The Empty Nest by Sue Watson
Published by Bookouture
Publication Date: 1st November 2019
Psychological Thriller, Crime
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.
Until the day Amy doesn’t call, sending Kat into a panic. Her husband and friends say she’s being paranoid – surely Amy is just out, having fun? But Kat feels sure something is very wrong – she knows her daughter, and she would never just disappear.
As the hours turn into days, her fears are confirmed: Amy is missing. But there are secrets about her daughter that Kat doesn't know about yet. And the truth about Amy's whereabouts may be closer to home than Kat could ever imagine...
A gripping and suspenseful psychological thriller with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster and an ending that will blow readers’ minds. 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.
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.
Until the day Amy doesn’t call, sending Kat into a panic. Her husband and friends say she’s being paranoid – surely Amy is just out, having fun? But Kat feels sure something is very wrong – she knows her daughter, and she would never just disappear.
As the hours turn into days, her fears are confirmed: Amy is missing. But there are secrets about her daughter that Kat doesn't know about yet. And the truth about Amy's whereabouts may be closer to home than Kat could ever imagine...
A gripping and suspenseful psychological thriller with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster and an ending that will blow readers’ minds. 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 Review:
Huge thanks to Sarah Hardy and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication ready for the blog tour. The opinions I give here are honest and unbiased.
Amy and her mum Kat are very close. As a single mum for the best part of Amy's life it's understandable that Kat can be seen to be a tad over protective. But Kat has her reasons for being protective of Amy, as her best friend Zoe knows. But does she know the truth?
Kat's second husband, lawyer Richard is a quirky character. He and Zoe don't see eye to eye and tend to avoid one another however when Amy goes away to university and Kat doesn't get a call or text from Amy for over 24 hours they are in agreement for once that maybe Kat is overreacting. Amy will be out with her newfound uni friends, living it up into the small hours then recovering from the hangover from hell the next day. But Kat's instinct as a mother tells her something is wrong and she won't settle until she knows Amy is safe.
Kat does come over as being very full on as a parent - has her overbearing nature actually pushed Amy away? As the chapters move on and we find out more about Kat and Amy's history it becomes clear why Kat is the way she is, so I kind of understood her a bit more. But then to cracks in her story start to show and we see that there could be more behind the events in their past. Ex husband Tony seems to hold a lot of power over Kat, she seems disproportionately worried that he will come back from Europe and take Amy away.
Eventually Kat persuades her loved ones that Amy really is missing and she goes to the police to ask for their help. Zoe and her daughter Jodie- one of Amy's closest friends since primary school - are there on hand to support Kat, Jodie even sets up a Facebook page to spread the word of Amy's disappearance. Then as the police start asking questions, the list of people who could potentially be involved in the disappearance. Who was the mysterious older man seen leaving Amy's room at uni? Was she involved with one of her tutors? Or does someone much closer to home hold the key?
The book tells the story of the search for Amy from Kat's point of view. She clearly knows all that has gone before but she has little knowledge of Amy's new life since she has moved away to Aberystwyth. Who are all these new people? Why hasn't Amy told her about them? The emotions obviously keep Kat awake at night, she can't settle to anything constructive and spends all her time moping at home with either Zoe or Jodie for company. Everyone comes under suspicion of being involved yet she has no proof of anything.
The tension builds and builds as the days go by and the reader is no more informed about what happened to Amy than Kat is. The possibilities were buzzing around my mind even when I wasn't reading the book and I was keen to keep on reading at every opportunity.
The outcome certainly surprised me, I didn't see it coming at all. Looking back at the story there aren't many clues along the way but there are some hints if you are looking for them. Overall I found this an engaging read - although Kat did frustrate me greatly at times. Ex husband Tony remained a bit of an enigma and best friend Zoe seemed too keen to be on hand for Kat whether she wanted her there or not which I found really annoying. With plenty of red herrings to keep the reader's mind occupied, this is a book to get your grey matter working whilst Kat battled her demons.
Kat's second husband, lawyer Richard is a quirky character. He and Zoe don't see eye to eye and tend to avoid one another however when Amy goes away to university and Kat doesn't get a call or text from Amy for over 24 hours they are in agreement for once that maybe Kat is overreacting. Amy will be out with her newfound uni friends, living it up into the small hours then recovering from the hangover from hell the next day. But Kat's instinct as a mother tells her something is wrong and she won't settle until she knows Amy is safe.
Kat does come over as being very full on as a parent - has her overbearing nature actually pushed Amy away? As the chapters move on and we find out more about Kat and Amy's history it becomes clear why Kat is the way she is, so I kind of understood her a bit more. But then to cracks in her story start to show and we see that there could be more behind the events in their past. Ex husband Tony seems to hold a lot of power over Kat, she seems disproportionately worried that he will come back from Europe and take Amy away.
Eventually Kat persuades her loved ones that Amy really is missing and she goes to the police to ask for their help. Zoe and her daughter Jodie- one of Amy's closest friends since primary school - are there on hand to support Kat, Jodie even sets up a Facebook page to spread the word of Amy's disappearance. Then as the police start asking questions, the list of people who could potentially be involved in the disappearance. Who was the mysterious older man seen leaving Amy's room at uni? Was she involved with one of her tutors? Or does someone much closer to home hold the key?
The book tells the story of the search for Amy from Kat's point of view. She clearly knows all that has gone before but she has little knowledge of Amy's new life since she has moved away to Aberystwyth. Who are all these new people? Why hasn't Amy told her about them? The emotions obviously keep Kat awake at night, she can't settle to anything constructive and spends all her time moping at home with either Zoe or Jodie for company. Everyone comes under suspicion of being involved yet she has no proof of anything.
The tension builds and builds as the days go by and the reader is no more informed about what happened to Amy than Kat is. The possibilities were buzzing around my mind even when I wasn't reading the book and I was keen to keep on reading at every opportunity.
The outcome certainly surprised me, I didn't see it coming at all. Looking back at the story there aren't many clues along the way but there are some hints if you are looking for them. Overall I found this an engaging read - although Kat did frustrate me greatly at times. Ex husband Tony remained a bit of an enigma and best friend Zoe seemed too keen to be on hand for Kat whether she wanted her there or not which I found really annoying. With plenty of red herrings to keep the reader's mind occupied, this is a book to get your grey matter working whilst Kat battled her demons.
About the Author:
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.
Social Media Links:
Twitter: @suewatsonwriter
Website: www.suewatsonbooks.com
https://www.facebook.com/suewatsonbooks/
Follow the Tour:
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.
Social Media Links:
Twitter: @suewatsonwriter
Website: www.suewatsonbooks.com
https://www.facebook.com/suewatsonbooks/
Follow the Tour:
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