I absolutely loved the twists and turns, they really had me hooked especially the ones I didn't expect. Great read overall.

I was intrigued by this book because I remember seeing a display of his book on a trip to France and they seemed pretty popular but I wasn't sure if my French was good enough for a whole novel at that point.

The set up to the mystery was solid bit the pacing was a little slow. I felt like I had read about 3/4 of it before the pace picked up so my mind wandered a lot. I don't know if that is a translation or issue or if the book is just slower paced but I was expecting something a little jazzier. I almost felt like it would have been better as a movie than a novel, at times it was quite visual and the speeding towards the conclusion would work well in a script. Some of the twists seemed to defy logic, which again, I feel works better on the screen.

I really enjoyed the thriller aspect of this novel. I appreciate it that we got to see how grief can make someone go mad and that it was a realistic showing in the story. The characters were what I was looking for and they worked well in the story being told. Michel Bussi wrote this perfectly, and that the characters felt like they belonged in this book.

Wow just wow. So many twists and turns through this book. At first I will admit, that it was a little difficult to keep track of what was going on. But, after getting further into the book, I could not put it down. Was NOT expecting the twist at the end at all. I am so happy with the ending for Maddi. 10/10 would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good suspenseful twist. An easy read that you will not want to put down.

Thank you, Netgalley and Amazon Crossing, for allowing me to read the ARC of this book. 💞

Maddi Liberie is a scientist. She lives near the coast of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Basque– France, with her ten year old son–Esteban. It was his tenth birthday, he wanted to swim but Maddi didn't let him. Their routine habit is that after swimming in the morning, Esteban will take a shower, put on a sweater, then go shopping at the cake shop and then return home then Maddi goes to her practice place and Esteban goes to school. Everyday is like that, but that day is different. Esteban, whose intention was to buy a cake and bring one euro, apparently didn't come home.

Maddi looked for him at the cake shop, but it turned out her son wasn't there. Continuing to look at the beach, her son was not there either. She thought that Esteban ignored her orders not to swim that day. Esteban disappeared, still wearing indigo swimming trunks with the whale logo, espadrilles, and one euro coin.

A month later, Esteban's body was found floating not far from the beach. With exactly the same features, except for espadrilles and one euro coin.

Maddi refuses to admit that Esteban just died, because the child couldn't possibly disobey his mother's orders. Maddi believes that before he drowned, Esteban must have been kidnapped and thrown into the ocean. Her belief was not recognized by the police, which is what caused Maddi to become obsessed with finding out the real facts about Esteban's death.

Maddi moved to another place because she had too many memories in Basque. Ten years later she comes back to the shores of Saint-Jean-de-Luz for a holiday with Gabriel. Accidentally found a ten year old boy who looked like Esteban, his indigo pants had a white whale logo, his eyes, hair, everything was the same. Maddi spies the child, who turns out to be Tom, with his mother, Amandine. They lived in Murol, then Maddi and Gabriel also moved to Murol. Because Maddi's obsession with Tom, who is very similar to Esteban, makes her want to know who Tom really is.

"I recognize every contour of his face, every crease around his smile, every blue spark in his iris, every curve from his forehead to his chin, every dimple, every eyelash, every momentary expression.
It’s him.
It’s not just some kid who resembles him; it’s not some doppelganger.
It’s my Little Prince.
It’s Esteban.
What does it matter that this makes no sense, that he ought to be twenty years old now, that believing this is pure folly?
I know it’s him."

Dr. Wayan Balik Kuning is the psychiatrist who treats Maddi. He forbids Maddi from moving to Murol because of a child who looks like Esteban, his son who died ten years ago.

Dr. Wayan Balik Kuning is Balinese, he is the fourth child. Tells about Maddi's belief that Tom is the reincarnation of Esteban. Btw, I'm Indonesian although I'm not originally from Bali, but I know a few stories about Bali. So what Michel wrote about Bali and all the naming and explanations about reincarnation, seemed very strong, as if Michel was a native Balinese. The research is extraordinary. I couldn't help but smile reading Dr. Wayan at that time. Michel, you did a great job researching Bali!

There are social workers named Savine and Nectaire. They were suspicious of Maddi, who seemed to be targeting Tom. Maddi even openly told Amandine that Tom would definitely be in danger, when he had his tenth birthday, just like Esteban–just like her son. That's what makes Amandine keep her distance from Maddi, even though in Murol, Maddi is the only doctor there.

So there are two murder cases related to Tom and Amandine. This automatically also concerns Maddi, who starts to become obsessed with the family. Maddi has proof that Tom is very similar to Esteban, such as, he can speak Basque without anyone teaching him, he has the exact same birthmark, his skills at cycling, swimming, and likes music.

On the other hand, Tom can see Esteban who is very similar to him. They often play together. Tom can see Esteban's ghost. That's what Tom said when Maddi asked.

While alive, Esteban underwent treatment at a psychiatrist. Because lately it's been a bit strange according to his mother. Moreover, since the incident where he was chased by bees, Esteban is afraid of bees, but strangely the cake he always buys every day has honey in it. So Esteban once said this to his psychiatrist.

“I have to . . . I have to die.” The next silence seems to go on forever. Finally, trying hard to sound casual, the shrink says, “You have to die? Oh, is that all? And why would you want to do that?” Suddenly the words pour in a rush from Esteban’s mouth. “So I can be reborn somewhere else, Doctor, in another body.”

A final, interminable silence. Has the therapist run out of arguments?
It is Esteban who breaks the silence.

“Don’t worry, Doctor. It’s not the place where you leave your body that matters. What matters is choosing the right moment. You see? You just have to aim right. So that your next life is better than the one before.”

“Don’t you like your life before? I mean, your life now . . . You know what I mean.”

“I do! Of course I do. But like I told you, Doctor, I’m doing all this so Mommy will love me more.”

“Your mommy loves you, Esteban. Believe me. She could never love anyone more than she loves you. But listen to me. I think I’m going to have to talk to someone. One of my colleagues. Another psychiatrist. A specialist. To . . . to help you.”

So when they found out Esteban had drowned. Psychiatrist and Maddi's alleged half, Esteban died by suicide. Because he thought his mother didn't love him, so how could he live as someone else. Just imagine, why could a ten year old talk like that? The problem is, is it really the child or the mother?

Seriously, this is great writing. There are too many plot twists in it, especially right at the end of the novel. It's all like a big surprise for the reader. So the opinion that was led by the author from the start was completely wrong, but at the end all the facts were revealed one by one.

Btw, this is the first book I read as an opening for 2024 reading and this book deserves 5 stars. 😍

So, if you are a fan of Riley Sager, you will definitely like Michel Bussi's writing too. They are both plot twist writers, always saving the most powerful explosion for the end of the story. You can read this book directly for free on Netgalley without having to submit a request first. Happy reading! ❤️

Loved the poem at the beginning! Something along the lines, “I could take your wings and you would be mine forever but then you wouldn’t be able to fly…. Therefore, I love you most as you are, a bird with the wings to soar! …”

The incarnation idea was interested , yet the rest of the storyline and plot was outstandingly out there…

My favorite part, the innocence of the “I LOVE YOUS.”

This is an interesting plot: a boy disappears by a beach and 10 years later his mother sees a boy in the same place who looks exactly like him. The mother becomes obsessed with finding out the truth. Is this a case of reincarnation or is she losing her mind?

This is what I like to call a bonkers plot. Sometimes they work, sometimes not. This didn’t work for me. The quality of writing on a sentence level is sometimes quite good but is often very simplistic, and it could be due to being a work of translation, or perhaps the source material is the cause.

I had heard good things about this author but I’m afraid that the writing is just too amateurish for my taste. Unnecessarily long with a slow pace, infodumping, telling and not showing, strange amount of details at times (why list items on a restaurant menu in detail?). The plot twists are silly and 100% dependent on unreliable narrators, the characters are clichéd and unlikable…sorry but I didn’t enjoy this for the most part.

Two stars for the pretty descriptions of France and the fact that I did want to find out what happened.

I will publish this on review sites one month before the pub date.

Bussi's novels present strange predicaments that seem unreal and impossible, almost, but they all turn out to have very plausible, logical explanations in the end. This book is no exception.

Maddi is an established doctor who can't accept that her 10-year-old son Estaban has died. Ten years after his disappearance, she sees another 10-year-old boy on the same beach wearing the same colored shorts with the same logo, looking just like her lost son. This leads her to think that Estaban has reappeared, having been reincarnated in the body of this new boy.

I thought Maddi obsessed, when she follows the woman and her son to their home in the French mountains, desperate to stay close to the boy who looks uncannily like her lost son.

I was intrigued that the twists and turns in the plot lead to two murders and Maddi's conviction that her story is connected to these incidents. I did not expect the ending or the one who committed the murders, or why.

Not his best mystery novel, it was still a very good read.