The Stolen Child by Emily Shiner

Release:11th September 2022
Format: eBook
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Source: Zooloos Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon

She has hundreds of adoring fans. Only one wants to be her best friend.

Eliza has the perfect life. A beautiful home, a hugely successful blog, a loving husband and two adorable children.

Bethany barely scrapes by in a dead-end job. Her only happiness comes from reading Eliza’s blog. Obsessed with her, she believes they’re destined to be best friends.

But Eliza doesn’t want another friend . . . especially one as pushy as Bethany. Because Eliza is hiding a family secret. One that would shatter her entire world if it was ever revealed.

Rejected and furious, Bethany starts stalking Eliza. And, as she watches her every move, Bethany discovers Eliza’s secret and threatens to expose it.

But Eliza will do whatever it takes to protect her perfect life. Even if it means getting rid of Bethany . . . forever.

About the Author:

Emily Shiner always dreamed of becoming an author but first served her time as a banker and a teacher. After a lifetime of devouring stacks of thrillers, she decided to try her hand at writing them herself. Now she gets to live out her dream of writing novels and sharing her stories with people around the world. She lives in the Appalachian Mountains and loves hiking with her husband, daughter, and their two dogs.

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The Stolen Child Review:

The author wrote the two main characters very well. The dynamic between Eliza and Bethany was the story’s highlight and had me glued to the pages. The surprising part is that I enjoyed Bethany the most. Even though she is completely delusional about befriending Eliza, I found her entertaining, and at times, I was almost rooting for her to succeed in her plans. Eliza, to be honest, got on my nerves, especially with how she treated James. Even though she is the protagonist, I didn’t particularly appreciate how she mocked James for warning her about setting her priorities and focusing on Knox over her social media profile. I felt she didn’t start prioritizing Knox until Bethany threatened her family.

Yet, the scenes between both the characters kept the story intense. The author builds the suspense and plot so well that you wonder just how far Bethany would go and what Eliza and James would do to stop her. The story, in general, also makes you think about how some people would have ardent followers on social media, where they feel they know you personally for sharing so much information, to the point where they can invade your life. Some of my favorite moments in the story were when Bethany initially tries to befriend Eliza by accidentally running into it or when Bethany spends time with the kids.

However, the ending was not really to my taste. The story ends abruptly and not in the direction I would have liked the author to take. Also, I wished Camilla was more prominent, as adding her to Eliza’s stress would have been interesting. But, overall, “The Stolen Child” is a gripping thriller that I enjoyed reading.