I have always enjoyed Ruby Speechley's books and this ranks as one of her best yet. A contemporary psychological drama that includes social media trolling as well as school gate politics. The premise of every parent's worst nightmare: single mum, Ellie, being shown a missing child poster on Facebook that features her young son, who is definitely not missing, is excellent. A great page turner and I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review Missing.

The premise was creepy but as the story evolved the tension increased and so did the chilling feelings especially since I had some particular fears it tapped into.
The single mum Ellie was relatable and protective of her boy with good reason. With rumours and school gate politics fueling her paranoia it kept me turning the page so I could discover the truth.

This is a thriller with a lot of important topical themes:
Facebook trolling, intimidation and sexual abuse, sadly all very relevant atm. In those parts it becomes quite a challenging read.

Ellie is facing battles in her life, every way she looks. There has been a situation occur, several years ago that she has yet to process fully and it haunts her.

There are a lot of story threads in this book, which leave the reader wondering about how they all connect. There are several blind alleys, but overall it’s quite easy to predict. The short chapters hold the interest and make it an easy read. It is fast-paced, twisty and full of suspense.

I would like to have seen some stronger characterisation, more development and enrichment, because, although I empathised with Ellie, I didn’t feel she was particularly likeable. For me. At times, she lacked basic common sense.

Overall an easy read.

When single mum Ellie finds out about a Facebook post she is not interested until she looks at it and it's a missing poster of her son Tyler but Tyler is not missing he is right there with her. I cannot rate this book highly enough as it has everything I would expect from a physcological thriller and more. The plot is unique and pulls you to the edge of your seat and the characters are shady so you don't know who you can trust. I thought it was going in one direction and then bam it spun my head around in another. There are enough twists to keep you flying through the pages. I had a suspect in my mind and I was completely wrong and I loved it. A unputdownable physcological thriller that will give you whiplash!

I read my first Ruby Speechley book earlier this year and when Missing came out I knew I was going to need to read it - and it did not disappoint!

This is a crazy story! It kept me engaged and I read it in one sitting!

This book started off with a sensitive topic and I thought it was a great start to the book. I could empathize with Ellie and understood her feelings of guilt and shame from waking up after a night of partying without clear memories of what had happened the night before. She just had flashes of what "might" be memories of a man forcing himself on her. And while I could sympathize with her... I did find myself questioning her reliability as a narrator as the book went on. It was an interesting twist to how I took in her story and what she was telling me was going on. And I felt bad that I wasn't fully trusting what she was saying was happening.
Was Tyler really her son? Did she really know Darren was his father?

This one kept me guessing and I couldn't put it down until I could confirm if I was right in figuring out who was trying to ruin her life.

This psychological thriller from Ruby Speechley is a fast and exciting read. 

I felt so sorry for Ellie, the world seemed against her and it was frustrating reading what she went through. The bitchy school mums and the odd occurrences were disconcerting and it appeared as though this was going to be an easy yet entertaining read.

But then things took a darker turn and it was like a whole new level was unlocked within the story as the past began to unravel.

Missing is a really great example of the genre and it was my pleasure to be a part of the blog tour. My thanks to the author, @RaRaResources and Boldwood Books for letting me take part.

Book description sounded good but I just couldnt get in to the story. I have enjoyed previous books by Ruby, and I see that I am in the minority for this book, but it just wasnt for me.

Whoa!!! I’m not a parent, but the book description had me wanting to read this book! And it is a roller coaster of a ride along with the Energizer Bunny: It just keeps going and going! I had no idea how this was going to end! The chapters were shorter which made this one a quick read that I enjoyed and did not want to put down! I didn’t know who to trust or believe.

Missing shows the danger of the internet and social media: How just a few clicks can change a life. And how much we all seemingly believe what we see on there. People’s lives can change for better or even much worse because of Facebook!

Admittedly Ellie did annoy me at first: Just go to the police! I mean there isn’t much that could be done but at least you have a record of what is going on. She did grow on me after a little time.

Ellie is on her own with her three-year-old son Tyler. Ellie’s ex denies that Tyler is his when she insists she was faithful to him. But also during their time together she drank a lot and there was one night were she blacked out. And she has nightmares of a clown.

So yes, if you have a fear of clowns, you might not want to read this one. The clowns were a bit creepy!

The big twist didn’t totally work for me with the villain and everything that happened. But otherwise I did really enjoy this novel! Missing was the first for me by Speechley and I do plan to look into what else she has written!

Really fantastic read, couldn’t put this down. Perfect for anyone looking for a good psychological thriller that keeps u on the edge of your seat. Fantastic plot, fantastic characters.
5 stars

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

It's every mother's worst nightmare...

Except Ellie is having different kind of nightmares. Ones featuring clowns and snake tattoos and a very heavy sense of deja vu. And then there is the daytime nightmare where whispers at her son's nursery lead a friend to show her a Facebook post in which a missing person poster has been shared around. A missing person poster with her son's photo on it! But Tyler is not missing. He's right here holding her hand and climbing into the back seat of her car. Surely this is a prank...isn't it?

But the other mums are not seeing the funny side of it as they each pass judgement on Ellie. She's used to them gossiping but now they are questioning whether Tyler is really her son. Some hurl vicious accusations her way while others merely insinuate.

With the help of her friend Louise, Ellie tries to prove that the post is fake but that means reactivating her Facebook account which she deactivated when she was harrassed by someone she thought was her friend. But the longer this goes on and the more the post is shared, the harder it is going to be to narrow it down and find just who has it in for her.

Ellie is a single mum and lives alone with her 3 year old son Tyler. His father, Darren, has never admitted paternity and has refused to pay any child maintenance but Ellie is getting to the point that she is going to need his financial help with the raising of their son. But the more she tries to contact him, the more vitriol she receives back from his new girlfriend. And Darren is more vehement than ever that he is not Tyler's father. But Ellie knows she was not unfaithful...so who else could it be? Unless...no.

The shadow of a memory lingers in the back of her mind from four years previously on the eve of her weekend away to Jersey with best friend Molly. What happened that night? If anything? And is it linked to what is plaguing her now?

This is a fairly easy and quick read that does bare some sinister and creepy undertones. Things like stalking, rape, revenge porn to name a few. That and that the internet is forever. I liked Ellie and Katie but the two were also infuriating. For example, the incident with Ellie's flat key that Katie lost...why did she not see why Ellie was so upset? And then leaving Ellie's son in the care of her boyfriend, someone Ellie had never met, and thinking that was OK? And Ellie made me scratch my head on occasion too.

The writing is an easy style and the chapters short and snappy (my favourite kind). I am always a sucker for missing child tropes, although the said child is not actually missing, but it is still a good read. The twists were fairly predictable but it didn't ruin my enjoyment of a good story.

Overall, a quick easy read with a satisfying end.

I would like to thank #RubySpeechley, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #Missing in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

I thought the concept of this was good, but the title is a bit misleading with the missing poster only being referred to in the first couple of chapters. A slow starter but the pace picked up - but oh dear the main character drove me mad with her decisions, or rather non-decisions.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

This is a gripping read. Ellie lives for her son Tyler so when someone starts placing anonymous accusations online she is determined to find out who is targeting them. The frustration Ellie feels when she faces obstruction at every turn was so well described that I was almost tearing my own hair out. The fear that someone means her real harm is palpable especially when no-one believes her. The shock when she finds out who is stalking her and why left me reeling. I really recommend this book but don't expect to get any sleep until you finish it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for another chance to read a great thriller before it’s published! Finished this gem last night. Missing took me on a ride set close to and during Halloween. It was full of clowns, and not the nice funny kind. This book had so many characters that could have been the culprit. The “bad guy” working behind the scenes to ruin Elle’s life. Her reputation seems to be down the drain, so what’s left? Her son. Since this book is not due out until Sept 27th, I will say no more.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Time to choose my next book! Happy reading, y’all! 📚❤️📚

#Missing
#RubySpeechley
#NetGalley

When a poster of a missing child goes viral on Facebook Ellie is horrified to see the poster contains an image of her son Tyler, especially as Tyler is stood right next to her and is certainly not missing. Is this someone’s idea of a prank or a sick joke? Ellie has no idea what to do she has no idea how this has happened, who is behind this and it soon becomes clear other people are judging Ellie as she faces quite a lot of backlash and other mums from the nursery question if Tyler is her son.

Things begin to escalate for Ellie and it soon becomes clear that someone is out to get her. Ellie begins to question everyone around her, her ex boyfriend and her closest friends all becomes suspects in her eyes.

Soon Ellie comes to realise that these viscous pranks maybe linked to her past and the traumatic events that took place in her life 4 years ago. Ellie sets off on a personal mission to find out exactly what happened all those years ago and is determined to find out who is out to get her.

With twists, secrets and lies this book has everything you need for a good thriller. There was rape, attempted child abduction and plenty more to keep the reader interested. I was hooked right from the start.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this review. I’ve read many of Ruby Speechleys books and would recommend not just this book but any of her others.

Single mum Ellie is shocked to be told about a post on Facebook stating that her three-year-old son Tyler is missing. Ellie obviously knows this is fake, but can she convince others this is the case, especially the school gate mafiosa? However, much more importantly, who is behind the campaign? Could it possibly be her ex Darren who has never really wanted anything to do with Tyler? Maybe though, it’s something infinitely worse that she’s been trying to forget. All she knows for certain is that she will do everything in her power to keep her much loved son safe.

This is a quick easy read which does have very serious undertones to it which makes you shudder. The premise is a good one and there are occasions when the unfolding drama feels off kilter and some elements are chilling. There is one that really freaks me out. Aspects of this are sadly all too believable.

However, I don’t especially care for the way it’s written as there are a lot of sentences that feel more like statements which don’t get across the creep or menace as well as it could. At times things get bogged down in minutiae which detracts from the seriousness. Whilst I can honestly say there is a lot going on as the plot has plenty of drama which keeps me continuing to read on, it does get somewhat chaotic and this tends to lose the main point of it. We start in one place and end up somewhere else.

Ellie as a character confuses me too. Whilst on the one hand, I have huge sympathy for her as she has an awful lot on her plate and much to dissect, she also absolutely baffles me. A lot of her actions make absolutely no sense at all. There is one incident with Tyler later in the book, which has me scratching my head in puzzlement. The school gate witchery are quick to judge too, maybe this is all too accurate!

Overall, this is a mixed bag read for me
as parts are good and others not so much. I think I’m a bit of an outlier with this one as there are many glowing reviews so be sure to check those out too.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Boldwood Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

TW: abuse, nonconsensual sex

Missing was one of those thrillers that left me feeling a bit creeped out, hitting me on a level that not many books reach… like maybe I should make extra sure my doors are locked before I go to bed. I really don’t like to give spoilers of the books I read in my reviews, but this was one that I definitely felt like it needed the trigger warnings I included at the beginning. That said, the Prologue hints on these topics, so I don’t feel like it’s a true spoiler.

This book was a quick read. The chapters were fairly short and had a bit of a “potato chip effect” where “just one more chapter” turned into reading many chapters at a time. I pretty much read the last third of the book in a single sitting.

This story follows Elle, a single mother in England with a 3-year-old son, Tyler. Elle feels a bit “weak” in the beginning, as she obviously lacks self-confidence, only has a couple people she can consider friends, and is still in love with Darren, who broke up with her 4 years ago. It’s pretty early on that a missing poster that shows a picture of her son starts circulating, and this is just the beginning of a chain of disturbing events that happen in the story. I found myself questioning the intentions of almost every character at one point or another, though I managed to piece together a lot of what was going on (and who was responsible) a while before it was all actually revealed. I was glad to see a decent amount of character development along the way, and I grew to like Elle more and more as the story progressed. The book ended in a way that left me feeling satisfied with the outcome.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the free advance copy of Missing. All opinions expressed in my review are completely my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood books for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review !

This is the first book I read from this author and I really enjoyed it ! If you're looking for a fast read, this is it ! I felt so sad for 2 characters !! At some time, I thought it was another character who was behind all this. Even if it didn't end like I was hoping it would, I would still recommend this book.

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This captivating, dark thriller follows Ellie a single mother to her little boy Tyler. One day a fake post appears on Facebook of her son on a missing poster.

The post is soon removed, but Ellie feels herself being pulled into more fake rumours about herself as they spread around the nursery. Soon it seems like someone must be out to get her.

Meanwhile, Ellie has a hidden secret which terrifies her, but she finds herself in a position to unravel the
mystery of that nightmare night.

What will Ellie discover? Is someone out to get her?

This captivating thriller kept me guessing throughout as Ellie switched between the possible people who could behind the fake rumours and lies being spread about her.

I felt for Ellie as all she wants is to not only escape her nightmares but keep her son safe.

The tension builds throughout as Ellie gets closer to learning the truth.

Overall, a captivating, dark thriller where a fake Facebook post leads to a woman unravelling a dark secret from her past.

I haven’t read this author before but I’m glad I found her, very good and a very good ending, looking forward to more in the future