The Day He Disappeared
Catherine Miller
This is my first Bookouture tour and I'm excited to share this new book with everyone!
‘He wouldn’t just vanish!’ Kate cries, her head in her hands. ‘Something is wrong, I can feel it. And I have to find him before it’s too late…’
When Kate meets Theo on the worst day of her life, the last thing she expects is to fall in love.
Sitting on a broken-down train, desperate to reach her brother before his last breath, Kate can barely hold it together as the minutes tick by. But then Theo, a man with a kind smile, offers to help. And as he gets Kate to the hospital on the darkest day of her life, she feels something brighten in her chest.
As Kate mends her broken heart, Theo doesn’t leave her side. Each day, he brings small joys to her life – from spontaneous dates in the hospital canteen, to a romantic weekend under the stars. And as she looks into his warm brown eyes, feeling more at peace than she has for years, she knows she has found happiness at last…
But then Theo vanishes. Kate’s calls go unanswered, and his house stays dark and empty. No matter what her friends say, she knows something isn’t right. Theo wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.
Determined to find him, Kate begins to search for the man she loves. But when she finds out the truth behind why he disappeared, her heart breaks once more. Because Theo made a promise to protect Kate, which is why he had to leave her… But can Kate face the truth and find Theo before it’s too late?
An absolutely heartbreaking, emotional novel that will keep you reading late into the night. Perfect for fans of unputdownable and page-turning family dramas, and for readers of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.
My thoughts:
I'm only a little ways in to the story so far, but the connection between Kate and her brother Matthew is clearly a really special bond. The way the author describes the events leading up to and including meeting Theo were cute and funny. I'm looking forward to seeing where the characters go over the course of the story.
About the author
When Catherine Miller became a mum to twins, she decided her hands weren’t full enough so wrote a novel with every spare moment she managed to find. By the time the twins were two, Catherine had a two-book deal with Carina UK. Her debut novel, Waiting For You, came out in March 2016.
Catherine was a NHS physiotherapist, but for health reasons she retired early from this career. As she loved her physiotherapy job, she decided if she couldn’t do that she would pursue her writing dream. It took a few years and a couple of babies, but in 2015 she won the Katie Fforde bursary, was a finalist in the London Book Fair Write Stuff Competition and highly commended in Woman magazine’s writing competition. Since then she’s had four novels published.
Author social media
Facebook: facebook.com/katylittlelady.author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katylittlelady/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/katylittlelady
Author newsletter sign up link: https://www.bookouture.com/catherine-miller
The Blue Trunk
Ann Lowry
Last weekend I finally had time to finish reading The Blue Trunk by Ann Lowry!
This story is told in two timelines with two FMCs. In the late 1890s to the mid 1930s, Marit travels from Norway to the US with her older siblings, Jorgen and Ingrid. When Jorgen finds an opportunity to get rid of his youngest sister, someone who tries to think for herself and knows too much about thinks he wants to hide, Jorgen promptly puts her away in an insane asylum. Marit then spends the rest of her adult life trying to prove that she is not insane and suffering the cruel experimental treatments used in the asylum.
In 2022, Rachel is questioning her marriage to her husband Blake, a politician, who listens to everything his campaign team, father and ultraconservative voters ask of him. Rachel no longer wants to play the role of obedient wife, especially when it comes to topics like LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights and being told what she can and can't believe or do. When Rachel inherits a mysterious blue trunk that belonged to a great great aunt from Norway who supposedly was in an insane asylum but otherwise is almost unknown to the family, she begins doing some research and learning more.
The two stories have many similarities, including forced to receive psychiatric services, limited control over reproductive rights, and familial relationships impacted by the loss of a sibling, among others, which shows the reader that despite living a century apart, mental health services and women's rights are still an issue today.
This was a cool story and one I really enjoyed. My great grandmother immigrated to Canada from Sweden in around the same time period, and I've always wanted to learn more about her, so I definitely connected with Rachel. Thanks to @booksforwardpr for giving me the chance to read and review this awesome book!
What the Nanny Saw
Kaira Rouda
I keep all her secrets. She thinks she can trust me…
Cecilia has it all. The house on the beach. The cute figure. The beautiful baby. But she’s a long way from perfect.
She’s let me into her gorgeous house as her nanny because now she’s on her own, she needs a little help with her baby daughter Peyton. She barely notices me. But I see everything.
While Peyton naps, I rifle through her drawers and discover the dark secrets in her past, the threatening letter from her ex-husband.
It's a shame that Cecilia doesn’t have my powers of observation. If she took some time, she might just recognise me. I’ve been following her for a while, after all.
If she knew who I was then I don’t think I’d be so invisible. And she wouldn’t be so surprised one morning when little Peyton’s cot is found empty…
A completely gripping and unputdownable read that will have you turning pages deep into the night. Fans of Shari Lapena and Freida McFadden will be hooked by What the Nanny Saw.
My Thoughts:
I'm not quite done, but am getting close and things are pretty intense! I liked the alternating chapters between Cecilia and Lizzie, the Nanny, because I felt like I got to see both sides of the story. There was definitely a gradual reveal of information as the story went on, as good thrillers usually do, and that helped to build the tension and keep me interested without being too scary. Definitely looking forward to finishing it off this weekend!
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book. I definitely recommend checking out the other stops on the book tour!
Kaira Rouda is an award–winning, USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author of contemporary fiction that explores what goes on beneath the surface of seemingly perfect lives. Her novels of domestic suspense include The Widow, Somebody’s Home, The Next Wife, The Favorite Daughter, Best Day Ever, All the Difference, Beneath the Surface – optioned for a feature film – and Under the Palms. Her next novel, The Second Mrs. Strom, is out in August 2024, and Only the Nanny in November 2024. To date, Kaira’s work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. Three of her novels have been named Amazon Editor’s Picks for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense. The Next Wife was named a Suspense Magazine’s Best Book of 2021 Award, and a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense Novel and a 2022 Silver Falchion first runner-up for Best Book of the Year.
She lives in Southern California with her family and is working on her next novel. Please sign up for her newsletter to learn about new releases and exclusive content on her website, and follow her on social media.
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More or Less Maddy
Lisa Genova
@authorlisagenova is one of my favourite authors because of her incredible talent for writing books that explore neurological conditions. From Alzheimers, Huntingtons, ALS and now Bipolar Disorder. Genova makes an understanding of these complex disorders accessible for readers and fosters empathy for people with these conditions through her exquisite character development. It is easy for readers to connect with the main characters and their family/caregivers, understand the many challenges faced as a result of the given neurological condition, and have a new perspective when hearing about or seeing people with these disorders in their communities.
More or Less Maddy follows a young adult, Maddy, who has just started college and is struggling with (mostly) typical college student challenges such as: break ups, weight gain, strained long distance relationships with friends and family, and depressive symptoms. When birth control and antidepressants are introduced, Maddy's body and brain start to react, and slowly these challenges that seemed normal given the transition to adulthood, begin to have a bigger and bigger impact on her daily life. In her manic states she believes she's working on Taylor Swift's biography, and writing a Netflix comedy series, cheats on her boyfriend and steals the family car, but in her depressive states she can't get out of bed and struggles with compulsive thoughts related to self-harm and suicide. At a time in her life where her peers are just starting to experience the freedom of adulthood, the thrill of trying new things and growing into their personalities, Maddy finds herself under constant supervision by her mother and/or hospital staff and confused about who she is really meant to be.
More or Less Maddy is an incredible book that completely altered my understanding of Bipolar Disorder. Having a window into the mind of someone with this condition, as well as the views of her family and friends, helped form a new perspective for me. I felt like a close friend of Maddy's, wanting the best for her, but also watching helplessly when she started to spiral. I also saw how intense supervision of people with this disorder (are they taking meds, are they changing their schedule etc.) can sometimes have a negative impact because they start to feel the need to hide things to retain autonomy, which can quickly spiral into habits that will affect their stability. As I fully expected, this was an amazing book and one I would highly recommend. I was SO appreciative of the chance to read this book in advance of it's upcoming publication date in January, and would like to thank @netgalley, and @simonschusterca for the copy. Go preorder now!
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