A difficult read in places. 
The author has shown the struggles of the characters well. However the writing style could have been more emotive.

A great novel Maddys story is heartbreking as she finds herself alone with a young child after her partner a d the love if her life commits suicide  unable to cope she turns  to drink and finds herself  living on the streets and loses everything including her daughter can she eventually overcome her addiction and find happiness again A real insight into alcoholism and how it can happen to anyone makes this a powerful and thought provoking read loved it

If I could give this book more then 5 stars then I would.
You can not help but fall in love with Maddy. She is such a lovable character who has fell on hard times alot during her life. Throughout the book you are hoping and praying for a happy ending but will she get one.

How to deal with a tragedy? Sadly there is no manual for it to help you cope. Some people are strong enough to pick themselves up after a (short) period of grieve. Others however are completely lost and let themselves go. Nothing can bring them back from the deep tearfilled pit they have fallen in and in the end drastic actions have to be taken.

Suddenly you see a little pinprick of light at the end of the long and dark tunnel. Are you being given a second chance? Are you brave enough to take that step or are you too afraid of failure?

This is a beautiful and emotional story about family, grieve, love and new beginnings. It was a real pleasure seeing the past being unravelled and linked to the present. A very enjoyable read. 4 stars.

Thank you, Jill Childs, Bookouture and Netgalley.

This book kept me thinking, how death can affect people differently.  Luckily for Maddy she found what she had once lost- her Charley. After many years of living rough,it's come full circle to having her family once again. Thoroughly enjoyed the book. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Maddy is a homeless alcoholic who befriends a 5-year-old girl, Rosie, and eventually her mother Becca.  Maddy is invited by Becca to Christmas dinner.  Becca's downstairs neighbor Sarah and her 5-year-old Ella become familiar with Maddy too, and Sarah is a little surprised and leery of Maddy.  This ultimately is a story full of mystery, lies, and above all, the mother's love for her child.
I liked this book - although sometimes the back-and-forth between characters were a bit jumbled and confusing.  I did like the message and, as a mother, appreciated the story.
Thank you to Jill Childs, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

As much as this book promised I struggled to find it delivered in any believable way. The to-Ing and fro-ing confused me at times, meaning the novel didn't flow as it should.

Maddy is homeless and an alcoholic. One day a young girl stops to talk to her and then insists her mother bring her home for a meal. From there an improbable relationship begins between the young girl, her mother, and her mother's friend.
I nearly didn't read this book because the premise is just not believable. As a former teacher of young children, I know how much the smell emanating from a drunk homeless person would prevent any child from initiating such contact. If you've ever seen how children treat any other child with hygiene problems you'll know what I mean.
But I persisted out of curiosity to see where the story might go. Unfortunately it became even more improbable and saccharine sweet in its happy ending,

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.    

Thank you NetGalley!!


I'm telling you, the blurb drew me in immediately.     I was dying to know who this person was and what the secret was they were speaking of.   

the story is sold through becca, maddy and sarah.     It left me speechless, with tears of my eyes, and at times heartbroken. 

don't hesitate, just read this.  immediately.

Thank You Bookouture, Net Galley and Jill Childs for the chance to review this book.

Some books renders the heart to pieces. My first book by Jill Childs and she's thoroughly managed to leave me teary eyed with the wonderful tale that encompasses a mother's love, the pain of addiction and the struggle of the homeless.
A perfect book for Mother's Day, Invisible Girl is the story of Madeline or Maddy who is a bag lady living on the streets. We see homeless people all around us and sometimes we are at a loss to make our children understand the difficulties in bringing them home and caring for them. I dearly loved the story for the kindness that seeps through the children, the love that they give without any guile or prejudice. The story is conveyed thru the eyes of Becca, Maddy and Sarah each of them with their own struggles but with underlying strength to fight against all odds and to persevere for their children. Heart Breaking and Beautiful!

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Invisible Girl’ by Jill Childs in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Maddy, middle-aged, educated and homeless, needing alcohol to get her through the day, who meets Becca, separated from her husband and just about coping with teenage son Alex and five-year-old Rosie. Then there’s Becca’s friend Sarah who lives in the flat below with daughter Ella, who acquires items from expensive stores that she couldn’t otherwise afford.  This is their story.

‘Invisible Girl’s is an absolutely brilliant emotional roller-coaster of a novel, beautifully written with sensitivity and compassion, about three very different women who cope with what life’s dealt them and come out stronger the other side.  The final chapters were so touching I was close to tears and I didn’t want it to end.  Thank you, Jill, for producing such a delightful and heart-warming novel, it will stay in my thoughts for a long time.

This book was so amazing. It was thought provoking and wonderfully well written. A little girl finds a homeless woman and strikes up conversation with her to the absolute horror of her mother. As time goes on this relationship builds and secrets are revealed. How far will you go for your children and your family? How do you start life again? How do you find forgiveness if you can’t forgive yourself? This book makes you think and gives you so many feelings. I will spend many days thinking about this book and what I can do! This book is so good!

I tried to understand this one, I really did, but just couldn't. The story is about Maddy, a homeless woman who infiltrates the lives of Sarah and her young daughter Rosie. There was just too much back and forth between their stories to fully understand what was going on. It sounded like a great read when I read the description but it was just too complicated to understand

I enjoyed being able to preview this book thanks to NetGalley. The three narrators of this story, while not always likable, are believable. I struggled just a little at first to keep the three characters straight, but it was soon very easy to tell them apart. Becca and Sarah are neighbors who are both single moms. Then there is Maddy, a homeless woman who quotes Shakespeare. It is interesting to see the dynamics develop between the three women as they learn more about each other. Some readers might say they figured things out quickly, but I don't think "figuring it out" takes anything away from the story. It's more about what happens after all is revealed. I hadn't read anything by this author before, but I will check out more of her titles after this one.

I love Jill Childs books and this one might be my favorite. I couldn't put it down.

Becca doesn't know if she's made a huge mistake yet. She has taken in a homeless older lady named Maddy. Becca has two young children and she doesn't know anything about Maddy. She does know that her daughter has a bond with this homeless woman. Her son doesn't want anything to do with any of them.

Becca's downstairs neighbor can't believe her eyes when she finds Maddy practically taking over the apartment. They're best friends but she doesn't want Maddy around her daughter.

What are Maddy's intentions?!!! 

This book was so good I couldn't put it down. I read it in less than 24 hours.

When Becca takes pity on homeless older woman Maddy, she doesn’t expect her to become a member of the family. But there’s more to the arrangement than meets the eye.
Jill Childs is a good story-teller and she also writes beautifully. The characters are well-drawn and that’s what lifts this above novels in the same genre. 
I really felt drawn into this story but also love the little observations that make it feel familiar and very real.
A great story- read over 24 hours. Recommended.

Maddy is a homeless woman who endears herself to 5 year old Rosie, Becca's daughter. Becca is quite leery of Maddy. Yet, when Becca forgets to take her money from an ATM transaction and Maddy has saved it for her, Becca softens. Rosie's father is an emotional abuser whom Becca, Rosie,  and Becca's son, Alex(14), moved away from 8 months ago. 

Becca and her children now live in a flat - 2nd floor above Sarah and her 5 year old daughter, Ella. Sarah and Becca both work and take turns watching each other's children and it seems to be working out. I do think that 14 year old Alex can babysit, too?

At the park, Rosie and Ella find an unconscious Maddy while they are playing hide and seek.

Rosie INSISTS on visiting Maddy in the hospital. Somehow, Becca invites Maddy for Christmas lunch. Might work as a buffer since Mark and his mother are invited, also.

Although we know early in the story that Sarah is a regular petty thief, the reader knows that there is more to her than she is letting on...

What IS Maddy after? Love of family or something else? And what in her past has made Maddie, an English teacher, become homeless?

And all of the rest!!!

To avoid any spoilers; let me say that this is a story of mystery, manipulation, and deceit.

A wild ride that you do not want to miss! 

Many Thanks, again, to Bookouture and NetGalley for a thrilling read!

A very emotional story, well written with interesting characters and I can thoroughly recommend.  If I am to be honest I much preferred Jill's other two books, Gracie's Secret and Jessica's Promise but nevertheless an interesting read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Invisible Girl is a engrossing story that is very emotional and we'll written. This book is a must read this year.

know you. I know you in a way you can’t even imagine. I have been searching for you in the years since you wrote that letter – the letter that told me you were looking for me too. But now that I’ve found you, I don’t know if I can say the terrible truth of what I am. It would ruin your perfect life. It would hurt your beautiful daughter.

So, I hesitate – bide my time, for now. This morning, you’re running late and your little girl, tugged by the hand, scurries to keep up with you. She’s clean but a little scrawny. Maybe that’s because you struggle with the bills; maybe she’s just made that way.

I know what it is to have lost a child. I pray you never learn how that feels. But I can’t wait forever… and when I finally tell you my secret, will it break you as it did me all those years ago?

What an amazing read. This was a brilliant fast-paced domestic drama!. Maddie, a homeless lady taken in by a woman and her daughter. Maddie changed so many people. I LOVED the first page until the last. Everyone seemed suspect and the ending blew me to pieces. 

Thanks NetGalley for the advance copy of the beautiful book.