Thank you HarperCollins360, #partner, for the advanced copy of Next of Kin in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: HarperCollins360
Published: September 20, 2022
Summary:
ON AN ORDINARY WORKING DAY…
Leila Syed receives a call that cleaves her life in two. Her brother-in-law’s voice is filled with panic. He’s at his son’s nursery to pick up Max. But he isn’t there.
YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE…
Leila was supposed to drop Max off that morning. But she forgot.
Racing to the carpark, she grasps the horror of what she has done. Max has been locked in her car for six hours on the hottest day of the year.
IS ABOUT TO COME TRUE…
But she’s too late.
What follows is an explosive, high-profile trial, that will tear the family apart. But as the case progresses it becomes clear there’s more to this incident than meets the eye…
A gripping, brave and tense courtroom drama, Next of Kin will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final, heart-stopping page.
My thoughts:
I first became familiar with this author when I read her book, Take It Back, a few years ago. I knew after reading that book that I would be reading anything and everything this author wrote because she makes you think the entire time and I love books like that.
This book evokes so many intense reactions and I think that is what I loved about it. Besides it being a fantastic legal/courtroom thriller, it’s also one that plays on every parent/caregiver’s worst nightmare. But it doesn’t stop there because as you read further into this book, you start to see that there really is more to this book than first glance. And that is the true beauty of this author. She somehow manages to pack one emotional punch after another and then just when you think you’ve reached your breaking point and you can pick up all the pieces of your shattered heart, she managed to twist it yet again.
This is the type of book where you ask yourself multiple times, “What would I do?” The author not only puts us there but then dives deeper, taking us to places we could not even imagine going. As the court case is going on, she really delves into the relationship between the sisters and from here you see both sides, good and bad, about each of the women. I found myself both loving and hating each just a little more and really floundering as to where to place my loyalty, something that definitely was at question throughout the book, which is a testament to a good writer!
I have never been more shocked in a book than I was in this one…to the point that I literally had to put the book down to take a breather in order to finish it. I love that the author isn’t afraid to take chances and she pushes the boundaries with this one. Make no mistake – this isn’t an easy read, but it is a gripping one for sure and one that I think would make for one heck of a great bookclub read as there is so much to unpack here.
This is one author that I wish had her book more accessible here in the states. As I already mentioned I did read her first book, but somehow I missed her second one because it wasn’t published here though I do intend on getting it because it was the second in a series. Luckily I got this one, which is a stand-alone and will be keeping an eye out for what comes next because this author is not to be missed!
