This book preyed on my worst fear as a mother. You think your child is safe and when you turn around she’s gone. The not knowing, never giving up that sliver of hope. This book was gut wrenching at times. It followed a winding road of hope and despair and suspense. The characters were fantastic and the plot was well done. So many times I thought I figured out whodunit only to be wrong. An absolute gem of a read

Alexa is on her way to Florida for a wedding with her daughter, Lottie, who is a flower girl. After the wedding Alexa can't find Lottie and she has no idea when she actually went missing. Alexa will become a person of interest as well as many of the people in the story.

I suspected at one point who might have taken Lottie but abandoned that thread based on an early memory of Alexa. This is a story that will have many twists before the truth is revealed.

I enjoyed this book, though I felt the first half was much stronger than the second.

(Warning: spoilers!)

The first half sees three year old Lottie disappearing from a beach wedding, which plunges single mum and dedicated lawyer Alex into every parent's worst nightmare. It's intriguing and straight to the point.

The second half, however, (or maybe even the last third) was just okay. At one point a previous chapter is repeated almost word for word, presumably to draw parallels between the two situations, and it confused me quite a bit.

The ending itself was somehow both far-fetched and underwhelming to me. I didn't completely hate it and I definitely wasn't able to predict it which was nice, but I didn't love it by any means either. The kidnapping motive(s) just didn't make sense to me, particularly Marc's involvement.

Speaking of me being unable to predict the ending: this is a very twisty book and if you like being misdirected and surprised with every turn, I'm sure you'll appreciate it. Alex was a great character too, and I really liked that she wasn't a perfect mother or person in general.

This is my first book by Tess Stimson and I doubt it'll be the last.

A good, well written read that kept me guessing until the end with interesting characters that held my attention. It seemed to lack a bit of pace around the middle of the book for me but then did get going again and I was satisfied with the ending. For me personally it wasn't a page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat but I can recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for giving me opportunity to read this book.

I was riveted by this novel, when that moment where you realise you have lost sight of your child turns into days, then weeks, then years. Unthinkable fear and guilt. And was Alex a 'good mother'? Did her frustrations as she struggled to embrace motherhood and combine it with her career play a part in Lottie's disappearance? Alex has to rely on herself to continue the hunt for Lottie when it seems futile.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I really enjoyed this, devouring it in less than a day. It was gripping right from the start, and there were out loud exclamations as new plot twists occurred. Whilst the narrative jumped a bit and events were sometimes unclear, I would thoroughly recommend this novel.

Wow what a great, yet heart breaking, story. This was so real to me when I was reading it that I could feel the pain, then the twists really blew me away!!

Thank you Netgalley and Tess Stimson for a copy of this title.
A fantastic read. I thought I knew the ending, then I didn't. This happened so many times that I gave up guessing and just enjoyed a good book.
Thank you Tess

Lottie is 3 years old and very grown up for her age. Alex, her mother is devoted to her, but suddenly, at a friend's wedding, Lottie is missing. Alex may not have been as attentive to the child as she should have been, but Lottie knows not to go off with strangers, doesn't she? Soon after much searching, the police turn their attention to Alex. What was this mother doing when her child went missing and who else was watching Lottie.
I enjoyed reading this book and it flowed well and held my attention and had a good surprise ending.
I thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Alex and her three year old daughter Lottie fly out to Florida for her best friend Marc’s wedding to Sian. During the post wedding celebrations Lottie goes missing and what ensues is a two year world wide search to find her daughter with Alex never giving up hope. The story is told by Alex and journalist Quinn who becomes obsessed with the story.

The inspiration for this novel comes from the real life case of Madeline McCann and the author mirrors judgements made on Alex’s career, parenting and reactions in the various forms of media in the narrative. Alex knows she’s not a perfect mother but she does love her daughter and this is not in question. Lottie is a pretty little girl but by no means an easy child which some of the excellent dialogue between mother and daughter bears witness to. This is a well written novel, the style is lively and engaging and I especially like the short, punchy chapters. The pace for much of the book is fast and there are good twists and red herrings to keep you constantly questioning, wondering and pondering! The portrayal of Alex is very good, her panic, terror, fear, guilt and culpability with added suspicion of the authorities and others is well done. The press firestorm is very good and we see Alex ripe for the picking as it becomes a tabloid worthy, red top headline story with all the ensuing speculation. Quinn is a great character too, a real larger than life personality with a terrific backstory. Her importance in the storytelling is a good call by the author as it allows for the inclusion of other overlooked missing children stories that take a back seat to those that do get the focus, usually pretty white girls like Lottie. I like the juxtaposition of Alex, a human rights lawyer confronting the white privilege in the story and I love how she fights back against those judgements and the steps she takes as a consequence. There is a good amount of breath taking tension in the first three quarters, there are some shocking jaw dropping discoveries and revelations as you go through this emotional rollercoaster read.

However, then we get to the ending and I’m sorry to say that I don’t like it much at all which is a real pity as up to this point it’s a five star read in my opinion. I just don’t buy it, there are too many far fetched and unbelievable elements and one persons involvement is far too left field for me to accept. After how authentic the rest of the book feels, it simply doesn’t fit.

Overall, until the ending this is a brilliant read and that’s what I’ll take away from it and I’ll always want to read Tess Stimson’s books.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Avon Books UK for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review

Alex and her daughter Lottie are having fun on the beach when suddenly Lottie vanishes,why did no one see what happened.This book had me gripped and well worth 5*

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

Not my favorite from this author- definitely not her best. Hope the next one is up to snuff

I would imagine that most parents at some time in their lives have experienced every parent's worst nightmare, the heart stopping moment when you are out somewhere and lose sight of one of your children. The overpowering emotions, fear, terror and panic as you frantically search from them, constantly calling their name. Then the immense feeling of relief when you find them again and wrap them in your arms, swearing never to let them out of your sight ever again. Now, imagine that you couldn't find your child, that they had just disappeared, vanished, gone, without a trace, no witnesses, no evidence, they were just simply....gone.

This incredible thriller is narrated predominantly from the perspective of Alexa Martini, a human rights lawyer and single mother to three year old Lottie (Charlotte) Alexa admits that although she loves her daughter, she has struggled to bond with her and has often felt that being a mother is a bit of a inconvenience. The last thing Alexa needs is to being flying to Florida to attend a lavish wedding but the groom is her friend Marc who had placed his own life in hold after the death of Alexa's husband. A wedding is supposed to signify the start of the newly weds lives together but for Alexa this wedding will mark the end of life as she knows it and the beginning of every parents worst nightmare. Sometime during the celebrations, Lottie disappears and Alexa finds herself plunged into the complex world of missing children, politics, paedophiles, the dark web and facing judgement from various aspects of the media and faceless trolls on the internet. As time passes, Alexa grows frustrated with the police investigation and starts her own desperate quest to find her daughter. A search that will push her to the limits mentally and cause her to be suspicious of everyone in her life, including her own family. There are people in Alexa's life who are not who they appear to be but could any of them have been involved in Lottie's disappearance? Would Alexa ever see her daughter again?

Alexa was a complex individual, who if I'm honest I liked a lot more by the end of the story than I did when she was first introduced into the story. I had to admire her determination to uncover what had happened to Lottie but there was also times when I had doubts about the reliability of her narrative. Could she have actually been involved in the disappearance of her daughter? Had Alexa done something horrific and blocked her actions from her mind? Was her search a clever rise to distract people from her own guilt?

Interspersed throughout the book was chapters that were voiced from the perspective of Quinn Wilde, a journalist who had been badly injured after a IED exploded beneath her jeep whilst she was in Syria. Quinn doesn't like human interest stories, she prefers the danger and excitement of being a war correspondent and she finds herself taking a instant dislike to Alexa Martini. But as time passes, she begins to suspect that there is more to Lottie's disappearance than the usual missing child case and becomes addicted to uncovering the truth. Quinn was a opinionated and very often not very likeable individual for the vast majority of the story but I did actually end up liking her by the time I finished the book.

Omg, wow....just wow, this book is absolutely bloody brilliant, it's a intricately plotted, cleverly written, character driven story that is packed full of twists,turns and red herrings, keeps me guessing and glued my kindle. There was numerous realistic characters who could have known what had happened to Lottie and the truth when it was revealed was a genuinely, unexpected mind blowing shock. I would love to watch a film adaptation of this addictive thriller, worth all the stars and more and very very highly recommended

A brilliantly crafted suspense thriller; Stolen, for me was a perfect read for Mother’s Day. While the plot is essentially about a mother’s pursuit to find her daughter who was taken away from her, it also deals with the guilt that all working mothers are subjected to, for prioritizing their career over their kids. I believe this topic resonates with so many women out there.

Human rights lawyer and single mom, Alexa Martini’s life is torn apart when her three-year old daughter, Lottie, goes missing at a friend’s wedding. As the cops get involved and the investigation is underway, it is soon established that Lottie was taken by someone familiar to her. While still reeling from this information, in addition to the horror of her missing child, Alexa is also exposed to intense media scrutiny and mom-shaming for her dedication to her job and her less-than-perfect mothering ways.

If it weren’t for the compelling writing of the author, I don’t think I would have been able to finish reading this story. It is heart-breaking to read through Alexa’s raw grief and terror as she imagines the unspeakable scenarios that her child may be subjected to. I love that I could identify with Alexa, a flawed woman, who wasn’t necessarily the best mother around, but still loved the bones of her child and fought till the very end to bring her home. I was prepared to hate Quinn, right off the bat, for her brash ways and her preconceived notions about Alexa, but she totally redeemed herself towards the end.

The author also uses this plot to address the issue of all those missing kids from colored families, who don’t have the necessary clout or white privilege to have their stories brought to the forefront. The plot twists kept me on my toes and had me pointing fingers at every other character. For such a well-written story, I found the ending a little too far-fetched to be credible. But thank God, it ended well, anyway.

Overall, a gripping and anxiety-inducing novel. Though I had unintentionally picked this book to read, Lottie’s dialogue at the very end, where she says, ‘Mummies always come back,’ seemed like a fitting ode to this day.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon books for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my kind of book. Loved the cover to start of with, the description sounded promising and from the first chapter of mother and daughter flying out to a beach wedding I could tell I would enjoy it. Lottie was annoying to start with and both mother and daughter were obviously flawed but you could see early on that the mother deeply loved the child and was distraught when Lottie went missing on the eve of the wedding party. From then on things just got better and better and I couldn’t wait to find out who had taken Lottie. A fabulous book and would recommend it to all. I’ll definitely be looking out for more books by this author in the future. A page turner from start to finish. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This has been a read filled with tension and suspense and I have been completely hooked. I have adored the way this has been written and fully engaged in this novel.

Raw, honest, brings you to the edge of your seat.

"I didn't realise, until that moment, that the child I never wanted to have has become my reason for living."

Twenty-nine year old Alex is an up-and-coming human rights lawyer for a law firm in England. She is also a single mom, who loves her daughter, Lottie.

Juggling between a full-time job and motherhood (another full time job), Alex is trying to stay fair to both, and advance in her career. It seems to be working out fairly well, up until 3-year-old Lottie disappears at her best friend's destination wedding in Florida. Alex rips the hotel and the beaches apart in vain. The police mobilize a search team, to no avail.

Everything that Alex has known comes to a pause as she is determined to find her daughter. She questions everything, and takes all the help she can get from her family and friends. But Alex will not rest until she finds Lottie, and she most certainly will not give up.

I generally really enjoy reading crime novels, but I am often disappointed when I can easily figure out the ending. However, I did not see this plot twist coming.

I also really liked how flawed, and real Alex's character was. This is definitely one of my favorite thrillers this year.

*I received this ARC in return for an honest review.

Lots of twists and turns in this one. Alex is a career driven woman who ends up pregnant. She loves her daughter but ends up letting her husband do most of the raising. When her husband dies, she ends up having to pick up the pieces and does her best.

But, when they travel to the US for a wedding and Lottie goes missing, all sorts of fingers get pointed at Alex. What kind of mother doesn't know where her child is?

I really liked this book, and it took you on some twists and turns, some more predictable that others.

Another unputdownable thriller about a child who goes missing at a family wedding. She should have been safe with friends and family but when Lotte goes missing her mother starts to not trust anyone even friends she has known all her life and could the truth be even closer to home?

This is my first book by Tess Stimson, but it certainly won't be my last! This was a real page turner for me, the characters were amazing and the story line could be taken right out of today's headlines.

It's every parents worst nightmare. Alex and her three year old daughter Lottie travel from the UK to Florida to attend her best friends wedding. During the reception, Alex suddenly realizes Lottie has not been seen for several hours, and is missing.

So begins years of searching, dead ends and suspicions against Alex. Portrayed in the media as a bad mother, neglectful, every move she makes is scrutinized on the internet, by people she has never met, crowds of people follow here everywhere and the media is never far behind. Where is Lottie and more importantly, is Alex involved in her disappearance?

Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for the gifted copy for my fair and honest opinion,