An excellent fast-paced novel with colourful characters and a plot full of twists and turns. Gripping from start to finish.

"Kate Bennett vanished from a parking lot eleven years ago, leaving behind her husband and young daughter. When she shows up at a Montana gas station, clutching an infant and screaming for help, investigators believe she may have been abducted by a cult."

This story was riveting. The cult aspect of the book was so interesting. I was on the edge of my seat the entire story. I loved it and highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A wife and mother reappears after being held captive for 11 years but there are plenty of unanswered questions about her disappearance. The book has different perspectives and because of that, the story is captivating and mysterious. Overall, I really enjoyed the book as a whole and actually liked how it ended. This book gives an interesting perspective on the human mind, manipulations and cult life.

I recommend this book to people who love a slow burn mystery with twists and turns.

4/5

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Omggggg Lucinda Berry is definitely one of my favorite authors by far. I have loved each of her books including this one. I have no idea how it was going to end and was surprised by the twist at the end. She is a brilliant author!!

No thanks. It has a cult in it. The woman just goes along with it with very little persuasion. No. Didn't finish.

Kate Bennett seems to have it all. A happy marriage, a loving husband (and childhood sweetheart) Scott, a five year old healthy and happy daughter Abbie and a career as an investigative journalist which she is excited to get back to. But one day Kate just disappears from a supermarket's parking lot without a trace.

Eleven years later, Scott and Abbie have finally moved on with their lives when Kate suddenly reappears with a 7 month old baby. Abbie is now 16 years old with a very vague memory of her mother and Scott has remarried another woman Meredith. Kate does not seem even a slight shadow of her former self; she is severely malnourished and looks psychologically traumatised. While Scott, Abbie and Meredith try to figure out how to re-integrate Kate back into their lives, the police investigate and find out that Kate might have left her family and life on her own free will to join the cult she was investigating and whose leader she had interviewed 11 years ago. Meredith seems to have doubts about Kate and as the police continue with their investigation, it seems like Kate's return could be far more dangerous than anyone expected.

This book shows the extent of the devious power and influence a cult can hold and have, even on seemingly educated and intelligent people, to make them give up the sanity of their lives to embrace the insanity of a cult.

My thanks to Netgally, the publisher Thomas and Mercer and the author Lucinda Berry for the e-Arc of the book. I apologise for putting up the review late.

Rating: 3.5*

I worried this would be a simple kidnapping case but WOW was I wrong! It was such an intense read! I will definitely be recommending it!

This book really took me by surprise. It pulled me in right from the beginning and was definitely a page turner. I feel like I may have had a thriller burn out for a bit but this is pretty unique in it's category. Favorite thriller of the year so far. Highly recommend!!

Another plus - It's on Kindle Unlimited! :)

“When She Returned” is a book I went into without knowing what to expect. I found this to be an enjoyable read. This story has plenty of twists and turns and you’ll get a good feel of all the emotions of the three narrators. If you love mystery and psychological thrillers, this is a must read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed getting caught up in this crazy storyline about a mother who returns years after she disappeared. I should have anticipated the ending but I didn't and it blew me away. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

When She Returned is a fascinating and dark story.
Lucinda Berry has clearly done her research and presented a scarily believable story!

This is a brilliant, dramatic read that I highly recommend

I should have done my research before requesting this as I never would have if I had know it would involve a cult. Argh.

Seemingly intelligent woman, happily married mother of one, a reporter, out to investigate possible cult, meets leader and immediately agrees with whatever he says because what he says just makes sense.

You, my dear, are a moron.

Setting this one aside.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

Let's face it. Lucinda Berry is absolutely amazing at what she does. I have not read a single book by her that wasn't brilliant. When She Returned is no different. Kate Bennett disappeared 11 years old out from a parking lot. She mysteriously reappears WITH an infant into her family's life with no explanation of where she's been. She refuses to talk about what's happened while she's gone. THe police suspect she was abducted by a cult, but was she?! Where has she been? Who's the father of the baby?!

Kate Bennett mysteriously vanishes from a Target parking lot one day, leaving her husband and young daughter wondering what could have happened to her. Years go by without answers. Kate's husband has moved on, remarrying and raising his now teenage daughter. However, they have never stopped wondering what happened to Kate that fateful day. Surely it must have been something out of her control, for how could she leave her family of her own volition?

Everything changes eleven years later, when Kate is found at a gas station in Montana, clutching an infant. She refuses to speak about what happened to her and where she has been, leaving her family confused and scared. While they struggle to find answers, Kate and her baby move into the family home. However, she continues to remain silent, not providing any information about the atrocities she may have faced while she was gone. As the family tries to reacclimate and find their new normal, Kate's behavior turns more and more suspicious. What is she hiding? What does she know? And does she have the power to tear their fractured family apart, once and for all?

Great book. Lucinda Berry has done it again, weaving together a psychological masterpiece where nothing is as it seems. Definitely had some twists and turns, and the end left me reeling. Highly recommend not only this book, but this author.

When She Returned lays a foundation of tough themes like hidden secrets, familial complexity, and traumatic cults, on which, the three narrators of the story are setting up their own timeline of events and consequently creating a suspenseful mystery. The story definitely pulls the reader into this emotional ride of thrill but the predictable climax drowns some high expectations. Overall, a triple narrative and PTSD representation are worth appreciating.

When She Returns is the story of a woman returning to her family after being missing for 11 years. Her husband, Scott, has remarried and moved on with his life, but his love for Kate, has never died. Kate is severely traumatized from her time spent isolated from society. Also, when she appears, she has a newborn baby girl with her. What do you do when your former wife, that you have had declared dead, reappears on your doorstep? Scott makes the decision to move her into his home, which is her former home, with his wife and daughter, who is also Kate’s daughter.

Now the fun begins. The FBI is working to determine what happened all those years ago, while Meredith, the current wife is trying to come to terms with the reappearance of Kate and what it means for her marriage to Scott. Turmoil, dark secrets and interesting family relationships abound as the family works its way through this maze. Nothing is as it appears to be. I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable read that I could not put down. You will enjoy the twists and turns and feel the emotions of all those involved. This is a definite read for those that love mystery and psychological thrillers. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

When She Returned was not what I expected. Kate and Scott seemed perfect. They had been childhood sweethearts, literally, close since they were 9. They married and had a child and were happy. Maybe. 11 years ago, when their daughter was just 5, Kate disappeared. Scott and Abbi looked for her for years. Finally, Scott let himself move on and marry again. Just after, Kate returns with an infant. She's been tortured and starved.

The story unfolds through the eyes of three narrators. The three women of the story. Abbi and Meredith, Scott's second wife, tell the story as it unfolds now. We see what happened to Kate in the past from before she disappeared to just before her escape. As her story moves through the past, we see how she became obsessed. The question as you are reading now is, is she still obsessed?

I don't really want to tell more of the story than that. Just enjoy it. I was expecting something more along the lines of the two wives tangling with each other. There was some of that. It would have been impossible for that not to be there. But the focus was how the women were interacting with each other and with the men who connected them all. There was a connection between Ray, the cult leader, and Scott. Both seemed to consider themselves the last word on what happened with their families. Both did not listen to or consider the voices of the women around them. Abbi, the 16 year old, was the only one not afraid to not go along with it. Hope for the future? I loved that she was portrayed as a confused person and not just a brat. The second wife was conflicted and honest. How do you react when your husband's dead wife shows up?

Thank you to Netgalley, Lucinda Berry, and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I hope to read more by the author in the future.

I received a copy from Netgalley in return for my personal truthful opinion. Sadly this fell very short for me. Typically I love L.Berry’a work.
But I struggled to get into the plot. Between the constant change in characters and time line I was often confused. The overall story line has awesome potential but in the end it was too predictable.

This book absolutely blew my socks off. It is my first by this author and believe me I do look forward to reading more. This one held me captive from start to dramatic finish.
It’s told from the three females POV. The victim, Kate, who went missing eleven years before. Just vanished from a Target parking lot. No struggle, nothing taken, her phone and purse and even her keys still in the car. It’s like she just disappeared from the face of the Earth. Her story is told from back when she went missing and tells where she was and why she was there. What happened to her and all the emotions she had. Some crazy things she endured. It was not good.
Meredith, the second wife, who was the most understanding women I have ever seen. There were times that I thought she should have just told Tom to kiss off and walk out the door. Now I understand he was happy that his first wife, who was the love of his life since they were just children had returned after so long and had been through hell and back. But enough is enough. He treated Meredith terribly. I don’t think he, deep down, meant to be so mean, but let’s be real. A woman does not appreciate being totally pushed away after she gives you her heart and has been there for you at times when no one else has. I truly felt sorry for her and at times thought she should tell them all to get out. Just leave her alone. But that was not her way and she turned out to be such a strong woman. I had a love/hate feeling for this woman and a pity/proud feeling. She tried so hard to keep things balanced and grounded.
Abbi the daughter. She was only five years old when her mom disappeared. She had memories from watching home movies, pictures and things her dad told her. She did a some that a child of that age might possible be able to have stored in their minds. She was so happy and excited when her mom came back. She worried all the time about something happening and just wanted them to all protect her mom at all costs. She wanted to be a part of the process that was going on to get her mom back to her former self after all the horrible things she had been through. Abbi was a typical sixteen year old who just wanted people to get along and wanted her mom to feel safe again. I think she was a little bit rude to Meredith, but to be fair most teens are rude to their parents at that age. She was confused at this point about everything and was doing her best to keep her mom around.
Tom, the husband and dad.... I felt awful for him. He was in a terrible situation and had no idea what to do. He didn’t have much back bone in certain parts of this book but he did try. To me he was not good to his wife. His current wife. He excluded her almost completely. He would not listen when she said things and that came back to bite him. Even though he and Kate had been friends from a very young age, and been high school sweethearts, does not make them the perfect couple. Things chance in almost all relationships. Kate wanted to work. He didn’t want her too. She was bored staying home all day. He should have listened to her. But was it his fault what happened to her? No he was not. He did love her. He tried so hard to find her and it took him years before he would declare her dead and move on. Remarry. Make a new life. But still in the home he and Kate had made. I didn’t like that. But it sure made the story more interesting.
I really liked Dean. He was a family friend after Kate went missing. He was also in charge of finding her when she went missing. He was FBI and became a must trusted family friend. I liked how he interacted with Abbi. He was kind and understanding and knew her secret place when she wanted to feel close to her mother. I just liked him.
Things are not at all what they seem in this story. From the beginning you feel so bad for all Kate went through. For the abuse that was so obviously inflicted on her. But where had she been. Did she go on her own or was she taken. If she was kidnapped why no ransom, or was it someone who just wanted a woman. So many questions came to my mind but in the end I found the answers I was looking for. There was a twist that just floored me. One I did not see coming at all and that does not happen a lot in this type of book. I usually have some idea but not this time. I was totally shocked and that is putting it mildly. This was an excellent book in my opinion. From start to finish I didn’t want to put it down and didn’t much. I didn’t want to do anything but find out what happened next and why it happened.
This book touched on several things, cults, brainwashing, kidnapping, abuse and the most horrible, death or murder. It will make you cry in parts because you’re human and will feel sorry for some of the characters. It will make you very angry in parts again because you are human. This is a story that will keep you turning pages until all your questions are answered. I did love the ending but still felt sorry for the characters throughout.
In my opinion they are well developed and you will feel different emotions toward them in each chapter. I think the author did a great job with this book. It made me cringe in parts where it felt so realistic. Up to the very ending...

Thank you #NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Lucinda Berry for this eARC. This is my own review told from my heart.

I gave it 5 stars because I felt it was worth it and I highly recommend it.

A fascinating story that gripped me from start to finish. Kate returns suddenly one night after being missing for 11 years. Where has she been? Was she kidnapped? Abbi, her daughter, can't remember Kate from before and cannot wait to meet the mother she has dreamt of for so long. The thing is - Kate is extremely traumatised by her time away - what exactly happened out there and what does this mean for Abbi now?