I'm pretty sure I chose to read this due to the mentions of a girl escaping to a Florida theme park, but it was pretty obvious that came with a dark twist. And this certainly delivered on that! This is a story about kidnapping, but also about those who are left behind and the heartbreaking nature of this. It wasn't particularly fast moving but was still a compelling and thrilling story. I would recommend it!

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

My name is Anna by Lizzy Barber.
Two women – desperate to unlock the truth.
How far will they go to lay the past to rest?
A really good read with good characters. 4*.

This book was is more geared to a younger audience in my opinion. It was well written and interesting but I just found it a little "young" for myself

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

Unfortunately I just could not get into this book. It may be one for other readers, but I was unable to finish it.

A GIRL NAMED ANNA is an engrossing debut novel that's part mystery and part family drama. At the center of this book is a child abduction and its aftermath for everyone involved.

This book sounded amazing and I was very excited to read it but sadly I just couldn’t get on with it. Not sure why but I ended up just skimming through it.

The task of repopulating the senior library has been an exciting and daunting task aS in a boarding school our aim is to encourage all members of the community to read. Because of this, I have been searching down a wide and diverse range of books to read that will entice a wide cross-section of the school to come in, browse and find books that they love.
Books like this will ensure that the senior students in the school see the library as a diverse, modern and exciting place with books that speak to them and they want to recommend to their friends, classmates, teachers and tutors.
It is an engrossing and exciting read with fully-formed characters and a plot that ensures that it's hard to look away. It is as far from formulaic as it is possible to be and kept me up far too late in order to finish it. I immediately wanted to read all of this writer's other books as I loved their voice and found that it really drew me into the story and made me think about it even when I'd stepped away from this tale.
This is a thought-provoking read which I'm sure will be a popular and well-read addition to our new library; I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to read it and I know that the students are going to absolutely love it too!

I was really enjoying this book but found the ending a little disappointing and abrupt. I was left with unanswered questions that I just left me pondering. A good read but left a little too much to your own imagination at the end.

A good read, but unfortunately it did not capture my attention as much as I hoped it would.

The story itself is good, but I wonder if it was just the wrong book for me. Everyone else seems to have really enjoyed it. I blame the pandemic for lack of concentration.... :-)

My Name is Anna had such an interesting premise and it really did not disappoint me, there was plenty of suspense to keep me reading late into the night because i HAD to find out what would happen next and how it would end.

I was sceptical that tihs would be very similar to other thrillers I've read recently and there were, of course, some similar aspects. However, this did not detract from the novel standing on its own as there were enough differences to make it a thoroughly enjoyable read.

This story had me hooked from the start. It tells the stories of two girls Anna and Rosie, who live different lives oceans apart.
Anna is controlled by an overprotective mother who is obsessively religious,.On her 18th birthday she rebels and visits a theme park but has a distinct feeling that this is not her first visit. Rosie's life has been overshadowed because her parents are desperate to find her sister who disappeared fifteen years previously.
I enjoyed reading both girl's POV and found that the story was written with great empathy. At times the storyline became a little unbelievable but this did not distract too much and overall the plot was well written and kept me entertained. I was more moved and emotionally connected to these characters than I imagined and felt that the topic of child abduction was tackled in a sensitive and authentic manner.

The story is told from the perspective of two girls, Anna and Rosie. Fifteen years ago Emily, a young British girl on holiday in Florida with her family was abducted, and she was never found. Rosie is her younger sister, and has grown up with the abduction of her sister hanging over the family. Emily has never been forgotten, every anniversary her parents have been on the television reminding the world of their daughter, wanting and willing her to return home.

For Rosie,, life hasn’t been easy, everyone knows who she is when one day she decides she has to do something new as the campaign to find her sister begins to fade out. Rosie looks into online research to see if there are clues that have been missed, when she does find clues, she also finds out that her sister might just be alive.

Anna is living in Florida with her very religious mother. She has one real friend is William, the pastor's son. But for Anna, there is something that keeps coming back to her and she doesn’t m ow why. She knows the story of the child abducted from the nearby theme park, and her mother never takes her there. One day she and William take a secret trip there, and it is here that she realises she has been there before, she has flashbacks of another lady, and of being led away from the park by her mother, but why and who was the woman? Determined to find out what really happened, both girls end up finding out the truth at the same time... what happens from there is a journey I was not expecting!

I was surprised by how quickly I managed to read this. Only took me an afternoon. Once I started I couldn’t put it down. Wanting to know the truth.

Going into this I didn’t know it involved a cult. That “twist” came as a surprise. I didn’t think of a cult when trying to come up with theories.

The second half of the book was darker and more intense. As you are learning what happened. Which made it even harder to put down.

We obviously knew who took Anna. The question was why. The reveal of this was a little underwhelming for me. I just expected something more since we are talking about a cult being involved. I understand the character reason but I wanted something more.

I don’t think we really needed Rosie POV. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed her chapters. I liked how much she wanted to find her sister. But I feel like the book would have worked just as well being just Anna POV.

This was a good and solid read that entertains the reader throughout the book, just keeping you guessing enough to be entertained! Recommended.

Anna Lives with her staunchly religious mother in Florida, living a very sheltered and strict life. Anna does have a boyfriend and on her 18th Birthday he takes to her a theme park without her mother knowing. While she is there Anna has a feeling that she has been here before and she gets small flashbacks of another life.
In London Rosie lives with her parents and brother whose lives were all turned upside down when Rosie's sister Emily went missing 15 years previous at a Florida theme park. Rosie decides to try her best to find out what happened to her little sister. Anna cannot escape the feelings and flashbacks and is convinced she has had another life with another family.
The story is told from the perspective of each of the sisters.
The story in general was very good but i was left feeling that I wanted to know more at the end of the book.

This was one of those pleasant books that you expect very little from, but enjoy a great deal. I love it when that happens. I was expecting an exciting thriller going in, but that's not this book at all. To be honest, I wouldn't really know how to define it if someone asked me, it's more like a dark contemporary than anything else.

The two girls felt genuine, and the story they find themselves in always felt like it was a very real possibility. I enjoyed both their perspective equally, both at times heartbreaking. The way the story slowly uncoiled was very cleverly done, it was super readable, in fact I read it all in pretty much two sittings.

Really solid book, four stars.

Some books just make you think 'Wow' - this was one of them! How on earth did the author plot this? It's just incredible!

Couldn’t put this down, I loved both of the main characters and thought they were well developed. An emotional and compelling read.