The School Trip by Miranda Smith is a thriller that will keep you on edge until the end. Emma is a single mom of a six year old daughter, Claire. Emma's husband was killed in a car accident 2 years ago and it's been very difficult on her and Claire. Emma is a teacher at the same school that Claire attends. It's hard for Emma to find a balance in her life between work, taking care of Claire, and life. The emptiness she feels over the loss of her husband doesn't ever go away.

There's a school trip to a pumpkin patch and farm that Emma's class and Claire's class are attending. There are many parent volunteers to help with the large group of kids. The kids are very excited to pick their own pumpkins as it's getting close to Halloween. There's also animals to visit, a playground, and a corn maze. Claire wants her mom all to herself for the trip, but that can't happen because Emma is a teacher who must monitor the group of kids, give directions to the parent volunteers, and help the rest of the staff know what to do on a trip like this.

Everything starts out smoothly and the kids are having a wonderful time. Emma steals some time away from her group to spend time with Claire throughout the morning. Emma has assistants that cover for her so that she can be with Claire. Claire picks out her pumpkin when her mom is with her and even picks out one for her mom. She's excited to make it a jack o lantern and they decide they will do that tonight. They'll stop on the way home and buy a kit. Claire is thrilled but wants more time with her mom. Emma explains that she must go back to her group and Claire is to return to her teacher's group.

Lunch is set up at the picnic tables and everyone comes back with their groups of kids to eat. They take turns going to the different areas so that no area is too crowded. One of the teachers is a bit late coming back for lunch but finally makes it. Emma knows immediately that her friend is upset. When Emma goes to her to find out what's wrong she lets her know that she can't find one of the kids in her group. Several teachers and assistants set off to check the animal barn and playground. When they come back and haven't found the child, the police are called. Emma tries to keep the parent volunteers calm as the police arrive. The owner of the farm tells them about the corn mazes and that a child of six could get lost in there for hours if they went in alone. Emma and another teacher head to the corn mazes to search. The police split up and take different areas of the farm. After 20 minutes or more inside the maze, Emma hears a noise, and finds the girl. She's sitting on the grass inside the maze drinking a soda. She's really scared and says she wants to go home.

The police haven't let anyone leave and treated the farm like a crime scene. As Emma heads back to the group with the girl, everyone is thrilled! Parents are now allowed to leave and take their kids home, while other kids are going back to the school on the bus. Several staff have already left on one of the buses. One of Emma's fellow teachers comes back and she's distraught. Emma tells her they found the girl and not to worry, but she tells Emma that Claire is missing. Everything happened so fast and everyone was so focused on the missing girl that she had taken her eyes off of Claire while at the playground. She assumed Claire was in one of the tubes that the kids slide down, but she wasn't. Emma's skin prickles and fear creeps in as she can't believe she found one missing girl, but now has lost her own daughter! While the police are still there, Emma tells them that her daughter is missing and hasn't been seen in an hour or more.

A new group of police and detectives arrive as this is very different from the first case. The farm was locked down when the first girl went missing, but now it was wide open with many people leaving in different directions to take the kids home or back to school. Because of the chaos, kidnapping is.a very real possibility. Emma feels sick as everyone that's left goes off searching for Claire. Before dark, Detective Sanchez takes Emma home in case someone took Emma there to help out or in case the kidnapper calls with a ransom demand.

As you read The School Trip there is another point of view periodically that talks about wanting to take the girl, get payback, etc. As the reader you have no idea who that person is and I had no luck figuring it out on my own. Will Claire be found? Was she kidnapped? Who would kidnap a six year old? Is Emma the real target? Why would someone target Emma or Claire? They've both suffered through so much. I read this book in 2 days because I couldn't put it down. This book is very well written and the story will make you read way too fast. I thoroughly enjoyed The School Trip and rate it 4 stars.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of The School Trip in exchange for a fair review. #TheSchoolTrip

I just got asked to chaperone my son’s field trip. I hope my trip is better than Emma’s!!!
From the first page I was completely hooked with the story. The writing and the plot was amazing. This book had me turning the pages so fast to see what would happen
I didn’t even suspect the person who took Claire!! The ending was amazing.
Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Emma is a kindergarten teacher, and today is field trip day! She and her colleagues will be taking their classes to a pumpkin patch, and Claire, Emma’s six-year-old daughter, will be joining her mom and classmates. Emma’s been having a rough year; her husband was killed in a car accident, and she’s now raising Claire alone. She’s looking forward to her day, despite field trips being a challenge.

This day and this book definitely started with a bang. The beginning was amazingly tense and terrifying (and also a bit sad - this does deal with child abduction). Eventually, a teacher loses track of a child … the abduction has begun! I was relieved; I didn’t want Emma to lose her child right after losing her husband.

The relief was short-lived though, when that child is soon found. As Emma brings the little girl to her mother, she is approached by another teacher. While Emma was out looking for the first missing child, her own child went missing. Soon, the police find footage of Claire leaving with a man in a hoodie, driving a rental car. She didn’t seem distressed, but she is gone and Emma doesn’t have any idea who would take her.

The rest of the book races through the evening, as they try to find Claire. As the police investigate, Emma soon realizes that some of her coworkers she thought were friends were anything but. Everyone seems to be lying, who can she trust? We also get the first-person narrative of the kidnapper thrown in, and “The Plan” is definitely unhinged.

As this went on, the story started to lose its luster as more and more red herrings are thrown out. The ending was good, but a bit cliche. Otherwise though, this was a very suspenseful novel and definitely a page-turner. 3.5 stars, rounded up!

(Thank you to Bookouture, Miranda Smith, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

An engrossing novel about guilt, parenting, grief and loss. It held my interest and I read it in 3 days as I had to find out what twist was next and what happened to begin all this mess. There were no big shocks in this but it was well written and I enjoyed this book. 3.5
A satisfying read.

The School Trip by Miranda Smith has two little girls disappearing during a school field trip to the local pumpkin patch. It is a mother’s worst nightmare to have a child go missing. The story is told from Emma, a schoolteacher and mother, and the kidnapper’s point-of-view. The majority of the story is told from Emma’s POV with little snippets from the guilty party. I like the kidnapper’s sections because it gives the reader insights into the kidnapper. I found The School Trip to be a slow starter. The pacing picks up a little when Claire, Emma’s daughter, disappears from the pumpkin patch. I found Emma a hard character to like. I understand that she is grieving the loss of her husband, which we are told numerous times. Emma feels that his death is her fault which is another repetitive detail. I liked Emma’s sister-in-law, Piper. She was a mysterious character. Piper had some secrets of her own as well as helpful connections. I liked the linear timeline of the story. We follow the investigation from the beginning until the end. The author captured the character’s emotions. I did feel the ending was rushed. The story played out in a predictable manner. I was able to identify the guilty party early in the story. I found the story easy to read, but it did not hold my interest. I skimmed through sections to get to the end. I quickly tired of all the repetition (guilt, grief, despair, raising her daughter on her own, husband’s death is her fault, etc.). I wanted action, suspense, and intrigue. I appreciated the epilogue. The School Trip is a book that I read, but I did not enjoy.

The excited Kindergarten children are all ready for the school trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Emma, one of the teachers is hoping that her daughter Claire enjoys it & understands that her Mummy also has to work. All goes well as the teachers the the helpers steer their charges around the activities. As they prepare to eat lunch one of the teachers realises one of the children, Katy, is missing. A big search is under way keeping Emma occupied. As parents arrive to find out why the bus isn't back & the police hold them back & there is great relief when Emma finds Katy in the corn maze. As things settle down Emma realises that there is no sign of Claire. She has struggled since her husband's death & Claire is her world.

The search for Claire throws up questions. How much does she know about those around her? Used to being alone she tries to solve Claire's disappearance herself- even if that involves going against police advice. Although to a degree I could understand Emma's actions, I did find her extremely annoying at times. This was a gripping read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Wow! This was such a brilliant book
Thank you Net Galley and Bookouture for the advance readers copy before the official release date (13th April).
This was the best Thriller I have read this year!
So many twists and turns! I had no clue what was coming next, like Emma (the main character) you are questioning everyone and everything, which I believe makes the story so immersive, this was honestly unputdownable.
Easy to follow, gripping and thrilling. I think a lot of my teacher friends would love this too, as they can relate to the pressures of facilitating a school trip.
If you’re looking for a Psychological Thriller that will keep you guessing then I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to @bookouture @netgalley for the ARC

Very tension filled thriller. The reason for the 1 star deduction is that I simply found it hard to swallow that this "mama bear" insinuated herself so much into the investigation of her missing daughter and, in fact, was the one to figure things out, often to the contradiction and detriment to the actual investigation. Of course, I've never had a missing child and I'm not sure I'd act any differently.. I'd probably move mountains myself if my child was in danger and I didn't think the police were doing enough.

A slow burner but it got super exciting very quickly. There was no way I was guessing who had taken sweet little Claire.

Emma, a kindergarten teacher is on a school trip with her class and also her young daughter Claire. After an eventful day at the pumpkin patch the parents come to collect their children but when Emma looks for Claire she is nowhere to be seen…

I flew through this book and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Every parents worst nightmare fit with twists and turns from the start. The writing was captivating and kept me reading nonstop. It was an creepy but fast read. The writing kept me hooked.

I didn't think I was going to enjoy this story at the start. However, two chapters in and I was hooked.
When a school trip for 6 year olds turns into a fiasco of a missing child, the day is a rollercoaster ride of news and emotions. But no one expects what's to come and how the past catches up with a family.
It's quite a fast paced story which all takes place in one 24hr period. And it is every parents' worst nightmare.

Kept me reading and before I knew it, I had finished! A completely believable nightmare which I found myself completely immersed in! A twisty turny thriller which I highly recommend.

The School Trip is the first book I've read by this author, and I very much look forward to the next. The plot concerns every parent's worst nightmare: the abduction of a child. Emma is a sympathetic character, and her POV alongside the killer's works really well as a juxtaposition of evil and desperation. The plot takes you on an emotional journey with Emma as she searches for her daughter, and the twists along the way are delivered with style.

The School Trip is a family drama, as well as a psychological thriller. This could be considered a police procedural, but their involvement isn't the primary focus in this book.

Emma is a kindergarten teacher and is taking them on a field trip to the pumpkin patch which has several attractions for the children. Emma is also Claire's mother, also a kindergartener who goes on the field trip with her class as well. Claire wants to make it a mother daughter trip, but Emma can't devote all her time to Claire since she needs to keep watch over her own class while on the field trip.

When a little girl goes missing, Emma works with the other teachers to find her. The police are called and when the little girl is found, the parents and their children begin to leave. After finding the missing child Emma goes in search of Claire only to find she is not with the teacher and is now missing.

The police show a video of the park exit that shows Claire walking out of the park with a stranger. Claire is now considered an abducted child. The police begin to investigate this occurrence much differently than the missing child. Emma will do her best to find Claire, but will she be able to in time.

This story has many twists and turns with leads that lead to nowhere as the police follow practices and procedures that are unsuccessful in locating Claire. It is also told in two points of view, Emma and the abductor so we have the thoughts that give us clues but the reveal of culprit took me by surprise as I had gone in another direction entirely.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the plot was a little over done, and I predicted the ending. But it had a good amount of suspense and kept me interested. So much so that I finished in 2 hours!!

First, I want to thank Miranda Smith, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!! Miranda Smith’s latest psychological thriller The School Trip is literally something ripped from the headlines! It is every teachers and parents' worst nightmare come true! The School Trip will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride pulling hard on your heartstrings! Infact, I wanted to reach out to my niece and nephew and give them a huge hug!

Everything I crave in a psychological thriller Miranda incorporated into this book! I absolutely adored how she thought outside of the box with the insanely intense storyline, missing person cases, the wicked twists and turns that if you blinked you would miss. It is just a phenomenal read that I couldn’t get enough of!

Everyone who reads The School Trip will be raving about this book and telling all of their friends!! This is my ultimate favorite book that I have read of Miranda Smith and deserves way more than 5 stars!

As the mother of a 6 year old, the description of The School Trip terrified me. It was fast paced and kept me turning the pages with all the twists and turns. I loved it and would highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

This was an engaging read that kept me turning the pages. You can definitely put yourself in Emma’s shoes and it really does provoke all the emotions. It moves at a steady pace and how it unfolds just as you would expect. Each character has there own secrets and it’s interesting how they connect. Likeable characters with Emma being at the forefront with a gutsy attitude much to the detectives dismay. All in all a page turner.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read #TheSchoolTrip

As a teacher, this is one of my worst nightmares. Tense book, keeps you on the edge of your seat. Good twists. Had me guessing who the abductor was up until the reveal!