I love the author so webt in with nothing but the highest of hopes and I was not disappointed! What an amazing and original story the characters were well written and brought to pife the twists were absolutely amazing and the plot kept of moving at a really good pace. Ots one of those books where you think you know where it's going but then you get proved wrong over and over. Highly recommended

Ohhh, I liked this one! Fast, short chapters lead the reader through an intriguing series of events. I do always wonder why characters don’t question people who show up at their door claiming to be someone from their past. I didn’t see the end coming. This was a 1 day read for me.
Thank You to NetGalley, Inkubator Books, and Miranda Rijks for the opportunity to read and thoroughly enjoy this ARC.

This to me was like watching a lifetime movie. I really love her writing style and her stories . Anytime I see a book by her I have to read it! Thank you !

Another jaw dropping thriller by this author. I have read of her books and they just get better and better this one is my favourite so far. It was a very tense read which had me gripped from start to finish could not put it down. There was many twits and turns in the story and WOW what a jaw dropping ending really wasn’t expecting that final twist.

Carina’s seventeen year old goddaughter, Alicia, arrives on her doorstep after her mother disappears, asking if she can stay. Carina’s husband Dom and her older two children Tegan and Arthur aren’t thrilled, but Carina feels like she cannot turn Alicia away. Tegan has had a hard time over the last year so when she doesn’t warm to Alicia everyone thinks it’s just that until Tegan is accused of a horrendous crime did she do it? Everything seems to be falling apart with this family.

I can’t recommend this enough absolutely fantastic thriller. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

Carina’s seventeen year old goddaughter, Alicia, arrives on her doorstep after her mother disappears, asking if she can stay. Carina’s husband Dan and her older two children Tegan and Arthur aren’t thrilled, but Carina feels like she cannot turn Alicia away.

Then sixteen year old Tegan is accused of a terrible crime. Is Alicia involved? What is happening to Carina’s family (well, we’ve seen the title of the book, so I have a pretty good guess….)?

This was a better than average thriller where everything doesn’t magically come out all right. Nicely done.

This was a super fast, easy read. As someone else mentioned, it was like a lifetime movie. Fast paced even though none of the characters were particularly likeable....I'm pretty sure that was on purpose.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

I really thought I had this one all figured out.. Miranda Rijks, you got me again!L this was an absolute page turner, I binged it an afternoon and loved it. So many unlikeable characters and drama for one family!! Very cleverly done by the author.

Would you let a stranger into your house to stay? When Alicia knocks on the door, telling Carina that she was the daughter of her college best friend who she hadn’t seen for many years, Carina lets her in. After all, the girl is her godchild. Eldest child Teagan is less than impressed, even. Ore so when she gets to know Alicia. But nobody is listening to her.

This was one messed up family! I really only liked Teagan, and really felt sorry for her being ignored and so badly treated by everyone. This is really fast paced thriller, another winner from this author.

Thanks so much to Inkubator Books for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on March 31st

Omg! The fabulous Miranda Rijks does it again! This author never ceases to amaze me. She always delivers big time. And true confessions here.. I was so sure I had it figured out (really early on). Oh boy was I wrong. The premise was fresh and creepy. The characters were fantastic. I binge read this one and totally loved it!
Thank you NetGalley and Miranda Rijks for the opportunity to read and review this cracker of a book.

“I’m not family, thank goodness. I’m just the godchild.”

Carina, her husband Don, and their three children (Tegan, Arthur and Ethan) live a privileged life until Alicia, Carina’s goddaughter turns up uninvited on their doorstep claiming her mother walked out on her and she has nobody else to turn to. Alicia adjusts to family life easily, she’s intelligent and helpful and everyone seems to warm to her, but Tegan has a feeling she is hiding something. Then, tragedy strikes and Tegan is accused of a horrific crime, but she believes Alicia is really behind it and sets out to prove it.

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The Goddaughter is a fun, quick read. It’s a thrilling, page-turner with interesting albeit infuriating characters. The premise was solid and the first half of the book I found enjoyable. However by the end it just became so ridiculous and unbelievable it took me out of the story a bit and I stopped enjoying it as much. This would’ve been 4 stars if it hadn’t been let down by the ending because I did have a lot of fun reading it. Overall a fine read if you’re into the genre but I do think the ending let it down.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The book kept me sleepless till the last moment …. Till the last page ! Miranda did it again perfectly - pointing how domestic thriller is still so valuable and beloved ! The different stories and life perspectives but the same twisted minds and soul obstacles ! All recommendations ! From the first to the last scene!

After her own mother mysteriously disappears, seventeen-year-old Alicia turns up on her godmother’s doorstep and asks if she can stay. Carina can’t say no to the godchild she hasn’t seen in over a decade.

Then, out of the blue, Carina's sixteen-year-old daughter, Tegan, is accused of a horrible crime and life for this ordinary family spirals down into chaos.

Does Alicia have anything to do with the terrible secrets that are only now being exposed? Has she set out to destroy this family? Before she can answer these questions, Carina will have to face her own troubled past, stepping out of the light and into a very, very dark place..

This novel hooks the reader in from the first chapter and flits between the past and current day. but lordy Carina did my absolute head in! Her job as school principal takes presidency over her own family, which makes her selfish and professionally egotistical and just an idiot.

And don't get me started on Alicia...clearly a nut job from day one who is a walking red flag but none seems to notice/care until the last few chapters apart from Teagan who is ignored🙄

The twist at the end was unrealistic but all in all a good quick read with enough substance to finish.

I give this book 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.
My honest opinion on this book is it was an easy read but I never felt a big pull to the book.
Alicia shows up with just a back pack to her godmother’s house who she has never met. With this story about her mom just up and disappearing on her and Carina and Don take her in no questions asked. It just feels so far fetched. She becomes accepted into the family and they even get her a spot in the private school Carina is the headmistress of. It feels kinda rushed and the story could have way more into the characters. It’s almost like a piece work quilt that all fits together but doesn’t exactly have all the elements to make it feel put together.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy for my honest review

Carina and Gina were best friends in university. Until Gina did something really malicious and showed no remorse.
Alicia, Gina's daughter arrives at Carina's door, and introduces herself, and Carina feels she has to take the teenager in.
Carina's family life is thrown into chaos, and life changes for them all.

I could not wait to read this latest book by Miranda Rijks! It did not disappoint. It was fast paced, twisty, and addictive.
I did suspect that the Godchild was not honest, and there was a jaw dropping bombshell, that I would not have predicted.

I recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Loved this book! I have read many of this author’s books and I really enjoy her writing style. This book grabbed me from the first chapter and did not let go. I could not put it down! Story flows well and the characters were enjoyable. The ending was a shocker! Definitely recommend! Thank you to NetGalley, Miranda Rijks and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fast paced and full thriller. I was so set in my mind the story could only go one way but then it took a huge turn. There's also tons of family drama. At times the characters were unlikeable, like when the father disregarded his own daughter to trust essentially a stranger living in the house. This was frustrating, but it added to the layers of the story. If you're looking for a quick read this is a good one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Carina's goddaughter Alicia turns up out of the blue, Carina feels obligated to welcome her in and let her stay a few nights.

Get ready for a tense, original and very unpredictable thriller. I've read plenty of 'cuckoo in the next' thrillers and this is a really good one with plenty of original angles.

Carina is a headmistress at a prestigious fee-paying school, both her teenage children attend and the school provides a convincing location, community and and framework for lots of the action.

The multilayered plot rolls alongside with plenty of shocks, and regular reveals and unexpected changes in direction. From the seemingly familiar setup Miranda Rijks weaves a surprisingly unsettling plot.

A very enjoyable plot, recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator Books

Fun thriller which will appeal to people who like Lifetime Movies and the stranger enters a happy family story. Carina and Don are a married couple who live with teenagers Tegan and Arthur and baby Ethan. Carina is the head teacher at the elite school her daughter attends and Don stays home with the baby and is trying to write a book. One day their doorbell rings and a young woman is on the doorstep and says she is Carina's Goddaughter and the daughter of Carina's one time roommate Gina. Carina hasn't seen Gina for years but doesn't want to turn the girl away. Don and Tegan are not so sure this is a good deal especially since Tegan will have to share her room with this stranger and go with her to school.

It isn't long before things start to go wrong in this household. Alicia helps around the house and is great with Don and the baby but Tegan finds she is being bulled by a group of girls from school, fourteen year old Arthur begins smoking pot and a student is killed with evidence pointing to Tegan. When Tegan is arrested, Carina begins to wonder who she invited into her home and what will it take to save her family. The family did seem pretty naive to not make the connections between Alicia's arrival and the bad things happening but Carina is caught up in work and her teenagers are secretive. I appreciated the way the author builds up the tension and I found myself racing though the story to find out if Carina could save her family. The author did a good job of keeping the focus on Carina and Tegan which helped to create a level of danger and suspense and the flashbacks to Carina and her friend Gina were well done and not too long,. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

A fabulous well written drama by this wonderful author. Fast paced and suspenseful. The characters were all awful in there own way apart from Tegan the daughter who i really felt for. The ending (although slightly over the top in my opinion) was a real shocker.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
A worthy five stars from me.

Miranda Rijks, The Godchild, Inkubator Books, March 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Guilt, teenage angst, a nontraditional distribution of paid work and household responsibilities, bullying at school and secrets – and an appealing godchild at the front door seeking asylum from a drug addicted, uncaring mother. These issues feature in The Godchild, all to excellent effect. Alicia moves into the Ruff household of Carina, Don, Tegan, Arthur and baby Ethan, initially at Carina’s suggestion despite Don’s resistance. Tegan must share a room with this newcomer, adding to her unhappiness at home and at school. In contrast, the newcomer fascinates fourteen-year-old Arthur. Don eventually succumbs to Alicia’s charming assistance with household responsibilities and Ethan – after all, his main purpose is to write his book. His change from a job he disliked to freeing Carina for her high-powered job as head teacher at a prestigious school has not been as smooth as he envisaged.

Rijks makes good use of the Prologue and Epilogue. In the former the scene is set for murder – by whom and to whom is not made clear. It could be any of the characters who feature as the plot moves forward. The Epilogue ties ups ends neatly, as well as solving a mystery with a twist. Rijks also makes clever use of each of her characters, the Ruff family are seen through not only Alicia’s eyes, but those of the school and other students; Alicia’s portrayal does not depend only on the family who has taken her into their home. As well as the Ruff family and Alicia, a school councillor has an important role. Her portrayal tells the reader something about the school, and the type of person they employ for this significant work. It also shows Alicia in a personal setting that does not involve the Ruff family.

The Godchild brings all of Miranda Rijks’ writing skills to the fore and justifies my optimism about her work. This is a great beach or curl up in front of a warm fire on a cold night read.

When a woman's 17 year old goddaughter, whom she hasn't seen since she was an infant, shows up on her doorstep with no where else to go, she is taken in 'for a few days'. But, the goddaughter, Alicia, isn't all she seems, or maybe she is more than what she seems. The family members have not done a good job of effectively communicating and relating to one another, so that when an interloper introduces doubt in their relationships, they falter. Tensions in the family grow until a murder wreaks havoc and threatens to expose decades-old secrets.

This is a satisfying, suspenseful novel that will keep the reader engaged through all the twists and turns. I've enjoyed other titles by this author, and The Godchild did not disappoint. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.