Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found the subject matter of this book very unsettling, which I always do when children are involved. A really though out and well-written book, very emotional.

Recommended with tissues.

This was a great read! It's a long time since I've found a 5 star read...but this one made the grade! Alex Dahl writes a complex, yet believable story, wrapped up neatly in a tight plot.
The story revolves around the Blix family, primarily mum Elisa, and daughter, Lucia.
One afternoon after school, Lucia is invited on her first playdate and subsequent sleepover with her new school friend Josie. When Elisa goes to collect her the next day, Lucia has vanished, along with Josie, and Josie's mum Line (otherwise known as Jacqueline).
Crime on this scale is rarely seen in Norway and a large scale police operation is launched to find the missing girl!
As the days turn into weeks, turn into months, with no sign of her daughter, Elisa is forced to face up to her past and the secrets that lie buried there if she is to find Lucia alive.
Told in turn from the perspectives of Elisa, Jacqueline, Lucia and a mysterious male called Marcus, events gradually unfold to reveal a shocking story of betrayal and revenge, and how the actions of our past can follow us into our future, with devastating consequences.

This was a great read, enjoyed it thoroughly, was hooked from the first page, loads of twists and turns, would recommend it x

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 believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
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.

I very much enjoyed this book.  It has a good story and excellent main characters.  I would definately recommend this book.

4-5 stars!  Let me start off by saying I normally am not a fan of missing children books, not just because I’m a mom, but they just are not my favs, but I’m glad I gave this a shot!  It was really well written, absolutely chilling, and shocking!  It had me so tense and needing to find the conclusion, I had a hard time putting it down!  Was very fast paced, which I love!  So, if you’re like me and don’t normally like the child abduction thrillers, do forget that dislike and give this one a shot!, as it’s really worth the read!  

Will make sure to buzz it around and use lower Amazon reviewer number on release date.

This was a great story, it was really exciting and I was desperate to know what was gonna happen! I wasn't particuarly fond of any of the characters, but then I don't think I was meant to be! I did like the little girls, I thought they were cute....but the adults all made stupid choices that led to disaster...but it made for an exciting read! It sometimes felt a little long in places but that was because of the scene setting and needed to be there....overall it was a fab read and I have 2 other books by this author and will definitely be getting to them soon!

Secrets galore in this brilliant psychological thriller!

Wow . . . I just adore psychological thrillers like this, set in Norway, full of secrets galore from practically all of the characters. From the outset, something made me feel so tingly down my spine. Something wasn’t right when Lucia, age seven, was so excited to go on a playdate with Josie, her new best friend. Somehow this did not feel right at all, and it made me go into red alert mode!

The plot is certainly a page-turner with most of the characters gradually narrating their points of view, so cleverly written by Alex Dahl. The tension steadily mounts as more is revealed. I really don’t wish to say too much because I loath spoilers, which could detract from the rollercoaster ride.

Look out for Lucia’s parents Elisa and Fredrik, an interesting journalist Selma, Jacqueline intent on revenge, Marcus a rather unlikely prisoner, plus some ruthless men involved in trafficking. All is not as it seems!

Everything is so beautifully captured by the author, from where the chase begins, until all is revealed at the finale. Thank you, Alex Dahl, for such compelling reading and the twists and turns along the way. I’ll definitely lookout for more of your novels.

Galadriel.

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

Playdate by Alex Dahl is a suspense filled thriller that keeps you guessing throughout. It’s a difficult book to review without giving away spoilers, but suffice to say I was drawn into the mystery of what happened to missing schoolgirl, Lucia, from the very first page. I do, however, feel the story lost its way a little at about the half way point, but the strength of both the writing and the ending more than made up for that slight dip in the middle, so I’m very happy I stuck with it as it became a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging read.

Lucia Blix went home from school for an overnight playdate with her new school friend, Josie. But the following morning, when her father went to pick her up, the house was empty. No sign of Josie, her family… or Lucia. Where have the family gone? And why would they abduct Lucia?

What follows is a gripping and suspense filled psychological thriller that is very much a character driven story, with the main characters being Lucia and her mother, Elisa, interlinked with the points of view of several other characters, including a journalist named Selma. With short, punchy chapters that keep you wanting to turn the pages, the pieces of the puzzle are slowly revealed, slotting into place as we move forward to the final, thrilling denouement.

There is no doubt that Alex Dahl is a very capable writer and I look forward to reading more from her in the future. With Playdate, she has written an easy and engaging read that I thoroughly enjoyed. Recommended. 3.5 stars.

A brilliant read that had me hooked from the very first page.  I will be looking out for more books by this author.  5 massive stars.

I went back and forth on this book, sometimes I found it very gripping and interesting, then at other times it just kind of trailed off. 
None of the characters were likeable in my opinion, I'm not entirely sure whether they were unlikeable on purpose... 
I would read another book by Alex Dahl though.

Playdate is an incredibly emotional story of a child abduction from what seemed to be a completely safe environment. It is also a story of mother’s love, grief, revenge, mistrust, deep secrets and horrible consequences of a single mistake. 

As always Alex Dahl’s writing is delightful for me to read. I am a big fan of her novels and the newest addition did not disappoint me. Unlikeable, compelling characters, horrifying atmosphere of kidnapping and a chilling plot make Playdate an extremely well written thriller. The book is an excellent study of a human behaviour and psychology insight into the choice of actions. 

Well paced, full of twists and hard breaking story that I had no idea were it was heading. Brilliant read I would definitely recommend. 

I am a huge fan of Alex Dahl but must admit Playdate is my favourite so far.

Very exciting book to read. I literally couldn’t put the book down. It had me hooked from the beginning. It was fast paced. Exciting. A thrill to read. I couldn’t get enough

I have read and LOVED all of Alex Dahl‘s previous novels so I was thrilled to read this novel.

This book was a heart-pounding, pulse-racing, edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting thriller that I loved every single moment of. Playdate is full of intriguing and complex characters and it was interesting to read the book from various perspectives and point of views as you red through the chapters and gather more information as the plot unfolds. The characters were interesting, and each came with their own share of flaws, secrets, and back story.

Imagine letting your child go to a friend‘s house for a sleepover, an event that is supposed to be happy, joyous, and full of memory-making fun, only to have your worse fears come true – the abduction of your child by someone you trusted. It begs the question – how well do you really, truly know someone? This is the exact dilemma Lucia’s parents finds themselves in after she went to her friend’s house for a seemingly innocent playdate that led to a sleepover.

What unfolds is every parents horror story, and Lucia’s parents frantic search for their daughter. Will they be able to locate their daughter and bring her home safely?

If you haven‘t read this book yet you must go grab your copy today! I am sure you will enjoy this one!

Well done Alex! Fantastic job on another amazing novel! I cannot wait to see what you come out with next!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the arc of Playdate by Alex Dahl.

This follows Elisa Blix whom makes a big mistake in which she ends up allowing her seven year old daughter Lucia to go on a playdate and sleepover with a girl whom is named Josephine, no big deal you’d think 2 girls sleepovers right? But Except Elisa has literally just met mother Line!! but after both girls pleading for this she gives up and allows it...  But the following day Lucia, Josephine and Line  all end up vanishing and what unfolds becomes a Norwegian cause celebre!! . The Blix family are not rich so what lies behind Line’s motives?....  The story is told from several perspectives including journalist Selma who becomes obsessive about the case and investigates this... 

4 stars- great read, amazing storyline and love all POV'S it is a great book to endulge into! recommend this to anyone.

Huge thanks to Helen at Head Of Zeus for inviting me on the blogtour for 'Playdate' and for my gifted review copy of the book which is out now!

''This is clearly the kind of family who can answer an unexpected house call without worrying about piles of shoes in the hallway,towering dishes in the basin,overflowing laundry bins in the bathroom, half-eaten jam snadwiches abandoned on window sill.Unlike us.''

From the moment that Elisa meets Line, she is impressed by her appearance, her calm demeanor and that both their daughters are friends. An on the spot begging for a playdate in front of another parent at the school gate is a blackmail situation any parent can relate to-those huge begging eyes make it so hard to say no especially when the other adult says the children have been begging for one for ages.

Despite not really knowing this mother, Elisa takes all her details and agrees, reluctantly to daughter Lucia going to tea. Several mobile phone pictures later, Elisa is satisfied that things are going well, Lucia is having fun and there is nothing untoward going on. The suggestion of a sleepover is met enthusiastically by Elisa's husband, they can spend some much needed time together after putting younger child, Lyder to bed.

Elisa drops off supplies to Line's house, checks it out, is very impressed by the organisation of it and how happy the children are. What could possibly go wrong?

The bottom falls out of their world as the next day, Elisa flies to Rome in her job as a flight attendant, and on arrival rings her husband to ask how picking up Lucia went-she hasn't come home. She was meant to be home by 3 and at 3.47 they have heard nothing....

Jumping to the worst case scenario, all sorts of visions fly through Elisa's mind as well as the reader's-we know that something is going to happen after reading the synopsis, but what? The panic is immediate and terrifying, the fear you feel for the family as the phone calls to the family go unanswered, the house which was so immaculate turns out to be empty, the door answered by a cleaner, for it is actually an Air BnB....

Blame, guilt, fear and devastation descend on the family as they desperately contact the police to try and find their daughter against impossible odds-who on earth targeted them so specifically and will they ever get their daughter back?

Alex Dahl is brilliant at playing with your emotions, keeping you guessing and looking for the tiniest of clues as to why this family, why now. It is every parent's worst nightmare and as Fredrik and Elisa tear themselves and each other apart looking for Lucia, you are there every step of the way.

Taut with suspense and mystery, this is a heartstopping thrill ride that will keep you up all night!

Would you trust someone you have just met with your child? This is the mistake that Elisa makes against her better judgement and has to live with, after a sleep over goes horribly wrong and ends with the abduction of her daughter Lucia. 

The story is told from multiple points of views and gives the reader a broad look into each of the characters, where Alex has done a great job in making you second guess everyone. They are real and very believable and play out the roles they have been given perfectly. 

I found the story completely interactive, as Alex had me caught up in its drama, where it became an obsession in finding out what happen Lucia. I felt the terror that Elisa and her husband Fredrik goes through although it soon becomes clear that this may not have been a random act and that something from their past is coming back to haunt them.  

The the story goes full steam ahead right from the get go, but in the second half Alex steps it up a notch and injects even more tension and suspense into it which had my heart racing. I was on the edge of my seat, gripping my kindle so hard, furiously flicking the pages to see how it was all going to unfold.

This is the first book I have read from Alex and I was really impressed with her execution and style and I will definitely be on the lookout for more of her work in the future. She has crafted a very gripping, twisty and thrilling tale in Playdate and I will be looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Head of Zeus and Alex Dahl for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Playdate which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Elisa agrees her 7 year old daughter, Lucia, can go on a playdate and sleepover with her friend for the first time…..

But then the family she was staying with disappear, Lucia along with them. Every parent’s worst nightmare……

Was the sleepover just a plot to take Lucia?

The story then becomes a nationwide obsession as the hunt for Lucia begins.

A very clever plot, told from several perspectives has you totally gripped from start to finish. It’s twisty and fraught with a nerve wracking tension and I found this to be a thoroughly engrossing read.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC of Play date. This is my honest and unbiased review.

Playdate takes every parents worst nightmare and twists it into a shocking and emotionally gripping storyline that grabbed me from the first few pages. When Elisa let’s her daughter Lucia go to a new school friends house for a play date, the girls have so much fun that it turns into a sleepover. Elisa has reservations as it’s Lucias first sleepover but she visits the home, meets the family and is happy that everything is fine and Lucia is happy. But next day when they go to pick her up, house has been cleared and Lucia has disappeared along with her friend Josie and Josie’s mother. What follows is a terrifying search for, not only a young child, but the truth about why Lucia was taken…

Alex Dahl has created a disappearance novel with a difference. It’s not a fast paced thriller in style but more of a slow burning, character based mystery. That’s not to say there aren’t twists and turns-there are!-but it takes its time building up the tension by visiting each of the main characters in turn to discover how Lucias disappearance has affected their lives. So although the pace slows down in the middle section of the book, it gives a greater depth of understanding of how everyone reacts to such a sensitive subject. The last few chapters throw up some unexpected twists and I found the epilogue especially a poignant and fitting ending.

I found it compelling to see how a parents deepest and darkest fears were crafted into this emotional and compelling tale which left me feeling a little sad as really there were no winners here. But Alex Dahl does well to make us care about her characters despite their faults and that’s what I took away with me from Playdate. A worthwhile read.

It’s going to be hard to give much constructive criticism without spoilers so instead I will say the story had me hooked from the beginning and I was loving it but almost lost me at about the three quarter mark. I stayed reading though mainly because the author still managed  to hold  my interest in the subject of the book Lucia and what would happen to her. 
Some of the other characters were less likeable which is fine but Selma the journalist pushed my boundaries too far with her unlikely over the top intuitiveness. The whole area of the “ solving” of the puzzle failed to convince me and could have been managed better. 
Lastly I don’t see the point of an epilogue that leaves out half the interesting and unresolved issues the plot left us with. 
It’s better than a three stars but not good enough for four stars but as I can’t give half stars a three has it but I would still recommend it. Lots of people would just love it and I will be telling a few people I know to give it a try.