Things have come undone.........

Lucinda Berry presents a storyline that has the feel of shifting sand under your feet. Can't quite get the balance of it all. Can't quite get a handle on those ships that set sail in these choppy waters.

Kate Bennett is a stay-at-home mother of five year old Abbi in Northern California. The "stay-at-home" portion seems to be driven by her husband, Scott. Kate longs to be back in her journalism lane free from what she perceives are deadend walls all day.

Her former boss calls with an assignment that gets the juices flowing once again. Kate is to interview the head of Love International which is based out of Pierce College. The organization focuses on helping college students who are battling opioid addiction. The interview with Ray Fischer seems to go well along with her boss' approval. It appears that Kate has her foot in the door once again.

But a few weeks later, Kate's car is found in a Target's parking lot. Her keys are in the ignition, handbag on the seat, and shopping bags in the trunk. Absolutely no sign of Kate.

Lucinda Berry fast forwards to eleven years later entitled "Now". Abbi is sixteen and Scott is remarried to a widow named Meredith who has two college aged sons. The quiet suburbia setting is in for a nightmare though. Kate shows up terrified at a gas station in Montana with a baby in tow. The upcoming weeks will find this disjointed family living under one roof trying to piece together Kate's missing years. Traumatized and anxious, Kate refuses to give much information under the scrutiny of the FBI and stress counseling. The chapters will revert to "Then" in which Kate's story slowly takes on a face.

One would think that we have a blockbuster here. Not so fast. What starts out as a high-interest storyline begins to sink under the weight of the "Then" aspect. Without giving away anything more, we have a grown woman acting like a teenage runaway. Everything is built on this premise with the end result falling apart like a Jenga game. So much unnecessary dialogue and elaborate explanations while in "Thenville". A shot of energy at the end was not enough to save this one for me. You may have an entirely different experience from mine. Check it out and see.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to Lucinda Berry for the opportunity.

This book was incredible.. The story was intense an engrossing.. The ending was incredible and unexpected.. Great book.

I have to say that I expected a bit more from this book, as this is one of my favorite authors. She has a way with telling dark stories that aren't always comfortable and do not have happy endings. They are realistic and straightforward, often making you questions deep seated, long-held beliefs. With this story, I felt that it was too much of 'what you see is what you get' and there was no surprises or twists beyond what you expect. The subject matter seemed a little lighter than usual, at least partly, as the cult brainwashing that affects the main character, Kate, is easily foreseeable and well known. You think that where she has been after she disappeared will be a long reveal, but you find out pretty early on. How exactly it happens is not revealed until later, with the expected dramatic fallout ensuing.

The story alternates from how she was groomed to become a member in the past, and how her family deals with the return of her and her new baby in the present. Kate's husband is now remarried to a very (as in, too) understanding new woman named Meredith and Kate's daughter, Abbi, is now 16 and barely remembers her mother from before she disappeared. Everyone is as uncomfortable as you would expect and has no idea what will happen after they move her into their home, which is still the house that she lived in.

I thought her initiation into the cult was a little rapid for a seemingly intelligent woman. Almost as if she was just a bored housewife losing interest in her husband who jumps at the first opportunity at a new life. It doesn't reflect well on her character and naivete, as she too easily believes everything she is told. The new wife is also way too accepting of her husband's attachment to Kate. Yes, he & Kate were first loves, soulmates, etc. but he refuses to discuss how it affects his relationship with Meredith and how he's always pushing her aside. There's only so much understanding and empathy you can show before you would stand up for yourself, which doesn't happen. I didn't expect this author to portray her female characters as such weak creatures.

I would still recommend the book, but with the caveat that it won't be as you expect from her past works. And if this is your first time reading this author, you will be pleasantly surprised by her other stories!

** spoiler alert ** This book was a bit odd.
I thought some parts were good, it was multiple POV and the mystery is centre around the events of the wife's disappearance and return.
It deals with a cult.
The ending isn t a HEA, it doesn't really explain what happens next but the reader would assume certain events.
My issue is the wife is indoctrinated by the cult behaviour and the things she undergoes are pretty horrific but there didn't seem to be understanding of that.
Her actions are all influenced by that time away and she obviously isn t acting reasonably. I just wasn't happy.
The living situation was ridiculous.
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Lucinda Berry's 'When she returned' is a psychological thriller about a family whose lives are thrown into turmoil when the husband's first wife returns, after she vanished without a trace 11 years earlier.

The story is told from 3 first person viewpoints, the 16 year old daughter's Abbi, who is naturally thrilled to have her mum back. The stepmum Meredith who is protective of her family and finally Kate the mum, who's storyline is in the past tense describing what really happened, starting 11 years ago and ending when she got away.

I found the first part of the story to be quite engaging, despite the cookie cutter first person viewpoints (of which I'm not a big fan) and all the cliches. It got me curious enough to keep on reading. Meredith and Abbi's stories were ok, they were believable if a bit stereotypical, but then again I guess most of us aren't all that unique. Kate's story didn't really sit with me though and is what I found to be the weakest part of the thriller and the plot became clear to me quite early on. I'm sure the ending was a shock to the characters in the book (maybe not Meredith though, who at times seemed to be the only levelheaded person in that family), but as a reader I was not all that impressed. I still give it 3 stars as I did finish it and I would recommend it as it's not pretending to be anything other than an entertaining and easy read, perfect for the holidays. And as such it probably delivers.


I got an e-ARC of #When she returned from the good people at #netgalley and the publisher in return for an honest review

It’s been 11 years since Kate Bennett vanished from a parking lot, leaving her husband and young daughter to wonder where she had gone. Now, she’s turned up at a gas station with an infant in a state of extreme distress. There is speculation that she had been the victim of a cult, but the answers are not clear. Her husband has remarried, her daughter doesn’t know her and Kate herself is nothing like the woman who disappeared years earlier. A story with a shocking twist

Very good book. It was dark and surprising, yet completely logical. The setup was done very well. I had not anticipated the ending, and yet, it made perfect sense. Good character development. The main thing that kept me from leaving five stars for this novel was that rather than 'shocking' or 'thrilling', I found 'When She Returned' to be depressing.

I would definitely read more from this author.

Thank you the NetGalley, the publisher, and Lucinda Berry for an ARC of When She Returned in exchange for an honest review.

Darkly thrilling and completely unputdownable. This book is an amazing ride that I devoured in just a couple hours. Must read!