A family drama about love, loss, separation, grief, adultery and murder. Cath and Jim are couple in their fifties, who lose their twin daughters, Rose through childhood death, and Emily who leaves home without an explanation, but after a devastating tragedy. Started well but became more slow moving in the middle as it progressed. Overall an interesting read. I was gifted an advance copy of this book by the author, publisher and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This is a story about average, everyday, normal people. In as much as anyone is average and normal. These people are harboring secrets, secrets that impact others, secrets that impact their own emotional happiness, and secrets that can destroy their lives.

The characters are well developed and the settings are described with eloquence. The narrative is somewhat slow moving, yet I was engrossed in what was taking place. Parts of the writing almost took on a philosophical slant, making you think.

<i>“…if she could turn the clock back – if she could start over – would she choose again the life she’s had, or pick a different one?”</i>

The title could refer to Emma’s twin sister Rose. Emma always felt as though Rose’s spirit was still with her – a sort of shadow. Or, alternatively it could refer to another aspect of the story which I won’t divulge as it might ruin the reading experience for you. I refuse to include spoilers in my reviews.

“The Shadow Child” is a novel about imperfect people, striving to cope with their lives the only way they know how – trying to cope with everything life throws at them. Their actions are portrayed with empathy and tenderness. The novel explores the themes of grief, loss, betrayal, hope, despair, and love. Mostly though, it tells of how we, as humans, thrive best when we are needed.

Whether you call it literary fiction or women’s fiction is up to you, but I know it is quality fiction and I will be seeking out more work by this author.

An interesting story of how 2 couples cope with different losses in their life
Cath and Jim's daughter Emma walked out a year ago with no further contact, Cath struggles to understand why she left and has cut them from her life.
They purchase a property and rent out to a young couple Nick and Lara. Cath finally feels she has a purpose but is she becoming too involved in their lifes. Lara also has her own secrets that she is keeping from Nick
A quick read family drama which I enjoyed

A slow burner which was more a family drama rather than a thriller. Ok read but not exceptional. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Thanks to Rachel and NetGalley for allowing me to read The Shadow Child before the publication date.

Cath and Jim had twin daughters, Rose and Emma. Rose failed to thrive, experiencing numerous health issues in her short life. Now Cath and Jim have lost 18 year old Emma, who left home a year earlier and beyond a couple of postcards, has not been heard of since. This has had an impact on their marriage, with each of them trying to deal with the situation in their own way.

When the couple renovate an investment property, they chose a young couple, Lara and Nick, as the tenants. Lara confides in Cath that her own parents are dead. Cath’s response is to try to change a business arrangement to a more personal one, looking for opportunities to visit and help Lara and Nick.
Whilst in reality she is trying to fill the gap in her own life, left by Emma, it also affects Lara and Nick’s relationship.

In the interim, Emma has sought shelter in a sanctuary in an attempt to escape from the trauma which she has experienced, following the death of a friend.

Can the relationships be resolved?
An enjoyable read which highlights the damage which secrets can have.

Not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps, stop/starts which really ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me.

Thank you for allowing me to read this new book. The story focuses on secrets and losses in life, and how they can impact on adult life. I found the story slow to engage me, it lacked momentum in the beginning. However as I was going to be writing this review I persevered to read it to the end. I was pleased that part 2 gained momentum and was happy to reach the outcomes in part 3. As a mother I felt concerned about the traumatic family break ups and how they happened and were dealt with and would be concerned if I ever lost touch with my children.
Would I recommend this book, yes but only if you are able to deal with the emotional issues raised.

A teenage daughter missing after a catastrophic fatality to a close friend. Her loving Parents, drowning in their own grief yet unable to speak in any depth of past tragedies. A young couple on the brink of a new life each carrying their own secrets and lies. A domestic abuse centre for women in trouble, all hiding a difficult past and current secrets. Split into several parts, each delves into the actions and tragedies of their lives, desperately seeking love, forgiveness or to resolve past mistakes. A gentle compelling story of the ups and downs of life, leaving no one unscathed. The plot line meanders a little midway, then picks up again towards an uplifting conclusion to give huge reward to the resilience and strength of human nature the ability to survive. Many thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

i enjoyed this book a lot, i love thrillers that include multiple POVS and have secrets within secrets much like this one. i also LOVED the fact the author included a safe haven for all women in need. the scene in the woods (if you read it you’ll know what i’m talking about) absolutely moved me, i was on the edge of tears to see women working together like that. the ending made me so so happy and i’m so grateful that there was a happy ending for everyone.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an arc of this book. It is a heartbreaking and emotional read with characters you can warm to.

One morning, eighteen year old Emma walks out on her home and parents. Apart from a postcard they don't hear from her again. Where and Why has she gone?
A year later they are still non the wiser and clinging on to the hope that she is still alive.
She is, and living not to far away. She needs to reconnect with them but is unsure of how to. Then Fate steps in and lends a hand but can they all be happy again or has to much happened to them all?

I really enjoyed this book. A year ago, 18 year old Emma left home and didn't return, leaving her parents, Cath and Jim devastated. They know she is safe as she sent them a postcard asking them not to look for her, but they wonder if she'll ever be a part of their lives again. What they don't know is that Emma is living not far away and struggling to come to terms with a tragic event that affected her more than her parents realised. This is quite a sad story, but I loved the characters and really wanted to know what happened to them, and I enjoyed the quality of the writing. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Such an emotional read. The author brilliantly weaves different people's stories, with many tear inducing moments along the way, to a satisfactory ending.

Free courtesy of Netgalley

This is a Story about Family, secrets, loss and heartache. Cath and Jim has twin daughters, their greatest joy but they have lost both of them, Rose died whilst she was a child and Emma has just disappeared from their lives at age 18 with no explanation, after a friend of hers was murdered by her ex boyfriend. The first third of the book tells the story from Cath and Jim's perspective, how they are coping and how the loss affects every day. The middle 3rd is from Emma's perspective and what happened, where she went and how her life is. The final third is all of them together. There are other side stories also in the book, Cath and Jim's Tennant's and the people around Emma. I loved this book, it was a joy to read and showed that even the best families can get it wrong. I would recommend this book.

Cath and Jim are the parents of twins, one born healthy and the other seriously disabled. Emma the healthy twin grow up with survivor's guilt and the feeling that she robbed her twin of a normal life while in the womb. One day, the teenage Emma leaves home without warning leaving her parents lost and confused.
This is a moving and touching story about love, loss, family bonds, guilt and reconciliation. The story is not as straightforward as one might expect and the resolution is satifying and unusual.

A wonderful exploration of female friendship and the difficulties young women face as they negotiate the path into motherhood.

The shadow child is a read about loss,grief and love. The pace is quite slow at times which I did find frustrating as I felt it could have been condensed somewhat, but over all an interesting concept that sensitively tackles difficult subjects such as miscarriage, abortion, murder, adultery, a missing child and child death, despite this it isn’t a dismal dreary read but one of redemption, positivity and the power of female relationships!
Based upon two very different couples Cath and her husband Jim are a middle aged couple who had twin girls sadly one Rose died in infancy and their other daughter Emma disappeared as a teenager both of them cope differently with this, Jim finds solace in the arms of another woman whilst Cath invests her love and time into their tenants Lara and Nick, making herself indispensable but this creates friction amongst the couple especially when secrets are shared exposing a complex relationship that has been hidden!
An interesting read that is thought provoking but not particularly dynamic
Thank you netgalley for this early read

This is a good book, but it took me quite a while to get through, which is unusual for me. (I normally gallop through them.) To be fair I've had a lot of other stuff going on, so it's probably not the fault of the book, which is a very well written story with engaging characters.

Emma lost her twin sister, Rose, in early childhood; now eighteen, Emma has chosen to walk away from her home and family after a traumatic experience, to the distress of her loving parents Cath and Jim. Then there's young couple Lara and Nick, guarding secrets which could just tear them apart.

A theme of motherhood and lost children runs through the book and the story is engaging if, perhaps, a little slow at times. I had expected a little more mystery, but this is much more family drama than mystery. An enjoyable and occasionally thought provoking read.

The shadows of so many lost children, a theme running through this family story is possibly milked a little too much. Having said that, family relationships and complications of life make for a gentle if a little insipid tale. The fragility of relationships in the character’s backgrounds will ring bells for readers, and there are unusually tragic things, always as part of the past, which make this story unusual. Perhaps this is why they hold such a muted impact, in that the truly shocking things are distanced and therefore less felt in the present.

I enjoyed the first part of this very much. Part two was a bit of a disappointment, as I felt the explanation of Emma's departure was rather underwhelming. Part three was a little frustrating and unbelievable, but it did redeem itself and I liked the ending. However, I've just read the description which talks about 'secrets of the past' What secrets? The secrets, such as they are, are in the present. Just as well I don't read the blurb until I've read the book! It was beautifully written though, so I'd give it 3.5 starts and round up to 4.

📚REVIEW📚

The shadow child
By Rachel Hancox

Jim and Cath are mourning the loss of not one but two children. With one lost as a young child and the other, vanished age 17 their lives have been put on hold.

Nick and Lara have just moved into their beautiful new house. The couple get friendly with their landlords, taking it in turns to host dinner parties. For the landlords it’s an escape, for Lara they’re parental figures that she no longer has.

As time goes on Jim and Cath believe they may never see their daughter again but as Jim drives through town he is certain he spots her. But is it her? Has she been this close to home the whole time?

From the synopsis and title, this book sounded like quite a thriller. As I read the book though I found I probably wouldn’t put it that genre. The book started quite slowly but as it reached the halfway point it started to move slightly faster. I definitely enjoyed the second half better. It is told from five different characters perspectives, four in part one and a fifth person in part two. which at times during the first half got a little confusing for me. I did get into the swing of it over time though.

It was a good story but I was expecting more twists and surprises.