Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This book gripped me from the first page. It was a real page turner and I read it in one night.

It is the first of this author's book that I have read and I will definitely recommend it for psychological thriller lovers. I will be sure to read the author's other books..

I received this book free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

the book really surprised me! this is a page-turning thriller to say the least. six year old daniel was stolen from his mother by his father. after six long years, he's returned to his mother, and the struggle of adjusting to life with each other again is clear.

you need to read this book!

The Boy in the Photo is an intense, page-turning thriller. I couldn’t put it down! What I love most is the surprising ending. I’d recommend this book to anyone; I love it!

Firstly thank you to Bookouture and Netgallery for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Megan is married to Greg and they have a son Daniel. Their marriage ends due to domestic violence and Daniel at the age of 6 is living with his mum. That is until one day Megan goes to collect Daniel from school and Greg has already collected him. Megan will not see her son again for 6 years and when he is returned to her he is a very changed young man.

I was gripped with this story from the beginning. The writer is able to convey the distress felt by Megan with such clarity that my heart was beating faster. The way the story is told from different points of view and the back and forth timeline adds to unsettling feeling one feels when reading. I’m fascinated by the nature v nurture element to the story and felt for Megan when the boy she lost is so very different to the boy that comes back, The ending totally blew me away!! I’m off to read more Nicole Trope books now!!!

The Boy in the Photo will tug at your heart strings when Daniel who had been abducted at age 6 is reunited with his Mom

Daniel is not the same boy, but how could he be ?

There is a sense of unease as Daniel struggles to adapt being back.

The book is told from the past, which slowly lets you understand Daniel and Megan, and from the present.

You think you have it figured out but do you ?

Enjoyable read that will keep you turning the pages.

Thanks to Bookouture and Net Galley for the opportunity to read The Boy in the Photo

A seriously heart wrenching book.
The sheer trauma and pain felt each and every day by Megan as she waits and waits for her son to be returned to her is vividly described and the guilt she feels as she moves on with her life, with a new husband, baby and a new home, is palpable.
Then he returns...in a strange inexplicable way with injuries that are not serious enough for what he has been through and with a terrifying attitude towards the new husband and baby.
Tension continues to rise in the household as Daniel tries to settle in to the family and his inner turmoil about wanting to accept and be loved by his mum despite his dads best efforts to alienate him is heartbreaking.

An excellent read that takes you forward from the desperate television appeals and constant news stories about abducted children, through the wastelands of the missing years and into the afterwards where nothing can be the same no matter how hard you try.

It was ok..To me it jumped around too much and was missing some things . This book had a lot of potential but there is too much repeating With some serious editing i feel it could actually be a five star review. Another thing that i didn't like was one min she would be at the table the next rolling over in bed. No going to and from. I was so confused i had to go back and reread . This happened over and over in the book without warning. At one point it says he is in six grade then another he is in his final year before highschool.

The worst thing that can happen to a mother is to have her child abducted and never know what happened to him or whether she'll ever see him again. That's the anguish Megan had to live with for six years after her six year old son, Daniel was abducted by her abusive, controlling ex-husband Greg. But now Daniel has been returned to her as a silent, hostile adolescent who has been filled with the hate and bitterness of his father and the lies he told him about his mother. With his father now dead and Megan re-married with a new baby, she is struggling to reconnect with her son and find the sweet little boy that she remembers.

This is such an emotional and heart-breaking story of a family struggling to hold it all together. Megan's new husband, the detective who was originally in charge of Daniel's case, is so understanding and compassionate in a situation that many men couldn't handle. Megan is having difficulty coping with her feelings and reactions, wanting to smother her son with love but knowing she has to stand back and give him space to deal with grieving for his father and just hope he will gradually come to trust them. Daniel is also struggling with his feelings as he comes to realise that he has had his childhood taken from him and a lot of what his father told him is twisted and untrue. The author really has painted a thoughtful and provocative picture of what it would be like to have your child returned to you, hostile and angry, after six years on the run with a controlling and antagonistic parent. And to top it all off, she has delivered an explosive ending that will blow your socks off. Highly recommended.

4.5 stars! This is the first book I’ve read by Nicole Trope, and I can’t wait to read more from her! It was a fantastic thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end, and I I really enjoyed that the story went back and forth from past to present. It definitely helped with the buildup of the story while keeping important details at bay until the time was right to bring them to light.

I really admired Megan for keeping it together after her ex-husband took Daniel. I think it’s every mother’s worst nightmare for a child to go missing, but for someone you once loved and trusted to betray you by taking your child, regardless of whether or not he’s the child’s father, is unforgivable. Six years have gone by, and while Megan is still grieving her missing son, she has since remarried and had another child. Daniel then shows up out of the blue at a police station, and Megan is elated to have her son back, but he isn’t the same boy she lost all those years ago. He’s hardened and bitter towards his mother, spurred on by lies his father fed him, but Megan is determined to find the same little boy beneath all those layers of hurt.

I was really surprised by how the book ended, and I’m glad I didn’t see it coming. It was a really creative spin on the story, and when everything was revealed, it all started to make sense and I could see how little details from previous chapters were finally pieced together. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and I highly recommend it!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2845919198

Absolutely brilliant - this one grabbed me and didn’t let me go. The characters were brilliant, believable and moving, the writing paced and perfect. Highly recommended.

The Boy In the Photo is an an amazing story I was totally hooked all the way through. When Megan's son is abducted he returns years later a totally different person and has obviously been through a lot of trauma.

A shocking story that makes you sit and think that having a child taken away is such a reality for so many people out there. A gripping story that had my full attention from page one. Another fantastic book from Nicole Trope

This book was an absolute- absolutely heartbreaking and absolutely beautiful. It stayed with me and even a day later I was just doing all the what ifs. GREAT JOB!

“Six years ago, he was stolen. Now, your little boy is back.” That is what is written on the cover of “The Boy in the Photo”, and that is what captured my attention and pulled me in. The story and plot itself, the characters and relationships, and the twists and turns are what kept me captivated and reading every chance I could. It was a fast and easy read, and truly was “an absolutely gripping and emotional page-turner”, just as promised and stated on the cover. Though I predicted some parts, it was still enticing and enjoyable. I haven’t read any other books by this author but was thrilled to see that she has another family psychological novel that I can read!

The Boy in the Photo is an emotional roller coaster that culminates in a surprisingly and equally emotional ending. With alternating timeliness in the past and present readers are introduced to Meghan, going about her day with her baby daughter Evie until her husband calls with news her son Daniel has been found alive while his father is dead in a fire. The action picks up as Meghan is reunited with her now 12 year-old-son who was taken from school by his father six years earlier. As the family tries to reunite and come to grips with Daniel's six year absence there are more questions than answers-just where was Daniel all this time? Who set the fire? Why is Daniel so reluctant to bond with Meghan? The unsettling answers are revealed over time proving that Meghan is still in danger. This can't-put-down domestic thriller by Nicole Trope needs to be added to your list this summer!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Megan's abusive ex-husband skipped town with their 6 year old son, Daniel.This was 6 years ago. In the meantime, Megan (Daniel's mother) has remarried and has a 6 month old baby, Evie. Megan has never forgotten Daniel - she thinks of him every day and has computer posts dedicated to him.

Since Megan's now-husband, Michael, is a police detective and is familiar with the case, he is the one who calls his wife to tell her that Daniel has been found. Seems as if Daniel walked into the closest police station, gave his name and told them there had been a fire.- then he clammed up.

Megan cannot wait to see him! This is when the suspense ramps up!

Excellent character development and a good plotline. I recommend this story as it has more to it than "the usual child abduction' type read. Teen through adult readers will enjoy!

Many Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a great read!

Absolutely riveting, I thought My Daughter's Secret was a fantastic read but this is one of my best reads this year.

I love the way this author writes, so talented and a brilliant page turner. A fantastic family drama, such easy reading which I found very hard to put down, full of suspense with twists and turns and I loved how the story moved to the different timelines and oh my word what an ending. This read is well worthy of 5+ stars and I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Well done Nicole, I look forward to your next masterpiece and my thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this first class book.

At first glance I thought this was just another “child gone missing” same old, same old book, but this plot was so much more. Interesting, with a new twist that is suspenseful to the very end.
Megan’s world collapses when Danny, her six year old is stolen by her ex- husband. Every day is a nightmare as she desperately searches for him. Six years later, Megan’s married to the lead detective on the case, they’re had a baby girl, and the call she waited for has come through. They’ve found her son Daniel. But nothing is the same.

Loved loved loved this book!

This author can write, and write she does. What an incredible story. Not a new theme, husband absconds with child, but told in a riveting way that will have you holding your breath until the shocking ending. I was glued to this book and couldn't go to sleep until I had finished it, And the next day I read it again, I'm checking to see if this author has written anything else. Hope so!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 ok stars

This book started really well and I was hooked. However at the point Daniel is found, it became a bit slow and drawn out.

I guessed the twist early on so maybe that spoiled it a bit.

The ending was a bit predictable and it was all wrapped up a bit too nicely.

Have read better by Nicole.