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MY REVIEW
This was a slow burn suspense read where mother Phoebe wanted her son Charlie back whom she had put up for adoption years ago.
A debut by author Sarah Clarke, this had detailed characterisation of mother and son though such long narratives diluted the suspense and made it too cumbersome to read. Some felt repetitive too.
With dual POVs and gradual timelines, it told me the story in entirety of what happened to Phoebe from a loving wife to a scrappy woman who was barely living now. Her son Charlie, now Ben, had great emotional issues.
The author spent time in bringing out the angst of the mother who had to give up her child due to circumstances, but loved him dearly. I liked how suspense was built up in the prose, evoked curious to know more about past.
I would say it was a good read, and with greater editing and a good dose of setting up the subplots as layers that should have been a thrill to unmask, it would have been a brilliant thriller. In this, it evokes but does not sustain. (no pun intended)
MY RATING
BOOK LINKS
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BOOK BLURB
SOME TRUTHS CAN’T BE TOLD.
I had the perfect life – a nice house, a loving husband, a beautiful little boy.
But in one devastating night, they were all ripped from me.
It’s been fourteen years, and I’m finally ready to face the past.
I’m taking my son back.
He just can’t know who I am…or why we were torn apart.
BOOK DETAILS
Publication Date: August 2021
I received an ARC from the publisher, and this is my journey down its pages, straight from the heart. STRICTLY HONEST and UNBIASED.
All my reviews can be found here.
2 Responses
Too bad, well, they can’t all be diamonds. Lovely reviewing though
Nice review Shalini. I’m not sure about that title, in most books, a mother always lies. 😁