From Goodreads.com:
“A provocative and unputdownable psychological suspense about two women locked in a desperate fight over a child each believes is rightfully hers
Libby needs a break. Three years ago her husband split, leaving her to raise their infant son Ethan alone as she struggled to launch her writing career. Now for the first time in years, things are looking up. She’s just sold her first novel, and she and Ethan are going on a much-needed vacation. Everything seems to be going their way, so why can’t she stop looking over her shoulder or panicking every time Ethan wanders out of view? Is it because of what happened when Ethan was born? Except Libby’s never told anyone the full story of what happened, and there’s no way anyone could find her and Ethan at a faraway resort . . . right?
But three days into their vacation, Libby’s fears prove justified. In a moment of inattention, Ethan wanders into an elevator before Libby can reach him. When the elevator stops and the doors open, Ethan is gone. Hotel security scours the building and finds no trace of him, but when CCTV footage is found of an adult finding the child wandering alone and leading him away by the hand, the police are called in. The search intensifies, a lost child case turning into a possible abduction. Hours later, a child is seen with a woman stepping through an emergency exit. Libby and the police track the woman down and corner her, but she refuses to release Ethan. Asked who she is, the woman replies:
“I’m his mother.”
What follows is one of the most shocking, twist-y, and provocative works of psychological suspense ever written. A story of stolen identity, of surrogacy gone horribly wrong, and of two women whose insistence that each is the “real” mother puts them at deadly cross-purposes, Lost You is sure to be one of 2019’s most buzzed-about novels.”
This was a solid 3 star read for me. I really enjoyed 3/4 of this book but I felt a little unsatisfied with the ending which just wrapped up very quickly and it wasn’t totally believable. The writing is not anything amazing but it was great “escape reading” and perfect for this busy time of year. I was very interested in the topic, which was the more “dark side” of paid surrogacy. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their back stories and Beck (aka Stuart Neville) did a great job building up the suspense.
As the story went on each of the women became more desperate with their desire for the baby and this part was harder for me because I often felt most for the baby himself…. I enjoy domestic thrillers and think this would be a great beach read or one to discuss with friends because it has some very interesting talking points.
