I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
This is the first book I have read by this author and it was a well written book with an interesting storyline which kept me intrigued with lots of twists and turns. But I was a bit disappointed as I felt the ending unravelled too quickly and felt rushed, which slightly ruined my enjoyment.
3.5 stars overall

This is the second book I've read by Shalini Boland and it's another good psychological story. I wouldn't really call it a thriller because I found parts of it to be a bit slow and also unrealistic. All that aside, the writing style and the characters make up for some of those issues and I enjoyed it overall.

This is not a standard kidnapper thriller, which I am grateful for. It's the story of a woman whose child is kidnapped, only to believe she's found her years later in the form of her new neighbor's daughter.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: Shalini Boland is an amazing author who creates gripping, unputdownable suspense novels with twists. I didn't see this one coming.

A quick, fast paced read that had me hooked from the beginning. Thanks to Shalini Boland and NetGalley for an ARC.

Another belter from Shalini Boland! This is the sort of story where, bam, you're straight into the dilemma and then you think on thing is happening only to find out, much later, that reality is something else entirely. Such a clever plot, pacey, emotive story-telling and a killer twist that left me reeling. Brilliant, just brilliant!

Rachel is out for a coffee with a friend and takes her eye off her 2 1/2 year old daughter, Holly for a moment while she's playing in a wendy house beside her in a shopping centre, and in the blink of an eye she disappears.

Fast forward 7 years and Rachel is in a very happy relationship with Matt, and mother of Jess and Charlie. Holly however is always on her mind. When a new family move into the area and Rachel sees their 10 year old daughter, Bella, she is in shock, this girl is the spitting image of her daughter Holly. Rachel is convinced it is her and she will go to any extreme to get her daughter back.

Told from the POV's of both Rachel and the lady who took Holly, we learn of the traumatic incident that takes place which is the catalyst for a person to do something as drastic as take another child, and the devastation in the aftermath of such an abduction.

I really enjoyed this book and raced through it. It grabs you from the outset and doesn't let up until the very end. There is a level of craziness that goes with having had a child taken from you that is difficult to understand but comes across really well.. It is very easy reading and short chapters which I love. It will take you through a whole range of emotions, from sympathy, empathy and heartbreak, and ultimately hope. The characters came across as entirely believable and the situation heartbreaking, however, there were a couple of parts that were slightly unrealistic, but that didn't mar my enjoyment of this thrilling and riveting story.

This book was excellent. The flow of the story was great and I didn’t want to put it down.
Rachel is grieving the loss of her daughter Holly who was stolen from a mall several years ago when she was a toddler, but has another daughter and son. When Kate, who has just moved to town, with her husband and 3 children, hits it off with Rachel and their kids all become fast friends. This all changes when Kate’s eldest daughter, Bella is at school pick up one day, and Rachel is convinced that this is her missing daughter. She is drawn to her immediately and feels this undeniable connection and will do anything to find out if it is truly her missing daughter. She becomes obsessed with Bella and ends up pushing her and her family away with her actions. Rachel will stop at nothing to get the proof she needs that will show that Bella
is her missing daughter Holly and she doesn’t care that she is the only one who believes it.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#theotherdaughter #shaliniboland #netgalley #bookstagram #bookreview what a wild and twisted ride this was. From the beginning to the end I could not stop reading this book. I was so enthralled with the characters and the story line. I didn't know what was coming next. Or who or sinister enemy was. You will cry and get angry and smile. It is a fascinating read and I can't wait to read more by this author. Do yourself a favor and be first in line on the 5th of November to get this book. I promise you won't regret the investment.

This, my 8th book review for this author ( the most reviews for any author since I started reviewing ) and can honestly say they have all been great but by the tiniest of margins......
This is my favourite!

Imagine your daughter, aged 2 and a half is taken whilst you have a coffee with a friend, you think she is safe a few feet away in the cafe playhouse
Imagine spending 9 years grieving for her
You start a new life, a new family and move to a new area but of course never really come to terms with what happened
Then imagine a new family move into the town....their eldest daughter stops you in your tracks when you see her
You are sure it’s your missing daughter, almost positive
What, seriously can you do?
And thats where I will leave the plot but tell you that the word ‘addictive’ in the blurb is 100% right as Rachel tries to prove the girl is hers, its tense, dramatic and emotive and there is a very very surprising ending and twist that had me reeling
I also have to tell you there is a dinner party conversation between both families where Rachel is asking searching questions that had me looking away unable to read for a few seconds as it was so real and so awkward, a real genius few pages that eventually I read 3 times and continued to think about throughout the whole book
A perfect psychological thriller, as always reader friendly, character driven and from page 1 throws you in and keeps you there
10/10
5 Stars

# The Other Daughter # Netgally
Phew I have been sat on the edge of my seat all through this book. I was total gripped from the first chapter. Oh my so Many twist they just keep coming, and coming I stayed awake all night to finish this book. Once you start it you will definitely not want to put it down Rachael. May live in Devon with their 2 children. Rachel meets Kate who had just moved their from !London. They seem I be getting on fine. When suddenly Rachael. Meets briefly their eldest daughter called Bella. The conversation stops in Rachel's head. She can't hear a thing although Kate is still talking. Those eyes so much like Hollys my missing caught who was taken from a shopping precinct. While she was having coffee with friends. She can not believe it. Yet she's knows Bella is Holly. Now she needs to prove it. She serves plan of action and tells Mat . However it's not a plan as such. She needs to find out. You will left with your jaw open for awhile at the shocking twist that found an not see coming wow wow wow. A MUST READ

A well written interesting plot. Here is the worst possible thing to happen to any parent the abduction of their child. Be prepared so some unexplainable goings on and for twists and turns that you did not predict to happen.

Keeping up with October’s thriller month in this page turning read thanks to netgalley and the publisher.
Its every parents worst nightmare come true in this crazy psychological thriller!! Child abduction and A twist you won’t see coming a mile away!

The Other Daughter by Shalini Boland

First Gripping Paragraph:

She’s inside a nightmare. She’s inside hell. And nothing will ever be the same again.

This is exactly why I obsessively read everything by this author. She captures my interest right from the start and keeps it until the very end. I read this book in a little over 4 hours which is a record for me but it’s a dreary rainy Sunday and it set the mood perfectly for this psychological thriller.
Rachel experiences the worst nightmare a mother can face; her 2 and half year-old daughter Holly is taken right from under her nose while Rachel is chatting with a friend. There’s no mystery on who exactly takes her because Ms. Boland clues us in right from the start that it’s Catriona. It’s what happens to Holly after that’s the real mystery.

Going from Then to Now, we find Rachel 7 years later with a new family and attempting to overcome the loss of Holly. Rachel meets Kate, a new parent in the area who has a daughter, Bella, that Rachel is sure is her Holly. Rachel will stop at nothing to get her daughter back despite who she hurts and how insanely she behaves.
The Other Daughter is written in chapters of Now and Then with Rachel narrating Now and Catriona narrating Then; this brought a unique view because it gives a little perspective on each character’s frame of mind at the time and somewhat rationales certain actions. Somewhat. This is truly a psychological thriller in the truest sense and there is a turning of the plot that seriously caught me by surprise. Shocked would be a better descriptive. Yes, shocked is how I’m feeling right now and I love when a book has the ability to do this!

The characters are intense and deeply flawed, I know I say this a lot but a flawed character, especially a deeply flawed one, is my favorite because the imperfect are so much more interesting to read. The plot, as I’ve said, is twisty and intriguing and made this book difficult to put down.

I think this is a must read for any fan of psychological thrillers, Shalini Boland, or, literally for anyone who enjoys a riveting book!

A big thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Shalini Boland for letting me read and review this title.

You must go out and buy this book today! I became so invested in this story and the missing little girl. On the edge of my seat until the very last page, I was completely blown away by the twists and turns in the story. I will be searching out other books by Shalini Boland because this one was even better than I had hoped! “The Other Daughter” is certain to be a best seller and keep you drawn in all the way to the end.

Well I absolutely loved this , not very often I get an omg , wow moment half way through a book . Great storyline, characters you love then hate . Shalili does it again with another great psychological thriller

Let me start by saying I like the thought process of the author and the idea of the theme of this book. There were a few spots for me that I struggled with and hard to believe moments. Plots twists are great as long as I don't see them coming .. I mean the ones that make you say "wow .. didn't see that coming" which there are a couple in here ..I really overall liked the book and will be reading more by this author.

Plot of the story ... Holly is a 2 year old child that goes missing from a busy play area in a mall while her mother is having coffee near by. She looks away a second and Holly goes missing. Enter nine years later and Rachel is sure she sees a child believing her to be her daughter and she will stop at nothing to prove it. She keeps trying to talk to Bella to prove to herself that Bella is Holly. The story is told by the woman that actually took Holly and honestly is a great thriller on the edge of your seat with what is going to happen next!!

Thank you NETGALLEY for my ARC copy of this book for my honest opinion and review.

I was blown away by this book. Shalini has written a heartbreaking, twisty thriller that surprised me. I've loved her other books but this one is my favorite. I never expected the things I thought I knew. A new twist at every turn. I can't wait to read her next one.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Don't think this is a simple story of child abduction. I can always rely on Shalini Boland to provide a fun ride and wow, that ending! Never saw that coming! Boland is always on my TBR.

Another exciting gripping psychological thriller by author Shalini Boland that I can highly recommend.
Rachel's two and half year old daughter Holly is abducted while Rachel is chatting to a friend at a local playground and is momentarily distracted. Holly is never found and nine years later Rachel is now living in Dorset still traumatised from losing her eldest daughter Holly but making a fresh start with her new partner. Her world is again thrown into turmoil again when Rachel meets a new school parent Kate and her teenage daughter Bella. Rachel cannot believe her eyes and is convinced Bella is her missing child.
This is an addictive read that maybe stretch your imagination at times but an entertaining read all the same.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

What starts as every parent’s worst nightmare - a young girl, Holly, is abducted from a play area while her mum Rachel had her back turned. We see glimpses into ‘then’ when you find out what happened next with the abductor and Holly (oblivious to what’s happened), and ‘now’ when Rachel is trying to live her new life with her new family following that awful day. But then a family moves to the area and their eldest daughter bears an uncanny resemblance to Holly. And thus begins a tense and fast paced ride as Rachel tries to uncover if Holly is her missing daughter. But along the way there are many twists to the tale and throughout I have to say I didn’t really sympathise much with Rachel, despite what she went through. Her actions seem ‘too much’. But how the story plays out is heartbreaking and I didn’t see that twist coming.

I was captivated from the first chapter. This truly is a “utterly gripping psychological thriller” and Shalini Boland has really outdone herself!

The book opens with a child abduction in a busy shopping mall play area. A parent’s worst fear. As the child’s mother sits close by, chatting with her friend, grateful to have some time out of the house to have some adult interaction, the abductor makes her move. The mother, grateful her daughter is happily content and occupied in the play yard, oblivious to the dangers. Never for a minute suspecting that something was amiss. Only, the events are told from the abductors point of view, not the mothers. Not only is the synopsis relatable, but it tugged at my feelings, as a mother, and I was sucked in.

The story told in a then and now format. The “then” follows the story of the abductor, while the “now” follows the story of Rachel, the mother whose child was taken from that mall playground years before. When a new family, the Morris’, moves to town, Rachels world is turned upside down. Bella Morris, the eldest daughter of the Morris family, is the spitting image of Rachels missing daughter, Holly. This causes an internal struggle in Rachel to prove that Bella Morris is the daughter that was taken from her all those years ago. While making questionable decisions, Rachel sets out to prove that Bella Morris is her missing daughter. While some of her actions seem crazy, it is hard to say what a person would do in a situation like this. Her actions may seem poorly thought out and almost spur of the moment. As the Morris’s retreat farther from her grasp, her intent obsession with them grows. Her pain, however, is visceral and real and portrays itself well to the reader. As she focuses all her attention on this family, her personal life suffers. Her children seem oblivious. Her partner, Matt, is supportive and understanding. He is a wonderfully written and necessary part of the story. He is a wonderful reprieve to the chaos surrounding Rachel.

Just when you think you have it all figured out, BAM. Your hit with a twist that is out of left field and totally unexpected. It ties the whole story together. There is nothing is left undesired and is one of the best endings I have had the pleasure of reading in a long time. The Other Daughter is well written, and well planned to line up the chain of events perfectly. Highly recommend