger warnings are: abortion, psychological abuse and child abduction.

Mark your calendars for February 1st!

A mother’s worst nightmare: Karina wakes up in a villa in Turkey and her young son Jacob is gone. Her husband Tonn tells her he has no child. He insists that a recent miscarriage causes her a psychotic breakdown. I had this sense of foreboding, they should have missed their flight.

The author set up the right atmosphere right from the start. He had me glued to the pages. I had an instant dislike to the husband. I wanted to strangle a fictional character. Ugh.

I admit that I was first sceptical, I thought this might be another run-off-the-mill thriller. But I was really positively surprised! I was so emotionally invested in this book and that does not happen often. There were enough twists and turns to keep me on my toes and the writing was superb. I binge read this in one setting.

Publication: 1st of February 2024 by Cherry Tree Publishing.

Arc received courtesy of Netgalley and Cherry Tree Publishing. I was under no obligation to share a review, all opinions are my own.

I sat down and read this book in one sitting, oh, how I loved it! My heart aches for Karina, this one is a must read for all thriller lovers.