I couldn't read this book. After reading other reviews it's supposed to improve in part two. So I kept reading but I was frustrated reading it! If I woke up from a coma and found my voice I would be screaming at someone to tell me where my daughter was, was she dead, what had happened!! Asking even for the police. It was all so unbelievable.

This is a book that I wont forget in a hurry, it starts with a mother, Madeleine facing a gunman in her home, demanding she chooses which of her 10 year old twins dies.

I was completely gobsmacked in places with this book, it was a definite page-turner and I read it in a day. Very well-written with lots of twists.

I highly recommend this book, 5 full stars from me.

Maddie has been married to Dom for 10 years, they have 10yo twins who go to a great school in a good neighborhood and live in a nice house.
Perfection until a masked man makes Maddie pick one child to save, and one to die.
But was her life actually perfect before? And can she put the pieces together to fix her life?

I found Part One a little hard to get into, and I didn't see the twist at the start of Part Two coming. However the rest was a little predictable. It was a pleasant read but unfortunately, it didn't wow me.
I could completely relate to Maddie as a mother - her character is written well.

The choice is a tense psychological thriller told from the perspective of the main character, Maddie. The story is told cleverly through flashbacks and present day narrative.

I did find the plot twists to be fairly predictable and the culprit was easy to guess from the first chapter. However, this was an enjoyable read.

I have to admit I found this slow to start with then wow! This book had you thinking you knew the story and ending so how come there was more to go but off it went again. A very cleverly written story that wrenches your heart. How could anyone make a choice like that. Madeleine had to and has to continue with the guilt. I found myself thinking why would this and that not be this or that way but then it all comes together. I had to take some time out this morning to finish as desperate to know the ending. A great debut.

Very interesting story and characters. Kept me intrigued.

Maddie has two children- twins- Aidan and Annabel. Correction: she had two children, now she has one.

It was all her doing. She made a choice no mother should ever have to make. The twins witnessed her choice. Will the abandoned twin ever forgive her? Will her husband, their father, survive the loss? Will her marriage survive?

She thinks she's a good mother, near perfect, that she has no favourite child... Her choice says otherwise.

This psychological thriller will have you psycho-analysing the characters just as they do each other. The storyline draws you in immediately with intense force. I couldn't tear my eyes from the page even if I tried. With this book, I especially liked the flashbacks and I was able to guess certain things due to King's excellent foreshadowing.

I confess I did think about who my mother would choose if she found herself in this situation. There are seven of us, so it would be awfully difficult- even the likelihood of us all being in the same place at the same time... But it definitely does make you think.

I can only imagine what my thoughts would be were I a parent myself.

This book will tell you exactly what betrayal and guilt means.

I received this book through NetGalley.

Maddy is the proud Mother of twins, a boy and a girl, Aidan and Annabelle. Ten Years Old and champions at swimming. Along with her husband Dom they are her life.

A life that changes forever on the morning of the Twins' Tenth Birthday with a masked strangers knock at the door. A stranger with a gun who forces her to chose a child for him to kill.

Maddy has images of her daughter falling, Maddy clutching at her, but she has no memory of saying Annabelle's name.

Her husband and Son clearly must hate Maddy and so she retreats inside of herself, desperate to seem hidden so she cannot see their accusing stares.

Maddy has glorious memories of Annabelle and at times could make herself believe that her daughter is still alive, even though she knows she is lost forever, along with her marriage and her son.

If Maddy is honest with herself, then her marriage to Dom has never been perfect, an incident on their Ninth wedding anniversary cementing the doubt in her mind. But Maddy loves her children, and would do anything to keep them safe.

Then her memories of that fateful day start returning and she begins to question all she thought she knew.

This story is a slow burner which really hot's up in the second half. Madeleine believes a gunman made her choose which one of her, 10 year old, twins would live or die. In that second she chose her daughter to die and her son to live. She lives her life unable to speak and full of eternal anguish. Can her son and husband ever forgive her? Read on.

The 'twists' in this story were obvious from about 15% in which is very disappointing. This could have been so much better and certainly more dramatic if the characters hadn't been so poorly portrayed in the beginning that it was obvious what was going to happen and who did it. At no point in Part 1 did I believe She was present; it was clear she was in a coma or dreamlike state; it was signalled so early on that Dom was the perpetrator and the clumsy way Annabel was dealt with only made it evident that she had not died. I've given 3 stars because I think there is a kernel of a good story but the writing needs tightening and the reader needs to be 'fooled' for much longer than 15%

Could you choose, a decision you would have to live with for the rest of your life, one of your children..... a Mothers Choice....a Husband......Surviving Child a Twin.....and the Flashbacks.

A fantastic rollercoaster of a ride from Samantha King on her debut psychological thriller The Choice, a fast paced storyline with a multitude of twists within the plot. As I read I felt as if the story was leading one way but to veer another but I didn't think it detracted from the story, infact I rather enjoyed the way I had to try and decipher and peel back the layers of what was happening in Maddie's life. Samantha has an enviable knack of bringing the story to life where it seems you are there with Maddie while she tries to gain control of what has happened.

To try and reveal some insight into the story wouldn't be feasible, as picking apart the twists and turns would be a huge spoiler, so my advice to each and every potential reader, don't sit back grab yourself a copy, I can almost guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Samantha King has presented a first rate debut psychological thriller in my opinion and I look forward to any future works produced.
A huge thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK and Samantha King for an advanced copy of The Choice. in exchange for an honest review.

As a mother, I really can't think of anything more terrifying than being made to make a choice between which of my children should live or die. I mean, how do you even do that? It's easy to say I wouldn't do this or that, but really, in such a situation who the hell knows what we would do? It's beyond my own imagination.

The Choice tackles this dilemma, when on the day of her twins tenth birthday, a masked gunman forces their way into Maddie's home and demands she choose which of her twins should be spared. It's a shocking and brutal opening, leaving the reader in utter, heart-stopping, horror before switching to three months later, when a grieving, disorientated and mentally broken Maddie is trying to piece together what happened that day.

It quickly becomes apparent that not everything is as it seems, as through a series of flashbacks and dream like states, the reader becomes as disorientated and confused as the fragile Maddie. I thought the way Samantha King portrayed her seemingly tenuous grip on reality was superb. And then when the massive shocker of a twist came, it made it only more impressive. I seriously had not been expecting it at all. I had no bloody idea where this book was going. It was so crazily twisty and gripping, I got thumb ache from pressing the next page button on my kindle so quickly.

Samantha King's writing is extremely engaging and convincing, with the whole book written from Maddie's perspective. I could feel her confusion, fear and consuming guilt. Yet there's a niggling feeling of is it real? Who do we trust? trickling through this story and is maintained right until the end. The Choice is fascinating as it explores parental favouritism between siblings and the effect of resentment and envy into adulthood. But there are many other themes running throughout, covering some uncomfortable topics, all of which interconnect and build to result in a catastrophic result.

If I had one tiny complaint, then I felt the ending seemed a bit rushed and maybe an epilogue chapter would have just rounded it off. That's just me though, I like closure! Other than that small niggle, I thought The Choice was excellent. It had me gripped from beginning to end and with twists at every turn, it was an adrenaline-fueled, heart-pumping roller coaster of a ride. If you're a fan of great psychological thrillers, then you won't be disappointed by this one.

The sort of book I love! The story starts in a very violent, and totally unexpected way, and leaves you reeling. But like all the best books, it has so many twists and turns, you're really not sure who or what or why. As the story unfolds, you follow the unrelenting guilt felt by a mother who had to make the ultimate choice, and not only that, discovers other really awful things that rip her apart emotionally. I could really feel her guilt, and her anguish, when I was reading the story. But then it twists, it turns and you're left reeling again, just the start of the book. Thoroughly recommended.

A five star read from me, because I know I'm reading a good book when I realise I've been holding my breath for a chapter or two! I couldn't put this book down and carried on thinking about it after I'd finished it..

My children used to worry about the sort of books I read. There is definitely a theme running through the ones I favour, mainly of missing and/or murdered children. I tried to explain to them that by reading these books it was a way of reconciling my own fears of something happening to them something I don't they they really understood until they became mother's themselves! So as soon as I saw the blurb for The Choice I knew I HAD to read it. Not only does it play on my biggest fear of having to choose between my children, the children that Maddie has to chose between are TWINS and everyone knows how much I LOVE books featuring twins!

I used to have a recurring nightmare where I was in a lifeboat in the middle of a storm. My girls were all in the water and I knew I only had time and space to rescue one of them. I hated that dream and thankfully it doesn't visit me so often now that they are all grown up with children of their own. But, at the time, it was one that disturbed me more than any other nightmare I had and I still get shivers thinking about it now. Which was why I totally got the parental fears that drove Samantha King to write this book. And what an amazing job she has done! It's so hard to believe it's her debut novel as she handles such an emotive subject with an arduous intensity from the very first page. The fierceness of a mother's guilt is instantly recognisable in her narrative and I found myself back in my own personal nightmare once more.

This is a cleverly plotted, unputdownable page turner that will have you awake till the very small hours desperately awaiting answers as to who made Maddie choose between her 10 year old twins but also, more importantly, why? There were so many unique and breathtakingly wonderful twists and turns here that I take my hat off to the author! And did I mention it's A DEBUT! I would pre order her next book without even reading the blurb on the strength of The Choice and I do hope we don't have long to wait as Samantha King is definitely an up and coming bestselling author to watch out for.

I devoured The Choice very quickly indeed, in awe of its innovative, gripping storyline and jaw dropping finale. It hit just the right level of spine chilling intrigue for me and I loved it. Just brilliant from start to finish!

Madeleine is married to Dominic and, on the face of things, they have a good life. Then, on the day of their twin's tenth birthday, an armed man breaks in and forces Madeleine to choose between her children. Who lives and who dies? She makes that choice, with the heaviest of hearts.
Told mostly in flashback from Madeleine's point of view, we learn a bit more about her, husband Dominic, their relationship from initial meeting to present day. As more of the truth comes out, the picture starts to change, we start to see what is under the topcoat of paint, until eventually, the bare canvas is exposed. And, once exposed, comes the realisation that her nightmare isn't over.
And that's all I am saying about the plot. To even try and say more would no doubt include spoilers and that's something I fear so I'll leave it there.
This is a very character driven book and, to work, it needs to have good characters. This is has, aplenty. I found Madeleine to be particularly intriguing, her evolution during the book as her layers were peeled off, exposing the truth therein. He relationship with her husband and with each of her children and the way in which each develops right up to and after that fateful day.
The twists and turns this book delivered kept me guessing all the way, there were a few, lets call them, red herrings along the way too, that once exposed, left me a bit shocked. All this action and reaction delivered in a very succinct and well written way. The reveals were drip fed at exactly the right times and in the right amount to keep me keen as a reader. I do love a good book that keeps me a little confused for the majority. As long as we get there eventually I am quite happy to take what I read at face value, store any questions I might have, and just go along with things, trusting that eventually I will get my answers. And I did, and very satisfying they were, albeit on the shocking side!
This is my first book by this author and, looking at her back catalogue, I see she usually writes in a different genre, this being her first psychological thriller. I do hope she writes another one, and soon!

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is the first book I've read by this author - her debut in psychological thrillers I believe.
The author writes in a clear and descriptive voice, spinning red herrings throughout to put the reader off the true scent!
As a reader and a mum myself, I felt drawn towards the mum who had a terrible choice to make - one I don't think I could ever make myself.
At the last section of the book I was cheering with the outcome.
A fantastic read that I highly recommend. Looking forward to the authors next publication.

to choose which one of he twins When an armed man breaks in just before the twins, Annabel and Aiden, 10th birthday party, Madeleine's devastated to learn he wants her to choose which of the twins is to be killed.. Madeleine has not spoken since that awful day and she keeps getting flashbacks of that day and a few days before it.

Wow. This is quite a difficult subject to read. The first few chapters are quite hard going. The author manages to maintain the tension an pace throughout the book, though it is a bi slow to start. There are twist and turns to keep your interest and an ending I never saw coming. This is a lovely written book. Once you start it you will find it hard to put down. I devoured this book in a day. Highly recommend.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group UK and the author Samantha King for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

Every time I thought I had got to grips with this story, it picked me up and threw me off balance into a different direction. I am reeling from everything.

It's weird as for most of Part 1, I was thinking about giving up reading this, as I thought I had everything figured out and I just didn't feel that bothered, but I was in a forgiving mood and thought I would read on a small bit more, and then part 2 kicked in and I could barely put it down from then on.

A parent's worst nightmare must be for one of your children to die. For Maddie its even worse when she is forced to pick which of her twins will live and which will die from a crazed gunman at their front door. And then we see how she is having to deal with the consequences of her decision and that fateful day.

That is pretty much all I can say about the plot, as the book takes you onto a tremendous journey, but given we only have Maddie's point of view and from the start she seems rather unreliable, its so hard to know what to believe and what not to.

There are many facets to this story and they are all incredibly gripping, and although I wasn't keen on part 1 it was vital information so that you felt more keenly for all the characters later on in the book. There are twists and turns galore and I was left gasping for breath a few times.

All the layers of this story have been put together in a very clever way, so although at all times you will be guessing and completely sure you know what will happen next, I can assure you, you are probably wrong!

The Choice is the first book I've read by Samantha King, and I am incredibly impressed. I found myself drawn into the story and the majority of the book was a very fast read and addictive.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Piatkus for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.