Happy Publication Day to Not Her Daughter by Rea Frey!
My Thoughts:
There is much to relate to in this book and much to think about…More than the typical suspense read.
Emma is five-years old living with her mother, Amy, who is uncaring and hateful towards her, as well as her unobservant father who has no idea what happens in his own home, and her younger brother who is preferred by Amy.
Sarah is successful at work and with owning her business, but she has dark secrets of her own difficult upbringing. Shockingly, Sarah is a kidnapper.
When Sarah notices Emma in the airport, she finds it hard to look away. Amy is in rare form picking at Emma at every turn, overcorrecting her, and physically hurting her. Haven’t we all witnessed something like this at one time or another? What would do you do, if anything? Sarah does not take Emma at the airport, but she cannot get the child off her mind…and when a second opportunity presents itself, she takes Emma and runs.
The structure of the narrative is between past and present with the voices of Sarah, Amy, and later, Emma. Being privy to the thoughts from all narrators added to the empathy I felt for each character. There was not one right or wrong answer for me. There were shades of gray, and adults who grew up in challenging environments finding it hard to choose a different path in life. It is easy to judge Amy. All her faults are splattered all around her for the world to see, but when you look deeper into the narrative, she is a person out-of-control who cannot seem to stop the way her life is spinning. And while Sarah may look like the more caring type, she, too, has scars and is imperfect, and hello- she abducted a child!
I appreciated the discussion we had in our group because thoughts arose around the ethics of what happened. Who was right? Who was wrong? What is best for Emma, and who decides that? Not Her Daughter is definitely a book you will want to discuss. And beyond that, Frey writes with precise intention. The narrative flows with tension building, and the story could not have been more original. A mass of kidnapping stories are out there, but Not Her Daughter turns a new page.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
If you are interested, Holly found this interview with the author illuminating why she wrote the book. I found it insightful.
Synopsis:
Emma Grace Townsend. Five years old. Gray eyes. Brown hair. Missing since June.
Emma Townsend 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. Abandoned by her mother. Kidnapper.
Sarah has never seen a girl so precious as the gray-eyed child in a crowded airport terminal—and 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 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 she’s gone without a trace.As Sarah and Emma avoid the nationwide hunt, they form an unshakeable bond. But her real mother is at home, waiting for her to return—and the longer the search for Emma continues, Amy is forced to question if she really wants her back.
Emotionally powerful 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.
Have you read Not Her Daughter, or do you plan to? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR
Kind of reminds me of Brigsby Bear with showing shades of gray of a kidnapping scenario—something you’d never expect to be anything other than black and white. Sounds interesting!
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It makes you question your morals the whole time you read it. It was also really tense because the kidnapper and child were on the run. What you said is so true!
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Excellent review! I like that this also evoked a thought provoking book discussion. I’m getting to this shortly.
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Thanks, Jonetta! So true about the discussion- not always expected with a suspense read. I am excited to hear what you think of it!
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Such a great group read – love your review!
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Thanks, Melisa! It was a total pleasure to discuss this one with you and the group! ♥️
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Seems like a good book which I need to read soon
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Shalini, this one would be right up your alley! 💗
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I agree. It is expensive on Amazon for me at the point. Once it goes down a bit. I will get it. Thanks Jennifer
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I loved your review. I added it to my list. Happy Tuesday!🌺♥️📚
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Thank you so much, Virginia! I hope you enjoy this one if you end up picking it up! I hope you’ve had a great Tuesday, too! 💗 🌸
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Such a wonderful review, Jennifer!!! You captured the right vs wrong discussion perfectly. I still can’t decide a week later!!! Loved reading this together 💕
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Aw, thank you, Mack, for the sweet comment! I agree about the right versus wrong. Absolutely loved reading this with you! 💗 xo
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It was certainly a good book for fostering discussions. Terrific review and I am glad you enjoyed it.
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Thanks, Marialyce! I hope you’ve had a great Tuesday!
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Sounds like a great book for a book club discussion! Fun reviews from your group… 💗 I def want to read this one too!
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Thanks, Lana! And thanks for checking out everyone’s reviews, too! 💗 Yeah, I am pretty sure you’d enjoy this one! If you read it, I’d love to discuss with you! Hope you’ve had a great day today!
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Loved the post. ❤❤❤❤
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Thank you, lovely Priyasha! 💗
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Yes, this book was amazing and love the review!
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Thanks, Holls! Loved reading this with you! 💕
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I’m reading this book right now and am just getting to the Amy chapters. Very good depth to the story!
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You are so right, Jill! I look forward to hearing what you think at the end!
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Awesome review Jen! It sounds like you all really liked it!😊💖 Have a great Tuesday my friend!😊💖
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Thanks, Sus! So much love for this book! I hope you’ve had a wonderful day today! I also hope you see this because I got four NG approvals today and two yesterday…I may have to do a NG haul post?! I had taken a break from requesting and …. ack! Don’t look over there! Nothing new! 👀 😂 💗 xo
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Where ya been all day? It’s been too quiet!! So you gonna tell me what you got? Do I have to beg?🤢🤢
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Work! 😞 You can’t wait for me to do a haul post?! 😂 Ok, I’ll check NG and be right back! 💕
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Oh my goodness, are you read for this?! It’s actually seven approvals from NG and I got The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock from EW. One sec and I will get the NG books posted!
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The Fallen Architect by Charles Belfoure, The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (the recent reviews really got to me!), The Woman in the Lake by Nicola Cormick (don’t look! 👀), Unmarriageable – Pride and Prejudice retelling that takes place in Pakistan!, The Favorite Daughter by Kaira Rouda, The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cormick (two by this author- this had a rave review by Stephanie’s Novel Fiction- don’t look! 👀) and Body Positiver Power which had a rave review from Bibliobeth! ♥️
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Wow wow wow!!! I think you should do the post on Saturday anyway!! Lol thank you for sharing!❤❤
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I’m kind of shocked. I think I requested them all late last week and they all came in at once after my “slow down.” You’re welcome, Sus! 💗
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Yes! Love this review, Jenni! So glad that you had a group of fellow leaders to discuss it with. I reached out to several friends after I finished to process all of my thoughts as well. This was a very good read that spurred a lot of discussion about ethics. You hit the nail on the head! Also, love that we are reading the same stuff again.
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Thank you so much, Sarah! I love yours, too! So much! I loved what you said about reaching out to the author too! And YES, I so love that we are reading the same books together again. I think we should share our upcoming reads with each other sometime! Our pickers are the same! 💗
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Jennifer fabulous review as always! And loved reading this with you!😘
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Thank you, Berit! I loved reading with you, too! ♥️
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Sounds good! I do remember seeing a man in a subway station once with two screaming children – a baby in his arms and a toddler who was yelling and pulling desperately trying to get away from him. I must admit I was frozen to the spot – what if he was abducting them? But what if I jumped in and he said they were his kids – what could I do? Fortunately, the mum appeared at that point, the kids calmed down and suddenly they were just a normal family again. But it was a scary couple of minutes… (Admittedly I didn’t consider kidnapping them… 😉 )
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Oh, wow, I could feel the tension from what you wrote. I would have wanted to do something, too, but luckily, I’m not a quick actor either! I’m glad you didn’t kidnap them from the almost-would-be-kidnapper-really-is-their-dad! 😂 😊 I’m still cracking up over your reads yesterday- can’t wait to see your comment back to me!
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AHH I don’t know which character I would root for either!! I’m immediately a bit more sympathetic to Sarah but that whole kidnapper bit does kind of put a wrench into things…
Also, I have a hard time getting a buddy read scheduling right with just one other person, so kudos to you all for managing it with 6 people!
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It was a tough one, Kathy! I felt more empathy for the mom than most. She had her own story to tell. Thanks for the kudos! We all tend to read a couple books at once, and I don’t know if that makes it easier or harder, but it’s really amazing that it can come together like that. 😊 ♥️
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Wonderful review Jennifer. This certainly sounds thought-provoking. I started reading the book this morning. Only a few chapters in and already judging the mom but really worried about Sarah’s too and her decision. Can’t wait to see how the story goes.
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Thank you, Diana! I was really hoping you would be reading this one because it fits well with your reads. I’ll be interested in how you feel as it goes along, especially about Amy. I hope you have a great read!
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Sounds like you had so much fun Jen! Brilliant review as always. 😘
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Thanks, Beth! It was a fun book to read and discuss together! 💗
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