The Day I Lost You by Ruth Mancini

 

My thoughts

First thing you need to know about this book is that it's so good. 

It also has a few triggers. Miscarriage, though it's only talked about lightly. Also the death of a baby. Not elaborated on but mentioned. 

I listened to the audio and it was great. The three narrators kept this story going at a great pace and gave much emotion. Brought it to life. Made it feel more realistic. I appreciate that. 

When Lauren is confronted with the suspicion that the little boy she has was taken from another couple she is distraught. It can't be happening. She has his birth record. His passport. He is hers. Or is he? She does the only thing she knows to do.... She runs. With the help of her very understanding neighbor Gabe, Lauren has a place to go. To hide. To come to terms with what is about to happen.

Hope and Drew are new parents. After three miscarriages they are finally going to have the baby they dreamed of. What more could they want. Drew it seems wants other women. Or another woman. He has an affair but confesses to his wife. Hope of course is devastated. She is also way more understanding that most women would be. Especially when it came out. When Drew told her. He wasn't to bright. But then was it truly over. When Hope goes into premature labour then their baby has to have surgery they have to work together. For the sake of their baby they put everything else aside. Some very big secrets.... 

This is a heartfelt book. I didn't find it to be a thriller but a who is who. Who was this woman that took Sam. Why did she take him. Whose child is he. Was he the product of a surrogacy or is it the mental derangement of a women who has nothing left to lose. Who truly believes he is hers. Or is this a punishment for something way more sinister. Still not a thriller. But a heartbreaking story of two mothers, one father, and a little boy. 

I cried my eyes out in the last few chapters. It was a very good story. From start to finish. Even when things started coming out it was surprise after surprise for me. I had no idea. This story was truly easy to follow. It was a very quick read for me too. 

Thank you Harper Perennial and HarperAudio Adult for the ARC.

4.75 stars 

About

The internationally bestselling author of The Woman on the Ledge returns with a twisty thriller about a missing child and three adults whose shared secrets and hidden history could prove deadly.

“I need to report a crime. My baby has been stolen.”

All Lauren wants is a new life in Spain. She’s suffered an unimaginable loss, but at last she has found a home in the pretty seaside town of Mantilla de Mar. Everyone deserves a new start, and Lauren needs to put her past firmly behind her.

Hope has an interesting career as a therapist, an attractive husband, a dream home in the countryside - and, finally, the baby she always longed for. Sam. Her beautiful boy.

But Sam has gone missing.

So when the police tell her that a woman has been found in Spain with a child matching Sam’s description, Hope thinks that her nightmare might be coming to an end.

But Lauren is insisting Sam is her baby. She even has his passport and birth certificate to prove it.

So what really happened to Baby Sam? And who still has secrets to hide?

One child. Two mothers. And a past that won’t let them go.