Ratings1
Average rating4
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE PopSugar – The Summer’s Hottest Books * Refinery 29 - Best Summer Thrillers * US Weekly - Summer's Best Send-Offs * Parade - 20 Chilling Thrillers by Women to Read This Year * Brit + Co - 15 New Thrillers by Women That Will Give You Chills This Summer * The Zoe Report – 20 Books to Read this Summer * She Reads - New Summer Thrillers to Get Your Heart Racing * Working Mother - 15 Hot New Summer Beach Reads * Culturalist - Top Ten Domestic Thrillers That Will Make You Question Everything * Crime Reads - 5 Debut Crime Novels to Read This August "Brings to mind Jodi Picoult...thought-provoking domestic drama." - Booklist “Will make you miss your bedtime, guaranteed.” – Bestselling author Kimberly Belle Gripping, emotional, and wire-taut, Not Her Daughter raises the question of what it means to be a mother—and how far someone will go to keep a child safe. Emma Townsend. Five years old. Gray eyes, brown hair. Missing since June. Emma is lonely. Living with her cruel mother and clueless father, Emma retreats into her own world of quiet and solitude. Sarah Walker. Successful entrepreneur. Broken-hearted. Kidnapper. Sarah has never seen a girl so precious as the gray-eyed child in a crowded airport terminal. When a second-chance encounter with Emma presents itself, Sarah takes her—far away from home. But if it’s to rescue a little girl from her damaging mother, is kidnapping wrong? Amy Townsend. Unhappy wife. Unfit mother. Unsure whether she wants her daughter back. Amy’s life is a string of disappointments, but her biggest issue is her inability to connect with her daughter. And now Emma is gone without a trace. As Sarah and Emma avoid the nationwide hunt, they form an unshakeable bond. But what about Emma’s real mother, back at home? Praise for Not Her Daughter “The plot twists here are brave, the themes are both poignant and unsettling, and the resolution is deeply resonant. A page-turner with heart!" - New York Times bestselling author Kate Moretti "A cleverly constructed novel that will have you questioning everything you believe about right or wrong." - New York Times bestselling author Chevy Stevens "Engrossing and suspenseful, Frey writes her characters with depth and compassion, challenging readers to question their own code of ethics.” - Zoje Stage, author of Baby Teeth “An emotional ride where the line between right and wrong begins to fade...pulls you in from the very first page, and unlike most in its genre, you won't know how you want it to end until it does.” – Wendy Walker, author of Emma in the Night
Reviews with the most likes.
What would you do if you saw a child being abused? In this novel, Frey's main character Sarah is faced with this question. Her response is to take the child, a beautiful five-year-old named Emma, and run. The girl's overwhelmed, impatient mother Amy is left wondering if she even wants her daughter to return.
I found this book very intriguing. It made me question my ideas of right and wrong. I would never have thought I would feel empathy toward a kidnapper, but I did while reading this book. I could understand Sarah's motives for wanting to take this beautiful, sweet child away from her horrible family situation. I found myself actually rooting for her. On the flip side, I had very little sympathy for the mother, Amy. While Frey lets the reader see a bit of why Amy is so overwhelmed and unhappy, she does not allow any of Amy's experiences to justify her behavior toward her daughter.
The book is very easy to read. The narration alternates from one woman's perspective to the other's and jumps around in time, but it is never hard to follow. I found it hard to put down because I wanted to know what would happen to the main characters.
The only thing I did not like in the book was one unbelievable and, in my opinion, unnecessary story line connected to Amy's past. I did not find it added anything to the overall plot or character development.
Overall, I think this novel is well-written and highly engaging. I am interested to see what Frey produces next.