The Day She Vanished – ARC Book Review

Clutching my husband’s hand, I screech with delight as the rollercoaster loops through the air. I feel young and free for the first time in years, but as we roll to a stop and I look for our three beloved children in the crowd, I panic. I can only see two. Where is my daughter?

Today was meant to be special. A final fun family day out before five-year-old Summer joins her big siblings at school. But in an instant, we’re plunged into a nightmare. We scream her name as we frantically search the amusement park for a glimpse of her flaming red hair.

When the police ask about strangers, grudges and enemies, I have no answers, just questions. Why did I think I could leave my children alone, even for a minute? What kind of mother am I?

I feel in my heart that Summer is out there somewhere. But as I obsess about finding her, my family is falling apart. My eldest daughter Merritt is withdrawn. My son Gus is angry. And after seventeen years of marriage, my husband has never felt more like a stranger. Where does he go when he says he’s working late? Who is he constantly messaging?

I must fight to hold my family together, but I’m terrified Summer’s disappearance will destroy us all. Will I ever forgive myself for letting her out of my sight? Will I ever hold her tiny hand in mine again?

A completely gripping and emotional page-turner about every parent’s darkest fear. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Jojo Moyes and Kate Hewitt.

This is an emotional and heartbreaking tale of a family, who deals with the loss of a child, when their child was abducted on one summer day.

Greta and her family had gone to the amusement park to have the summer fun. While Greta and her husband Wade went to have fun, leaving Merrit their oldest daughter to look after the two children Gus and Summer. When they return back, they realized that Summer is gone but Merrit and Gus was there. Then comes the search for Summer, the trauma that it caused and Greta’s determination to get her daughter safely back home.

This book was well written and it was actually emotionally read. The whole story is told in Greta’s POV and Greta is dealing with guilt, as well as her deteriorating relationship with her family, including her husband and her two children–she started having straining relationship with all three of them. Greta is determined to know what happened to her daughter and at the same time she was determined to find out who was reponsible for kidnapping her daughter. The writing was great and throughout the story, you could actually feel Greta’s pain and anger ad guilt, which makes the book actually really great to read. The ending was actually a happily ever after ending.

Overall, if you are fans of Jodi Picoult, then check this book out, as it talks about child abduction and the trauma and emotions the family is going through after the abduction. Worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.