This was a well written story and keeps you guessing for awhile. The only problem is the language can be hard to understand if you are not Scottish. I enjoyed the ending!

I tried my best to get into this book however I had to DNF at 20% because I found myself losing focus and the book just was not keeping my attention, I will keep this book on my shelf and may come back to visit it on a later date.

Stunning dark psychological thriller!!
Brilliant story, couldn't put it down until the ending.
Thank you NetGalley for this lovely copy!!

3 for neutral, a book that I just couldn’t get into without being confused which ultimately led me to decide I couldn’t finish.  Will update if I’m able to get into, understand, and finish.

This was my first read by Jane Renshaw. I requested this book as I liked the sound of it. The premise was interesting a sounded right up my alley. Oh, boy, was I wrong. Watch Over Me, started out alright but quickly went downhill. It was very confusing and I couldn’t connect to the book or the characters. I really wanted to love this novel, but I did not like it at all. The language (constant f-bombs) - the dialogue - the slang - it was all so bad and just too much! I’m not a fan, it just wasn’t for me.  A review copy was provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the author, the book, or the content of my review.

This is an intricate tale of biological and adopted families.

Social services deem the notorious criminal family the Johnsons unfit to look after little Beckie after her mentally ill mother commits murder.  She is removed from her biological family and subsequently adopted by Flora and Neil, however it is not a case of happily ever after.  The Johnsons are enraged by Social Services assessment and vow to do anything to get Becki back whether by legal or non-legal means..

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, the sections written from the prospective of Lorraine Johnson using her Scottish slang was a little difficult at first but didn’t detract from the storyline.

Many thanks to the publishers and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Holy Moly! Learn another curse word, would ya? Seriously, this book could've had more of an impact if I didn't get distracted by the continuous use of one word in particular. Now, I don't get offended easily, and the use of that word didn't offend me here, but good grief, after the oh, 200th time I read it, it started getting a bit distracting. Finally, I used that handy little magnifying glass to search it, and I got 500 hits. One word used 500 times in a book that is just over 400 pages. No other way to look at it, it's repetitive. Then we have the Scottish slang written into the story with a glossary at the end of the book. That was odd to me, but it didn't bother me like the repetition already mentioned. The story is a bit of a slow burn with some interesting twists. Truly, it's not a bad read, but it didn't wow me like I was hoping either. I would caution to be aware of the language, and if you have a problem with suspension of disbelief, I would move on because this does require a fair amount of it. In the end, I'm on the fence about the story and the author, so I'm not sure if I'd read a future book by Jane Renshaw or not.

Really wanted to enjoy this book but sadly I just got too confused from the very beginning. Didn't really get the dialogue. Gave it a go but sadly not for me. 

Thank you Inkubator Books and NetGalley.

Flora and Neil are delighted when they are given the daughter they have always yearned for. Through a closed adoption Becki is removed from her family the Johnson's and into home of Flora and Neil. The Johnson's are an extremely dysfunctional extended family with a criminal background and are accused of neglect of Becki. However they are desperate to get their little girl back and Flora and Neil face life where at times they need to go into hiding,  as well as having to watch over their shoulders as the family stalk them. 
Alongside this, the case originally presented by the social worker is called into question when it surfaces that she may be responsible for hurting Becki herself.
I found this book initially quite slow and difficult to read at times when told from the side of the Johnson family, strong Scottish dialect as well as some strong language. However loved the twist at the end of this book.

This book just wasn't for me. The speaking style and the slang wordsreally turned me off and made me not want to finish it. I gave up pretty quickly.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review - 
Becky was taken from a bad home situation and adopted by Ruth. 
Ruth worried about the adoption as she had issues from her childhood  she was afraid would come to light.
Becky's parents don't want  to loose her and they stalk Becky and her new family.
Follow along and be shocked as they devise new ways to ruin or change Becky and her new families lives.

Flora always dreamed of the day she’d become a mother. But some dreams turn into nightmares.
Flora and Neil are happily married, but they can’t have children so decide to adopt. And when Flora  meets little Beckie it’s love at first sight. Deep in her heart, she knows they’re meant for each other, destined to be mother and daughter. 
When Flora officially becomes Beckie’s mum, it’s like a part of her that’s always been missing is finally in place. She is complete, every day filled with purpose and joy. 
There’s only one problem. Beckie was taken from her birth family, the Johnsons, because they have a history of violence and criminal behaviour and so are judged to be unfit to care for a child. 
But the Johnsons don’t agree. As far as they’re concerned, Flora has stolen their little girl and they are determined to get her back. They’re very smart, utterly ruthless – and they have a plan. One that will turn Flora’s life into a living hell and push her to the very edge of insanity. 

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuousluy.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.  This is my own honest voluntary review.

This book makes you have to suspend your belief a little but the way it is done was amazing! I was expecting a little more typical thriller but realized quickly it was darker than i imagined! The author really makes you care about the characters like they are apart of your life. I was dying to know what happened to them and how the story would play out so I finished the book in one sitting. !

Really enjoyed this book! Fast paced and had me gripped from the start. Highly recommend - NetGalley reviewer

I want to start off by saying thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book, it was a very good read easy to follow along with storyline and characters. This was a new author for me but I very much enjoyed it, thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to reading more by this author again. I highly recommend this book to everybody.

This is a macabre, twisted story of what should have been a happy ending.  Flora and Neil, a decent hardworking couple adopt a child Beckie. The birth parents are violent, crazy, and unstable and the child was rightly taken from them for her own safety.  Happy ending?   Oh no, not going to happen.  That’s just the beginning of fresh abuse as they want Beckie back and  will stop at nothing to make that happen. Really fast-paced, twists and turns and a rush to read how it all turns out!

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Book for this eARC. This was the story of a little girl born into a low-class, dysfunctional, criminal family called the Johnsons. She gets taken away by Social Services and gets placed into a new family. The Johnsons cannot go anywhere near Beckie, the adopted little girl. But Lorraine, the grand-mother, the brain of the family ends up retracing Beckie and her adopted parents and that’s when the story gets intense. 

As intense the plot was, it was a nightmare to read through the Johnson scenes and that Scottish slang. I literally had to read out loud in order to understand the dialogues. Beside that, the plot was strong, well thought out and the characters complex. My favorite character was by far Beckie, a little toddler with a doomed future but, thanks to her adopted parents Neil and Flora, her maturity, her intelligence, and her sense of observation, she turned into a bright young lady. Definitely the star of the book!

If you like psychological thrillers, this is a book I recommend.

Flora & Neil have always wanted a family & not being able to have one themselves they decide to adopt & it is love at first sight when they meet two year old Beckie. She has been taken from her home because of neglect & abuse & they want to do all they can to make sure she feels loved and safe. However, the Johnstons are not going to give her up easily. As far as they are concerned Beckie has been stolen from them, they want her back & are quite prepared to do anything to achieve that end.

The safe, middle-class family Beckie lives with could not be more different than the chaotic hard drinking, violent . foul mouthed family she was taken from. Flora & Neil will go to any lengths to keep her safe.

This was a fast paced thriller. Personally I didn't find the language of the Johnsons a barrier to enjoyment, but then I live in Scotland & could imagine it might be a bit trickier for those unexposed to the rich dialect! All in all an enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Suspenseful, edgy, thrilling and a little creepy in places this book kept me on my toes!  

The story follows Beckie (or Bekki depending on who is telling the story), a young child, who has been taken from her birth family who have a history of criminal and violent behaviour and who is adopted by Flora and Neil who appear to be the perfect parents. Her birth family, particularly her grandmother, are desperate to get her back and goes to some amazing lengths to get what she wants. 

The story is told from both sides, from Bekki’s Grandmother, Lorraine who plots to get her back through to Flora, Beckie’s adoptive mother and her panic and need to protect Becki. Both fiercely love this little girl.

There are plenty of twists and turns and, in some ways, you want to hate Lorraine and her family, but their commitment is admirable, and you can’t help but feel for them as well. There is a lot of Scottish slang which was initially difficult to read but became natural very quickly (there is also a glossary at the back if you need it but I didn’t find that I did!)

A great ending!

Hooked right until the end. As soon as you start this book the author I have you under their spell and you will not be able to put this down.