I am absolutely delighted to welcome Anna Snoekstra’s back to my blog today to review her debut novel, Only Daughter.
Anna was born in Canberra, Australia in 1988. She studied Creative Writing and Cinema at Melbourne University, followed by screenwriting at RMIT University.
She currently lives in Melbourne with her husband and tabby cat.
About her debut novel …
In this chilling psychological thriller, one woman’s dark past becomes another’s deadly future.
In 2003, sixteen-year-old Rebecca Winter disappeared.
She’d been enjoying her teenage summer break: working at a fast food restaurant, crushing on an older boy and shoplifting with her best friend. Mysteriously ominous things began to happen—blood in the bed, periods of blackouts, a feeling of being watched—though Bec remained oblivious of what was to come.
Eleven years later she is replaced.
A young woman, desperate after being arrested, claims to be the decade-missing Bec.
Soon the imposter is living Bec’s life. Sleeping in her bed. Hugging her mother and father. Learning her best friends’ names. Playing with her twin brothers.
But Bec’s welcoming family and enthusiastic friends are not quite as they seem. As the imposter dodges the detective investigating her case, she begins to delve into the life of the real Bec Winter—and soon realizes that whoever took Bec is still at large, and that she is in imminent danger.
My thoughts . . .
The imposter has been caught shoplifting and sees a way out of her arrest by pretending to be a young girl who went missing 11 years ago, and mysteriously it works! She seems to have everybody convinced, even the doctors and police!
As the story unfolds we have the present day goings on of the imposter and the historical narrative of Bec, the missing girl, and it flows so well. Snoekstra builds up a really intense and creepy feeling that didn’t leave me for a good a few hours after I had finished reading. I didn’t know who was Bec’s friend and I didn’t know who the imposter should believe in, I didn’t know where to look for answers and I was genuinely shocked by the ending!
Snoekstra really gets under the skin of the reader, I was totally enthralled from the off and I finished it in one sitting. I was astounded that this was a debut novel! Her writing is so elegant and intense; she completely drew me into this twisted tale of deception and duplicity and I didn’t want it to end.
It really is one of those books that will be spoilt by too much conversation but trust me, this is definitely one you need to go out and buy now!
Absolute praise for Snoekstra, Only Daughter is a spine-tingling, dark and twisted thriller that had me literally on the edge of my seat and I can’t wait to see what else she has to offer.
I would like to thank the HQ Stories and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
You can buy your copy here:
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