#BLOGTOUR: The Lost Child by Emily Gunnis #TheLostChild #WonderfulRead #Favourite #5Star #CoverLove @EmilyGunnis @headlinepg #RandomThingsTours @annecater #ProvidedForReview #Gifted

Welcome to my stop on the #BlogTour for the wonderful – The Lost Child by Emily Gunnis. Apologies that I am posting my review later in the day than I usual do, but life is a little bit out of sync at the moment. I hope everyone is well, safe and staying home.

I LOVED The Lost Child by Emily Gunnis.

And it is a strong contender for a position in my TOP 5 books of 2020. A very strong contender. It was a mystery, it was a family drama, it was a tragedy and it was a heart-breaking look at motherhood. It grabbed my attention from page 1 and it didn’t let go. I stayed up well past my bedtime last night to finish it – always a good sign.

Book Blurb:

Rebecca Waterhouse is just thirteen when she witnesses her mother’s death at the hand of her father in Seaview Cottage.

But what else did Rebecca see?

Years later, Rebecca’s daughters Iris and Jessie know their mother will never speak of that terrible night. But when Jessie goes missing, with her gravely ill newborn, Iris realises the past may hold the key to her sister’s disappearance.

With Jessie in trouble, Iris must unravel a twisting story of love and betrayal in her mother’s family history.

Only then will Seaview Cottage give up its dark and tragic secret…

The blurb sounds intriguing, right?!?!

The book was GREAT. And that cover is gorgeous.

I don’t tend to cry over books. I don’t tend to cry at films either except for – UP. I had to walk out of the room and take myself to the kitchen because the infertility struggles at the beginning broke me. This book opens with something similar – Iris longs for a baby and it doesn’t happen for her with her husband. The author wrote a sensitive yet realistic glimpse at the heart ache involved with infertility. I am SO lucky to have my daughter, but we struggled for years to conceive her and we’ve never been able to give her a sibling. And I almost didn’t read on because sometimes I still find the topic a bit too painful, but this isn’t just a story about Iris and her struggles. I want to say so much about the plot, but I won’t for spoilers. This book covers a lot of ground and does so effortlessly. Emily Gunnis is an amazing author.

The writing was good, the short chapters created an urgency and sense of suspense and the various POVs and multiple timelines all worked well together so that we get a very full and rich story about the lives, loves and tragedies of all the main characters. It was a book with a lot going on, but it was all so tightly plotted that it was very easy to read and get swept away with.

I want to say that there were 5 main characters and 3 different times lines…someone could maybe correct me if I am wrong. But the story never felt cluttered. It was clever. Very clever writing and plotting.

And the ending. Heart wrenching. I went and hugged my daughter extra tight after I finished the last chapter. But it wasn’t just a sad story. It was also a mystery and I was kept guessing about a lot of the plot until the last few chapters.

The Lost Child was – absorbing, clever, entertaining, compelling, atmospheric, sad and happy. It was a multi-generational tale about some amazing women and their love – motherhood is hard but equally wonderful. And it was the first book in a long time that brought a tear to my eye.

I really don’t feel that my review has done the book justice and I wholeheartedly recommend reading this very special book for yourself. It was memorable.

Have you read Emily Gunnis’s first book – The Girl in the letter? Because I really want to.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher, which was all organised by Anne – Thank you!