One baby, or two...twins or not.... Intriguing "who am I" mystery whose ending I did not see coming. I am not at all sleuth-like as I read but in retrospect I find the bread crumbs.

What a great story! I wish I had had an entire day just to read it straight through! Seraphin questions family relationships when her father passes away suddenly. Is there a curse upon her home? Or is something else at work here?

I could not put this book down until I finished it. The plot was so interesting and the characters well-drawn. I can't imagine how it would feel to not know who you really are and where you came from. Twisty ending that I didn't see coming.

This story is told alternately from the viewpoint of two different women who have never met. The two story lines are more than 20 years apart and the reader is kept turning the pages, wondering if the two women will ever meet, how the two stories converge, and what really happened on the day Seraphine and her brother, Danny, were born.

The setting is a beautiful old estate on the Norfolk coast, a lovely house owned by Seraphine's loving grandmother, who will never say which of her grandchildren will inherit the estate. Seraphine loves the place intensely, and panics when she begins to suspect that she doesn't really belong. Seraphine searches for the truth the Au Pair, Laura, has spent her life trying to forget.

There may be a few too many coincidences to pull it all together in the end, but it never bothered me enough to stop reading. A fascinating family drama with a twist that catches you off guard and a final chapter that wraps up loose ends and leaves the reader satisfied.

The mystery builds as the characters develop. How life can be so complicated is basic to this story with so many twists and turns that it's amazing the author could keep it straight. But She does, and slowly and methodically pulls one thread after another until the reader can't wait to see the finished product!

This book had the feel of a Victoria Holt novel. This is a good thing, I loved these books when I was growing up. It has some of the same motifs: mystery, governess who is exiled from her family, and a crush on the male protagonist. While having the flavor of Holt novel it has it's own style. I liked that two characters shared the narration and that they were from different time periods gave the story some added intrigue. A nice mystery with enough twists to keep you hooked.

This is book is addictive .Laura takes a job for Edwin on a beautiful estate . Everything on the suraface is fine but this estate and the people in it are full of secrets and lies . Told from 2 point of. Views Laura the au pair and Sepraphine a daughter born on the estate that begins to have question . Twisty , gothic and sinister this book will be your new obsession after you read the first page

3.5 stars. What if you are not who you think you are? The mystery is told by two narrators, both young women. One tells the current story of trying to find out the truth about her family; the other tells the past story of hiding family secrets. Intriguing enough to want to find out what’s what but with an over-the-top, soap opera like quality . . . adultery, family secrets, superstitious folklore, and sad, pathetic women. Still, a page turner with a surprising reveal.

It feels unfair to judge a character in a book based on the plot contrivances they have no reason to see coming. Real life has no genre conventions, so real people couldn’t possibly predict them. All the same, both the narrators of this novel are pretty difficult to take, with their cliches and naïveté. The climax comes too late and lasts too long, and the ending is both too tidy and unsatisfying.

This is not a good book, but it is compulsively readable, which is easily confused for being good, so I won’t be surprised if it does well.

The Au Pair is the story of twins and death told in a mix of present day and flashback chapters. Writing in this style allows the author to control some of the revalations to pace the book differently than the traditional crime fiction/thriller. Unfortunately, the book is predictable, especially once all the characters are introduced - the style of the book limits how quickly character introductions occur.
Not as good as many of the reviews I read lead me to believe. I found the reveals predictable, the characters two dimensional, and the basically nonsensical.

4.5 stars

Such a page turner, I ended up finishing it in a day. It's just one of those good old popcorn eating reads in which you can't wait to see how everything unfolds.

Seraphina and her twin brother Danny were only hours old when their mother committed suicide off the cliffs of the Norfolk coast. Now an adult, Seraphina is mourning the death of her father. While going through his possessions at the family estate, she uncovers a family photograph of her parents, older brother Edwin, and a baby on what looks like the day she and Danny were born. But what strikes Seraphina is odd is her mother is smiling in the photo even though in a mere matter of hours she kills herself and there is only one baby in the photograph. What does this mean and will she be able to find the answers she is looking for even though so many years have passed?

In terms of sheer entertainment, this was a 5 star read. I loved the dual timelines of the present with Seraphina and the past with the au pair, Laura. The story does become a little complicated towards the end and there were times I had to pause and get everything squared away in my head before I could continue reading. I think some valid points could be made on whether the story is realistic however this book has that weird, creepy but fun, trainwreck type vibe that whether or not it is believable doesn't really matter much to me. This is the type of book you read when you want to escape from your life and read about the crazy, messed up lives of other people. A perfect vacation read!

I received a free copy in the mail from the publisher before my wish was granted here on Netgalley. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

I seriously did not see the twist at the end coming. I read this in one day, could not put it down. Great characters, told from two different perspectives 25 years apart. Easy to follow both stories and surprise ending. Highly recommended

Exhilarating! The suspense builds slowly with many unexpected twists and an unexpected ending. I couldn't put it down!

Told from two different perspectives in two different time periods by two very different narrators. I’m not sure I liked either one but the story held my interest and there were just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. The perfect book for those who enjoy sprawling family sagas wth a bit of mystery thrown in and lots of secrets.

Seraphine is obsessed. When her father passes away suddenly, she finds herself going through his things and discovering a photograph of her mother holding a baby. One baby. Seraphine has a twin brother, Danny. Why is one of them missing in the picture? Why did her mother commit suicide right after Seph and Danny's birth? Now she is determined to find out the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it makes the rest of the family, but is she ready for the harsh reality?

Fast paced and engrossing! Highly recommended!

An entertaining and thrilling read about families and their secrets. A young woman finds a photograph that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her family. Why if she was a twin was there only one infant in the picture, why did her mother kill herself right after the photo was taken,. Multilayered, this novel will keep you guessing right up to the end..

The story is revealed through the eyes of Seraphine in the year 2017 and Au Pair Lauren in 1991. As the two stories progresse, the tangle of lies begin to unfold and I thought, what?!
It was hard for me to know which characters to like and which to resent. As you read, keep the characters straight in your mind because this is fast paced and full of twists you cannot predict.

1991
Seraphine and her twin brother, Danny, were born in the middle of summer at their family's estate on the Norfolk coast. Within hours of their birth, their mother threw herself to her death from the cliffs. Where did the au pair disappear? The village is rampant with whispers of dark cloaks, changelings, and the aloof couple who drew a young nanny into their inner circle.

2017
Now an adult, Seraphine mourns the recent death of her father. While going through his belongings, she uncovers a family photograph that raises an intriguing and disturbing question. It was taken on the day the twins were born, and in the photo, their mother, surrounded by her husband and her young son, is smiling serenely and holding just one baby.

What REALLY happened the day the picture was taken?

And it begins.

Hang on reader!

EXCELLENT! The different narrators and different timelines were very well done. The storyline captured me early on and the twists were unexpected. Loved it! Five Stars!

Interesting family drama which starts with the discovery of a photo showing only one twin. The main character's father has just died, the mother committed suicide on the day of their birth, yet the photo shows her mother looking perfectly happy but only holding one baby. The story is about a twin's investigation into her mother's death which takes her to the aupair who took the photo so many years ago. A family saga set in England with lots of twists and turns. A page-turner I thoroughly enjoyed.

Wow! I wish this book was coming out sooner so I could share my review publicly now, this was an amazing book. The suspense/thriller genre is my favorite and this one is at the top of my list.

I really enjoyed the two narrators and how they were from the past and present in the story. I think it led that much more suspense to everything. Seraphine (one of the narrators) has wondered about her mother her entire life, since her mother died the day she was born. Now after her father's passing, and finding a family photo from the day of her birth, she feels like something may be missing that she needs to find out.

Through a back and forth timeline we learn about Seraphine's older brother, her mother, and the Au Pair in the year leading up to the birth of her and her twin brother. Summerbourne, their house has always had some mysteries surrounding it and now Seraphine is set on finding out everything. A great read for readers who love this genre, I give it 5 stars!

Ill be adding the links below of my reviews once I post them closer to publishing day!