This was my first book by this author. I was very intrigued by the synopsis. A girl goes missing 14 years ago and appears at the police station claiming to be the missing girl. Her family is overjoyed except for her mother who doesn't believe it's true.
The story is told from multiple perspectives and different periods of time. We learn that a lot of the character have something to hide as well.
I really enjoyed this book and was eager to uncover all of the surprises. There were a few moments in the book that I found a bit far fetched but overall this was a fun book to read. I had guessed one part of the ending but there were other details that I really did not see coming.
Thank you too netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book!

She Says She’s My Daughter is another nail biting and unputdownable read by one of my favourite authors Lauren North. From the very beginning this book pulled me right in and I just didn’t want to stop reading until I reached the very last chapter. Lauren North has a fabulous way of writing her thrillers and honestly once you read one you’ll be completely hooked . I admittedly found this one a little bit slow to start but realistically I think that was just me as I was so anxious to find out what was going on and who were the characters I could trust, if any ? Told mainly from the points of view of Sarah , the Mother of missing Abigail and of Abigail, I loved reading from both their perspectives. A tense and gripping read with an ending that left me lost for words. I loved it. 4⭐️

Oh, wow, She Says She's My Daughter by Lauren North had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish! The story starts with a chilling premise - a mother who lost her four-year-old daughter on a family vacation fourteen years ago suddenly has a teenage girl claiming to be her long-lost child. The emotions run high as Sarah grapples with the possibility of finally reuniting with her daughter after all these years.

The tension in the book is relentless, and I found myself turning the pages faster and faster, desperate to uncover the truth. Sarah's doubts about the girl claiming to be her daughter add another layer of complexity to the plot. As the story unfolds, holes start to appear in the girl's story, and her behavior becomes increasingly suspicious. I was constantly questioning the girl's identity and motives, which kept me on the edge of my seat.

Lauren North masterfully builds the suspense, and the explosive ending took me by surprise. I couldn't put this book down, and I finished it in one day, unable to resist the urge to know what happens next. She Says She's My Daughter is a gripping and intense psychological thriller with an unforgettable twist that will leave you stunned. If you love thrillers by authors like K.L. Slater, Shari Lapena, or B.A. Paris, this book is an absolute must-read. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookature for providing me with this advanced copy - my honest opinion is that this book is fantastic!

I could not put this book down! read it in one incredibly breathless and heart pounding sitting! Full of twists, completely thrilling and transporting, this is a wonderfully brilliant book I'd recommend to all.

"I don't know who you are...but you are not my daughter!?"

I love missing person thrillers, especially those where a child has disappeared some years before. Added to that, I have enjoyed Lauren North's previous thrillers I've read - "The Perfect Betrayal" and "My Word Against His" - so I was eager to dive into this one!

Fourteen years ago, a family holiday ended in tragedy when four year old Abigail disappeared whilst playing with her six year old brother Daniel on the beach. For fourteen years, the family have watched and waited for anything that might lead them to the truth about what happened to Abigail. Apart from one vague sighting of a man pushing a girl with red shoes (like those Abigail was wearing) too big for her pushchair, it seems she just disappeared into the ether.

Now a 17 year old girl walks into Bethnal Green Police Station claiming to be the missing girl. After a thorough questioning by police, it is deemed she must be telling the truth. The girl has not wavered in her account and she appears believable. The next step is to contact the Wick family in Essex.

Sarah returns home from a busy day at the studio to find a police car in her drive. Her first thought is "No, not again", fearing something has happened to one of her two remaining children Daniel and Rebecca. Instead the police begin to question her about Abigail; any distinguishing marks she may have had. Once they are satisfied they reveal the purpose of their visit. A girl has walked into a London police station claiming to be Abigail. She has nowhere to go so her husband Michael offers for her to stay with them. But Sarah is wary. Why now? After fourteen years, where has she been and why now? But she agrees on the condition they organise a DNA test to be undertaken the following day, the results taking seventy two hours.

The moment Abi arrives at their home in Essex, Rebecca is overwhelmed with excitement and embraces her new-found sister. Daniel smiles his encouragement. Michael is in awe. But Sarah...she refuses to believe that this girl is her daughter, despite what she says.

And then the DNA results come back. The evidence is irrefutable. And then Sarah's how world implodes.

The whole way through this book I was of one of either two mindsets. For me, they were the only outcomes that could have been. They are the only two scenarios that made any sense. Not the story that Abi gave, which had an element of truth to it, but not all of it. So how did that incorporate into the actual truth? Of course, one of my theories proved to be correct but the ending gave us something more. And there were plenty of red herrings to keep us looking in other directions but I refused to be fooled. And yet, I was.

The story unfolds through the alternating narratives of Sarah and Abi, with the addition of an anonymous narrative, moving between then and now. It is fast paced with short snappy chapters that keep it moving steadily along.

There is so much I could say about this book but I'd then risk revealing some spoilers. However, I will say this is a good solid read. It was compelling and addictive and keeps you guessing right up until the end. The hallmarks of a gripping thriller. The ending left the reader with no doubt but also a promise of what is to come.

My biggest gripe with the book has to be with Sarah. I couldn't connect with her and she was so detached and unlikeable. I wanted to slap her so many times. Why couldn't she just enjoy the moment with the rest of her family? Why is she so skeptical and morose? I guess I could understand why in a way but she was just so morose and depressing. I'm surprised the family was even still together. Why is it in these stories the families are always depicted as broken from the moment that defined the end of their unity? Why couldn't they draw on the strength from each other and become closer? Instead Sarah and Michael are practically separated but still under the same roof.

Overall, this is an entertaining thriller that I read in one sitting that had plenty of twists and complexities to keep us enthralled.

I would like to thank #LaurenNorth, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #SheSaysShesMyDaughter in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Oh this was good! Very cleverly written with brilliant characterisation and turned out completely differently to how I expected it to. Definitely kept me turning the pages!

This isn’t your typical child reappearing after disappearing years ago story. It’s intriguing and goes into Abi’s past showing how she ended up where she is now. Told through multiple storylines, this #psychologicalthriller had a chilling twist!
 Thank you, Lauren North, Bookouture, & netgalley for my copy! All opinions are my own.

I spent last weekend visiting, for my first time, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate (UK). Suffice to say that I loved it. But probably the bit I loved most of all – even more so than coming home with a pile of signed books of a size to rival the Empire State building – was talking to authors, including some who were new to me and others whom I had come to idolise. And – strange though this may sound – discovering that, actually, they’re all people. People who, by virtue of the fact that they were in the beer tent, wanted to talk to other people. Which meant that having a conversation with your favourite crime writer turned out to be no more difficult than having one with any random somebody who just happened to end up sharing your table in a pub.

One author who was there, but that I didn’t meet was Lauren North. Which was a pity, really, for two reasons. One: because I did happen to bump into her friend and fellow author, Laura Pearson and two: it would have been wonderful to talk to her about her latest book (and her first that I have read); She Says She’s My Daughter.

Because, wow, what a book it is. It takes what is a fantastic premise and uses it to do what only the best psychological thrillers can: entice the reader right in and not release them until the finish. It’s been fourteen years since four-year-old Abigail disappeared without trace after a day at the beach. During that time, each member of her family – mother Sarah, father Michael, elder brother Daniel and younger sister Rebecca – has reacted very differently. I’d love to say how, but it would invariably lead to spoilers. I will say though that each character is portrayed believably, powerfully and yet sensitively. I could feel myself in the place of each one of them.

But this book is so much more than a character study. It also contains multiple layers of mystery and suspense. Today, a young woman has walked into the local police station claiming to be the missing Abigail. But can she really be? If she is, where has she been all this time? And if she isn’t, then who is she, and why is she there?

The narrative, told from multiple points of view and in ‘Then’ and ‘Now’ timelines, tells us that whilst Michael and Rebecca in particular are ready to welcome Abi back into their lives at face value, Sarah herself has doubts. And the readers are soon given their own reasons to be concerned. Clearly, something’s not right. What is it that we’re not being told?

From there, the book takes us on an emotional roller coaster of a journey, that includes everything from apprehension, fear, tension, happiness and utter devastation, before culminating in an explosive ending that had me reeling. I thought that I had guessed the solution fairly early on. It turned out that I was completely wrong. And yet I instantly realised that every piece of information that I had been given throughout the book all fitted into place.

There are plenty of other books that contain an intricate plot. There are plenty that manage to nail the emotion and suspense. But there are very few that do both at the same time as well as this one does.

And on that note, it’s nit-picking time. I’ve managed to find just two. Firstly, while I love the title of the book, I’m not really sold on the cover, which reminded me of a child’s drawing of a house by the sea and is nowhere near as good as the words inside. And secondly, I wasn’t totally convinced by the character of Janie. I get that she had a role at one point in the story, but her behaviour afterwards didn’t really make sense to me. It felt as though the author had tried a tiny – just a tiny, but still noticeable – bit too hard to include another red herring. And, like any red herring, it’s precisely because I noticed it that it didn’t work.

OK. Two-and-a-half. The pace of the book shifts from slow-burn in Parts One and Two to breakneck speed in Part Three, and perhaps the change is a bit abrupt. But, given that I was already so engrossed by this point that I really didn’t care, it’s arguably unfair of me to even mention it here.

But, the first and third of these points are irrelevant and the second is on a par with “no, I don’t want to taste that vintage champagne you’re offering because I don’t like the shape of that crystal in the glass”. You’d be mad to let it delay you picking up this book and reading it even for one second.

There’s so much more that I can’t say in this review, but would love to discuss with anyone else that has read the book. Or with the author herself. Lauren, if you do go to Harrogate again next year, I really would love to come and find you.

My huge thanks to the author and Bookouture for including me on the blog tour, and to Netgalley for the digital ARC. I have reviewed the book voluntarily and honestly.

She Says She's My Daughter is a psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to guess what's going to happen next. There are plenty of clues to follow, but they didn't always lead me in the right direction. I loved how everyone handled Abi's return differently, and every time we get the third mystery POV I went back and forth about Abi really being the long-lost daughter. There are plenty of twists and turns, and I never had any idea what was going to happen next or how it was going to end.

This is a book that once you start, you won't want to put down until you turn the last page

Thank you to the author Lauren North, publishers Bookouture, and as always NetGalley, for an advance digital copy of SHE SAYS SHE'S MY DAUGHTER.

"We’re almost there. Trepidation burns like acid in my veins. Suddenly, I’m not so sure we should be rushing. I’m not so sure I want to know." p249

This book, it turns out, is many things. It is part women's fiction, with the FMC's question throughout the book of healing from loss and getting to a better place. It is part psychological thriller: who is pulling the strings of the vulnerable characters in this book, and keeps everything moving forward? What motivates them? What ripples might their actions leave behind?

I don't alway care for the armchair psychology like that found in some of the later chapters in this book. Sometimes the narrator and characters accidentally seriously stigmatize common mental illnesses or psychological issues when it seems they are trying to be informative. The book is very good besides that, so I feel it's important to bring this up. Mental illness isn't a red herring for violence whether its used as such or not. Mentally ill people are statistically far more likely to experience violence than to perpetrate it. One of the things I really appreciate about the plot of this piece, is that it bears out this fact at the end of the day. I like books that can find the space in their stories for the truth about mental illness.

Despite the importance of the above genre tropes in this book, the most dominant genre in this one is the domestic thriller, and this is where it thrives. I really admire writers who can write extremely complex characters. Characters who are both dark and shining, tender and extra crisp, predictable and enigmatic... people who have been through hell and rebuilt the road back have complexity. North writes her story full of these sorts of people.

It's not just on the individual character level that North showcases her skill here, but also in their relationships. The characters can't help but tangle together, wisps of cloud uniting, forever unable to retract into the same form again. Like when the daughter returns after being missing for fifteen years, since she was only four, one piece of evidence she uses for her identity is a chicken pox scar on her breast. But the mother, who allready felt bitter about the woman's arrival, couldn't remember the scar or the occurance of the wound that caused it.

A tiny, terrible seed planted between them.

This is an extremely twisty book; honestly it probably could have been a little shorter. But by the time I reached the end of this book, I only had one guess left about what was going on and it made no sense lol so I wasn't too surprised to learn I was wrong. The ending is a *doo-sey* seriously, I went back three times to reread it again. I just...I just couldn't even....!

I really enjoyed this domestic thriller mystery, excellent debut from Lauren North!

Rating: 🧒🏽🧒🏽🧒🏽🧒🏽 / 5 missing toddlers
Recommend: Definitely!
Finished: July 17 2023
Format: Advance Digital Copy
Read this if you like:
🪢Twisty
🔪 Suspenseful
🔥 Slowburn
🧌 Dysfunctional families

Sarah's daughter Abigail disappeared fourteen years ago with no clue as to what happened, yet now a seventeen year old teenager has turned up claiming to be her missing daughter. Can she be trusted?

She Says She's My Daughter is a phenomenal book.

I am a huge fan of Lauren North's writing and this was no exception. I absolutely raced through it because I was instantly drawn into the clever plot. I desperately wanted to get to the truth about what really happened because it seemed that there were so many secrets waiting to be revealed. This is definitely a book that you won't be able to put down because it is incredibly gripping.

The well-written characters really made this book for me. They were intriguing and I enjoyed how the story was told from different perspectives, it worked so well with the plot.

Another outstanding book from Lauren North that you should not miss out on.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Genre ~ domestic thriller
Publication date ~ July 24, 2023
Page Count ~ 346
Audio length ~ 9 hours 40 minutes
Narrator ~ Heather Long
POV ~ single 1st & 3rd
Featuring ~ dual timeline ~ now & then, flashbacks, abduction, infidelity, secrets, lies

Sarah's 4 year old daughter, Abigail, goes missing while the family is on holiday. Flash forward almost 14 years later and a girl named, Abi, shows up at the police station claiming she is Abigail.

Sarah narrates in the 1st and Abi in the 3rd, and we also have some chimes ins from someone unknown to the reader.

All along the way tiny breadcrumbs will be dropped and you'll follow them and think you know where you're headed. Psych! I had no clue where this was going. It was fast paced and twisty with quite a tense conclusion, just how I like my thrillers. That's all I'm saying about this one. I'll for sure read more of Lauren's work.

Read this if you like:
dual POVs & timelines
lies
domestic suspense
don’t know who to trust
reunited family stories
small town vibes

Well this book was a wild ride, and I loved it!!

The story is divided into 3 parts, of which the first 2 parts are quite slow. Despite that I was completely hooked due to a lot of unanswered questions and the contradiction of hope and suspicion.

The family has a lot of mixed personalities which keeps the story interesting.
Even when Abi felt a bit sketchy I really rooted for her to have a happy ending. Michael (the father) on the other hand lacked some warmth as personality so I always had my doubts about him. Sarah suffers from OCD developed in her grieving process as a way of coping mechanism, and Daniel and Rebecca are two opposites.

Sarah and Abi tell their story alternately both in the past and present which keeps the tension and the need for answers high. Now and then there are paragraphs in italics from an unknown character that really keep you on the edge of your seat, and keeps you guessing.

By the end I had a few different outcomes in my head, but none of them were 100% accurate.
I love it when a story can pull you completely in and still surprise you with a mind blowing plot twist even if you’ve read hundreds of thrillers!

Even when I was stunned by the end, the final chapter flabbergasted me the most. I’ll definitely read more from this author.

If you love to get anticipated into a story with a lot of hope and suspicion which doesn't go overboard from the start, well then this is the book you are looking for!

Thankyou @netgalley & @bookouture for this ARC.

4,5 ☆

She Says She’s My Daughter by Lauren North was my first book by this author and won’t be my last. This book was EXACTLY the type of thriller I needed. Lately, this genre has been so hit or miss with predictable, unbelievable, or unoriginal plots but not this book. North hit a home run with this one. She checks off all the boxes for me.

✔️ Unputdownable - Read this is 2.5 days. Would have finished sooner but my attention was needed elsewhere.
✔️Unique twist - Did not see that ending coming. Very well executed.
✔️Writing style - Loved the author’s use of words. Not overly descriptive but perfectly paints a picture. The length of chapters and different POVs hit the spot too.
✔️Believable - Most thrillers have an element of ‘Oh My Gosh this is just ridiculous’ and it ruins the book for me. The world is messed up and some specks of unbelievability are okay. The author balanced this well.

Not much more I can ask for in a book. Now I have some reading to do (as I add all her other books to my cart.)

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
👩‍👧👩‍👧
Tbvh, I didn't want to request this book because I just finished a heartbreaking thriller, and I didn't want to read another one. But, I'm so glad I requested it, and it got approved. This is one of the best thrillers I've read so far.
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This book was so good that I don't think I can write a review that will do justice to it. I read this in two sittings, and I couldn't wait to get to the end, and I promise, nothing, nothing would prepare you for the ending and the real perp. I didn't see the ending coming in a million years.
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I really felt sorry for the Wicks' family. Missing children can be very traumatic for the family left behind, they'll be in limbo without being able to move on. This was the same for them.
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The focus of this book was on Sarah, the mother and Abi, the missing child. I understood how Sarah was feeling, and her cynicism was expected. I was still happy to see Daniel and Rebecca, the siblings were okay(kinda)
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The thing with this book that I didn't like was the ambiguous ending, I wanted a clean cut ending
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Dear Thriller lovers, this is a book you shouldn't miss, it was amazing!

Fourteen years ago four year old Abigail Wicks disappeared, feared abducted, whilst on a family holiday. Now, a seventeen year old girl walks into a police station in Essex claiming to be her and she knows things about herself that only her family would know. After all this time Sarah never thought she would see her daughter again and had even convinced herself that she was no longer alive, so she could bring some normality back to her other children's lives. She knows she should be happy but there's something about this girl that just doesn't seem right. Then Sarah discovers something that makes her certain that it's not Abigail but, if she's not then who is she and why is she here?

The thought of your child going missing is every parents worst fear, so for it to actually happen would be the stuff of nightmares, for them still to be missing years later is unimaginable and North writes this incredible premise with compassion and sensitivity. This latest story grabbed me from the prologue and didn't let go until the very last page. For the majority of the story I was convinced I knew who the perpetrator was, but then I had a lightbulb moment and thought, no I reckon it's this person, even then I changed my mind again a couple of times because that's what North wants you to do each time she throws a twist into the mix, but it turns out my lightbulb moment was, in fact, correct as I discovered further down the line, this didn't squash my element of surprise though because there was still one more twist to come and boy was it a good one. I love this authors style of writing and how she keeps you on the edge of your seat right till the end, another one smashed out of the park by one of my go to authors. I loved it!

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Honestly, just looking at this book, I thought it was going to be one of those generic thrillers. I was so wrong! I absolutely loved the way this book was written and how this story went along. I was hooked from start to finish and wanting to know what on earth is going on. The ending did not disappoint.

Deceit, infidelity, lies?

One day Abi shows up at the police station claiming to be Sarah and Michael Wicks's daughter, who allegedly was abducted almost 14 years ago. After Sarahs hesitation she accepts Abi into her home as her missing child. What will it take to find out the truth?

You'll have to read for yourself to find out the rest in this book filled with twists and turns you'll never expect. It's a fast-paced, edge of your seat page turner!

I loved this!
Lauren North is quickly becoming an auto-buy author. I love missing person thrillers and this sounded right up my street! A family whose daughter/sister goes missing years earlier but then a woman turns up saying she is that girl surrounded by mystery? Absolutely stellar premise!
The execution lived up to it, too. The reader is given different POVs- the mother, and the reappeared daughter which was a brilliant way to keep me reading, looking for clues and enjoying the twists from all perspectives.
The ending is dramatic and very unexpected, and I would definitely recommend this book!

I really enjoy this authors books and this one I also enjoyed it was fast paced throughout the book and the ending was good would definitely recommend