I received this from Netgalley. This book was wild with me going back and forth on who the culprit was. It kept me flipping the pages. There were so many options of who it could be.

We are taught from an early age to be polite to strangers, our elders, teachers, law enforcement. But we are also taught not to get in the car with someone we don’t know; don’t be lured away from the playground with candy or the promise of petting a puppy. When do you cross that line from being polite to being more concerned about a situation and being rude if necessary?

Molly disappears during a terrible storm while driving home from her son’s high school football game (in another town). Her car is abandoned on the side of the road with her cell phone inside. A few days later, a note is found in a nearby hotel room telling her family that she has left and “don’t look for me”. After an exhausting community/police search, no trace of her can be found. The search is called off and everyone goes back to their lives as best they can.

What would you do? Would you continue to look or obey her wishes and let her go? After all, her entire family is still reeling from her youngest child’s death a few years ago. A death that was her fault.

“Don’t Look for Me” by Wendy Walker is a twisted tale of lies, deceit, hatred, anger, obsession, and guilt. The story unfolds as a witness comes forward after the search for Molly has ended. Everyone believes that the witness is simply after the reward money; one million is a nice nest egg. Nicole, Molly’s daughter, does not believe that her Mother would just walk away from their family even though they have all treated her very badly as they blame her for Annie’s accidental death. Nicole decides to meet with the eyewitness to determine if she might just be telling the truth.

As Nicole tries to track down exactly what happened the night her mother disappeared, she finds that no one in the town is telling the truth and they all have something to hide.

This story made me quite uncomfortable sometimes. But aren’t those the best kind? The ones that make us ugly cry, ache for something more, make us uncomfortable? That doesn’t mean it was not a good book, it was. Some of the dialog/scenes just disturbed me.

As for me, I can tell you what I would do. My husband, daughter, sister, niece, or someone else I love disappears… you’d better hide well if that is your intent because I am never giving up!

Publication Date: September 15th 2020
Format: eBook
Genre: Thriller, mystery, suspense
Cover: Perfect
Rating: 4 stars
Source: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this great book!
#/DontLookForMe #NetGalley

I absolutely loved this book! I read in it 2 hours because I absolutely could not put it down. Every time I came to the end of a chapter, I had to keep going. This was the first book I've read by the author but I will be definitely looking into her other books!

After the loss of a child, Molly Clarke’s family and she herself were never the same. Because the auto that had killed her child was driven by Molly, and even though it was an accident, Molly and especially her daughter blamed her.

One night, Molly disappeared. It seemed she didn’t want to be found. Her car was found abandoned miles from home and as the investigation delved deeper into her disappearance, a note was found at a nearby hotel. The police called it a walk-away stating it happened a lot, where a woman would disappear; desperate to leave her life behind and start over.

Most would agree that is what happened, but Molly’s daughter, was not buying into that theory and was determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. As much as she had laid the blame on her mom for killing her little sister she had her own guilt to live with, as she was supposed to be babysitting. But she knew her mom would never leave her or her brother and husband. She just wouldn’t cause that kind of pain!

So pull up a chair and enjoy all the twists and turns that author Wendy Walker has fashioned into this gripping mystery. It will take you a while to guess who the true psycho really is, so be prepared to be just a little bit shocked!

Marilyn Rondeau

Whoa!


This book has one twist and turn after another! It’s no surprise that I couldn’t figure out who was the bad guy. The town of Hastings was full of liars, and people who had their own agendas.

The characterization was well done. Especially poignant were the portrayals of the family members who were still grieving the loss of the youngest child; the mother daughter each blame themselves for what happened. Their feeling are raw, and they are behaving in ways that are not unexpected. Then the worst thing imaginable happens.

The twist at the end completely floored me. This was a psychological thriller at it’s best.

Character study made while living under a threat of a madman. A twisty superbly written novel about a kidnapping and a house of horrors. A mom us kidnapped and finds herself mothering a young child while being held captive by a madman.

Creeptastic! LOVE IT!!!!
Don’t Look for Me is a suspenseful psychological thriller about a woman who seems to have abandoned her family during a dark and stormy night.

Molly Clarke's family was destroyed by a terrible accident. Years have passed, and her children can’t forgive her. Her husband is distant and no longer seems to love her. While driving home one night during a terrible storm, Molly contemplates running away from her family. Shortly after, she goes missing. The police believe Molly abandoned her family, but her daughter Nicole won't give up hope that her mother didn't simply walk away and continues to investigate her mother's disappearance in the small and strange town of Hastings.

The narrative is split between Molly and Nicole. Both characters hold their own and develop throughout. Both are dealing with the trauma of loss in different ways, and the events of this book highlight their emotions. The transitions between Molly and Nicole were smooth and I was equally interested in both of their stories.

This book sucked me in from the very beginning and kept me distracted, which is much needed right now! It’s packed with tension, suspense, drama, and some sick and twisted characters. It also kept me guessing and had me suspicious of almost every character. There are some unexpected twists and turns, but none are over-the-top. Parts are a little unbelievable, but not ridiculously so. A couple of moments had my heart jumping out of my chest, and the final scene gave me the chills--little Alice is one creepy child!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

DON’T LOOK FOR ME by Wendy Walker is a fast-paced and gripping psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Full of twists and mind games, I couldn’t put this one down. On a stormy night on her way home from watching her son’s game, Molly Clarke goes missing. Her car is found abandoned and a couple of days later, a charge on her credit card leads her family and police to a note with an explanation of her disappearance that says “Don’t look for me”. The case is ruled a walk-away, but did Molly really leave behind her broken family and their grief-ridden life from a tragic accident years before? Molly’s daughter, Nic doesn’t believe her mother would leave them and following a new tip in the case, she returns to the town where Molly disappeared to investigate on her own. The story is told from two perspectives, Molly’s and Nic’s. As the chilling plot unfolds, we learn from Molly what really happened to her. Despite the possible danger, Nic is determined to find the truth, but is not sure who she can trust. It is a race against time for both women and wow, what a wild ride! I really enjoyed this riveting and suspenseful story of family, loss and grief and highly recommend it! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

Molly Clarke disappears during a terrible storm with all signs pointing to her walking away from her former life. A life tangled in tragedy and pain that anyone would want to escape. But did she leave by choice or is there more to her vanishing act? … (I’m not telling! You’ll have to read to find out!).⁣⁣⁣
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⁣I could not put this book down! I am in the midst of painting shelves and my kindle is now covered in white bits because I was reading between every coat. The action of the book picked up quite quickly, but maintained its pace throughout. Was it a touch farfetched? Perhaps. But, not so much so that it lost its command of the reader. I had serious concerns because everyone seemed guilty and in turn, danger lurked around every corner.⁣⁣⁣
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⁣I make no secret of the fact that I find it difficult to find a REALLY good thriller. It is the genre I read most frequently, but am left the least satisfied. Storylines begin to blend together and they are often too predictable. Well, HOLD THE DARN BUS because @wendywalkerauthor is in town. She made it impossible for me not to love this number.⁣⁣⁣
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It comes out on on September 15, 2020. As you’re getting organized for the school year, mark it down in your agenda/family calendar/outlook etc. etc. etc. – you get the point. If you are a thriller junkie or even someone that is testing the waters of thriller books, this one will leave you wanting for nothing other than more @wendywalkerauthor.⁣
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#wendywalker #dontlookforme #stmartinspress #thriller #sloane_reads #netgalley #fridayreads #newreleasefriday #fridayreading #newreleasebooks #og🇨🇦bookenablers #🇨🇦bookenablers #bookphotograph #bookaesthetic #bibliophile #booknerd #bookreview #bookreviewer #booklover #bookaddict #bookrecommendations #thrillerbooksaddict #thrillerbookclub #thrillerbooksofinstagram #thrillerbookstagram #booksbooksbooks #womenauthorsrock #womenauthors #womenauthorsrock #canadareads

Five years after the death of her daughter Annie, Molly and her family are still hurting from the loss. Molly feels like her son and daughter don’t forgive her for Annie, and she suspects her husband is cheating. So when she disappears, it’s almost the perfect situation. But Nicole isn’t ready to let her mother go just yet. Told in alternating viewpoints from Molly and Nicole, Don’t Look for Me tells the story of Molly’s disappearance, a family that needs healing, and a daughter’s determination to find her mother.

Everything from the way Molly disappears to the town setting has this creep factor. Something always feels off, but everyone is ignoring the warning signs. This one was really hard to put down, so I didn’t make as many notes as I usually do when I’m reading because I didn’t want to stop reading. It’s fast-paced, and it’s captivating, and you don’t know who to trust. Loved the twists and the elements of surprise; very well done! Thank you, St. Martin’s for sending this one along.

Don't Look for Me is quite the psychological thriller with a very twisty suspenseful conclusion. It's a story of family dysfunction and grief while at the same time the dysfunction of another 'family'. Molly Clarke accidentally hit and killed her young daughter and from that day on the family went into a spiral. Molly feels guilt, her daughter Nicole feels hatred, At the same time Molly's husband and son pull back. Returning from her son's game, while a hurricane is brewing, Molly's car runs out of gas and she accepts a ride from a stranger. Now she has disappeared and seems to have gone off by herself not wishing to be found. Nicole decides she can't let that happen and returns to the small town where it all seemed to occur and refuses to give up the search. In the meantime Molly, now a captive, looks to the events that turned the family's life upside down while dealing with her present circumstances. Can a family so torn up with grief once again find each other both within themselves as well as locating and accepting the realty of the missing parent's situation?

I have to start by saying that I had never ready of Wendy Walker's other works. After reading this one, I will definitely look for the others.

Molly Clarke goes missing on a stormy night coming back from her son's school game. Where did she go? What happened? The police come up empty and a vague note says she could not continue on with the life she had and not to look for her.

Molly accidentally killed her young daughter which caused the family to spiral. Her husband did not love her any longer. Her son did not want anything to do with his mother. Her daughter went down a slippery slope of alcohol and casual sex.

While driving through the storm to return home, Molly runs out of gas outside of a small town, where people are not who they say they are.

There were some good plot twists along the way. Though I had figured out "who did it," how the story plays out was a good read and kept my attention.

This was a good read while sheltering in place and would recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley, Ms. Wendy Walker and the publisher for an advanced copy of Don't Look for Me in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for Don’t Look for Me. In the first chapter Molly is driving home in a Cat 4 hurricane. She gets out of her car to walk to a gas station. At this point, I suspended realty.

A child’s death entrenched itself within a completely dysfunctional family. Characters desperately needed to be fleshed out. If anyone was written in a compassionate light, I might have given them my sympathy. Clearly, I missed what other readers were raving about.

Two weeks go by and the police were winding down their search even though a $1,000,000 reward was offered for her safe return? The daughter, Nic, appeared to be the only one searching for her. Why? Between Nic and Molly, there were lots of conversations with oneself. I needed more showing, less telling. Sadly, I found the ending underwhelming.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Don't Look For Me is a fast passed thriller and pretty hard to put down. It's about a family who's has lived through a tragedy and for two of them, it's impossible to get past or move one as they are both filled with guilt. It's a story with characters filled with deceit and some who are liars. It's also a story of love; love of parents for children, love of children who chase to find answers and love of those who you never thought you could love. It's a great story that keeps your heart pumping - I loved it! Thank you NetGalley3Don'tLookForMe#StMartinsPress

Don’t Walk Away is a tense thriller that will take you down so many paths that you’ll desperately want to know how it will all turn out.

Molly Clarke was a loving wife and mother of three until she lost her young daughter. It was an accident. Nicole, the oldest child, is grieving the loss of her sister. She cannot stop blaming her mother but also feels guilt in her sister’s death. Molly can no longer take living with her pain and plans to walk away from her life so that her family, who she believes no longer loves her, can finally move on. Driving one night in a storm, she runs out of gas and accepts a ride from a stranger. The police in the small town of Hastings, where her car was found, assume she simply walked away from her life as a note to her family is found. But Molly never meant to leave. She is being held captive. And in addition to her capturer, a strange young child named Alice is also being held with her.

This fast-moving, nail bitter of a story is told in dual narratives. Molly describes her ordeal as she struggles to outsmart the man keeping her and Nicole details her search for her mother as she knows that Molly would never have left her family.

Author Wendy Walker does a wonderful job bringing the reader into the sleepy town of Hastings where everyone we meet is hiding something and could be the person behind Molly’s abduction. This is a heart-pounding thriller that you won’t want to put down.

Many thanks for this delightfully creepy book.

Don't Look for Me is my second book by this author. I would categorize the book as a psychological thriller.

This book alternates POVs between a mother and daughter. The beginning of the book goes back and forth between two timelines (Day 1 and Day 13).

The narrators are Molly (mother - 1st person POV) and Nicole (daughter- 3rd person POV).

Tragedy struck their family five years ago. And the family has suffered immensely since then. Now in the present something happens to Molly. And Nicole tries to figure out what happened.

I'm not normally a huge fan of past/present story-lines. However in this case the time periods are only two weeks apart. So it works. And the author doesn't do the past/present timeline for the whole book.

I was definitely intrigued by this story. The beginning was very interesting. And the mystery was quite engrossing.

Some of this book was super creepy. And I really enjoyed getting both POVs.

The book is dark. But not overly dark and not graphic, which I appreciated.

Something happens with a man in a truck. And my mind was racing trying to put the pieces together.

There were definitely some interesting reveals. And overall this book definitely captured my attention. But there were a couple of things that were a bit predictable. However, it was an exciting book to read. I definitely enjoyed it.

*The tragedy that struck Molly's family is in the past and is not shown. But it is still a key focus of the story. And it will be quite upsetting to some readers with kids.

Gosh, Don’t Look for Me was such a page turner!⁣
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Molly Clarke is barely walking through life with her head above water. Her husband avoids her, her oldest daughter Nicole is cruel to her and is going down a dark path and her son ignores her. She does everything in her power to be a great mother but the family is suffering so much grief it is destroying their family.⁣
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This story is told from Molly and Nicole’s point of view. Nicole is so cruel to her mom until her mom goes missing and everyone stops searching for her. Nicole does everything she can to try and find her mom while dealing with her own demands.⁣
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This story is a dark, twisty, grief filled, nail biting, on the edge of your seat psychological suspense thriller and it was so good! I just needed to know what was going to happen and loved watching all the twists unravel. ⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫 ⁣
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Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for an ARC for my honest review. ⁣
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#bookstagram #books #thriller #dontlookforme #netgalley #bookcommunity

Ummm... OK! This book is crazy twisted and super creepy! Molly goes missing and no one knows what happened? Did she simply walk away from her life or did she get kidnapped? Is she alive or dead?

You won’t believe what happened!!

The story is told from two points-of-view: Molly and Nicole, mother and daughter, with two very different vantage points.

If you like stories with creepy kids - then this one is for you. If you like twisty thrillers - then this one is for you. If you like small town drama and everyone is a suspect kind of books - then this one is definitely for you!!

I had figured out some things, but that twist near the end got me good!

You seriously don’t want to miss this one! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for allowing me to read and review this book!⁣
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Don’t Look For Me by Wendy Walker releases September 15th! It’s a thriller novel about a woman named Molly. There’s a huge storm when she is driving home from her son’s football game when she goes missing. It is believed that she doesn’t want to be found. Her daughter Nicole believes that there is more to it than that and is determined to find her mother.⁣
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❤️Review❤️⁣
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This review is really difficult for me to write. When it comes to what I want from a thriller it checks off all of the boxes. It has more than one perspective, it kept me guessing, there were many twists and turns, and I didn’t see the ending coming. That usually means an enjoyable reading experience and a high rating. Unfortunately this book just wasn’t what I wanted it to be. I found myself not interested in the direction the plot went. I wanted a different reason for her to be missing. I wanted different results. It’s not the books fault because I went into it with different expectations. I can’t be mad that Wendy Walker wrote her story a different way than I had it in my head. She wrote something that will leave everyone shocked because her twists were crazy! I can’t wait to try her backlist titles. ⁣
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So for what she produced it’s probably a 4 star read, but my reading experience is probably more like a 3 star read. It’s times like this when I realize how hard a star rating can be because it won’t truly reflect the book itself since I often mood rate. ⁣
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3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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Do you judge a book by star ratings that people give them or the written review? ⁣
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#bookstagram #bookreviews #stmartinspress #netgalley #booksbooksbooks #2020bookreleases #newbooks #books

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

Ooh, this was creepy. Somehow I have convinced myself that once I have a family, I'm no longer an object of interest for kidnappers, but this one killed that right off. I loved the mother-daughter dynamic; it's a new take in that now, the daughter, who is a young adult, is also fighting for her mother, and not just the other way around. Tore through it in two days!