I really like the idea behind this novel. Charlotte is looking after Alice for her friend – something Harriet never usually allows. Alice is nervous, timid, shy, a bit like her mum. Charlotte, on the other hand, seems confident, sociable, the opposite of Harriet.

She takes her eyes off Alice for a few minutes – and Alice is gone.

This is the part of the novel that really interested me – Charlotte’s reaction, her guilt and distress. We can all imagine how dreadful we would feel, and the way Charlotte reacts is portrayed really well. And Harriet’s reaction too is really convincing. It would be so hard to forgive someone in those circumstances. That’s the stuff of a really gripping tale.

But that’s not what this story is. There’s more to Alice’s disappearance than meets the eye. And that’s where, for me, the story fell down. Without giving too much away, when the ‘twist’ was revealed, I was left feeling a bit confused, because the character’s story up until then, her reactions and emotions, hadn’t led to this. And while it’s the mark of a good twist that you’re shocked and surprised, then there’s the dawning realisation when you think back on what you’ve read and remember little things that pointed to this all along. For me, that was lacking, and so the twist didn’t work.

It’s well-written, and the author can obviously write. It’s just a bit disappointing.

Oooo this book was good! If you enjoy a good mystery type book then this is a fantastic read. I enjoyed the shift between the two main characters as well as the play on past and present. The plot is really interesting and I couldn't put it down! If you're a fan of The Couple Next Door then this is just as good!

This was a really great thriller - what starts out as the story of a missing child turns into something much more sinister. I couldn't put it down. I was questioning who I believed and what I thought had happened throughout which made it more exciting.

NOW YOU SEE HER
She’s playing at the school fete with your children. You pull out your phone, scroll through Facebook, and look up again.
NOW YOU DON'T

Charlotte is looking after her best friend’s daughter the day she disappears. She thought the little girl was playing with her own children. She swears she only took her eyes off them for a second.

Now, Charlotte must do the unthinkable, tell her best friend Harriet that her only child is missing. The child she was meant to be watching.

Devastated, Harriet can no longer bear to see Charlotte. No one could expect her to trust her friend again.

Only now she needs to. Because two weeks later Harriet and Charlotte are both being questioned separately by the police. And secrets are about to surface.

Someone is hiding the truth about what really happened to Alice.

This book gripped me enough that I finished it in two days. I seem to be having a great start to 2019 with my books.

I really liked one of the main characters in the book - Charlotte, as she was so relatable and we have all been there when having the responsibility of looking after friends children, but thank god we've never lost one on our watch. I felt for Harriet too, but won't elaborate. You'll have to find out for yourself on that one!

Really recommended.

This is the first book I have read by Heidi Perks, and I was definitely impressed. This was such a gripping read, I seriously did not want to put it down, and actually dreamt about it the first night I read it - it gets into your head that much! I liked both characters, especially Charlotte, who is the unnecessary victim in this tale of heartbreak and loss. Harriet is a strange one, she is a loner with no friends and never talks about herself; she is over protective of her 4-year-old daughter, Alice. Charlotte is in charge of Alice for the first time when the unthinkable happens - she goes missing. The story unfolds, and we read both women’s point of views. It's heartbreaking on both sides. However, there is more than meets the eye with Harriet and her marriage; there are demons in there in the shape of her husband Brian, who we learn is controlling Harriet and making her believe she is seriously mentally ill. This book has many twists in the tale, some you may see coming and some you won't. It puts you through an emotional rollercoaster, be warned!

I really liked this book. I thought it was super easy to read and I didn't have any issues getting into the story or following it.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller/ mystery book.

This absolutely brilliant thriller is the story of the unlikely friendship between two women.There's Charlotte,divorced mother of three children,lovely house,no money worries,popular and friends with many of the mother's who meet up everyday to have a good gossip in the school playground.Then there's Harriet,married to Brian,mother of four year old Alice,lives in a drab,depressing little house,has no friends and always seems nervous and on edge.Against the odds and to the utter astonishment of Charlotte`s other friends,Charlotte and Harriet strike up a close friendship,sharing secrets about their past and present lives.Then one hot summer's day,Charlotte takes her children and Alice to the school fete where the unthinkable happens, Charlotte gets distracted by her phone,she loses sight of the children and Alice vanishes,without a trace.During the ensuing police investigation it soon becomes clear that all is not what it seems.Both the women have secrets and will go to any lengths to keep them from being uncovered.

The chapters alternate between Chalotte and Harriet and flip back and forth between before and after Alice's disappearance,also included are extracts from Harriet`s diary.My feelings for either woman flipped back and forth between sympathy and feeling unsympathetic for various reasons as the story unfolded.There was another character who featured quite regularly who was a really nasty,evil,creepy individual.

This is a well written,at times very intense,chilling tale of friendships,deceit,manipulation and secrets that had me hooked in from the very first page.I absolutely loved this riveting thriller and would definitely give it more than five stars if I could.I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

It is easy to feel for Charlotte, I think it is every persons nightmare who has ever been responsible for a child. I enjoyed how the author used the public anger, the 'I am way better than you and that would not happen to me' behaviour by everyone in their surrounding. Specially with the internet these days those discussions are happening all the time and it was recognizable.
The developments in the story are interesting and there was not much to giveaway the end despite the fact that the book followed a certain predictable thriller development line. Fast paced and gripping.

I would rate this book 3.5 stars.

This was a fun thriller, I really enjoyed the journey the story took me on of trying to figure out what was going on.

In the end I did guess the twist but I think my main problem with the story was just that I didn't buy that the events in this story would ever take place.

Overall, an enjoyable read.

Honestly, I'm not completely sure how I feel about this book.
From the very beginning this story was just heart-wrenchingly tragic. Initially I thought it was set up perfectly to make it hurt even more too; Harriet has never let Alice out of her sight and the one time she does, something terrible happens. I got the impression of Harriet that she was quite vulnerable from the beginning and that definitely made it quite difficult to read. I didn't know whose side I was on as I felt so sorry for Charlotte and the utterly unimaginable situation she had found herself in but I felt a genuine pain for Harriet, made worse by the horrible tension between her and Brian it felt like even they were on separate sides (which is very real for actual parents that have lost children).
I can merit this book on the fact that it was unpredictable however I thought the way in which the twists were revealed was a little strange. I thought to myself several times that there were things being revealed too early on, even sometimes feeling as if the twist was revealed and then the build up to the already-revealed twist came afterwards.
I can admit I think this book might be better suited to an actual mother in that to someone with a child this situation is just completely unthinkable.
I didn't particularly like the end either. I could appreciate it in that it was a nice way to tie off the story however it left me feeling as though something was missing and that I needed more from it which I ultimately didn't get.

Now You See Her is a fast moving psychological thriller. A child goes missing at a school fete and her mother's friend is blamed for not keeping a closer eye. But all is not what it seems. A tale of friendship and hidden secrets.

Brilluant story line i could not put thia down it was an emotional read but i really did enjoy it well done

When Harriet leaves her four-year-old daughter with her best friend Charlotte for the first time her friend assures her all will be well. How could she predict that one glance away would result in Alice vanishing without a trace? As the police search for the little girl, fingers point at Charlotte, marking her as a bad mother. Harriet can't look at her let alone speak to her. As she becomes increasingly isolated it begins to become apparent that not all is as it seems.


Phew, the beginning few chapters of this were hard to get through. Not because they were badly written, far from it. It was just as a mother the setting of the scene of the Alice vanishing was frankly terrifying. I've read horror stories and not been that affected!  The story soon, however, settles into more standard domestic thriller territory which was somewhat of a relief! It's pretty obvious where the story is headed but there are a few surprises along the way. What made this very readable though was the believability of the characters, even if the story sometimes was a little far-fetched. It took me mere hours to read this (when I should have been working) but its one of those sort of books. It won't change your life but by God, you can't put it down!

On my word this book is totally fantastic. An unputdownable Psychological thriller filled with suspense and intrigue . I absolutely loved it .

Helloooooooo biggest book hangover of the year! I finished reading #NowYouSeeHer in the early hours of Sunday morning, and since then I have tried (and failed) to get into several books because I am suffering with not only my biggest book hangover of the year, but my biggest book hangover EVER! I mean, come on, have you read this book yet? You must rectify that pronto as ooooohhhhhh my goodness me, what a phenomenal, hair-raising, spine tingling, and energetic read this is. I probably shouldn’t be saying this given the theme of the book, but I fluffing loved it! Obviously I didn’t love the theme, because that would be weird, BUT, I thought the way that Heidi Perks delivered it in her storyline was mind-blowing.

‘Now You See Her’ switches between the past and the present, and between the two main characters, Charlotte and Harriet. For the first time ever, Harriet is leaving her daughter with another person, so she asks her only friend, Charlotte, to babysit Alice alongside her own children. Simple enough, right? Wrong. One minute Alice was there, and then the next moment she was……nowhere to be seen. With guilt eating away at Charlotte from the inside out, she struggles to comprehend what has happened, especially when Alice’s disappearance hits the news and Charlotte finds herself in the firing line. Understandable, right? I mean, you asked your best friend to babysit your daughter, hoping that they would look after her and return her safely at the arranged time. Therefore, you would expect that to happen, you wouldn’t expect to be told that your daughter was now missing. Well, I wouldn’t.

Obviously, the police get involved and Charlotte finds herself growing accustom to the decor in the local police station as they try to get to the bottom of Alice’s disappearance. However, due to Charlotte being unable to give the police the answers they require, will it mean that her cards are now marked?

With the publicity of ‘Now You See Her’, the publishers have hashtags with #TeamCharlotte and #TeamHarriet on them, but to be perfectly honest, I still can’t say which team I am on! Can’t I say that I am on #TeamCharriet? There is so much to this storyline aside from the missing child. I would love to be able to go into detail, but I can’t due to spoilers. I just want to talk about this book!!!! Someone? Anyone?!

Just like most psychological thrillers/crime/suspense novels I read, I attempt to work out whodunnit before I reach the end of the book. Let’s just say that I won’t be making Detective anytime soon! Although, giving myself a teeny bit of credit, I was pretty adamant that I had the culprit by halfway through this book, but I quickly found myself questioning my own decision the more the storyline progressed. Heidi Perks is an exceptional writer – not only has she written about the lives of multiple characters, she has written them in such a way that makes the reader question every conceivable thing. The weird thing about that though, is the fact that the words are written just like any other book, in black and white. Perks may have just been describing the events of what happened the day Alice went missing, yet there was definitely more to those words that meets the eye.

‘Now You See Her’ is a very, very cleverly written novel which had me on high alert from the first page, until the very last. I am utterly flabbergasted by the strength behind the authors words, and how my mind was able to convey them due to the snippets of doubt which Heidi Perks laced her words with. At the very beginning, my mind was strong and things made perfect sense. But, by the time I had reached the end of the book, I was unable to trust anything. Hell, I didn’t even believe it when the clock said that it was 1.45am!

I am envious of every reader who gets to read ‘Now You See Her’ for the very first time – you are in for an absolute treat! Heidi Perks has written a truly phenomenal book and I, hand on heart, cannot find fault with a single thing. My first thought as I finished this book, was ‘one of the best books I have ever read’, but now, I have to say that that has changed now that I have had the time to digest Perks’ outstanding talent. ‘Now You See Her’ is my most favourite book of all time, my most favourite book of 2018, and Heidi Perks has very quickly become one of my all time favourite authors. This is a book to lose yourself in, and Heidi Perks should be incredibly proud of what she has achieved! I know I am, and I didn’t even write it! I cannot WAIT to read more from this author, that’s for sure, even if she has set the bar incredibly high!

Highly recommended, ‘Now You See Her’ is THE book to read without any disturbance, and Heidi Perks is definitely THE author to watch in the future. Bloomin’ brilliant!

So it pulled me from the first page- i hate when that happens i become a borderline neglectful parent!! However i found this quite a chilling and scary read, its slightly unlikely that Harriett's 'issues' would go so long unnoticed but i found this nevertheless gripping.
What happened to Alice and perhaps more importantly Why? The two leads Harriett and Charlotte are believable just about, the tension builds to the edge of being unbearable.

This story gets inside your brain and stays there, so i guess the author succeeded in the endeavour.

Complaints being it does get ever so slightly difficult to follow with the chop and change of the narrative.
Positives being that its a gripping story that's ultimately well written.

Just don't start it late in the evening or if you have a heavy schedule.

I received a digital arc of #NowYouSeeHer by #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

This book switches between the two perspectives of friends Charlotte and Harriet. The chapters switch between the present of Charlotte being interviewed by the police, and the time of Alice's disappearance and the events following that time leading up to the present day events.

It becomes apparent quite early on that Harriet has a secret that will be revealed during the book.  Throughout the book, you begin to pick up on discrepancies between Harriet and Brian's accounts of past events. For example, Brian had told Charlotte about a time when Harriet had been renewing her passport, but Harriet later tells the family liaison officer that she has never even had a passport. Another example is Harriet's medication! As a reader we are then doubting versions of events and questioning who is telling the truth.

This book covers the difficult topic of emotional and psychological abuse, and the lengths a person will go to to escape that. It was quite a sad read in the end, but very well written I thought. I really felt for Harriet. I haven't read anything by this author before but I would read more of her work in the future.

So happy to be given a whole budget to replenish our senior shelves in the school library. The books in there are far from appealing at the moment and I have been delighted to find books here that will intrigue, captivate and engross my senior students.

This is a fantastic read with characters they will be able to connect with, a pacy narrative and an ending that will provide plenty to talk about.

It's great to read a book that does not feel formulaic and gives some credit to their reader's intelligence too. Young people are very fussy about the books they choose to read and in this time-precious day and age it really has to be something above and beyond the ordinary to get them to put down their devices and get their noses stuck in a book.

I think this is one book that will capture their imagination and keep them turning the pages until the end. This is definitely going onto my 'must-buy' list and I really look forward to seeing what the young people themselves think of this twisty, clever and engaging novel.

A missing child is a topic that's difficult to do well because of the tremendous heartbreak that goes hand-in-hand with it. Too much, and the readers won't be able to go on; not enough and they won't feel engaged.

This thriller manages the balance beautifully, adding the complications of broken relationships and secrets into the mix. The plot twists and turns as we get to know the characters and get swept up in their dilemmas.

NOW YOU SEE HER
She’s playing at the school fete with your children. You pull out your phone, scroll through Facebook, and look up again.
NOW YOU DON'T

Charlotte is looking after her best friend’s daughter the day she disappears. She thought the little girl was playing with her own children. She swears she only took her eyes off them for a second.

Now, Charlotte must do the unthinkable, tell her best friend Harriet that her only child is missing. The child she was meant to be watching.

Devastated, Harriet can no longer bear to see Charlotte. No one could expect her to trust her friend again.

Only now she needs to. Because two weeks later Harriet and Charlotte are both being questioned separately by the police. And secrets are about to surface.

Someone is hiding the truth about what really happened to Alice.

Wow, this book though!
Gripping and tense throughout, this book was fast paced and kept me guessing right until the huge twist at the end.
It shows how easy it is to pin blame on people and how hard it is to live with yourself after such a terrible event, involving a child.
The atmosphere is claustrophobic and so real it almost feels like you’re in the story, the characters are descriptive and emotional, again so real.
Charlotte battles with both guilt at losing her friends child and relief at having her own, this shows at every turn and there is an inevitable confrontation it’s surprising results, I did not see the ending coming!
A well written, solid story by an author I will read more of.