The Forgotten Child was the second book by author D.E. White that I was able to read. I have to say I was really disappointed with this novel. The first one I read blew me out of the water and I was really excited to jump into another one but it just didn't go as planned.
The story starts with Holly Hughes and her son Milo getting run off the road and crashing the car. When she comes to she discovers another child in the back seat. As the reader you're hooked, it has totally grabbed you and you want to keep on reading. But this is where the story goes downhill for me. Holly comes from an estate that's rife with organized crime and although she doesn't live there anymore this seems to become the focal point for the story. Decades long rivalries seem to be coming to a head and there are so many characters and issues between each other that it can be a bit convoluted. The reader is also dealing with Holly's ex husband who really is a horrible person and is putting her through literal hell. Who is the child is Holly's car you ask? Good question! You would think this would be the focal point from the suspenseful car crash. This is not the case at all, moving forward the book lacks in suspense and at times I found it to drone on with unimportant dialogue and unimportant characters.
This by no means is a deal breaker for this author because I know she can write way better novels, this one is just a bump in the road for me as the reader. I should also add that every reader is different and I know it was disappointing for me but some one else may love it. I look forward to reading another book from this author so we can move forward and leave this book in the past.
Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Forgotten Child tells the story of the recently divorced Holly Kendal and her search for answers after an unknown child appears along side her son Milo in the backseat of her car after an accident. Holly has no idea who the child is or how he came to be in the back seat. When the boy awakes in the hospital, there are more questions than answers.

The title and book blurb are a misleading, the story isn't focused on the child, his identity or his part of the story. The plot of the story isn't a bad one, it's just not the story I thought I was reading. The story focuses more on Holly's past as a "mafia princess" and the other organized crime families she grew up around. Again, not a bad plot, just not what I'm into. The book had diverse character types as far as personalities, intentions, etc but not at all diverse as far as culture, race etc, which made it a bit boring...well, a lot boring. But like I said, the plot was good and the book had potential but it fell flat for me. However, for those who like a little Godfather with their mystery, The Forgotten Child maybe right up their alley.

I received this book from Netgalley as an ARC. I wasn’t overly impressed with this book. I mean, it was ok, but as a mystery novel, I would have expected it to have been fast-paced and suspense building. I was a little disappointed with the book as it did not live up to other mystery novels I have read.

Whilst the story was ok, but not incredible, and there was a plot that all got wrapped up within the final chapters, I was not gripped by the story. I felt like I was plodding through story. I personally feel like the title and the blurb gripped me more than the rest of the story did.

The mystery was more predictable than I thought it would be and, as a result, there were no twists or surprises throughout. You could tell what was happening, even if the characters didn’t.

Whilst I don’t think it is a bad book, I don’t think it’s the book for me. I’m quite a picky reader and unfortunately have super high expectations when it comes to mystery novels. I personally would have like to have seen more suspense and for the mystery atmosphere to have been present throughout. It would be a useful book to introduce someone to the genre as it is a good segue.

I very much enjoyed the beginning of the book where, after a car accident, a second child appears in the back of her car. The story was well written though I found the plot a little unbelievable and overcomplicated. I would read further books in the series and enjoy seeing how the characters, and their relationships, develop. .

Holly Kendal left her husband when she discovered he was cheating, but Tom is furious that Holly took their son Milo with her. One rainy evening, Holly and Milo are involved in a car accident in which Holly blacks out. When she comes to, her relief that Milo is okay turns to confusion when she notices another young boy she has never seen before sitting in the back seat next to her son. This event is just the beginning of the danger Holly faces, but she will do whatever it takes to keep her son safe.

The premise of this book is so intriguing. Unfortunately, the mystery of the boy in Holly's car is answered early on. The book mainly focuses on Holly's secrets and her past and present dealings with organized crime. There are too many "bad guys" to keep track of and the story is full of violence and strong language and is not the domestic thriller I was hoping for. However, I read all types of mysteries and may have enjoyed it more if the story had been told differently. Except for the conversations between Holly and her best friend Cathryn, much of the dialogue is stilted and the narrative is often confusing. The book also includes letters written by an unknown boy to his father that further detract from the story.

The book starts strong, gets really slow in the middle, and has a tense, violent showdown between the main players in this drama towards the end. I was pleasantly surprised when things wrap up on a hopeful note at the very end. I wish I had known what this book was really like before I had begun so I wouldn't have been disappointed by the direction the story took. Holly is a memorable character, but this book wasn't really for me.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of HQ Digital. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed the beginning of the book where, after a car accident, a second child appears in the back of her car. The story was well written though I found the plot a little unbelievable and overcomplicated. I would read further books in the series and enjoy seeing how the characters, and their relationships, develop. .

I'm sorry to say I gave up on this novel half way through. Started off brilliantly but it got too confusing with too many characters and little clarification who everyone was. I would have liked a cast list at the start, as I was lost keeping track of all the families. Thank you #netgalley for allowing me to read this.

I’ve read a number of D.E White’s (she’s also published under the name Daisy White) novels over the years so when I hear she has a new book out, it’s always a must read for me.

Holly Kendal is a single mum, trying her hardest to put her ex husband and troubled past behind her. She’s driving home with her son Milo when she skids off the road, crashing her car.

When she wakes up, she finds not only her son but another boy. Who is this child and where did he come from? Unable to rest until Holly knows who the boy is, she must look into her past and confront the secrets that lie there.

The Forgotten Child is a tense and intriguing thriller with a cast of fascinating characters.

Holly is a great character that you really can’t help rooting for. She’s worked hard to escape from her gangland past and built a new life for her and her son, working in call centre for the ambulance services, yet she still has an edge of toughness about her. Ugh and her ex husband, how she deals with him is beyond me!

The book was billed as a psychological thriller but it felt like it was edging more into a gangland thriller territory. This type of novel is not usually my cup of tea but D.E White’s writing draws me in every time!

I did feel that the boy who Holly finds in her car, the whole incident that starts the story, got a little forgotten in the overall story but of course that’s just my opinion.

The Forgotten Child is a gritty and intense read that’s packed with tension from that very first page.

This book popped up as a recommendation on Storytel. The summary looked good and a cover with an empty swing and child in a title always give me chills.

I will give you one advice. Read this book on paper (or e reader), the editing of the audiobook production I listened to was annoying with long silences on new chapters which ruined my experience with the story. Reason two for reading it on paper, the amount of characters. I started mixing up some people.

The story has an interesting setting. Hollie grew up in a criminal and violent environment but tried to escape. Now she is confronted with all that again as strange things start to happen. A boy popping up in her car after an accident. People who were assumed to be dead are seen. Kidnapping, burglary and smashed cars, it all happened. There are a lot of possible suspects that have it out for Hollie making it an interesting puzzle to play along with.

Character wise it was a bit tricky for me. Hollie is a fierce character, that I liked, but she made some decisions that made me question her. I noticed I was not always rooting for her.
There are a few chapters from a kid his point of view and those were heartbreaking. Letters to his mum, how much they miss her. It made me curious about everything that was happening to him and making me want to read the whole story from his point of view.

Ugh. This unfortunately did nothing for me. From the goodreads synopsis, which I realize now is what I read, and which differs GREATLY from the one here in Netgalley, I was expecting more of a psychological thriller along the lines of - why does she not remember this child? Who is he to her? Is she going crazy? Is someone trying to make her think she is?

“Lights blinded her in an eerie white flash. She yanked the wheel as she felt the impact from the car behind her. There was a sharp pain, and then a bang in front of her, and after that nothing but darkness.

Holly Kendal is trying to put her painful past and broken marriage behind her and focus on her beloved son, Milo. But while driving him home on a dark February night, Holly loses control on the rain-slicked tarmac, and her car spirals off the road.

When Holly regains consciousness, everything is silent and in the dark, she can’t see Milo. Desperately, she claws her way out of the car and forces the back door open.

To her relief, Milo is where she left him, injured but breathing – but then she sees something that makes her heart stop.

Milo isn't the only child in the car. Next to him is another little boy, unharmed but unconscious.

And Holly has absolutely no idea who he is”

I just didn’t care, and honestly I felt kind of tricked by the synopsis I had read - even though there’s nothing untrue per ce in it, it paints the picture of a very different kind of narrative. I was tempted to one star, when I rarely do, not because the story itself was horrible, but I felt it was so far off the mark of what that synopsis painted for me. Even the title felt like a lie. It grabbed me, but the child isn’t “forgotten” imo - at the very least

Spoiler

the main character never met him or knew of him, so she never forgot him

The “accident”, the child’s appearance and even who the child was, was resolved quite early, and the rest was more crime/family drama and wasn’t really interesting to me. I kept loosing track of who was who, and how they all related within the crime families.

The actual story itself wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t a good fit for me - the synopsis immediately pulled me in, and I wish the book had continued with that.