The Stepchild by Nicole Trope
Blurb
Three-year-old Millie Everleigh disappears on a crisp winter’s day, and nothing is as it seems…
It’s the phone call every mother dreads.
I’m climbing into the car after a trip to the grocery store.
As the engine starts, my phone rings.
It’s my stepdaughter, Shelby, who is babysitting my three-year-old little girl Millie.
‘I only went upstairs for a second,’ she says through her sobs. ‘She’s gone.’
I race home to find my blue-eyed baby girl missing, and my heart ripped out of my chest.
When the police turn up, Shelby’s story starts to unravel.
What is she hiding?
Then I get a message saying, ‘Your husband is not who you think he is.’
Could he be lying?
Suddenly, my family feel like strangers. Everyone has a secret – even me.
No one knows why I was late coming back from the store, and the guilt I’ve been feeling ever since…
Once the truth comes out, all of our lies exposed, will it be too late to save my precious child?
My Review
What was it all about
A missing child arc that kept me hooked into the story like you would never believe it. Shelby was babysitting her three-year old stepsister, Millie when suddenly Millie’s mom, Leslie got a call that every mother hated.
She’s missing.
Then came the cops and suspicious mails on Leslie’s phone. Along with that, came her conviction that there was more at play. Was Shelby telling her the truth.
How it made me feel
Absolutely gripped by the story. The twists the book took were simply astounding as the author had laid down multiple red herrings and I was truly caught in them.
The story was beyond what I had presumed it to be, so the spark of curiosity burned bright from the beginning to the end, keeping me hooked to my kindle.
Written in three POVs, my heart was captured by their stories, while the woman in me wanted to rain vengeance on some. It was quite a reactive read.
The Good
I loved how author Nicole Trope had synchronized the actions of all her characters that they appeared smooth, but later on, had the ability to be interpreted in a different manner.
This was a well thought of plot line where the already-done-many-times had a seamless way of telling a truth that was not evident to the naked eyes.
The complexities of a pre-teen child caught in the middle of an acrimonious divorce, having to spend time with both families and getting caught in an inescapable situation were well explored.
The foundation of the story laid down initially were written in such a way that I couldn’t even begin to guess what the truth could be.
Was she? Wasn’t she? My mind swung like a pendulum at the hints that was given in the prose.
The Bad
One of the characters’ actions felt to be repetitive, and she had the same thoughts all through. I skipped through those sections, despite the fact I could understand where she was coming from.
The Conclusion
A well-etched storyline where the dark twists popped up unexpectedly every few pages, leaving me in the throes of suspenseful ecstasy.
Book Links
Book Details
Publication Date: March 2022
I downloaded the digital version of the book from an online retail, and this is my journey down its pages, straight from the heart. STRICTLY HONEST and UNBIASED.
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One Response
Excellent review, Shalini. There are so many missing child stories, it is nice to find one that is a bit different.