
Member Reviews

We've all come across those Lifetime movies where a young mother gives up her child. This story follows a similar premise, but it takes things to a whole new level with unexpected twists. Initially, I thought I had it all figured out, but I was pleasantly surprised by how everything unfolded. The plot kept me engaged, and the resolution was both satisfying and unpredictable. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a gripping psychological thriller.

Billie and Tyler have thriving careers and are seemingly happy. However, Billie can't have the one thing she wants the most: a child. As the couple suffers through miscarriage and infertility, a blast from the past worms their way into Tyler's life.
I sympathized with Billie's struggle of being infertile while working as an adoption specialist.
Anne had a troubled childhood and is haunted by events that occurred then. Although she was initially unlikeable, my heart broke for her.
"Not Yours To Keep" was an okay read. It was slow in the beginning but engaging enough nonetheless. It tackled some dark subjects, but all were handled well.
Thanks to NetGalley and She Writes Press for the ARC.

Emotional and drama filled. It focuses on women's issues of fertility, adoption and the length we will strive for. There is a little bit of mystery but more family dynamics. I feel it is a interesting, heartfelt story and is a gem of a read in women's fiction.

This thriller is a roller coaster of emotions, The short chapters made this book a page turner and a quick read although it is very slow burn and majority of the twists and turns happen around the last half of the book but the suspense was there all along and it made me want to find out the truth as soon as possible. The ending though was shocking and satisfying, I didn’t see it coming.
This is a story about though topics such as grief and loss, infertility and adoption, it also talks about motherhood and its struggles. Billie wants a baby, her husband isn’t so sure and is keeping secrets, the tension is creating problems in their relationship, add to that a woman who comes into their lives and creates more drama than you can imagine… The perfect mix for a very messy story and I absolutely loved that.
𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 :
• psychological thriller
• domestic thriller
• family & friends drama
• jealousy & betrayal
Thank you Zelly Ruskin, She Writes Press & NetGalley for an e-ARC copy.
#NotYoursToKeep #NetGalley

Not Yours to Keep by Zelly Ruskin.
This psychological thriller was told in tyler, billie and anne's POVs. This was such a fast paced read. I could not put it down.
This book has family drama, thriller and mystery.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Not Yours To Keep by Zelly Ruskin is a book I have tried to understand but I feel completely lost in this story. I believe there are three different threads that may or may not be tied together. It took me weeks to get to 50% because the book has really dragged. I finally decided to DNF Not Yours To Keep after the story jumped from one couple to a female without any warning the change was happening and kind of leaving mid plot point. This isn’t the first time holes were made by the author in the story that it has become impossible to follow.

3.25. I enjoyed this book, although if you are looking for a thriller with twists you will not find it here. This book was a fast and enjoyable read. My only negative thoughts with this book are 1. I believe that the characters emotions during high stake moments were not transmitted the best. Some of the inner dialogue from the characters seemed very underwhelming for the situations. And 2. The book description says "Their lives become entangled when the client’s newborn is abducted, and Billie becomes a prime suspect. Amid the chaos unleashed by the abduction, Tyler uncovers a link between the person tormenting him and the abduction—but now Billie has disappeared too. The race to find both her and the baby is on; but will they find them before it’s too late?". Unfortunately these events (like the abduction) only really happen after the 85% mark, so do not go into this book thinking that will be the main plot. Overall I enjoyed this book.
Thank you netgalley, the publisher, and Zelly Ruskin for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

📚 Book Review 📚
Not Yours To Keep by Zelly Ruskin
Publication October 8, 2024
Thank you so much @booksparks and @zellyruskin for the #gifted copy and take part in #frc2024 tour!
The story follows Billie and her husband Tyler as they are trying to conceive a baby. Billie works as an adoption specialist who assists parents in finding the perfect home for their baby. Tyler works as an attorney.
Billie begins to go to great lengths to become pregnant. Her and Tyler see specialists and will seek any kind of treatment in order to achieve their goal. However, Billie develops into a character who becomes obsessed. Will her obsession to conceive unravel the both of them?
However, there is another character on the sidelines that is connected to Tyler’s past, Anne. Anne soon has an obsession of her own.
How far are you willing to go to have the perfect family? This book touches on very heavy topics. I found it to be a slow burn that gets going in the second half of the story. Once it did, I couldn’t put it down!
3.5 raised to 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trigger warnings— Infertility, miscarriage, child abuse
#notyourstokeep #zellyruskin #frc2024 #booksparks

Not Yours to Keep is a gripping thriller. So powerful and filled with emotion for me, it was a difficult read personally at times because of how raw and real the emotions were. Really interesting story that really asks the question of how far someone is willing to go.

“Not Yours to Keep” is a timely novel wrestling with infertility and adoption and handles both topics both gently and thoughtful.
Billie deals with infertile couples as an adoption specialist but never expected she’d face the same issue. However, her husband, Tyler, is not so sure. The third voice is Anne who wrestles with the child she gave up and a lost love. That alone is plenty of story, but when a baby goes missing, Billie is the immediate suspect and these individual threads end up weaving together in a heart-thudding and unexpected way.
Ruskin is an excellent storyteller who clearly knows her characters and allows them to tell their stories. While this novel is categorized as a thriller, “Not Yours to Keep” is also a family drama where it can become difficult to take sides. I enjoyed this story tremendously.
Four out of five stars.
My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this great read.

Zelly Ruskin’s gripping debut kept me on the edge of my seat, blending suspense with heart-wrenching emotions. While firmly rooted in the psychological thriller genre, this book contains potentially triggering themes including abuse, child abuse, mental illness, and infertility. The story follows a mother grieving the loss of her child who becomes fixated on an adoption worker's life, leading to lives hanging in the balance. As a child goes missing, the novel delves into the desperation and struggles felt by all involved.

I enjoyed this book. The character development was good. However, there was a lot of intertwined situations that got a bit confusing. I was surprised by the ending and definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. I enjoy any plot with fertility issues, adoption and the regret after adoption. I like the different POVs, and how the characters' lives are intertwined. I got so deep into the story, I forgot it was fiction! Great thriller

this book will absolutely hook you in and keep you on your toes!!!! i couldn't put it down! would love to read more work from Zelly Ruskin

This was not a bad book at all. I just couldn't relate as much as I wanted to. It is likely a mindset issue and nothing to do with the book iteself.the author. I would definately read another book by this author.

I enjoyed the plot of Not Yours To Keep by Zelky Ruskin.
The book is fast paced and I liked the multi-POV structure. I found some parts to be wordy & drag on a bit. This book covers a lot of challenging topics infertility, mental health & trauma.
My rating is 3.5 stars. I would read another book from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley & She Writes Press for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall a solid read, but nothing overly special here.
The book explores mental health in a thoughtful way, particularly through Anne’s character. Her gradual decline is both unsettling and sad, and experiencing her shifting reality through her point of view gives the story a haunting quality.
Tyler, on the other hand, didn’t stand out as much. His personality felt underdeveloped, and he seemed to mostly react to the events around him. Despite this, the multi-POV structure worked well. It’s rare for me to enjoy all perspectives equally, but in this book, I found myself equally invested in each of the three viewpoints.
One area that could be improved is the some of the clarity in the writing, particularly the scene transitions, which were sometimes unclear. This might have been due to formatting issues that could hopefully be addressed before publication.
At the end, I found it a little too “wrapped up in a bow” while also having some questions unanswered.
Overall, Not Yours to Keep offers an engaging psychological drama with well-explored themes and intriguing character dynamics.
I would like to thank NetGalley, She Writes Press, and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't realize the author was a social worker until I read the acknowledgements at the end but there were times throughout when I thought to myself - the author sounds like a social worker! It's obvious that the author deeply understands infertility and the struggles many women face. Kelly Ruskin also understands mental illness, trauma and funky family dynamics. While there were many aspects of this book that I appreciated I thought it attempted a bit too much and there were numerous sections that could do with more editing or even removal. That said, the book was fast paced and while I found myself "speed reading" (skimming) a fair amount the storyline provided me with insight into an area of life I'm not overly familiar with. I would read anothe book from this author again. Congratulations on this first offering! 3.5 stars. Thank you for the opportunity to review the ARC.

This story really highlights the struggles that some face when wanting children and infertility. I new I'd feel for these characters. And presumed from the blurb that the baddie was going to be your straight forward bad guy doing bad things.
We have Billie and Tyler who want a child, though Tyler is clearly hiding something. And Anne who lost hers decades ago, but which this event has broken her apart so we meet her at a very desperate state.
There are twists and turns for the books genres sake. But that's what this books is, a thriller. So having that genre interwoven with such a tough subject was always going to be tough. Doing so where it didn't feel indelicate or crass was high praise to the author.
I think it wrote Anne very well. I new I wasn't going to like where she was going. But in the writing I new this was also a woman extremely breakable and vulnerable. And possibly over the edge already. Every time her chapter came I was nervous about the sprial you could see happenijg in her mentality.
And then when it all started coming together it was definitely a gripping read.
Obviously a delicate warning. This does discuss baby loss, procedures and infertility. The emotional rawness of those going through that might not be OK with the subject matter.

Overall I did enjoy the plot of this book. It did seem like there was a lot of excess to it, and it dragged it out a bit. I also thought some of the adjectives the author used didn't really fit well, like saying "the delicious baby's hands and feet", or that she was "deliciously frightened". That being said, I do look forward to reading future books from Zelly Ruskin.