Review: Only Daughter by Anna Snoekstra

Image source: Goodreads.com

Only Child by Anna Snoekstra

Publisher: Mira Books

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publication Date: September 20^th, 2016

Rating: 4.5/5

This is one of those books that the less you know before reading, the better it is! So I’ll try to review it without giving much away…

In 2003, Rebecca Winters, a sixteen-year-old went missing. Eleven years later, in 2014, a girl dodging a shoplifting arrest decides to take her place. The “new” Rebecca does her best to assume Rebecca’s old life. She learns to fit in with the family and Bec’s old best friend, Lizzie. The plot is told from the viewpoints of Rebecca in 2003 and fake Rebecca in 2014.

This book sucked me in from the first chapter and kept me guessing until the end. Although some parts were a bit predictable/unbelievable, this is an incredibly solid debut novel. I’ll definitely be checking out the author’s new books. I did have a few issues with it…The biggest is how the tone changed at the end and didn’t match the rest of the book. Throughout the whole novel the book does not delve into graphic gore; it focuses more so on being a psychological thriller. However, towards the end there are a few scenes that are rather graphic and not good for the faint-at-heart, or animal lovers (like me!). Although crucial to the plot, they just didn’t seem like they fit with the overall tone of the novel. That being said, I can deal with a couple of scenes that felt off in exchange for a thrilling, quick, read. It was very fast-paced and you can definitely read it in one sitting. After reflecting on the ending, all my other issues disappeared after finishing the book. Without giving anything away, all my qualms definitely made sense keeping the ending in mind. I would definitely recommend this book!