The Empty Nest by Sue Watson @bookouture @suewatsonwriter

Book Description:

‘Sometimes we can’t see what’s right in front of us, Kat. Everyone has secrets, even the people we love, the people we live with…’

Kat remembers the days when her only daughter Amy wouldn’t leave her side. Amy was the baby who cried when you walked out of the room, the toddler who was too shy to speak to strangers, the small child who clung to Kat’s legs in the school playground.

But now Amy is grown up, and Amy is gone – to university in a town several hours away. Kat’s house – which once felt too full, too noisy, too busy – is deathly quiet, and Kat awaits the daily phone call to tell her that her beloved daughter is thriving and happy.

But one day Amy doesn’t call. Kat’s husband and friends think she is being paranoid – surely Amy is just out, having fun with her friends. But Kat knows right away that something is very wrong. Her daughter would never forget to call. She would never just disappear… After all, Amy has nothing to run from. Or does she?

A gripping and suspenseful psychological thriller with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. Fans of The Wife Between Us, The Girl Before and Gone Girl will be gripped by this unputdownable story about a mother’s obsessive love for her child.

My Thoughts:

Kat is a woman I could really relate to. The concerns you have for your child is something that for me, grows as they get older. When they are toddlers you worry about the small things but as they get older and more dependent, there is so much more to worry about.

Having not had a child go to university, I could still feel the anxiety that Kat does in the story. To not have them close by if anything was to go wrong. As a parent you can only trust that they will look after themselves and be okay. A mother’s instinct is a truly wonderful gift and like Kat, I just new something was terribly wrong.

The author is very good at leading you down the wrong path. I thought I had sussed out who was behind Amy’s disappearance very early on. Sitting all the way through feeling smug to myself that I was positive I was right. I should have known better as that smug feeling well and truly vanished when it all comes to light. I was so gobsmacked as I hadn’t seen it coming whatsoever!

The Empty Nest is a story steeped in secrets and lies. The suspense and tension surrounding Amy’s disappearance, builds up wonderfully and had me totally hooked, tearing through the pages to see just what had happened to her. I was like a woman possessed as Kat’s concerns became my concerns. There are some very clever twists and turns and hats off to the author as I so did not see that outcome.

An author whose books keep getting darker and even more fabulous than the one before it.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

The Empty Nest is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an affiliate link).

Sue Watson was a TV Producer at the BBC until she wrote her first book and was hooked. 

USA Today bestselling author, Sue has written fifteen novels – many involving cake – which have been translated into several languages and involved tough ‘cake research.’ Sue is now exploring the darker side of life with her thrillers OUR LITTLE LIES, THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR and THE EMPTY NEST. Writing in this new genre doesn’t involve the deep research of baked goods and Sue’s hoping the change in direction will be reflected on the weighing scales.

Originally from Manchester, Sue now lives with her husband and teenage daughter in Worcestershire where much of her day is spent procrastinating, eating and watching ‘My 600lb Life,’ on the sofa.  

http://www.suewatsonbooks.com/  

@suewatsonwriter
https://www.facebook.com/suewatsonbooks/