I loved Clare Empson's first novel 'Him' so just knew I had to read this one! It did not disappoint.

If I had to sum this up in one word it would be 'powerful'.

I dont think I've ever read a book like it. A really unique novel that literally goes through every emotion know to man (& woman). Traumatic, meaningful, scary, raw, anger, happiness... it has them all.

Packed to the brim with suspense, even though I pretty much guessed the plot line the delivery of it was exceptional.

I found myself completely submerged in the characters and Clare Empson has written them amazingly well, you can picture them so clearly.

Written from the POV of the adopted son & biological mother it flits between the past and present so smoothly you dont even notice.

A fantastic story that explores the lasting impact of adoption on all involved.

Biggest thanks to netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for the ARC.

Suspense filled book that has you turning the pages.
Even though I guessed the plot-line I love this story it kept me intrigued and entranced. I found myself submersed by the characters. I could feel the emotions from each character flowing off the page.
I fully admit I laughed, got angry and cried. The story flows from the past to the present with an ease that not many authors can do.
I loved this book it had everything you could need. Laughter, tears, suspense and so much more. I also enjoy the small sections before Luke’s story that informs you on small fact that the author has worked into the chapter.
I love this book and it will be staying on my kindle so I can enjoy it again.
Thank you to Netgalley/Clare Empson/Orion Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was a well written and interesting book with good characters which I enjoyed. In my opinion it wasn't an edge of seater for me but did hold my interest throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Absolutely fantastic couldn’t put it down loved all the twists and turns that you don’t see comeing I also loved the way it went backwards and forwards to the past and present and the ending was such a twist perfect ending

Although I have some criticisms of this book I firstly want to say that I really enjoyed reading it. The characters were very well formed and easy to imagine in every way. The theme was embellished and created from Luke, who was adopted as a baby, looking for his real mother. That mother was Alice and throughout the book we are taken on a dual ride of the younger Alice and Jacob and Alice in real time who becomes Luke and Hannah's childminder for their baby Samuel. Jacob reminded me of a less jovial Noel Fielding.
must admit, by the time I got about a quarter way through I did wonder if I should give up as nothing really seemed to happen but how wrong I was, after that everything happened and I couldn't put it down. The chapters with the younger Alice and Jacob were far too long, in my opinion, and sadly I did end up scanning some of them where descriptions became tiresome. I could relate to present day Alice but not so much to young Alice, they often seemed to be completely separate people. The end was unexpected but dealt with quite quickly, I felt that this could have been extended out or changed. We weren't party to a full description of what was going through Alice's mind at it's conclusion. I would definitely read other books by this author.

I voluntarily read this ARC for an honest review - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

A great book

Well written, great characters - brilliant storytelling, full of tension and twists

A great read

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. This book sounded really good by the description, but I felt it was very predictable until the last page.

WHAT A BOOK

HIM made me love this author.

The blurb for MINE had me desperate to read Clare's latest novel.

And ...

It didn't disappoint.

A psychological thriller filled with emotion, tension, if, buts and maybes.

Written from 2 POV, mother and son. It is clever and creepy. A sort of cautionary tale.

I read this in a single sitting, unable to put the book down.

This is going to be a must of read of 2020!

This book had an intriguing premise but was disappointing as a whole. I was particularly disturbed by the somewhat negative attitude to adoption (terminology like "real" mother/father/parents) and also the way Alice and Jack's obsessive relationship was signposted as the ultimate love.

It also wasn't the thriller I was expecting -- not a problem for me, because the writing was decent. The dual timelines worked too, though Alice's backstory was predictable, which killed the suspense.

I adored HIM and its intricate, moving plot. Empson's writing is so detailed and emotive, you become so attached to her characters that they remain in your head for some time.

Empson's writing is still golden in this novel, but for me, the plot didn't quite work. Although there are some thriller elements in it - especially in the second half, I felt the pacing was a bit off and it was a bit too ... intense for me. I think it's more that this book wasn't for me, rather than it being badly written - as I know lots of people who loved it. I think I felt it was too emotional and dragged me down too much.

Clare Empson’s second novel drew me in immediately and didn’t let go.

Luke, adopted as a baby - and spurred on by the birth of his own son - meets his birth mother, Alice, for the first time. The meeting goes well, but the damage wrought by their early separation runs deeper than anyone could suspect.

Luke, Hannah and baby Samuel are a lovely little family and I really didn’t want things to go wrong for them, but they were obviously going to, or there wouldn’t be a story.

We move between Luke’s narrative in the “present” (actually 2000) and Alice’s past life as an art student at the Slade in the ‘70s, when she meets and falls in love with Jacob, a beautiful but damaged young musician who draws comparisons to both Bowie and Jagger. Both Alice and Jake have survived traumatic childhoods and their bond is immediate and heartfelt.

It’s more an exploration of loss and grief, and the lasting impacts of adoption on both birth parent and child. A very well written, thought provoking story which is genuinely gripping.

Wow! This is an absolutely brilliant book and one that I’ll be telling all my friends about.
Luke meets up with his biological mother, Alice, and instantly forms a connection with her. His wife also loves her so when they discuss who will look after their baby when Hannah goes back to work, Alice jumps at the chance.
She is the perfect choice as Samuel loves her too and all seems to go well.
Luke’s adoptive mother is more traditional and they’ve drifted apart lately so he struggles with telling her that he’s made contact with Alice.
As Luke wants to get to know more about Alice, she seems to want to spend less time with him but more and more time with the baby.
Luke begins to worry but Hannah can’t see the problem until Luke makes a shocking discovery.
I’ll leave it there, as I don’t want to spoil this fantastic story as there is so much more to it.
I loved this book and my heart is still racing from that ending.
Thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book was not was I was expecting, I thought I had an idea of what the plot was going to be after reading the blurb but I was totally wrong and so glad to be!
The poignancy of the adoption storyline was so powerful and I found it really moving as well as suspenseful and compelling. The dual storyline added extra depth.
Clare Empson is getting better with every new book so I'm looking forward to the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

A good story, dealing with an emotional issue that I am sure will touch a lot of people. This is something you could imagine happening and you can feel immense sympathy for all involved. Well written, and keeps you interested right up to the end.

This book is powerful! It is gripping throughout and the alternation between part and present works beautifully, keeping you hooked and showing how intertwined the stories are.

Adoption is often thought of as a positive experience but this book looks at the reality, the heartbreak adoption can cause for the child, the birth family and the adoptive family.

The story of Alice and Luke is made harder by the mental health issues that often seem to come with creative genius.

The characters in this book are so vivid and real that you cannot help but be drawn into their world. The emotions are raw and somehow everyone’s perspective is valid and equally well written.

A heartbreaking but beautiful read.

I absolutely loved this book. Going backwards and forwards from the 70s/80s to now, we get two stories - Luke (the adoptee) and Alice (the mother) before and after Luke's birth.

They eventually meet up when Luke is older, he is now happily married to Hannah and they have a new baby Samuel. At the outset, Luke and Alice get on amazingly well even though Luke knows very little about his earlier years and Alice is not giving him much information. Luke introduces Alice to her newborn Samuel whom Alice takes to immediately, so much so that they ask her to look after him while himself and his wife Hannah are at work. Seems like a fantastic arrangement...

Loved the writing, the descrptions and the story througout. A fantastic moving storlying touching on family, adoption, mental health and how your upbringing can affect you in later life. With a few twists thrown in to keep things exciting. Have the tissues at the ready!!

I’ve never mourned a character from a book before, but I felt so sad with the end of the book. It was beautifully written, and never a boring moment. I was entranced right until the end. Fantastic book and will be recommending to friends.

Although I wouldn’t have said this is a psycho thriller, I absolutely loved this book! I thought the storyline was very powerful and although the ending was a little predictable I thought there was just the right amount of suspense to keep you reading. Highly recommended.

Luke was adopted when he was just a few weeks old. Now a new father himself, he is keen to build a relationship with his birth mother, Alice. With his wife, Hannah, due to return to work, the couple are looking for an au pair to take care of their baby son, Samuel. When a friend suggests they ask Alice, it seems they've found the perfect solution.

But Luke isn't prepared for how he's going to feel when Alice starts bonding with his son. As he struggles to control his jealousy, he also begins to realise that he doesn't really know anything about Alice at all. As Luke's emotional state deteriorates, he starts to question not only whether he can trust his birth mother, but also whether he can trust himself...

This book is absolutely not what I was expecting. From the cover and the description, I was expecting a psychological thriller in a domestic setting. THIS BOOK IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. It has elements of domestic thriller, more than that, it's a beautifully written and tightly plotted novel with themes of love, family, redemption, grief, and mental health. It's a split narrative, which I love, with one part of the story following Alice in her youth, leading up to the point where she gives Luke away for adoption, and the other in the present, with Alice and Luke struggling to form a meaningful connection.

I loved the characters, and the author wrote them so brilliantly - as a reader, I really felt for them, and invested in them, and I think it takes such a deft touch to write sympathetic characters. The character of Alice, for example, was particularly complex - in the sections set in the present, it would be easy to find her an unlikeable character: she's quite closed off, we're not sure what her intentions are, and she doesn't seem all that interested in the son she gave up for adoption. But when you marry that character with the Alice from the past, she becomes heartbreakingly real and flawed, and you develop a real understanding and sympathy for her.

There are some big themes and issues in this novel, all of which are dealt with masterfully and sensitively. No spoilers, but I will say that you might need the tissues for this one. By the end,I was feeling all of the feelings! It takes a brilliant writer to sweep you along the way I was swept along when reading this book. I felt raw and broken in places, but it wasn't a bleak book - I was left with a feeling of hope in the end, even as I was weeping into my pillow.

I loved Clare Empson's first book, "Him", so I was really looking forward to her second novel, but was worried I might be disappointed in it, that it couldn't live up to the first one.

Guys: it was better. Read it, read it, read it. One of my books of the year, without a doubt.

Thank you to NetGalley, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Told in alternating flashbacks between the present and the seventies this story traces the development of the relationship of Luke, Alice and Luke’s son. Alice gave Luke up for adoption as a student. The characters are sympathetically drawn and the short chapters pacy and well written. It is not a conventional thriller but nevertheless makes for compelling reading. I quickly became involved and really enjoyed this book.