Summary- Andrea is a heavily pregnant toddler mom who had to shift into a shabby house in a new locality in Sydney when their financial situation collapsed suddenly. She is in a state of despair as she has lost faith in her husband Terry. One day there is a knock at the door and there is Gabby from the house across the street wanting to befriend her. As she is in desperate need for a little break from her hectic life, she easily accepts her invitation for a cup of tea. The other woman has a very popular Facebook page where she gives advice to other moms about motherhood.
One day Andrea leaves her three year old son, Jack with Gabby and on returning is devastated to find both of them missing and Gabby's house in chaos.
As the police arrive and starts questioning, she gets a message from someone in USA who says, 'Why are you using a picture of my son on a missing children's website, Andrea Gately? Why are you using it and where did you get it?'
Review- This is a highly suspenseful psychological thriller which kept me hooked right from the prologue. The author has done a wonderful job in portraying the role of social media in today's world.
"Concealing the truth about how messed up your life really is has almost become a sport these days. Instagram and Facebook are filled with people pretending to be perfect and pretending to live perfect lives."
She also talks about addiction and how it ruins the person along with his family. She throws light on motherhood and the struggles of a new mom. A major part of the book revolves around childhood abuse and the scars left by it. I am absolutely in love with these quotes from the author:
"There is always someone whose struggles are greater than yours. Gratitude is the way to get through everyday."
"Bad parents deserve to die alone"
"Getting old and frail does not exempt you from being an awful human being while you were young and strong."
The story is told from the point of view of two characters- Andrea and Gabby, where both of them seem to be very different from each other. While Andrea is coping with her finances and living in an unkempt house, Gabby cannot stand any dirt anywhere as can be understood from her well kept house. She wears expensive clothes which are beyond the reach of the other woman, who spends her days wearing her partner's jumper. While Andrea cannot find a little time for herself having to manage her three year old son, Gabby whiles away her time posting on social media and baking. However they have one thing in common that is both of them have secrets. Andrea realizes that Gabby's seemingly perfect life is not perfect when she learns about her problems.
I have some doubts regarding why the police did not cross check or press the person even after knowing that he knew about the various acts of the accused all the time. I also did not like the final outcome of Terry.
The book has a lot of unexpected twists which includes the epilogue. It constantly revolved in my mind until I knew the end. Overall it was an enjoyable read and I would highly recommend this book to all lovers of psychological thrillers as it has the potential to bring you out of a reading slump.
I am highly grateful to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
2 Comments
Thanks for the detailed review. The descriptions and the quotes have intrigued me in getting hold of the book once it is published.
ReplyDeleteThank you
Delete