Not Her Daughter: A Novel

Rea Frey

Aug 2018 · Sold by St. Martin's Griffin

About this ebook

Gripping, emotional, and wire-taut, Rea Frey's Not Her Daughter raises the question of what it means to be a mother—and how far someone will go to keep a child safe.

"Brings to mind Jodi Picoult...thought-provoking domestic drama." - Booklist

“Will make you miss your bedtime, guaranteed.” – Bestselling author Kimberly Belle

Emma Townsend. Five years old. Gray eyes, brown hair. Missing since June.

Emma is lonely. Living with her cruel mother and clueless father, Emma retreats into her own world of quiet and solitude.

Sarah Walker. Successful entrepreneur. Broken-hearted. Kidnapper.

Sarah has never seen a girl so precious as the gray-eyed child in a crowded airport terminal. When a second-chance encounter with Emma presents itself, Sarah takes her—far away from home. But if it’s to rescue a little girl from her damaging mother, is kidnapping wrong?

Amy Townsend. Unhappy wife. Unfit mother. Unsure whether she wants her daughter back.

Amy’s life is a string of disappointments, but her biggest issue is her inability to connect with her daughter. And now Emma is gone without a trace.

As Sarah and Emma avoid the nationwide hunt, they form an unshakeable bond. But what about Emma’s real mother, back at home?

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Ratings and reviews

Not Her Daughter is well-written and the story has a building tension that keeps the pages turning. The story is written in dual points of view, alternating between our kidnapper, Sarah, and Emma's mother, Amy. We also get before, during, and after chapters to give some perspective into the characters and their frame of mind. All of this should've added up to a high-praise review. However, there were a few things throughout the story that niggled at me. Amy is unlikable from the start, which is kind of the point, and Sarah makes a rash decision to kidnap Emma, thus freeing her from a bad home life. Why Sarah chose kidnapping over calling authorities is explained, but suffice it to say that her emotions and mental state weren't exactly where they should be. Okay, I can get with that. My problems started from there. I don't want to give spoilers, so I'll just sum it up with either Sarah is extremely lucky or everyone involved is completely inept at their jobs because her name is never brought up. Not once. The ending, while unexpected, was unsatisfactory at best. I understand that this one is in the works for the big screen and maybe it will work better in that format, but for me, there were just too many things that required a suspension of disbelief. On the whole, the story had great potential, but fell a bit short of that wow factor.

Not Her Daughter is a captivating and well-written novel. Not every woman is cut out to be a mom. Motherhood is challenging, and not for everyone. Amy Townsend is such a mother. She has deep feelings of inadequacy, and, unfortunately, takes her frustrations out on her daughter, Emma. People always remark on how beautiful her daughter is. And, even though, Amy should be happy about her daughter’s beauty and charming personality, she isn’t. She’s jealous. Although Sarah was happy and successful at work, her heart was broken. The relationship with her long-term boyfriend ended. Sarah couldn’t stand to stay with a man who wouldn’t commit to her. Sarah wanted a husband, a home, and children. She wanted a daughter whom she could love like she should have been, as a child. Sarah, at the age of eight, was abandoned by her mother. So when she witnessed five-year-old, Emma, crying and being abused, it broke Sarah’s heart. When Sarah came across Emma, being bullied by her mother again, something snapped inside of her. Sarah was aware that kidnapping a child was all-kinds-of-wrong, and against the law. She also knew that she'd go to jail if caught, but she did it, anyway. Amy reevaluated her life after her daughter went missing. She began to make positive changes. Amy hoped that if her daughter were found, that it wouldn't be too late to build a relationship with her. Amy knew, however, that she had a lot of making up to do. Although this book left me with unanswered questions, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Not Her Daughter is a gripping, well-written and engrossing novel. Highly recommended. Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy. I loved it.

An amazing book that I could not put down. The book revolves around two woman. The kidnapper and the mother. Sarah, the kidnapper only wants what is best for Emma. So Sarah kidnaps Emma, to show her a better life that what she had. Amy, the mother has been abusive to Emma and has never really been able to connect with her daughter. So, who really is the real mother to Emma? This is a gripping emotional story that I could not put down. I only wanted what was best for Emma but is kidnapping the way to go to get her out of the damaging environment. Both women are damaged in their lives with different coping means. This is page turner that I could not put down. Looking forward to watching the movie. I highly recommend!!

About the author

Rea Frey (she/her) is an award-winning author of several nonfiction books and the novels Not Her Daughter, Because You’re Mine, Until I Find You, and Secrets of Our House. She is also the founder and CEO of Writeway, which teaches writers about the business of publishing—not just the craft. She lives in Nashville with her husband and daughter.