Happy Sunday all!
Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! This was a slow burn tense thriller about parents living through all parents worst nightmare.
My Thoughts
Ava and Matt are living every parent’s worst nightmare. You run upstairs to grab your phone before you leave the house. You know your child is safe because they’re buckled in their stroller and they can’t undo the latch. You take a minute to fold some sheets and scroll through Facebook- you finally have a minute to yourself and the baby is being quiet. And then… you go back downstairs and there is no baby in the stroller- and even worse… the door is wide open. Where is your baby? She couldn’t have gone far, could she have? Terrifying right? That is what happens to Ava, her daughter Abi is nowhere to be found. The story begins with Ava and her husband Matt frantically searching for their toddler Abi. Then the story jumps forward a year. Ava cannot let go of the guilt. How could she have left her little girl alone? How could she have not close the door? Why did she need to scroll through her phone? There was no body, there were no answers, there was no closure. Matt has finally talked Ava into going to the neighbors housewarming party and while there Ava overhears something that will change everything.
This was a slow burning emotional character driven thriller. This couples grief and guilt was dripping off the pages. The tension in the story was understated and the twists were quiet. I knew the truth was going to be sinister… but as things began to be revealed it was so much worse than I had anticipated. This was truly a heartbreaking tale about the lengths we go to protect ourselves and in doing so we hurt others.
This book in emojis 💔 🦥 🏡
*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
About the Book
Everyone is going to the housewarming party.
All the same people who lived on the street the day Abi vanished…
Will her mother finally learn the truth?
Ava only left her daughter in the pushchair for five minutes. The buckle was fastened, and she was sure it was safe. But when she came downstairs, the door was open and Abi was gone – she walked down the road, past the Lovegoods’ house, and was never seen again.
A year later, the Lovegoods are planning their long-anticipated housewarming party. Ava doesn’t want to go. She can’t bear to look down that end of the road, to see the place where Abi vanished, and she doesn’t want to spend time with people who don’t share her grief. Her husband Matt persuades her: he’s worried about her. A night out might do her good.
But as her friends and neighbours chat, and the drink and gossip flows, Ava learns something new about the day she has re-lived a thousand times. A throwaway comment which could change everything.
Ava thought she knew every last detail of that day.
She’s about to find out she was wrong…
Brilliantly dark and moving suspense fiction for fans of Gillian Flynn, Claire McGowan and Lisa Jewell, The Housewarming will have your pulse racing and your heart in your mouth from start to finish.
Author Bio:
Former BBC Producer, S.E. Lynes is the Amazon best selling author of ‘intelligent and haunting’, ‘beautifully written’ psychological thrillers, VALENTINA, MOTHER, THE PACT, THE PROPOSAL, THE WOMEN, THE LIES WE HIDE, CAN YOU SEE HER? and her latest novel, THE HOUSEWARMING, available for pre-order NOW.
After completing her MA, Lynes taught creative writing at Richmond Adult Community College for over ten years. She now combines writing, mentoring and lecturing.
She has also published three children’s books in Italy: IL LEOPARDO LAMPO, LA COCCODRILLA INGAMBA, and the bilingual LA SCIMMIA SPIRITOSA/THE FUNNY MONKEY, all available at Amazon.it
Author Social Media Links:
Facebook: S E Lynes Author
Twitter: @SELynesAuthor
Instagram: @S E Lynes Author
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