Absolutely loved this stand alone thriller. Fast paced and jaw dropping, you definitely don’t want to miss this book. Highly recommended!

M J Arlidge is one of my favourite authors and I’m enjoying these collaborations with other authors. Your Child Next with Andy Maslen is my favourite yet, its a fast paced thriller that will have you hooked from the beginning till the end making it a must read.
Thank you NetGallely for the ARC of Your Child Next in return for my honest review.

This book grips you from the very first page. I literally had a nightmare about it. 🤯
It's fast-paced, thrilling and hard to put down. I never read anything from Andy Maslan, but I'm eager to check out his work.

We follow a lot of characters but in the end, they all connect. The story really shows what social media can do with teenagers and that is just awful and shocking.

I really liked the epilogue, with three more chapters from the most important characters.
4 stars ⭐

Thank you Netgalley & Orion Publishing Group for the ARC! ♡

Another book by M.J.Arlidge, together with another author, Andy Maslen, from the minds of Orion Publishing Group, is called Your Child Next. I received a copy from Orion Publishing Group via Netgalley.

This book is a gripping psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. The story follows Annie, a mother already struggling with her family’s breakdown, when she receives a chilling video of herself grieving at her daughter Isla’s funeral — only Isla is very much alive. This twisted blackmail plot throws Annie into a desperate race against time, as she faces the terrifying ultimatum: give in to the criminal’s demands or risk her daughter’s life.

The authors masterfully build suspense with every page, pulling me deep into the tension of Annie's emotional turmoil and dangerous choices. The fast-paced plot, combined with intense, high-stakes drama, makes this another masterpiece by Arlidge (and Maslen). The mystery of who’s behind the blackmail and the lengths Annie will go to for her daughter makes for a truly gripping experience.

I absolutely can't wait to read the next book in this writers' room project by Orion. Apparently, the next book will be out in May, and it's a collaboration with author Lisa Hall. Can't wait!

5/5⭐️

I'm a big fan of Mr. Arlidge's work, and this book is another great addition to his collection. With strong characters and a gripping, fast-paced plot that kept me hooked from start to finish. The twists were well-executed, making for a thrilling read. Beyond the suspense, the story highlights the dangers of oversharing online.

I'll definitely be checking out Andy Mason's books, as he's new to me, and of course, I already know I'll be reading more from M. J. Arlidge!

What a BOOK!

I am a huge fan of the MJ Arlidge Helen Grace series, so I have come across a few of his standalones and have enjoyed them!

I was gripped from the first page all the way to the end. I immediately felt for the main characters, as they were likeable and relatable – just normal people, trying to do their best for their children.

I definitely recommend this book.

A decent read overall. A very unique story line and this was very well written. I didn’t connect with main character which is why it was a big harder of a read for me. But I feel the writing was great and plot was great. I don’t feel this book is the problem it just didn’t hit me the way i wanted. The pace was slower at first but picked up and the end was great. Twists and turns and overall a good read

I have read a number of MJ Arlidge books and am a big fan. This book seemed a little more formulaic to me. I enjoyed the fast pace and it has an interesting premise, although the ending just seemed contrived to me.

They faked your child’s death and if you don’t give them what they’ve asked for, they’ll make it a reality.

I feel like it took me a while to get fully invested in the book because at the start, it felt like a lot of characters were being introduced, which felt a little overwhelming and I was struggling to remember who was who. However, the more that I read, the less of an issue I had with the amount of characters and remembering who was who as I found them to be quite distinct and memorable.

I did like the characters and I was rooting for them to be successful in their pain. I liked how we got to see glimpses into their lives and their back stories, because it made me care about them and what they were going through.

I did like the atmosphere and could picture the settings and characters, although I will say that I feel like it lacked suspense. I didn’t feel the danger that the characters were in throughout the book, even though there was multiple dangerous situations and plenty of opportunities for suspense.

To me, some aspects felt like they lacked logic and it didn’t flow as well as it could have done because of that. I don’t really want to go more into that because I feel like it’s a spoiler.

For the most part, I did really enjoy the writing style but there was some repetition in parts that I felt didn’t add much to the overall story and there was a lot of derogatory language that I didn’t think was necessary, which was aimed towards people who are homeless and/or substance and/or alcohol use disorder(s).

Thank you Orion and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early, in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️ CWs: grief, panic attack, mental health illness (anxiety, depression, PTSD), alcohol and drug use, stalking, derogatory language, cheating, cursing, domestic abuse, person with substance and alcohol use disorder, homelessness, physical assault, blood, attempted murder, adult/minor relationship, animal cruelty/death; mentions death, terminal illness, statutory rape, microaggressions, self harm, child sexual abuse, body injury, body horror/gore, war ⚠️

Thank you so much to Netgalley for this one. I loved M.J.Arlidge so was super excited when i saw this one! It was such an intense thriller that i read it in 2 days! It kept me hocked and up at night reading it. Loved it!

A fast and expertly paced thriller. Not as dark or as violent as much of Maslen's work which suited the suburban setting. I hope for more books from this author pairing.

Great book. Was up all night reading it. I loved the characters & the storyline. I totally recommend reading this book straight away, the twists and turns are fab. Definitely 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great read. Hard to put down - had to be sure the families would be ok. Who has a 1000 pounds a month to make sure the threat your child will be killed if it doesn’t show up. How many families are living in fear?

Anything written by MJ Arlidge is a must for me. And when he’s teamed up with another author it’s still a must. This book is full of the usual twists and turns you’d expect from such a fab author. Highly recommended

Thanks netgalley for this most enjoyable book, it was a bit disjointed at times and a little slow in the middle but I was an exciting thriller.
Annie had recently divorced her useless husband her daughter Isla blamed her for the breakup and was angry most of the time and also suffered with anxiety problems.
Annie started receiving messages that unless she paid money every month to a person she had messages from her daughter would be killed.
At that time Isla had been followed and was terrified.
There was no way anyone was going to,threaten her daughter, which led a nightmare which both Annie and Isla were going to,go through.

Annie lives alone with her fifteen year old daughter, Isla, who has anxiety after her parents divorce. One day, Annie receives an email, clicks the link and sees the video of her daughter’s funeral. She quickly rushes to her daughter’s room to discover she is alive and well.

Then, a woman calls her demanding £1000 each month to be delivered to a Cayman bank account. If Annie doesn’t comply, then her daughter will die.

Michael lives with his son, Aaron. They are both grieving after Michael’s wife and Aaron’s mother died of cancer. Lucy ran a successful hairdressing business and when Michael goes over her accounts, he discovers that for the last 23 months she was making payments to a bank account located in the Caymans.

Michael is immediately confused and suspicious. Just how well did he know his wife? When he cancels the direct debit, he doesn’t know that it will set off a string of incidents that will put his son’s life in danger…

What a BOOK!

I was gripped from the first page all the way to the end. I immediately felt for the main characters, as they were likeable and relatable – just normal people, trying to do their best for their children.

This book asks a question of how far would you go to protect your child. Annie and Michael certainly take us on a journey!

I definitely recommend this book.

I love M.J. Arlidge’s Helen Grace series and I am familiar with his writing. Andy Maslen is an author new to me, and I will certainly be reading more of his books.

Thanks to Orion Books for approving my NetGalley request to read and review this book.

I admit to being a fan of Mr Arlidge's work both on his own and when co-writing books with other authors and this is another to add to the ever growing books that I have enjoyed.

With excellent characters and an intriguing story line, this is a gripping, fast-paced psychological thriller that pulled me in from the start and didn't let go until I had swiped the last page. An excellent story with twists and turns that worked well.

As well as being a cracking read, this book also makes you think how much information is shared online with not a thought from most but if this book doesn't make you go and check your settings or stop and think before you post, nothing will!

Highly recommended and thanks to the authors, Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this thrilling book.

Read this in a couple of sittings because it was so fast paced and the way the characters were drawn . From surly, deceitful teens, to frantic mother to blasé father to the deliciously wonderfully evil villains.

Absolutely loved the cat and mouse element of this book. It was filled with many OMG moments and felt really contemporary as it posed questions about the amount we share on social media and also teen mental health.
The thought what would I do in this situation still teases me as I just have no idea. The dilemma of how far would parents go to protect their child is always intriguing, but for me the most intriguing aspect of this book was the psychology of the villain and the backstory that was revealed as the novel progressed and that was very chilling

This is a fast paced thriller which had me gripped from the start.
Annie is sent a video of her very much alive daughter’s funeral, which is the beginning of an intense fight back against blackmail and coercion. She learns she is not the only parent to be targeted and with Michael’s help, they take the blackmailers on.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

When Annie receives a video showing her at the funeral of her daughter she is shocked, her daughter is still alive. However then comes a demand for a payment to keep her daughter safe. Annie will do anything to save Isla but the divorce has hit her hard. Michael has recently lost his wife but when he discovers an unknown standing order he cancels it, not knowing that his adopted son is now to be killed. Behind it all is a pair of con artists and blackmailers who have successfully bled paople dry for years but maybe they have met their match in Annie and Michael.
I am a longstanding fan of Arlidge's writing but had not read anything by Maslen before and was interested to see how this collaboration would work. The answer is - very well! This is a fairly seamless story which whizzes along at a furious pace. It's completely unbelievable, totally unrealistic but is a breathless ride which is really addictive. I devoured the book in a long afternoon!