The Other Daughter by Shalini Boland

☆☆☆☆
Kindle Edition, 260 pages
Published November 5th 2019 by Bookouture
About the Book:
Nine years ago her daughter was taken. And now she’s back. Two-and-a-half-year-old Holly is playing happily in a pink plastic playhouse, while her mother Rachel sips coffee and chats with a friend nearby. It should be an ordinary day for all of them. But, in the blink of an eye, it turns into every family’s worst nightmare. Holly is taken by a stranger and never found. Nine years later, Rachel is living a quiet life in Dorset. She’s tried to keep things together since the traumatic day when she lost her eldest daughter. She has a new family, a loving partner and her secrets are locked away in her painful past. Until one afternoon when Rachel meets a new school parent Kate and her teenage daughter Bella. Rachel’s world is instantly turned upside down – she’s seen Bella before. She’d recognise that face anywhere – it’s her missing child. And she will stop at nothing to get her back

Shalini Boland is always a go-to author for me, no one writes family drama or psychological thrillers likes she does. This book is no exception and did not disappoint on that front. I was amazed by the ending and I am in awe at the author's imagination. This is such a beautifully written and moving book, I also found it to be truthful and realistic, with none of the grit and grain of life hidden away, and because of this type of writing I seek out everything Shalini Boland has published.

I can’t say enough good things about this particular book. It was one hell of a roller-coaster ride for my emotions. I really felt both Rachel’s pain throughout the whole book. It felt as though I was living it with her. All the characters were greatly intertwined with each other and that’s what made this book so compelling. They all complimented each other and none of them seemed out of place. The plot was excellent as mourning a loss is bad enough but when it’s your child it’s a whole new ball game.

It is told in two timelines, now and then. I enjoyed the then chapters the most, I always seem to find I could enjoy a whole book based on the before. I like finding out the who and why rather than the where and what. Between the plot, characters and all the twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read as I was flipping pages like crazy. I really enjoyed this story and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley, Shalini Boland and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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