Member Reviews

Publication date: March 31st 2024

Miranda Rijks did it again! What a crazy ride!
Another fast paced thriller that was hard to put down and kept me interested to the very end. It was intense and exciting but also very emotional. I felt for Carina as she was trying to juggle between being a mother and wife and successful head teacher. My heart also broke for Tegan, who was subjected to constant bullying and had to deal with its consequences.
What a great mix of mystery and domestic drama. Loved it and highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley, Inkubator Books and the author for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

The cover of the book is amazing!

This author never disappoints! Her books are always full of twists and turns and just always keeps you on the edge of your seat. I will always recommend and read anything this author writes.

Great Characters, Great Plot and just very good read.

Thanks for another great book.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

Was this review helpful?

Omg wow what a read! Literally couldn’t put this book down. Such a fast
Glowing book but that end
Omg! Didn’t see that coming!

Was this review helpful?

“They were just a normal family living normal lives. Then Alicia arrived.”

That sentence from the synopsis hooked me - I had a feeling this would be good, and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m giving this one a page-turner alert! This is a fast-paced thriller that can be read in one sitting; it’s not too long, and you won’t want to stop reading once the story gets going.

Carina, her husband Don, and their children, Tegan, Arthur and Ethan, have just sat down to dinner when they hear someone at the door. The uninvited guest is Alicia, Carina’s goddaughter. Alicia’s mother, Gina, went to school with Carina, but the friends fell out and haven’t spoken in years. Alicia says she was living in Spain with her mom, but that she hasn’t heard from her in weeks and didn’t know where else to turn.

Apparently Gina never left her university hard-partying lifestyle, and Alicia figures she’s either dead or holed up in a crack house somewhere. Carina is taken off guard but offers to let the teen girl in - at least until they can find Gina. Soon, they find that Alicia is smart, upbeat and happy to help around the house. Everyone loves her but Tegan, who is forced to share her room with the stranger.

Soon though, even Tegan is fine with having her there, as she needs the reinforcement dealing with bullies at school (the school at which her mother happens to be head master). Then the unthinkable happens and Tegan is accused of a horrible crime. Does Alicia have anything to do with this? Tegan’s arrest sends this family into a spiral, until Carina starts thinking about her old friend, Gina, and dives into a rabbit hole of revenge…

This was more on the popcorn thriller side, but I don’t mind that - sometimes that’s what I’m in the mood for and this hit the spot! The ending was a little dramatic and implausible, but I definitely didn’t see it coming, and I loved the epilogue. Four stars for a very entertaining story!

(Thank you to Inkubator Books, Miranda Rijks and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on March 31, 2024.)

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the eARC.
Miranda Rijks is a win or lose author for me and this book is definitely a winner! Very suspenseful and I finished it in 1-1/2 days.
It's unusual for me to hardly like anyone in a read, but still. love it. The mother is too immersed in her job, the father is weak and ineffective, the son annoying and the only characters I liked were the daughter, the baby and the dog. As for the godchild, she's unbelievable!
Great read, good beach book

Was this review helpful?

What a wild ride! This book definitely brought crazy to the next level. I was shaking my head and shouting at the characters over their stupidity. I know it's only fiction and they're portrayed that way for pure entertainment purposes but come on! No one can be that naive. I kept thinking how I would do things so much differently. I know this might sound derogatory but it's not. The author stirred up my emotions big time while reading this page turner. The ending left me shellshocked and I really hope that Rijks will honor us with a sequel. I would love to read more about what happens next. I highly recommend to all my fellow psycho thriller fans!
 
Thank you to the author, Inkubator Books, and NetGalley for grating me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

Was this review helpful?

I really like Miranda Rijks’s books. This is a very good domestic thriller.
In this book, Alicia is a teenage girl who suddenly shows up at the Ruff family, as the long lost goddaughter of Carina Ruff. There are lots of layers to this story. This is a fast read and a page turner. This would make a good movie. Recommend this author and this book!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Godchild by Miranda Rijks due to be published March 31, 2024.
Seventeen-year-old Alicia turns up on her godmother, Carina’s, doorstep one night and asks if she can stay “a couple nights”. When she seems to make herself at home, Carina is happy, but her family is not. Is there something wrong with Alicia? Has she come to destroy their happy family?
I have read ten of Miranda Rijks’ books so I was thrilled to get this one!
I read it in one day – it totally kept my interest and had so many twists, turns, and secrets from everyone in the family. You can never know who you can trust and who not to trust at all.
Definitely would recommend this one if you like a good thriller!
#NetGalley #Miranda Rijks #InkubatorBooks #TheGodchild

Was this review helpful?

Another solid five star read from Miranda Rijks. What happens when your long-lost goddaughter shows up on your doorstep? It seems too good to be true at first, but quickly turns into a nightmare as this psychological thriller delivers with twists and turns to the very end. Rijks has solidified herself as an automatic read! Thanks so much for the opportunity to read in advance!

Was this review helpful?

Another amazing book from a wonderful author. Just could not put it down - read it in a number of hours.
Loved all the twists and turns especially towards the end.
Highly recommend this book. 5 stars... as usual :)

Was this review helpful?

Psychological thrillers are my favorite type of book to read and I have read quite a number of Miranda RIjks books on net galley before so was excited to read this. This is a fast paced, suspenseful novel that keeps you reading to the end.

Carina ( a head of a prestigious school) and Don ( a stay at home want to be novelist dad) are busy people raising their two teenagers Teagan, and Arthur and baby Ethan. When a young woman shows up at their home claiming to be Carina's goddaughter ALicia Carina invites her to stay with them even though she has been out of touch with Alicia's mom Gina for ages. Alicia seems to good to be true; cooking, cleaning, dog walking, taking care of the baby and soon she has instilled herself into their home making Teagan jealous and Arthur love stuck . Alicia also seems to be very intelligent after claiming she has been raised in caves and home-schooled by her alcoholic, drug addict mother.

When Teagan's ex-boyfriend is murdered on the school grounds Teagan is arrested after the detectives learn some secrets about her past with Jack. Carina's job is in peril and the family is dealing with all the trauma. FInally becoming suspicious of Alicia, Carina does some digging into her past and is shocked at what she learns. LIfe in their home becomes dangerous, and things come to a head when other murders happen. I enjoyed the fast pace of this book and the chilling but satisfying ending.

Was this review helpful?

A really good read that weaves the completed dynamics of family into a tense and twisty plot. It’s a real page turner that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend!

Was this review helpful?

Miranda Rijks new book, The Godchild, is full of twists and turns that kept me glued to the pages of this suspenseful thriller. The author has a way of creating realistic loving families who get their lives upturned in unbelievable and tragic ways, and she’s done it again with this new book. I highly recommend this new thriller.

Was this review helpful?

They were just a normal family living normal lives till Alicia arrived! Carina is shocked and can't say no when the girl, who says she's her goddaughter shows up and asks to stay! She hasn't seen her God hold in over a decade! In a way Alicia is the daughter she always wanted, she's smart, drivsn, very helpful around the house definitely scholarship material! Carina runs the local high society private school and knows she can get her goddaughter in! But her husband and children aren't so sure , there's something about Alicia?! She seems to good to be true! Then weird things start happening! Tegan, Carinnas daughter is accused of murdering a local boy at the private school they all go to! Her young son starts smoking marijuana! Her family is slowly falling apart! Is it her lack of not being home at fault?! Or the stranger they let in their home?! What a book! I thought it might be like every other book like this?! But no!! This book was definitely different! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Was this review helpful?

Gina and Carina are friends from university, over time they lose contact. Out of the blue Alicia turns up on Carinas doorstep and tells her that she's her godchild, Gina's daughter. When Carinas daughter Tegan is charged with murder is she really guilty or is Alicia hiding something.
Total rating 3 1/2 stars 🌟

Was this review helpful?