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Little Miracles
When a routine trip to the beach turns to tragedy, Julia Fearon's life becomes a heartbreaking search for the truth. When she arrives in Spain with fiancé Charlie and their toddler Hadyn, Julia is excited at the prospect of meeting his family. But Julia's happiness is short-lived as she becomes increasingly isolated from the strict and deeply religious clan, and lies from her past threaten to destroy her future happiness. Then tragedy strikes and Haydn disappears on a day out at the beach. Whilst the authorities presume him drowned, Julia is tortured by the thought that her child is alive - and has been snatched. Grief-stricken, Julia searches desperately for the truth, whilst Charlie throws himself into his work. Consumed by the fact that they may never know what happened that day, can Julia find the strength to let Haydn go? Or will her faith be rewarded with the truth? Heart wrenching and morally complex, if you love Dorothy Koomson and Jodi Picoult, you'll love Giselle Green.
432 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2009
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282 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
December 26, 2024
Excellent.
A truly magnificent read that was riveting from start to finish. It was a heartbreaking read that is every parent's nightmare.
A truly magnificent read that was riveting from start to finish. It was a heartbreaking read that is every parent's nightmare.
November 16, 2009
When Julia Fearon, her boyfriend Charlie and their son Haydn, go to Malaga to meet Charlie’s family, Julia is thrilled at the prospect. Her optimism is short-lived when it turns out Charlie’s family are incredibly religious and they’re pressurising Julia about her upcoming wedding to Charlie.Trouble is, Julia has a secret that could ruin her future. Then tragedy strikes: after an argument with Charlie’s abuela, Julia decides to take Haydn to the beach. There, Haydn disappears. Julia is frantic trying to find her son whereas Charlie loses himself in his work to help him get through his tragedy. The question is: Is Haydn alive or is Julia just struggling to come to terms with Haydn’s death?
When I picked up this book I saw that Giselle Green was billed as the English Jodi Picoult. I hate authors being likened to other authors, particularly likening an author to Jodi Picoult – she’s in a league of her own when it comes to her books. However I see where the billing has come from – Giselle is similar to Jodi and asks the question of what’s the best way to get over the disappearance of your child?
Little Miracles is told in alternating first person chapters between Julia and Charlie and that’s an interesting tack for Giselle to take. If there’s to be more than one main character in a book, authors generally go third-person, but I thought Giselle alternated her chapters well between the two and I thought the first-person narrative allowed us to really see what was going on in the heads of Julia and Charlie.
I loved Julia straight away. I could totally understand why she felt ostracised with everything going on all around her in Malaga. I did wish that she’d told Charlie and Charlie’s family sooner about her secret but bar that, I thought Julia was a great character. Her reaction to her son’s disappearance was one I would expect; Giselle wrote about the pain of a mother fabulously well. I was right there at that beach with Julia when she realised Haydn was missing and I never left her side in her bid to discover the truth. I could also see Charlie’s point of view. Yes, it seemed as if he got over the whole thing incredibly quickly but the contrast between the two parents was done really well so I could perfectly understand Charlie throwing himself into his work to try and get over it all. I could see both points of view and didn’t agree or disagree with either, as far as I’m concerned there was no wrong way to get over the loss/disappearance of a child. The difference of opinion about Haydn’s alleged disappearance only added to the book, giving it an extra element.
I loved the descriptions of Malaga and liked the Spanish phrases thrown into the book. I could understand all of the words so didn’t need an online translator – there’s nothing worse reading a book with some foreign sentences in you don’t understand!
While Charlie’s family were a bit too full-on I did like them. Particularly Charlie’s abuela (grandmother). I thought she had hidden depths and I thought she was an incredibly sweet person. I was incredibly sad to learn of her illness. I also quite liked Eva and Roberto, Charlie’s brother and sister-in-law. They seemed like genuine people but I could see why Julia felt left out and overwhelmed by everything. Particularly after Haydn’s disappearance. There’s also some hidden depths to our main characters, Julie and Charlie. Both were told things about their past that wasn’t particularly true as we found out through-out the book.
When I was reading this book I had a feeling of “I’ve heard this somewhere before” and after going on Sky News, I was reminded of what it was: the Madeline McCann disappearance. It’s not that they’re similar in the way the two children disappeared but they are alike. In both cases, the feeling is that the parents will never find out what happened to their children.
Fianlly, I have to mention the ending. It’s quite ambiguous and it could drive some people insane: why read 400+ pages of a book and have that kind of ending? Yes, I got a flickering feeling of annoyance but thinking about it, it kind of works. I’m incredibly curious and, after I finish writing this, I plan to find the authors site and ask her about the ending and why she wrote that, but overall it kind of works. It finishes the book (albeit with a few question marks) but it also potentially paves the way for a sequel.
I’m really starting to enjoy women’s fiction books that aren’t about 20/30-something ditzy women, like Catherine Ryan Hyde and now, Giselle Green. I’ll be looking out for Giselle’s debut as well as any future books she may write as her writing really is great. If you’re a Jodi Picoult or Catherine Ryan Hyde fan I’d wholly recommend this. Heck, I’d recommend it regardless of who you’re a fan of.
When I picked up this book I saw that Giselle Green was billed as the English Jodi Picoult. I hate authors being likened to other authors, particularly likening an author to Jodi Picoult – she’s in a league of her own when it comes to her books. However I see where the billing has come from – Giselle is similar to Jodi and asks the question of what’s the best way to get over the disappearance of your child?
Little Miracles is told in alternating first person chapters between Julia and Charlie and that’s an interesting tack for Giselle to take. If there’s to be more than one main character in a book, authors generally go third-person, but I thought Giselle alternated her chapters well between the two and I thought the first-person narrative allowed us to really see what was going on in the heads of Julia and Charlie.
I loved Julia straight away. I could totally understand why she felt ostracised with everything going on all around her in Malaga. I did wish that she’d told Charlie and Charlie’s family sooner about her secret but bar that, I thought Julia was a great character. Her reaction to her son’s disappearance was one I would expect; Giselle wrote about the pain of a mother fabulously well. I was right there at that beach with Julia when she realised Haydn was missing and I never left her side in her bid to discover the truth. I could also see Charlie’s point of view. Yes, it seemed as if he got over the whole thing incredibly quickly but the contrast between the two parents was done really well so I could perfectly understand Charlie throwing himself into his work to try and get over it all. I could see both points of view and didn’t agree or disagree with either, as far as I’m concerned there was no wrong way to get over the loss/disappearance of a child. The difference of opinion about Haydn’s alleged disappearance only added to the book, giving it an extra element.
I loved the descriptions of Malaga and liked the Spanish phrases thrown into the book. I could understand all of the words so didn’t need an online translator – there’s nothing worse reading a book with some foreign sentences in you don’t understand!
While Charlie’s family were a bit too full-on I did like them. Particularly Charlie’s abuela (grandmother). I thought she had hidden depths and I thought she was an incredibly sweet person. I was incredibly sad to learn of her illness. I also quite liked Eva and Roberto, Charlie’s brother and sister-in-law. They seemed like genuine people but I could see why Julia felt left out and overwhelmed by everything. Particularly after Haydn’s disappearance. There’s also some hidden depths to our main characters, Julie and Charlie. Both were told things about their past that wasn’t particularly true as we found out through-out the book.
When I was reading this book I had a feeling of “I’ve heard this somewhere before” and after going on Sky News, I was reminded of what it was: the Madeline McCann disappearance. It’s not that they’re similar in the way the two children disappeared but they are alike. In both cases, the feeling is that the parents will never find out what happened to their children.
Fianlly, I have to mention the ending. It’s quite ambiguous and it could drive some people insane: why read 400+ pages of a book and have that kind of ending? Yes, I got a flickering feeling of annoyance but thinking about it, it kind of works. I’m incredibly curious and, after I finish writing this, I plan to find the authors site and ask her about the ending and why she wrote that, but overall it kind of works. It finishes the book (albeit with a few question marks) but it also potentially paves the way for a sequel.
I’m really starting to enjoy women’s fiction books that aren’t about 20/30-something ditzy women, like Catherine Ryan Hyde and now, Giselle Green. I’ll be looking out for Giselle’s debut as well as any future books she may write as her writing really is great. If you’re a Jodi Picoult or Catherine Ryan Hyde fan I’d wholly recommend this. Heck, I’d recommend it regardless of who you’re a fan of.
September 21, 2010
aarrggghhh, i wasted 5 hours of my life reading this! It was unbelievably awful, there was no emotion at all, the author clearly does not have children herself or bothered to ask a SINGLE parent on the planet any questions or she would never have written this load of absolute crap. I mean come on, the main character, after 8 months, cannot remember what her son looked like??? REALLY?? I could go without seeing my children for 20 years and i would still recognize them for gods sake, you do not forget the face of your child after 8 months! and even if she was that much of an idiotic and uncaring mother then surely she would have had a photo to remind herself??
The subject matter was something that would usually send me into a puddle of tears, it doesn't take me much. But i could not have cared less about the characters in this, i read it til the end purely because i wanted to find out if the little boy really had died or was kidnapped, and guess what? IT DOESN'T EVEN TELL YOU AT THE BLOODY END!
I'm a little disappointed, can you guess? :)
The subject matter was something that would usually send me into a puddle of tears, it doesn't take me much. But i could not have cared less about the characters in this, i read it til the end purely because i wanted to find out if the little boy really had died or was kidnapped, and guess what? IT DOESN'T EVEN TELL YOU AT THE BLOODY END!
I'm a little disappointed, can you guess? :)
March 3, 2012
I'm sorry to say I regret reading this book. The ending really did disappoint me although from reading Giselle Green's website it suggests we are able to come to a conclusion about the ending. I was tempted to read so of her other titles but Unsure i'll just be disappointed again?!
November 8, 2014
A real weepie. I empathised a lot as I have a 2 year old little boy and am pregnant again with my 2nd. Giselle Green has done it again, I read it in 2 days. When is her next one coming out? This story is about a couple whose son goes missing whilst they are on holiday, but as if that wasnt bad enough, they also have their own issues to deal with that have been buried for a long time, so you keep uncovering layers of the characters. It is not only the tale of how the parents deal with the loss of their son but a journey of self-discovery for each of them as individuals and as a couple. I strongly recommend it.
I have now re read this as I'm about to start the follow on finding you. And I've loved this book even more second time round.
I have now re read this as I'm about to start the follow on finding you. And I've loved this book even more second time round.
April 14, 2014
I am not sure what i can say about this book...except it blew me away!! The whole story is amazing and takes you on journey no parent wants to go on, but also teaches you at the heart and soul. Beautifully written, with a total insight in to the minds of the two most important people other than Hadyn. I cannot praise this book enough, but dot want to say to much and end up putting spoilers.
May 14, 2015
brilliant read
August 25, 2020
This book was awful . The characters are totally unbelievable and show no emotion . What mother chivvies her daughter along just a few weeks after the loss of the child as if she’s just lost her purse and it’s”time she got over it). The Spanish family also seemed to hardly care about the loss of their grandchild . And as for Charlie ... going home and leaving his fiancée in Spain - has the author never read the details of the McCanns terrible loss and how parents actually react to such a tragedy .Just couldn’t finish it ... total Mills and Boon of the supposed thriller genre .
February 9, 2024
A great book..It kept me glued for sure. Julia's willingness lose all to get back her son Haydn was impressive..only a mother can go to such lengths...Her instincts were right..The ending left me in a suspense though but I hope when she "looked down " she confirmed what she had always known in her gut:her son is not dead.
December 26, 2021
So disappointed
Had to finish but the ending was a total “wrap it up we’re done” type ending.
Characters were awful.
The plot was good, some parts kept me reading. Because if this the 2 stars is “it was okay”
Had to finish but the ending was a total “wrap it up we’re done” type ending.
Characters were awful.
The plot was good, some parts kept me reading. Because if this the 2 stars is “it was okay”
May 13, 2018
Great idea for a book. Just not well written.
September 12, 2018
boring, drawn out and a silly ending
November 21, 2018
This book was very drawn out, but had a good plot. However, the ending made me very angry. I felt like I read through the whole book for nothing.
December 24, 2018
Two stars seems low, but that translates to "it was ok".
Not much to say other than that.
Not much to say other than that.
April 26, 2019
Very sad but they did find him in the end
June 2, 2022
Omg what an emotional read oh them feels 😱🥺😭
Then you get to the last page and realize there's a book number 2 🤦♀️ I need to read it now to find out what happens next ..
Then you get to the last page and realize there's a book number 2 🤦♀️ I need to read it now to find out what happens next ..
October 13, 2023
As someone whose child is lost to them but still alive I enjoyed reading this book and found it an absolute cracker of a whirlwind story ! 👍👍👍👍
April 8, 2025
Stays with you long after the final page
August 7, 2025
What was that ending?? Dear me!
February 19, 2017
Author: Giselle Green
Title: Little Miracles
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction,
Where I Got The Book From: I bought this book out of money l got for my birthday and it come from a book shop called the works.
Book Dedication: To Eliott, Because we both believe in miracles...
I would tell people that you should step outside your comfort zone with books because it is good to add more authors and genres to your reading portfolio even if you do not read books like this.
I normally do not read books of this genre but l stepped outside my comfort zone with authors and genres l am so glad l did because l have read some many great books and come across some great authors.
This book has 416 pages and 58 chapters in it.
I highly recommend this book but l would tell people to have the follow on book finding you so you can read both straight away.
Book Review from other people:
Praise For Little Miracles:
Utterly heart-wrenching... Have a box of tissues handy – News Of The World.
This is a cracking read that will emotionally involve any parent... Exploring the power and strength of love the ending provides more surprises revelations than an episode of Trisha. A must read – Chopsybaby.com.
A Complex emotional Tale that is both heartbreaking and uplifting – Closer.
Morally complex and heart-rending novel – Closer.
A bitter sweet tear-jerker – OK.
A Compelling, tragic read, Though full of surprises and love – The Sun.
Synopsis: When Julia Fearon's Arrives in Spain With Fiancee Charlie And Their Toddler Haydn, She is excited at the prospect of meeting his family. But Julia Happiness is Short-lived as she becomes increasingly isolated from the deeply religious clan, And lies from her past threaten to destroy her future. Tragedy strikes when Julia takes Haydn to the beach. Haydn goes missing presumed he had drowned the search for Haydn gets stopped but Julia does not give up. Hope of seeing her precious little boy again and she will not give up hope of finding Haydn alive. Charlie keeps busy with work when Haydn goes missing. Everybody who knows Julia and Charlie thinks Haydn drowned but Julia does not believe it. Julia is tortured by the thought her child is still alive. Consumed by the fact that they may never know what happened that day. This novel is a heart-warming and emotional.
Review: I found this book really easy to get in to and hard to put down once l started reading it. I am so glad l bought this book now because it is a really good book and l can not put in to words how great this book is l would tell people to read it for themselves to know how great this book is. I am glad this book is in my library and so is the follow on finding you. I was nearly crying at this book because l thought nobody believed Julia about Haydn and l was sad that everybody stopped looking for Haydn and told Julia and Charlie that he had drowned. I was nearly crying when I finished this book because it was so good and l found out there was a follow on and l wanted to know what happened to Haydn and if Julia and Charlie stayed together and got married like they planned before Haydn went missing. I wish l could rate this book more then 5 stars because it is worth more then the 5 stars l rated it.
About the author: Giselle green has been highly praised for little miracles and she is one of my favourite authors.
About the book: the book cover is really nice and beautiful. This book is a tear-jerker with a bit of friendship, Romance, Drama And love.
Star Rating: 5 Out Of 5 Stars.
Title: Little Miracles
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Chick Lit, Women's Fiction,
Where I Got The Book From: I bought this book out of money l got for my birthday and it come from a book shop called the works.
Book Dedication: To Eliott, Because we both believe in miracles...
I would tell people that you should step outside your comfort zone with books because it is good to add more authors and genres to your reading portfolio even if you do not read books like this.
I normally do not read books of this genre but l stepped outside my comfort zone with authors and genres l am so glad l did because l have read some many great books and come across some great authors.
This book has 416 pages and 58 chapters in it.
I highly recommend this book but l would tell people to have the follow on book finding you so you can read both straight away.
Book Review from other people:
Praise For Little Miracles:
Utterly heart-wrenching... Have a box of tissues handy – News Of The World.
This is a cracking read that will emotionally involve any parent... Exploring the power and strength of love the ending provides more surprises revelations than an episode of Trisha. A must read – Chopsybaby.com.
A Complex emotional Tale that is both heartbreaking and uplifting – Closer.
Morally complex and heart-rending novel – Closer.
A bitter sweet tear-jerker – OK.
A Compelling, tragic read, Though full of surprises and love – The Sun.
Synopsis: When Julia Fearon's Arrives in Spain With Fiancee Charlie And Their Toddler Haydn, She is excited at the prospect of meeting his family. But Julia Happiness is Short-lived as she becomes increasingly isolated from the deeply religious clan, And lies from her past threaten to destroy her future. Tragedy strikes when Julia takes Haydn to the beach. Haydn goes missing presumed he had drowned the search for Haydn gets stopped but Julia does not give up. Hope of seeing her precious little boy again and she will not give up hope of finding Haydn alive. Charlie keeps busy with work when Haydn goes missing. Everybody who knows Julia and Charlie thinks Haydn drowned but Julia does not believe it. Julia is tortured by the thought her child is still alive. Consumed by the fact that they may never know what happened that day. This novel is a heart-warming and emotional.
Review: I found this book really easy to get in to and hard to put down once l started reading it. I am so glad l bought this book now because it is a really good book and l can not put in to words how great this book is l would tell people to read it for themselves to know how great this book is. I am glad this book is in my library and so is the follow on finding you. I was nearly crying at this book because l thought nobody believed Julia about Haydn and l was sad that everybody stopped looking for Haydn and told Julia and Charlie that he had drowned. I was nearly crying when I finished this book because it was so good and l found out there was a follow on and l wanted to know what happened to Haydn and if Julia and Charlie stayed together and got married like they planned before Haydn went missing. I wish l could rate this book more then 5 stars because it is worth more then the 5 stars l rated it.
About the author: Giselle green has been highly praised for little miracles and she is one of my favourite authors.
About the book: the book cover is really nice and beautiful. This book is a tear-jerker with a bit of friendship, Romance, Drama And love.
Star Rating: 5 Out Of 5 Stars.
June 18, 2014
Giselle Green’s books have sat – unread – on my bookshelves for far too long. They really looked like “my kind of book”, but there’s always the next new book, the need to review with publication dates, the desire to review the next new one before anyone else. So when Giselle approached me offering a free review copy of her new book Finding You – and told me it would add to my enjoyment if I read Little Miracles first – I decided it was time, at long last, to give her books a try.
I started with Little Miracles. Julia, Charlie and young son Hadyn visit Charlie’s family in Spain, but their visit is overshadowed by the demands of Charlie’s work, the expectations of the family about their forthcoming wedding, and a secret that Julia has never got round to sharing. After a family argument, Julia takes Hadyn to the beach, despite the approach of a storm – in the ensuing chaos, Hadyn disappears. While all the signs indicate that Hadyn is dead, Julia refuses to believe it and begins an obsessive search for his possible abductors. Although he feels the loss every bit as keenly, Charlie turns to work to fill the void. It really seems that Julia is simply having difficulty coming to terms with Hadyn’s death, and their relationship inevitably suffers.
I rarely like first person narrative – this story is told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of Julia and Charlie – but in this instance it really works. The book isn’t fast paced, and its strength is in the way it gets under the skin of the two main characters, with their complex thoughts and feelings. There are times when their pain is almost too much to bear – the writing is excellent in the way it explores their emotions.
The ending is a little ambiguous. This book was originally published in 2009, and reviews at the time make it clear that it coloured people’s reactions to the book as a whole. I can fully understand that – I felt the same, so I was glad I could then go on to read Finding You which is billed as a “standalone sequel”.
I started with Little Miracles. Julia, Charlie and young son Hadyn visit Charlie’s family in Spain, but their visit is overshadowed by the demands of Charlie’s work, the expectations of the family about their forthcoming wedding, and a secret that Julia has never got round to sharing. After a family argument, Julia takes Hadyn to the beach, despite the approach of a storm – in the ensuing chaos, Hadyn disappears. While all the signs indicate that Hadyn is dead, Julia refuses to believe it and begins an obsessive search for his possible abductors. Although he feels the loss every bit as keenly, Charlie turns to work to fill the void. It really seems that Julia is simply having difficulty coming to terms with Hadyn’s death, and their relationship inevitably suffers.
I rarely like first person narrative – this story is told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of Julia and Charlie – but in this instance it really works. The book isn’t fast paced, and its strength is in the way it gets under the skin of the two main characters, with their complex thoughts and feelings. There are times when their pain is almost too much to bear – the writing is excellent in the way it explores their emotions.
The ending is a little ambiguous. This book was originally published in 2009, and reviews at the time make it clear that it coloured people’s reactions to the book as a whole. I can fully understand that – I felt the same, so I was glad I could then go on to read Finding You which is billed as a “standalone sequel”.
July 30, 2014
Read this on the plane on the way to Hong Kong recently, as Giselle Green had kindly sent me the sequel 'Finding You'. I know the novels are written so that they stand alone but I was interested enough to want to read this one first. Personally I felt that having read 'Little Miracles'that I had more empathy with the characters thereby making the sequel more meaningful for me. A very eloquent novel that will tug at your heart strings, the inconclusive ending leaves you thinking and had me immediately reading the sequel.
The protagonists of the story are Julia and Charlie a couple whose young son Haydn goes missing on a beach in Spain and is assumed drowned. After the initial devastation and grief the couple deal with their loss in very different ways. The story is narrated alternately by Julia and Charlie, giving the reader the opportunity to see each viewpoint from the alternative perspectives. Julia has a strong need for answers, which I found quite understandable despite everyone including her husband urging her to move on. It was harder to empathise with Charlie and in some ways his attitude irritated me. He did have a lot of problems on his mind not just his missing son, but his and Julia's relationship with each other and his Spanish based family, plus his highly demanding job. It is not possible to go into more detail without spoiling the novel for those yet to read, so I urge you to do so if you are a fan of contemporary fiction.
Giselle Green is an author that I wish I had discovered way back in 2008, when her her first novel Pandora's Box was first published. So many books and so little time meant that unfortunately I did not read it until a few months ago! Making up for lost time now I am catching up and enjoying her writing style, enough to say that I would now recommend her to anyone that appreciates stories with a moral basis. An author that is a good choice for Book Club selection as her novels evoke a whole range of subjects for discussion.
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March 4, 2009
A powerful and well-written novel about a young couple whose toddler son goes missing, presumed drowned. It's no spoiler to say that, since it's on both the front cover and the blurb at the back. The story is about how the couple, Julia and Charlie, deal with their loss in their different ways, after the initial devastated grief.
It's narrated alternately by Julia and Charlie, and mainly in the present tense. This works well, since it enables us to see each viewpoint from a personal perspective. The past unfolds for Julia during her investigations and questions, so we learn about her childhood as she discovers more about herself and her deepest needs.
I found it hard to put down once I had started. Surprisingly I didn't find it as emotional as I expected, although I was certainly tense, wondering what the outcome would be. And - without giving anything away - I found the inconclusive ending rather disappointing. I would have liked at least one more paragraph.
Overall, though, I thought it was excellent. Definitely recommended.
It's narrated alternately by Julia and Charlie, and mainly in the present tense. This works well, since it enables us to see each viewpoint from a personal perspective. The past unfolds for Julia during her investigations and questions, so we learn about her childhood as she discovers more about herself and her deepest needs.
I found it hard to put down once I had started. Surprisingly I didn't find it as emotional as I expected, although I was certainly tense, wondering what the outcome would be. And - without giving anything away - I found the inconclusive ending rather disappointing. I would have liked at least one more paragraph.
Overall, though, I thought it was excellent. Definitely recommended.
November 5, 2013
Rating 1/5
A story of a mother who loses her young son, but is convinced that he is alive somewhere and is unwilling to ever give up the search for him.
Yawn. Boringly written, could not capture my attention for long periods of time and therefore took ages to read through.
Learnt nothing new from there either which is a major fault in my eyes. Because a book should give me at least a little bit of one: entertainment or knowledge.
Or at least make me want to know what happens with characters.
In this case i couldn't have cared less. I didn't even feel that i like any of the characters in the book, so for me it was just plain boring.
Yes, like every book, somewhere along the line you are interested in bits and pieces, but that just isn't enough if the book is instantly forgettable.
It dragged in beginning, it dragged in the middle, and yes....!!!! you have quessed it, it dragged in the end. The small bit of exitement build up in final pages of the book was instantly killed and butchered with an even more boring ending.
Yawn.
A story of a mother who loses her young son, but is convinced that he is alive somewhere and is unwilling to ever give up the search for him.
Yawn. Boringly written, could not capture my attention for long periods of time and therefore took ages to read through.
Learnt nothing new from there either which is a major fault in my eyes. Because a book should give me at least a little bit of one: entertainment or knowledge.
Or at least make me want to know what happens with characters.
In this case i couldn't have cared less. I didn't even feel that i like any of the characters in the book, so for me it was just plain boring.
Yes, like every book, somewhere along the line you are interested in bits and pieces, but that just isn't enough if the book is instantly forgettable.
It dragged in beginning, it dragged in the middle, and yes....!!!! you have quessed it, it dragged in the end. The small bit of exitement build up in final pages of the book was instantly killed and butchered with an even more boring ending.
Yawn.
Read
September 27, 2012This book was something of a disappointment, sadly.
The characters weren't even remotely likeable - after a quarter of the story had been told I still hadn't warmed to either of the two main characters at all.
Parts of the story I found to be unbelievable - a temperature of 28 degrees in Malaga in December? If only! It would save me having to go further afield for my winter sunshine!
I also didn't like the dropping in of Spanish phrases without the English translation to back it up - I know I was able to look them up, but it made trying to read the story a disjointed and irritating experience.
In the end, I decided life was too short and gave up after 25%. Having read some of the reviews on here, I can see I did the right thing!
The characters weren't even remotely likeable - after a quarter of the story had been told I still hadn't warmed to either of the two main characters at all.
Parts of the story I found to be unbelievable - a temperature of 28 degrees in Malaga in December? If only! It would save me having to go further afield for my winter sunshine!
I also didn't like the dropping in of Spanish phrases without the English translation to back it up - I know I was able to look them up, but it made trying to read the story a disjointed and irritating experience.
In the end, I decided life was too short and gave up after 25%. Having read some of the reviews on here, I can see I did the right thing!
January 28, 2014
I'm torn between it was okay and I liked it. Until the end, I'd have gone with liked it but the ending - that wasn't - just made me feel I'd wasted a lot of time. I do like something to conclude properly. It only needed three words - She saw it ... Or There it was. Or something like that and I would have been happy.
I also think the book was too long. It dragged things out too much. I did feel for the mother. Yet the horror of what happened and the way it happened didn't quite work for me and the explanation - or possible explanation at the end - was too much, too fast.
But as the grandmother of a 14 month old boy - this did hit home. I had to keep reading to see if all would be fine. I wish I knew!
I also think the book was too long. It dragged things out too much. I did feel for the mother. Yet the horror of what happened and the way it happened didn't quite work for me and the explanation - or possible explanation at the end - was too much, too fast.
But as the grandmother of a 14 month old boy - this did hit home. I had to keep reading to see if all would be fine. I wish I knew!
August 29, 2014
Charlie and Julia are visiting Spain with their toddler to arrange their weeding and visit Charlie's family. They are carrying secrets about past relationships that could threaten their future together. When baby Haydn disappears on the beach the nightmare begins and life unravels at a fast pace. I am not sure how believable I find the book as I am convinced that if a British child disappeared abroad the British police and press would be heavily involved and more would be done to find the child. The idea that posters were not displayed as it would be bad for tourism is hard to accept. I did however enjoy the book and would read more of her work.
May 17, 2010
Not. So. Good.
A friend of mine found this book lying around, so I said I'd read it. Why not, right?
Ugh. It was not good.
The WHOLE book is about a girl desperately looking for her son who essentially myseteriously disappears. 400 plus pages of looking for a boy. Sad, boring, depressing...just not good.
This is the first book I have ever rated a one. Ugh.
A friend of mine found this book lying around, so I said I'd read it. Why not, right?
Ugh. It was not good.
The WHOLE book is about a girl desperately looking for her son who essentially myseteriously disappears. 400 plus pages of looking for a boy. Sad, boring, depressing...just not good.
This is the first book I have ever rated a one. Ugh.
February 8, 2016
A sad tale of the loss of a child on a beach in Spain - swept away or abducted? The hero and heroine were not totally convincing - in spite of quite a lot of detail. The subject matter seemed plausible as the real-life story of Maddie McGann and "adopted" children in Roma community hit the headlines again.
Read
April 5, 2012Quite disappointed, the ending was left open which left me thinking what a waste of time reading the book had been. I did not really enjoy reading it either, the subject was not really one that could be enjoyed.
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