"She Says She's My Daughter" by Lauren North explores the gripping tale of a mother's anguish and suspicion when a girl claiming to be her long-lost daughter suddenly reappears. After enduring the heartbreak of her four-year-old daughter, Abigail, being snatched from a family holiday, the protagonist is both shaken and skeptical when a seventeen-year-old girl walks into a nearby police station, asserting her identity as Abigail.

Although the reunion should bring joy, the mother can't shake the feeling that something is amiss. Doubts arise as inconsistencies emerge in the girl's story and her behaviour raises suspicion. As the mother delves deeper, she realizes this teenager may not be who she claims to be. The haunting question remains: if she's not Abigail, then who is she, and what dark intentions does she harbour towards the family? Lauren North weaves a tale of deception, trust, and the desperate search for the truth amidst the turmoil of shattered lives.

What a book! I must say I didn't saw this end coming! I was looking and thinking of other suspects ( well played! ) The story had me hooked from the beginning. You really think you know who the bad person will be and then baaaam - nope wrong!

Makes me seek out now other stories from Lauren North as I also enjoyed the writing style.


Thank you Netgalley for this great copy!

Years ago the Wick family was shattered when their young daughter, Abigail, went missing during a family vacation. Now a girl, Abi, shows up at the police station claiming to be their missing daughter. Sarah, the mother, is skeptical that this is her daughter returned after all this time, while the rest of the family welcomes her with open arms. The novel alternates points of view between Sarah and Abi.

I found myself very engaged throughout the book. I was very interested to see what would happen next and the truth about Abigail. While I recognize that the characters were all trying to cope and continue their lives in the wake of tragedy, the father's actions throughout the novel were really off-putting. I felt equal parts frustrated for and sympathetic to both Sarah and Abi. The conclusion overall felt in line with the story, but I feel saddened by the closing point of view.

This is the second book by Lauren North that I have read, and I look forward to reading other books in the future.

I just reviewed She Says She's My Daughter by Lauren North. #SheSaysShesMyDaughter #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL] WOW!! What an amazing book! I was hooked from page 1 and read it in a day. I couldn't put it down.

Normally I am not a lover of Psychological Thrillers, but WOW! This one was different. I began the book at noon and finished it over breakfast the next day. Four year old Abigail disappeared while playing on the beach. Years later a girl appears and claims to be Abigail, but something isn’t right.. it isn’t often that I find it difficult to put down a book,but this is one. I loved it!

Want a book that will keep you up till the wee hours!?

A parent's worst nightmare! A missing child. It’s been 14 years since Sarah’s daughter Abigail went missing while on a family vacation. The family carried on…what choice did they have? But they remain forever broken.

So when someone claiming to be Abigail walks into a police station claiming to be the long lost child. Sarah and her family are floored with the shocking news. Is this really Abigail? Where has she been all these years?

Can I just say…Unputdownable!

I convinced myself I had it all figured out. Okay fine, more than once.💁‍♀️ I was eventually, I mean desperately pointing my finger at everyone. But credit the author's brilliant red herrings thrown my way to keep me off track! In the end I did guess correctly but still had a blast questioning my own decision.😜

Definitely my favorite to date from this very talented author! Luckily, I have one more of her books on my shelf! Can’t wait to start!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boukouture.

This is one of those stores where it's best to go in blind so as not to have any spoilers outside of the blurb.

14 years ago, Sarah's 4 year old daughter was abducted during a family vacation at a seaside cottage and was never found.
Now she's back, but Sarah is positive the girl is an imposter.
Who is she? What does she want?

This book was SO exciting, intense, and dark. The tension builds and never lets up until the explosive ending.
I read it in one day as I kept telling myself, "Just 1 more chapter" till it was finished.
I just had to know what was going to happen next!

Fantastic book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for kindly providing this ARC!

This is the first book I have read from this author and I will definitely be reading more of her work! I’m an avid reader of thrillers and mysteries, and I must say this one kept me on my toes. I was interested from the beginning, with a constant feeling of “something is just not quite right here- but I don’t know what.” I appreciate that the book kept me guessing, kept me questioning myself, and kept me interested! In a world of many psychological thrillers, I would call this one unique!

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy!
The concept of the book captivated me. It really reminded of Madeleine McCann's case.
I found the dual pov of the book very clever. Sarah's was in first penson perspective, since she is very raw and honest of her feelings. Abi's on the other hand is in third, which makes you feel like she doesn't really let you in, and that she is hiding stuff from the reader. I loved her perspective especially. I had a very good time theorising and there are enough twists to keep you enthralled. However, the reveal of who was behind everything, really bothered me.
Family drama always intrigues me. I couldn't care less about the romantic subplot with the police officer. SPOILERS BELOW
I would recommend this book if you are looking for a quick mystery book withunreliable narrators and juicy family drama.

SPOILER ALERT





The brother organising everything was a bit off-putting but I liked the idea of emotionally scarred boy trying to cope with his sister's death that he caused. The last two pages of the book extremely soured my mood. I really didn't like the villainification of mental illness, and the implication that he was manipulating the therapists.
On the other hand I loved the reveal of what really happened to Abigail.

Lauren North delivers another stellar domestic suspense. A family’s daughter Abigail is kidnapped and reappears 14 years later. Each family member reacts differently, causing mistrust and animosity. Not knowing whether Abigail is their real daughter and what happened on the the day she disappeared keeps this taut with suspense and will keep readers guessing right up to the final pages. For fans of B. A. Paris and Shari Lapena.

This was an exciting read about a missing presumed addicted child who turns up at a police station but is she who she says she is because Sarah (Abis mother) is convinced she is not. As the story takes a very dark turn the truth may be stranger than they think. The ending on this threw me as I was convinced I knew the ending so that’s the sign of a great story.

This is, frustratingly for a reviewer, one of those books where I can’t say a word outside of the synopsis. You will want to go into this fresh, and once you start, you are not going to want to put it down! The book starts on a normal day, until a teenage girl walks into a London police station and tells them that she’s Abigail Wick, a child who disappeared 14 years prior. Sarah and Michael are her parents, she has a brother and sister named Daniel and Rebecca, and she has a scar that nobody would know about but her parents.

Abigail was abducted and had been living in Columbia until the people she thought were her parents died, and she got the truth in the form of a letter telling her where to find her real family. When the police call with news that they think they’ve found Abigail, Michael is joyous but Sarah is not. Her daughter is dead. This girl can’t possibly be their daughter - could she? Only a DNA test can determine the truth, but it will take at least three days for expedited results. In the meantime, she’s not going to leave a teenage girl homeless, so she reluctantly agrees to letting Abigail stay with them.

At first, everyone is happy except for Sarah. Her two other children have embraced Abi and are so excited that their sister is alive. Michael is over the moon; he doesn’t even need a DNA test to confirm that this is his child. Still, Sarah remains very skeptical. This girl can’t possibly be Abigail. Surely not…

I sat down to start this and read it in one sitting. I had to find out if this girl was really Abigail, I had to figure out why Sarah is so sure it’s not, and I had to figure out who a mysterious person whose thoughts are sprinkled throughout the book was. The whole time I’m thinking, “okay, so it has to be either A, B or C.” Then I got closer to the end and I was like “WOAH…okay we are going with X being the answer; I sure didn’t see that coming”. THEN I get to the end and it actually turned out Z was the answer, and more shocked I could not have been.

The ending was something I’d never even considered, and I consider just about everything when trying to solve a mystery/thriller. That, combined with an exciting story, good writing and being a page turner, has me giving this a 4.5 star rating, rounded up. What a twisty, complex and entertaining book!

(Thank you to Bookouture, Lauren North, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on July 24, 2023.)

I really enjoy Lauren North's writing, so I was excited to see she is releasing another novel so soon after My Word Against His. She Says She's My Daughter does not disappoint: it's a wonderfully crafted psychological thriller with everything you would want from a novel in that genre: untrustworthy characters, surprises, secrets and a bucket load of tension.

She Says She's My Daughter is told from different perspectives, mostly those of Sarah and Abi, and I loved how each chapter revealed something to the reader that the other characters might not know. It was fun to try and put everything together and work out what was happening. In a crowded market, it is often difficult to find a unique idea, but I think Lauren North has found one here and has plotted She Says She's My Daughter brilliantly. I was keen to get answers to the questions I had - and there are lots of them! It is clear from the outset that not everyone is trustworthy, and I wasn't always sure who was telling the truth.

As we reach the ending of the novel, the tension increases tenfold and this was really exciting to read! I was on the edge of my seat hoping everything would be resolved and I really enjoyed seeing it all play out.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what Lauren North does next!

what would you do if your child was kidnapped? And years later your daughter turns up at a police station. This is what happens to Sarah and Michael Wick. she says she is Abigail. There other two children believe it is her. Sarah will do anything to protect her children. how the story unfolds is just so good lies and deceit who can you trust my 1st read from this author I so enjoyed

What a fantastic psychological thriller which had me hooked. It was very intense at times I could not put it down.

14 years ago Sarah and Michael’s daughter 4 year old daughter Abigail was snatched while they were away on holiday on the coast. Daniel their son was 6 years old and Rebecca was just a baby when the tragedy struck. Despite police searches at the time, Abigail was never found. Rebecca obviously too young to have even known her sister, and Daniel now grown up, are getting on with life and happy enough. It’s been tough on Sarah and Michael’s marriage they are sleeping in separate rooms and not really talking. Sarah resigned herself to believing Abigail is dead so she can look after her children who she has with her. So when they receive the news a young girl matching Abigail’s description now has walked into a police station claiming to be Abigail it comes as a shock to the whole family. But Sarah is so sure she can’t be Abigail why is Sarah so sure and is this really Abigail after all these years.

The story told from the point of view of Sarah and of Abi’s life from the age of 7 up to the present time. This was an intriguing story I wasn’t sure how it was going to end. And what an ending it was fantastic. This was amazing twisty, suspenseful story which I highly recommend.

Fourteen years after four year old Abigail goes missing, a girl turns up at the family home claiming to be her. Is she or is she not who she claims to be.?? You have to read it to find out !
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

14 years ago, Sarah's daughter Abigail was abducted during a family holiday. Now a girl has turned up claiming to be Abigail, but Sarah can't help but feel that it is too good to be true. If it isn't Abigail, who is the girl and what does she want? What follows is a rollercoaster of shocks as we race through the pages to find out what is going on. I loved this book and was constantly shocked and surprised. A tense and thrilling read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

This is a very intense story and because for the most part it is set in the home of the Wick family I also found it quite a claustrophobic read. The tension never lets up from the get go really. It’s quite difficult to summarise the plot too, other than what is already in the blurb, for fear of giving anything away.

Sarah and Michael’s daughter Abigail was snatched while they were away on holiday on the coast. Daniel their son was 6 years old and Abigail 4, with Rebecca just a baby when the tragedy struck. Despite intensive police searches at the time, Abigail was never found. We the reader meet up with the family 14 years later. On the face of it, they seem to have come to terms with their loss. Rebecca obviously too young to have even known her sister, and Daniel now grown up, are getting on with life and happy enough. It’s been tough on Sarah and Michael’s marriage with Michael finding it difficult to give up searching for Abigail, while his wife Sarah has chosen to try not to look back, concentrate on her family and her career as a TV presenter and resigned herself to believing Abigail is dead. When they receive the news a young girl who would be the age their daughter would be now, has walked into a police station claiming to be Abigail it comes as a shock to the whole family.

The story is mainly told from the point of view of Sarah but we also hear of Abi’s life from the age of 7 up to the present time. She certainly hasn’t had a very pleasant life. As I followed the story I was intrigued to know how certain events would turn out. Though later into the book I had vague suspicions about one of the characters, I couldn’t work out why and the eventual reveal came as quite a surprise. Another twisty, compelling story from this author who has written some brilliant domestic noir and this is yet another satisfying read to add to the list.

You need hard evidence that will prove you either right or wrong. Once you have that in your hands, you will accept the outcome. Did your instinct betray you or were alarm bells ringing for a reason?

People deal with devastating situations in their own way. Some have to move on even though they will never forget what has happened. Others will be stuck in the past dwelling in memories. When this happens to a couple, it tears apart the bond they have and all there is left is a sham.

I liked Sarah a lot. She realises she needs time to deal with the situation, but breaking down is not the answer because people in her care are counting on her.

I was wrecking in brain trying to figure out the why, how and who. I was utterly surprised by the outcome and I loved it. I was barely recovered from the shock when the earth moved again...

Great story. 5 stars

Thank you

First of all I would just like to thank NetGalley, Lauren North and Bookouture for an ARC of “She Says She’s My Daughter” in exchange for an honest review.

This book is told from multiple POV’s and alternating timelines (past & present). It is also split into three parts, with an unnerving twist at the end of each.

I was very excited to read this as I absolutely devoured Lauren’s last novel “My Word Against His”. Unfortunately, I didn’t take to this one as much as I did the latter.

It was very slow paced to start with. I found myself at nearly half way through and it didn’t feel as though anything of significance had actually happened yet.

However it did keep me engaged and guessing throughout. Although I ultimately did guess the ending, it didn’t spoil the book for me. I think this is due to the fact that all of Lauren’s books are extremely well written and calculatingly plotted- it means that even if you gage the direction the story is going in, it doesn’t ruin the twist or book for you.

From about 70% onwards, everything happens very quickly and the pace increases dramatically- this left me unable to put it down until I had the answers I craved.

Ultimately, a really well written and plotted book with lots of twists and red herrings scattered throughout. Definitely recommend along with all of Lauren’s other books!