An emotional journey into mother/child relationships and past trauma and abandonment issues. A woman, Sarah, witnesses a young girl, Emma, being emotionally abused by her mother. Due to her own traumatic childhood, Sarah becomes so attached to the plight of this little girl that she feels a responsibility to kidnap and rescue her. This book delves deeply into emotional aspects from both Sarah’s and Emma’s mother’s point of view and has great discussion value with questions included. Recommended for book clubs.

This was a conflicting and heartbreaking book. This is alternating between the kidnapper (Sarah)and the mother (Amy)with before,during and after sections .

Sarah's childhood maternal abandonment,failed relationship, and want to help Emma is explored.I didn't want to root for her but I couldn't help but empathize with her. Her actions are understandable even if they are recommendable.

Amy is a frazzled wife and mother who is doubting her marriage and decision to have kids. She isn't the most likable of people . She does seem to have some sort of depression which I can empathize with. She is not a nice woman but she is realistic.

I enjoyed much more than I thought I would. These a women fighting their demons and it leads to an unfortunate situation.The ending was both surprising and not.I'm lukewarm on it overall but it does wrap up.

I'd recommend this for fan of women's fiction dealing with mother's and daughters and those who want a more nuanced kidnapping story.

I was sent an offer to read this on netgalley after requesting another book and I am so glad I decided to grab it and read it! This was a very good, but heart wretching read. To follow the journey of Sarah, Amy, and Grace, my heart broke several times. But I recommend everyone to read this book. It was amazing.

Stayed up way too late last night finishing this one but it was so worth it! HIGHLY recommend - once I started, I could not put it down. Preorder this one! The story covers the dynamic relationship between mothers and daughters, abuse, and the choices people make. A great book club book.

Thank you #NetGalley and #StMartinspress for the eARC. This is my honest review.

I was so very excited for this book for the first few chapters, but it kind of stalled out.

This book switches POVs between the mother, and the kidnapper, and it’s quite intriguing. I kept rootin’ for the kidnapper, Which is weird, right?

Anyways, I’m not crazy about how the book ended, theres a lot of information I just need!

I would be curious to see how a second book planned out. I would recommend this book, because I did enjoy it, but it wouldn’t be at the top of my list.

Amy has a life most would love to have, but she just can't find it in herself to embrace it, being a mother isn't what she thought it would be, and her relationship with her husband is on shaky ground most of the time, which leaves her feeling overwhelmed. Most days she can maneuver through her life, but there are days when she downright hates her life, and against her better judgement takes her frustrations out on her young daughter. And those are the days that she is certain motherhood and domesticated life just wasn't meant for her...

Sarah knows what it is like to come from a broken home, and what it feels like to be abandoned by the ones who are supposed to love you, and she wouldn't wish that on her worst enemy. Her mother never seemed to have the motherly touch, and her father tried, but his efforts were always lacking. Then she meets young Emma, and she instantly recognizes the hurt written on the young girls face, it closely resembles the look she has carried for years, and before she really comprehends what she is doing, she kidnaps the young girl with the promise of giving her a better life. The very one she always wished she would have had, she knows what she is doing wrong on some level, but the more time she spends with Emma the more ways she finds to justify her actions...

Not Her Daughter is a haunting tale that follows two women and young child on an unforgettable journey, one is her uncaring biological mother and the other a good intention-ed woman who kidnapped her with the hope of giving her the loving home she deserves. Between the pages of this exquisitely crafted tale you will find a story that pushes you to your breaking point, makes your heart ache, and gives you hope. This is by far one of the best first read my eyes have landed on this year, this powerful story hit me deep, and made me feel the intent behind every word... it was downright astounding! If there is one book you pick up this year, make it this one, you won't be disappointed with what you find!!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Sarah Walker was raised by a distant and uncaring mother. Her dad meant well but was completely oblivious of the deep voids in Sarah’s childhood. Sarah grew up harboring a fear of rejection and abandonment that was so painful; she ended up kidnapping a child who reminded her so much of her own childhood.
That makes it all okay, right? As the events unfold and you read about little Emma Townsend, you just may agree deep down inside even though it’s very immoral (and highly illegal) to act on impulse like Sarah did. So she realizes after an hour or so how serious her mistake is and she returns Emma safely? No. She goes on an across-country run, hiding, changing their appearance, lying and leaving small crumbs of a trail along the way. And Emma is having the time of her life; swimming, spending quality time with an adult who loves her, eating good food, reading, and learning.
Now how does a really talented writer end a book like this? I kept thinking that Rea Frey was writing herself into a corner. Wrong. She took an angle that I didn’t see coming. Read it. Just read it. You’ll think of kids you’ve seen out in public and wished you had done something. I’m neither condoning nor encouraging the fictitious situation, but I did thoroughly enjoy how the events unfolded.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for making it available.)

I received a copy of NOT HER DAUGHTER on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.

Five stars and here's why:

NOT HER DAUGHTER is one of these books that will stay with you for a long time. No joke. I laughed. I cried. I even debated throwing my phone/kindle app against the wall several times. Rea Frey delivers an emotionally gripping read that takes the definition of motherhood and blows it out of the water. Seriously.

I love the premise.

*Sarah: one well-intentioned woman hell-bent on rescuing a little girl from supposed abuse because she experienced the same thing as a child, and couldn’t do anything about her situation, whereas she can most definitely kidnap this little girl and save her from the same fate and heartache.

*Amy: one over-wrought mother who takes out the frustration of her lackluster life, ineffectual husband, and frustrating marriage on her little girl. She’s not quite sure she really wants her back.

*Emma: one sweet little girl caught in the middle.

What could possibly go wrong?

Most of us have been confronted with a situation where we’d like to take the bull by the horns and throw the consequences out with the bathwater. Sarah Walker does just that. From the first page to the very last word, I devoured this story in one sitting. The moral complications will set your heart on fire and your head spinning.

I’ve got a wicked book hangover reading NOT HER DAUGHTER and you will, too. Highly recommend!

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced read in exchange for this review.

Emma is 5 years old. She is lonely. Her mother is cruel. Her father is clueless. This is her life.

Amy is Emma's mom. She is tired. Her life is filled with disappointment, and she has struggled with being a mother.

Sarah is an entrepreneur. And now she is a kidnapper. But is she wrong to "rescue" Emma from her mother?

I struggled with this book. The characters aren't really unlikable. You can feel the struggles that Amy goes through. At the same time, you are rooting for Sarah because you can somewhat understand why she did what she did. However, I found it a little unrealistic, especially the ending. It feels weird that this book sort of advocates for kidnapping a way. I was hoping for a bit more suspense in the story, but I guess the main story here is processing the kidnapping and deciding for yourself if it was wrong.

This book was wild from start to finish. I sympathize with both Sarah and Amy. Sarah just wants to save Emma and save her from the abandonment she experienced. I sympathize with Amy ONLY SLIGHTLY, because motherhood is NOT for everyone, even when you're birthing your own babies. Read, read, read. You will not be disappointed, but rather intrigued and gripped from start to finish.

I truly loved this book. I will recommend it to my friends!

I was a little disappointed in this book. I was excited by the premise but the ending was so unrealistic and anticlimatic that it ruined it for me. Writing was reasonable, it wasn't as suspenseful as I hoped and the "almost" caught moments were nowhere near as nailbiting as I would have liked. Both characters were well written but there were a lot of unfinished secondary character questions left unanswered for me. Don't get me wrong, I did like the book. I definitely wanted to keep reading and will probably read it again, but a little more suspense would have been nice.

When you see a child who has clearly been neglected, abused, what do you do? For Sarah Walker, the answer is clear. You save the child – by kidnapping her. Emma led a miserable life with her mother, so when Sarah took her from a crowded airport, she wasn’t sure if she should be terrified – or relieved. Amy Townsend is Emma’s mother and she knows she’s let her daughter, and herself down. As Emma and Sarah get closer, the search for their whereabouts becomes a nationwide search. And the more time goes on, the less Emma want to return home. And the less sure Amy is that she wants her little girl back at all. This is an amazing story about motherhood, and what makes a mother a mother, and what constitutes not only a family but what is right and what is wrong