What would you do if your teenage daughter went missing in the middle of the night? This thriller is about a teen girl gone missing and her over protective mom. And then there is a mysterious woman who knows the girl’s father and says he’s pure evil. I loved the writing style with the multiple perspectives, constantly causing you to change your mind about who did it. There are plenty of motives and lots of twists to keep any thriller lover guessing. Hard to say much more without spoiling.

Sherrie has always been an overprotective mother to her daughter, Kayla. She has always been fearful that something sinister would happen to Kayla. She never allowed Kayla to attend school trips or overnight functions. She was extremely protective in the hopes that Kayla would never come to any harm. However, her worst fears are realized when Kayla does not return after a sleepover at a friend’s house. Sherrie and her husband, Richard are frantic. They comb the streets, call Kayla’s friends, but it is to no avail. Eventually, the police become involved. Although the police are involved, it does not allay Sherrie’s fears because Sherrie and Richard are hiding a secret; one that could destroy the life they are living and their daughter’s life. This book was an interesting read. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

📚📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖📚

📖 Book - Only Child
✍️ Author - Casey Kelleher
📕 Publisher - Bookouture
🗓 Publication Date - 7th Oct 2022. Sherrie and her husband Richard have a daughter Kayla. Sherrie has always been so overprotective of their daughter but the older Kayla gets, the more she notices things. One day Kayla doesn’t return from a sleepover. The story is also told through the eyes of someone being held captive.
📚 I have read a few of Casey Kelleher books now. I’ll Never Tell by Casey - I read last year and it’s a must read, if you haven’t!! Because you knew about someone being held captive at the start, I stupidly presumed I knew how this book was going to go. I should know by now, that Casey’s books always have amazing twists. Brilliant read.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read Casey Kelleher before, so I was looking forward to this book. I wasn't disappointed. A thrilling read, plenty of intrigue and deceit. A recommended read.

Holy crap.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Casey Kelleher does it again. Sherrie, Richard, and their daughter Kayla have a very normal life. They live in a very normal neighborhood. Sherrie is a very normal stay at home mom. And Kayla is a very normal angsty teenager. But when Kayla goes missing, their very normal lives may turn out to be anything but.

Tess and Amelia are pulled into the family's orbit when Tess swears Richard is the one who caused her PTSD. Only his name wasn't Richard. And Amelia doesn't believe her.

Their worlds collide in a page-turning thrill of a ride that will leave you speechless and more than a little surprised. Another can't miss thriller by Kelleher, this book shows just how far a mother will go to protect the ones she loves the most.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my review!

Kayla is the apple of her parents' eye. Sherrie, her mother doted on her but deep inside, Sherrie was holding a secret--a secret that if Kayla finds out, then their relationship will be ruined. And as dreaded, one day, Kayla failed to return and the police then deliver the news confirming Sherrie's worst fear--someone has her daughter.

This was a fast-paced nail-biting thriller. This was a page-turner, unputdownable as well and the author did a good job of keeping the reader at the edge, making the reader feel like they are a part of the story. The story divides between Sherrie's POV and a woman named Tessa who maybe the one having Kayla and who is trying to protect herself from someone. Towards the ending, it got more and more intense and the surprising twist at the end was completely unexpected. There's a a bit of drama particularly between Sherrie and her husband Richard. Overall, this was a fast-paced thriller that will keep you hooked from the beginning till the end--worth four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

A thrilling page turner. I wasn't sure about this at first but was quickly drawn in. The mystery was excellent and kept me guessing to the very end. A quick read.

This is a quick page turning saga if you'd like to have a thriller to escape into for a fast read. Parts of it kept me guessing, and other parts I figured out.

I was provided a copy of the book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What would you do if your only child has gone missing and it might be because of you? Lies, deceit and betrayal all plagued this family. There is a woman out there that has been utterly damaged and is demanding that debt be paid. What happened to Kayla, What are Sherrie and Richard hiding and will Tessa get justice?

This was a fast paced [psychological thriller that has you hanging onto every word. I will say that there is a suspending of reality that you need to keep in mind while reading this story, but isn't that the best part if diving into fiction? Thoroughly enjoyed this read, my first book by this author and would definitely check out more.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Only Child’ by Casey Kelleher in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Tessa is at the supermarket buying the ingredients for her partner Amelia’s birthday cake when she catches sight of a man who she believes ruined her life sixteen years ago. She follows him as he drives home, learns that his name is Richard Goldman, and watches him with his wife Sherrie and teenage daughter Kayla. But then Kayla goes to a party with friends and doesn’t return home and her parents are beside themselves with worry.

‘Only Child’ is a gripping and suspenseful psychological thriller that’s kept me engrossed from page one, letting me believe that I knew what was happening before throwing a massive curved ball and completely changing the direction of the plot. One of the main characters is Tessa who has panic attacks when she sees the man she believes was her kidnapper. There’s lots of tension and so many twists and turns that I had to keep reading until I’d reached the final chapters and could learn what happened sixteen years ago. This is another exceptionally well-written novel from a very talented writer that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Tessa and Amelia are a loving couple. Tessa aka Chef Surprise, is on her umpteenth attempt at baking Amelia a birthday cake and she has to run back out to the store for supplies. This is a lot for her because not too long ago she would be too anxious. Much to her surprise, she thinks she runs into the source of her previous anxiety.. she decides to follow him home.

On the fancier side of Hackney lives Richard, with his wife Sherrie and their angsty teen daughter Kayla. Sherrie is already overprotective but their senses are on high alert because someone has been watching them.

How are these two connected and who’s the bad guy here?? This leads down many different trails and kept my interest the entire time! Lots of juicy drama and layers to peel back.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

This is a great psychological thriller.
We get to know Tessa and her partner Amelia and it’s clear Tessa has had a troubled past.
We then meet Sherrie, Richard and their daughter Kayla.
The chapters about each household are separate at first but then there’s a crossover which I wasn’t expecting.
This is a gripping story which had me questioning a couple of the characters. With the clever storytelling I was led one way but got it completely wrong!
This is a real page turner that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I loved Kelleher's debut book and couldn't wait for this one!
This book has several different threads to keep track of, and each of them are gripping and suspenseful as the reader tries to connect them all together!
I couldn't put this one down. It is a complex plot that needs some level of concentration to follow it entirely, but it's worth it. It is very clever, and intricately plotted.
I did figure some of the plot out, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all.
This is unputdownable, twists galore and definitely 'read in one sitting'.
Casey Kelleher is cementing her position in the thriller genre.

An entertaining read, easy to guess what was going to happen early on so not overly complex but well written and enjoyable none the less.
I really enjoy Casey Kelleher’s books, this was good but not her best.

Every time I pick up a Casey kelleher book I know I’m gonna be hooked, she is just a mastermind when it comes to writing books!
This book is predominantly about a missing teenager Kayla but there is so much more going on within the story including what happened to Tessa all those years ago and as the book progresses it all becomes apparent that the two stories are entwined to reveal a shocker of a story. Loved it!

Thank you to Bookouture Publishing and Net galley for let me read this ARC. This book was a thriller that was easy to predict. This was fast paced and the first time I read this author.

Only Child by Casey Kelleher is a tremendous psychological thriller, it is a real nail biting ride from beginning to the end. The characters are interesting and intriguing and the storyline is a true psychological thriller with all the twists and turns that keep readers fascinated and reading until the very end.
Highly recommended

Sherrie and Richard have been blessed with a child. Their only child. Her name is Kayla and Sherrie will move heaven and earth to protect Kayla. If this means being incredibly overprotective, so be it. In fact, Kayla was promised that she could go on a trip with her friends, but her passport was conveniently "lost". That is just an example as to how far Sherrie will go to keep her little girl from growing up. Sadly, one day Kayla goes to a party, never to return home. Sherrie and Richard are beside themselves.

There is a parallel story in this thrilling read by Casey Kelleher. We also have Tessa. One day Tessa is shopping and she spies a man in the grocery store. She begins to panic and is suddenly flooded with memories. The memories go to a very difficult time years ago, and she is certain that the man she just saw had a huge role in her disturbing past. It doesn't take Tessa long to begin falling apart, and this truly worries her partner. Sherrie wants answers, even if searching for those answers works out to her detriment.

How does Tessa's story connect with that of Kayla and her family? That is what readers will discover with Only Child. In this fast-paced story, Sherrie is in a true panic as she is praying Kayla will be found, all while Tessa's past is flooding her present, creating her own brand of panic. What is the secret that binds all of them?

What an exciting story by Casey Kelleher. While the characters had things to hide, the reveals kept on coming, creating tension so thick you could cut it with a knife! Sherrie's sadness was palpable and Tessa's anxiety was just as real. As this book progressed at breaknet speed, it reached a stunning crescendo, making this an exciting one-sitting read.

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

Only Child by Casey Kelleher is a very well written & engrossing suspense novel.

When fifteen-year-old Kayla doesn't return home from a sleepover her mother's wort fear has come true.
Sherrie has always had an eerie feeling that something bad would happen and now it has.
Her and her husband Richard start calling everyone they know including Kayla’s closest friends.
They search the streets coming up with nothing.
Then the police show up at their door giving them the worst news ever... Someone has taken Kayla.
When Richard and Sherrie start interrogating family and friends they start questioning each other.
Has the big secret they've been hiding finally catch up to them?
If so the lie they have been living will destroy the only thing they love most.... Kayla!

A gripping, dark, twisted psychological thriller full of twists and turns that makes it impossible to guess.
Only Child kept me up late at night reading because I just couldn't stop. Casey Kelleher knocked it out of the park with this book here!
Plenty of tension and suspense oozing from the pages I couldn’t read it quickly enough but I also didn’t want it to end.
A riveting psychological thriller, that makes for a tightly plotted, fast paced read that is full of nail biting tension and one that is very hard to put down!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Bookouture,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

I have mixed feelings on this one. The premise seemed interesting and I was really excited to read this book. sadly, it fell flat. The prologue really drew me in and had so much promise. There was tension in the book throughout which I do like but most of the characters felt extremely 2 dimensional and poorly developed. The ending was quite predictable as well. It seemed the author was trying to make TOO MUCH mystery and the backstory - the event that ruined Tessa’s life - wasn’t even revealed until after the 70% mark which was quite annoying since it was the motive for everything and made the story feel so dragged out.

The writing itself is good, not too descriptive, original (although far fetched) plot, realistic dialogue and tension throughout so I am going to round my rating up to a 3.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an advanced reader ebook copy in exchange for my honest review