An absolutely amazing debut from Amanda Cassidy.

This kept me guessing right up until the twisty twist of an end.

Meet the Fitzpatricks the picture perfect family that is until their daughter Alannah goes missing whilst on a family holiday to Miami Florida. Mirren is at the bar whilst she goes missing. Very reminiscent of the Madeline McCann case. Mirren is absolutely torn to shreds by the media and is chief suspect in her daughters disappearance.

What happened? Who took her? Will they get her back? Only time will tell.

Looking forward to reading more from the author.

Thank you to netgalley and canelo for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Breaking is available to buy now.

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Another new author for me this October! I had read fantastic reviews on this book before starting reading, so I was excited from the beginning. Unfortunately, this was not as great as I expected. It was not an awful read, but it could have been better. Although taking on board this is the author’s debut, there is enough to work with as a reader.

Mirren is a complex character, and I could easily empathise with her. Her mannerisms took me on an emotional rollercoaster. Although it is difficult not to give spoilers within this review, there were times she had me suspicious of her, but after reading more chapters, I felt pitiful for her again. This tense back and forth continued throughout. Some readers may find this emotionally draining.

Despite not being the best thriller I have read, it is still worth picking up if you like books based on police investigations, missing children and a lot of guesswork. Don’t expect anything too jaw-dropping or profound; I am confident this will appeal to many.

Thank you Canelo for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Congratulations to Amanda Cassidy on her debut. She's a wonderful person and I'm so happy for her.

Breaking is an amazing and original debut from the author that made a real impression on me. It's set in the Florida Keys where Dr Mirren Fitzpatrick is on holiday with her husband and two daughters. When Mirren's eight year old daughter Alannah goes missing and it is revealed that Mirren was drinking in a bar at the time she is demonised in the media. Detective Rolle, banished from Miami, is one of the detectives on the case and he is determined to find Alannah and get justice for another missing girl and her family.
This is a beautifully written and atmospheric debut and the author conveys a real sense of place. It's fairly slow paced but the pace works well as the tension builds up and we learn more about Mirren, her history and relationship with her daughters. I loved the character of Rolle and really hope he features in further novels from the author in the future.
Recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

It’s very well written and definitely worth a read. Wow!!! Started this book and could not stop reading it until I'd finished!! Every time I thought I had things sussed, along came another surprise!! So rare for a story to catch me out, so well done to the author. I LOVED IT!!! Clever, beautifully written and entertaining. And, what is unusual in the mass market of contemporary domestic noir/psychological thrillers, characters you actually care about. This book has a great plot and I enjoyed reading it because it was really engrossing.

Psychological thriller that had you hooked from the off. The book was very well written. Great plot. Very exciting. Fast paced to get your heart racing. Loved this book. Also had a beautiful location thrown into the mix

An awesome debut,

I loved this book. It's not my normal read, but I was intrigued by the plot line, and found much to think on with regard to each character's backstory. I was especially fascinated by how their experiences and - like all of us - how their poor decision making at times impacted on their later lives, and was pleased to see the author's honesty abut that. For me, it made the characters all the more rounded and believable,. Furthermore, I found the author's challenge against society's views about what a 'good' mother should be like to be especially brave, and she ought to be commended for that.

In addition, I felt the book was very well written and well paced, with plenty of intrigue, twists and turns, keeping me hooked from the outset.

This book smashes everything on its head, and I can't wait to see what's next in line from Amanda Cassidy!

Fluid, Edgy, Dark…
Florida Keys, an idyllic holiday, a happy family, sun, sea and sand and then - a missing child. The race is on to find the adopted daughter of Dr Mirren Fitzpatrick. Police seem suspicious, rumours abound, Mirren’s guilt seemingly knows no bounds and then - a body is found. This slow burn suspense successfully draws in the reader from the off and continues with an underlying vein of menace and tension. The narrative is well done and credible and the switch between characters and time lines fluid. Edgy, dark and disturbing leading to a well done denouement.

This book had so much promise but unfortunately for me it did not deliver. Even with the premise of a child goes missing the book did not hold my interest. Slow in places, the characters were so nasty and deserved everything they get. I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

While on holiday in Florida Keys, a child goes missing. Dr. Mirren Fitzpatrick appeals to the world to find her eight-year-old daughter Alannah but the police soon suspect that she might be responsible for her own daughter's disappearance as she had been drinking at the bar at the time of Alannah's disappearance.. Then the body of a small girl was found by the beach...

The story started out slow and normally, I am interested in police procedural stories but this was very different. The police parts were boring. Mirren turned out to be cold and calculating and thus, nearly all the characters in the story to me in my opinion felt boring which actually made me not interest in this book. However, what drew me into the story was the plot and the writing which actually made me read this book more without having to DNF the book. The writing was great. This is her debut book and even though I didn't enjoy this book as much as I would have liked, I am looking forward to read more books from this author.

Overall, this book worth 3 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Breaking by Amanda Cassidy is a debut novel. With thanks to Netgalley and publisher in exchange for honest review. Breaking is a story of a little girl who goes missing on a beach in florida. It follows the Mother Mirren and other characters as they try to peace together what happened to Alannah. I really liked the flashback s and the Irish superstition. The first half of the book felt abit slow and I wasn't gripped. The second half of the book was much more fast paced and I found I couldn't put the story down then. All in all good for a quick read.

Breaking is the story about a family in which every member has their own problems and difficult backgrounds - they all go on a vacation to improve their relationships and dynamic. Instead the youngest daughter vanishes and the book tells the story of how they try to find her and work through their problems and struggles.

I was interested in the story throughout the whole book and intrigued how it would end and if they would find Allanah. I did not guess the ending or the plot twists and was very surprised by many parts.
The author managed to give each of the characters a complex backstory which explained their behavior and way of thinking.
The writing was fine, the dialogue parts made sense and felt real, but some of the internal monologue / thoughts of the characters were too dry - I couldn't bring myself to read every word and sometimes skimmed a few lines/paragraphs.

Even though it is a good thing that I could not guess the ending, it was too out of nowhere for me. I didn't really believe what actually happened as it got revealed at the end, it didn't fit in with the rest of the story in my opinion.

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this eARC!

This was a solid debut. I like reading stories with unreliable & unlikeable narrators, and this story had a great example with Mirren. We see how she copes with the disappearance of her youngest daughter while on holiday. Throughout the story, I was torn between two opinions on Mirren - is this her punishment for not loving her adoptive daughter as much as her biological daughter, or will this give her a second chance to prove that she loves them both equally? I also liked the commentary on how parents, especially mothers, of missing children are supposed to act in front of the media. If they don’t fit the specific expectations, then it’s assumed that they’ve done something wrong & it’s their fault their child is missing. All in all, I found this book to be very readable - it was so easy just to sit down & not realise how much time had passed. I did find that it dragged in places, and while the last chapter was open ended, I did feel a bit let down at this. Still, I’m looking forward to seeing what Amanda Cassidy does next.

Slow burner that gripped me at times but other times not so much..Some of the characters were unlikeable. Twist I didn’t see coming at end.
Overall though its an ok read and I would give the next offering a chance. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I am sorry to say that I didn't really connect with this book. It was too slow for me, and I wasn't invested in it, I hope other more patient readers than me enjoy it more.

A tense and rivetting read falling somewhere between psychological thriller and crime fiction that had me hooked from the start. There's so much going on within this story with plenty of twists to keep you guessing.

I loved Cassidys writing style, switching between characters and into different time frames so naturally. The characters were really well developed, particularly Mirren and Detective Rolle. I'm not normally a fan of an unreliable narrator but I really enjoyed Mirrens point of view which is a testament to Cassidys writing.

Irish female authors are absolutely dominating at the moment and this is another perfect example of why. A fantastic debut and I already can't wait to see what comes next from this author.

An enjoyable read for Crime thriller fans

Mirren Fitzpatrick is a renowned paediatric oncologist but her personal life is falling apart. With the baggage of a painful childhood, her mother's death brings her demons to the surface and the complex feelings surrounding her two daughters Rea and Alannah. Her hope is that a family trip to Florida, where she and husband Nick were married, will draw the family back together and repair the resurfacing damage.
The dream of an idyllic holiday is torn asunder when following an argument between Mirren and Nick, Alannah disappears from the hotel beach.
Breaking is an enjoyable psychological/crime thriller. While the premise of the story is nothing ground breaking, it is strengthened with Mirren as the focal character. Mirren is a very complicated person and as we gradually learn more about her childhood and her relationships with her own daughters. The author has developed her brilliantly. We sympathise with her greatly as she quickly becomes labelled as a bad mother and the focus of the media and police zone in on her rather than the search for Alannah, but always lurking underneath is the doubt about her true intentions and what she is hiding. At times she appears as an unreliable narrator and I am still unsure who the real Mirren is; cold and calculating or loving and complex, or maybe just all the above.
I didn't particularly enjoy the twist in the main plot as it didn't really make sense and seemed to be forced in for the sake of a twist.
However, the last few pages blew me away and I am still thinking about how chilling they were.
This is an honest review in exchange for an ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological suspense debut novel from Amanda Cassidy, dark, gritty and clever it is well worth the read.
I loved how the main character Mirren is written, she is damaged and delicate, however she can also seem cold and uncaring. I think this worked really well with the lead detective Rolle, who even with his own family issues just wants to believe in Mirren and help her as much as possible.
Roller’s character is well written and I think there is enough personality there that he could appear in other books Cassidy may write.
I loved how a number is interwoven plot points come together in the reveals, yea there is some slow points through out however I felt that the story and the ‘twists’ were well the effort of continuing this read.
And let me just say, that ending still has me thinking.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for access to the e arc for my honest opinions.

The premise of Breaking sucks you in, but the writing and the plot twists are what keep you reading. Cassidy writes with such an assured, confident voice I can't believe this is her debut.
This book will tick your boxes if you like a psychological suspense and equally satisfy you if you like a good old fashioned police procedural. I loved the flawed, well-rounded characters and the fact that it was authentically set in Florida, which allowed some interesting plot threads to weave in and out.
While the mystery/crime element is the main plot driver, I liked how Cassidy brought in other more domestic themes, such as motherhood, adoption and sibling dynamics. And what a cracker of an ending . . .

Amanda Cassidy brings a novel of the most horrifying encounter anyone could imagine. An experience one more horrifying than dying yourself, at least in the eyes of a mother. That horror is turning around, and realizing your child is “GONE”.
This is that story.
Let us begin:
Nick and Mirren Kirkpatrick have decided to travel back to the United States, where they honeymooned in Florida to try to rekindle their marriage. Only this time they have decided to bring their two daughters, Rhea and Alannah along for the trip.
Being that they are from Ireland, they felt the girls would enjoy getting the chance to go to America, and going to the beach, in Florida.
But instead of them having a wonderful time as planned. Mirren and Nick get into an intense argument, with Mirren storming out with the girls in tow.
Mirren furious and needing time to think, tells Rhea to watch her little sister as she heads to the outside bar. She can still see the girls, so!
Mirren’s mind begins to reminisce about how she had gotten to where she was. How life was when it was just, she and Rhea. Rhea was a result of an affair with a married man, who had paid her off. She put herself through school and she had done darn good for herself.
Then along came Nick, nudging his way into her life and heart. Then they wanted children, but then the miscarriages came about, and so they decided to adopt. Finally, a baby came up for adoption and they were able to adopt Alannah. But it was not the same as her own child, she couldn’t love Alannah the same. She did not know why; she could not even say it aloud. Finally, she broke down and went to a therapist and only then, was she able to confront that demon and admit it to herself. She did not love Alannah like she did Rhea.
Finally snapping out of her trance, to her horror. Her child is missing. No one’s seen her, no one can help her. At first, she is a grieving mother, like most would be. Then when the media hits and reports come in that she was at the bar, not paying attention to her child. That is when things hit the fan, she is no longer seen as the grieving mother. But the wealthy mother on vacation, who got drunk and neglected her child.
The Police Chief wants an arrest at once and thinks she is guilty, making it a slam dunk case. However, Detective Rolle does not believe she did it, it is just too convenient. He thinks something else is going on. For example, what about the husband, He has his own secrets that he is trying to hide. He does not want this case closed so fast, and he is going to do everything to make sure that it is not.
Cassidy gives an intriguing plot that would grab any reader. However, there felt as if there was lot of unnecessary info dump between the Detectives. Which made it feel like it was more like a true crime, instead of fictitious novel.
I also did not care for Mirren; she came off as calculating instead of devastated. If I lost my child, I would be in Bellevue in a straight jacket. This woman had attitude, just arrogant at times, like a cold fish, just did not feel realistic to me.
Other than that, the author has a solid build in dialogue. The writing style flowed and was not choppy feeling.
Cassidy Is one to watch for certain, just by her plot detail.
This book overall, still gets 3.5 stars rounded up.

Great JOB!

Thank you, NetGalley/Amanda Cassidy/ Canelo.Canelo Crime for this eARC for my review. Opinions are of my own volition.