Schoolgirl Missing
By Sue Fortin


** publication date 10 January 2019 **


Goodreads has this listed as the most gripping page turner of 2019. I don’t know that I’d go that far, but I will say that it definitely is a page turner.

Neve is a 30 something adoptive mother of Poppy. Poppy is mentally challenged. We never quite know how, but she definitely doesn’t have the emotional development of a 14 year old girl. Kit is Poppy’s father. Kit lost his wife in the childbirth of Poppy, and now refuses to even discuss the possibility of future children with Neve. Neve is hiding something from Kit, but wanting a child is not her secret.

Kit works in boat sales and is quite successful. They have a beautiful home in a beautiful small community. Kit is married to his job and Neve is married to him. Neve takes primary care for the household and Poppy at Kit’s urging. But Neve doesn’t feel fulfilled. No matter how much she cares for Poppy, she wants a child of her own.

On a family boating trip, Neve and Kit drink a bit too much and wake to discover Poppy is missing. Being that Poppy is not completely sound of mind, this is even more worrisome. The police are called, fliers are made and handed out. Kit is beside himself. Neve tries to keep it together. But do all the pieces add up?

I found the beginning of the book a bit slow, but once it picked up speed, I couldn’t wait to hear how this one turned out. If you enjoy the Gone Girl type of mystery/thriller, this one is for you. It’s somewhat dark, and somewhat sad, but it keeps the mind working to figure out just exactly what’s happening here. I would definitely recommend this one.

I’m really sad to say that I had high hopes for this book but it didn’t meet them. The writing style was quite clunky and too descriptive on tiny details that had no reason to be in there. And as the story went on the plot became more absurd and unbelievable. None of it made sense and people wouldn’t act in real life situations the way the characters did.

I didn’t like any of the characters, they were all mostly too one-dimensional, the more developed characters were too dislikeable and I couldn’t feel any empathy towards them.

First, I want to thank Sue Fortin, Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

Schoolgirl Missing is a must-read book by Sue Fortin. She demonstrates to her readers that she is the queen of psychological thrillers. She does this by building up the suspense and hits you middle to the end of the book with the punch. All the twists and turns to get to the big punches were shocking and mind blowing. I never saw them coming. I was intently glued to my kindle needing to know how this book ended. For everything I have mentioned she has become one of my favorite authors in this genre. I would gladly read and review for her again.

This book is dedicated to Sue’s Mom with love.

Kudos has to go to the graphic designer on this cover! It was perfect and spot on for this book. It was actually what drew me to want to know more about the book. That and the title Schoolgirl Missing.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. Each character was written incredibly well. They all had their own personality and had their own secrets of their own. Some characters in their situations really pulled on my heart strings.

I loved how Sue dragged out the story so that we didn’t know all the facts of some of the story line til the end. That made me want to keep reading and not stop the book. That aspect to me in my eyes makes her a genius in this genre.

This was one book I didn’t want to end it was so good. That being said I can totally see this being a Netflix original!! I think it would be a total hit.

I absolutely loved ths book. The author did a great job creating the characters, making them sound realistic and building a sense of urgency that really permeated the whole book.
I was engrossed till the very end. Kudos to the writer! I will definitely read more books by this author.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Neve lives in .a prosperous village with husband Kit a businessman, and stepdaughter 14 year old Poppy. Neve adores Poppy but after ten years of marriage she yearns for her own baby. However Kit is reticent to try for another child because Poppy`s mum died in childbirth. Poppy was starved of oxygen in the womb leaving her with learning difficulties.

As Neve and Kit grow apart, Neve starts an art therapy course. Neve finds herself attracted to Jake the art tutor but wants to make her marriage to Kit work. Kit suspects Neve of an affair and promises to do everything to keep her.

To try again Neve, Kit and Poppy spend the weekend on their boat. On the second morning Kit wakes with a hangover to find Poppy missing. After frantically searching Neve and Kit call the police. As the days go by the police want to hold a press conference with the parents. However Neve is reticent because she holds a dark past she kept from Kit.

Unfortunately I accidentally read a spoiler on Goodreads just after starting Schoolgirl Missing. The story was a a slow burner split into three parts. The first part was about the break down of Neve and Kit`s marriage. The Second part was about Poppy`s disappearance and the final part was about the aftermath.

Although I already knew the big twist I enjoyed reading how the plot wove together. Although I understand why Neve held her past a secret. I don't understand why Neve didn't tell Kit about Megan because she had nothing to be ashamed of. I didn't like Kit who was manipulative, years earlier he deliberately chose a house so far away that Neve had to give up her job and become a housewife.

Schoolgirl Missing was full of secrets and deception. I give this book four stars because it is not the authors fault I accidentally read a spoiler. Judging from Schoolgirl Missing a look forward to reading more from Sue Fortin.

What a brilliant book .Do you really know the person you are married to? This story is about there daughter who goes missing and wether any of the parents had anything to do with it . With many twist and turns this book will keep you interested till the end .

I know when I pick up a Sue Fortin book that I’m in for a treat and to clear my diary as this will be a book that will be hard to put down!!

When Neve married Kit she took on his daughter Poppy, sadly his first wife died in childbirth and Poppy was starved of oxygen during birth and has special needs.

When Poppy goes missing from their boat it starts to look suspicious as neither parent can remember what happened the night before.

This book is full of secrets and lies. Neve is desperate for a child but seems to be hiding her past from her husband. When a face from her past reappears she worries that her perfect life will be destroyed!!

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review

Full of twists and turns and a little sad at times! Great read! It was a little difficult to follow at times but really enjoyed!

This took a while to build up but as the unfolded I wanted to know more. Poppy is a 14 year old Autistic child and I found that the descriptions of her behaviour were so interesting and we described. Sue Forbin either did a lot of research into this topic or she already knew an autistic child and so could describe the situations so very clearly.
Poppy goes missing from a boat trip and the parents are the first suspects who from start to finish are under close scrutiny. there are a lot of unusual twists and turns throughout and more than one suspect to consider. I did not feel that Neve was reacting sensibly and I did not take to her as a person. The past that Neve is trying to hide eventually comes out though. The story is full of lies from all parties. Good read but unrealistic in places which downgraded it readability for me.

Neve is married to Kit and has adopted his daughter Poppy, who has special needs. Neve is very close to Poppy and has taken on the role of her mother but also has a longing to become a mother herself. Kit however has no desire to become a father again. The question is how far will Neve go to get what she wants? The story begins when Poppy goes missing and we learn Neves back story. She is attending art therapy and has become very close to her tutor Jake. Kit doesnt know her story and will stop at nothing to find out. We also meet some characters from Neves past.
Neve and Kit are very unlikeable characters. I spent the book waiting to see who is responsible for some crimes and at the end was disappointed but as time has come on it intrigues me.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I just finished Schoolgirl Missing by Sue Fortin, and I really liked it! Schoolgirl Missing keeps you guessing literally until the very last page! It’s about a woman, Neve, and her somewhat overly possessive husband Kit and stepchild Poppy. Add in Neve’s art therapy teacher, Jake, who happens to also be in love with her, and a past that Neve has kept hidden from everyone for years, including ties to a suspicious character. As the past unfolds throughout the book, and pulls you in deeper and deeper, Poppy goes missing. Just when you think you have it figured out “whodunit”, guess what? Another interesting twist to the story and your theory is out the window!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* 3.5/5 stars. I enjoyed aspects of this book, but not enough to quite push it to 4/5 stars. The plot is based around a family of three - Kit, Neve and their special needs daughter Poppy. One night, when they are staying on their boat, 14-year-old Poppy goes missing, seemingly without a trace. There were sufficient twists and turns to keep me interested, however, I find none of the main characters likeable, which was problematic. I am all for flawed heroes, but they do need to have redeeming features. I also found that the storyline got a little convoluted and confusing at the end. An enjoyable enough read, but it didn't set my world on fire.

I usually avoid reading stories on this subject, but I made an exception because I always enjoy reading Sue Fortin's thrillers which inevitably have a strong family drama theme and unexpected twists.

School Girl Missing is not what the title suggests although a young girl does disappear, but has she run away, or been abducted? Neve and Kit's marriage is not what it first appears, Neve is hiding secrets and Kit is blinded by emotional fear. When the marriage starts to crumble, how will they react and who will be the collateral damage?

Neve is an unreliable protagonist, you want to empathise with her but there's something about her that makes this difficult. Kit's fear of loss distances him from his family until he realises they mean everything to him and has to fight to keep them.

This story explores the extremes of human emotions and makes the reader wonder what if they were in these circumstances, how would they react?

Fast-paced, with a seemingly ordinary domestic setting, this story has sinister undertones and a disturbing ending.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins UK - Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

One star is being generous. Most ridiculous book I have ever read. Characters are inane, writing is poor and plot too crazy to lend any credibility to the novel. Pass on this one.

Took me a while to get through this book, I enjoyed it but guessed pretty early what had happened. Nevertheless I was still gripped while reading it. It's a good read a real page turner

This book was intriguing from the start. Twisty and full of turns you don't expect. A perfect read for winter time. Thank you Harper Collins for the arc for me to review. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have mixed feelings on this book. I enjoyed the way it was written and I loved that the characters were all flawed in a very believable way but I truly didn't feel like I cared about anything going on other then trying to find out what really happened to Poppy. I enjoyed the autistic element that was there as I have a brother that falls onto the spectrum, but I honestly could care less about any other character. The fact that Neve would literally do anything to have a child with Kit was unnerving because the farther you get into the book the farther she falls into that obsession.

What I didn't really like/understand was how could Neve and Kit have been married for as long as they were and him not know anything about her other than she wanted a child? How could he have not asked any questions and not thought it was strange when she started dodging them? Instead he resorts to going through all of her stuff and only forming half a picture when truth be told he probably should have taken that into consideration earlier in the relationship. The lies and deceit that this family was built upon is overwhelming and as you finish the book it just keeps getting bigger. The things that are done were absolutely terrible and I honestly cannot fathom doing any of them to my own family and yet for everyone in this book it is like second nature.

I would be interested in trying some other books by this author to see if maybe it was just my mood that didn't let me enjoy this as much as I thought I was going too. I would like to send a huge thank you to the publisher for allowing me to try a copy through NetGalley!

When Fourteen year old Poppy vanished on a boat trip .
Suspicious turns to who ever she knows and her parents . Kit and Neve.
Neve has a secret and Kit is watching
I had an ARC from Harper Collins

Overall good read although I enjoyed previous book I read by the author more. Plenty twists & turns & a nice quick read would recommend this book.

Hiding the past to save the future. Beware the repercussions.

Neve is married to Kit Masters. His first wife died giving birth to Poppy, who attends a special-needs school as her brain was starved of oxygen during the birth.

Neve is desperate to have her own child, but Kit refuses to even contemplate the idea because of the trauma he suffered as a result of losing his first wife in childbirth.

Neve also has a past which she refuses to deal with or acknowledge. She does attend art therapy which is supposedly helping her deal with her demons.

Jake Rees, Neve’s art teacher, sees her vulnerability and reaches out to her, offering her a new life with him and the chance to have a baby. Neve is tempted but when Poppy disappears while on a weekend break with Neve and Kit, all she wants to do is get Poppy back and maybe find a way to resurrect her marriage to Kit.

I found the whole storyline lacked credibility and none of the characters or their demons elicited even the slightest bit of sympathy from me.

Bluebell

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.