One woman’s reappearance throws her family into turmoil, exposing dark secrets and the hidden, often devastating truth of family relationships.
Kate Bennett vanished from a parking lot eleven years ago, leaving behind her husband and young daughter. When she shows up at a Montana gas station, clutching an infant and screaming for help, investigators believe she may have been abducted by a cult.
abducted by a cult.
Kate’s return flips her family’s world upside down—her husband is remarried, and her daughter barely remembers her. Kate herself doesn’t look or act like she did before.
While the family tries to help Kate reintegrate into society, they discover truths they’ve been hiding from each other about their own relationships. But they aren’t the only ones with secrets. As the family unravels what happened to Kate, a series of shocking revelations shows that Kate’s return is more sinister than any of them could have imagined.
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Kate disappears eleven years ago, leaving her husband and daughter behind. When she miraculously shows up at a gas station in Montana with an infant in her hands, police believe she may have been abducted by none other than a cult.
Upon her return, Kate turns her family’s world into all sorts of chaos. Her husband is now remarried and her daughter barely knows who she is. Her family tries to piece together what happened that day and what led to her so-called abduction. While doing so, lies and secrets come to the surface as they discover that Kate wasn’t abducted – she left willingly.
I was skeptical the entire time I listened to this. The cult aspect of the plot was super creepy and I had a hard time believing an intelligent woman would be brainwashed enough to leave her family for a cult. I was definitely intrigued throughout it though, so I finished it because I wanted to know how it ended. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either.
I hate cult stories and if I had known this was a story was about a cult, I would have never selected it for my to read shelf. I don’t like stories about sane and decent people who are law abiding, functioning and contributing members of society allowing themselves to get duped, brainwashed, manipulated and deceived by calculating, conniving, ego-maniacal, insane, sociopaths who believe their wealthy and privileged birth and upbringing affords them the right to lord over everyone else and their own God complex grants them the privilege to decide who lives and who dies.
So many times, I tried to DNF this book, like every time Kate’s “Then” sections came up. I couldn’t stand reading about the disgusting indoctrination, abuse (including children), deprivation, murder, and the general break from reality that these revolting authoritarian wackos engage in to diminish people to “disciples”. The only reason I kept reading was to see if these despicable people (disciples and the Lord) got what was coming to them.
I felt sorry for Abbie and Meredith (not so much Scott) as I do for all the families who lose a loved one to these horrible groups and crazy people. In the end, it was the disciples who ended up paying for their crimes against others and society. The murderous “Lord”? He was bailed out by his rich mommy and her million dollar legal team and didn’t spend a day in jail. What a disgusting end of a terrible story!!!
This is the kind of story that will probably stick with me for a long time because it is so realistic. This kind of story happens all the time.
Hard to come up with words to describe the plot. Obvious that research was done on cults and the mind games they play. Scary real.
This story had an interesting premise, and got off to a very strong start. Unfortunately, I don’t feel as though it ever lived up to the potential of what it could have been.
For starters, the characters not only all felt very one dimensional, but (with the exception of Meredith) did not act in any logical manner at all. Missing for over a decade (and showing signs of torture), it was understandable at first why Kate acted the way that she did. What wasn’t understandable (nor forgivable) was the way Scott and Abbi refused to see what was right in front of them, allowing Kate to drive a wedge not only between them, but between them and Meredith as well. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that even when presented with proof that Kate was sneaking phone calls and lying about it, Scott still took her side over Meredith’s. Shouldn’t he have been the least bit concerned? Especially knowing that she left of her own free will and had been in love with the cult leader?
I was also more than a little confused about Kate’s motivations throughout the book (especially the ending which felt more than a little rushed). I understand that at first she was taken in by the cult and fell in love with the leader, but as things went on she began to see more and more than he was unhinged. However, it took him threatening to take their infant daughter into the woods alone with him to get her to leave, only to run right back into his clutches when her daughter (who really should have known better) shows her a photo of the man on her cell phone? And speaking of phones, why did she act like she had been taken before their invention? I get that she was secluded for years with her cult, but that still wouldn’t have meant that she had no idea what they were. She had used one before she left for crying out loud.
Expanding more upon the ending, Kate suddenly not only rejoins the cult, but tries to offer up Abbi (her teenage daughter) to them in exchange for forgiveness? I couldn’t wrap my mind around that sort of behavior brainwashed or not. Coupled with the fact that the cult leader was bailed out by his mother and was rich? What the heck? How was he bailed out despite the charges facing him? It just didn’t make sense (but as someone else pointed out did leave it open if the author wanted to pursue a sequel down the road focusing on Roy attempting to get revenge on Scott and Abbi).
Despite these flaws in the plot, the story moved at a decent pace and the writing was good enough that I finished the book in about 2 days because I wanted to see what came next. So I would give this author another chance.
This was definitely a unique story. I couldn’t put it down once I started it. It is told from 3 different point of views which I enjoyed very much. I wanted to strangle one of the main characters throughout the entire book. The ending was a bit predictable but I still enjoyed reading this one!
The one mistake I made with this book is to start reading it at bedtime. Don’t do that!
This story is told in three voices.
ABBI: Kate went missing eleven years ago, so Abbi does not remember her. She is telling her story in the now since Kate has returned. All Abbi wanted was to get to know her mom.
KATE: Kate is relating her story in the then timeframe … leading up to her disappearance. Scott, her husband, had to deal with her missing and refusing to accept that she may be dead or never return. Kate’s assignment was to do an interview series with Ray, the leader of Love International, an organization that had moved to Arcata with the premise of helping people detox from drugs and alcohol. There was more to Love International than anyone expected.
MEREDITH: Meredith met Scott in their grief classes. She is the new wife and is telling her story in the now, dealing with her own emotional rollercoaster. She has two sons, Thad and Caleb. You can only imagine the inner turmoil Meredith had to deal with when Kate returned. She discovered something about Kate, but nobody wanted to believe her.
As this story unfolds, each of the people mentioned (to the exclusion of Thad and Caleb as they were grown and out of the home) are telling the same story in their own words, dealing with their own emotions. Before Kate disappeared, she had left her journalist job to be a stay-at-home mom to Abbi. After a few years, she decided to go back to her full-time position and was doing a story on an organization in the Arcata area called Love International. She got more than what she bargained for.
Ms. Berry dropped a couple of clues, if you will, in this tale to lead the reader down one path of what might have happened … Talk about a mind twister! The ending will leave you going, “Say, what? I sure didn’t see that coming.” Good read!
Excellent
Didn’t really care for it!
I really enjoyed reading this book. Was slightly surprised by the ending.
Was very predictable
When a mother returns after 11 years the lives of her daughter, her husband , and his wife are twisted in ways none of them imagined or wanted to have to resolve. The recent wife is practical and steady. The daughter wants to learn about the woman who is her birth mother. Her husband is torn between the person she is now and the woman he has loved most of his life. As her story is revealed admiration for this new family can only grow as they finally sort out the details and realize they are safe and she is not going to be part of their lives ever again.
This book was horrible. The story gave me nightmares.
An unusual plot, but I liked it. It made for great friction and frisson! Great ending!
Well written and entertaining – a bit scary too in the way that cult following is!
Wanted to like it.
I really wanted to love this book. I had high hopes. But for me, it was like slogging through a bog. I just dreaded it. I disliked the characters, the premise, and their interactions. Wrong book for me.
This is another awesome book. The characters were great, the story was great and the suspense awesome. Not to give the story away but to think your wife or your mom has vanished for 11yrs and then to have her show up again has to rock your world but then to have to learn to live with the person she is now has to be insane. The ending was a total shocker but I loved it! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense/thrillers or anyone who wants to read a great book. I love this author she writes amazing books.
Total five thumbs up
This book absolutely blew my socks off. It is my first by this author and believe me I do look forward to reading more. This one held me captive from start to dramatic finish.
It’s told from the three females POV. The victim, Kate, who went missing eleven years before. Just vanished from a Target parking lot. No struggle, nothing taken, her phone and purse and even her keys still in the car. It’s like she just disappeared from the face of the Earth. Her story is told from back when she went missing and tells where she was and why she was there. What happened to her and all the emotions she had. Some crazy things she endured. It was not good.
Meredith, the second wife, who was the most understanding women I have ever seen. There were times that I thought she should have just told Tom to kiss off and walk out the door. Now I understand he was happy that his first wife, who was the love of his life since they were just children had returned after so long and had been through hell and back. But enough is enough. He treated Meredith terribly. I don’t think he, deep down, meant to be so mean, but let’s be real. A woman does not appreciate being totally pushed away after she gives you her heart and has been there for you at times when no one else has. I truly felt sorry for her and at times thought she should tell them all to get out. Just leave her alone. But that was not her way and she turned out to be such a strong woman. I had a love/hate feeling for this woman and a pity/proud feeling. She tried so hard to keep things balanced and grounded.
Abbi the daughter. She was only five years old when her mom disappeared. She had memories from watching home movies, pictures and things her dad told her. She did a some that a child of that age might possible be able to have stored in their minds. She was so happy and excited when her mom came back. She worried all the time about something happening and just wanted them to all protect her mom at all costs. She wanted to be a part of the process that was going on to get her mom back to her former self after all the horrible things she had been through. Abbi was a typical sixteen year old who just wanted people to get along and wanted her mom to feel safe again. I think she was a little bit rude to Meredith, but to be fair most teens are rude to their parents at that age. She was confused at this point about everything and was doing her best to keep her mom around.
Tom, the husband and dad…. I felt awful for him. He was in a terrible situation and had no idea what to do. He didn’t have much back bone in certain parts of this book but he did try. To me he was not good to his wife. His current wife. He excluded her almost completely. He would not listen when she said things and that came back to bite him. Even though he and Kate had been friends from a very young age, and been high school sweethearts, does not make them the perfect couple. Things chance in almost all relationships. Kate wanted to work. He didn’t want her too. She was bored staying home all day. He should have listened to her. But was it his fault what happened to her? No he was not. He did love her. He tried so hard to find her and it took him years before he would declare her dead and move on. Remarry. Make a new life. But still in the home he and Kate had made. I didn’t like that. But it sure made the story more interesting.
I really liked Dean. He was a family friend after Kate went missing. He was also in charge of finding her when she went missing. He was FBI and became a must trusted family friend. I liked how he interacted with Abbi. He was kind and understanding and knew her secret place when she wanted to feel close to her mother. I just liked him.
Things are not at all what they seem in this story. From the beginning you feel so bad for all Kate went through. For the abuse that was so obviously inflicted on her. But where had she been. Did she go on her own or was she taken. If she was kidnapped why no ransom, or was it someone who just wanted a woman. So many questions came to my mind but in the end I found the answers I was looking for. There was a twist that just floored me. One I did not see coming at all and that does not happen a lot in this type of book. I usually have some idea but not this time. I was totally shocked and that is putting it mildly. This was an excellent book in my opinion. From start to finish I didn’t want to put it down and didn’t much. I didn’t want to do anything but find out what happened next and why it happened.
This book touched on several things, cults, brainwashing, kidnapping, abuse and the most horrible, death or murder. It will make you cry in parts because you’re human and will feel sorry for some of the characters. It will make you very angry in parts again because you are human. This is a story that will keep you turning pages until all your questions are answered. I did love the ending but still felt sorry for the characters throughout.
In my opinion they are well developed and you will feel different emotions toward them in each chapter. I think the author did a great job with this book. It made me cringe in parts where it felt so realistic. Up to the very ending…
Thank you #NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Lucinda Berry for this eARC. This is my own review told from my heart.
I gave it 5 stars because I felt it was worth it and I highly recommend it.
This story was full of many twists and turns. It kept me guessing and I can typically pick up on the plot. Well done.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Avid Reader –
M/F Psychological Thriller
Kate and Scott have been married for a while now. They know each other so well, that sometimes, they know each other better than they know themselves. But Kate is keeping a big secret from Scott. She’s unhappy in their current situation. She misses working. Kate loves their daughter, Abbi, but wants to get back to work. Scott wants Kate to love being a stay-at-home mom and can’t truly understand why she isn’t fulfilled.
Abbi is only five years old when her mom goes missing. Years later, Kate is found clinging to a new baby, wandering from the woods.
What follows is a tale that unravels and boggles the mind. Was Kate kidnapped and held against her will? It sure seems that she has lived through trauma that renders her unable to fully integrate back into society.
Meanwhile, her family is left to help her pick up the pieces and adjust their own lives. Scott has remarried and Abbi, despite not being incredibly grateful for her new family life, Abbi is just trying to catch her own breath.
For me, Scott treated his wife, Meredith, with extreme disdain. I had a very difficult time getting past that. Despite all that has happened in their lives, he was a very poor example of a husband, in my opinion.
This psychological thriller did keep you on your toes. I think that if Scott and Abbi, even Meredith had been stronger characters, I would have enjoyed the book more. But the wishy-washiness of those three characters made me wish for something different.
Triggers: Rape, Child Brides, Cult, Kidnapping, Murder
Shelby –
When She Returned was an interesting, complicated story told from three different points of view.
A family is destroyed when the mother and wife goes missing from a parking lot. Her keys are in the ignition, purse on the floor, groceries in the trunk…
We read this story through Abbi’s eyes in the present time. She’s the teenage daughter who lost her mother (when she was a toddler) and has lived with her father for 10+ years, both still grieving the loss. Abbi is the character whom I feel has lost the most. She has lived her whole life with not knowing her mother, not remembering anything save what her father relays.
Meredith is the current wife. She’s also a widow and met Scott in a grief counseling group. I feel like Meredith is the grounding force in this story. She has enough sense to speak up when necessary, and the grace to bite her tongue when needed.
Kate is the missing person, her story is told in the past tense. She was married to the love of her life, her high school sweetheart, and staying home to raise their precious daughter. She put her journalism career on hold to do this and was excited to start writing again.
I wasn’t expecting the story I read, I truly thought I knew what was going on! I liked the dynamic between Scott, Meredith, and Kate. Having said that, I will say that Scott was probably my least favorite character. I think I can empathize with him, but I hated the way he treated Meredith.
This is my first read by Lucinda Berry, but it most certainly won’t be my last.
Sarah –
This is a disturbing and sometimes creepy psychological puzzle and I couldn’t put it down. Told from three perspectives – two in the present and one in the past – the book explores a family shattered by a mother’s disappearance and reappearance 11 years later. It’s a difficult and intense read but I loved the way the pieces of this dark puzzle slowly fell into place.
I love that none of the narrators in this story are entirely reliable. The teenage daughter Abbi’s voice is probably the most honest, but she acknowledges that she only knows her mother through her father’s stories. Interestingly, readers only know the father’s story through the voices of the female narrators. Kate’s voice is terribly flawed, and her narrative constantly challenges readers. As readers, we know more about Kate’s experiences during her disappearance than the other two narrators do, but we can’t trust her explanations and I was constantly re-evaluating my reactions and my feelings towards her. The stepmother, Meredith, attempts to come across as a neutral observer, but she’s highly invested in the situation. I’m not sure any of the three adult characters are likeable – but the most disturbing thing for me is that each of them has moments when they feel human and relatable.
It’s difficult to review this type of novel without spoilers. It is a compelling read but there were elements of the story which I struggled to find plausible. I don’t feel like we see enough to understand how the strong journalist we meet in the beginning – a woman who resents giving up her career to stay home with a young child – makes the decisions she does later in the book. There are a few threads left hanging at the end and I’m not sure whether they needed tying up or if it’s better that we’re left wondering if or how the family moves on from such a horrific incident.
Ruthie –
This book has a punchy start, which sets up the drama, gives us an idea of who Abbi, Scott, and Meredith are, and who Kate was. For me, Meredith was the most likeable adult, and by the end I felt she definitely deserved better!
As we discover how the past played out for Kate, I did not stop thinking about the family left behind, or the life they were living in her absence. It is impossible to overstate how the experience has changed her, and the woman that Scott grew up with and married is gone.
I do enjoy stories such as this, which make you think about how you would cope in such a situation, but I realised that I only do it as the person left behind, not the one that left. I admit that this probably coloured my view of the story, but it was fascinating to realise this!
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
The ending was a real twist. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. Good psychological read.