Netgalley

I received a copy of this book to review for my my honest opinion from NetGalley

The Child Who Never Was had me hooked right away. Identical mirror twins both architects own a business but Sarah is agoraphobic and stays in her house unless she walks with her sister. Sarah has PTSD from the loss of her parents and struggles with day to day living. One rainy night she is wakes and notices Oliver her son is missing! She runs all over the neighborhood knocking on doors screaming about her missing son and no one will help her looking at her like she’s crazy! She can’t find her sister who also lives in the neighborhood so she goes to their shared friend who is also the GP of Sarah. Next thing you know she’s in the psych ward being told that she does not have a son name Oliver that she was delusional. They tell her that her sister is there to see her and when her sister walks in she’s pushing a buggy with a little boy in it who she calls James. From that point on your battling writhed or not James is Oliver and if Eve her sister is actually not as sisterly as we think. Without giving to much away Sarah catches on to what is going on with Eve and the GP deciding to turn the tables. She ends up drugging and trading places with Eve while Sarah was in the physic ward again. She gets to be with the little boy until Eve asks for dental records. Sarah knew she was caught. Trying to flee they end up in a body of water where only one survive!

𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕀 𝕃𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕕
❶ The child being the main catalyst in this book. It pulled at my heartstrings a little more than a normal domestic thriller would so I felt really invested.
➋ The hints sprinkled throughout the book are good. I felt like Renshaw gives you plenty of chances to latch on to some future plot points.
➌ I do like how this one ended.
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𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝔹𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝕄𝕖 𝕆𝕦𝕥
❶ Slow start
➋ Just seemed a little long but I think it may have been the slow start. I thought the percent through on my kindle was for sure wrong when I was only ten percent in, but it did pick up and arc
➌ I felt like it was pretty predictable.
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In summary: another domestic thriller you’ll enjoy if you love those type of books

# The Child That Never Was#Netgalley

It’s easy to think this novel is predictable, I did after I read a few chapters. The first page gripped me straight away. Do not be fooled because you think it’s predictable. I quite often now days stop reading books when I think it’s so much the same as so many just within the first few chapters that you start to think here we go again same old ending to so many books I have read before. I did consider not finishing this book for that same reason. Just another background and this time it’s twins yet we all know roughly how it going to end. I don’t know why I did decide to go the full distance with this one it’s not like I don’t have plenty of books to read. However bored I decided to stay with it. After a few more chapters the twists and turns came into play that throws you right off what you think will be the ending never the less I kept thinking it’s still going’s to be the ending I have read so many times before in previous books. But surprisingly it’s not. The last twist is such a big one you could never ever have seen this coming leaving me in shock I think I sat there a good few minutes trying to pick my jaw up off the floor. Just goes to show how wrong we can be. A damnd good read and one I am glad I definitely glad I didn’t give up on. Definitely recommend this to everyone it’s a must read. Although I will say too many authors are getting too predictable with certain genres that it’s really getting to a point that I personally am starting to get so far through a book and think as I did this. Here we go again. Perhaps there must be a way around this problem, because truthfully I did almost give up on the book. As I am sure many other readers are getting the same feeling and too many books are starting to not get read because of this. Which is. A shame because once In awhile you get one with just a shocking ending as this one had that I feel a lot of books are being overlooked because of so many being much of a muchness. Yoh then I have read this one so many times under a different cover or different authors but I have read it. Just too many too predictable lately. Anyhow cutting across that subject as I stated I did think oh here we go. Please if you do what I almost did you will seriously missing out on a clever well thought about and so bloody unexpected twist you will be shocked

I very much enjoyed this book. It had just the right amount of tension and intrigue to keep me interested and reading for hours. I especially liked the plot twist at the end. It was ridiculous but in a good way! The pacing was great which is something important to me. Also, the book started off getting right to the point which I appreciated. Overall, it was a great read!

So I really liked the premise of this book. It is such an amazing story and the plot is great, the concept of a twin stealing your child and trying to pass him off as her own. It’s enthralling, really. But. I wasn’t thrilled with the execution of it all. I found it really hard to get past certain parts. And it took me a while to read it. The dialogue in the book was a little, dull. The way that things were explained throughout the book made it rather hard to follow. I think that it would have been a little easier to follow along if more about the past was given throughout the book instead of all at the end. I also think that having the entire book from the perspective of one twin didn’t highlight what you needed in the story. You got more in the epilogue than you did in the last few chapters of the book. I did like the ending, it was sad, but it fit the story line very well.

The Child Who Never Was by Jane Renshaw is a thrilling page-turner!

Evie and Sarah Booth are mirror-image twins. When they face one another they are matching reflections, but their personalities are far from identical. Evie is independent and outgoing. Sarah suffers from agoraphobia and struggles with daily activities. Sarah's mental illness comes to a head when she is faced with a mother's worst fear. Sarah’s 18-month-old son has vanished without a trace! Can Evie help reunite Sarah with her son? Will Sarah overcome her mental illness?

There is no other fear greater than that of a mother who is missing their child. The author captures this emotion from the first page of this book, with a frantic mother searching for her child. The harrowing events that follow provided a thrilling reading experience. The storyline is unlike any other I have read. In addition, this book is full of suspense and will have the reader on the edge of their seat. The plot twists are surprising, chilling, and meticulously timed.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a thrilling mystery that defies the "norm" in this genre.

Sarah wakes up one day to find that her beautiful 18-month-old child has gone missing. She begins a frantic search only to discover that everyone around her, including her twin sister Evie, insists she’s never had a child. In fact, she’s so delusional the only place she really belongs is a psychiatric hospital. But Sarah’s sure she’s had a child. She remembers giving birth to Oliver and loving the little boy like no other. It felt so real….but was it?

The reason this book called out to me was because my youngest son is around the same age as Oliver and I love a good mystery, so I thought I could connect with the story that way. The first chapter was such a rush you could feel the anxiety in the way the story read. It felt like you were inside Sarah’s head, feeling all the panic and fear she’s going through. Frankly, it actually stressed me out and I had to put the book down for a few days. When I finally picked it up again, it felt kind of repetitive. Like Sarah kept repeating she had a child and everyone kept telling her no, which obviously is the point but it felt more like a grab for filling pages than reinforcement.

This book is also slated as a thriller but it didn’t read like one. After the first stressful, roller-coaster chapter, the rest read like a slow walk–calm and methodical. Sarah’s a smart girl and she thinks everything through completely, including recalling a treasure trove of memories. In that way the story is not exciting but you do get immersed into the serene feel of the British seaside. There were a couple of instances where I got pretty angry with the way children were treated in this book. For one, a child is given an adult psychiatric drug to make him sleep. Like wow. That is wildly inappropriate and irresponsible, I don’t even have to explain why. Another was they left a sleeping child home alone to run errands. Like WHAT? Put the child in a damn car seat! Take him with you! How are we supposed to believe either of these women are good mothers when they put a child in such imminent danger?

All in all, this book was a good little mystery. It wasn’t suspenseful, it read pretty calmly and had a pleasant setting. It made me uncomfortable a few times but watching the story unfold was entertaining enough.

Thank you to the publisher Inkubator Books for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow!! what an amazing book. Had me hooked from the prologue. a big twist of the mind book. Loved trying to work out what was going to happen and second-guessing yourself. Most of the book is told from Sarah's point of view. this really makes you feel for her struggling with her mental health. a clever devious plot which at times is quite disturbing. will definitely be reading more from this author.

Brilliant psychological book a women dealing with her own demons and issues. Very disturbing in places but also predictable in places

Rating: 4/5
This book was an amazing read. The premise is pretty dark and disturbing- a perfect psychological thriller setup. There were some predictable moments, but there were some really solid, unpredictable, out of the blue scenes as well. The end quite took me by surprise. Even if you can guess how it goes, the story will chill you no matter. You bond with the characters and understand the emotions they feel. It is an engaging, emotional, and highly disturbing tale of a woman in search of her son- in the midst of battling her own demons and issues. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

The brain is a very complex organ which although we are now living in the 21st century still has many mysterious grey areas that are not fully understood by the scientific and medical worlds. This is the heart breaking story of Sarah, a severely traumatised and damaged woman and her quest to uncover the truth about the disappearance of her beloved young son. Her quest is made more complicated by the fact that her twin sister Evie and all the doctors insist that she has never had a son. And yet, Sarah has vivid memories of giving birth and other instances where she has been interacting with a young boy called Oliver. Could they just be delusions caused by her mental health issues as everyone insists or are they memories of real life events? Sarah was a complex mix of many different issues including agoraphobia which meant that the only time that she really felt comfortable about leaving her fabulous custom built house was when she went out with Evie whom she relied on heavily. Some might say that she relied a bit too much on her sister but I could fully understand her need for someone to lean on. Everyone who suffers from mental health issues needs a good support network and sometimes you do unintentionally end up using the people you care about as a crutch. But could she really trust her sister or was Sarah a unwitting pawn in her sister's game of lies, deception and manipulation?

This is not a fast paced story, the layers unfurled gradually like the petals of a flower until the truth hidden within was revealed in all its shocking glory. It's a very well written tale of family, sisters, parenthood, mental health issues, deception and manipulation that had two flawed, relatable female lead characters, builds in intensity and has a emotionally charged, intense and heart breaking final confrontation. To be honest it did take a while for this story to hook me in but that was more to do with my own mental health issues than the story itself. Once it did grab my attention I found it a very enjoyable read and I would happily read more of this author's books in the future.

The Child Who Never Was by Jane Renshaw is a thrilling read. This was such a compelling read, it’s so complex and beautifully written the story could be a story that is too dark, but there is something about it that will brighten you and make you feel for the characters whether you have been in similar situations or not. This book is a chilling psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and thrilled beyond belief. The story is one that will turn your stomach putting yourself in the main character Sarah’s shoes, she tells her story and it's one that will leave you open mouthed in wonder and confusion, as you wonder if what you are reading is real or a delusion. Sarah and Evie have a complicated relationship and it only gets more complex as the story unfolds, this will be a difficult story for some, but for many it will be a gripping page turner.

This was a DNF for me. After reading the synopsis I thought this would be an interesting book, but i just couldn’t get into it. I really wanted to like this book.

3.9 stars. Good !
This book is a fast paced story with a disturbing and suspensful plot. The twin aspect in it gave me slight vibes from the 1993 movie "the good son". Is one of them evil?
I don't really like reading things in hospital setting (call it my own fears.) but I do like that they added the condition Agoraphobia in the story since I have known so many people with it. I have heard stories alot with the twin thing in it and I did not like the way the character talked about heavy women but hey everyone has weaknesses and flaws. However the character has agoraphobia but has violent outburst. Most people I have known with this condition have a sort of fear of confrontation and violence but maybe in this situation it would be different. I found this book interesting and i got engrossed in it. The tension back and forth was good in making you want to figure the characters out. I also liked how the present was mixed in with the past. my only drawbacks really was i kinda predicted it reading much thrillers and the violent part with that condtion did not sell me as much but i still really liked it and i would recommend it to others.

Oh. My. Goodness. I absolutely LOVED this book. So many twists and turns - whose child is he? Who never existed? First it’s Oliver, then it’s Daniel... no wait, it might be Oliver...this book keeps you turning the pages feverishly to see what will happen next. A very clever plot idea indeed, beautifully written. I really felt for Sarah as her story unfolded, and it was fascinating to see inside her head as she has to (slight spoiler) impersonate her twin who has a completely different personality, and how alien this feels for Sarah. This is definitely my book of 2020 and I will be telling everyone to buy it immediately!!

What a journey! The Child That Never Was is fast paced, it’s explosive and best of all it keeps you guessing.

Sarah has lost her child....hasn’t she? So why does no one know who he is? Does he even exist? After being sectioned by her GP she’s determined to work out the truth. Is she simply confusing her nephew with a son that never existed or is something more sinister going on?

I didn’t understand the relationship between Sarah and Evie, I actually found it very cringey but I’m an only child lol. I really liked how my brain was constantly not knowing who to believe! I love a good character with mental health issues someone who’s unreliable but we get their point of view, it’s a perfect mix for a book and that probably explains why I loved this one!

There’s a few sharp twists that left me reeling. A great all rounder and I highly recommend!

Although slightly outside my usual genres, I was intrigued by the premise and had to find out what happened! I love a story with plenty of twists and hoped that this would keep me reading - and it certainly did!

The story opens with Sarah utterly convinced that her toddler, Oliver, has gone missing. She has vivid recollections of giving birth to him, his bedroom, his speech patterns... However, everyone tells her that he never existed and that he is a figment of her imagination. Sarah has mental health problems after an earlier trauma in her life and now rarely leaves her house, so is Oliver merely a result of this? Sarah is unconvinced and will go to extreme lengths to prove that her child has been taken.

The central characters in the novel, Sarah and Evie, are twins and they are beautifully contrasted. Evie is composed, in charge of the sisters' architectural business and mother of her own toddler, James, while Sarah is the opposite: struggling with her mental health, bossed around by her sister and childless. It is this sense of opposition that drives the narrative on and the reader is not quite sure where their sympathies should lie for a large proportion of the book. The fact that Sarah is the focal character is especially clever as she is a notoriously unreliable narrator and so the reader is unsure what to believe.

The narrative does have plenty of twists and turns that kept me interested in this story of the two sisters, a lost child and mental health issues. The loss that Sarah feels is convincing and compelling - it is impossible not to feel for her, even as you also have to balance this with her own psychological issues. The opening scene is also - no spoilers - an absolute gem and I was desperate to know how this fitted in with the rest of the story.

Overall, this is a pacey and engaging read. It's certainly worth clearing the diary for as you will not want to put it down until you know the truth!

Brilliant addictive well written phycological thrill!

I read this in a few hours as I had to find out what was going on, and how it was gonna end.

Really well written and well researched into the twins reasons for why they acted like they did.

Highly recommended read

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for ARC

Did not disappoint. Had to stay up late to finish the book and find out the WHY! Talking about this book?#TheChildWhoNeverWas #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley for my copy of The Child Who Never Was by Jane Renshaw in exchange for a review.
Nothing captures my attention more than a character pleading for help and existence of her child no one seemed to know she had.
Frustrated with this fast-paced thriller and the disturbing relationship between twins Evie and Sarah, I changed my mind throughout the story about who can be trusted.
Sarah suffers from mental health issues and awakens frantic to find her son Oliver missing. With the neighbor and her own doctor reporting to the police she doesn’t have a son, she becomes violent with justifiable behavior and placed in an institution. Heavily medicated, reality and imagination become tangled when her sister Evie visits with Oliver. Her outburst turns quickly into sedation when Evie brings documentation Oliver is actually her son James.
Becoming an intense thriller when Sarah is released from the hospital working diligently to find the proof she needs to get her son back.
Cleverly delivered with their past sprinkled in the present giving depth to the characters’ relationship. With public outbursts, violent behavior and deception of even your closest relations, you will not know who to believe.
Well-written!!! I enjoyed it!!