BOOKS-ON-TOUR: Did You See Evie by Miranda Smith

Blurb:

I blink awake to the sound of whispering, and look around. Automatically, I do a count. And then I am upright, my heart racing. I count again. “Girls,” I say, trying to sound calm. “Did you see Evie?”

It was meant to be a celebration. A team sleepover in the school gymnasium: movies, pizza, hot chocolate. I walk among the girls, checking they’re ok. They collect in groups and giggle, play truth or dare.

Then there’s Evie. Always the outsider, just like I was. She sits apart, fiddling with her long blonde hair. It seems like she wants to speak to me, but there’s never a good time.

And when we wake up the next day, stiff and groggy, Evie is gone.

I know the girls are lying about something. I see it in their averted eyes, their sullen silences. But how can I challenge them, when I’m the worst liar of all?

Because the truth is, I’m desperate find her. I’d do anything to protect these girls. But it’s also true that the longer she’s missing, the more risk I’m running. You see, the night she vanished, I did something no one can ever know…

A stunning, gripping psychological thriller about the secrets of the past and the lies we tell ourselves.

My Review:

It’s surely every single parent’s nightmare: you’re out in a busy area with your child; you turn around, and suddenly you can’t see them; they’ve disappeared! You call their name, but they don’t reappear … they’re gone! But then suddenly … there they are again! You see that familiar little person up ahead in between the moving sway of bodies. They turn around and grin at you. They didn’t even know they were ‘lost’! They’re the worst, most heart-pounding few minutes of your life. But what could be worse than that? A child going missing on your watch, when that child isn’t your own!!! And that’s what happens to Coach Cass when Evie goes missing during a netball team sleepover at their school – the elite Manning Academy.

Cass has secrets of her own – not only about the night in question, but about her teenage years growing up in the area. She may have grown up around these parts, but her younger years weren’t the same as the wealthy, privileged young girls she now coaches . The last thing she needs is the truth coming out and doubt being cast in her direction, purely because she’s not “one of them”.

This book kept me up late into the night, and not only because it’s a page-turner. It took me right back to those school days where I too was an outsider, arriving from another country and never quite fitting in. And then again, to when my children were in school and the ongoing angst and in-fighting that is the constant battle to keep your head above water in the pool of “who’s who” and “who’s not” – not only amongst the kids, but the parents too. It’s ongoing and it never stops, until we step out of the water and decide it’s enough! Thank goodness that day does eventually come – for some it’s earlier than for others.

For Cass, although she’s lucky to have had opportunities, she remains aware of what an alternative life could have looked like for her. This keeps her sharp, but also empathetic and caring towards those who don’t have the same background as most of the wealthy girls she trains at Manning Academy. With the return of her old friend Natalie, she also realizes that she needs to be more guarded about who she trusts, now that what should be a safe space has proven not to be quite as comfortable as she and everyone else had assumed. She knows something was on Evie’s mind before she disappeared, and she had a feeling of something not quite right … an undercurrent … rippling between the girls on the team. But she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. She knows she needs to discover what’s been going on, and she knows she definitely needs to ensure that fingers aren’t pointed in her direction!

This is well written, with good pace and great social commentary on what and who we allow into our safe spaces, and into the lives of those we love. It’s a reminder to remain careful, protective of our loved ones and of those who genuinely care for us, and to speak up if we feel strongly that something seems wrong, or out of place, especially when it’s online, where so much of what we see cannot be believed.

Thank you to Bookouture for the Books-On-Tour!

Author Bio:

Miranda Smith writes psychological and domestic suspense. She is drawn to stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Before completing her first novel, she worked as a newspaper staff writer and a secondary English teacher. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and three young children.

https://mirandasmithwriter.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MirandaSmithAuthor/

https://www.instagram.com/mirandasmithwriter/

Purchase Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CTHR4JTKsocial

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo