Yes! Yes! Yes! I loved this book. I love books about missing people and this one contains one of my favorite tropes, DNA. I need to know the truth, so I couldn't stop reading.

Secrets, lies and red herrings along the way. I was gripped from the first page.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review

A very emotional and gripping book, I was intrigued from start to finish. how can a child stolen 29 years ago at around 3 week old, not feel her family
is hers. Lots of twists and turns to find out.

'Not Their Daughter' captivates with its beautifully crafted, emotional narrative that grips the reader from the start. It's a tale woven with secrets and lies, compelling one to keep turning pages until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and author Laura Elliot for the advanced reader copy of this book. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

Imagine learning when you’re 29 years old that your entire life was built on a lie. This is what happens to Gabrielle Grace when her father’s last words are “I stole you.” As an adoptee, I could relate a lot to what Gabrielle goes through in Not Their Daughter, except most adopted people learn very young that they were adopted, rather than having it dropped on them as adults. Laura Elliot does a terrific job detailing the pain and confusion that these types of lies have on people.

Gabrielle tries to write off her father’s words as a side-effect of the medications he was on, but it nags at her. She tries to open a dialogue with her mother, Cassie. The two have a fractured relationship, which is one of the reasons Gabrielle built a life in New York, rather than back in Ireland where she was raised. Her younger twin sisters get along fine with Cassie, it’s only Gabrielle who seems to have a certain effect on her. Gabrielle’s questions about her past disturb Cassie, who has spent a lifetime battling alcoholism.

After stealing DNA from her father’s and mother’s hairbrushes, Gabrielle is reassured when she learns her father is definitely her father. The second test comes back that Cassie is not her mother. Gabrielle returns to Ireland, determined to find out who she really is.

Not Their Daughter is not just about Gabrielle’s search for her identity, but a thriller as well. Someone doesn’t want her getting close to the truth. Gabrielle is angry with her father for denying her 29 years with her mother, but it soon becomes obvious there is more to it than that. The story unravels into a thriller as slowly the truth begins to get out. Gabrielle figures out that it’s likely that she is a famous missing child from many years before who is believed to be deceased. Why would her father have stolen her out of the cradle next to the woman he loved?

The one part that didn’t seem realistic to me was Gabrielle’s career. In the beginning, she’s working at a New York City radio station as a sort of “shock jock” taking phone calls from people. She quits her job to return to Ireland several times throughout the course of this book. I can’t imagine the back and forth across the Atlantic like that, never mind the moving costs. She seems to pick up a life in Ireland with no trouble, including a car, and then go back to New York City and pick up life again there with little interruption. I can understand that there’s a lot of confusion at this time of her life, but it just seems like all of this was all too easy for Gabrielle to accomplish.

Other than that, though, the story is great. Gabrielle insinuates herself in the life of the woman she believes is her real mother. Maria Russel is the wife of a noted politician. She’s been abused by him for many years, both psychologically and physically. She was married to him at the time she gave birth to her missing daughter, but he can’t be Gabrielle’s father. Gabrielle wavers between telling Maria who she is, even as the secret she holds takes another life.

All of the characters had depth to them. Aloysius Russell is politically ambitious to the exclusion of everyone and everything else. He only sees his relationship with his family as transactional. When his younger son had a girlfriend he thought would make a bad impression on the “family values” politician, he drove her away and Jonathan has never forgiven him. Yet Aloysius has no concept of why Jonathan carries a grudge. He has zero compassion, despite what he tries to convey when the cameras are on him. Maria is the supportive wife because that is her role to play, and she’s suffering with despair over losing her daughter at three weeks old. She doesn’t have the energy to stand up to her husband and just wants to focus on areas where she can make a difference.

Not Their Daughter is a book about lies, and about how they haunt families who try to keep them. The characters are great and relatable. Ireland is a beautiful setting, and I felt like I knew the small town where most of the action takes place. There was one minor issue in the story that didn’t quite feel right, but other than the ease with which Gabrielle moves back and forth as well as the ease with which she loses her job and finds another, and then goes back, and then quits again, the book reads very well.

This domestic suspense novel focuses on a mystery that happened 29 years ago. Baby Isabelle was taken from her cot. She was never found.

29 years later, Gaby's dying father whispers his last words to her... "I stole you."

Follow Gaby as she seeks to find the truth.

You may enjoy this if you like secrets and blood ties, dual POV, mysterious family dynamics, politics and deceit.

A great story revolving around secrets and lies. Gripping from the very first page and well worth a read
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review

Love this author and every single one of her books is just wow. With this one - well, she raises an already sky high bar. This is a masterpiece - beautifully written and brilliantly plotted. Loved it so much. One of my top reads of the year.

This author really knows how to draw you in and peak your interest from the off.
The book is a wonderful blend of domestic suspense, thriller and packs an emotional punch.
I really enjoyed the writing of this, and found the characters to be well developed and engaging. The main character is portrayed well and I found myself thoroughly invested in her story.
This is one that just seems to stand out in its genre, absolutely worth the read.

Gaby’s father’s final words to her are “l stole you”. What other secrets have the family hidden from her. The story is full of intrigue, mystery and deceit. It’s a compelling story that keeps you guessing until the end.

Reading Between the Wines book review #86/130 for 2024:
Book Tour!!
Rating: 3 🍷🍷🍷
Book: Not Their Daughter
Author: Laura Elliot
Available now!! Released on August 30, 2024!

Sipping thoughts: Can you imagine if someone told you they “stole you.” Your whole life would feel like a lie? Who could you trust? What would your old life look like. This is what Gabi is going through after her dying father tells her this. This book takes you through DNA testing, political issues, mistrusts, lies, secrets, alcoholism, and a little bit of the one who got away love. This is my first Elliot book and I really enjoyed it and will be looking for more of her books in the future.

Cheers and thank you to @Bookouture and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @NotTheirDaughter.

#NotTheirDaughter #LauraElliot #Bookouture #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

I hadn't read any books by Elliot but have heard great things so I was excited when Bookouture contacted me about a book tour for her latest Not Their Daughter!

Twenty-nine years ago, a newborn baby named Isabelle was taken from her cot by her mother's side. Is Gaby the missing girl?

This was a fun blend of domestic suspense and political drama. I liked the dual settings of Ireland and New York City and Gaby was a great protagonist. Her career as a shock jock was unique and really interesting. I also liked the undercurrents of romance in this otherwise suspenseful and dramatic novel! This book really had it all.

This is a quick read that you won't put down. If you're into family dramas, politics, and using genetic DNA testing to learn about your own history, this one is definitely for you.

Thank you to Bookouture for the copy.

On Gabi’s dad’s death bed, he says “I stole you”. Gabi couldn’t get it out of her mind and all of her family kept telling her she must’ve misheard him. She did some investigating and found lots of secrets and lies told over the years. This will pull at your heartstrings! It’s my first book by Laura Elliott and I look forward to many more.

Not Their Daughter by Laura Elliot was a gripping, page-turning emotional suspense novel.
A really good read that picks up pace and keeps you hooked. I couldn't put it down and was hooked from early on. From the first pages I was hooked, and stuck to the edge of my couch the entire time!

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Blimey, that was an opener and a half wasn't it? Your father's on his deathbed and he utters three words that are going to change your life irrevocably.

I've previously read The Marriage Retreat by Elliot, so knew I wouldnt be disappointed by Not Their Daughter.

It's a pacey read, that takes us through webs of lies, secrets and the true meaning of family.

The characters, especially Gaby were so easy to become emotionally invested in.

A highly enjoyable, heartfelt domestic drama.

Gabby is 29 and lives in New York. As her father is dying, he utters I stole you to his daughter. While her mother dismisses those words, Gabby is curious and investigates further. Her investigation leads her to a family in Ireland. Whose daughter was? The story is told from different Points of view. The story moves fluidly from the past to the present. This is about a family whose daughter was taken from her crib while her mother was sleeping. Could Gabrielle be the missing daughter? As Gabby becomes enmeshed in this family, secrets are revealed, leading to twists and turns. This story pulled me in and kept me turning the pages until the shocking conclusion. This is a story about love, family, and deceit.

Gaby doesn’t know why her mother, Cassie, seems to despise her. But when her father utters a death bed confession it sends her life into a tailspin.
A trilogy of voices are unveiled in the novel: Gabrielle’s, Maria, and Cassie. One will be silenced while another will have the chance to speak out finally.
I didn’t quite know where the story would take me or what would be revealed but it was quite the story.
Certain characters actions and decisions became more understanding the deeper I delved into the story.

My first time reading this author and won’t be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed #NotTheirDaughter.
A moving story about family secrets and grief. It draws you in from the first chapter right through to the end. I was totally hooked. Couldn’t put this book down. It’s fast paced, gripping, suspenseful, full of drama and brilliant twists and turns.
I loved this author’s writing style as it captivates your attention, is a rollercoaster of emotions and keeps you guessing till the end. It’s cleverly written with multiple POV’s and very descriptive. I liked all the characters and finding out their secrets, lies and background stories.
Overall a tense, atmospheric dark thriller. Definitely recommend if you enjoy this genre. I look forward to reading more from this author.
With thanks to #NetGallery and @bookouture for an arc of #NotTheirDaughter in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 30 August 2024.

This was my very first book by Laura Elliot and oh boy!! This was so full of twists and turns.. I love a good book with filled with dark secrets and lies!!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my advanced reader copy!!

I don't usually enjoy slow burns and politics centered books, but I did enjoy this book even if it was really slow at times. I specially loved how the book ended for almost all characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.