Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Not Her Daughter” by Rea Frey is basically the story of three people. Sarah is a 30-something founder of a company that makes age-based toy kits designed for use in schools. She is portrayed as smart, beautiful, and wealthy, having overcome a childhood troubled by an abusive mother who left when she was eight. Amy is an over-stressed wife and mother of two, portrayed as not very attractive, overweight, and someone who never wanted children. Emma is Amy’s five-year-old daughter who is troublesome for Amy but seems like a typical precocious child whose standout feature is her unusual gray eyes.

The characters’ worlds collide when Sarah notices Amy’s family in the airport and sees Amy being very harsh with Emma, being verbally abusive and grabbing Emma harshly. Sarah notices the family primarily because of her own childhood history but goes about her life until she comes across Emma again at a school where she is pitching her company’s products. From that point, Sarah is on a mission to save/protect Emma.

I was completely engaged in this story and invested in finding out how it all ended. Most stories/movies related to children in jeopardy are from the point of view of the child’s family. This one was mainly from Sarah’s point of view, with some chapters dedicated to Amy. I was pulled in by that because I was interested in how the relationship between Sarah and Emma developed and how everything would turn out in the end.

***Spoilers ahead***

There are many reasons I struggle, however, that brought the rating down. Sarah is portrayed as the “good” character, the “savior,” so she’s beautiful, smart, wealthy. Amy is portrayed as the “bad” character so she’s unattractive and obese. Not sure they had to be characterized that way.

I understand that Sarah related to Emma because of what she sees as their shared childhood, but she is a kidnapper...a criminal with the financial means to give Emma a life that Amy and her husband can’t afford. And she refuses to go to the authorities because she feels that Emma will just end up in foster care or back with her mother and that she can offer Emma a better life. So she is judge and jury, but we’re supposed to view her as the good guy.

Early in the book, when Sarah first takes Emma, her first hideout is a cabin that her ex-boyfriend owns. At one point, her ex shows up and he gives her an ultimatum. Return Emma within 48 hours or he’ll report her to the authorities. He follows the news, so he must know that Sarah did not return Emma. We assume (as does Sarah) that he reported her because a cop shows up at the cabin, but the cop believes Sarah’s story that her ex was just trying to make trouble because they still co-own the cabin. At this point, she has already dyed and cut her hair, so the cop should take note of her physical traits as well as running her license plate since he noticed her car. But he doesn’t notice the booster seat in the car? Also, as months go by and Sarah continues to stay in touch with her employees, how do the police not have a search underway for Sarah?

At the end of the book, Sarah comes to the realization that she has to take Emma back, that she can’t keep running. But Emma doesn’t want to go back. Sarah calls Amy and tells her that she found Emma and tried to bring her home, that she’s willing to take Emma in and give her a home. Amy tells Sarah to keep Emma. Did neither one of them consider the fact that Emma’s father might want her back?

The epilogue is the only chapter from Emma’s point of view one year later. She and Sarah are living together happily but still on the run. They have a code word in case they have to move on quickly, but for now Emma has friends and is about to start school. The ending fell a little flat for me. They’re using their same names, and no one has identified Sarah? I just find it hard to believe.

As I said, I was engaged by the story. I think some people will love this and some will hate it. It just didn’t live up to its potential for me.

Read Frey had me questioning my own personal opinions in Not My Daughter right from the start to the brilliant, yet heartbreaking ending.
This is a troubling story of a woman that should never have have been a mother, with a beautiful daughter, young son and husband who was oblivious to the turmoil in his family.
A chance encounter at an airport bring this to the attention of a young professional woman that is shocked and heartbroken at the sight of the physical abuse of the beautiful daughter the mother inflicts on the daughter.
This chronicles the decision on how to change this little girls life and the ramifications of everyone involved.
Five stars!

Is it possible to love a story about kidnapping? I honestly didn't think so but Not Her Daughter proved me wrong. The plot was gripping and thrilling. I couldn't put it down once is started. I love when an author can pull off the past and current timeline effortlessly. Rea Frey does a great job at blending the two timelines together. This was a great read that I couldn't put down. I loved how the story played out and it made me care enough to hate and love characters.

I didn't care for this book. A woman snatches a little girl to save her from an abusive mother and is on the lam with her. The biological mother is releived the girl is gone because she doesn't like her. In the end, the kidnapper calls the mother and asks If she can keep her. The mother agrees. She's divested herself of both of her children since her ex got full custody of her son. The overall premise of this book is just preposterous. No one even addresses that the father may have wanted his daughter back.
I don't like to bash books, but this one was a wasted read.

I could not put this book down! There are a lot of books out there right now about husbands and wives having secrets, etc. and the unique plot of this book was the long drink of water I needed. I was shocked to find myself cheering Sarah on as she plotted to kidnap Emma, an innocent abused girl. Frey switches viewpoints throughout which helps the reader truly get inside that character and understand why they are who they are. I highly recommend this well-written fast-paced book to any fiction lover!

This book had me hooked from the first page. What a wonderfully weird angle to come from. I don't want to give away the storyline too much, but I have never rooted for the 'baddie' so much when reading a book before.

Emma is a special little girl, who is getting shortchanged by her mother. Someone needs to step up to the mark and take care of her.

Sarah has her own maternal, abandonment issues. She knows what it is like to have a bad mother. This story touched my heart and portrays just how a negative parent can impact the child so much.

How can one woman get so much joy from a little girl while another get so frustrated by her?

The novel explores mental health issues and how they can feed into how women see themselves as mother figures; the pressures they feel and the lack of self when becoming a mother.

What would you do if the same young girl keeps popping into your life and you witness the emotional and verbal abuse she's subjected to by her mother?

Well, Sarah plans to take that girl and never look back.

An implausible story at times, it switches back and forth between before, during, and after the kidnapping from Sarah’s point of view and Amy’s (the mother) point of view.

Poignant at times, it was still unsettling at best (and not in a bad way). I desperately wanted the best for Emma, but I couldn’t figure out exactly what that was.

Great writing and characters; a solid 3 Star book.

OMG! I couldn't put this book down! It evoked all my emotions: love, fear, joy, anger. I read it in record time because I couldn't wait to find out how the author would resolve the drama.

Not Her Daughter is about moms and daughters. It's about finding love, and losing love. It's about right and wrong. The main character, Sarah, decides to take a difficult situation into her own hands, even though it's not her place to do that. The story bounces back and forth between two main characters, as is popular in many contemporary novels. Because of this style of writing, Rea Frey allows her readers to focus in on the psyche of two very contrasting "moms". I was surprised by the ending, and not totally comfortable with it, but I think that may be one of the reasons I loved this book so much.

Highly recommend!

Not Her Daughter by Rea Frey was a fantastic read. The story grabbed my interest immediately, with the plot development and the writing quality holding it through to the end. I'll be purchasing duplicate copies of this title for my library, and will be sharing it readily during readers' advisory conversations with patrons.

As I began to read “Not Her Daughter” I started to feel like this would be another book that I just couldn’t get into. However, after reading a “Before” and a “During” I was hooked. Rea Frey has a way with her words and a creative mind that the story will just draw you in and before you know it you’ve been up all night reading. I honestly could not put the book down- reading every second I could into the wee hours of the morning just to see what was going to happen next. This story is beautifully written in a format you do not normally see. Heart-wrenching at times, you feel for each women and the demons from their past they are fighting. As I got further into the story I found myself wondering who I would be if this were my life. You will think of kids you might have seen out in public and wished you had done something instead of just quietly judging their parents. Also, after reading this story I completely think differently about the AMBER alerts I’ve seen. Is the child that is “missing” better off being gone and not with their parents? I think this book would make a great Book Club book. So many thought provoking situations that would make for a great discussion.

(I received this title free as an e-book from NetGalley, but all opinions in this review are my own.)

Never in a million years did I think I would be rooting for a kidnapper, but thats how I felt the entire book. This one kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and I could not wait to finish it to see how it ended! 5 stars!

Accessible and thought provoking, this is an outstanding novel that's bound to generate lots of discussion. I loved it.

This story let me on my toes the entire time reading. You think you root for the mother and then you find yourself rooting for Sarah. In the mist of the chaos, the challenges you see arise from a mother struggling to find her identity without being judged and a woman who thought she could have it all- you realize you are rooting for everyone. A great book!

I want to first say thank you to netgalley as well as the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book before it was published for an honest review!!

This story hit home in many ways for me. Not because I was abused or kidnapped but I kne someone who was. This story starts with Sarah walking away with Emma whom she had just taken from her parents. The story is told by Sarah as well as the child’s mother Amy who you will most likely learn to hate as the story unfolds. The writer draws you in from the beginning and allows the story to be told from before during, and after. The sequence of the time frame could not have been any better and the story was a very easy read. By that I mean it is very easy to follow along as well as the story itself being one that makes sense and brings out many emotions from the reader. This is I believe the first novel from this author and she hit the mark with this one. I cannot wait to read other books by Rea Frey. Her writing is unique and honest. I do not want to give away the story but I found myself gripped by this one. The ending brought the whole story together perfectly. I think this is a must read for anyone who enjoys books by Lisa Scottoline or Gillian Flynn.

I really struggle with how best to review this book. The positive is that it was immensely readable; I finished it in less than 24 hours, and was interested enough to keep going until I found out how it is resolved. I expected so much more, considering the many breathless reviews gushing about how amazing and powerful this book is. Honestly, I'm wondering if I read the same book, because I was frankly disturbed by much of it.

30-something Sarah is a brilliantly successful business owner (because of course she is) who is said to look like Anne Hathaway (because, again, of course she does) and is coming off of a devastating breakup. Her mother had been distant and vaguely neglectful, and eventually abandoned her one day. Sarah sees five-year-old Emma in an airport one day with her mother, who is clearly stressed, angry, and frustrated. She sees Emma again weeks later, again sees Emma's mother, Amy, seeming to be an unfit mother. So Sarah kidnaps Emma, to "save" her. They travel across the country, attempting to evade detection, and of course, Emma blossoms with Sarah and the two love each other.

Amy, meanwhile, is written to be the exact opposite of Sarah. We are told, repeatedly, of her anger and hatred and disappointment in her life. We are also repeatedly told how physically unattractive she is. She's obese. Her face is pockmarked from every childhood malady the author could apparently think to throw at someone. She's gassy and yet doesn't poop very often. (Why do we need to know this, except to make Amy out to be the most disgusting creature who ever walked the earth?) She loves cheese, for some inexplicable reason, and we're treated to Amy stuffing her face with cheese throughout the book. (Sarah, of course, being the saintly character she is, eats things like bison burgers and tofu and omelets.) And there's a whole sequence about Amy being hypnotized to discover her past lives (what??), which of course, were evidently all terrible people too. Amy hates being a mother, and yet, she still feels grief and anguish at the loss of her daughter. It's the one redeeming characteristic she has.

I was honestly disturbed at how cruel this book was to mothers in general. Yes, moms are not typically borderline abusive, as Amy was. But almost every mother I know does get stressed or frustrated or angry. Almost every mother I know feels trapped or scared or like they're at their breaking point sometimes. Every mother I know feels like they're doing a not-good-enough job, and goes to sleep at night thinking, tomorrow, I'll be better. Really, moms are a lot more like Amy, except for the fact that the author chose to make Amy the worst human being to ever walk the planet.

Why do I bring that up, though? Because there is NO consideration given to the real stresses and hardships (and yes, the positives) of motherhood. There's no sympathy or sensitivity to a mother who is struggling. Sarah is perfect. Amy is terrible. And that's it. A mother who is struggling is not fit and it's better for her child to be kidnapped, because biology is meaningless. That's the moral of this story. And it's frankly offensive -- not to mention that perfect, beautiful, rich Sarah doesn't have to work or juggle sleepless nights with an infant or pay bills or do... anything. Except play with Emma and travel across the country. Of COURSE it will be easier for her! But again, there's no consideration there for the fact that Amy is sleep deprived, working an office job, in a loveless marriage, and struggling with her own inadequacies as a mother. I honestly wonder if the author has children, and if she does, I have a feeling that she would be the mom sniffing haughtily in the corner at PTA meetings because someone dared to bring store-bought cookies instead of spending hours of time on a homemade masterpiece, or gasping in horror because a parent raised their voice at their child, ever -- you know, the sanctimommy who is so sure she's better than all the other (normal) moms out there.

This could have, in theory, been a good book. But the insanely lopsided characterization of the two women made that impossible. It's like, ok, I get it. We are supposed to love St. Sarah while deploring Evil Amy. But... what good book is ever that transparent and one-dimensional? And don't even get me started on how far-fetched pretty much everything about the plot itself was. It completely defies any reality to believe that Sarah would be 1. reported by her ex, by name, to have specifically kidnapped Emma, 2. that she would be pulled over or questioned multiple times by police and never be caught, 3. IDed multiples times and never be caught, 4. sell her old car through legal channels and buy a new one after her license plate was noted multiple times by cops, and still not get caught... really, I could keep going. It's absolutely ludicrous. And yet we're clearly meant to hate Amy and root for Sarah the whole way through.

I wish I could recommend this book, but unfortunately, I just can't.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book engaging but struggled through most of it as I had a hard time suspending reality and believing the main character would actually do what she did and that it would end the way it ended. Having said that I will say the writing was good and even with that struggle I kept reading and wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for an honest review.

Not Her Daughter is a whirlwind of an unbelievable tale, a tale that becomes almost believable as it unfolds.

Emma Grace Townsend, age 5, is a child abused by her mother. One night, she disappears, kidnapped by Sarah, who has some unfinished business with her own mother. She flees with Emma, who is apparently so happy to be freed from what was definitely a miserable existence, that she goes with this stranger. They spend a year traveling the country, getting to know and love each other, and keeping one step ahead of the law until Emma’s mother becomes the prime suspect in what law enforcement believes is Emma’s murder.

Throughout this book, I questioned Sarah’s sanity, but the story is not quite as far fetched as it often seems. There is a dramatic and surprising ending, which I will neither reveal nor hint at.

This is a well written book with excellent character development, allowing the reader to delve deeply into the rather sordid nature of many of the characters. I must confess I could not put the book down. Despite the premise, which I frankly found ludicrous, it’s a spellbinding narrative. Sometimes you just have to suspend disbelief and let the story take you on it’s wild ride.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. I would definitely like to read more by Rea Frey.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel.
“Not Her Daughter” is the first fiction novel by author, Rea Frey, and what a debut it is!
Sarah is a young entrepreneur, struggling after a breakup with her long-time boyfriend. As she tries to get on with her life, she comes across a young girl, Emma, with beautiful grey eyes and a bow in her hair, while waiting at the airport. Sarah continues to be haunted by the image of the young girl, and when she keeps accidentally bumping into the same child, Sarah knows that there is a reason this child keeps crossing her path. When she observes Emma being abused by her mother, Sarah takes it upon herself to make a decision that changes her world, and Emma’s, forever.
“Not Her Daughter” is both compulsively addictive and satisfyingly entertaining. The story is told in both “before” and “after” segments, from the viewpoint of Sarah, Emma and Amy (Emma’s mother). Although normally a difficult structure, I had no problem following the plot and in fact, found the novel written in this way made it far more suspenseful.
All of the characters in this novel are well-developed, and they all have their likable traits that encourage a fast bond with the reader. The plot builds, and continues to grip a reader’s attention from the beginning. I was thoroughly intrigued by the constant action and suspense.
Beautifully written, “Daughter” had the possibility to end up in a variety of different ways (and I speculated on many of them as I read the novel, trying to guess the ending), however the ending itself, although satisfying, was exceptionally unbelievable. I did enjoy how the novel played out, and found justice in its final pages, but I had a hard time believing in the sequence of events at the end. Maybe a reader who is a parent can give me some feedback on this one.....
Frey is a fantastic fiction writer, and “Daughter” is both creative and enjoyable. Her turn to fiction was a wise choice indeed and I am excited to read what Frey comes up with next!

Thank you Netgalley for a copy!
This was a great read....I highly recommend it!!!
I don’t want to give anything away but you realize reading this that somethings aren’t always as clear cut as they seem. I found myself rooting for Sarah and as a mother I would never have thought I could form this opinion of someone who made the choices she made.
I found this book to be very well written, it flowed perfectly. One of those books that you don’t want to put down.....and I didn’t, I read it in one day.
I had not heard of Rea Frey, and I am looking forward to checking out her other work!

Wow, this book was hard to put down! I like the way the author told the story from different character's voices. Discovering the backgrounds of Sarah and Amy by using the before and during timetable added to the depth of the story. This is a new author for me and I'm looking forward to reading other books by her. Highly recommended!