"Zoe and Ollie Morley tried for years to have a baby and couldn't. They turned to adoption and their dreams came true when they were approved to adopt a little girl from birth. They named her Evie. Seven years later, the family has moved to Yorkshire and grown in number: a wonderful surprise in the form of baby Ben. As a working mum it's not easy for Zoe, but life is good."

This was advertised as a psychological thriller, however, for me it was just a normal drama dealing with a dysfunctional family, and the characters of Zoe and Ollie really irritated me at times during the book. The story became repetitive in places and Zoe's whinging about lack of time for work got on my nerves. I did continue to the end of the book, because I was waiting for an unexpected twist, however, I had guessed who had stolen Evie way before then, and so it was a bit of a let down to me.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Omg talk about a roller coaster read wow this book kept me on the edge of my seat threw out I just couldn't put it down this writer keeps you hooked and once your hooked your not letting go I found this book thrilling the characters were fantastic and well thought out and the little clues all the way threw keep you guessing until the end this book stays with you long after you close the book this book is well worth the read I promise you wont be disappointed

Dear Publishers.

Firstly, thanks very much for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Unfortunately, I just wanted to let you know that I won't be reading and reviewing this title due to the large number of titles that I currently have on my shelf, and my inability to read them all. Also, I feel that a review at this late stage probably won't assist you or the author. For these reasons, I've decided to tidy up of my Netgalley shelf and I will be removing this one from my TBR pile.

I hope to be able to read and review further titles for you in the future.

Thanks and Regards
Kim

This is my first novel by Sanjida Kay and I really enjoyed it. I found it to be a dark and a little disturbing thriller of a book, I loved that part of it was set in Yorkshire I mean who doesn't like reading of areas that you know about, I lived close to the Yorshire Moors.

As always when a books plotline involves child abduction you know it's going to be a hard read but I couldn't help but have sympathy for all involved.

Read for an honest review. Thank you Sanjida Kay, Netgalley and Atlantic Books

A decent book that unfortunately sat on my TBR pile for far too long! I enjoyed the plot and was sympathetic to the characters.

Having loved this author’s first book Bone by Bone I was looking forward to The Stolen Child, and like in her first novel, Sanjida Kay writes here with an emotional level that is utterly engrossing and it is genuinely difficult to stop once you start.

A little slow at first but worth persevering as turns out to be a good read
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review

Very sad story where you can feel for both the participants. Full of tension and expectation and the effects of a stolen child on the family that had nurtured and raised her and the biological parent who had given her up. Great discussion book for a book club as it raises lots of questions. The conclusion is exciting with a race against time.

The Stolen Child is a pyschological thriller about an adopted child and her parents and the mystery surrounding her birth. When she goes missing her adoptive mother is plunged into a nightmare. Set in the Yorkshire moors, the landscape provides a bleak and chilling backdrop to the story. A well written novel with a satisfying twist.

What a brilliant thriller. I read it in one day. Zoe and Ollie are married. They have a two year old son Ben and a seven year old daughter Evie, who is adopted. Evie was adopted from her birth and Zoe and Ollie have had no contact with her drug addict mum. Zoe notices Evie playing with toys that are not hers she shows Zoe where she found them and the note saying the toys are from "Her real father." They contact the police but there are no clues to where the toys have come. One day Ben is rushed to hospital, he is very ill. Zoe phones Evie's school only to find out that she has been picked up by her father. But Ollie is with Ben in the hospital! So where is Evie!

I really enjoyed this book, to be honest I thought it was slightly a slow burner but that didn’t spoil my fun!

Basically Zoe & Ollie believe they can’t have children and so adopt a newborn baby they call Evie, but then 7 years later after moving to Yorkshire Zoe gets preganant and they have a little boy called Ben.

Then things get good! Evie starts getting letters and gifts from someone claiming to be her real dad and he wants her back and Evie goes missing.....

Is a great book with a fair few twists and turns, quite gripping in parts and had me holding my breath at some points. I’d defo but this book for my friends as they’d really enjoy it. It’s dark and a great thriller! A must read.

If you like a gripping, twisty thrillers then you seriously need to read this book!

This book will keep you guessing until the end. I usually can pick ‘who done it’ before the book tells you but this one had lots of twists and turns.

Zoe and Ollie Morley are a married couple who’ve tried for years to have a baby and couldn’t, so they turned to adoption and their dreams came true when they were approved to adopt a little girl from birth whom they named Evie.

Seven years later the family have moved from London to Yorkshire and with them is baby Ben. A miracle baby and a little brother for Evie. Evie and Ben are both equally loved by the Morley’s. But not everyone believes it!

Evie has a few problems, some of which appear to be caused by her natural mother taking drugs and drinking heavily whilst she was pregnant with her. So, life isn’t always easy for Zoe, and with Ollie absent a lot with his work and she must deal with Evie’s issues on her own. But these are nothing compared to how hard life gets when Evie’s natural father contacts her.

Evie begins to receive gifts from an unknown person claiming to be her Birth Father. At first Evie hides this from her parents, thinking that they will take the presents away. Slowly Evie’s Father begins to poison her mind against her adoptive parents and Evie begins to misbehave, claiming it doesn’t matter what she does because they’re not her ‘real parents’ and Ben is not her ‘real brother’.

When Zoe finds out about the letters and presents she is in a way relieved, because it at least offers an explanation for Evie’s sudden and dramatic change of behaviour but they fear for their daughter as whoever the letters are from are saying that He has been searching for her and says he is coming to take her back.

Their worst fears are realised when 2 year old Ben is rushed to hospital unconscious in an ambulance from Nursery with his mum. Evie is collected from school by her’ real Father’ there then follows a very dark period were all known people in their lives become suspects for one reason or another, testing friendship’s and their marriage beyond all measure and everything they hold dear is challenged.

Zoe tries to work out who could have kidnapped her daughter and tried to poison her son, and when we do reach the truth at the end it is a total shock to both her and the reader. And as you get towards the end of the book you get to see the double meaning to the title.

This book will defiantly pull at your heart strings and you can’t help sympathising with Zoe even if you might not particularly like her!

It’s set on the edge of Ilkley moor in Yorkshire, and there are lots of descriptions of the landscape, and the Yorkshire moors provided a very atmospheric & bleak aspect to the book, and formed a brilliant back drop to the chilling storyline.

This is a book I would highly recommend to book clubs as there are so many different aspects to discuss from this book and it would be interested to hear other people’s take on it.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Zoe and Ollie have a hectic life with their toddler, Ben, and their adopted 7 year old daughter, Evie. Evie is quite a precocious child and a lot of hard work. Zoe meets a fellow artist, Harris, and soon realises that Ollie's absence while working hard is making Zoe reevaluate her feelings and place in their marriage.

Due to an accident, Evie is late in being picked up and when Zoe arrives she isn't there, she has gone home with her father who isn't Ollie. The police are soon involved and everything they hold dear is challenged.

This is certainly a gripping book and I had my nose in it at every opportunity. Really enjoyed it. (less)

Zoe & Ollie longed for a child but after years of trying they turned to adoption. They were thrilled when they were given Evie, a tiny baby whose first few weeks of life were spent recovering from her mother's addictions.

It is seven years later. The family has grown as Zoe gave birth to Ben. They moved to Yorkshire where Zoe revives her painting career whilst caring for her children & husband. But Evie seems to be changing. She seems to increasingly resent her baby brother and her adoptive parents. It comes as a real shock when Ollie & Zoe discover presents & letters from Evie's 'real' Daddy.

When Ben is suddenly taken seriously ill and rushed to hospital Evie is left in the care of the school until she is collected. But who did collect her and where is she now.?

This is a roller coaster of a read. Early on I was pretty sure what is going on-but I don't have a great track record on that! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this. I loved it!

A page-turner from start to finish... Highly recommended.

What an excellent story this is. There are so many twists that it wasn't until the very end that I knew who was at fault. A five star read

Zoe Morley and her husband have been trying for a baby for years without success and decide to adopt a girl who they name Evie. As often happens Zoe then falls pregnant five years later and gives birth to a son, Ben. They move from London to Ilkley in Yorkshire and their new life seems idyllic but cracks appear in their relationship.

Zoe is a painter but finds it difficult to find time to follow her passion as she feels a little trapped between servicing her children’s needs and losing touch with her workaholic husband. It’s a familiar story.

Whilst Ben is a typical 2-year-old, Evie has always been a difficult child. She was born prematurely of a drug-addicted mother so had a difficult start in life. She has taken to playing in one particular spot in the garden and has been secreting notes and toys from her “real” father. When Ben is taken to hospital with life-threatening symptoms, Evie disappears. She has been abducted.

The characters were very well-drawn and it was easy to empathise with both Ollie and Zoe. As a mother of two young children striving to carve out a career as well as run a home, she is stretched to the limit. Ollie is also trying to do his best and works all hours in an attempt to gain a partnership and cement the family’s future. Many of the trials and temptations will be familiar to any reader who has experienced similar pressures.

The pain in losing Evie was palpable. The parents’ despair almost drifted physically off the pages. However, I disliked the family as individuals and Zoe in particular and wanted to give her a slap and shake some sense into her. Despite much preferring to be able to relate to a character or two, I recognised that I could understand and have sympathy with their feelings, given the situation in which they find themselves.

Not many characters come out of the whole story with their reputations intact but this is one reason why the book is so true to life. Lift the lid on any family and it’s easy to find a few dark secrets. It’s not my favourite genre but despite that is well worth its 4 stars.

mr zorg

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

This is an intriguing novel about adoption, and children. Mia is the child of a former drug-addict, who has been adopted by an artist, and her workaholic husband. They also have a son, Ben.
One day, Ben is taken ill, and rushed to hospital, and Mia disappears. It seems like she has been receiving gifts, and cards from her birth father.
However, when she has been missing for five days, her adoptive mother, who has wrongly accused two other people from taking the child, discovers that the birth mother parents have been unknowingly harbouring their now clean daughter, and she is the one who has kidnapped the little girl.
This is a tense and dramatic novel, with every parent's nightmare playing out in plain sight. The poisoning of the little boy, and the disappearance of the little girl makes tense reading, and if you are a parent, awakens deep discomfort, and a longing for everything to turn out right.
The characters are well-drawn, even the policemen and women, and the plot is pacy, , plausible and very tense.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to read this.

I did enjoy most of this book but some parts just seemed to be put in purely to move the plot along so seemed very contrived. I cannot accept that parents in a small village would not be as cautious about who looked after their children as parents in a town or city. The characters failed to convince me too I'm sorry to say. I would still say it's worth a read but what could have been a very good read seemed just to miss the mark.