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Not My Boy
by
Who will you cross to protect your own?
When Hannah packs up her past and moves to the cottage next-door to her sister, she hopes the luxe neighborhood and close family ties will be the perfect escape for her son and the shadows that trail them. But when a young girl goes missing days after they unload their final boxes and her son is quickly thrown under suspicion, Hannah ...more
When Hannah packs up her past and moves to the cottage next-door to her sister, she hopes the luxe neighborhood and close family ties will be the perfect escape for her son and the shadows that trail them. But when a young girl goes missing days after they unload their final boxes and her son is quickly thrown under suspicion, Hannah ...more
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Paperback, 304 pages
Published
January 5th 2021
by Sourcebooks Landmark
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I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and had a hard time staying engaged with the story. Some of the events that took place just weren't at all believable.
With that being said. I did enjoy the authors writing style. I'm very much in the minority with my review/rating and would encourage you to check this out for yourselves.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for my review copy!
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With that being said. I did enjoy the authors writing style. I'm very much in the minority with my review/rating and would encourage you to check this out for yourselves.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for my review copy!
...more
This is the type book that was needed right now. It is a simplistic read allowing your mind to drift into the story and try to figure out who was the guilty suspect. A quick read that was highly enjoyable. I look forward to more from this author. Recommended for a mystery that you can escape to.
When tragedy strikes in NOT MY BOY, a privileged neighborhood is turned upside down—and no man, woman, or even child is above suspicion. Kelly Simmons has spun a nail-biter that will have you questioning how quickly we can turn on the people we hold dear, and how far we might go to keep our deepest fears from being realized.
This story fell flat for me and I could not connect with any of the characters. I wanted to like it but at 32% I got bored. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my review.
This one didn't work for me. There's a bit of everything mixed-in in this domestic suspense (I think that's the genre for this book).
One of our POVs Hannah, is a divorced mother that moves to be closer to her sister and mother. She buys a house in this swanky neighborhood (in all reality, it isn't really fully explained how she does buy it), but doesn't really fit in. Her son, already an outcast is over and over painted as this sinister boy (middle schooler!) but she still loves him and tries t ...more
One of our POVs Hannah, is a divorced mother that moves to be closer to her sister and mother. She buys a house in this swanky neighborhood (in all reality, it isn't really fully explained how she does buy it), but doesn't really fit in. Her son, already an outcast is over and over painted as this sinister boy (middle schooler!) but she still loves him and tries t ...more
This is an intriguing and very atmospheric book. Hannah moves into a new community to be close to her sister Hillary. Recently separated, Hannah is hoping for a new start for her young son Miles. There is mystery surrounding what is happening with Miles and his strange obsession with animals. Right after Hannah moves in a young child is murdered. There are a few suspects to narrow down and as law enforcement seems to be circling around Hannah and her son and Hillary’s family the sisters set out
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Hannah moves into a cute little cottage right next door to her sisters house, in a quite nice neighborhood. Or so it seems. It is quiet, there are woods and so far everyone seems to either know everyone and get alone or they stuck to themselves. Their mother also just lives a little ways over, so not far from her two girls now. Maybe this move will her Hannah’s son out of his shell. He was often picked on at his old school and kids did not seem to ever understand him as a person. A fresh start.
T ...more
T ...more
I struggled with this book. I really wanted to enjoy it, and I did, at times. But overall, the story lagged, and I had a difficult time connecting with the characters and staying engaged. The pace was just too slow for a story in this genre.
The writing was solid, and I'd consider checking out other books by this author. However, there really wasn't anything to hook me in and keep me reading. I generally love multiple POVs in books, but it just didn't work in this one, as it made the plot, at ti ...more
The writing was solid, and I'd consider checking out other books by this author. However, there really wasn't anything to hook me in and keep me reading. I generally love multiple POVs in books, but it just didn't work in this one, as it made the plot, at ti ...more
Not My Boy was such a quick, light(?) read that I didn't realize I needed. I say "(?)" because yes there was murder, but it was also a lot more than just that. So it was a light murder book, is that a thing? Should we make it a thing? Ok, it's a thing.
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Can you really run from your past? Hannah and her son move to a new neighborhood, which also just happens to be right across the street from her sister. Hannah thinks this is exactly what her son needs, a fresh start. However, just days after they ...more
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Can you really run from your past? Hannah and her son move to a new neighborhood, which also just happens to be right across the street from her sister. Hannah thinks this is exactly what her son needs, a fresh start. However, just days after they ...more
Not My Boy is compelling book that blends a murder mystery with complex family drama. When Hannah moves with her son to a home near her sister, she has hopes that she can leave her son’s troubled past behind. But a search for a missing girl brings her worries about her son to the forefront—and also exposes other family members. The suspense in the novel is fraught with tension, uncovering secrets and a seediness that one might not expect in an affluent neighborhood. It also unveils secrets withi
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Compulsively readable! I couldn't stop and wanted to know what happened. Kelly writes such emotionally real characters and scenes. These pages flew and I couldn't stop reading until I knew everything turned out the way it should. In each novel that Kelly has written she has grown and you can see her growth as a writer in the more complex story lines and relationships. One thing she has not lost is the emotion. I wanted to call my niece and hug her close as I was reading this novel. It just felt
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My Review of
NOT MY BOY
By Kelly Simmons
Published by Bookmarked {Partner}
On Sale: 1/5/20
*****
I absolutely recommend this book. I loved it. It was full of family and community, drama, murder, suspicion, doubt and you never know who to believe and just when you are sure about one thing, it all comes crashing down with the discovery of something else. The Author does a great job in telling the story in alternating views as seen through a mother and her adult daughter. The story is complex and keeps y ...more
NOT MY BOY
By Kelly Simmons
Published by Bookmarked {Partner}
On Sale: 1/5/20
*****
I absolutely recommend this book. I loved it. It was full of family and community, drama, murder, suspicion, doubt and you never know who to believe and just when you are sure about one thing, it all comes crashing down with the discovery of something else. The Author does a great job in telling the story in alternating views as seen through a mother and her adult daughter. The story is complex and keeps y ...more
Thanks to the publisher for the copy in exchange for my honest review
If you’re looking for a quick thriller, then make sure to check out NOT MY BOY by Kelly Simmons. This has all the elements that you come to hope for in a thriller – fast pace, short chapters, a missing little girl, and plenty of secrets to keep everyone guessing.
I’m so torn with this one, because on the one hand I really enjoyed it but I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I saw so many glowing reviews and there w ...more
If you’re looking for a quick thriller, then make sure to check out NOT MY BOY by Kelly Simmons. This has all the elements that you come to hope for in a thriller – fast pace, short chapters, a missing little girl, and plenty of secrets to keep everyone guessing.
I’m so torn with this one, because on the one hand I really enjoyed it but I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I saw so many glowing reviews and there w ...more
4.5 stars.
Not My Boy by Kelly Simmons is an enthralling domestic mystery.
Hannah Sawyer and her twelve year old son Miles have just moved to a new house in a wealthy enclave. They are thrilled to now live next door to her sister Hillary, brother-in-law Ben and 11 year old niece Morgan. Their mother Eva also lives nearby. When 6 year old Liza Harris is murdered, Detectives Thompson and Carelli first turn their attention to Miles before setting their sights on Ben. The once close sisters are now o ...more
Not My Boy by Kelly Simmons is an enthralling domestic mystery.
Hannah Sawyer and her twelve year old son Miles have just moved to a new house in a wealthy enclave. They are thrilled to now live next door to her sister Hillary, brother-in-law Ben and 11 year old niece Morgan. Their mother Eva also lives nearby. When 6 year old Liza Harris is murdered, Detectives Thompson and Carelli first turn their attention to Miles before setting their sights on Ben. The once close sisters are now o ...more
Not My Boy is a book of family dynamics, trust, and secrets. I could not stop reading, turning pages, and needing to know what would happen next. The characters had depth with their secrets, with their love of each other, and with the knowledge that someone killed a little girl in their neighborhood that they had to keep each other safe. The story was not simple, there were many twists and turns.
Hannah is a single mother raising her son. The son was bullied at his school, so the mother moves nex ...more
Hannah is a single mother raising her son. The son was bullied at his school, so the mother moves nex ...more
2.5 stars
Unfortunately, this one didn't work well for me.
VERY, VERY slow burn, mundane details, and anti-climatic.
Thank you to the publisher for my review copy #partner. ...more
Unfortunately, this one didn't work well for me.
VERY, VERY slow burn, mundane details, and anti-climatic.
Thank you to the publisher for my review copy #partner. ...more
This story of a missing young girl involves two sisters each determined to protect their families at any cost. The pace was generally good and there were some twists but I found it hard to like or relate to the characters. I also struggled to get into the story and ended up skimming the last several chapters. Others have given this novel 4 or 5 stars but, for me, it was a three star read that just did not appeal to me.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchan ...more
Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchan ...more
*View my reviews at www.drinkreadrepeat.com*
*I was provided a gifted copy of this title by the publisher*
There is something special — something exclusive and cozy — about being a family of two.
Though now, as a married mother of two boys, I enjoy the relatively unrelenting chaos of a large(r) family, as a child I flourished as a member of a close-knit duo.
It was me and my single mother.
Us against the world.
At the time, it didn’t dawn on me to want anything else. Never having known a different li ...more
*I was provided a gifted copy of this title by the publisher*
There is something special — something exclusive and cozy — about being a family of two.
Though now, as a married mother of two boys, I enjoy the relatively unrelenting chaos of a large(r) family, as a child I flourished as a member of a close-knit duo.
It was me and my single mother.
Us against the world.
At the time, it didn’t dawn on me to want anything else. Never having known a different li ...more
The big standout for me was the clumsy way the auther tried to make things more ominous by tacking a "but if I'd only known then what I know now" type of sentence at the end of every chapter. My other takeaway was flimsy characters with terrible ideas, an almost compulsive inability to use logic, and way too much time on their hands.
...more
I have to say that I did not enjoy it as it seems many others did. To me it was not at all a thriller until maybe the very end. I could not connect with anyone in this book. Basically I just didn't like any of the characters.
Eva, the mother, seemed very selfish in parts. Saying that her daughters would always choose each other. A mother should love that not moan about it. Saying they were invited to join a book club and she wasn't was another selfish act. Should she not be happy for them. I just ...more
Eva, the mother, seemed very selfish in parts. Saying that her daughters would always choose each other. A mother should love that not moan about it. Saying they were invited to join a book club and she wasn't was another selfish act. Should she not be happy for them. I just ...more
I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.
From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.
Who will you cross to protect your own?
When Hannah packs up her past and moves to the cottage next door to her sister, she hopes the luxe neighbourhood and close family ties will be the perfect escape for her s ...more
From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.
Who will you cross to protect your own?
When Hannah packs up her past and moves to the cottage next door to her sister, she hopes the luxe neighbourhood and close family ties will be the perfect escape for her s ...more
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a digital ARC of this intriguing family drama/mystery by Kelly Simmons. 4.5 stars rounded up!
Hannah is newly divorced with a young son, Miles. Desperate to get Miles away from issues at his school, she moves into a carriage house next door to her sister, Hillary, and her family, husband Ben and daughter Morgan. The sisters have always been very close and mom, Eva, lives close by as well providing support and babysitting. Hannah is ...more
Hannah is newly divorced with a young son, Miles. Desperate to get Miles away from issues at his school, she moves into a carriage house next door to her sister, Hillary, and her family, husband Ben and daughter Morgan. The sisters have always been very close and mom, Eva, lives close by as well providing support and babysitting. Hannah is ...more
Recently divorced Hannah thinks she's found the perfect home--virtually next door to her sister, Hillary, close to their mother, and in a new school, where her son, Miles, can hopefully avoid the bullying he experienced in his old school.
Shortly after they move in, a young girl disappears and empath Miles's background garners the notice of the investigating officers. So does Hillary's seemingly perfect husband, Ben. Initially, having two family members suspects in what becomes a murder investiga ...more
Shortly after they move in, a young girl disappears and empath Miles's background garners the notice of the investigating officers. So does Hillary's seemingly perfect husband, Ben. Initially, having two family members suspects in what becomes a murder investiga ...more
After Hannah divorces, she and her son Miles, 12, move next door to Hannah's sister Hillary, her husband, Ben, and daughter, Morgan 11 1/2 in an up-scale neighborhood near Philadelphia. The sisters' mother, Eva, lives nearby. All are thrilled that they live so close again and look forward to lots of happy times together. That excitement lasts only one day, when a young neighbor, 6 year-old Liza Harris goes missing.
When police arrive and begin questioning each family, the sisters realize that th ...more
When police arrive and begin questioning each family, the sisters realize that th ...more
A huge thanks goes out to the author, Kelly Simmons, the publishing company, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for the early advance electronic copy for an honest review.
This book, Not My Boy, is a great read of a mother's love and fierceness to protect her son, however in doing so, she has to cast blame to her sister's family, which starts to cause a rift between her sister, herself, and their mother.
We get to see two times of a mother's protectiveness, with one mother protecting her son from ...more
This book, Not My Boy, is a great read of a mother's love and fierceness to protect her son, however in doing so, she has to cast blame to her sister's family, which starts to cause a rift between her sister, herself, and their mother.
We get to see two times of a mother's protectiveness, with one mother protecting her son from ...more
NOT MY BOY by Kelly Simmons grabbed me from the beginning and wouldn’t let me go, keeping me up late into the night to find out what happened next.
After her divorce, Hannah needs a change of scenery for both herself and her son, who has had some difficulties in school. She and her sister have always wanted to live next door to each other, so she is excited to move into a cottage a couple of houses down. When a young girl disappears soon after, things in the affluent neighborhood take a turn. Th ...more
After her divorce, Hannah needs a change of scenery for both herself and her son, who has had some difficulties in school. She and her sister have always wanted to live next door to each other, so she is excited to move into a cottage a couple of houses down. When a young girl disappears soon after, things in the affluent neighborhood take a turn. Th ...more
I want to thank NetGalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange of my honest opinion. How to begin with my review? What. A. Novel.
It caught me from the beggining and i could not stop reading it.
I found the story fascinating and intrigating, always tempting you to keep reading more and more. I loved the way the author divided the chapters and gave Hannah And Eva the opportunity to share their vision of the story, which of course ended up giving more information about the story. An easy but ex ...more
It caught me from the beggining and i could not stop reading it.
I found the story fascinating and intrigating, always tempting you to keep reading more and more. I loved the way the author divided the chapters and gave Hannah And Eva the opportunity to share their vision of the story, which of course ended up giving more information about the story. An easy but ex ...more
Hannah and her son move next door to her sister in an upscale neighborhood - and the day after, a little girl on their street disappears and is soon found dead. Hannah’s son, Miles, is being looked at by the police for the murder, as well as her brother-in-law next door. This of course causes some conflict between the sisters. They both believe their family member is innocent, so can they figure out who did the crime?
I wanted to love this book, but it was just ok for me. The first part was real ...more
I wanted to love this book, but it was just ok for me. The first part was real ...more
Two sisters that have been extremely close all their lives have what they have wished for. They are finally neighbors. Windows practically looking into each others homes.
Home is a little saddened when she is left out of things that the sisters share. She's not really jealous, just would like to be included in their lives.
It is rather difficult when one of her daughters tells her something in confidence.
When a little girls disappears from the neighborhood and is found murdered, the sisters find ...more
Home is a little saddened when she is left out of things that the sisters share. She's not really jealous, just would like to be included in their lives.
It is rather difficult when one of her daughters tells her something in confidence.
When a little girls disappears from the neighborhood and is found murdered, the sisters find ...more
Holy Cow, wow! This is one of those books that keeps you in the edge of your seat, holding your breath, and then gasping in chills! Full of suspense, so thick, you can cut it with a knife! A really WHODUNNIT, that’ll keep you guessing until the author decides it is time to let you in on the secret! A must read for my fellow thriller fans, especially those whom are like me and need fast paced thrills, chills, twisty turns, and shocks! But also within reality, so you mustn’t suspend beliefs to bel
...more
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My sixth novel NOT MY BOY debuts January 2021. Booklist compared it to Big Little Lies, and Julie Clark, the author of LAST FLIGHT said it was "impossible to put down." I hope you enjoy it -- and please check out my backlist, all featuring good women making bad decisions. Start with my best-selling book, ONE MORE DAY, maybe? Or my first two, a bit more literary in tone -- STANDING STILL and THE BI
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