Almost every graduating class had a girl who disappeared.

1949: It is the coldest winter Orcades Island has ever known, when a pregnant sixteen-year-old arrives at Fairmile, a home for "fallen women" run by the Catholic church. She and her baby will disappear before the snow melts.

2013: Frankie Gray has come to the island for the summer, hoping for one last shot at reconnecting with her teenage daughter, Izzy, before starting a new job as a deputy sheriff. They are staying with her mother, Diana at the Fairmile Inn, soon to be a boutique hotel, but when a Nun is found dead in suspicious circumstances, and then a tiny skeleton is found in the grounds of the house, Frankie is desperate for answers.

The story goes back and forth between 1949 and 2013. We have four generations of women - Bridgid - the great grandmother, Diana - the grandmother, Frankie - the mother and Izzy - the daughter. The story is told from two perspectives, Brigid in 1949 and Frankie in 2013. Both women have something in common - Fairmile. They both see the house with different opinions. I liked the authors writing style. The story is easy to follow and quick to read, but it can also be heartbreaking. The ending was good, but it didn't surprise me. Everything was neatly tied up at the end.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #OrionPublishingGroup and the author #KayteNunn for my ARC of #TheOnlyChild in exchange for an honest review.

Just an average read for me. More family drama and mystery than a thriller. Ok but not great. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

An atmospheric novel about mothers and daughters, with a murder mystery thrown in. Dual timelines can often go either way, but this was one book that made it work. Except for a few predictable twists, I enjoyed this one, and will look out for the author's other work.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

This was a very interesting read for me, it told a tale that from what we know of our past could quite easily have happened and mixed it in with events happening now.
The connections that wove the past and present events together made for an interesting thriller by showing us what had happened and many of the reasons why before revealing which of the possible suspects was the right one.
This book tackles some difficult subjects but does it in a way to educate and inform rather than to sensationalise. This makes me curious about the authors other books, I'm going to have to look into them too now!

A very enjoyable read. A slow hut compelling start, an excellent use of dual timelines and a satisfying and very well done conclusion. I was gripped the whole time.

A very enjoyable book. Even though it was a little slow at the beginning the story kept moving. I was a bit sceptical at first but then couldn't stop reading it. Although at it's core it was about mother and daughter relationships but it was far more than that. The prime thread was the treatment of unmarried mothers and their babies by nuns in the late forties and early fifties and the effect on their lives but the story included much more than this. Although there is a murder it is only one aspect of the story. It is impossible to categorise this book into any one genre, it must be read and enjoyed.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

I kept turning pages to find out what would happen next. Dark and compelling, a slow-motion collapse; I read it in 24 hours with my heart in my mouth. So good!

This was an interesting story that had me wanting to read more. I especially enjoyed the dual timeline throughout but I was very much invested more in Brigids story than I was Frankie’s.

Unfortunately there was just something about Frankie as a character that I didn’t like, I couldn’t get along with and the chemistry with her and others just wasn’t there. To be honest I think all the characters fell a little flat for me.

I was expecting a mystery/thriller along the lines of a who done it but I’m disappointed to say it was very predictable from early on. The writing definitely built up the suspense but when it came to the reveals I feel it just didn’t shock me as I would like a thriller to do.

I honestly wouldn’t say I disliked this book, I did enjoy reading it and the story, I just wouldn’t class it as a thriller/mystery. The main let down was the characters. I think I would’ve preferred if it was just Brigids story.

I did like the authors writing style and I think I will give her other books a go but this one just fell a little flat for me.

This was a really interesting read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I definitely didn’t see the end twist coming.

I didn't much like the narrative voice and found it hard to get into - was it a crime novel or a family drama? In the end it didn't fulfil either promise for me.

This was an incredible read that I couldn't put down, it was utterly compelling and the characters were so well developed and I took some of them to my heart. Parts of this book made me smile, parts had me reaching for the tissues. I loved it.

Set in Puget Sound, Washington State, The Only Child is about young mothers. The main character Frankie is returning to the USA to stay with her mother who is doing up Fairmile House as a guesthouse. This old house has a traumatic past. In the other timeline in the book, 1949, Fairmile house is run by nuns as a place where single pregnant girls go to give birth and their babies are adopted (more often than not unwillingly). Frankie’s grandmother is a resident at Pacifica gardens where an horrific murder of an ex-nun takes place. The book gradually brings the two stories together in a satisfying way.

This is really sad. I have read novels where girls are sent to give birth - Magdalene Laundries style - before but this had a new angle and a new fear to it. Set in dual time line we really get a sense of the horror that went on here and the fact it's on an island made it more scary in my mind.

Sad story that is inspired no doubt on fact. Gripping to read and the author has done a very good job balancing the story and the real horror of the events.

Intriguing read. Really enjoyed it.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

Absolutely superb. The story itself pulls you right in, gripping you from the very first page and keeping tight hold of you all the way through until the very end. Beautifully written and the way in which we travel between the two points in time within the story flow so nicely. This is the second book by Kayte Nunn that I have read, with both being equally mesmerising. I cannot wait to read more by this wonderful author.

I am a great fan of Kayte Nunn and this book didn't disappoint.

A crime committed, a mystery from 1949, a case that was never solved.
But in 2013 Frankie Gray takes her daughter to visit her mother before starting a new job. The location is a small island where they are staying at Fairmill Inn and this is when things start happening.

Another death, bones are found and maybe a mystery from the past is about to get solved. But I won't tell you any more as I don't want to give anything away! But I can say I love the story, the pace works well and the characters are well written and well thought out.

This is a well written book, an historical fiction in a bit of a dual timeline format it really brings to light how certain people were treated in the past and how it can still affect the future. It is a mystery, thriller and is historical. It brings to life the past and interchanges it with the present, It is easy to follow and is a book I just couldn't put down.

Well done Kayte Nunn. Another fantastic book.

This is a book told in two time frames, joining the stories in the concluding chapters. As usual I will not be writing further synopsis as I believe that the professionals do a better job.
Overall, it is a pleasant, if sometimes sad read. I enjoyed it but it missed the mark of being excellent as I felt the characters were not fully developed. It was difficult to get to know Diana or even Izzy and sadly Frankie annoyed me much of the time with her inconsistencies.
Once again, I found the title somewhat lame and over used for the content. I'm sure someone could come up with a more enticing title.

The Only Child by Kayte Nunn is another riveting read.
The publisher’s blurb is an excellent as it sets the scene of the story told in two time periods.
“1949 It is the coldest winter Orcades island has ever known, when a pregnant sixteen-year-old arrives at Fairmile, a home for ‘fallen women; run by the Catholic Church. She and he baby will disappear before the snow melts.
2013 Frankie Gray has come to the island for the summer, hoping for one last shot at reconnecting with her teenage daughter, Izzy, before starting a job as a deputy sheriff. They are staying with her mother, Diana, at The Fairmile Inn, soon to be a boutique hotel, but when an elderly nun is found dead is suspicious circumstances and then a tiny skeleton is discovered in the grounds of the house, Frankie is desperate for answers.”

The story flows quickly as the mystery slowly unravels. Wonderful character development and an intriguing, though at times horrific, story in its revelations of the forties and fifties where the shame of unwed pregnancies lead to institutions like the Catholic Church ‘dealing’ with the girls and their babies. The historical aspect is very detailed and eye-opening for the reader. The current period of 2013 is also great as the main character Frankie puzzles out the mysteries of the past and along with her mother Diana and grandmother Izzy look to building a positive future.

Highly recommended read.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from Orion Publishing Group via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheOnlyChild #NetGalley

When Frankie relocates to Puget Sounds from Sydney, to escape a career in ruins, she also hopes that she will reconnect with her teenage daughter, Izzy, who has been living with her Dad. She arrives just as the body of a nun has been found at the retirement home called Pacifica Gardens, where Frankie’s grandmother lives. Although Frankie hasn’t officially started work there yet she can’t help looking into the circumstances of the death and the more she digs the more she finds that the nuns past and her own are connected. Frankie’s mum has bought a home called Fairmile with plans to turn it into boutique lodging. Fairmile used to be a home for unwed mothers and it is soon obvious that Ingrid, Frankie’s grandmother was an unwed mother there herself in 1950.
The story is told in 2 time lines and from different points of view. 1950 and 2013. It’s a great story although wandered into Mills and Boon territory on a few occasions. Although all the links to past and present are easy to work out it still kept you turning the page.

#TheOnlyChild #NetGalley

In 1949 a teenage girl falls pregnant by an older man. Instead of bringing shame to her family she is sent to Fairmile a Catholic home for unwed mothers on Orcades island in Puget sound. The home is run by nuns, who treat the girls cruelly, penance they say for their sins. When the babies are born, they are taken away supposedly to be adopted by loving families needing a child. This is the only choice that the girls are given.
It's 2013 Frankie has come to live on Orcades island after leaving her job as a Police detective after an incident. She decides she needs to be close to her mother and grandmother that live on the island. Her grand mother lives in a nursing home with dementia and has periods of lucidity. Her mother has brought the run-down building of Fairmile and wants to restore it to its former glory and turn it into a hotel. Her daughter is also coming to visit her after years apart from the split of her marriage.
When another one of the residents at the nursing home that her grandmother resides is found dead. Frankie takes it on herself to investigate with the help of the local sheriff. Why was she killed and what links does she have with Fairmile?
Thank you, Orion, for a copy of The Only child by Kayte Nunn is part Historical Fiction part thriller. Set in dual times in 1949 and 2013. This is the first book from the author that I have read, and I will make sure I will check out her other books that she has written. I especially like the tale of Brigid. After being shunned by her family sent to a home for unwed mothers. Were girls are being punished for getting in the family way. The tough times that the girls had to go through. They were forced into some heavy work whilst pregnant and how quickly how they had to grow up when they had to face up to the choices of their futures regarding their babies. It is a harrowing tale. This is also a intriguing thriller, with great characters. 5 stars from me.