A beautifully written domestic drama. A secret to be exposed. A family sheltered from it. A mothers love has no bounds. A tough, emotional and heart wrenching read. I really enjoyed.

I was given this ARC by netgalley and publisher for honest review and opinion.

In this story we find out how far a mother will go to protect her child
Beth has the perfect life, perfect husband and child. But 28 years later a secret that she has been trying to hide starts to come to the surface.
Will she continue to hide it or finally face it?
Great story about a mothers love and how far she will go.

Set in Australia, this title brings you on an emotional journey alongside Rachel and her family. Both her 'family of origin' of dad, mom, and brother as well as her own family comprised of her husband, Ben, and daughter, Beth.

The tale is told with chapters alternating between voice (Rachel, Ben, Kevin, Little Bird (who is young Rachel), and her mother.

The stage is set in modern times when Rachel hears someone in their house. It isn't her husband returning home from work. She locks herself in their daughter's room. While waiting for Ben and the police to arrive, someone shakes the door trying to get in. After sirens sound, the intruder flees. But, they leave behind a calling card, a small Troll doll, that causes terror for Rachel as it is one from her childhood. From a time she thought was long in the past.

Multigenerational abuse and the effects of it on everyone is covered. As is the lasting effect even after fleeing. For that is part of the dark secret Rachel and her mother have kept silent. That they ran from an abusive home and left her brother behind with the father.

Overall, I found this to be a very engaging tale. While many chapters are labeled with the person who is the focus, the ones surrounding Kevin and the intruder are not labeled.

What if you have a secret, something you have hidden from your beloved husband and your strawberry-scented baby girl, to keep them safe? What if the guilt has kept you up, night after night, for as long as you can remember?

What happens when suddenly, after twenty-eight years, that secret refuses to stay buried? What will you do now everyone you love, everything you cherish, is in harm’s way?
Rachel is about to find out.........

This book is told from several pints of view which really works to build the horror and suspense. It is an emotional read which touches deeply on family violence and abuse. I really felt for them all.

I think, being a mum myself, that the fact Victoria left her son behind is completely unrealistic. I don't know any mother who would, but that is just my own point of view.

Rachels family seems to be falling apart and the main issue was lack of communication, I found myself wishing they would just talk!

The ending was a surprise but very interesting.

So many sad issues tackled by the author, she brought the scenarios alive with her descriptive writing. This is not my first book by her and won't be my last. I cried a few tears for the family knowing that someone somewhere is actually experiencing this situation right now.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Nicole Trope for giving me the opportunity to read this advance copy.

"The Life She Left Behind" by Nicole Trope.
"The Life She Left Behind" by Nicole Trope is the suspenseful account of an abusive and dysfunctional family. Rachel's father psychologically and physically tormented her mother and brother, Kevin, and was starting on her when she was 7. I felt the devastating abuse as a reader, and wanted it to stop for the victims. Isn't that why we read these psychological thrillers, to seek redemption for the (good) protagonist.

As is usual in these families, they put up with the abuse for years until sometimes there comes a breaking point. It happened in this case eventually, but there were regrets for how their actions befell.

As a mother 28 years later, Rachel finds that history is repeating itself. The psychological abuse restarts.

A secret she's kept from her husband is threatening to spill. Rachel is desperate to keep her daughter safe, until one day, she finds her missing. It seems that the cycle of abuse is repeating itself in terrifying form. Would an abusive family member come back to torment someone they last saw as a seven year old girl, 28 years later? Only a psychopath would.

"The Life She Left Behind" is told from four points of view, that of Rachel, her husband Ben, "Little Bird" and an anonymous character, whose identity is revealed near the end. The different POVs reveal different perspectives, giving an edge of your seat suspense and heart pounding tingling.

Though sometimes a difficult read particularly in the tracts of "Little Bird's" POV, "The Life She Left Behind" is a well written, page-turning, suspenseful psychological suspense thriller. I recommend it.

My thanks to Nicole Trope, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the advance copy of "The Life She Left Behind" by Nicole Trope, in return for an honest review.

This review also appears in Goodreads and thereadersvault.blogspot, Netgalley.com and Amazon.com.

EXCERPT: Her breath condenses in front of her and she has a sudden memory of herself as a child standing outside on a winter's morning, blowing out and watching, fascinated, as her breath emerged in a cloud. She is no longer a child but she feels like one, overwhelmed by confusion, by her lack of control.

How has this happened?

How could I not have known?

Is this what I deserve?

The street is eerily silent, the barren housing plots looming large in the darkness, threatening them with their emptiness.

There is a slight hum of cars coming from the highway in the distance, where nothing stops the endless streams of traffic - not the dark, nor the cold, nor the late hour.

She is dressed for the weather, with her coat on and a beanie hat, but she regrets it now that she's running. Her hands are freezing but she can feel a trickle of sweat make its way down her back. She pushes her body to move faster, pushes against the wind that seems determined to send her backwards. They need to get there quickly.

We're coming, baby. We're coming.

'Come alone,' he had instructed?

But she's not alone.

'Don't tell anyone,' he had commanded.

But she had told someone.

'I just want to talk,' he had stated.

But what could there be to say?

'I won't hurt her,' he had promised.

She knows that's a lie.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: You tell him everything. The husband you adore, the father of your child, your best friend. He knows, just by looking at your sage-green eyes, when something is wrong. The two of you can communicate with a glance, or a touch of the hand. Except what if you can’t? What if your happy marriage has plastered over one huge lie? A lie you have even started to believe yourself, in order to survive? What if you have a secret, something you have hidden from your beloved husband and your strawberry-scented baby girl, to keep them safe? What if the guilt has kept you up, night after night, for as long as you can remember? What happens when suddenly, after twenty-eight years, that secret refuses to stay buried? What will you do now everyone you love, everything you cherish, is in harm’s way?

MY THOUGHTS: There is something very personal about the way Nicole Trope writes. It's not like you're on the outside looking in, you feel like you are there, that you know these people, the characters in The Life She Left Behind. So you're not rubbernecking at a life that has been dominated by domestic violence, you're involved, totally involved in trying to extricate Veronica and her daughter Rachel from the clutches of a man who promised to love and protect, but who interprets that as being able to control and dominate. All. The. Time. The abuse is both physical and mental, and Trope delivers an emotional but well balanced portrait of the ongoing effects as a result of living in such an environment.

The story is written over two timelines - When Rachel is a child, growing up in an environment filled with domestic violence and fear; and twenty-eight years later when she is a mother, and her past comes back to haunt her. It is also told from multiple points of view: That of Rachel (Little Bird) as a child, Rachel as an adult, Ben (her husband), and another unknown person whose identity gradually becomes clear.

Sad and chilling in parts, The Life She Left Behind is full of hope and forgiveness in others. This is an emotional read and a very worthwhile one. Tissues required.

4 stars

#TheLifeSheLeftBehind #NetGalley

'Once my anger met alcohol there was really only one way things were going to go.'

THE AUTHOR: Nicole Trope went to university to study Law but realised the error of her ways when she did very badly on her first law essay because-as her professor pointed out- ‘It’s not meant to be a story.’ She studied teaching instead and used her holidays to work on her writing career and complete a Masters’ degree in Children’s Literature. After the birth of her first child she stayed home full time to write and raise children, renovate houses and build a business with her husband. She now lives in Sydney with her husband and three children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture vis NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Life She Left Behind by Nicole Trope for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Bookouture just keeps delivering great reads. The Life She Left Behind is a compulsive read about secrets and how they very often catch up with you. Rachel grew up in a dysfunctional family environment with an abusive father. When she was seven her mother left, taking her with her. They spent years moving from place to place. Eventually they settled. Rachel met her best friend's brother Ben, fell in love with him and married. They have a perfect marriage and one child, Beth. The only shadow over Rachel's life is that her mother is now terminally ill.. And then the dolls begin to appear...

Written from multi-viewpoints this book keeps the pressure up all the way through. It's an exciting read which pulls you in and keeps you turning pages. It's an emotional roller coaster too, as Rachel has to deal with so many pressures - her dying mother, her husband's work issues and of course, those dolls...

Highly recommended

So many different emotions are coursing through my mind having recently finished reading The Life She Left Behind by Nicole Trope. Though quite difficult to read because of some of the content, it is still an extremely compelling story.

Containing themes of mental and physical abuse, domestic violence, and child abuse Nicole Trope's characterisation continues to impress and the trauma suffered felt very real, especially regarding Rachel, who never stopped reliving her experiences. The Life She Left Behind is also a story about strength, courage, and survival. The story moves comprehensibly between dual timelines, from flashback chapters to the present day, to recount the stories of Rachel, her husband Ben, her brother Kevin, and how tragic events that were occurring twenty eight years ago permanently changed their lives, as well as impacting on the present day.

This is a psychological thriller - an enthralling portrayal of a dysfunctional family and a look at the ramifications of abuse for all the members of that family. Seemingly at first disjointed, everything starts to knead together, the strands weaving to create a compelling story filled with long-held secrets, fear and trepidation.

Nicole Trope is a master of this type of domestic thriller and I loved the way the author slowly meted out the clues and built up the suspense until the plot reached the fulfilling denouement. There was such a lot happening that I found this deftly told, emotional and heartbreaking novel really difficult to put down. Highly recommended and well worth five stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

*possible trigger warning; abuse*

‘The Life She Left Behind‘ is a chilling novel, one that is all too real for many people… female and male alike. Told from several points of view as we begin, it may take a little bit to fall into a natural rhythm of who exactly is speaking, but it didn’t take all that long for it to begin to flow for me. I also feel that this story could have triggering aspects for some readers, hence the triggering warning at the beginning of this review (I’d rather act as if it’s possible than harm someone).

Today Rachel has a good life, a loving, adoring husband, a daughter she would do anything for… yet the past lives behind her eyes, in her compulsive double-checking on Beth as she sleeps, in the knowledge that she is not at all what her husband, Ben, believes her to be for Rachel is holding onto secrets that will not stay buried for much longer.

I’ve chosen to not go into any details in this review. I firmly believe that ‘The Life She Left Behind‘ is a powerful story that each reader needs to experience firsthand for not everyone will read it in the same mindset. While that is, of course, true for any book it is particularly true for this one for when Rachel’s past begins to interfere with her present and her future how that plays out should be experienced in each reader’s unique way. I will say that while I guessed who the culprit was that knowledge (or guess) did not affect how I viewed the rest of the story.

This story is emotional in differing ways. I felt for what Rachel was going through. I was angry on her behalf, scared for her family, and on the edge throughout by not knowing what was coming at them next. It is a compelling story that I would recommend. This would make a chilling movie.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Bookouture, via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Rachel & Ben have a happy marriage, they have a daughter they adore & they have just moved into their dream house. Admittedly there is a lot to be done. The other plots have yet to be built, so it is very lonely especially at night. Rachel is struggling to come to terms with the fact her mother is dying of cancer. She & her mother are very close having been escaping from Rachel's father since she was seven; moving on every few months until Rachel decided they'd had enough & stayed put. Strange things start to happen & Rachel wonders if the past is catching up with them.

This was an emotional read, told from different perspectives & different times. Nicole Trope always gives the reader a lot to think about & this book was no exception. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I have read a few of Nicole's books now and those I have read, I have enjoyed. I read the synopsis for 'The Life She Left Behind' and it certainly sounded like it was going to be an emotional read and then some. I was spot on because it really is an emotional read, which I did enjoy but more about that in a bit.
For me, 'The Life She Left Behind' was a bit of a difficult book to read. I don't mean that to sound negative. Without giving too much away, the story deals with some pretty significant traumatic events. Now fortunately I haven't been subjected to events such as those in this book. I felt a bit uncomfortable in a way because I used to work in safeguarding adults and children and cases involving scenarios such as these would land on my desk. The author has clearly done a lot of research and this shines through in her story.
It took me a while to get into this book. I just didn't feel that much of a connection with the lead character of Rachel. However, the more I read and the more I learnt about her circumstances and her history, I thawed towards her a bit. Once I got into the story, that was it and I was away. This wasn't a book that I could read over the course of a single day because I found myself becoming far too emotional I was able to read the book over the course of three days. The book has certainly made an impression on me and I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come
'The Life She Left Behind' is well written. Nicole has chosen a difficult and emotional subject to write about but she has written about it with great sensitivity and compassion. Nicole certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and she then takes you on one hell of an emotional rollercoaster ride. I did feel as though I was part of the story and that's thanks to Nicole's storytelling.
In short and overall I did enjoy reading 'The Life She Left Behind' and I would recommend it to other readers. I will be reading more of Nicole's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

What an amazing book - I loved how the book went past to present throughout. It helped provide the backstory to what was happening in the present. It is a tale of family dynamics when the father is a vicitm of abuse as a child and continues the pattern. The pattern continues into the next generation. It is a heartbreaking tale of life, love, loss, and trauma.

Rachel has it all, gorgeous and attentive husband, a thriving toddler and a beautiful new house to make their very own. However, she has a troubled past that has suddenly jumped right in front of her. There is also the fact that her mother is in hospice. Rachel wishes her mother could remain with her as long as possible.

Rachel not only has tried to forget her difficult past, to bury it, keeping most of it secret from her husband, even with outright lies. Not only are things beginning to change for her - and not in a good way - she becomes desperately afraid that she will lose her husband if he ever discovered the truth of her past.

As the book moves evenly between the past and the present, we get to see the horrid things Rachel's father did to his family, and how, even years later, Rachel is still tormented by it. As a matter of fact, danger becomes an element of things for Rachel. I also want to add that what Rachel, her mother and her brother experienced at the hands of her father was very difficult to read. Having experienced certain things in my life made me extremely sensitive to the snippets of Rachel's past.

This book had several perspectives. Each time we read Rachel's thoughts, I felt like she was an unreliable narrator. This is where kudos go to Nicole Trope. I love how she dangled Rachel's past in front of us, although rather difficult to read. I also loved the fact that while reading this book I had a certain view of Rachel, and I realized just how good a writer Ms. Trope is. I say this because she reigned me right back in.

This book certainly grabbed my attention, had a couple of intriguing twists to it and delivered a really surprising conclusion. I definitely look forward to seeing what else this talented author has in store for her readers.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The book was an enjoyable but somewhat predictable read. Rachel’s abusive and secret past unfolds through each chapter with mild suspense. The author does a good job of writing about childhood trauma and the ways it continues to traumatize people long into adulthood. Thanks to Bookouture for the advanced copy.

This is an emotive, suspense filled, family drama told from different points of view with flashbacks to previous events. It is centred, in the present, around Rachel and her family. When she was a child she lived with her mother, father and older brother, Kevin but her father was both emotionally abusive to them all and physically abusive to both her mother and brother. This is the story of their life then and her life twenty-eight years later. Now she's happily married to Ben with a seven year old daughter they both adore . . . . but Ben knows nothing of her past. He knows nothing about her father or brother . . . . and her Mum is terminally ill with cancer. That's when her home is broken into and her childhood troll dolls start being found . . . dolls she left behind when she was seven . . .

This is a psychological thriller, an enthralling portrayal of a dysfunctional family and the impact of the abuse on all the members of that family. It is a story of a family torn apart, one packed with fear, a stalker and danger. It is one of those stories that initially seems disjointed but quickly everything starts to connect together, weaving the threads to create a moving tapestry filled with keeping secrets, fear and abuse. It has great characters, brilliantly portrayed as the story progresses, sharing their experiences, attitudes and worries in an easy to relate to manner that keeps you turning the pages to discover what happens next. It takes your emotions and throws them straight into the wringer to be wrung dry in this dramatic tale of domestic violence and its consequences.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it.

This is a story of families, one family that is loving, safe and protecting while the other family is controlling and dangerous with both physical and mental abuse. Unfortunately Rachel is at the heart of both of them.

Told from multiple perspectives, Rachel’s, her husband Ben’s, little bird who is Rachel as a young girl and an unknown. From little bird we learn that her father is a domineering master in the house and that her mother is beaten. The child’s description of the purple flower on her mother’s cheek meaning a bruise was so very sad and chilling. Rachel, her mother and brother Kevin all suffer at his hands until one day the mother and Rachel escape, leaving Kevin behind. Having to constantly move so her father doesn’t find them and keeping their past a secret.

Flash forward and Rachel is happily married with a daughter of her own. Her husband Ben is everything her father wasn’t. Loving, caring and a wonderful father and so desperate to make Rachel happy. He doesn’t know of her past but senses her sadness. He has been told her father died when she was a child and her mother is now dying of cancer so he puts it down to that. They have recently moved into the dream house Ben always wanted for them and with Ben working late to cover the cost Rachel hears footsteps downstairs and calls Ben who urges her to call the police. Upon hearing the sirens the intruder flees but not before leaving something behind. A stark reminder of her past taunting her….

This was a beautifully harrowing read with characters that are at completely different ends of the spectrum. I am so fortunate that I grew up knowing nothing but love and safety and reading the child’s perspective completely broke me. It is often said that the abused can become abusers and there is also the nature vs nurture debate. Are we what our parents make us? Do we fight against it to make our own children happier than we were? This would make a terrific book club read as it offers so many discussion points.

I did guess the mystery element but in no way did it spoil my enjoyment of the book. Although I’m not sure enjoyment is the right word. As this is a very realistic, emotion wringing tale of the tragedy of domestic violence.

Favorite Quotes:

Poor Dad. Things have definitely not worked out the way he hoped. He had a plan for perfection. The perfect house, the perfect kids and the perfect wife. He had an idea of this Christmas card, picture-perfect family, all smiling widely in matching red sweaters. The trouble is, we live in Australia. It’s too hot around Christmastime to wear sweaters. You have to wear T-shirts and T-shirts don’t hide bruises very well. The trouble is, his wife and children hate him. The trouble is, you can’t beat perfection into someone. Although he tried, he really tried.

His mercurial nature kept us all on our toes. We were his dancing monkeys.


My Review:

This wasn’t an easy read, it was a painfully realistic, intensely insightful, tragic, and cringe-worthy tale of family drama with long-held secrets, shame, guilt, anger, violence, emotional battering, mind games, and regrets. The storylines were well scaffolded and cleverly paced with powerful and emotive word choices. There were times I wanted to scream at the characters in disgust for allowing and enabling a long-standing pattern of abusive and violent behaviors, and other times I wanted to comfort them, ease their pain, and assuage their confusion. I despised the male contingent of the family in near equal measure as they were vile and heinously twisted, while the females were nearly inert in their learned helplessness - until they weren’t. I fell into this challenging read and had a hard time resurfacing as while my experiences were paltry in comparison to the horror of this monstrous family, Ms. Trope’s strong word voodoo resurrected and stirred some uncomfortable feelings and memories that left me more than a bit rumpled.

Whew, an emotional read was this. Author Nicole Trope pulled at my heartstrings with the rendering of a tale that so many of us had gone through. I could just sigh at the end. Tough lives we women led.

Rachel had a perfect life, so she thought. But there was a secret buried deep inside her which she had promised never to tell. But like all secrets, it wanted to come out to destroy the life she led.

Having read many books by the author, I should have expected how much the words etched on paper would touch me. But silly me, I went in blind. And came out with a film of tears. The book was not heartbreaking emotional, but it dealt with a subject matter which is so valid today.

Told in multiple POVs, a bit confusing initially, but later got into a good rhythm, I loved how parts of her past were slowly pieced together. The child who was, the child she had to be soon emerged, bringing the full story in sight. Rachel evoked quite a few of my emotions. I felt I was with her in her life journey.

The writing brought the characters to life, their pain and fear became real to me. There were a twist at the end in their lies and revenge, but overall the prose superceded by love and forgiveness.

Real but flawed characters, an emotional story written with a steady hand, it was quite a read!!

First, I want to thank Nicole Trope, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

Nicole Trope is back with another very emotional, suspenseful, and thrilling read in The Life She Left Behind. Each book I read of hers keeps getting better and better.

The graphic designer did an amazing job capturing the total emotion in this book. Nicole really puts the feels into this book. The cover is what automatically roped me into reading the book-plus I am a fan of the author.

This is one book that you have to pay attention to when it goes from present day to the past. If you blink you will miss something as this is a fast paced book. It sometimes felt like I was reading two books that were intertwined.

This book deals with difficult subjects like domestic abuse, bullying, stalking, and a dying parent.

Nicole focused on the dynamic of Mother and Daughter in this book. The relationship Rachel had with Beth was very special. Beth was adorable and loved her Mommy so much. She captured my heart. The other was Rachel and her mother. That was a heartbreaking one to read. So many times I wanted to hug her.

People always say to write what you know. However, I loved that Nicole said that never worked for her. She writes out of fear. She writes about families in crisis and that is one of the reasons I adore her stories. She comes up with amazing stories.

Oh my word. This book just captures every emotion. It's gripping, sad, harrowing, violent. It may not be for everyone as parts of it are very hard to read, as there is a lot of abuse involved. I loved it though.