24.4.21

BLOG TOUR, BOOK REVIEW - My Little Girl by Shalini Boland

 


                                                                 BOOK DESCRIPTION

Your daughter is missing. Did someone close to you take her?

Seven-year-old Beatrice has gone missing. Her mother Claire’s whole world has been turned upside down in just one moment and she can’t stop shaking. She’s desperate to find her precious daughter, but nothing about the day she disappeared makes sense…

The mother-in-law: Jill was meant to be looking after Beatrice. She says she didn’t take her eyes off the little girl but her version of events doesn’t add up… Claire has never got on with her, so why should she trust her now?

The husband: He should have been with their only child. Instead, he changed the plans without telling Claire. She didn’t think there were any secrets between them, but maybe she was wrong?

The first wife: Laurel has always been jealous of Claire’s family. Has her husband’s ex-wife taken her daughter?

Which one of them is lying? And who really knows where Beatrice is?

From the million-copy bestselling author, this totally addictive psychological thriller will keep you guessing all the way to the final shocking twist. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us.

I would imagine that most parents at some time in their lives have experienced every parent's worst nightmare, the heart stopping moment when you are out somewhere and lose sight of one of your children. The overpowering emotions, fear, terror and panic as you frantically search from them, constantly calling their name. Then the immense feeling of relief when you find them again and wrap them in your arms, swearing never to let them out of your sight ever again. Now, imagine that you couldn't find your child, that they had just disappeared, vanished, gone, without a trace, no witnesses, no evidences, they were just simply....gone.

This gripping thriller is the story of the mysterious disappearance of seven year old Bethany whilst she was at the fair with her Grandmother Jill. When Bethany's mother Claire is informed that her beloved daughter has disappeared, she is understandably upset but also angry and confused because as far as she was concerned her husband, Bethany's father Oliver was supposed to have taken Bethany and her young friend to the fair. Oliver knew that Claire thought that Hill was too ditzy to take proper care of Bethany so why the hell had he gone against her wishes and broken his promise to take the girls himself? 

Claire and Jill start their individual searches for the missing, innocent little girl but where is she? who is the twisted, manipulative, puppet master behind the champaign against the family and what was the motives behind their actions?

The chapters alternated between the perspectives of Claire and Jill, two vivid, realistic female characters who found themselves trapped in a living nightmare, struggling to know who they could trust and being pushed to the emotional limit as the story unfolded. Although as a parent I felt a lot of sympathy for Claire, I can't say that I thought she was very likeable for a variety of reasons. I thought that Jill was a wonderful realistic blend of conflicting emotions, yes,she was a bit ditzy but then so am i, I think it's just part of getting older. She obviously loved her Grand daughter and I thought that the way Claire treated Jill and passed judgement on her was unfair but I could also full understand Claire's attitude towards her after Bethany disappeared. Jill didn't help herself by insisting in keeping in contact with her ex daughter in law Laurel who definitely didn't like Claire but we're her feelings so strong that she would be prepared to kidnap a innocent little girl just to cause trouble between Claire and Oliver? Life can often be difficult and relationships can be be tested by average everyday issues, I cannot imagine the strain that a missing child can put on a couple but I imagine that it would be immense and they would really need to be supportive of each other. Unfortunately Oliver's idea of supporting Claire appeared to consist of him disappearing for hours in end and getting drunk. Was he drinking to forget his feelings of guilt over his involvement in the disappearance of his daughter, simply just selfish, uncaring and insensitive or was there another sinister reason behind his behaviour?

I love Shalini Boland's psychological thrillers and My Little Girl was no exception, it is a incredibly well written page turner, a intense tale of secrets, lies, manipulation and deception that as always as me hooked in from the first page and glued to my kindle. The characters were vivid, realistic and relatable, there was numerous red herrings and a chilling concluding sting in the tale.Shalini Boland is very talented and one of my favourite author's. Worth all the stars and more and very very highly recommended.
                                                                         Author Bio:
Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and Jess their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer songwriter, but now she spends her days writing suspense thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).


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