Saturday 27 June 2015

The Other Child - Lucy Atkins


The Other Child is the second book I've read by Lucy Atkins and after reading the blurb I was really looking forward to reading it.

Tess has met leading paediatric heart surgeon Greg through her photography work and after a whirlwind romance Greg is offered his dream job back in his home country and Tess falls pregnant. Not wanting to leave her behind Greg proposes and Tess and her nine year old son, Joe, move to the suburbs of Boston.

Right from the outset unsettling things start to happen, noises that seem to be coming from within the house, standoffish neighbours and Tess can't shake the feeling that she is being watched. Greg always seems to be at work and is becoming more and more distant. It becomes apparent that Tess doesn't know as much about Greg as she first thought and when she starts to question his background he becomes very evasive.

I truly wanted to love this book but for me it fell short of the psychological thriller label it's been given. I didn't find myself engaging with the character of Tess as much as I wanted to and there were a few times throughout the book when she really frustrated me. She was too easily fobbed off with Greg's excuses for not wanting to open up about his past for my liking. Surely if someone had the questions Tess did she would have forced the issue more, especially considering her circumstances. I actually felt more for Greg's character and by the end the majority of my sympathy was with him.

I won't say don't read this book as it is an entertaining read but I will say that if you're looking for the type of story that will have you frantically turning the pages to find out what's coming next, this one doesn't really make the grade.

With kind thanks to NetGalley and publishers Quercus Books for the review copy.

6 comments:

  1. It's refreshing to see a blogger who doesn't pander to give a good review just because it's a free book it takes courage to say it wasn't all that good for you

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  2. Thanks for taking the time to comment Sarah. I did wonder when I wrote it if it was a little harsh but then I thought why not as it's a true reflection of my thoughts. I have several books that are 5* worthy and I use those as a comparison when I'm writing my reviews.

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  3. I agree with Sarah - and your review is very fair and balanced. Well done - these are never easy!

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    1. Thank you Anne, I always try to be constructive with any criticism.

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  4. I love reading reviews that give a fresh look on a book, heard lots about this one and think this is a fair and constructive review. I will get to my copy soon hopefully.

    Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net

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    1. Thanks for the comment Lainy, I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts once you've read it.

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