Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for an early copy of The Son. That was one of the most disturbing books I have ever read. I had no idea this was what it was about. Human trafficking is a horrible topic to read about it and I’m so sad it took me so long to figure out in this book. I am glad how it ended but it was very brutal and sad to read.

Wow! So this book took me on one heck of a thrill ride. From the beginning, I could tell that Beth couldn’t trust anyone around her. I was 100% expecting Drew to be a crooked cop but thankful he wasn’t! I did not expect Jaime to be part of the whole scheme. He seemed so genuine! I was bothered by how rude and disrespectful Beth’s son was to her but in the end, it all made sense. I believe this book showed how far we’ll go as parents to protect our kids. I think the storyline was fantastic. Some parts were slow moving but good nonetheless.

Thank you NetGalley & Storm Publishing for the ARC!

Beth and Drew are newly married. She is a Samaritan worker in the local prison and he is a police officer. Joe, Beth’s 17 year old son, has recently become moody and secretive. After a late night phone call from a frantic unknown woman, Beth’s life as she knows it suddenly turns upside down…
I was definitely drawn to the synopsis of this book and was very keen to read it. However, after a slow start and several unbelievable events, I found myself disappointed by the storyline. It had a few surprises and twists but I felt it could have been better. Others may disagree and I hope they do, it just wasn’t for me.
With thanks to Netgallery and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

The Son
by Elena Wilkes
Pub Date: 27 Sep 2023

"The Son" started out a bit slow but when it picked up it really picked up! It had a rapid pace, A lot of unexpected twists and turns, a lot of surprises and a great plot!

I felt the characters were well described and each had their individual stories. It was easy to follow each character's individual journey.

All in all a very enjoyable read. I highly recommend this 5 star book!

Many thanks to #TheSon, #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

Slow to start, and written slightly juvenile.
The plot has promise, but it fell flat for me.
Will try again at a later date.

Beth, recently married to Drew, has a 17 year old son she’s having issues with. Hesitant to let Drew help with the situation, skeletons come creeping out of the closet. A woman calling, being told that Drew is a bad man. Who can or will she trust?

I enjoyed this slow burn thriller packed to the brim with suspense and unreliable narrators that only adds to the fun of it all. I do feel some of the story wasn’t nearly so believable and far fetched but the story itself flowed naturally.

There was a lot going on, without anything going on if that makes sense. I absolutely do feel like the ending could have been tied up better, in a cleaner way that it did. This book is a darker read with dark subjects — check triggers!

Overall, a good entertaining read but I do feel like it missed the mark a little.

A great idea for a plot and whilst
This didn’t really take of for me the writing
is well thought out and enjoyable.
There were twists and enough to keep me
Reading.

In this story we follow Beth, a Samaritan worker and Drew, a police officer who are newly weds. Everything is sunshine and rainbows apart from Beth's 17 year old son Joe. Like a teenager he is rebelling against his mother and being disrespectful. Luckily Beth has Drew, who is willing to step up in his role as a stepfather. But soon it turns out that her new husband and her son aren't being truthfull.

This book is dark and slow.... and I think this is the main reason it didn't really grab me. It is also a bith predictable. Not plot twists and the reader is always well aware of what is going on.

Good, but not a captivating read.

The Son
Elena Wilkes
Beth and Drew are newlyweds. Joe is Beth’s 17-year-old son; his attitude is atrocious. He and his mother had a strong relationship, but he changed. Joe is rude to his mother, lives on his phone and is sneaky acting. Drew, a police officer, tries to convince Beth it is all a part of growing up. Joe and Drew seem to be growing closer which makes Beth happy and yet sad for she misses the relationship she had with Joe. Neither of her men are being honest with her. Beth is a Samaritan worker in a prison, she works with prisoners that are suicidal. She is naïve. A phone call from a stranger telling her Drew is not who or what she thinks he is leads her to suspect Drew and Joe are not being honest with her.
This book is a bit frightening. The plot is both disturbing and intimidating. It deals with child abuse, sex trafficking, abduction, force, violence. Beth is a very naïve character; she doesn’t want to believe anything bad about her son. I get that, no one wants to believe bad about their son or husband. But Beth was a dislikable character. She didn’t make logical decisions. She made excuses for her son. I wanted to yell at her “wake up.” Beth put herself in several dangerous positions but somehow walked out of them all with not a scratch. Author Elena Wilkes left a lot of misleading clues which kept me guessing. There are quite a few characters in this tale, although they were secondary, they played a supporting role. The subject matter is disturbing.

This was a mixed bag for me. It felt a little disjointed, and tried to mix several different stories, with moderate success. To be fair, I was entertained and enjoyed the story. It just didn't fit all together for me.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Beth is recently married to Drew, a cop, and has a 17 year old son. Beth volunteers at a prison helping prisoners' with suicide issues. Beth is having trouble with her son and is hesitant to let her new husband deal with her son. After Beth gets a call from a woman claiming that Drew is a bad man, things start to go off the rails for Beth. Can she trust Drew? Or is he gaslighting her? Or is Beth losing it?

This is a slow burn, suspenseful, psychological thriller! Its fast paced with multiple unreliable narrators. While I found parts of the story hard to believe, I still wanted to keep reading to figure it out and get to the ending. The story is definitely original.

An engrossing read!

Wow ! Absolutely loved this book ! It grabbed me from the start and is a fast paced thriller with great twists that you really don’t expect. Who do you trust ? Your friends? Your husband? Yourself or no one ?

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Overview:
Beth who works as a Samaritan at the local prison is recently married to Drew who works in the police force. They’re leading a happy life with Beth’s son Joe who seems to be building a close relationship with Drew. But lately Joe has become more secretive and moody. Free tells her it’s nothing to worry about. Then one night Beth receives a frantic call from an unknown woman warning her that the man living under her roof is not who she thinks he is.

My Review:
I was really drawn in by the synopsis of this book but unfortunately was left feeling disappointed. It’s difficult to explain why I felt that way without giving away spoilers so I’ll just say the underlying storyline and plot felt a bit disjointed even after the twists were revealed. It sounds ridiculous but there was too much going on without anything actually happening! At the end I was just left feeling a little confused and struggled to actually describe what this book was ultimately about. I think the idea of not truly knowing the people who live under your roof and people having secret lives is an intriguing one but could have been executed better.

I this book started slowly and got twisty and interesting about halfway through. Unfortunately for me I found it all a bit far fetched and beyond the realms of what would actually happen. I didnt gel with Beth the MC, and I think this stopped me from really investing in the story. I didnt like Drew either! The description of him at the beginning and his behaviour didn't seem to match up.
All in all I didnt grip me as I'd hoped it would and the characters were too frustrating and weak.

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC of The Son by Elena Wilkes.

I feel like the storyline was a decent one but I was left confused through some of it and some pieces I don’t feel were necessary. I wanted more from the ending. I would give this author another try as there were some parts that I didn’t want to put the book down.

This psychological thriller is slow to start but really picks up steam as the story gets going. Not all believable but certainly keeps you interested. I found Beth to be a bit more than neurotic. She had so much quilt raising her son and constantly was blaming herself for everything that was going on in her life. She’s a bit of a superhero too! A bit more brave than you would think, but a mother protecting her child will go to extreme lengths. Overall, I gave this 4 stars. Great unique story and definitely worth a read.

This was an excellent read and I don't think I've read any books by this author before so I will be looking into her other books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the book, the plot, the twists, the writing style. Even if the main character irritated me, I hated everything about her since the start hahaa.. I can't even describe it, but I wanted to slap her since the beginning lol. There were so many turns and twists in this book, I guessed half of the ''bad ones'' from the ''good ones'', but still, it was an enjoyable read. Shows to what extent a mother who loves her child would go.

It was a little slow to start but once it got going, I was hooked. The story had me constantly guessing and thinking I knew where we were headed but I usually ended up wrong! Definitely recommend!

TW : human trafficking

The premise was good but I found the storyline hard to follow. The mother was so annoying and I soon began to lose interest. Predictable all in all a good read but it could have been so much more.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc in return for an honest review.