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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Such a fast read! I was engrossed. Really enjoyed this story!
Lucinda Berry is an amazing writer, and she knows how to write trauma into her narratives expertly. After reading Saving Noah (which made me cry like a baby) I knew she was going to be one of those authors that I continue to read and that’s become even more clear after this one. This book revolves around the aftermath of being a part of a cult. Told in dual timelines readers will meet Kate, her daughter, and her daughter’s stepmother as they come to terms with WHY she walked away (or was she kidnapped?), and what happens when she suddenly comes back 11 years later. This is a doozy of a book, and I was so invested in the story that I got lost in the pages for hours. I sympathized with all the characters but had a sense of dread too because I knew something was just off. Boy was I right! This is an excellent and suspenseful read and I’d consider it a great mix-up of family drama and thriller. If any of that interests you then I recommend grabbing this one!
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When She Returned by Lucinda Berry
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5)
This book kept me up way past my bedtime — like, cancel-your-morning-meetings level hooked. I read it in one sitting and had no shame about it.
The story is fast-paced, dark, and genuinely fascinating. What really pulled me in was the shifting perspectives between the three main characters. It added so many layers to the plot and made the emotional tension hit harder. The relationships are beautifully messy — raw, complicated, and oh-so-human.
Where it fell just a tiny bit short? Some twists were predictable. I guessed a few things before the big reveals, but I was still fully invested the entire time. So even with the predictability, it delivered the drama, the depth, and the psychological punch I was hoping for.
If you’re into domestic thrillers with cult vibes, family secrets, and that “I-just-need-one-more-chapter” energy, When She Returned is definitely worth your time.
* This review is filled to the brim with spoilers *
You have been warned.
I've been on a huge kick lately of quick thriller/mystery-esque books, so picking this up on Kindle Unlimited was a no brainer. Not to mention, the synopsis pulled me in immediately.
A woman shows up at a gas station, clearly disheveled, holding an infant and screaming for help after being missing for 11 years.
Say what? Of course I want to get through this book and figure out what happened to her for such a long time.
That is, until I quickly learned why she was gone for 11 years. I wasn't expecting a cult theme, to be honest, and I was disappointed to learn that Kate, a seemingly intelligent woman who loves her job, has a few conversations and up and leaves her family upon her own will.
I will say, it was interesting, at least. Cults are very real, and even though I can't understand how quickly it brainwashes people, I was feeling a bit of empathy towards Kate. She was so easily manipulated. The one thing I didn't like was how quickly it escalated from "getting a hot story for my job" to "I'm abandoning my car with all of my belongings in a Target parking lot and leaving my family behind because this random man I met told me I should give my life to Jesus instead."
Honestly, the one character I enjoyed was Abbi, and I just felt so terribly for her the whole read. She barely remembered her mother because she was so young when she went "missing". She finally gets her back, and her mother ends up trying to kidnap her and bring her to the horrible cult.
I also don't really see the point of having the step mother as a character at all. The father, Scott, pushes that relationship and all of her feelings to the side as soon as his long lost love arrived back.
I dunno, the ending really seemed like it happened way too fast, and was a messy ending as well.
Glad I read it, but wouldn't really recommend as it was such a quick, unsatisfying story that left me with more questions than answers.
You have been warned.
I've been on a huge kick lately of quick thriller/mystery-esque books, so picking this up on Kindle Unlimited was a no brainer. Not to mention, the synopsis pulled me in immediately.
A woman shows up at a gas station, clearly disheveled, holding an infant and screaming for help after being missing for 11 years.
Say what? Of course I want to get through this book and figure out what happened to her for such a long time.
That is, until I quickly learned why she was gone for 11 years. I wasn't expecting a cult theme, to be honest, and I was disappointed to learn that Kate, a seemingly intelligent woman who loves her job, has a few conversations and up and leaves her family upon her own will.
I will say, it was interesting, at least. Cults are very real, and even though I can't understand how quickly it brainwashes people, I was feeling a bit of empathy towards Kate. She was so easily manipulated. The one thing I didn't like was how quickly it escalated from "getting a hot story for my job" to "I'm abandoning my car with all of my belongings in a Target parking lot and leaving my family behind because this random man I met told me I should give my life to Jesus instead."
Honestly, the one character I enjoyed was Abbi, and I just felt so terribly for her the whole read. She barely remembered her mother because she was so young when she went "missing". She finally gets her back, and her mother ends up trying to kidnap her and bring her to the horrible cult.
I also don't really see the point of having the step mother as a character at all. The father, Scott, pushes that relationship and all of her feelings to the side as soon as his long lost love arrived back.
I dunno, the ending really seemed like it happened way too fast, and was a messy ending as well.
Glad I read it, but wouldn't really recommend as it was such a quick, unsatisfying story that left me with more questions than answers.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
( with spoilers)
This book was so amazing that it screwed my mind !! In the few chapters i was so sympathetic towards Kate but then by the end i started feeling rage and sympathy towards her!! The last stunt she pulled by kidnapping her own daughter just to prove her loyalty towards her abuser ( which she thinks is God) projected how victims of domestic / emotional abuse react..
I wasn't even thinking that Kate returned with some motive but with the every turned page, even i was sure that she came back with a motive!
My delusional and indian serial addicted mind thought Meredith was behind the all Abbi rescue mission but it turned out that Dean knew this was going to happen and he reached in time to save Abbi!
Also few things disgusted me like how Kate foolishly gave in to all the bullshit Love international fed her! I thought her to be a smart lady but i guess that's how brainwashing works!
In short this was an amazing read
This book was so amazing that it screwed my mind !! In the few chapters i was so sympathetic towards Kate but then by the end i started feeling rage and sympathy towards her!! The last stunt she pulled by kidnapping her own daughter just to prove her loyalty towards her abuser ( which she thinks is God) projected how victims of domestic / emotional abuse react..
I wasn't even thinking that Kate returned with some motive but with the every turned page, even i was sure that she came back with a motive!
My delusional and indian serial addicted mind thought Meredith was behind the all Abbi rescue mission but it turned out that Dean knew this was going to happen and he reached in time to save Abbi!
Also few things disgusted me like how Kate foolishly gave in to all the bullshit Love international fed her! I thought her to be a smart lady but i guess that's how brainwashing works!
In short this was an amazing read
Fun and quick read. Kind of fascinating how people are able to believe in one person/a believe like this.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced