‘He is somewhere in the world, Megan, and once you’ve had a child , you’re a mother forever. That cannot be taken from you.’

When Megans son Daniel is kidnapped by her estranged ex husband her whole world crumbles.
Her obsessive abusive ex takes their 6 year old child from school one day,never to be seen again.

Megan,remarried,a mother again,gets the call 6 years later she has been waiting for. Daniel has walked into a police station, Gred is dead. Megan can come get him and take him now.

What unfolds next is a can't put down story I devoured,anxious to learn the ending.

This was an incredible, sometimes distressing, emotional roller-coaster of a book and it's going on my list of favourite reads of the year. I had tears streaming down my cheeks as I flipped the book closed and it's not often a book effects me in that way.

We start the story as Meghan goes to collect her 6 year old son, Daniel from school, only to learn that his father has already collected him. A father that she has recently divorced. He's a violent bully of a man and will stop at nothing to exact his revenge for the hurt she has caused him. Daniel has disappeared. Personally, this is every woman's worst nightmare.

Meghan is torn apart and even a desperate search for her son reveals nothing. She will never give in but eventually she has to start to move on with her life however Daniel is never forgotten and even when Meghan re-marries and they move to a new family home, Daniel's room is still there, ready and waiting for his return.

As the years go on Meghan has to accept that she may never see her son again and this line really effected me: She hopes that her son is no longer missing her even though she misses him every single day.

One day, Daniel just walks into a police station and tells them who he is. A tragic accident has left him with no one and finally he is re-united with this mother. The trauma for this family is not yet over and instead they have a whole new set of challenges to face.

This books flips from the the years of searching to the present day and seamlessly the story is told from both Meghan's side and her missing son's Daniels. After being separated from his mother for half of his life they are finally reunited but Daniel is no longer the happy, cheeky six year old that she lost but a sullen twelve year old boy that is distant and broken. He is angry. Angry at her for giving him away, Angry at her for not looking for him and angry at her for starting a new life without him.

One day at a time is the only way that Meghan can start to deal with Daniel. There are moments where his disturbing behaviour leads her to almost believe that he isn't in fact her son. She thought it would be easy but the truth is, it is much harder then she ever imagined. She has to learn to get to know the stranger that she has brought home and welcomed into her house. Underneath that is the story that Daniel may not appear as he seems and he could be capable of inflicting harm on both Meghan and his new family.

I don't want to give the plot away but the twists at the end are brilliant. They are so cleverly woven in so that I ,as the reader, didn't even noticing what was occurring before boom, I was blown away. I never once saw the ending coming. It made me gasp at points as people that you believed were helping, turned out not to be all that they seemed. There were points near the end that I physically put the book down as I was unable to process the information and I so desperately needed the happy ever after. Not just for Meghan but for Daniel to.

I really can't say enough great things about this book. It is a must read and I have to confess that I have already ordered more of this authors previous work.

I loved this , it takes you on an absolute rollercoaster of emotions , Megan’s son Daniel is abducted by her estranged husband , she desperately searches for him but there is no sign of either of them , they have disappeared. She has remarried and has a small daughter , and one day she gets the call to say Daniel has been found , 6 years have passed and it’s clear that Daniel is not the boy he was , Meg is frightened of him and what he may do to Evie . With a couple of twists that I did see coming this is well written , fast paced and thrilling . I loved how the story went back to every year that Meg and Daniel were estranged and what they were doing on the anniversary of his abduction . A great read , didn’t want it to end . 5 stars

What would your life be likeif your child was missing for 6 years and then came home? That’s the premise of this book and it’s quite the emotional roller coaster you’d imagine. This book was short and a quick read but told the story from the Moms (Megan’s) point of view. You really get into her mind and what she’s gone thru. Recommended as sharp domestic thriller.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

It's an enjoyable read. I could have done with less forth and back but it was easy to follow. A good book for a lazy weekend or a vacation. A bit mystery, a bit thriller, a bit family drama.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy!

3.5/5

Megan's life was turned upside down when her ex-husband kidnapped their six year old son. Six years later her son returns, or does he?
This book is an emotional roller coaster and non stop suspense. All was clicking for me as to what was going on, but it was worse than I suspected.
An enjoyable read.

***Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!***

I really loved this book. While it was slightly predictable, it was still a fun thriller that kept me turning pages and wanting to know how things were going to unfold.

I also loved that the story kept flipping back and forth between the present and when he was taken, one year after he was taken, two years after he was taken, etc. It was so interesting to see how much Megan and Daniel changed dramatically during the time period.

Also, Greg is a big douchebucket and I hate him.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This book gripped me from the first page. It was a real page turner and I read it in one night.

It is the first of this author's book that I have read and I will definitely recommend it for psychological thriller lovers. I will be sure to read the author's other books..

I received this book free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

the book really surprised me! this is a page-turning thriller to say the least. six year old daniel was stolen from his mother by his father. after six long years, he's returned to his mother, and the struggle of adjusting to life with each other again is clear.

you need to read this book!

The Boy in the Photo is an intense, page-turning thriller. I couldn’t put it down! What I love most is the surprising ending. I’d recommend this book to anyone; I love it!

This book was really a page turner. 6 year old Daniel gets stolen from his Dad and gets to return to his Mom after 6 years full of worries, hope and uncertainty. I was feeling the struggle on both sides as they have to get used to one another again after all this time. Also the question what 6 years of growing up with an abusive, toxic parent would turn a former happy kid into. Who is he now? Did he turn into a younger version of her ex-husband? Can she trust her now teenage boy with her little baby girl?

After asking for a divorce Megan's ex-husband steals her 6 year old boy Daniel from her, what follows are six years of desperate waiting for any news, the hope to see him again, trying to get on with life and trying not to fall apart in the meantime. After those six horrible years Daniel comes back into her life but she is struggling to get through him, he isn't the boy she used to know anymore after all.

I thought the situation to feel very real, not like he is back and everything will be back to normal once again after he spend the last years with his Dad who intoxicated him with lies about his Mom not wanting or loving him anymore.

In Flashback chapters we get to know how she made it through each anniversary of her boy taken from her and also how he experienced year after year being gone and how the lies settle in his mind.

Thanks Bookouture, Nicole Trope and Netgalley to give me the chance to read this advanced copy, I really enjoyed it very much and finished it within a day - I just couldn't stop reading!

Firstly thank you to Bookouture and Netgallery for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Megan is married to Greg and they have a son Daniel. Their marriage ends due to domestic violence and Daniel at the age of 6 is living with his mum. That is until one day Megan goes to collect Daniel from school and Greg has already collected him. Megan will not see her son again for 6 years and when he is returned to her he is a very changed young man.

I was gripped with this story from the beginning. The writer is able to convey the distress felt by Megan with such clarity that my heart was beating faster. The way the story is told from different points of view and the back and forth timeline adds to unsettling feeling one feels when reading. I’m fascinated by the nature v nurture element to the story and felt for Megan when the boy she lost is so very different to the boy that comes back, The ending totally blew me away!! I’m off to read more Nicole Trope books now!!!

The Boy in the Photo will tug at your heart strings when Daniel who had been abducted at age 6 is reunited with his Mom

Daniel is not the same boy, but how could he be ?

There is a sense of unease as Daniel struggles to adapt being back.

The book is told from the past, which slowly lets you understand Daniel and Megan, and from the present.

You think you have it figured out but do you ?

Enjoyable read that will keep you turning the pages.

Thanks to Bookouture and Net Galley for the opportunity to read The Boy in the Photo

A seriously heart wrenching book.
The sheer trauma and pain felt each and every day by Megan as she waits and waits for her son to be returned to her is vividly described and the guilt she feels as she moves on with her life, with a new husband, baby and a new home, is palpable.
Then he returns...in a strange inexplicable way with injuries that are not serious enough for what he has been through and with a terrifying attitude towards the new husband and baby.
Tension continues to rise in the household as Daniel tries to settle in to the family and his inner turmoil about wanting to accept and be loved by his mum despite his dads best efforts to alienate him is heartbreaking.

An excellent read that takes you forward from the desperate television appeals and constant news stories about abducted children, through the wastelands of the missing years and into the afterwards where nothing can be the same no matter how hard you try.

It was ok..To me it jumped around too much and was missing some things . This book had a lot of potential but there is too much repeating With some serious editing i feel it could actually be a five star review. Another thing that i didn't like was one min she would be at the table the next rolling over in bed. No going to and from. I was so confused i had to go back and reread . This happened over and over in the book without warning. At one point it says he is in six grade then another he is in his final year before highschool.

The worst thing that can happen to a mother is to have her child abducted and never know what happened to him or whether she'll ever see him again. That's the anguish Megan had to live with for six years after her six year old son, Daniel was abducted by her abusive, controlling ex-husband Greg. But now Daniel has been returned to her as a silent, hostile adolescent who has been filled with the hate and bitterness of his father and the lies he told him about his mother. With his father now dead and Megan re-married with a new baby, she is struggling to reconnect with her son and find the sweet little boy that she remembers.

This is such an emotional and heart-breaking story of a family struggling to hold it all together. Megan's new husband, the detective who was originally in charge of Daniel's case, is so understanding and compassionate in a situation that many men couldn't handle. Megan is having difficulty coping with her feelings and reactions, wanting to smother her son with love but knowing she has to stand back and give him space to deal with grieving for his father and just hope he will gradually come to trust them. Daniel is also struggling with his feelings as he comes to realise that he has had his childhood taken from him and a lot of what his father told him is twisted and untrue. The author really has painted a thoughtful and provocative picture of what it would be like to have your child returned to you, hostile and angry, after six years on the run with a controlling and antagonistic parent. And to top it all off, she has delivered an explosive ending that will blow your socks off. Highly recommended.

4.5 stars! This is the first book I’ve read by Nicole Trope, and I can’t wait to read more from her! It was a fantastic thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end, and I I really enjoyed that the story went back and forth from past to present. It definitely helped with the buildup of the story while keeping important details at bay until the time was right to bring them to light.

I really admired Megan for keeping it together after her ex-husband took Daniel. I think it’s every mother’s worst nightmare for a child to go missing, but for someone you once loved and trusted to betray you by taking your child, regardless of whether or not he’s the child’s father, is unforgivable. Six years have gone by, and while Megan is still grieving her missing son, she has since remarried and had another child. Daniel then shows up out of the blue at a police station, and Megan is elated to have her son back, but he isn’t the same boy she lost all those years ago. He’s hardened and bitter towards his mother, spurred on by lies his father fed him, but Megan is determined to find the same little boy beneath all those layers of hurt.

I was really surprised by how the book ended, and I’m glad I didn’t see it coming. It was a really creative spin on the story, and when everything was revealed, it all started to make sense and I could see how little details from previous chapters were finally pieced together. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and I highly recommend it!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2845919198

Absolutely brilliant - this one grabbed me and didn’t let me go. The characters were brilliant, believable and moving, the writing paced and perfect. Highly recommended.

The Boy In the Photo is an an amazing story I was totally hooked all the way through. When Megan's son is abducted he returns years later a totally different person and has obviously been through a lot of trauma.

A shocking story that makes you sit and think that having a child taken away is such a reality for so many people out there. A gripping story that had my full attention from page one. Another fantastic book from Nicole Trope