When Julia returns from an overnight trip, she immediately senses something is wrong. Nothing could prepare her for what she discovers in the spare room. Her husband, Robert, hanging from a beam in an apparent suicide. Avery, their 6 year old daughter, is sitting silently on the bed.

Scott Walker is done with life. He's left his beloved dog with his friend and is just about to end everything when he hears that a woman and her daughter have gone missing. Not just any woman, the love of his life, Julia. He knows something terrible must have happened and decides to find out where they are.

This was a crazy roller-coaster of a book! When you learn about Julia's "disorder," you can't help but hate her, even though a part of you wants to sympathize. I really liked Scott and truly felt for him. All of the additional characters in the book were well written and didn't feel unnecessary. This book was full of unexpected turns and kept me engrossed until the last page.
I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow what a dark read about a woman who arrives home to find her husband has taken his own life and their young daughter is sat quietly in the room with him. When the two of them disappear it looks like they have been abducted but as a cop arrives to help look for them with a connection to the mother could the truth be darker than anyone could imagine. This is a really dark read but I couldn’t put it down and I loved it. Sometimes the worst of people just can’t be fixed!

A twisty, occasionally steamy, fun summer read! I enjoyed most of the characters, and loved that there was a beloved dog in the mix. Would recommend this for lovers of Frieda McFadden or Riley Sager.

I have recently started reading Wendy Dranfield and really like her. When Julia returns home from a spa day, she finds her husband Robert's body hanging from a beam in the ceiling and her daughter sitting there looking at it. As word travels through the neighborhood of Robert's apparent suicide, Julia fakes her and her daughter's abduction to keep Avery safe. What is Julia hiding and why must they leave their life behind?

Julia's ex Scott is a police officer who is supposed to be on leave. But when he sees that Julia has vanished, he begins to look into the case of Robert's suicide and Julia's disappearance. What he uncovers is shocking and leaves him questioning whether Julia is as innocent as she seems...

This was a great book that kept you on the edge of your seat.

Please Don't Find Me is a good choice for a quick afternoon read It’s a fast paced thriller, starting off strong in the first chapter. It is told by multiple point of views, in the past and present. It is easy to follow along, but the story was unbelievable at times. I also personally did not find any character likable, so I felt I wasn't rooting for anyone.

Julia finds her husband Robert has committed suicide with their young daughter, Avery, in the home. Avery doesn't speak or go to school, which some neighbors found odd. Julia, Robert, and Avery seem like a perfect family, even though Julia is overly protective of their daughter., so what could lead to Robert taking his own life? When Julia and her daughter Avery disappear, the police wonder if they were taken or are on the run. As the police investigate Robert’s suicide, they now have to find Julia and Avery and one detective believes the mother and daughter know more than they led on..

I couldn't put this one down. It had me engaged from start to finish. The ending was my actual favorite part of the whole book. It was easy to follow, and it reminded me so much of the crime shows I love to watch.

The beginning was very confusing and I’ll confess I thought several times of not finishing it. The story is very dark and disturbing. It ended up being a twisted, dreadful tale.

If you love psychology or crime shows, and want a twisty thriller, this one’s for you! ❤️💌

Please Don’t Find Me starts off with a bang! The shocking opening scene had me hooked right away: a woman walks into her home to find her husbands lifeless body, and from there, she and her daughter are on the run. The sense of urgency and mystery is immediate, and I couldn’t wait to find out what secret she was hiding.🫣💥

As the story unfolds, we meet a wide cast of characters—neighbors, a therapist, an ex-boyfriend, family members, and the police. There were a few flashbacks that helped build the backstory, and I appreciated how easy the story was to follow. There were some definite wow moments that gave the book a solid edge.🤯🔎

🖤What I liked:
· Hooked from the very start
·  Easy-to-follow storyline
·  A killer with a conscience added depth

That said, the last third of the book slowed down for me. After the initial twists and high-stakes tension, the pace lagged a bit, and I found myself wanting it to move faster.

One thing worth noting: there are several trigger warnings mentioned early on, and they’re not just touched on once—they come up repeatedly throughout the book. Readers should be aware of that going in. ⚠️‼️

Big thanks to Bookouture for a copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Please Don’t Find Me is a moderate read with no real suspense or shocks.
My first reading experience with this author and while I thought it was ok, I will read another book by Wendy.
Julia arrives home to her husband who has taken his own life.
She decides to flee with her six year old daughter Avery.
Making the crime scene look like they were abducted.
Because Julia knows the real truth.
Enter her ex, policeman Scott who knows what Julia is like.
Determined to expose her and reveal her secret.
But true to form nothing is as it seems…..
I liked this one but didn’t love it or find it riveting, it just plodded along but enough for me to finish it.
A very dark and disturbing story with a bunch of sinister characters and a creepy atmosphere.

⭐️ BOOK TOUR ⭐️

#PleaseDontFindMe

By #WendyDranfield @bookouture

Synopsis ⬇️

My heart is hammering furiously as the bedroom door creaks open. The second I see my husband’s lifeless body, I know I have to run. And no-one can ever find us.

There are three things I know to be true.

ONE. My husband knew my secret.

TWO. Now he’s dead, my daughter and I are in danger.

THREE. I will do anything to protect my child, whatever the cost.

We need to vanish. But first, it has to look like we were taken.

I move through our house, pushing over chairs and rummaging violently through drawers. I pull out items Robert and I bought together and throw them across the room. As a final touch, I leave Avery’s sneaker abandoned on the ground outside.

It’s important there’s no trace. But if I could leave a message behind, it would be this:

If you look for me, you won’t like what you find.

…

This was a really slick, dark and twisty thriller. The author grips you straight away with a fast moving plot and engaging characters. The MPV narration and diary entries allowed for timely plot twists, kept suspicions rife and your interest in the book easily; leaving you always wanting more from each part. I loved the nature vs nurture undertones and the way the author made you care just a little bit too much. My first by this author and certainly not my last. A really excellent read.

Thanks to author WD and #bookouture for asking us to be on this Book Tour!

OUT TODAY

-EMILY
@the_book_girls_1

A missing person, a buried secret, and a ticking clock—this thriller wastes no time sinking its hooks in. The atmosphere is thick with paranoia, and no one is who they seem. Just when safety feels near, the story delivers its final, devastating blow.

Wendy Dranfield is an auto read author for me, I have read all of her books and she never disappoints, so I was excited to get the advanced copy of her latest standalone.

Julia returns home and finds her husband Robert has committed suicide and their young daughter Avery is in the same room as him. When Julia and Avery then go missing, most people fear they have been abducted but in true Dranfield style what follows is a deeply disturbing story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for my gifted eARC

Please Don't Find Me is an edge of your seat thriller that will keep you guessing until the end! Julia Bowers comes home from a spa trip to find a horrific scene in her home. Her husband is hanging from a beam in their bedroom and their 6 year old daughter is sitting on the bed in the same room. Robert is dead and it seems he killed himself. Why? They were happy, had a beautiful daughter, had a nice home, and a good job. Julia thinks he couldn't live with her secret and wanted out. Julia must protect Avery, their daughter, and goes on the run. She makes it look like someone broke in, that there was a struggle, and even leaves a few drops of blood to be convincing.

The police are called as a neighbor finds Robert and they think that an intruder has taken Julia and Avery. They put it all over social media, radio, and television with their pictures. What secret was so bad that Robert thought taking his own life was the best option? Why would he do such a thing with his daughter in the house? Are Julia and Avery in danger? Who is after them? When Julia's ex hears about her and her daughter missing, he feels like he has to help with the investigation. He's a cop on leave in another jurisdiction. He knows Julia's secret and thinks there might be more to this than the local cops know.

Please Don't Find Me takes you on a twisty ride and is told from different POV's and timelines. It worked well in this book and unfolded just enough information to keep you engaged throughout. The shocking twist at the end I did not see coming at all. I really enjoyed Please Don't Find Me by Wendy Dranfield and rate it 4 stars with a high recommendation. If you love a good thriller this is the book for you. Please Don't Find Me is available now and should be added to your TBR pile. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of Please Don't Find Me in exchange for a fair review. #PleaseDontFindMe

Beautifully written. This was an amazing read. I very highly recommend this wonderful book to everyone. Five very deserving stars.

Please Don't Find Me by Wendy Dranfield was another excellent book that will grab you from the very first few pages especially as it is full of great twists and turns that will have you turning the pages to your kindle/book to find out what happened to Julia husband scott.
Julia comes home and instantly senses something is wrong, she finds her husband dead. he has taken his own life! in their spare room and their young daughter is sitting their room with his body, she is just sitting there, so still!

Why has he took his own life?

Julia knows why; he has been keeping her big secret and it would be too much for anyone to understand, if they ever found out. It was But, Too much to keep locked up. He could not live knowing about it anymore!

A few hours later Julia has to take their daughter away and goes in hiding. her secrets must never come out
but this is going to be so hard especially as Scott her ex partner from her past, is a Police Officer, Julia does not know he is currently on a break from duty, however the threat is there and he will find her and her daughter.

Scott, still has feelings for Julia and wants to help her, so he travels down to her last known address and starts his own investigation on finding her, and her daughter whilst he has the time on his hands.

Will Scott find Julia before her secret comes out?

WoW this book was excellent and the end WoW. . . . I didn't see that coming! Superb!

Big thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. Every mother knows the feeling that they would do ANYTHING to protect their children. No question. This will grip you right away!

Rating: 4.25

Julia comes home and finds her husband (Robert) dead, and their daughter (Avery) having been alone with his body for hours. Days later Julia and Avery go missing. Wendy Dranfield does a great job with twists, turns, reveals, and every character have their own layers. We encounter flashbacks that reveal things of the past and proves Julia's mother to be a cold and manipulative shadow. As we follow Julia, we begin to see connections with her past and the truth of her childhood is quite haunting. Will the buried secrets of Julia come to the surface? Will Julia and Avery be found? If you like secrets, twists and psychological thrillers, then I definitely recommend Please Don't Find Me by Wendy Dranfield.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Please Don't Find Me by Wendy Dranfield.

This was an addictive, page turning thriller with so many twists and turns that I couldn’t keep up! I love thrillers where the drama starts right from the first page, and this book did exactly that. Right from the first chapter, the action was non-stop, and I literally could not put this book down!

There were a lot of elements of this story that I loved, but I don’t want to go too much into detail about them because I don’t want to spoil the story for any readers! One element I really loved was the mention of the nature vs nurture debate, and whether homicidal urges could be hereditary. That whole subject is fascinating to me, so I loved that this book included that! It was definitely thought provoking, and it is guaranteed to make you think.

The ending definitely made me think this could possibly end up being a book series, which I would love! I would love to catch up with Scott again, and I’m intrigued to catch up with Avery when she’s a teenager, and I think the potential of a second book is definitely possible and I’m hopeful it could be on the cards in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a grim and disturbing read but I loved it because it was so different!
I didn’t think it was possible to dislike one character as much as I did in this book. I had absolutely no sympathy for that character either.
Once one of the truths was revealed I could tell what would unfurl after that,
Some of the most heartfelt scenes invoked Maggie, the dog, loved her!
What a main character is afraid of at the end of the book is spot on because nature is imbedded in each of us and cannot be “cured.”

Please Don't Find Me is a dark, twisty psychological thriller. My emotions were all over the place with this, especially with Robert and "Avery" in Chapter 1. I do hope Wendy Dranfield writes about Sally's fate in the future. To note, there are trigger warnings in this book as revealed in the beginning. Mental illness is horrible and between Julia, Scott and Robert, Dranfield portrayed each character's mental illness and the toll it takes on them in life. Even with the darkness and trigger warnings, I do recommend this book for those who like dark, twisted psychological thrillers. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. All opinions are my own. Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: May 22, 2025