When I saw that this book had a plethora of five-star ratings, I figured that it was either totally awesome, or something so mainstream and cliché that I wouldn’t care for it. In this case, the great ratings are warranted, as this was a fantastic book! There wasn’t too much cliché at all; it was pretty original.

Caryn was ten, her brother, Lloyd, six, when he disappeared while she was supposed to be watching him. He was never found, and after her parents turned their backs on her, and the small village in Wales turned their backs on her, she took classes to change her accent and moved to England. She studied, became a doctor, and went through years of therapy to remove the memories of her brother’s disappearance and events surrounding it.

Coming up on the 20-year anniversary of losing her brother, Caryn begins getting letters. Written in Welsh. Saying they know what happened to her brother. Saying it was time to come home. Unable to go on without knowing the truth, Caryn heads home. Not much has changed in the small town, the same familiar faces are all there … except her brother’s. Is he alive? Has he been writing the letters? Who is this person, and what closure could they give her about the past?

I won’t get into anything outside of the synopsis; the book is such a good read, you should go into it not knowing much about the details! It kept me engrossed the whole way through due to a ton of suspense, quite a mystery and some great flashbacks that were almost in coming-of-age territory. All of the characters were well-written, there was good imagery, and the ending! Oh my gosh, the ending!

I had just about every contingency in mind, so I did guess the ending, but only because I was guessing absolutely everything while reading this book. The finale was still shocking, and really fun to read. This doesn’t have the same feel as most books I rate with five stars, and I’m really giving it 4.5 rounded up, but this gets the ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me. This is quite a thriller, and while missing children thrillers can get formulaic, this one stands out.

(Thank you to Boldwood Books, Diane Saxon, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

Caryn Peeke has returned to the scene that has shaped her life for the past 20 years. 20 years ago, her 6 year old brother, Lloyd disappeared under her watch. Caryn is sent away and is blamed by the people in the town, as well as, her parents for Lloyd’s disappearance. Caryn returns as she is sent a note telling her to come home to get further information about Lloyd. When Caryn arrives to her hometown, she is met with hostility and the untimely death of her former teacher. Someone wants Caryn to leave and never come back. Someone is obviously threatened by her return and investigation into the disappearance of Lloyd. The end was quite a surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn’t put this book down. This was a very easy read, but with interesting characters and several plot twists, it kept me guessing up till the end.

I loved the way Caryn gives us glimpses into the past as fragments of memory start coming back to her.

I will fir sure be looking out for other books from this author.

First, I want to thank Diane Saxon, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

O.M.G!! If you are obsessed with psychological thrillers like Diane Saxon’s My Little Brother is one you must put on your list! WOW!! WOW!! WOW!! Diane will leave you wide eyed, jaw dropped, mind spinning and in disbelief at the secrets and revelations in this book! It is a book that won’t soon be forgotten after you turn the last page. Amazing job Diane!

My Little Brother is every parent’s worst nightmare come true! You trust your daughter to watch your son as they are out to play. However, he goes missing on her watch! My heart broke for his mother and the guilt that Caryn had is unimaginable!

Diane had me on so many occasions in this book nibbling on my nails and on the edge of my seat as this book is very suspenseful! I just had to know what happened to sweet LLoyd all these years later after he disappeared. However, nothing could prepare me for the shock of a lifetime that was about to come! I still have that creepy mental picture stuck in my brain!!

Within this book Diane brought awareness to many important topics that were relevant to the storyline. One of the issues was panic/anxiety attacks that unfortunately I know all too well about. So, I felt for the character going through them.

Diane let us get to know Lloyd a little better with flashbacks to the day in question.

One thing in the book that I thought was unique is she incorporated the Welsh language into the story. Don’t worry you don’t need to know Welsh to read this book. She translates the small parts she does use. My question was how did you pronounce the words that were being said in Welsh.

The graphics department did a fantastic job of capturing my attention with the cover they designed. Between the cover and My Little Brother I knew this was going to pull on my heart strings and thensome. Boy was I right!

Thank you to Rachel's Random Resources and Diane Saxon for having me on this blog tour. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a pretty good book despite its slower start. It picked up at around 60% of the way through and the ending was totally worth it.

I did find a lot of things predictable but there were a couple of things I wasn't expecting. The biggest shocks in this book aren't necessarily the 'who' but more of the 'why'. The 'why' is where author twists things around to get those surprises in.

Let's talk characters. There are a few dislikeable characters in here that are so well written they just anger me. Which I'm guessing they are supposed to, so mission accomplished! My heart totally went out to the main character. I was angry and upset for her and the things she dealt with.

Overall, it's a pretty good mystery. Trigger warnings for child death and abuse, so if don't want to read about those things maybe don't pick this up. However, if you are fine reading about those topics and you're looking for a dark mystery give this one a shot.

First of allthank you, Netgalley for Providing me with an ARC of this book in exchanged for an honest review.
This book had an interesting plot which is why I decided to read it. The story Follows Dr. Caryn Peeke's little brother mysteriously disappeared while under her care twenty years ago. As a result of that she was exiled from her home when she was just ten years old. Years after what happened, she received a letter that claims to know the truth about her brother. In order to find peace Caryn decided to return to her hometown.

I wasn't impressed with the overall outcome of the story

The mysterious letter sender turned out to be Suzanne Roberts a retired teacher from Caryn's old school. Unfortunately for the protagonist Ms. Roberts died before she got the chance to talk to her. In the end it was revealed that the real culprit for her brother's disappearance and her old teacher's mysterious death was her own father. Mr. Peeke accidentally killed his son because he caught him having sex with Miss Roberts.
He was threatened by his son that he will tell his mother what he saw and his father doesn't like the idea because it would destroy his marriage. Mr. Peeke tried to calm Lloyd, who is autistic instead of calming him, he killed his own son. He later revealed that the reason why he did not come forward was because he wasn't interested in having children so he probably used the opportunity to get rid of his children. In short, the problem happened because Mr. Peekes couldn't keep it in his pants.
In short, the problem happened because Mr. Peekes couldn't keep it in his pants. While his affair partner decided to come clean because she was dying. Sadly for Caryn's old teacher it caused her to die sooner than expected, she died at the hands of her lover.

Two siblings, both missing for twenty years turn up within one day of each other. One dead. One alive.

It was an ordinary school day, the day I lost my little brother. One moment he was on the roundabout and then he was gone. They all blamed me. I was in charge. Even though I was only ten years old. They sent me away. The hurt, the shame, the questions. The not knowing. I tried to move on. It's been nineteen years in exile and now somebody wants me back.

Caryn Peeke has returned to Wales twenty years after her six year old brother, Lloyd has disappeared. Because someone wanted her back. But who is it that wants to see her?

What a well written book this is. Just when you think you have it all worked out, along comes a red herring. I was pulled in from the first page. The pace is steady throughout. The story has a dual timeline - the past, when Lloyd disappeared and the events happening in the present day. This is an easy book to read and the characters were interesting. I liked how the story unfolded as fragments of Caryn's memory started coming back. Loved this book.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #DianeSaxon for my ARC of #MyLittleBrother in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read, I had a hard time putting it down! It held my interest from the very beginning.

My Little Brother is about 10 year old Caryn whose little brother Lloyd disappeared when she was supposed to be looking after him, instead of understanding her parents sent her away and haven’t seen her since. Jump forward twenty years and she’s now a Doctor and has moved on with her life, but when she receives an anonymous letter she heads back to the Welsh village to hopefully find out what happened to Lloyd.
As always Diane Saxon has written a great standalone novel with believable characters and I look forward to her next novel.

Caryn’s little brother went missing when Caryn was just 10 years old. She hasn’t been back to the small Welsh village since. But now, someone has started sending her anonymous notes hinting that they know his whereabouts. Almost 20 years to the day since she left, Caryn returns to piece together what happened that fateful day.

I couldn’t put this down. A very easy read, but with interesting characters and several plot twists, it kept me guessing up till the end. I loved the way Caryn gives us glimpses into the past as fragments of memory start coming back to her.

I will be looking out for other books from this author.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘My Little Brother’ by Diane Saxon in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

It’s nearly twenty years since Caryn’s little brother Lloyd disappeared and although she was only ten years old she was blamed for not watching him enough. Now, Caryn receives letters saying they know where her brother is and asking to meet and Caryn realises that to learn the truth she has to return to her childhood home in Moryd-oer despite her parents wanting nothing to do with her.

‘My Little Brother’ is one of those thrillers that has a gentle start but then before you realise it you’re completely involved and can’t stop reading. The story tells of when Lloyd disappears and the nearer we get to the present day the more Caryn’s memory returns until she knows exactly what happened to her brother and why. I like how the characters are described, especially Caryn and her best friend Dylan, the local policeman DC Alun Shore, and Caryn’s mam, who all come to life as the story unfolds, and together with the twists and turns make this is intriguing and captivating novel. But it isn’t until the final few chapters that there’s a final shocking twist that I found astounding and not at all what I’d been expecting. This is a very well-written and compelling thriller that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading and can wholeheartedly recommend.

I wasn't too sure what to expect from this author with a standalone book however she has nailed it! The story features Caryn whose little brother went missing 20 years ago and was never found, and is told in two timelines - from the day he disappeared and what was occurring in the present. It was a great tight plot and had me guessing throughout as to what had happened on that fateful day. As for the ending....read it and find out and I didn't guess it correctly.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

3.5 stars

A heartbreaking plot involving the disappearance of 6yr old Lloyd who disappeared while on his 10yr old sister's watch.

It's almost 20yrs later and somebody knows something, and they seemingly want Caryn to know too, so they entice her to return home after 2 decades to hopefully get answers about her brother's disappearance.

I enjoyed the plot and the characters were well fleshed out and described. I did feel that the book was a bit drawn out though, a lot of information is given, when a character is just preparing to bath, or they're driving. I could flick past so many pages and I felt like I missed nothing.

The last few chapters though, I was actually quite surprised at the plot twist and how the pace picked up. It was also really heartbreaking when this mystery was eventually solved.

A great read. When her little brother goes missing Caryn’s life changes forever. Twenty years on and some mysterious notes bring Caryn back to where it all began. Will she find out what happened that awful day. There are lots of twists and turns along the way before the mystery is resolved. If this is the genre you like I can recommend this book.

"It was an ordinary school day, the day I lost my little brother."

For almost twenty years, Caryn has lived with the blame of losing her little brother, although she was ten years old at the time. Her brother Lloyd was almost six years old and diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. A huge responsibility for an adult, but even more so for a child. She left him for a few minutes at the playground and returned to an empty area. When she returned to tell her parents what had happened, they banned her from their house. She lived with her grandmother never to return or hear from her parents again.

Now she is a doctor making it on her own and receives anonymous notes frightening her.
"Come home. It's time you learned the truth; I know where your brother is."
She returns home, but her parents do not accept her presence....and neither does the town. She will always be blamed by everyone for his disappearance.

The town's people are cruel and unforgiving. There is even a "Watcher", which is told from his/her POV. A lot of characters will play into the story without a clue who is to blame. This redirects you believing one character is guilty then it changes again. A shocking revelation will be made and a twist so gripping when the suspense is finally over. You still will not want to believe it. The flashbacks will come in bits to reveal her memory has been hiding important information all along.

This is also a story of loss and how a family could possibly cope especially when the fingers are pointed at one of your own. A sad reality and look at how a mob crowd can be dangerous and intimidating.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Great thriller story plotline. Keeps you engaged throughout.

Loved this book

Thanks for the arc

Decent read with a sound mystery. Caryn’s little brother disappears while in her care when she is only 10 years old. She leaves town and doesn’t come back for 20 years, when she starts receiving notes indicating that someone knows where he is.

The reader knows that Caryn is hiding something but we also get some chapters from an unknown narrator who is also hiding something. There was suspense in finding out what happened, though the inkling I had initially as to who the villain was ended up being right.

I do wish we had gotten to know more about Caryn in the last 20 years and overall I found it rather hard to believe that she didn’t try harder to get in touch with anyone at all from her childhood in all of that time, even after being initially rebuffed. I liked Caryn as a character but she didn’t seem like the type that would have just let those relationships go.

Overall, I liked the book and found it suspenseful and fast paced. I’d give it 3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I totally loved this new thriller by Diane Saxon! My first time reading her but definitely not my last! This book started out strong and just never let up. Great storyline and expert delivery. Lots of thrills and chills, big on the creep factor.
Highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely LOVED this book. It had me hooked from the first page and the jumping back to the past kept my interest racing.

5 stars and more

The premise of the book hooked me but I just could not get into the storyline. I am not sure where the disconnection happened but it just did not grab me as other books have. I powered through and made it to the end of the story but it just felt very meh. It wasn't a book I hated but also not one I particularly loved but more just one I got through. I don't want to slight the author as it was not the writing style but more the arc.