A great book full of intrigue and mystery. A gripping story which had me wanting to turn the pages and see what was going to happen

This book was an absolute- absolutely heartbreaking and absolutely beautiful. It stayed with me and even a day later I was just doing all the what ifs. GREAT JOB!

“Six years ago, he was stolen. Now, your little boy is back.” That is what is written on the cover of “The Boy in the Photo”, and that is what captured my attention and pulled me in. The story and plot itself, the characters and relationships, and the twists and turns are what kept me captivated and reading every chance I could. It was a fast and easy read, and truly was “an absolutely gripping and emotional page-turner”, just as promised and stated on the cover. Though I predicted some parts, it was still enticing and enjoyable. I haven’t read any other books by this author but was thrilled to see that she has another family psychological novel that I can read!

The Boy in the Photo is an emotional roller coaster that culminates in a surprisingly and equally emotional ending. With alternating timeliness in the past and present readers are introduced to Meghan, going about her day with her baby daughter Evie until her husband calls with news her son Daniel has been found alive while his father is dead in a fire. The action picks up as Meghan is reunited with her now 12 year-old-son who was taken from school by his father six years earlier. As the family tries to reunite and come to grips with Daniel's six year absence there are more questions than answers-just where was Daniel all this time? Who set the fire? Why is Daniel so reluctant to bond with Meghan? The unsettling answers are revealed over time proving that Meghan is still in danger. This can't-put-down domestic thriller by Nicole Trope needs to be added to your list this summer!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Megan's abusive ex-husband skipped town with their 6 year old son, Daniel.This was 6 years ago. In the meantime, Megan (Daniel's mother) has remarried and has a 6 month old baby, Evie. Megan has never forgotten Daniel - she thinks of him every day and has computer posts dedicated to him.

Since Megan's now-husband, Michael, is a police detective and is familiar with the case, he is the one who calls his wife to tell her that Daniel has been found. Seems as if Daniel walked into the closest police station, gave his name and told them there had been a fire.- then he clammed up.

Megan cannot wait to see him! This is when the suspense ramps up!

Excellent character development and a good plotline. I recommend this story as it has more to it than "the usual child abduction' type read. Teen through adult readers will enjoy!

Many Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a great read!

Absolutely riveting, I thought My Daughter's Secret was a fantastic read but this is one of my best reads this year.

I love the way this author writes, so talented and a brilliant page turner. A fantastic family drama, such easy reading which I found very hard to put down, full of suspense with twists and turns and I loved how the story moved to the different timelines and oh my word what an ending. This read is well worthy of 5+ stars and I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Well done Nicole, I look forward to your next masterpiece and my thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this first class book.

At first glance I thought this was just another “child gone missing” same old, same old book, but this plot was so much more. Interesting, with a new twist that is suspenseful to the very end.
Megan’s world collapses when Danny, her six year old is stolen by her ex- husband. Every day is a nightmare as she desperately searches for him. Six years later, Megan’s married to the lead detective on the case, they’re had a baby girl, and the call she waited for has come through. They’ve found her son Daniel. But nothing is the same.

Loved loved loved this book!

This author can write, and write she does. What an incredible story. Not a new theme, husband absconds with child, but told in a riveting way that will have you holding your breath until the shocking ending. I was glued to this book and couldn't go to sleep until I had finished it, And the next day I read it again, I'm checking to see if this author has written anything else. Hope so!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 ok stars

This book started really well and I was hooked. However at the point Daniel is found, it became a bit slow and drawn out.

I guessed the twist early on so maybe that spoiled it a bit.

The ending was a bit predictable and it was all wrapped up a bit too nicely.

Have read better by Nicole.

I’ll start my review by saying this isn’t a bad rating at all. I think casual readers will give it 5/5.

I liked The Boy in the Photo a lot, I just wish it had been shorter as it did drag at times. Megan’s pain jumped off the pages, the pain of losing her son and the pain of when he comes back with his personality changed. My heart broke for her. Also I loved Michael, he was a brilliant character and I loved his role as protector of his family, his ability to stand with Megan and overall his use of “we”. Could there be a more perfect man!?!

So you’re reading my review and thinking “Why three stars? It sounds like Samm really enjoyed this book.” Unfortunately I found the ending and the twists predictable and that slightly ruined it for me but bare in mind I try to read a thriller every day. As I said at the start of my review if you’re a casual reader you’ll love this, if you read lots of thrillers I’d give this one a miss.

Absolutely enjoyed every page of this book. I had several moments of OMG,! The story of an abducted son who has returned definitely has a twist . I loved the characters . I couldn’t put it down until I finished it ,! Great read,

People say that losing a child is the worst thing any parent could experience. But what if your lost child finally returned home after six long years, only for your excitement to quickly turn to fear at the person he's become? That's the basic premise behind Nicole Trope's latest novel, The Boy in the Photo. The inevitable consequences of everything that happened during those six years make this thriller a very entertaining and heart-wrenching read. 

Like any other good thriller, nothing is as it seems within this story. Although I figured out most of the twist before the book ended (which often comes with the territory for those of us who also write thrillers), I was thoroughly engaged and couldn't stop turning the pages. 

Trope did an excellent job of slowly dishing out clues for a twist that's likely to shock many readers. The characters and the trauma they'd experienced felt real, especially in regards to Megan, the mother who had never stopped looking for her son, and Daniel, the titular Boy in the Photo. Trope wasn't afraid to look directly at the ugly underbelly of finding a child who had become so damaged and full of rage, and this honesty took a good concept and turned it into a must-read thriller. 

Highly recommended for thriller fans who want to experience something different than the normal "who killed so-and-so" or "what's really going on behind closed doors" stories that dominate the thriller marketplace. Fans of Saving Meghan will love this one!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

The Boy in the Photo by Nicole Trope is a thriller I could not put down and read in one day.
Megan's six year old son Daniel is abducted from school by his dad, Megan's ex husband. The police try to find him and Megan never gives up hope of him being found.
Six years later Megan is married again and has a baby daughter. She gets a phone call to say that her son Daniel has been found.
Daniel is very different from the son she lost and blames her for everything.
This is a heartbreaking story of a mother trying to reconnect with her son and does everything she can to get him to trust her again.
A few twists and turns in this story and I correctly predicted where the story was heading but this didn't affect my enjoyment of the book.
This is the first book I have read by this author and will be looking out for more of her work.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Boy in the Photo by Nicole Trope is an intense, gripping read that will certainly strike a chord with any parent. It is a heartbreaking story that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Megan's son, Daniel, was taken by her ex-husband at the age of six, and Megan has never given up hope of finding him. Six years have passed, and a boy matching Daniel's description has wandered into a police station. He is alive, and Megan is, of course, elated. But what has transpired for young Daniel while in the care of his father for the past six, crucially formative, years? Megan soon discovers that the boy who has found his way back is almost unrecognizable as the innocent and trusting six-year-old he was when he was taken from her.

This is an emotionally fraught tale that had me desperate to fill in the gaps of Daniel's missing years, and hoping against hope that some peace will finally come to the long suffering Megan. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Omg,heart gripping book. Simply amazing. Not to spoil it for others but how my heart stopped for Megan near the end.
As a mother I cannot comprehend how you carry on searching,not knowing if or when you will ever see your child again.
I went and hugged my daughter and messaged my son "I love you".
The suffering for both mother and child is just heart breaking as I know it's happened to many parents in the world. My heart goes out to you all.

Well-written tale of a son returning home six years after a parental abduction. Megan deals with years of grief, and family and friends help her move forward but never past the loss of her son, Daniel. But when details don't quite add up and her internet friends no longer seem quite as supportive of her new reality, Megan wonders whether they are simply turned off because their abducted children remain missing or because she recently remarried and gave birth to a daughter. She knows they might not understand her concerns about this "new" Daniel, but she can't focus too much on the fact they have become distant and judgmental. Because it is becoming increasingly clear that Megan needs to listen to her gut about concerns that have arisen about Daniel and figure out whether her wish for his return is about to become a nightmare for her and her new family.

OMG, what a great book for my first read by Nicole Trope. What an emotional roller coaster this book was!!!One minute I was crying and the next I’m shocked at what’s happening next. I can’t wait until I read another book by her.

This book was about a mother struggling to reconnect with her son after his father took him from her for six long years. It was also about the son trying to find his role in a family he hasn’t seen in years. The mother and son go back and forth and neither one know what to expect from each other or how to act and who to trust.

I want to start off by saying that I had all the emotions with this book. This book is very real and can happen to anyone who wants or gets a divorce from their controlling spouse. I was so heart broken for the little boy that was put in the middle of this kind of situation and didn’t know what parent to believe and who to trust. I also felt horrible for the mom on what she had to endure with missing all those golden years of her sons life and trying to make up for it.

Between the plot, characters and all the emotional twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

An absolutely gripping and fascinating story. So many twists and turns, I found this book really difficult to put down. Well written. I’d read more from this author. Highly recommended

I loved the original concept of this novel and found it a compelling read. Megan has her life destroyed when her ex husband disappeared with their 6 year old son Daniel, she has tried desperately to find her son to no avail however six years later her mysteriously appears at a police station and they are reunited. After six years apart though Daniels temperament has changed beyond recognition and Megan is scared for herself and her new family. Megan’s story reads very well, her concerns and fears about her son are very genuine and well conveyed, Daniel is harder to read but still well written. The story is a real page turner however I must confess I suspected (correctly) how the story was headed, that said it didn’t spoil my enjoyment as it really does read well from a parental perspective.

This is such a good book, I’ve just finished it less than 24 hours after being approved! Full of suspense and twists, you must read this!