This went in a completely different direction than I thought after reading the prologue!
Issie and her boyfriend go travelling, away for her 18th birthday her mum Jess doesn’t hear from her prompting a missing persons case… after this it’s twists and turns.

We hear Jess POV and Kay (Dylan’s mum) POV with a true crime podcast thrown in (my favourite part of the book)

This book does ask some tough moral questions, how far would we go to protect our children.

I liked the first half but found the second half dragged a bit, however it was a good read.

Thankyou NetGalley for the free download. This is my personal view on this read:
A large part of this book is full of twists and turns, making it hard to figure out whose side to be on. I enjoyed how it kept my mind engaged, always making me think.

There were times when I should have been doing something else, like making my kids tea or actually sleeping when I went to bed, but I found myself saying ‘just a few more pages’ and losing track of time!

One challenge I had throughout most of the book was that I couldn’t truly like any of the characters. However, I believe this was an intentional choice by the author to reflect the complex and shifting nature of the story, as it gradually unveils the truth. And with it my opinion changed and I found myself liking more and more of the characters.

The writing is clever and thought-provoking, making you wonder: what would you do in their situation? Both from the perspective of the parent and the child. Some of the characters' decisions left me feeling unsettled at times, but it only made me hope I’m never faced with such extreme circumstances—who knows how any of us would react?

And let’s not forget the podcast— I LOVE a true crime story and this was perfectly put together- I would definitely subscribe to Lucy Hawes’ podcast.

This is an absolutely superb book about controlling relationships and what a parent is prepared to do to protect their child. Jess has a gorgeous daughter called Izzie who she adores and is very close to especially as she's brought her up virtually single handed since her controlling husband left them.
Jess and Izzies relationship is sorely tested when dizzy takes up with a new boyfriend. It almost seems like a repeat of the controlling relationship Jess has with her husband. Dizzy decides to go on a backpacking trip to Portugal with her boyfriend but alarm bells ring and concerns are raised when neither one of the couple can be contacted within a matter of days. What has happened to trigger this missing persons situation and just who is to blame.

Excellent - 5 Stars
Great story which grips you right from the start until the end.
Looking forward from the next Heidi Perks book.

Loved the book. Plot, characters and bang up to date with the podcast. Kept me engrossed from start to finish, I needed to know if Izzy would get her comeuppance or indeed if Dylan would. You must read it to find out.

This book was excellent, really well written and full of suspense. It tells the story of Issie and Dylan as they decide to go travelling together against the wishes of Issie’s Mum Jess.
I loved how the book was separated into 4 parts and told from both of the teenagers mothers points of view. I also liked the podcast aspect which I found interesting.
The story really kept me guessing and had plenty of twists and turns and definitely didn’t end how I expected
A brilliant 5 star read which I would definitely recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley, Heidi Perks and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

A great, pacy read about the disappearance of teenagers Dylan and Issy told from the perspectives of their mum's Kay and Jess. A book to keep you guessing, must read! Thanks to netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was an excellent mixture of thriller and a whodunnit! A story set from two perspectives and how two mothers do or don’t know their children. It kept me in a chokehold from start to finish. An absolute belter of a story.

An excellent read but an uncomfortable read in many ways. Someone is definitely lying but your take on who and about which parts of the story is easily changed. Added to this is a recognition that we all judge people but the story shows how often we get that wrong . When it comes to your own child this all becomes so much more fraught, right up to the very end .

A great read from Heidi Perks and having read her previous books which were all excellent this latest book didn't disappoint. A brilliant thriller which I would recommend be read.

This was an interesting take on the relationship between parents and teenagers/young adults.
The plot is good, but I don't want to include any spoilers. The characters are interesting, as is the interaction between and within the different families. I didn't find the story very realistic, but it was a good read.

This is definitely my favourite book by Heidi Perks so far. I really enjoyed it and was gripped from page 1 and became truly engrossed in all of the characters.
The writing style is engaging but also fast paced. It’s a must read.

𝘐’𝘮 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥,’ 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺, 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰. ‘𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴,’ 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘰. 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘶𝘵. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨.

Single mother Jess and her 17 year old daughter Issie, have the perfect mother-daughter relationship. That is until 19 year old Dylan comes along, and soon enough creates a divide between the pair. As an end of college and pre university treat, Issie and Dylan decide to go off travelling together, much to Jess’ concern.
Jess hasn’t heard anything from Issie since the day before she turned 18. Her phone is off, Dylan isn’t saying anything and no one believes her daughter is missing…
What lengths would you go to, to help your child?
-

I was lucky enough to get an ARC from Netgalley and I can honestly say, I ate this up.
Filled with suspense, two POVs from the teens mothers & inserts from a podcast, I found this to be an enjoyable read that I wasn’t able to put down.
It had me guessing who was lying till (quite) near the end.
Will be checking out more from Heidi Perks.

What an interesting book
My favourite by Heidi perks so far !!
The characters were interesting and complex
I enjoyed learning about them and their life’s
I can’t say much without spoilers
But it’s a brilliant read definitely a must !

This was a brilliant read and once I'd got to the 60% mark I just couldn't drag myself away from it. The story is told from two POVs; Issie's mother Jess and Dylan's mother Kay plus there are extracts from a true crime podcast which give an unbiased viewpoint. It's a book that makes you question just how far you'd go to protect your child and would be a fabulous book-club choice. I loved it.

I do love it when you think you know where a book is going and then it does a complete about turn and you realise you actually had no idea!! And for about 25% of this new Heidi Perks psychological thriller I thought I was reading a fictional copy of a real life case but I was so so wrong!! This book is a real credit to the author who handles a sensitive subject really well with sympathetic characters and asking that age old question of how parents will go to protect their children. I loved the ending and thought it the perfect cherry on top of an emotionally driven plot.

Another really good thriller from Heidi Perks. Issie & Dylan go on holidays. When Issie goes missing the story kicks off & plenty of twists & turns are in store. Thr characters are really well written & this is a,great fast paced novel.

I am going to go four stars possible 3.5 tbf. This was the first Heidi perks book I have read. I was fortunate enough to be gifted a copy prior to publication next year by NetGalley. Grateful 🙏

I enjoyed the book and will certainly read more by this author. So….. first the negatives! I struggled at first as I am a huge thriller lover and my favorite authors in this genre I find write much more descriptively than Heidi perks, it is certainly less descriptive than writers I am used to. This for me is a negative. There were a fair few typo’s and grammatical errors throughout which I didn’t think was great when she is a well established author. They are what lost the star from me.

Now for the positives! I love the fact the twist leaves you open to speculation at the end. Perhaps it could leave the book open to a second story that follows on 🤔 in the future maybe! I could imagine the characters well, I found myself hating Dylan as I work in domestic abuse and it was playing out like that was the general of what was occurring initially. Then I went to hating on Izzy. Then I thought am I this judgmental 🤷🏻‍♀️😂.

The general story was good, it does leve you wanting to page turn to find out what’s happening next. That’s a sign of a decent book right! I will read more by this author and would recommend it :)

The way it played out flowed well and I would say it was medium on the gripping scale. It took perhaps a little while to get going but overall an enjoyable read and one I would recommend to others!

#randomhouse #randomhousepublishing #someoneislying #netgalley

A good book by Heidi Perks. Lots of twists and turns but I saw the ending coming before I read about it which is why I only gave it 3 stars.

Thanks to net galley and the publishers for this arc.

A very interesting take on how far we would go for our children and if what we to be true actually is.

When issie goes travelling with her boyfriend her mother has doubts but doesn’t stop her, however when issue goes off radar she is convinced something has happened to her.

Follow the story that unfolds and find out who is lying.

4 stars