The School Trip by Miranda Smith was an excellent psychological thriller and contains every parent's worst fear, an abduction of their child. this book had lots of twists and turns throughout that will have you hooked from the beginning till the very end, like it did me. Before I knew it, the birds were singing outside my window.........

I highly recommend this book. I loved it

Big thank-you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of The School Trip in exchange for a fair review.

used to hate going on school trips, did you?

Emma lost her husband several years ago, today her daughter goes missing on a school trip. Is there a connection?

Smith certainly keeps you on your toes throughout this one. Anything involving a child abduction is guaranteed to get the pulse racing and the nerves frazzling.

Fast paced from start to finish, the book is narrated by both Emma and another person, who we don't know. Are they the killer or are they the abductor?

The School Trip has some realistic characters, is exciting, engaging and definitely recommendable.

Many thanks to Bookouture for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love anything by Miranda Smith! At first I thought that this was going to be predictable but I was fooled. More than once. Just when I thought I had it figured out Miranda surprised me with a twist. I can always rely on her for a great read!

A tense, gripping thriller about every parent's worse nightmare, the abduction of their child. In this case, there are plenty of suspects and a few chapters from the kidnapper's point of view are extremely chilling. I raced through this with my heart in my throat.

The School Trip is the spine-chilling new thriller from Miranda Smith that will keep readers up all night.

Emma’s had a rough couple of years. The death of her husband had knocked her and her small daughter Claire for six and although it’s heart-breaking that the man she had hoped to spend the rest of her life with is no longer around, Emma knows that she must be strong for her little girl and not wallow in her grief and despair. Emma is counting down the days until a school trip to a local farm with her classmates. But things take a dark and sinister turn when during the trip Claire disappears with a stranger wearing a bulky coat with their cap pulled down low.

Emma is frantic with worry. Claire would never willingly go away with a stranger and Emma is thus convinced that the person who abducted her daughter was somebody they both knew. But who could it be? Who would want to punish Emma so badly? And could this kidnapping be somehow linked to the night her husband died? Has Emma inadvertently put her daughter in terrible danger? Will she ever find her little girl safe and sound? Or is Claire lost to her mother forever?

Miranda Smith always delivers a hair-raising thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats and she has done it again with her heart-pounding new chiller, The School Trip. Dark, twisty and disturbing, every mother’s worst nightmare comes to life in this tense and terrifying page-turner that I struggled to put down.

Miranda Smith is always at the top of her game and with The School Trip, she has penned a first-rate thriller that will have readers chewing their nails to the elbow.

Gripping mystery about a child gone missing. Great twist I didn't see coming. Rounding this up to 4.5. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this Arc

I LOVED THIS ONE!! Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ebook copy in exchange for a review.

In the beginning of this book we meet Emma who is a kindergarten teacher and is on a pumpkin patch field trip with her school and her daughter is one of the kids attending. When one of the students go missing Emma does everything she can to help find her, even putting her daughter in the care of another teacher. When the missing child is found suddenly there is another child missing...Emma's daughter Claire. Who would want to take Emma's daughter and is it someone she would least suspect??

My thoughts: I instantly felt for Emma. Being a mom as well I wouldn't be able to function if my son went missing. It's a nightmare no parent wants to go through. I was shocked by how strong she was able to be even though it was hard. I never imagined who the kidnapper turned out to be and why. It's was absolutely a shocking twist I did not see coming!! Putting any and all ebooks by this author on my TBR list.

I really enjoyed this book I read it in a day as I just couldn't put my kindle down, I've never read anything by this author so I was quite excited to read. Will definitely be more more

Ever look away from your child for a second, and they disappear? It happened to me once, years ago, at a local mall. I remember that stuck in a vacuum feeling, like all the air had been sucked out of my lungs for the few short minutes it took to find my girl. The School Trip takes that and multiplies it by a thousand. This is easily a parent's worst fear, and it's not like Claire has just wandered off. Nope, someone has taken her. And from that point, the story is full steam ahead and hard to put down. There are some twists along the way, some I saw coming and some not, and Miranda Smith throws in some pretty decent red herrings. The story comes together in what feels like an abrupt ending, but I don't think it was so much abrupt as it fits with the pacing of the story. It's definitely worth the read if you enjoy crime thrillers.

OK I liked that bait and switch at the beginning of the book. I didn’t fall for it at first, but then eventually I did. It is kinda like the misdirection of all of Emma’s work friends. No matter how much Emma thinks they are a team, everyone was keeping secrets and lying.

I love the author’s writing style. it is so easy to read. The mostly short chapters kept me reading and kept up the pace of the story. It’s been a little while since I read a book where we know what the bad guy is thinking and this one it was interesting to see their play by play thoughts.

And while I am not a parent, I really felt Emma’s distraught. All her interactions with Claire early in the book, really set the stage for later angst.

It was quite the mystery that I kept bumbling around changing my mind as to who could do it. Long before the secrets came out, I was working out everyone’s reason for doing it.

If you are fond of quick mysteries that keep you hooked, this one is for you.

This Book was Fantastic. I couldn't put it down from the first page to the end. I am normally a very slower reader and I finished this book in 1 day, Emma is a young widow with a 6 year old daughter. Emma is also a kindergarten teacher. Her school went on a class field trip to a farm and one of the children was lost. During all the confusion her own daughter, who was also on the trip, was kidnapped. This book kept throwing out one loop after another and had you guessing who could be behind this. I will say I was leery about reading it to begin with because I didn't want to read some dark story involving child harm. This is not the case at all so if that is a trigger you are good. I would completely recommend this book. It has short chapters and it is a great quick read. Well done. I will look for more of Miranda Smith's books.

This was my first read by Miranda Smith, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The book was filled with twists and I was on the edge of my seat reading it! Can't wait for her next one!

I liked this book but it didn't blow me away. I read alot of this type of thriller so perhaps I've just read too many kidnapping style storylines recently! However, I didn't guess the ending so it does have some interesting twists and turns! I reckon this would be good one to get you over a reading slump as it is an easy read and does keep you guessing. Overall, an enjoyable read and I would read more from this author.

The School Trip by Miranda Smith is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The story revolves around a class of six-year-old children who go on a trip to a local farm. However, things take a dark turn when one of the children goes missing, and the teacher, Emma, joins in the search. Meanwhile, Emma's own daughter is abducted, and she is forced to confront her worst nightmare.

The author, Miranda Smith, has done an excellent job of creating a tense and suspenseful atmosphere throughout the book. The characters are great! Emma is very strong and caring, she likes to do things herself without relying on others. Smith's writing style is engaging and easy to follow, making it hard to put the book down.

Overall, The School Trip is an excellent read for fans of psychological thrillers. It has all the elements of a great thriller, including suspense, mystery, and a killer twist. I personally highly recommend this book to everyone looking for a twisty thriller full of surprises! Yes, I didn't see that coming!!

Every parent’s nightmare happens when Claire’s daughter is kidnapped.
Claire is on a field trip to a local farm with her daughter and other young kids. It’s fall so pumpkins, corn mazes and animals is enticing to the children. Claire knows this is hard for her daughter because she can’t have her undivided attention and she has to watch other kids as well. Claire lost her husband in a car crash and worries about her daughter.
This field trip turns into a nightmare, when her daughter is nowhere. She was in the process of helping find another child, and hers turns up missing.
The detective is now on the scene and shows Claire a video of her daughter leaving the farm with a stranger. Her daughter seems happy, so it’s possible it might be someone she knows. How could someone take her daughter? Is her daughter a target or a random kidnapping?
I could not wait to get through this novel to find out if she finds her daughter and who the kidnapper was? Absolutely shocked with this twisty psychological thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this advanced copy.

Claire is a parent and a teacher. She and other teachers, as well as several parents, are headed to a school trip at a local farm. Despite some misgivings, the day seems like it is going swimmingly well. However, at some point, Claire’s daughter Emma goes missing. Everyone, especially Claire, is in a panic. Where has her daughter gone?

With a huge pumpkin patch, animals and other activities for children, the farm is huge. Desperate to find her daughter, Claire reluctantly returns home, with the police by her side, as it soon becomes apparent that Emma was taken.

Not only is it clear that Emma was kidnapped, Claire and the police wonder if it is someone from Claire’s past who has taken Emma. As this heartbreaking story is being told, Claire realizes how alone she and Emma are, especially after losing her husband several years ago in a tragic accident.

The search continues for little Emma, and the list of suspects who could’ve taken her continues to grow. Claire’s feelings were palpable, as any parent, or grandparent in my case, would feel if their little one was taken. Filled with angst, I turned page after page with true hopes that Emma would be found safe and sound. This book was one that was impossible to put down. Miranda Smith did a fabulous job with this latest book as she kept the tension at an all-time high while pulling the reader’s attention into the story.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

A fast paced story that is a parents and teachers worst nightmare. A child goes missing on a school field trip to a pumpkin farm. The reader is wrapped up in finding the child and forgets how fast the pages fly. The unexpected twists kept me reading far past when I should have put the book down. I loved every page of this book and am excited to read more by this author!

Make no mistake I really liked this book. It had a few red herrings, had me guessing, there were twists and turns, and I was here for it. At 60ish percent I had formed a pretty solid theory. At 70 percent it was destroyed. I was salty, excited, irritated, and ready for this to play out.

Then the big reveals and truth bombs hit and they were anti-climactic for ME. They were very domestic and emotional. If I had been watching this on screen, I would have gasped out loud. But for a thriller book it wasn't dark enough. That's a personal preference though.

As a parent this was a read that kept me on the edge of my seat trusting no one. Not even the dead.

This was my first read by this author. It won't be my last, this is a good thriller for those who like suspense, betrayal, and emotional stories.

Shocking, gripping, and hard to put down, The School Trip contains every parent's worst fear - their child going missing. The School Trip kept me on my toes, fully invested and glued to the pages. Everything can change in an instant and it does for Emma, a kindergarten schoolteacher, when her daughter, Claire, goes missing on a school trip. Emma was busy helping look for another missing child on the same school trip when her own daughter went missing. Another teacher was supposed to be watching Claire, but in an instant, Claire was gone.

I could feel Emma's shock, despair, anxiety, desperation, and heartbreak. Her daughter is missing, and no one saw a thing. Still mourning the death of her husband, Emma is beyond devastated when she can't find her daughter. She feels she has lost everything but is determined to get her daughter back.

This book was full of feeling and as a parent, I felt for Emma. I can't even imagine that stabbing pain she must have felt when she could not find her daughter. This book kept me fully invested and feeling all kinds of emotions. This book was suspenseful, emotional, gripping, and hard to put down. Whew!

Miranda Smith knows how to pull the heartstrings while creating a tense mystery that does not disappoint. I look forward to what she writes next.

Gripping, intense, evoking emotional, and riveting!

The School Trip by Miranda Smith is a thriller that will keep you on edge until the end. Emma is a single mom of a six year old daughter, Claire. Emma's husband was killed in a car accident 2 years ago and it's been very difficult on her and Claire. Emma is a teacher at the same school that Claire attends. It's hard for Emma to find a balance in her life between work, taking care of Claire, and life. The emptiness she feels over the loss of her husband doesn't ever go away.

There's a school trip to a pumpkin patch and farm that Emma's class and Claire's class are attending. There are many parent volunteers to help with the large group of kids. The kids are very excited to pick their own pumpkins as it's getting close to Halloween. There's also animals to visit, a playground, and a corn maze. Claire wants her mom all to herself for the trip, but that can't happen because Emma is a teacher who must monitor the group of kids, give directions to the parent volunteers, and help the rest of the staff know what to do on a trip like this.

Everything starts out smoothly and the kids are having a wonderful time. Emma steals some time away from her group to spend time with Claire throughout the morning. Emma has assistants that cover for her so that she can be with Claire. Claire picks out her pumpkin when her mom is with her and even picks out one for her mom. She's excited to make it a jack o lantern and they decide they will do that tonight. They'll stop on the way home and buy a kit. Claire is thrilled but wants more time with her mom. Emma explains that she must go back to her group and Claire is to return to her teacher's group.

Lunch is set up at the picnic tables and everyone comes back with their groups of kids to eat. They take turns going to the different areas so that no area is too crowded. One of the teachers is a bit late coming back for lunch but finally makes it. Emma knows immediately that her friend is upset. When Emma goes to her to find out what's wrong she lets her know that she can't find one of the kids in her group. Several teachers and assistants set off to check the animal barn and playground. When they come back and haven't found the child, the police are called. Emma tries to keep the parent volunteers calm as the police arrive. The owner of the farm tells them about the corn mazes and that a child of six could get lost in there for hours if they went in alone. Emma and another teacher head to the corn mazes to search. The police split up and take different areas of the farm. After 20 minutes or more inside the maze, Emma hears a noise, and finds the girl. She's sitting on the grass inside the maze drinking a soda. She's really scared and says she wants to go home.

The police haven't let anyone leave and treated the farm like a crime scene. As Emma heads back to the group with the girl, everyone is thrilled! Parents are now allowed to leave and take their kids home, while other kids are going back to the school on the bus. Several staff have already left on one of the buses. One of Emma's fellow teachers comes back and she's distraught. Emma tells her they found the girl and not to worry, but she tells Emma that Claire is missing. Everything happened so fast and everyone was so focused on the missing girl that she had taken her eyes off of Claire while at the playground. She assumed Claire was in one of the tubes that the kids slide down, but she wasn't. Emma's skin prickles and fear creeps in as she can't believe she found one missing girl, but now has lost her own daughter! While the police are still there, Emma tells them that her daughter is missing and hasn't been seen in an hour or more.

A new group of police and detectives arrive as this is very different from the first case. The farm was locked down when the first girl went missing, but now it was wide open with many people leaving in different directions to take the kids home or back to school. Because of the chaos, kidnapping is.a very real possibility. Emma feels sick as everyone that's left goes off searching for Claire. Before dark, Detective Sanchez takes Emma home in case someone took Emma there to help out or in case the kidnapper calls with a ransom demand.

As you read The School Trip there is another point of view periodically that talks about wanting to take the girl, get payback, etc. As the reader you have no idea who that person is and I had no luck figuring it out on my own. Will Claire be found? Was she kidnapped? Who would kidnap a six year old? Is Emma the real target? Why would someone target Emma or Claire? They've both suffered through so much. I read this book in 2 days because I couldn't put it down. This book is very well written and the story will make you read way too fast. I thoroughly enjoyed The School Trip and rate it 4 stars.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of The School Trip in exchange for a fair review. #TheSchoolTrip