The Boy in the Photo by Nicole Trope

☆☆☆☆1/2
.ePUB, 272 pages
Expected publication: June 22nd 2021 by Grand Central Publishing

About the Book:
Megan waits at the school gates for her six-year-old son, Daniel. As the playground empties, panic bubbles inside her. Daniel is nowhere to be found. Her darling son is missing. After years of sleepless nights and endless days of missing her son, Megan finally gets the call she has been dreaming about. Daniel has walked into a police station in a remote town just a few miles away. Megan is overjoyed—her son is finally coming home. She has kept Daniel's room, with his Cookie Monster poster on the wall and a stack of Lego under the bed, in perfect shape to welcome him back. But when he returns, there is something different about Daniel . . .According to the police, Daniel was kidnapped by his father. After his dad died in a fire, Daniel was finally able to escape. Desperate to find out the truth, Megan tries to talk to her little boy—but he barely answers her questions. Longing to help him heal, Megan tries everything—his favourite chocolate milkshake, a reunion with his best friend, a present for every birthday missed—but still, Daniel is distant. And as they struggle to connect, Megan begins to suspect that there is more to the story. Soon, she fears that her son is hiding a secret. A secret that could destroy her family.

My Review:

Such a heart wrenching story about a missing child and the heartache that continues when he returns. It's also about a relationship between a mother and her child, a husband and wife. How abuse can affect our mental health and cause so much emotional pain and how acceptance and strength can heal us and we can come out the other side stronger.

I liked the story line as it takes one to a place where no parent could imagine themselves. Nicole Trope writes such beautiful books and this is no exception. She writes in a way that pulls on your emotions and actually places you inside her main characters. It's a great gift. The book does make you think about how you would react in certain situations and my heart really went out to Megan.

Disclosure:
Thank you NetGalley, Nicole Trope and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

#TheBoyInThePhoto #NetGalley