I read this book to 40% and there were just too many triggers for me. Child abuse, kidnapping or abandonment are hard for me to read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. It just wasn't for me.

Finding Sophie by Imran Mahmood is the story of grief and loss for parents Harry and Zara. Their daughter, Sophie, has disappeared and they will do what they can to find her. But how far will they go to find her? What I found interesting is we see not only when Sophie went missing and how the Harry and Zara dealt with that and at the same time, we know someone is on trial for murder. As the story unfolds, we see Harry and Zara grieve separately when they needed the other the most. I was not sure where this story was going and I could not stop reading. This was my first book by this author and would definitely look to read more. I was engaged and wanted to know how it will all end.

Happy reading!

Lots of twists and turns in this one! Harry and Zara's teenage daughter Sophie has disappeared. They are both grief-stricken and desperate for answers, but the tragedy pulls them apart rather than bringing them closer together. It's harrowing to read about how Sophie's loss affects her parents, and the lengths to which they'll go to find out what happened. Although I didn't fall in love with this book, I definitely appreciated the author's ability to portray what Sophie's parents were going through as well as to tell a complex story.

This was a great thriller. It kept me on edge and turning pages and really that's what you want most from a thriller.

Very interesting take on how parents react and ultimately end up going on trial relating to the disappearance of their daughter. Written from alternating points of each parent, this was a real twisty turn of a domestic thriller.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and the Author Imran Mahmood for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First time reading this author, glad I had the opportunity to read this book. Harry and Zara are trying to get closure for their missing daughter. The lengths these two go through to find her while trying to protect each other is astounding. So many possibilities, yet the one person who could have some answers won’t allow them into his house. Perfectly orchestrated and told from dual POV. I really enjoyed this book.

Finding Sophie depicts the struggle of a husband and wife trying to deal with the disappearance of their daughter. It takes place over a long period of time. Unfortunately it really felt like it took longer. I could not feel much compassion for either parent because they come across as cold people.

Finding Sophie is a story of two parents who are wracked with grief after the disappearance of their 17 year old daughter. They are dealing with a lack of closure at not being able to find her alive or dead and it is slowly killing each of them and their marriage. They are desperate to find her and do some desperate things in order to do so, but come up empty. They soon focus all their energy into one neighbor who won’t cooperate with their search for Sophie, so you know that’s going to turn out to be a red herring, and without giving anything away, it is. I wish there would have been a few more suspects to add to the storyline but such as it was it was still engaging and soon cracks in the family are shown and secrets and lies are exposed but what does it all have to do with where Sophie is now?
This is a slow burn and it takes until about the last 100 pages or so until things start to ramp up but I still found the beginning of it just as enjoyable as you see Zara and Harry’s slow descent into despair and grief. Then once the trial starts the events of that fateful night were revealed, apparently in a nod to Strangers on a Train, which I have no point of reference to. But it was a good mashup of domestic drama and courtroom thriller that was thought provoking ass to what I would do if my child was missing. Definitely not for everyone as there are several triggers.
Thanks to Bantam Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

2.75 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the E-ARC. Ive read slow burn and have enjoyed them but this one unfortunately did not do it for me. I think the build up was so slow that the end just felt rushed and short for me. I was left with the same questions I went in with unanswered.

This was my first time reading a book by this author. Finding Sophie by Imran Mahmood is a suspense/thriller about a 17 year old girl that goes missing and the grief and extensive search that her parents go through trying to find her. It’s part police procedural and the anguish and pain that the parents experienced was felt deeply by me as the reader. It reminded me of a local girl named Heidi that went missing not far from me that was never found. It’s a heart wrenching story but I did enjoy reading it. It was amazing what these parents went through all for the love of their daughter. And the strength and the love that these 2 parents had for each other throughout this whole ordeal was inspirational. I’d like to thank Vanessa Duque at Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the invite to read and NetGalley for the arc. It was a phenomenal look into what grief can do to people but that never giving up hope sometimes wins out! I’m giving this a 4 star rating and look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

Finding Sophie’s storyline focuses on Harry and Zara, their desperation to find Sophie, and their murder trial. I am not fond of alternating storylines that go from past to present and back. But, in this case, it worked. The storylines complemented each other. There was no lag when the author switched characters or storylines. Instead, he took what the previous chapter talked about and used it in the present day or in the past to explain how Harry and Zara got to the point they were at. Overall, it was a compelling, well-written story that I was engaged with. My only complaint would be the ending (and I will explain why I wasn’t a fan of it).

I liked that the author portrayed Zara and Harry as parents at the end of their rope with a rebellious child. As a mother of two teenagers, I could sympathize with the talking back, the silence, the moodiness, and even being secretive. But, I did draw the line at what they did in desperation to Sophie. When Sophie went missing, the anguish, the rage, and the self-doubt came crashing back. They weren’t likable characters, but they were sympathetic.

I was surprised at how little Zara and Harry knew about their daughter. Maybe I don’t have typical teenagers, but my kids share (and sometimes overshare) everything with my husband and me. So, when Harry and Zara found out all of this information about Sophie weeks after she went missing, it was surprising.

I initially thought Sophie’s disappearance was due to her being a rebellious teenager and to certain events that happened in the prior weeks. I was NOT expecting the twist her storyline took. I was completely surprised and shocked because it wasn’t what I thought. Of course, I did think Harry was right in doing what he did (after the murder trial).

The events leading up to the murder were disturbing. I did have sympathy for 210 in the beginning, but that sympathy waned as the book went on. Harry may have gone slightly over the top in his actions. However, Harry’s actions became borderline obsessive, and Zara started to do the same thing. So, it wasn’t a surprise when the murder happened.

The trial angle of the book was interesting to read. I can’t remember a book where the author explained how British law works. It fascinated me because while it was similar to American law, it was also so different. There were two major twists in that plotline. One I didn’t see coming and was very surprised by the reveal. I was also astonished that the confession was caught on tape, and that confession almost made me get bookish whiplash. The other twist was who the murderer was. I will say that there were only two people, so I had a 50/50 chance of getting it right. I did somewhat see it coming, but I was shocked.

Now, the end of the book was different from what I thought it would be. I did like that the author wrapped up everything with a neat little bow. But he did something that I didn’t expect. He showed the aftermath of everything. I was with him until the very last chapter. It ended on a very creepy note, and I am still trying to figure out exactly what happened and what he meant in that last paragraph.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam, NetGalley, and Imran Mahmood for allowing me to read and review an ARC of Finding Sophie. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Imran Mahmood gained a new fan in me with this riveting legal thriller. I work with an appellate public defenders office in a country with an insidious problem of mass incarceration, and so to follow a case that operates on "it is better to let nine guilty people walk free than to imprison one innocent person" is fascinating to me.

Harry and Zara's teenage daughter, Sophie, is missing. Frustrated with the slow pace at which the police are conducting their investigation and with their lack of any progress, Harry sets out to find the truth himself, willing to go to unspoken lengths to find his daughter. All the while, Zara is rotting away on the inside, experiencing a slow emotional death as she grieves the shattering of her family.

This novel uses a format that I absolutely love - dual timelines. Following Harry's and Zara's murder trial while accompanying them on their journey of losing their daughter one year prior had be hooked, and I found myself wanting to just skip to the last few pages to spoil the truth for myself. I was bouncing on the edge of my seat while reading this novel and forced myself to be patient. And thank goodness I did - I thoroughly enjoyed the intricate volley of both timelines, and it was soul crushing to watch Zara and Harry crumble and grasp at the remaining strings keeping their sanity in tact. I'm looking forward to reading more of Mahmood's books!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for this ARC! What a great read.

Just how far would you go to find your missing child? That's the premise of Imran Mahmood's latest novel Finding Sophie. Harry and Zara's daughter has gone missing, and the police have no leads. Frustrated by the slowness of the investigation and their own ideas about who might have harmed their daughter, Harry and Zara begin to take matters into their own hands.

The book goes back and forth between Harry's perspective and Zara's perspective. At first, I wasn't sure what the action was going to be. It seemed like a lot of inner thoughts from each parent, and I didn't know where the story was going. A few times, a chapter takes place in a courtroom, but the reader isn't given information on who is on trial. Is it the murder suspect? Is it the person Harry and Zara suspect? Or is it someone else?

Gradually, the courtroom scene reveals who is on trial and why, and the parent chapters take you deeper into each person's thought process as they grieve the loss of their daughter and take matters into their own hands.

This would make for a great book club discussion! If you have a child or children, then you could easily put yourself in Harry and Zara's shoes.

Finding Sophie is published by Bantam and will be available to purchase on March 5, 2024. I received a free e-ARC.

This is a page turning thriller. 17 year old Sophie is missing. Her parents, Harry and Zara, are desperate to find her. In this book, we discover the underlying relationship between the parents and who Sophie i compared to who her parents think she is. Well written and good to the last page!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat until the thrilling conclusion. The book starts off a little slow but it absolutely is worth it as the suspense takes off half way through the book. I liked the courtroom scenes and just when you think you have this one figured out, it has. a twist I did not see coming. I enjoyed this book and look forward to his future books!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

Incredible! I absolutely loved this one. Such a great book to curl up with. It was hard to pull myself away to do things, but I always looked forward to diving back in. Highly recommend!

The first part of the story alternates between Harry's POV and Zara's, The pace is pretty slow at the beginning. It picks up by the end. I liked the second part, with the trial and aftermath, better than the beginning. This is a character-driven story, but I did expect the two POVs to be a bit more distinct. If you enjoy slow burn novels, this may be one to check out. The relationships, and the impact the stress had on, was realistic. The author does a great job of showing how different people can experience the same grief situation quite differently.

Wow! Such a rollercoaster ride of a book. Zara and Harry have one child, a daughter named Sophie. When Sophie goes missing, Zara and Harry lose themselves in grief and make all kinds of choices because of it. Those choices will thoroughly confuse you and at the same time make perfect sense. The emotions that these characters elicit are all over the place. Sadness, anger, disbelief and even sometimes dislike are all feelings that I experience while reading this book. After a bit of a slow start, the author does a phenomenal job weaving the story together. Honestly by the 75% mark, I couldn't read fast enough to find out what was coming next. There were surprises all the way up to the end - and I mean the kind of surprises that make you say, "I didn't see that coming!" Overall, it was a fantastic book and one I will absolutely recommend.

This book was not what I was expecting but I enjoyed it enough. It does make you think and I enjoyed the legal world that was brought in during the trial.

3 ⭐️

Thank you, Netgalley and Random House Publishing, for allowing me to read and review this title in exchange for an honest review.

I found this just okay. It wasn't terrible, but I also didn't find it exciting. I enjoyed the moments of the suspense and the way the chapters would be misleading. In other words, reading a section to only read later on that there was more to it. It's the way the characters talked or the overall tone that threw me off. I didn't think it matched the vibe the story was portraying.