This was an enjoyable read and I got through it quickly.
The main premise is seven year old Beatrice has gone missing from the fair whilst under the care of her grandmother Jill. Now Beatrice’s parents have to deal with the horror of the investigation.
The book is written in the alternating POV of Jill and Claire.
I did figure out the kidnapper but still enjoyed the story and characters.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh wow, this is such a compelling book! Right from the start we are landed straight into the action. Jill has taken her granddaughter out, and in the blink of an eye, she goes missing. The confusion and panic are so well portrayed that it’s real edge-of-your-seat stuff.

Everything about this book combines to make the perfect psychological thriller. The sultry heat of summer provides a languid backdrop that’s totally at odds with the events taking place, but really adds to the atmosphere. The multiple points of view are perfect, making us completely unable to know who to trust, and feeling like everyone is a potential suspect.

The tension just builds and builds, and it’s totally impossible to put this book down. As we near the end, the twists and turns are not like anything that you could have predicted. An absolute smasher of a book, I couldn’t stop reading it. Completely all-consuming and gripping, loved it.

Favorite Quotes:

I feel my cheeks grow warm under her gaze. It’s as if I’m back at school in assembly where we’re all being scrutinised by the headteacher for some misdemeanour and you still feel guilty even though you’ve done nothing wrong.

I feel as though I’m speaking from a long way away. Like I’m not even here. All these words and acronyms sound so official, like something out of a TV crime drama. Why are they now part of my real life?

Laurel’s voice is on a register that could cut through double glazing.

The room deflates. You can hear it, the sudden shrinking of sound, the shrivelling of hope.


My Review:

This was my first experience in reading this author and I found her writing easy to follow with the suspense intriguing and held taut, although the family drama was center stage with bold choices made with her characters. The main cast of players wasn’t generally likable most of the time while being true-to-life damaged, realistically and deeply flawed, and prone to poor decisions. While they were bordering on obnoxious and greatly annoying me, they were also human and struggling with an extremely stressful and agonizing situation.

I reacted the strongest to the least likable personality of Claire, as she was arrogant, angry, and petulantly lashing out and systematically accusing everyone. Claire had me cringing and wanted to tell her to shut her pie hole and take a handful of Xanax to chill out enough to be civil. The grandmother was rather ditzy and unfocused and prone to tunnel vision and moronic choices, yet she was well-meaning and kind-hearted, although I doubt the merchants in her area would agree. The husband was the biggest disappointment, what a milksop, he needed some foot to derriere therapy, and my toes were tapping and itching to volunteer. The author was certainly doing something right to have me so deeply invested while antagonized yet also terminally curious with her maddeningly paced tale. She fooled me but good as I didn’t puzzle this one out until right before the identity of the abductor was revealed. Shalini Boland is as sly as she is insightful.

I've read a few Shalini Boland novels, and they're always amazing, so I was really excited to read My Little Girl. This book did not disappoint, and it kept me up way too late because I couldn't wait to find out how it would end. I liked that the story was told from three different perspectives (mother Claire, grandmother Jill, and the kidnapper), and when the culprit was revealed, I was shocked by their identity. The characters are all very well-written, and I found it easy to emphasize with them. Shalini Boland is an incredible author, and her books are always hard to put down...thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review her latest thriller. : )

This is an addictive and clever page turner that will keep you immersed and invested, furiously flipping pages until you’ve reached the last breathless page.

I recommend for anyone who likes books with missing children and the furious, maddening events surrounding trying to just bring them home.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publishers and author Shalini Boland for an electronic ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

I often find that books I read in this genre feature a missing child or children in some way, and I think it’s a great feature of the genre as it ensures that the narrative is emotionally charged and suspenseful. However, I think it is difficult to make this storyline original, and Shalini has certainly done that.

We hear from 3 people’s perspectives in the book – Jill, Claire and another faceless, nameless voice, who appears to be the perpetrator. This makes it difficult to know who to trust and who to have sympathy for. Claire, in some ways, appears justified in her mistrust of Jill. Claire’s narrative also shows that Jill is right to worry/believe that Claire and Ollie’s marriage isn’t as perfect as it still appears. I also loved reading the narrative from the nameless voice’s point of view, as it added an extra level of intrigue and darkness. These characters are definitely one that get you talking, thinking and questioning.

Once again, Shalini has produced an original, addictive and clever page turner which I have become immersed in and struggled to put down.

I had strong feelings about who was involved from the beginning but I was proved wrong, and I love that! This is definitely an intense book about lies and facades with some wonderful cliff hangers and shocking twists!

Loved this totally enthralling and gut wrenching story. Nothing as expected but a fabulous consistency of deep characterisation and personality. Pulls at the heart strings too. Congratulations great book thanks for sharing

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of "My Little Girl" in exchange for my honest review.

The story is told over a week in the voices of a person that is not at first identified - thoughts appear in italics. The rest of the story is told through the eyes of Jill - the grandmother and Claire - the mother. Jill has taken her granddaughter Beatrice and her best friend Millie (both 7) to the fun fair in town. When Beatrice disappears, it sets off the worst week in this family's life.

At first Jill is painted as a scatterbrain who is not a responsible person and should never have been left alone to watch over the girls. Parts of the book are slightly annoying where both Jill and Claire (separately) feel that they are smarter than the police and they will find Bea that day and bring her home. Ms. Boland had written some several incredibly well planted red-herrings in this book. For a good part of the books you'll think that you know who did this horrible thing and then for the next part of the book you'll shift your thoughts to another person. Finally when the culprit is identified, it comes as a shock because they were never on the readers radar!

A lot of distrust, theories and blames are scattered throughout the book. Jill and Claire at times come across as irrational, with overactive imaginations, lots of speculating, comic and ridiculous how they feel they know better than the police where they will find Beatrice. At one point they think that perhaps the police will actually know what to do as they are trained for this. There is a lot of jumping to conclusions that there has been "new evidence" found and they rush off to investigate.

The last few chapters of the book cover a month later and the epilogue leaves the reader wondering if the story really is over. Absolutely brilliant read!!

Shalini Boland is one of my favourite authors so I was pretty sure to enjoy reading her latest novel and it did not disappoint. Jill is looking after her granddaughter, Beatrice and Millie, her young friend. Claire, Beatrice's mum is out with friends and Oliver, Jill's son had planned to take the girls to the fair but as he is running late with his schedule, he asked his mum to take them instead. After eating their candy floss they are in the Hall Of Mirrors when Beatrice vanishes...

Narrated by Claire and Jill I could see the appalling situation from both viewpoints and felt the force to pick a side fairly quickly. There are clues scattered liberally about but I admit that I did not guess the abductor's identity until it was revealed. My Little Girl is a fantastic story and a richly drawn family drama that clearly conveys the pain and horror of abduction.

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

This book was grim, heart-wrenching, and packed with a twist. It is not a feel-good story, but rather, a very stern and poignant effort to showcase the suffering a family endures due to the disappearance of a daughter.

I was completely riveted. The pacing and character development were really good. This is one of those books where storytelling flows easily and keeps you on the edge of your seat till the very last page.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced reader's copy.

This book was enjoyable to read but didn’t stand out for me. I predicted who the kidnapper was early on, and it was too similar to bolands other books. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

Jill is caring for her granddaughter, Beatrice, and her little friend, Millie. Jill’s son, Oliver, had planned to take the girls to the Fair today but is behind in his work so his asked his mother to take the girls. They are all having a delightful time and it’s when they are in the Hall of Mirrors, that Beatrice goes missing.

Jill had answered a call from Oliver’s first wife, Laurel, just at the time Beatrice disappeared. Jill feels guilty about that. Oliver’s wife, Claire, is livid at Jill as she feels the woman is scatter-brained, untrustworthy, and simply not sharp enough to care for Beatrice. This breaks Jill’s heart because she and her husband used to care for the little girl quite often before he passed away.

The police are searching for Beatrice and a large group of Jill’s friends have come together to form a search party. Now the police are thinking of putting out a country-wide alert about Beatrice’s disappearance.

When Claire receives a vicious remark about the disappearance on Facebook, they wonder if it could be from the person who took Beatrice.

There is a lot of strife between Oliver and Claire and his actions are questionable. Jill is doing all she can to find Beatrice and hold on to her sanity.

There are clues scattered about but I admit that I did not guess the abductor until it was revealed. This is a good story which clearly conveys the pain and horror of the abduction of one’s child. It makes us all want to hug our own children just a little more and keep a better eye on them.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Claire Nolan's worst nightmare has come true. Her daughter has been kidnapped. Claire is especially distraught as her daughter has disappeared while under the care of her mother-in-law Jill. Claire has told her time and again that she did not feel comfortable with Jill caring for Beatrice and now this has happened.

Meanwhile, Jill has been quite happy. Excited to spend time with Beatrice and determined to prove trustworthy when it comes to doing just that. Her son Ollie, Claire's husband, trusts her, so why not Claire? Things were going quite well while Jill had taken Beatrice and her best friend to the fair. Until...

The chaos of the fair has proved to much. Suddenly Jill cannot find Beatrice. Panicked beyond belief, Jill desperately looks for her granddaughter. She finds Millie, Beatrice's best friend, but not Beatrice. Where could she be? Not only is she more than worried about Beatrice, she knows that Claire and Ollie will be more than livid. Claire's lack of trust of trust just has proved to have merit.

Even with the police investigating, everyone begins to point fingers, especially Claire. She is angry with Ollie because he was the one to have taken the girls to the fair. But Claire's anger goes beyond Jill and Ollie. So, who is responsible? Jill? Ollie? In fact, Claire's long-standing mistrust goes beyond Jill. She begins to wonder about Laurel, Ollie's ex-wife. Could Laurel have something to do with Beatrice being taken?

As time goes by all too slowly, one thing begins to ring true. Someone is lying. Someone in this small circle of people just has to know something about where Beatrice could be. For starters, Claire has never felt comfortable with the fact that Jill have remained close to Laurel. Could Laurel have anything to do with Beatrice's disappearance? A web of lies begins to unravel. Combine lies with a lack of trust and perhaps the police can begin to develop enough clues as to where Beatrice is and if she could possibly be returned safe and unharmed. That is what Claire believes and that is what Claire insists.

What a thrilling story! Tension is present from beginning to end. Any story that involves a child being taken is a difficult read. When the story is wrapped in lies and untrustworthy characters that only makes the story that much more compelling. Then there is the simple fact of the author of this book: Shalini Boland. ANY book by Ms. Boland proves compelling. Hands down. This book ranks right up there with another fabulous read that has grabbed my attention from the start all the way to the exciting conclusion.

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

My Little Girl is yet another excellent book by the wonderful author Shalini Boland, and after having read a couple of less engaging books this story was an absolute delight.

The narrative centres around Beatrice, a little girl who goes missing whilst on a trip to the fair with her grandmother, Ivy, and a friend. Beatrice's mother, Claire is incensed to find she was with Ivy, instead of her husband Oliver as planned, and the fact this has happened on Jill's watch tells her she was right all along.

It is told in three voices, that of Claire, Ivy, and also the kidnapper (these are short chapters and less frequent). It is very easy to follow and it is brilliant to hear from different sides rather than a one sided narrative. There is a lot of family drama and dynamics which makes the story very interesting and I loved trying to work out what was happenening.

My sympathies changed for different characters as I went along whichshows how great a writer Shalini is. You could feel real empathy for the characters and want to sort things out for them!

A brilliant story which kept me riveted from start to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Shalini Boland for the opportunity to read an ebook in return for an honest review.

You can never go wrong when picking up a Shalini Boland book and this latest one is no exception. It will have you gripped from the very first page.

Claire is getting ready to go out with friends when she gets the phone call every parent dreads ...... her 7 year old daughter, Beatrice, has gone missing. Beatrice and her friend were at the fair with Claire’s mother-in-law, Jill, when she lost sight of them in the hall of mirrors.

Beatrice was meant to be at the fair with Oliver, Beatrice’s dad, but he changed his plans at the last minute and Jill stepped in. But Claire has never trusted Jill as she is a little scatty and they don’t get on all that well.

As the minutes turn into hours, and then days Claire starts to suspect everyone, including those closest to her. Will Claire manage to find her daughter ? Will her relationships survive ? Will she figure out who is lying and why ?

This is a great addictive read that will keep you guessing and turning the pages trying to find the truth along with Claire. There are plenty of twists and little red herrings to keep you guessing. The characters are all fantastic and you really feel as though you are there with them all tying to uncover the truth and find Beatrice. Definitely one to add to the top of your tbr pile.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

I've read lots of Shalini Boland books and enjoyed them all, and enjoyed this book too.
You are into the child kidnap plot very quickly with Bea being snatched from under the nose of her grandmother Jill I enjoyed the alternating chapters of mum Claire and Jill, but more so the untitled chapters.
I had a few theories going as I was reading, but didn't manage to work out who the culprit was.
One of my kids used to wander, have lost sight of her in an airport and on board a ferry, so I really felt it when Jill realised that Bea was gone, and really felt those first few chapters were well written.
Overall an enjoyable book.

“One minute she was there. The next she was gone”

This is every parents nightmare. As a mother of twin daughters and grandmother of 2 grandsons, I was emotionally drawn to this book. My Little Girl is the second book I’ve read by Shalini Boland and it did not disappoint. (1st book was The Wife) The author’s words and story line flow so easily and kept me wanting to read more. I did “figure out” three-quarters in the book what happened to 7 year old Beatrice when she was at the fair with her friend and grandmother.

But the ending...Oh an interesting twist!!!

A quick read. A psychological suspense to keep you guessing and reading! Thank you #NetGalley and #Bookouture for a complimentary digital copy of #MyLittleGirl. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

One of a mom’s worst nightmares is of her child going missing. It happened to me, but only a few minutes within a huge department store at the mall, and I was terrified. I simply can’t imagine what I would have been like if it were than a few minutes because I was beside myself. Reading about Claire’s reaction when she first found out about her daughter surprised me. To me, she didn’t seem as distraught or hysterical as I was when it happened to me, so I immediately dubbed her as the culprit, or at least part of it. That also surprised me since it was the beginning of the book, and how intriguing of a psychological whodunit thriller would that be if you already pretty much guessed it all that quickly? Don’t let that fool you, though. I’m not saying if she did it or was part of it or not, and I’m not going to say much else except that you will need to read the book yourself to find out more.

This author is very talented and clever, and I was absolutely compelled reading this one. It took me only three days, and that was also while dealing with real life with my husband and two kids. Quite an accomplishment! Yet not really because when I am invested in a book like I was this one, I will read into and throughout the night, which is exactly what I did with this. My Little Girl is a gripping story with talented writing, compelling characters, and clever twists and turns - need I say more?

BOOKWORMS REVIEW:

When Jill gets to take her 7 yr old granddaughter Beatrice and her pal Milly to the fair,shes so delighted at the chance to spend time with her. But when Jill takes a call inside the Hall of Mirrors while watching the girls..everything changes. Moments later theres only Milly to be seen. Beatrice has gone..and nobody saw anything.

When she cant be found her parents are called along with the police.
As the hours and days go by with no word on Beatrice,her parents Claire and Oliver are dealing with things very differently. While Claire is questioning people at the fair,setting up a facebook page and combing the streets,..Oliver has gone on a bender. But all is not as it seems with him and Claire doesnt know what has happened to her reliable loving husband. Claire can only trust and rely on her best friend Freya. Will they find Bea before she comes to harm,if she hasnt already?

Before the end I did guess who was responsible,but I think it was very obvious by that stage so I'm no sleuth...but I didnt know why. Claire was suspicious of everyone,much like I would've been in her shoes. An enjoyable read from Shalini as always.

📘📘📘📘

With thanks to Shalini Boland,Netgalley,and the publishing team at Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for my honest Review.

I don’t know how Shalini does it but every book she writes hooks me quickly. She takes a family and completely upends their life, spinning it into a riveting drama, in this case it’s a child going missing at the fair.

But omg the characters in this book drove me doolally, to the point that I was messaging my friend Daniella, who was reading it at the same time, to discuss the mother in law. I totally understood Claire’s reaction and Jill is fortunate that I’m not her daughter in law, as I wouldn’t have let her off so lightly. I was going to add that Claire did come across as having a slight superiority complex and was a tad judgemental but then realised that I had made the same judgements and I think as a parent you just automatically point blame the second something happens to your child that you had no control over.

That is precisely what Shalini does so well with her books, she gets to the core of people and sees them for what they are, giving them realistic personalities and responses. The relationships have flaws that many people can easily relate to, especially when they come with baggage.

Narrated in first person by Claire and Jill, really forces you to see from both perspectives, and you will pick a side and fairly quickly. You will either choose team Claire, a mum who was looking forward to a night out and who left her husband Oliver in charge of Bea, only to discover he had palmed her off to his mum who you don’t trust. Or you will choose team Jill and see how much she loves her granddaughter but makes silly mistakes that causes Claire to mistrust her with Bea. Her heart is in the right place and you can’t help but feel sorry for her.

With red herrings along the way this is not only a great whodunnit but a richly drawn family drama. It will have your fingers glowing red from turning the pages so fast and the nails bitten to the quick until you reach the dramatic conclusion.