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carlabear's review against another edition
3.0
Typical crime mystery. Somewhat enjoyable, but forgettable.
njw13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
thephdivabooks's review
4.0
This book is published now!!!
A fast-paced thriller that will have you turning the pages to find out what happened during those three days missing!!!
Kimberly Belle sure has a way with writing females in their relationships, as mothers, and as independent women. I first read Belle’s work in The Marriage Lie (which if you haven’t read, I highly recommend), and I was so excited that my second read by her delighted me so much! This one is a page-turner. Whether you’re a mother yourself, a woman, or even just a supporter of women and mothers, you’ll have a hard time not feeling the tension as a child goes missing. You’ll want to get to the end and hope that it turns out ok!
About the Book
Kat Jenkins is fresh out of a destructive marriage—one ending in a restraining order. Kat is grateful for the marriage nonetheless, because it gave her Ethan, her son. Ethan is a certified genius, but Kat worries about his difficulty making friends. Particularly at his very expensive, very exclusive private school, Cambridge Academy. The school was her ex Andrew’s idea. Status is important to Andrew, and Kat knows that Ethan will get many opportunities at a school like Cambridge Academy, even if she can barely cover her half of tuition.
Stef Huntington has it all—she’s the wife of the mayor of Atlanta, she has more money than she knows what to do with, she has an adorable son Sammy attending Cambridge Academy, and she has the adoration of the other mother’s at the school. But everything is not as perfect for Stef as it seems. Her husband is almost never home, she gave up her own career aspirations for his, and she is worried about Sammy’s behavior at school towards another boy.
When the students at Cambridge Academy go on a 3-day overnight trip to the mines, their parents get a moment to relax. Until the police come knocking on Kat’s door, that is. Ethan has gone missing, and the heavy rain is making tracking his movements difficult. And then Stef gets a call…
Two mothers with nothing in common face every parent’s worst nightmare, and may be the only ones who can help one another!
Reflection
I love the way Kimberly Belle writes about situations where the main character is thrust into a crisis with very little information. I could feel the emotion of both Kat and Stef. But neither were remotely weak characters. To the contrary, these are women that in a different life would be friends, if it weren’t for the status and social circles thrust upon Stef without her interest in them.
When I was reading about what they were going through, I felt tense and nervous along with them. I think many mothers know that moment when they realize their children don’t tell them everything. Kids may do this out of love, or out of fear, or out of shame. But as a mother, wondering what else your child may have kept from you that led to this situation would be terrifying! It would make you wonder if you were causing them to act this way through your own actions.
This book is a page-turner, and really had no slow or dull moments. Regardless of whether it was Kat’s or Stef’s experiences, we had the time marker to show how many hours since the disappearance we were. And the ending was so satisfying and twisty!!! The last 30% were hard to put down!
Thank you to Harlequin and to Kimberly Belle for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Blog
A fast-paced thriller that will have you turning the pages to find out what happened during those three days missing!!!
Kimberly Belle sure has a way with writing females in their relationships, as mothers, and as independent women. I first read Belle’s work in The Marriage Lie (which if you haven’t read, I highly recommend), and I was so excited that my second read by her delighted me so much! This one is a page-turner. Whether you’re a mother yourself, a woman, or even just a supporter of women and mothers, you’ll have a hard time not feeling the tension as a child goes missing. You’ll want to get to the end and hope that it turns out ok!
About the Book
Kat Jenkins is fresh out of a destructive marriage—one ending in a restraining order. Kat is grateful for the marriage nonetheless, because it gave her Ethan, her son. Ethan is a certified genius, but Kat worries about his difficulty making friends. Particularly at his very expensive, very exclusive private school, Cambridge Academy. The school was her ex Andrew’s idea. Status is important to Andrew, and Kat knows that Ethan will get many opportunities at a school like Cambridge Academy, even if she can barely cover her half of tuition.
Stef Huntington has it all—she’s the wife of the mayor of Atlanta, she has more money than she knows what to do with, she has an adorable son Sammy attending Cambridge Academy, and she has the adoration of the other mother’s at the school. But everything is not as perfect for Stef as it seems. Her husband is almost never home, she gave up her own career aspirations for his, and she is worried about Sammy’s behavior at school towards another boy.
When the students at Cambridge Academy go on a 3-day overnight trip to the mines, their parents get a moment to relax. Until the police come knocking on Kat’s door, that is. Ethan has gone missing, and the heavy rain is making tracking his movements difficult. And then Stef gets a call…
Two mothers with nothing in common face every parent’s worst nightmare, and may be the only ones who can help one another!
Reflection
I love the way Kimberly Belle writes about situations where the main character is thrust into a crisis with very little information. I could feel the emotion of both Kat and Stef. But neither were remotely weak characters. To the contrary, these are women that in a different life would be friends, if it weren’t for the status and social circles thrust upon Stef without her interest in them.
When I was reading about what they were going through, I felt tense and nervous along with them. I think many mothers know that moment when they realize their children don’t tell them everything. Kids may do this out of love, or out of fear, or out of shame. But as a mother, wondering what else your child may have kept from you that led to this situation would be terrifying! It would make you wonder if you were causing them to act this way through your own actions.
This book is a page-turner, and really had no slow or dull moments. Regardless of whether it was Kat’s or Stef’s experiences, we had the time marker to show how many hours since the disappearance we were. And the ending was so satisfying and twisty!!! The last 30% were hard to put down!
Thank you to Harlequin and to Kimberly Belle for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Blog
ohheychie's review
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
teresaalice's review against another edition
3.0
The person you think did it is the person who did it. Oh, and any guesses on how many days this kid was missing? :)
travel_in_pages's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
ndbeyer's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this book- the ending recap by Ethan shocked me a bit- I can see this being a good bullying resource for teachers- it would be easy to say Ethan & Sammy just have a personality conflict and wave it off- should maybe pay a bit more attention if a child is on their own a lot.
jmj697mn's review against another edition
3.0
Predictable. I had the culprit pegged when they were introduced.
marvelouspyt's review against another edition
4.0
"It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: the call that comes in the middle of the night.
When Kat Jenkins awakens to the police on her doorstep, her greatest fear is realized. Her nine-year-old son, Ethan, is missing—vanished from the cabin where he’d been on an overnight field trip with his class. Shocked and distraught, Kat rushes to the campground where he was last seen. But she’s too late; the authorities have returned from their search empty-handed after losing Ethan’s trail in the mountain forest.
Another mother from the school, Stef Huntington, seems like she has it all: money, prominence in the community, a popular son and a loving husband. She hardly knows Kat, except for the vicious gossip that swirls around Kat’s traumatic past. But as the police investigation unfolds, Ethan’s disappearance will have earth-shattering consequences in Stef’s own life—and the paths of these two mothers are about to cross in ways no one could have anticipated.
Racing against the clock, their desperate search for answers begins—one where the greatest danger could lie behind the everyday smiles of those they trust the most."
I could barely put this book down! If it weren't for work and school, I would have been finished by the end of the day. In the beginning, Stef & Sam were the quintessential upper class snob. OF course Sam was the mayor; of course Stef was the pretty Barbie doll wife. Any scene with either character just irked my nerves. My opinion of politicians and their step-ford wives is low, so I just assumed I would hate the characters. For a while I did. I assumed he was a dirty politician who is probably having an affair and that she was a gossiping idiot. It was nice to see in the end that my view of them weren't correct. His actually had integrity and she wasn't some self centered twit. Kat was an easily understandable character. She is struggling with her finances and with herself after leaving an abusive marriage. Reading her pain felt so real and it was a bit devastating. Especially since we know many children who go missing aren't always found and when they are. they aren't usually alive. That's what made the story so suspenseful; it felt so real. I would definitely recommend to fans of suspenseful mysteries and/or psychological thrillers.
When Kat Jenkins awakens to the police on her doorstep, her greatest fear is realized. Her nine-year-old son, Ethan, is missing—vanished from the cabin where he’d been on an overnight field trip with his class. Shocked and distraught, Kat rushes to the campground where he was last seen. But she’s too late; the authorities have returned from their search empty-handed after losing Ethan’s trail in the mountain forest.
Another mother from the school, Stef Huntington, seems like she has it all: money, prominence in the community, a popular son and a loving husband. She hardly knows Kat, except for the vicious gossip that swirls around Kat’s traumatic past. But as the police investigation unfolds, Ethan’s disappearance will have earth-shattering consequences in Stef’s own life—and the paths of these two mothers are about to cross in ways no one could have anticipated.
Racing against the clock, their desperate search for answers begins—one where the greatest danger could lie behind the everyday smiles of those they trust the most."
I could barely put this book down! If it weren't for work and school, I would have been finished by the end of the day. In the beginning, Stef & Sam were the quintessential upper class snob. OF course Sam was the mayor; of course Stef was the pretty Barbie doll wife. Any scene with either character just irked my nerves. My opinion of politicians and their step-ford wives is low, so I just assumed I would hate the characters. For a while I did. I assumed he was a dirty politician who is probably having an affair and that she was a gossiping idiot. It was nice to see in the end that my view of them weren't correct. His actually had integrity and she wasn't some self centered twit. Kat was an easily understandable character. She is struggling with her finances and with herself after leaving an abusive marriage. Reading her pain felt so real and it was a bit devastating. Especially since we know many children who go missing aren't always found and when they are. they aren't usually alive. That's what made the story so suspenseful; it felt so real. I would definitely recommend to fans of suspenseful mysteries and/or psychological thrillers.