As a massive fan of psychological thrillers this book did not disappoint. The eye catching cover would have had me running for the tills as it's eerie image was a great precursor to the story inside... chilling!
From page one this book held me captive, it's a very well written domestic/ psychological thriller and in a style that is easy to read and so because of this and the fact that the plot will have your heart pumping I found it hard to break of for annoying everyday things I had to do like eating and sleeping 😂😂.
The storyline although not entirely new is given a fresh slant and a new perspective and I found it completely gripping. It's pacy and never loses its flow which is a pet hate of mine and unreels the dark side of a family in despair..
So we have missing child and for a mother this is enough to have my nerves on edge but we also have secrets and a mother who is lying... intrigued? You should be- grab a copy of this and you won't be disappointed. Well plotted and with enough questions, twists turns and reveals to keep you gasping it's an entertaining and enthralling tale that is full of suspense . The author has a talent for brilliant characterisation, I especially liked the character of Maggie which really added a lot of depth to this read for me and an ability to build tension beautifully.
A clever, intelligent thriller that will have you floored by the end ...

I enjoyed this book, I thought it was more of a no real surprise drama than a thriller. It is a story of secrets, lies, and revenge. A good read.

Wow! I can honestly say that this is a cleverly crafted, well written, suspense filled thriller. It takes until the very end of the book, that you actually understand what has happened, and why!
Cannot recommend highly enough!

A good thriller told from varying points of view, which sometimes gets confusing. Strong, intense finish, but it was hard to get to that point through the confusion.

Two girls go missing, decades apart. What would you do if one was your daughter?

When eight-year-old Grace goes missing from a sweetshop on the way home from school, her mother Emma is plunged into a nightmare. Her family rallies around, but as the police hunt begins, cracks begin to emerge.

What are the secret emails sent between Emma’s husband and her sister? Why does her mother take so long to join the search? And is Emma really as innocent as she seems?

Meanwhile, ageing widow Maggie Taylor sees Grace’s picture in the newspaper. It’s a photograph that jolts her from the pain of her existence into a spiralling obsession with another girl – the first girl who disappeared…

Wow, this is a good suspenseful read. It can be hard reading about harm done to a child. However, this book does not overdo it with the hard, gritty details. The writing is done very well enough to give you some insight to what happens to little Grace after she's been snatched away from her family. This is my first novel read by Elisabeth Carpenter and it certainly will not be my last. Overall, the plot was nicely woven out. There was one story line that was not quite flushed out and did not go in the direction you thought it might go. I felt connected to the characters. I felt all of the emotions as if I wanted to jump right into the book with them.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy via NetGalley. It was truly a pleasure to read and provide my honest thoughts.

A great debut novel, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a great storyline filled with many twists and turns which I just wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen, even though I got it completely wrong!! I look forward to reading more by this author.

I did really enjoy this book, the only reason it did not get 5 stars from me was because I guessed what was going on so it missed out on the 'wow' factor. A solid 4 stars though as I was enthralled with the book from start to finish

99 red balloons by Elisabeth Carpenter.
Two girls go missing, decades apart. What would you do if one was your daughter?
Eight-year-old Grace is last seen in a sweetshop. Her mother Emma is living a nightmare. But as her loved ones rally around her, cracks begin to emerge.
What are the emails sent between her husband and her sister? Why does her mother take so long to join the search? And is there more to the disappearance of her daughter than meets the eye?
Meanwhile, ageing widow Maggie Taylor sees a familiar face in the newspaper. A face that jolts her from the pain of her existence into a spiralling obsession with another girl – the first girl who disappeared…
OMG a fantastic read with brilliant characters. What a twister of a read. Didn't expect that at all. Wow. This is a must read and I would highly recommend this book. Definitely worth more than 5*. Netgalley and avon books UK.

Beautiful and heartbreaking. There are some surprises along the way that I did not see coming even though I thought I had most of the mystery figured out. I did not and I really like when a mystery proves me wrong.

I liked the character development but would have liked to know a little more about <spoiler> Catherine and her "motives" and specially, why Michael went along with her and let her keep Zoe. </spoiler>

The ending dragged a bit for some chapters but I suppose it was necessary to convey the final occurrences as they fold; to make the reader feel the same impatience, the same waiting.

All in all a good mystery that I recommend.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

8 year-old Grace has gone missing. Surveillance videos show that she was abducted from a sweet shop on her way home from school. Her parents and aunt are frantic and the search begins to find her before it’s too late.
Years earlier, another little girl, Zoe, also disappeared. She was never found, and additional family tragedy ensued as hope seemed lost that she ever would be.
How these two events are entwined becomes the basis of 99 Red Balloons, a suspenseful novel that keeps the reader wondering what’s going to happen throughout the story.
For a debut novel, the premise and outcome are well-thought out. The details themselves and presentation are a little more haphazard and confusing.
The initial, and to me, overwhelming problem, was that there were too many characters, too many names to keep up with. It seemed that new characters were added throughout the book, and because the narration changes with each chapter, it was hard to remember who was whom and why they were even narrating. About half-way through the story, I almost gave up and started over, because I was so confused with a couple of the characters, that I felt I must have missed some important explanation as to who they were earlier in the book. However, I kept on and finally sorted it out. I think the story could have been more cohesive and less confusing if two or three characters were eliminated altogether, as they really brought little to the story except as just another person to keep track of.
I disengaged with Emma’s character early on. I tried to tell myself that a mother whose child has been abducted probably has unpredictable behavior, but to me, Emma’s was bizarre. One minute she’s in pieces with worry and fear, and the next, she’s carrying on a cool, almost disinterested conversation. Not a character I cared for at all. Her husband also exhibited odd behavior – from loving to attentive to disinterested to angry to almost malevolent to humorous and finally, to just “normal.” I liked him at the beginning of the story. By the end, I considered him a real jerk.
I figured out the ending about three quarters of the way through, but this didn’t bother me, as I still wasn’t sure how the author would tie everything together. The ending was satisfying, even though the road to get there was a little circuitous and littered with too many people.
Overall, I enjoyed the suspense of the story and the twist of the ending. I rate it a solid three stars, leaning toward 3.5.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Eight year old Grace goes missing on the way home from school, throwing her parents into despair. Her aunt, Stephanie tries to support them but increasingly becomes confused with their reactions and the strange behaviour of her sister and mother. Meanwhile, miles away Graces disappearance opens old wounds for Maggie, whose granddaughter Zoe went missing years ago, destroying her family.

I don't usually give half points but this has torn me. It's an enjoyable thriller, with a great character in Maggie. But Graces family is pretty unlikeable, you should be rooting for them but they're so self obsessed you can't. I zipped through the book but felt a bit dissatisfied at the end. So it going to be my first half star award, 3.5 for this one.

A very strong finish!

This is one of those novels that you must read all the way through. I've seen some other reviews where others have given up part way through. I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't times in the novel where I thought to myself, I see where this is going... what's the point? Well, I'll tell you what the point is... Elisabeth Carpenter continues to do such a fantastic job with character development and dialogue that you can't help but become wrapped up in the story. At about 70% it's all revealed, (even though I had already figured it out in my head before this point) you think there is 30% left in the book, we can see what's going to happen. Ahhh... but the way it all unfolds, well... that's the beauty of it really. As I was reading this, I kept thinking, why are people giving this such great reviews, but once I got closer to the end, I understood. It was too late, Elisabeth Carpenter had me, she had won me over. I had already connected with the characters, I particularly felt so much for Maggie and her connection with Jim. I don't know, maybe it's the loss of my grandmother this past year that allowed me to connect to her character so much, but gosh darn it, I just fell in love with her.

I'm not going to focus on the storyline as I feel the synopsis does a good job covering this, but I will say that although the concept is a commonly used one... child abduction... I've got to give it to Elisabeth Carpenter in how she set about executing it. The only downside to the novel really, is the narration; it was difficult to follow at times, but not to the point that it turned me away from the book.

The story starts when a little girl goes missing from a shop on the way home from school. It follows her parents and aunt as the investigation progresses. Elsewhere an older lady, Maggie, follows any news of a missing child closely as she herself had a granddaughter who went missing many years before. Is there a connection between these stories?
I enjoyed this book, it looks at the story from a lot of perspectives which at times can be confusing but yet keeps your interest. I loved the character of Maggie who has had a sad life but still holds onto hope.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I felt that this book could have her brilliant. But there was too much jumping about between characters. However I did enjoy it and suggest you give it a go :)

Excellent book - Great characters and plot. I would highly recommend this book.

Absolutely unputdownable! And when it's described as having a shocking twist, they weren't wrong! I was on the edge of my seat and found myself reading into the early hours just to finish another chapter! Fantastic book

*Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* The book centres around the story of eight-year-old Grace, who is kidnapped by an unknown male on the way home from school. Her mysterious disappearance launches a massive manhunt and throws her family into a spiral of despair. The novel moves between the present and the past, when another little girl was kidnapped, under similar circumstances. The book contains a host of different characters, some more likeable than others. There are some very, very sad aspects of the novel, but overall it emphasises the redemptive power of love. Given the genre of the novel, it is difficult to write too much without giving away any plot twists.

I had high hopes for this book and was looking forward to reading it, i must admit i was disappointed, i think there to many characters that interlinked but no real back story on why .

This book is a real page turner and you definitely need to read in one go if possible. Couldnt put it down. Definitely recommend and look forward to other titles by this author *****