A 15 year long nightmare

I've been a big fan of author Fielding's books for a long time and SHE'S NOT THERE is a new favorite of mine.

Caroline Shipley's husband, Hunter, took her and their two young daughters to Mexico 15 years ago to celebrate their 10th anniversary. There ends up being a crowd there to celebrate and one night they leave their young daughters sleeping in their room while they go right outside for their anniversary dinner. And the very worst happens - two year-old Samantha disappears without a trace.

The story alternates between current day and 15 years ago and the transitions are handled quite well.

The story is mainly about Caroline Shipley and how horribly she suffered - divorce, media persecution, persecution by law enforcement, and the worst dysfunctional family ever. She gets a call one day from a girl claiming to be Samantha and the story proceeds from there.

There were a lot of characters I disliked including Caroline for part of the book. She's got a Mommy Dearest mother, a bum of a brother, a snarky teen daughter, an ex philanderer husband and the list actually goes on.

But the story was well written. It kept my interest all the way through to the final page. And it had enough twists and turns in it that I didn't figure out whodunit until it was spelled out to me at the end of the story.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of mysteries, thrillers, and family dramas.

NOTE: I received this book from Bonnier Zaffre through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

Joy Fielding writes great books about complex relationships - and she has done it again. I hate to give away the plot or ruin any of the story so I will simply say, pick up this book and submerge yourself is this psychological thriller that will keep you guessing to the end!!!

I love Joy Fieldings books and could not wait to read this book and it did not let me down it was amazing and I read it in one sitting just brilliant
The detail and the story line had me hooked from the start and it had so much mixed emotions that really made you feel for Caroline.

Fifteen years ago while on holiday to celebrate their anniversary, Caroline and Hunter and their two daughters go to Mexico. While celebrating their anniversary, with their family and friends. Samantha their youngest daughter vanishes from her crib.

So you get to see the investigation that happened at the time and now so you can see that Caroline has never given up hope that samantha will be found. Michelle Caroline's other daughter does not seem to get on with her mother at all which adds more pressure that Caroline does not need

I did not like Hunter from the start and he only stayed a week after Samantha goes missing while Caroline stays for longer. You can see the cracks in their marriage and you think it is down to their daughter going missing but as the book goes on Hunters secrets come out and you get to see what kind of person he really is.

There is a happy ending with a twist you would never see coming and it makes you think that if you can't trust your family who can you trust.

All throughout the book there are hidden clues to what actually happened that night and I admit I did not know how significant they are until the end.

This book had it all and it was very emotional and heartfelt from start to finish and when everything works out it's just perfect. If I could give it more then 5 stars I would.

Upon reading the blurb, I instantly thought of the tragic true life kidnapping of Madeleine McCann, a three year old girl who vanished from the family's holiday apartment in Portugal whilst her parents were out to dinner at a nearby restaurant. This year marks the ten year anniversary of her disappearance. According to Google ( thanks Google :)), police have recorded thousands of potential sightings of Maddie since she went missing. I can only imagine what a roller coaster of an emotional ride her parents must go through each time they get their hopes up only to find them shattered with another false lead.

She's Not There revolves around Caroline and her husband Hunter, who were happily married, blessed with two young daughters, Michelle and Samantha. They had a good life and had reason to celebrate their ten year anniversary with friends at a holiday resort in Mexico. Events take a tragic and life-altering turn when Samantha is taken from their hotel suite whilst the children were left sleeping as their parents were downstairs celebrating their anniversary, agreeing to check on them every half-hour after the babysitter was strangely cancelled.

The story is told in the past and present from Caroline's point of view. Fifteen years have passed and Caroline is still suffering the torture of not knowing what happened to Samantha. When she receives a phone call from a teenage girl saying she thinks she may be Samantha, after seeing a press released sketch of what Samantha could likely look like on the fifteenth anniversary of her disappearance, dare Caroline get her hopes up again or is this yet another dead end?

Joy Fielding does an amazing job in placing the reader in the shoes of a family going through a tragedy such as this, depicting the daily struggles I had not even considered in such a situation: public scrutiny and judgment; harassment by the press particularly on each anniversary of the disappearance; leads that raise your hopes only to have them shattered once again; how relationships within the family suffer as a result.

But the author also does a brilliant job in making this story her own, with an array of characters, some that I really warmed up to and others that made me want to hit over the head, and a suspenseful storyline that had me hooked! Although I may have worked out some of the smaller things before the big reveal, I certainly was gobsmacked when the shocking truth finally came out about what really happened that fateful night fifteen years ago.

Well done to the author on creating this eye-opening, addictive and suspenseful read, it ticked all the right boxes for me! I will certainly be on the lookout for more by Joy Fielding.

Many thanks to the author, Bonnier Zaffre and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. The pleasure was all mine.

Caroline Shipley has never recovered from the disappearance of her two year old daughter. Her ten year marriage has dissolved and her relationship with her remaining daughter leaves a lot to be desired.

Caroline's life has been haunted by the guilt she has had since the night of her daughters disappearance. At her husband, Hunter's insistence, they left their daughters alone whilst they went out for their tenth wedding anniversary meal, just a few floors down from their room.

This scenario is going to draw obvious comparisons to Madeline McCanns disappearance, but this is an exceptional and emotional fictional novel, not a rehash of TV reports from years gone by, or conspiracy theories.

Every year on the anniversary of Samantha's disappearance, Caroline's hopes are built up by press speculation that her daughter is still alive, or even worse some stranger calls, claiming to be Samantha.

The fifteenth anniversary of Samantha's disappearance is no exception, but this time Caroline vows not to get caught up in the media circus. She needs to concentrate on her relationship with her other daughter, Michelle, a troubled young woman, no doubt affected by her unintentionally dysfunctional childhood.

When Lili calls claiming to be Samantha, Caroline's first instinct is to slam the phone down. But there is something in Lili's tone that makes Caroline stay on the line. The young girl is obviously petrified, those around her convincing her she bears a striking resemblance to the latest photograph released of what Samantha might look like now.

Not only that but she never feels like she fitted in to her own family. A typical teenager some could argue. But Lili spent a lot of time moving around when she was young, her family not allowed radio, television or internet access.

Does Caroline dare to believe that Lili could be Samantha, or is this just another cruel hoax?

This is the first Joy Fielding novel that I've read, but it certainly won't be the last.

For the past 15 years Caroline Shipley has been haunted by the disappearance of her 2 year old daughter Samantha. Her family was town apart by the kidnapping. Now she has received a phone call from a young girl who thinks she might be her missing daughter. Is it another con, there have been others over the years who have claimed to be Samantha, or could it really be Samantha.

This book goes back and forth between past events and the present. There are some really unlikeable characters in this book. I found myself wanting to reach into the pages and slap a couple of them! It is a compelling story with a lot of suspense along with emotional drama that kept me turning the pages. Is the young girl really the missing child or a con artist. I guessed part of the twist at the end of the book, but didn’t figure out the details til the author revealed them. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Great mystery! This book was a bit slow at times but overall was still a great book.Once you start reading you can't stop .Was Samantha really Samantha or a fake?Loved the twist at the end.

I did not like this book. I have never read a Joy Fielding book before so I can't compare to other writings. Is this a blip or her natural way of writing. I found the characters to be extremes and not well-thought out or complex enough to push you through to the ending. After the same writing over and over, I skipped a big chunk to see if her writing got more interesting but it didn't. I finished it and the ending was a surprise ending, I'll say that for her.

I'm sorry to leave it at that but there just isn't more to say.

This book intrigued me right from the beginning -- a child disappears from a hotel room while her parents are having dinner downstairs. Clearly, based on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007 while her parents were on holiday. The story is from the mother's perspective, Caroline Shipley, and weaves back and forth from the present day to back when Samantha was taken and the repercussions that caused.
In real life, Madeleine's case, of course, remains unsolved, but this story had a wholly satisfying ending. The final reveal wasn't a huge surprise as there were hints in the story about what happened to Samantha, even though there were also enough red herrings to make you think of other scenarios. What I particularly found interesting were the mother's guilt and the sister having to live in the shadow of a sibling that wasn't there. At first, in fact, both mother and daughter (the remaining one, Michelle, that is) irritate you, because the mother is such a martyr ("everything is my fault") and the daughter such a brat, but as the story unravels, you see them as well-rounded characters. In fact, even though she's wholly annoying most of the time, Michelle, ends up being the sensible one, the one who's trying to look out for her mother, albeit in her typical bratty teenager way.
If I were to nitpick, I'd say the only things I didn't like in the story were:
1. How Caroline Shipley recalls the day that Samantha disappeared 15 years later. I can never understand how, in stories, people remember minute details of what happened years ago.
2. Why would the disappearance of an American child make headlines around the world?
(Thank you to NetGalley for a review copy.)

I enjoyed this book it did seem to follow the mystery of the disappearance of madeline McCann. The author gave you a real feel for the characters and some I loved and some I really took a dislike to. The book flowed well and had an ending I did not anticipate. I really felt for Michelle being the remaining child and the shadow she lived with. Well written enjoyable engaging book

I was given an ARC of She's Not There by NetGalley for an honest review and this is my review.
This was emotionally charged thriller with a end that makes your mouth drop open and say "I did not see that one coming". I enjoyed this storyline and the characters where all very well written and likable. I loved the ending and how it shocked me. This is another great thriller by Joy Fielding that you will not be able to put put down.
She's Not There gets four out of five stars

I found the plot to be strong with interesting characters and realistic dialogue. The suspense carried throughout the book, holding my interest to the end. I enjoyed the read and recommend it to others.

Lots of twists and turns obvious similarities to Madeleine McCann story but l felt the “baddy” was well hidden - yes good book

Joy Fielding has a knack of drawing you into her stories until you just cant put the book down, until you find out what has happened. This is no exception. Brilliant read!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bonnie Zaffre for allowing me to read this in return for my honest review. This is the first time I have read this author, Joy Fielding, and I was drawn to the novel because of the Madeleine McCann disappearance in Portugal some years ago.

It is a great read and by switching between the present day and what happened on the past the author keeps the plot alive and intriguing. Caroline and Hunter's daughter, Samantha, disappears from their hotel room on the evening of their ten-year wedding anniversary dinner with friends in Mexico. As the story unfolds all is not as it seems on the surface between this group of friends.

The plot is intricate and the many twists and turns kept me guessing right up to the end. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.

Joy Fielding's novels are gripping and tightly woven into stories that grab ahold and do not let go until the very end.

This is a chilling and scary novel about a child’s disappearance and the forces that led to it. Excellently written to draw you into the emotional milieu of a mother trying to cope with the maybe’s of a kidnapped child finding her and what if’s if it is real. And the hard discovery of the true story of the child's disappearance.

I love Joy Fielding!!! I am not sure I have read a book of hers that I did not like. This one was no different. Her writing style and plot sucks you in and you just can't stop reading. Always enjoy how twisty the story is too.

This book was fantastic I loved everything about it. The characters were likeable and the storyline was interesting enough to keep me engaged and wanting more. A hard book to put down. Really well written, a real page turner. Well deserved 5 stars.

She's Not There by Joy Fielding was a thriller that kept me engaged from the first page. A young child is kidnapped from the hotel room while on a family holiday. Fifteen years later a teenage girl contacts the family to say that she thinks she is the missing child. I found this book very moving and full on suspense. I could not put it down. I would like to thank NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Very suspenseful! I couldn’t put it down after I started reading it. Joy Fielding does an excellent job of capturing the emotions that the family goes through and it’s a very well written story. I had never heard of this author before this book and I can’t wait to read more of her work.