Book Review: My Little Girl by Shalini Boland

A family drama that keeps you guessing? Here you go!

Blurb

Your daughter is missing. Did someone close to you take her?

She was meant to be with your husband. 

He didn’t tell you about the change of plans. 

Your mother-in-law says she never took her eyes off her. But the moment little Bea disappeared, she was on the phone to your husband’s ex-wife. 

Things like this happen to other people. Careless people. Not you. 

But now you have to ask: your husband, your mother-in-law, the ex-wife – could one of them have taken your little girl?

Review

While there are many books out there with a plot line around child abduction, My Little Girl is well able to hold its own. For one, it keeps you guessing. There are a few potential perpetrators presented to the reader yet the true abductor is not obvious. Even better, the diversions are natural and not obvious, outrageous red herrings.

There are instances where the characters annoyed me, but overall I enjoyed them all. I certainly appreciated that Claire and Ollie aren’t the married couple that follow the same plot line once the child is abducted. You know what I mean, violent arguments, affairs, etc. However, it is Jill, the mother-in-law, who stands out for me. Yes, I find her the most annoying character but the author has done a great job of portraying an aging widow eager to be involved in her granddaughter’s life but feels pushed inside. Additionally, we also see through Jill the loneliness and financial hardships that those at retirement age often experience.

However, to be completely honest, there were things that took My Little Girl from a 4 to a 3-star book for me. I felt that the first half of the book was a little repetitive and there were instances where the characters rambled and the text could have been shortened. Also, Ollie played a big part in the story and it would have been interesting to see things from his point of view.

Nevertheless, My Little Girl is a good read. If you are interested in checking it out, pick up a copy of the book here.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.