This was a mystery and thriller that pulled me in and didn’t let go.
McClane comes from a perfect family. So, what could have happened to make him vanish? Well, there are his parents, Meg, and Joe, each with secrets of their own. I should mention his girlfriend Natalie, who is pregnant. Or one of his elder siblings, David and Jamie know something that they are not willing to share. Did McClane run from a situation he could not handle? All will be revealed.
The story is told from Meg and McClane’s POV’s. We learned from him what led to his disappearance. Meg, meanwhile, picks up the story once she learns her son is gone. So many secrets are revealed. I did not guess whodunnit. I also was not a big fan of Meg, though that was most likely the author’s intention.
If you enjoy a messed up family, and a compelling mystery, this just might be a read that you’ll enjoy. Publishing in August, I could see myself having read this on the beach.

Well, I feel much better about my own family now! Thank you, Sharon Doering, for that! This entire family is unlikeable, not one redeeming quality, but anywho..... Meg appears to have the perfect family and life. Beautiful home, perfect children, then the perfect son disappears. McClane is the perfect son in question, and he was all set to go to college on a wrestling scholarship. What happened? Turns out he had a pregnant girlfriend, among other things. But McClane is not the only one hiding things from the family. He also has 2 siblings. And let's not forget Dear Old Dad! He is a total weirdo. The story is told through Meg in present day and McClane in the days leading up to his disappearance. This is a slow burn and not gonna lie, the first quarter or so I was struggling, then all of a sudden it clicked with me and was all a downhill slide as more and more secrets are brought to light. There was a lot I didn't see coming and a great final twist! Also, read the author's notes. Very interesting!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Sharon Doering and Hyperion Avenue for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of August 12, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Upstanding Young Man.

I've never read this author before so I was curious to read this.

Sadly, this missed the mark for me for a number of reasons:

1. I didn't like anyone, especially Meg. Most of the chapters are told from her perspective and I know she's a mom and she's human and she makes mistakes because we all do but her family is screwed up and so is she.

2. Every family has a black sheep (or 2 or 3) and plenty of drama but Meg's family was too messed up it was hard to suspend disbelief for.

Her husband is struggling after years of boxing has left him physically and mentally damaged; her kids all have their own lives and Meg is pretending they're all a happy family.

3. Some of the revelations came out of nowhere, such as how Dave, the eldest son, factored into the story.

4. The twists and revelations felt contrived, a product of what so many authors do now, throw twist after twist at readers hoping something will stick.

5. The premise had potential but it went off the rails quickly when it veered from a thriller into a domestic drama instead.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. First of all, I thoroughly appreciated the plot. A great domestic suspense that is not your usual. Great writing and new ideas kept me invested.

This novel was much grittier than I initially anticipated and I was very excited about it. The beginning was a tad slow for me with all of the mystery, but once the detectives searched Mcclanes room, I was seated and invested. The mother child dynamics explored here were vast and extremely interesting. Instead of creating this picture perfect world, the author took the realistic route which I greatly appreciated. The journal entries between some POV switches were a nice touch, along with the dual timeline. It all flowed together perfectly. Missing/kidnapping stories can tend to lag during the middle chapters but this story had enough side plot to keep things intriguing all throughout.

A sharply written, slow-burning domestic thriller that peels back the facade of suburbia to expose a family unraveling from the inside out.

From the outside, Meg Hart’s life looks like a success story: a picture-perfect family, a comfortable home in the Chicago suburbs, and a son poised to graduate with a wrestling scholarship in hand. But when that son—McClane—vanishes without a trace, the cracks begin to show. Told in alternating perspectives between Meg in the aftermath and McClane in the hours leading up to his disappearance, Sharon Doering builds a complex portrait of a family where everyone has something to hide.

What makes Upstanding Young Man stand out isn’t just the mystery (though that kept me flipping pages)—it’s the way Doering captures the subtle dysfunction and mounting pressure simmering under the surface. Meg’s fear of judgment, McClane’s desperate secrets, and the eerie unease between family members make this more than just a missing person case. The chapters are quick and taut, perfect for thriller fans who love propulsive pacing without sacrificing emotional nuance.

A few threads toward the end feel a bit rushed or conveniently tied up, but overall, the payoff is both satisfying and unsettling. Think Big Little Lies meets A Stranger in the House—perfect for fans of Mary Kubica, Jennifer Hillier, or Kimberly Belle.

I liked most of this. It kept me on my toes, and I really wasn't sure where it was going. Alternating POVs between the son and the mom, this domestic drama slowly reveals the innards of quite a messed up family. I wasn't a fan of the last 10% or so, but, by that point, the strength of the writing won out over the ending I didn't like.

Overall, this was pretty good and kept me engaged. Would I read more from the author? Yes.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

If you want a domestic thriller that will lure you in and keep you captivated until the last page, look no further.

From outward appearances, Meg Hart has the perfect family. The Harts live in a nice neighborhood in a Chicago suburb; both parents have good jobs where they get to work from home; and they have four nearly grown children.

However, there is so much festering under the surface in this family. Joe, her retired boxer husband, seems to be suffering from CTE from all of his previous head injuries. Oldest son, David, snared a good job as an FBI investigator, but is acting rather elusive and strange. Daughter Jamie is trying to "find herself" and her career as a journalist. High school senior son, McClane, has been offered a full ride wrestling scholarship but seems to have so, so much more going on in his life - a pregnant girlfriend and friends who might be mixed up with the wrong side of the law. High schooler, Whitney, the baby of the family stays locked in her room most of the time she is at home. So, yes, things are certainly not as they appear.

It all comes to head one day three weeks before the end of McClane's senior year when he mysteriously disappears. Mom Meg becomes one of the main suspects.

The book is told alternately between Mom Meg's POV and son McClane's POV. It will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page. Thank you, NetGalley and Hyperion, for this ARC that gives us such an entrancing glimpse into familial discord.

Ya know when someone is talking and they're saying a lot of words but not actually saying anything with any meaning? That's how I'd describe the writing in this book. The premise was intriguing but fell flat in execution.

A mother’s life (Meg’s) is upended when her teenaged son, McClaine mysteriously vanishes. The inquiry of the police into his disappearance casts suspicion on his family. The family has undergone some difficulties as Meg’s husband, Joe, a retired boxer has been exhibiting strange and erratic behavior; which can be attributed to the head injuries suffered when boxing. Concurrently, the missing son, McClane has concealed his own secrets that may have contributed to his disappearance; a pregnant girlfriend and betrayal from a friend. The narrative unfolds through alternating viewpoints of mother (Meg) and son (McClane), offering a deep exploration of their messy family dynamics. Meg has to deal with the erratic behavior of her husband Joe, frayed relationships with her daughter, secrets harbored by McClaine, and her other son, David, performing a dangerous job as an FBI agent. As the investigation advances, David, McClaine’s older brother becomes entwined in the situation, adding layers of complexity to the family narrative. The novel has a somber tone, but it is needed due to the subject matter explored. The dual timelines and viewpoints allow for character development and engagement. There are many unexpected twists, which makes the story compelling and surprising. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my review.

If I had to sum it all up in just one word it would be: convoluted. I could not wait to get through this book. I always try to give ARCs my absolute best effort and sometimes push through when it ought to be deemed a DNF. I really wanted to DNF this one. I thought the dual perspective would be a good way to experience the POV of two main characters. While the mother was handled well enough, the son was always off center--now I do understand that a small part of that is actually one of the twists in the story but it just did not meld well. Overall, there were far too many instances in which the author attempted to build intrigue and interest but, it generally all fell flat I often felt that I was being toyed with as a reader. There was so much alluding to one thing or another, without defining anything, throughout the book. I know it was intended to grip the reader and pull him/her in but, I actually found it annoying because there was so much of it. Dangle a carrot but never build it up. I ended up not even caring what the twist was going to be. It was an ARC so issues with formatting, editing and revision are to be expected. As for the formatting in this ARC, it truly distracted from the reading and should have been tweaked more before even reaching ARC status. I can overlook a lot of those issues and keep the purpose of an ARC in mind but the issues here were frustrating. Overall, this conglomeration of misfit characters covered a wide variety of mental health issues yet there was never any foundation build to support those key threads. I was not able to connect with a single character in either a positive or negative way.

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley.

This is the story of a very troubled family. It is told via two, alternating points of view: Meg, the mother, and McClane, the high school senior boy who has a college scholarship for wrestling awaiting him. McClane has older and younger siblings who factor quite significantly in the family saga. And Meg’s husband is a very weird man, a guy who disappears almost every night and isn’t doing his job during the day either. Neither Meg nor the reader ever finds out what he IS doing.

This is a missing person story. Meg’s narration commences with McClane’s disappearance. McClane’s narration commences several days prior to his disappearance. Meg’s behavior is quite extreme, largely as a reaction to her deadbeat husband. David, McClane’s older brother, is an FBI agent who becomes a major player in the story when the plot makes a surprise turn.

The tone of this book is quite dark. There is some repetition caused by the two narrators and timelines. Many pages are devoted to descriptions of what is going on in the characters’ troubled minds. The last half of the book was a tough read because of how messed up everyone was.

This was so gripping! I could not put this down! Be ready for an absolutely jaw dropping twist! This was so unexpected and suspense filled!

This is one where I just went into it without checking other reviews or looking into it at all just because I saw the author name. I was more than pleasantly surprised.

What’s unique about this book is that it goes back and forth between the mother’s perspective and her son’s perspective and both are unreliable narrators.. Meg’s son, McClane, is a senior in high school and goes missing. McClane has secrets and so does Meg. Meg’s husband Joe seems shady too. McClane has a good friend who has gotten himself mixed up with the wrong crowd. Clues are slowly dropped throughout the book. At times I wished the.book had a faster pace but it picks up and the ending is great.

This book was an easy five-star read! I became completely invested in the Hart family and found myself wanting to know even more about them after I turned the last page. Just when I thought I had the plot figured out, the twists and turns kept me on my toes in the best way. I especially loved the book’s exploration of motherhood and the challenges of raising children at every stage of life—it was both heartfelt and thought-provoking.

I really appreciated the author's deep exploration of the challenges of raising difficult children and the raw, honest portrayal of what that experience is truly like. It added a layer of authenticity to the story that made it even more compelling and relatable.

Although this book was uncomfortable at times, it was one of the best of 2025! Writing is superb. The family was normalish, but like most families....always a weirdo somewhere. Loved the book.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the raging I gave if.

The cover accurately depicts the theme of the story. Why I lead with this is I find that to be rare. The author reveals the darkness of each character in what appears to be a family that doesn’t have much to hide. The resignation for their current status is palpable and it isn’t until a pivotal moment occurs where you the true grit is revealed. I appreciate the Author’s note at the end and how transparent she was with what inspired this story. Readers should not be disappointed.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!