Mum Sarah is distraught when her three-month-old son Max is taken and is overcome with guilt. Her husband Jake can’t hide his anger at the mum of three. Meanwhile in a life that seems set apart is the Star family, a group who do things their own way. But the eldest child is beginning to rebel against this picture perfect – if unusual life.

I’ve read a few of Arlidge’s books and they’ve never failed to disappoint and neither does this one! It grabbed me from the first page with its sympathetic, colourful characters and intriguing plot. I couldn’t put it down!

I am a big fan of MJ Arlidge - especially his Helen Grace books - having read and LOVED every book in his back catalogue. Julia Crouch is an author who, for some reason - probably too many books not enough time - hasn't been as prominent for me, although, after devouring this book, I am making waves to rectify this as soon as I can.
So... we start with a devastating blow for Sarah when her baby Max is taken from his pram when she was out for a walk. She had draped a muslin cloth over the opening to protect him from the elements, and had thought he had finally gone to sleep, after screaming his head off (his natural state), and obviously didn't want to disturb him, so has no idea when he was taken. Obviously fingers point to her... fractious baby, new mother, barely coping river walk. Even husband Jake does not wholly believe her.
Meanwhile... in a caravan park, baby "Ronnie" is being introduced to his new traveller family. Jenna and Gary already have three children and Ronnie will complete their family.
Problem is, as is laid bare in the TV appeal, baby Max is a sick child. He has neonatal diabetes and, without his treatment, could suffer horribly and then die. So it is more than just a race against time to get the child back, it becomes more of a life and death situation...
Oh my days, this book nearly broke me. It is so incredibly well written. With the two storylines - Sarah's search for the truth, and Jenna's determination to build and keep her family. Both strong women (although Sarah isn't initially convinced of her strength, and Jenna is a bit unlikable) and then if you also throw in Becky, Jenna's teenage daughter, who eventually realises some rather brutal truths, boy do you have one heck of a ride. With all the emotional roller-coaster feels and then some.
It's brutal and pulls no punches. You know what is happening all the way through, there is no secret to be had. It just how it all pans out that is to be discovered. We all know the truth, it's not a spoiler. But do you? Is there? Is that the whole truth? Have the authors kept something back... I'm not saying - other than I was gripped by this story all the way through. It took me captive right from the very first scene and held me tight throughout, spitting me out at the end an emotional wreck.
I do love a collaboration, especially when one of the authors is not as well known to me - fresh blood and all that. Although the down side is more books on my tbr... Like it's not already going to last me til I'm 150 and that's not including the ones I will keep adding along the way! But yeah, I'm definitely going to be looking Ms Crouch's back catalogue up. And also, wondering whether the two author have any future collabs in the pipeline. Oooo I do hope so!
In the mean time, there's a new Helen Grace coming out soon... Can't wait for that bad boy...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The Wrong Child is a great collaboration from M.J. Arlidge & Julia Crouch, and i did not want to put it down the story raced along and I really felt for Sarah, the emotions that she displayed from not bonding well with her child Max and his illness to the slow realisation that she wanted & needed him was well written, her anguish was plain to see & on the opposite side we had Jenna, a seemingly free spirit who had a great life in nature but her idyllic life holds secrets, the whole thing was well executed and I especially loved the ending.

I WHIZZED through this story! The characters and story line were so perfectly described I was pulled in and felt the sense of panic as if I were involved and witnessing the drama myself.
Wonderful partnership.

When three month old Max is abducted, his parents are thrown into every parent’s worst nightmare, even worse that their baby is unwell. Meanwhile baby Blaze is welcomed into the Star family, who will help to be raised by teenage sister Willow. Soon Willow realises that Blaze has become ill and makes her question everything.

I have read quite a few missing children novels now which can get samey, however this one seemed to have a unique twist so I wanted to read. After finishing I can say I am so glad that I picked it up as I loved it…. I would probably go as far as saying it is my favourite book I have read this year so far! The storyline is fast paced, dark and full of suspense. By the final full on action scenes I literally had my heart in my mouth. I was completely gripped to the pages and desperate to see what happened next.

What really made this story exceptional was the characters and their development. The characters were so intriguing. I have never felt myself get so worked up with a character’s actions before and felt so much empathy, which proves how well they have been created. I felt such a range of emotions reading this that by the end I felt like I needed to have a lie down.

The Wrong Child is a collaboration between M.J. Arlidge and Julia Crouch and they have proven to be a perfect pairing - I would love to read more of their joint offerings. I will definitely be recommending this crazy, complex thriller to everyone! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Written by M.J. Arlidge in collaboration with Julia Crouch The Wrong Child plays on every parent’s worst nightmare, child abduction! collaborations can sometimes feel disjointed and the reader can distinguish which author contributed to each chapter. But I’m thrilled to say that’s not the case here! The plot moves seamlessly between parents Sarah and Jake, whose 3- month-old son Max has been abducted. And travellers Jenna and Gary Starr and their daughter Willow who are celebrating baby Blaze becoming their fourth child.

Max has neonatal diabetes, and without regular treatment, he will die. This immediately gives the plot a sense of urgency. Sarah and Jenna are both mothers, but that’s where the similarities end! Jenna isn’t a character you will warm to. She’s manipulative, calculating, and a mass of contradictions. Her parenting skills leave a lot to be desired, but she’s fascinating. Sarah, on the other hand, pulls on the heartstrings and the authors lay bare her every emotion, guilt, anger, fear and heartbreak. I felt uncomfortable reading about the police, media and public perception of Sarah, especially how quick they were to judge, embellish and speculate. And don’t get me started on Sarah’s despicable Husband Jake, he made my blood boil!

Fifteen-year-old Willow has come to the age where she begins to question Jenna’s parenting skills and the
narrative she’s been spoon fed since she was a child. This leads to her making a shocking discovery. What is the truth about her family? And how far will they go to hide their deadly secret? As The Wrong Child progresses, there’s an impending sense of danger and escalating tension. Navigating complex themes such as identity, family, motherhood, and mental health. I found this book to be a cracking read and one I would highly recommend to those who enjoy a character driven thriller.

My review will be shared to my blog closer to publication date
Blog: https://thebookreviewcafe.wordpress.com/

It's every parent's worst nightmare - they turn their back for a second and their baby vanishes, seemingly into thin air. When this happens to Sarah, the whole world suspects her - was she abhorrent enough to kill her own child?

At a caravan park, a new member of the Star family is introduced - Blaze has been adopted after his mother could not cope with another child, so they stepped in to ensure Blaze has a good life. But when Blaze's older sister Willow discovers the truth about who Blaze could be, and that he may need urgent medical attention, she risks destroying the whole family to save one child.

As a huge fan of MJ Arlidge's books, I was very excited to read this one and it did not disappoint! The plot is very fast-moving and I enjoyed every second of reading it. 5*.

I've spent the day lost in this book and it's been wonderful. Really good written that flows perfectly. Very well written characters that have been brought to life vividly. It's one of those books stoat show the many sides of humanity and how people react in a trauma and the various jumps to judgement. I loved the plot and the characters, I couldnt wait to see how it ended

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and orion publishing and the authors M.j.arlidge and Julia crouch for an early copy of there book.


I wanted to read this book as enjoy reading M.J arlidge books ive not read any of Julia Crouch books...this for me was okay read maybe I am more into crime reads...this is about Sarah a mother struggling with her youngest son max he is not the easiest baby unsettled and finds it hard to cope with him until one day after a stroll a nomad family wanted another child and steals him they travel alot will Sarah get her baby back?

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Not sure how the writing on this was shared as it was so seamless. A great read.

A fantastic story that really pulled me in. The characters were great, even those that should have been unlikeable were fascinating. I’d love a follow up to this book to revisit the characters and their lives.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Possible spoilers

Such an idyllic opener, a travelling van, a family, kids running through fields with dogs, it seems pretty perfect.
Doesn't stay that way for long.
Jenna is quite the character, I think I'd like to go back and visit her history. She's basically crazy under the ideas of freedom and family. Crazy and mean as hell.
But in Sarah she's found someone who's willing yo fight back.
Absolute cracking story, the pace and tension hits peak in the last few chapters.
Definitely a page turner, and definitely one that shouldn't hang around too long on your tbr pile, or you'd be missing out.