This was definitely one of the best books I have read this year... I did managed to finish this book within a few hours. It was captivating and difficult to put down.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Widow Alexa (Alex) Martini and her 3-year-old daughter Charlotte (Lottie) are from London England and are attending a destination wedding in Florida at which Lottie is a bridesmaid. Lottie disappears and no one saw what happened even though there are many wedding guests and staff in the vicinity.

The prologue reeled me in and I could hardly wait to learn the story. I was totally prepared to dislike Alex after the opening chapter but as the story progressed I liked her more and more and realized I did what many others in the book did, judged her based on appearances and media reports. Lottie was a difficult child by the sounds of it and I would imagine her mother could get pretty frustrated but there's no doubt she loved her daughter. There were many gasp-out-loud moments and I can understand why one reviewer had brain whiplash. I had to stay up late to finish the book because I knew I wouldn't sleep without knowing the ending. When I finally turned out the lights my brain was awarding 5 stars but after sleeping on it and thinking about parts of the book I've decided on a 4-star rating. As many reviewers have said, there was one red herring after another and everybody came under suspicion but I now realize I wasn't too crazy about the ending. In retrospect it seems rather implausible and I feel like there were some other loose ends that weren't satisfactorily explained. A second read might clarify some of that but I don't have the time or patience to re-read it. Having said all that, I'd still recommend the book pretty highly. I haven't read anything by Tess Stimson previously but I'll be looking to remedy that.

Thank you to Avon Books UK via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel. My apologies for not getting it read before publication date. All opinions expressed are my own.

Alex knows her three year old daughter would never wander off, so she thinks the worst when Lottie disappears from her friend's beach wedding. The search for Lottie soon goes global and Alex finds herself under the spotlight and scrutinised by the police, the press and the public whilst she desperately searches for her daughter.

This book is a good thriller and I was intrigued from the start due to the sudden disappearance of Lottie. Stimson kept me intrigued throughout and I was curious about Alex and I wasn't sure if she was a reliable narrator or not. There was also a good atmosphere but this did get lost a little in the middle where the plot got slower before picking up again. The ending was a little rushed, I was pleased it wasn't at all predictable but I did find myself asking if it was realistic or not.

Stimson writes from two characters points of view, switching from Alex to news reporter Quinn. I preferred reading from Alex's narrative and for me Quinn's chapters didn't really add much to the plot as it was a lot easier to sympathise with Alex. Stimson makes references to other missing children's cases and how this is portrayed by the media which gave an authentic feel to the book and did make me stop and think about our society.

I would recommend this book so definitely consider picking it up if you enjoy thrillers.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unedited feedback.

Alex never intended to become a mother, but her she is. Lottie is spirited child, that Alex did not plan on raising alone. When she goes missing a friends wedding, every mother feels the despair. Most of the book focuses on the search for the little girl. Lots of twists and turns to intrigue the reader.

Alex and Lottie, mother and child are alone. Alex was married to Lottie's father Luca, that was a stramge relathionship between two words, a tradicional italian adn fast modern big City. They had an agremend but unfortunatly it was not succesful. They got divorced and Luca died. One year after for Alex begins an other tragedy. Her child is missing, she was kidnapped at the wedding and wanished in the air. Alex is a working mother, with career but now after what happened she is discovering what her doughter means for her and what she is prepared to do to find her. She is prepared for eveeything, reall everything to find her child.

I was a little scared of this book but I was so glade when I finnaly started it. It was almost incredible what was happening. But on the other side I Can immagine I would do excactly the same. So so good, I was imagining the end like that biu I was not sure and that make me goes reading faster. Really the kind of top 10 this year maybe.

Thank you Netgalley.com and Avon Books UK for a copy.

Alex takes her daughter to a wedding in America
Lottie disappears from the reception
Alex’s world falls apart
Will she ever get her daughter back
What a fantastic book
Loved this from start to finish
Plenty of twists and turns
Thanks NetGalley

I loved it. The book kept me on the edge. The characters were definitely people you coul relate too.

Y’all, I’m going to need Botox after reading this book because I had my brow raised or furrowed the entire time! I had so many theories about who took little Lottie but none of them wanted to stick! I love the brutally raw honesty of her mother, Alex. There are so many things written in this book that just gut punched me. I loved the couple of pages in the second half of this book where I honestly said out loud, very slowly, “Waaaait a minute….” And then BAM!!! My jaw dropped wide open! Beautifully executed by Tess Stimson! I never in a million years expected the end because the twists just kept slamming me again and again! Perfectly written! I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it! Then go back and read her last book, One in Three! It was so freaking good, too!!!

Reading Between the Wines book review #102/115 for 2021:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: Stolen
Author: Tess Stimson
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers | Women's Fiction
RELEASED on August 5, 2021!!!

Sipping thoughts: Wow! So, reading this book will have your mind bended and twisted in so many different ways. When Lottie goes missing, everyone automatically assumes her mother has something to do with it. Alex is very much a hands-off mother and seems clear to be blamed for her missing 3-year-old. As your read, you will not believe all that transpires and the timeline behind it all. And that ending 😳!

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @AvonBooks for an advanced copy of @Stolen.

#Stolen #AvonBooks #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThriller #GeneralFictionAdult #WomensFiction

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book I have read by this author.

This is a domestic thriller with a different undertone to many I have read. A very distinctive 3 year old child goes missing at a foreign beach Holiday. It has similarities to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and the way that investigation was carried out. Indeed, the author, makes numerous references to that case and at times it felt like she was trying to fictionalise fact. For me these references were an unnecessary distraction.

The author does create a tense unfolding of the disappearance, the initial days ring very true to this type of crime and she captures the tension and horror behind the event well. I like the characters she created particularly Alexa and Quinn Wilde. I am less convinced about the signposting of who is responsible. I feel like the first hints she gives as to perpetrators are clearly just red Herrings although I did not guess at the eventual outcome.

I am not totally convinced of the way everything unfolds - Alexa still seems to be holding down an enormously demanding job whilst completely unravelling in other ways and travelling across continents - I am not sure all these are tenable.

There are parts of this book I liked but others had me questioning reality

This book was absolutely brilliant. Tess Stimson has become a firm favourite of mine and a instant-read.

I love reading a good crime-thriller, but often they feel repetitive and predictable. Tess Stimson is always anything but. Stolen follows the life of a mother following her child's abduction at a wedding. Seeing the cruel, but realistic, treatment of a 'selfish' mother berated for her attention wavering from her child at the crucial moment gave this novel a gritty realism which made it all the more fabulous.

Each and every plot twist will shock you. There are plenty of red-herrings and more than enough information being dropped into conversation that you'll feel like part of the novel. I certainly couldn't predict the shock-ending, but it provided everything I wanted from the novel.

Of course, I recommend this book whole-heartedly. It's another fantastic release from Tess Stimson.

Being a guest at a beach wedding in Florida turns into a nightmare for Alex when her 3 year old daughter Lottie goes missing. Many questions and accusations are throw, especially by the media, as this (what could be real life) drama unfolds. Was Alex too concerned about her career to have her eye on the ball, or did she not really care for her daughter? This story makes you realise how easy it is for things to spiral out of control as the stories being told around the reality are manipulated by the press. Cracking character development and a gripping story, with plenty of twists and turns along the way, make for an excellent read. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the read.

As a mother, this plot is hands down a very terrifying fear of mine. With that being said, I almost didn't read this book but I am so very glad I did. This thriller is fast-paced, well-written, and a complete page turner. Once you start reading it, clear the rest of the day so you can finish this book without any interruptions. You will constantly be guess who took Lottie and in the end you'll be completely surprised.

Review: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK, and Tess Stimson for the advanced reading copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

What a superb book. The emotional ride when your child stolen was stolen has been expressed so vividly that I could almost feel tat it was happening to me. Throughout the story I kept feeling that I knew what had happened but each time I was proved wrong and even as it was drawing to a close I did not guess the final twist.
Alex as the main character pulled at my heartstrings all the way and I could understand what and why she did some of the things I am attempt to find her daughter.
Highly recommend this book.

OMG!! What a book! What an ending! I’m still reeling. I quite thought I’d sussed ‘who’d done it’ but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I was finishing it off in bed but couldn’t sleep after I’d finished it. Alexa’s daughter Lottie goes missing at a wedding in Florida. Alexa’s husband had been killed in a bridge collapse in Italy years before. Alexa’s sister is acting very strangely and I had my money on her to have done it as she couldn’t have children. Then a reporter who normally covers war zones, and has the scars to prove it, gets involved. It leads her off the wagon for a while but her and Alexa become firm friends. I loved this book. Amazing.

4.5 stars
Holy moly, I have whiplash. It's been a long time since my brain was firing in so many directions while reading a thriller. Look here, no look over there, nope-back over this way. Misdirections, red herrings, false narratives - this had it all. It was exhausting and thrilling and put me right in the middle to the point where I was as anxious as our main character.

Alex is a bit of a mess as a mom. She loves her daughter very much, but doesn't seem to have much of a mothering instinct, didn't really want her daughter, was focused on her career, and her little girl is so very precocious and challenging. When the little girl goes missing at a destination wedding, lots of secrets rush to the forefront and everyone seems suspect and may be hiding something. There are no credible leads and suddenly it's two years later without any real progress and public interest and support is starting to wane.

And that's just where things start to heat up and my anxiety levels increased ten-fold. I did not see the surprise ending coming until right before it happened.

If you enjoy a good thriller, fasten your seatbelt and come along for the ride.

This was a page turner.

It starts strong with a mother, Alex, and her three year old daughter, Lottie, heading to a wedding in Florida. Their relationship is not a normal mother/ daughter relationship. Lottie throws a tantrum on the plane and after she’s called out on it by her mom she curses the other passengers.

Things turn when she goes missing at the wedding. It turns guests against Alex, the mom, and everyone is a suspect.

It gives a look at both sides of the mother’s case. Those who support her and those who blame her. It shows pieces from the media sharing each opinion.

The end is also surprising. It’s a great story and would recommend.

Wow! It is quite a while since a book gripped me as much as this one did. I literally could not put it down and read it in one sitting, finishing it in the early hours of the morning.

If you are looking for a well written, compelling and fast paced thriller with lots of twists then look no further.

Highly recommended!

A missing child – my most favorite trope – and I was hooked. Lottie disappeared from a wedding proceedings and it was hell on earth for mum Alex

My second book by author Tess Stimson, I was quickly taken over by the mystery and the pain that rocked the world of the mother.

The story was realistic in its emotions. But therein started my niggles too. The story dragged in the midsection. The prose needed more red herrings. Some parts were slightly unbelievable.

Overall I loved the premise and the twisted ending which blindsighted me completely. I had fixed my focus on another suspect… But I was so wrong.

I enjoyed that I was hoodwinked, and if the mid section had been sharper, this would have been a rocking thriller.

My first read by this author, and would definitely look up her other books in future. I loved the fast pace and was gripped throughout. Some exciting edge of your seat twists too. Great character development too!