✨Thanks to NetGalley for the arc, in exchange for an honest review

Cole and Lisa are happily married and trying to start a family. They're fostering a cute baby girl until the court decides she must go back to her biological mother. They're devastated, but one night the mom shows up, asks them to take her daughter, and dies. They take the baby and run, not realizing they're going to be accused of the woman's murder. They manage to build a nice life with their adopted daughter (who doesn't know the truth) until the past catches up to them and they need to run again.

You have to suspend your disbelief quite a bit for this one, as there are a few things happening that are just a bit far-fetched. That being said, the whole book is a really fun read. There's nothing quite like regular people who suddenly have to turn into fugitives as if they're hardcore criminals because they get involved in something really shady. Because they're regular folks, they're also the worst kind of people to be in that situation, and they make really stupid choices that get them in even more trouble. Can we also note that it was probably way easier to be on the run from the FBI before the internet and cell phones?

Not Our Daughter was my first book by Chad Zunker and it was a WILD ride. My heart was leaping out of my chest from the very first page. I enjoyed it immensely and will happily read his other books! Five stars!

3.5🌟
Ready…set….run!!
Cole and Lisa have experienced the unimaginable. Their baby’s birth mother just died on their doorstep. Her last words were to grab their daughter and run! But who are they running from? And why?

Now, thirteen years later the family is living in a small town in the Colorado Rockies. But the past has caught up to them and they once again find themselves running for their lives. This time it’s not only from the unknown, but the FBI as well.

If you like action, this book is chock-full of it! Start to finish!

But if clever twists are your thing you may be disappointed. It was rather straight forward. No surprises here.

There were a few plot holes and not everything added up as it should. But if you can suspend your believability you’ll be in for a fun ride!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. From start to finish I was intrigued. I couldn’t put this down and my kindle struggled to keep up with my fast page swiping!
I absolutely loved the main characters and truly felt them come to life. The extra character placed in this story made is much more intense. I will definitely need to read more from this author and will 100% be recommending this book to friends and family. This could be a very nice movie!

Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker is a fast-paced thriller that was difficult to put down. I loved that it was from multiple POV, full of action, suspense and twists from the beginning right to the end. This was such a fast, easy read and I loved it from start to finish!

Thank you, Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for giving me the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book is a 5 star read. 10/10 I recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers. I have been in a book slump for a bit now and the thrill of this book got me out of it! Be prepared to be on the edge of your seat the entire time.

Every time I start a Chad Zunker book, I know it will be an action packed wild ride from beginning to end! I absolutely loved this book and was on the edge of my seat the whole time. He does an amazing job of setting up an intriguing story that will make you not able to put the book down!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book

Cole and Lisa live a quiet life with their teenage daughter Jade. Appearances can be deceiving , and actually they’ve been hiding from the fbi for the past 13 years. They had fostered jade as a baby but when her birth mother was murdered, they went on the run to protect an innocent baby. They settle into new lives and while always having a back up plan, feel relatively safe. Now a tip off has them exposed and on the run.again.

This was immense. A true thriller. Genuinely couldn’t turn pages on my kindle fast enough. It was exciting and had me on the edge of my seat. The characters were so real, I cared that they would make it. They came out of the page, and it was as if I was seeing the details on a screen. Loved every single page and I’m so gutted to be finished reading. Enjoyed it so much.

Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker is a fast-paced thriller that was difficult to put down. Full of action, suspense and twists from the beginning right to the end. This was such a great read and I loved how it ended. Thank you, Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for giving me the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story was such a fast paced ride! I loved the planning and quick thinking of the dad and the calmness of the mom. I enjoyed the journey they were on while trying to escape not only the FBI but another character as well. Great read!

I loved this book! The fbi chasing a serial killer was so interesting, and so fast paced and exciting to read. It kept me hooked and interested through the whole book. It had short chapters, making it a true page turner. The politics was done well where it wasn't too dull and disturbing.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer publisher for a free review copy of this book. If it wasn’t for you and this book, I wouldn’t have had a new addition to my favourites list.

𝔰𝔶𝔫𝔬𝔭𝔰𝔦𝔰 ☆—
13 years after fleeing with a baby to escape a mysterious killer, Cole and Lisa are exposed, forcing them to run again with the now-teenage girl while being pursued by an FBI agent and the mysterious murderer determined to finish what he started.

𝔭𝔩𝔬𝔱 ☆—
This book is very plot driven, but also character driven at some points, which is very interesting. I like that while this book is very thrilling and suspenseful, this book also made me bawl my eyes out at like 10% and it just never stops really. “The life they’ve built for 10 years is still inside that house”....do you expect me not to cry? And the way the author really made us keep that fact in mind is so brilliant (and cruel) and really well thought out throughout the book. Like how it impacts their lives, how everything is just vanished and taken away from them just in one night. While this might make you think the book is “too” emotional hence slow, no. You’re wrong. The pace is so fast, but nothing was out of story or character, nothing was left unanswered. Like I said, this book is well thought out. Nothing beats a book that keeps you hooked. If I was attached to the heart rate monitor, the thing would explode for the amount of time my heart was racing along with the characters. This book was amazing from beginning to end. I wasn’t the one to care about political issues in books, but this one made me forget that about myself.

𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔯 ☆—
The way the author writes the characters is so so so good. They felt so alive and very human. You know sometimes characters tend to be a little awkward and out of place, or uncanny due to their lack in depth or emotions? These characters are none of that. The little moments that could be seen as “nothing” is what makes these characters who they are. The bond in the family, the parents and daughter emotional connection is very raw and very wholesome amidst the traumatic chaos that is this book. I’m going to give you another quote that I find very interesting and smart in my opinion by the author. “He pulled his phone out, quickly typed a text message to Lisa: He’s here. About to speak with him. She immediately hearted his message. He sent another text: You guys okay? She responded: Yes, no issues. Just anxious. He hearted her message”. How is this not the cutest interaction? It’s just a couple hearting messages of each other. Yes, it’s very simple and again, could be deemed as nothing, but to me, it absolutely adds so much to the characters and the depth of their emotions and expressions. This does not exclude the moments with the daughter and the family as a whole. It highlights the theme of love, whether it be romantic love, between partners, or family love, blood or not.

𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 ☆—
At first, I was a little put off by a cliche phrase from an earlier chapter, but it was the only time ever, and I immediately fell in love with the writing after. Like I mentioned, this book is emotional, and that is due to the author’s melancholic way of writing his characters and the depressing road of their lives. I grew very fond of the way he writes the characters, how he includes the characters’ mind and what they were thinking, and even the possibilities and consequences of their choices which are valid and logical. I remember thinking the same thoughts as the characters. This is why I say the characters are very realistic and human because we all think about the consequences of our actions, don’t we? If you don’t, maybe you need to change that about yourself.

𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶/𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔠𝔩𝔲𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫 ☆—
I did not expect to love this book this much. In fact, I went into it with low expectations because I tend to have high hopes and get upset when they’re not met. However, this book definitely exceeded my expectations. Such an emotional page turner. This book has my heart.

Lately I’ve been reading books involving the FBI and their race to catch criminals-particularly killers. I’m just going to come right out and say that I’m not a fan of the FBI nor stories written involving their investigations. There have always been or usually variables of their investigations and the way they often go about it that have irked me. That said, the ones I’ve read lately have been fast paced, better character development, uniquely written plots and entertaining reads.

In this story I felt they relied more on leads, technology -cameras, taps on phones, tips and etc. That is all well and done but one thing they failed to do in this story was look more closely at the murder, Cole “supposedly” had newly committed. If I’m correct, they didn’t look more into it until Cole spoke to the FBI agent of his innocence. Maybe I’m missing something and need to go and reread that part but that is what I’m recalling. Or it could be that it was written this way to add to the element of intensity and interest of the chase or hunt-if you will to capture the Shipleys?

When I read the scene of the murder that Cole is accused of, I immediately thought that a wider method of using forensics and a Ballistic report would definitely give the agents more information to help their investigation. Hmm… whatever the case, this story involving Cole’s family’s situation had my attention and I was completely invested in their horrific plight.

This was a fast pace, intense and thrilling read with twist and turns so much so that it had me finish reading the story less than a day. I couldn’t put it down! I needed to keep reading as I felt I was right there with the Shipley family, going through everything they were.
If you are a fan of FBI stories or looking for a great one to read, this story is for you!

Stephanie Hopkins

This was a quick read. I liked the writing style of the author and enjoyed the book in its entirety even though I'm not usually a fan of books with a police or FBI presence. I liked all of the characters and understood the reasoning for the actions of the parents since I am a parent myself. I cannot imagine going through what they did. I do think some of the plot was predictable but I still very much enjoyed it.

4.5 ⭐️ Wow. This was the definition of a page turner. With short chapters, multiple POV’s and non-stop action, it was difficult to put down. It played like a movie in my mind, and I think it’d make an excellent one.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I whole heartedly enjoyed this book. I gave it a 5 star review! The book really kept me on my toes and had me very interested and wanting to keep turning the pages. Thank you for a great book that I will gladly tell friends about!

I’ve enjoyed everything this author has written, and this one keeps the streak alive. Chase stories can become routine, but this is anything but routine. After thirteen years of living incognito, a bank transfer draws the attention the FBI and another, mysterious party, so the “Cole’s” family must change identities again and exercise their escape plan. The chase/pursuit is well done and almost plausible, leading to an excellent conclusion.

I was hesitant to pick this up because I am not into FBI hunts and political scandal, but I was pleasantly surprised. I did not love it, but it was okay.

This was a good page turner. A lot of the action and predicaments however were predictable. I did find myself enjoying the plot and the characters even though the character development wasn’t super deep. It was a good read and I would recommend it to fellow mystery and thriller lovers.