Only Ever You
A Novel
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4.0 • 17 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
"Suspense at its best." - Lisa Scottoline
A gripping, edge-of-your-seat domestic thriller, Rebecca Drake's Only Ever You will leave you breathless as you race to the end.
Jill Lassiter’s three-year-old daughter disappears from a playground only to return after forty frantic minutes of searching, but the mother’s relief is short-lived–there’s a tiny puncture mark on Sophia’s arm. When doctors can find no trace of drugs in Sophia’s system, Jill accepts she’ll never know what happened, but at least her child is safe.
Except Sophia isn’t. Someone is watching the Lassiter home in an affluent Pennsylvania suburb, infiltrating the family’s personal and professional lives.
As Jill faces every parent’s worst nightmare a second time, she must find out who has taken her daughter and why. Someone doesn’t just want Sophia for her own—she’s out to destroy Jill’s entire family.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This adrenaline-fueled thriller from Drake (The Dead Place) lacks nuance and verisimilitude. When Jill and David Lassiter's three-year-old daughter, Sophia, disappears from the park one afternoon, and then turns up just outside the park 40 minutes later with a mark on her arm, Jill fears foul play. David, on the other hand, believes she simply wandered off and got a bug bite. Blood tests come back clean, so Jill lets the matter drop. Three months pass and Sophia vanishes again, this time in the middle of the night from the family's suburban Pittsburgh home. Evidence implicates the Lassiters, and the police seem disinclined to look for other suspects, so Jill launches her own investigation. Jill is a fully realized character whose grief and fear are palpable, but everyone else is a caricature; thus, little of the interpersonal conflict rings true. Drake leans too heavily on her premise's inherent tension to drive the narrative, most of the plot twists are telegraphed or unearned, and a preposterous denouement robs the tale of impact.
Customer Reviews
A thriller indeed!
A thriller indeed! This book had it all: suspense, sexy moments, sad moments, edge-of-your-seat moments--you name it! I particularly loved that this book in set in my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA and in a neighborhood not too far from my own. Vividly written, it pulls you in from the first few pages and doesn't let go until you read the words 'the end.' The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars, is because I had a few unanswered questions at the end. But very, very good read!
Interesting enough idea... poorly executed
I liked this book at first but as it went on I found myself rolling my eyes repeatedly. Quite a few typos, phony dialogue and a series of cliches. The main character is pretty much an idiot and the questions she asks herself (constantly) attest to that. The daughter is a brat and it’s hard to hope for her safe recovery. The entire plot is comprised of dumb luck and near misses - that kidnapper was the luckiest person in the world when it came to getting away; she though nothing through but somehow it just kept working out for her. I don’t get the high reviews on this one.
When every parents fear becomes heart breaking reality.
*I requested a copy of this book from the author or publisher for an honest review.
I'm not going to summarize the story as the book description is perfect. I'm also going to try very hard to not spoil the story with a few great details. Without them, you will enjoy the story as you read it.
The story caught me in the heart. As a parent we all fear that one moment out of sight and gone. That's all it takes, and kids move so fast! I can feel for Jill through the book. I remember having an active three year old. Ugh. Things could be seen by others differently.
The story is told from Jill Lassiter's POV along with a woman by the name of Bea. These two views help draw the full picture for us. We also get journal entries of a young woman, a mistress. When it all comes together, ooooh it will click all that has happened in these lives to bring us to where we are.
Things we learn grow the plot, deepening all as we go. There is a secret that's revealed about 90 pages in. With the journal pages and what we learn, I started to draw my own conclusions of who people are and how they all relate. By then I needed to know if Sophia would be found, how all the truths come out, and if I was right in my thinking.
I was surprised at the ending when it all comes out!
Rebecca crafts a story that many can relate to with the normalcy of life and fears that parents hold close to their hearts. Then the fear becomes a heart breaking reality. Rebecca uses the short time lapses with perfection, we get a strong feel for daily activities and the characters while each scene has a powerful impact in the story, now and later, leaving hints along with drawing the characters and their actions for us. There is no down time in this novel.
The ending! Oh my! Never saw that all coming. Definitely a page turner to the end! And it all fits.
This is not my normal genre read. But I am glad I read the book. I didn't want to stop when I started. I found time was lost to me and I'd just spent an hour in the anxiety with Jill. I found I was so drawn into the story that I didn't even feel droggy with the late hour of reading.