I am a huge Kerry Wilkinson fan and was very eager to get my hands on this book. While it’s not a choppy and quick as some of his previous books this one builds very slowly and you start to get an inkling that something is not quite what you are being led to think it is.
The story centres on Olivia Adams who was abducted from her family when she was just 6 years old. Thirteen years later she walks back into the village where she used to live to try and piece together her childhood and find her family. Her mother instantly believes who she is but her new stepfather and step brother are not quite so easy to convince.
Then you meet Lily and hear about the last 19 years of her life and what she has had to endure. Slowly the two stories are knitted together to a fantastic ending. This book, as with all the rest of Kerry's books are well worth a read

Not only does Kerry Wilkinson write the immensely popular Detective Jessica Daniel series but edge of your seat thrillers too! Thirteen years ago Olivia disappeared from her backyard garden and now she is back or is she? I enjoyed this story with all it's twists from beginning to end! Highly recommend!

The Girl Who Came Back was an absorbing and very original read in my opinion telling the story of 5 year old Olivia who disappears without a trace from her own back garden. Over time and with no resolution, Olivia's parents Sarah and Dan find their marriage irretrievably broken and move on separately as best they can. Sarah re-marries and has a son whilst Dan never really recovers from the loss of his daughter. 13 years after her disappearance however Olivia walks back into their lives, safe and well - or does she?
The main storyline concerns the return of Olivia and her mother's unquestioning belief that this is indeed her daughter when others around her are less than sure. The is another storyline running parallel regarding Lilly, a girl who lives alone with her father following the death of her mother. Of course both storylines are connected but it is fairly deep into the book before this connection is made.
It is fair to say that I was kept guessing right until the end and the plot is so cleverly done that every page has you changing your mind about a character.
A fantastic read and many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley UK for the advance review copy - 5 stars!

I loved everything about this book! Kerry Wilkinson is one of my all-time favourite authors, although primarily the Jessica Daniels series rather than his standalone books.

Gritty, emotional and twisty - this book has everything you need for a great binge reading session.

Thanks to Bookouture for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl Who Came Back by Kerry Wilkinson
Publisher: Bookouture

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bookouture for the ebook ARC of The Girl Who Came Back by Kerry Wilkinson in exchange for an honest review.

Olivia Adams goes missing thirteen years ago. Now she is back … or is she? In the small community of Stoneridge, six year old; Olivia went missing from her back garden. How could a child just vanish in the middle of this small English village.
Thirteen years later, Olivia is back, her mother is sure of it, but other people in the small village, are not convinced that it is actually Olivia. If it’s actually Olivia, where has she been all this time. Then there are some people that would rather Olivia stayed missing.
Some secrets must remain buried , the past is the past.

I give this book a rating of 4 stars. It was very well written and kept me wanting to read. It was hard to put down. This was the second book I have read by Kerry Wilkinson, and I really like her style of writing. I highly recommend this book.

A tense, sharp thriller that kept me turning the pages. Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC.

Fairly good story, quite strong characters but I felt it lacked something.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is very suspenseful and keeps you wondering up until the very end. The story begins with a young woman who claims she is the lost daughter of Sarah. She supposedly disappeared when she was a little girl and was presumed dead.

There is a subplot about a girl's life named "Lily". The reader is thrown back into time to look at her life as she was growing up.

I will not say how these two are connected, but I will say that the author did a great job of pulling off the plot of this book!

Awesome story. Can’t wait to read more from this author!!!

Fast-paced thriller about a six-year-old who disappears and how her disbanded family reacts when she reappears as a teenager 7 years later.

A five star winner for any fan of this genre. Definitely one of the best books of the year.

At six years old Olivia Adams vanished. Search efforts were great and still nothing turned up in regards to her whereabouts. Everyone she ever knew thinks she's dead. Thirteen years later she returns...

Olivia is welcomed with mostly open arms. Her mother's new husband and his brother, however, aren't so sure she is who she claims to be. The major question on everyone's mine though is where she's been. While Olivia obliges those close to her, she timid about telling her story to anyone else.

A story that tests the bonds between parents and children, as well as, husband and wife. Twists and turns that will have you trying to figure out what is reality right up until the end. Definitely a book worth reading.

I loved The Girl Who Came Back.
A great psychological thriller that hooked me from the first few pages and a great twist that I did not see coming. I could not put this book down.

This was the second book that I have read by this author, and yes, he definitely remains on my TBR list!

In this book, Olivia was 6 years old when she went missing. It's now thirteen years later and she's back. Upon her return, she finds her mother remarried to TweedleDum, Mack, and his shadow (brother) TweedleDick, Ashley. Whenever you see one brother, you see the other. Ten years in age difference and someone in this pair has not grown up. Ha!! She also finds her father, an alcoholic recluse who the whole village blames for Olivia's disappearance.

I can tell you that there was one person in this book that I could not stand. The author did a great job portraying him as an arse.

The twists are there, but you really don't see them and connect all the dots until the ending. This was a great read that I could not put down. Definitely thrilling and entertaining!

Thanks to Bookouture and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

This book is a twisty, turny psychological thrilled and just when you think you know what happened, you discover that you don't. Olivia Adams went missing at age six from her home's back garden in the English countryside. Thirteen years later, she is back - but is it really her? Author Kerry Wilkinson creates characters that are equal parts engaging, damaged and authentic. Past and present collide as readers learn more about the initial disappearance and present day life for Olivia, her parents, her friends and the extended community. This is a compelling story about family, truth and forgiveness. The Girl Who Came Back is perfectly paced with reveals and twists that keep you reading to the completely unexpected final pages.

Olivia went missing 13 years ago, just 6 years old she vanishes without a trace. Her parents marriage falls apart and the small village they live in is left with fear and a tragic legacy. But now a girl turns up, claiming to be Olivia. Her mother is certain this is her lost child but others are suspicious.

I'm pretty new to Kerry Wilkinson books but I haven't been disappointed by any yet. This is a taut and engrossing psychological thriller, which pulls you in from page 1. The only criticism for me really is that it was very easy to suss out where it was heading. But it's so well written it almost doesn't matter, it's a great journey from beginning to end.

Thirteen years ago six year old Olivia went missing from her back garden. in a quiet village. What became of her is a mystery. Her disappearance broke up her parents marriage. Her mother eventually remarried & tried to move on. Sarah now has another husband and a small child. When a girl arrives in her cafe & says she is Olivia, Sarah is overjoyed. Her stepfather and his brother is not pleased to see her.Is Olivia all she seems? The story also switches to Lily- what does she have to do with Olivia?

This book kept me guessing. At times I was convinced that Olivia was not all she seemed; at others I believed her story. I was not expecting the last third of the story! I love it when an author completely, but believably brings me up short!

Definitely five stars- thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to be surprised!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance copy of The Girl Who Came back in exchange for an honest review. I am a huge fan of Kerry Wilkinson and I've read and loved all of his books to date so I couldn't wait to read The Girl Who Came Back. This book is based on every parent's worst nightmare a little 6 year old named Olivia disappeared from her back-yard garden and now 13 years later out of the blue she is back!!!! Or is she????? This is a fantastic read that will keep you gripped and guessing the whole way through!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* The cover of the novel succinctly describe the plot the novel - 'Thirteen years ago, Olivia Adams went missing. Now she's back... or is she?' Little Olivia was happily playing in her backyard, when her father ducked inside briefly. The little girl disappeared, seemingly without a trace. Thirteen years later, a young woman turns up in the village Stoneridge, claiming to be long-lost Olivia Adams. The family Olivia was ripped away from more than a decade ago has crumbled, her parents divorced and mother remarried with a second child. All is not as it seems, however. 'The Girl Who Came Back' was en enjoyable, suspenseful novel.

A six-year-old girl is taken from her family’s garden in a very small town. She comes back as an adult years later in an attempt to reunite with her family. Naturally this is the dream of any parent who’s child has gone missing. After so many years the hope for their return still exists, but as the author points out in her book, the hope becomes unrealistic. The Girl Who Came Back is a telling of a child who survives a rough childhood without her biological parents until she is an adult and can find them on her own.
The Girl Who Came Back Cover
In chapter one, Kerry Wilkson throws you into the monumental moment of mom and daughter being reunited. We don’t know any of the circumstances of Olivia Adams’ disappearance. I admit that I would have liked more from this moment. Placing myself in Sarah’s position, I imagine I would react much more intensley to the return of my missing child. Mom to mom, I related to Sarah. It took her just a moment to realize she was looking at her own daughter. In an instant, she knew her daughter had returned. Things only get more interesting as the story progresses from here.

Everyone knows everything in a small town.

Olivia’s disappearance made her an unfortunate icon of her tiny town. A memorial was placed in a tree at the school, kids were warned that if they weren’t careful that they could end up like Olivia. Even children born after her kidnapping “knew” who she was. So of course the question now is, what happened?

I was suspicious of Olivia because after telling her story to her mother, she doesn’t tell it again. When questioned by the police Olivia prefers to keep silent about her story. She isn’t a criminal and can’t be forced to tell, yet that begs the question, why keep it a secret? She develops a relationship with her mother despite not wanting to pursue criminal charges against those who kidnapped her; however, it is much more troubling with her step-dad.

Step-dad and his brother are suspicious of who she is and why she has returned. They don’t have a motherly connection to Olivia so they are not so keen to welcome her into the family. This causes reader suspicion around Olivia and definitely around the brother who is overly aggressive towards her.

I admit, I thought I had it all figured out by Chapter Two.

Call me a know-it-all, but I’ve read so many books that I tend to find themes and hints that point to the end before it happens. I was wrong this time. CLOSE, but still wrong. This is a book that kept me up till 1:00 am “turning” the pages (kindle). That is quite a feat because I value my sleep. If you are looking for a gripping story with more than one jaw-dropping surprise, read The Girl Who Came Back.