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zeemonodee's review against another edition
2.0
Got to the end of this and wondered 'what the heck did I just read?' I'll admit the last parts of the book made a little sick and I pushed through to know what had happened to Bec and how this was going to play out. But man, not for the faint of heart, this one.
xgeorgina125's review against another edition
3.0
This book really left me with my head feeling hot and my heart beating like crazy.
bibliophilebookclub's review against another edition
3.0
I thought the premise for Only Daughter sounded right up my street, so I was really looking forward to reading it! I found myself left feeling deflated upon finishing it though. While the story is ok, it’s lacking a lot of the ingredients needed to make it stand out in its genre. Well for me it was anyway.
I liked the alternating time line. Something about them really intrigues me so I enjoyed the to and fro between real Bec and imposter Bec. I also thought that the author did a good job in capturing the teenaged Bec as regards attitude and emotions. I was less enamoured with imposter Bec, but towards the end of the novel she became my favourite character.
There are some genuinely chilling exchanges between characters in Only Daughter, and it was in these moments that you can see the authors potential for the future. I won’t say much about the plot, but I will say that when Anna Snoekstra gets it right, she gets it really right in terms of pace, action and tension.
I’ve seen varying reviews for Only Daughter, and I can see why it seems to veer both ways as regards star ratings. For me, I’m firmly in the “it was fine” camp. Neither excellent nor terrible, it was an easy read. Nothing really new or standing out, but I can definitely see the author’s potential for great things during the course of the book.
If you like psychological thrillers, give this one a go.
I liked the alternating time line. Something about them really intrigues me so I enjoyed the to and fro between real Bec and imposter Bec. I also thought that the author did a good job in capturing the teenaged Bec as regards attitude and emotions. I was less enamoured with imposter Bec, but towards the end of the novel she became my favourite character.
There are some genuinely chilling exchanges between characters in Only Daughter, and it was in these moments that you can see the authors potential for the future. I won’t say much about the plot, but I will say that when Anna Snoekstra gets it right, she gets it really right in terms of pace, action and tension.
I’ve seen varying reviews for Only Daughter, and I can see why it seems to veer both ways as regards star ratings. For me, I’m firmly in the “it was fine” camp. Neither excellent nor terrible, it was an easy read. Nothing really new or standing out, but I can definitely see the author’s potential for great things during the course of the book.
If you like psychological thrillers, give this one a go.
writings_of_a_reader's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
In 2003, sixteen-year-old Rebecca Winter disappeared.
Eleven years later she is replaced.
Bec Winters went missing eleven years ago. In present day a young woman has just been caught shoplifting food and knowing she has to find a way out of going to jail, she decides to tell the police that she is the missing Bec Winters, whom she looks a lot like, and that she has just escaped from the place she has been held all these years.
If that sounds hard to pull off, then you are not alone in thinking so. I kind of thought the premise of the book was a bit far-fetched, but then a person can change a lot in eleven years, especially from a teen to an adult. The impersonator here has quite a few close calls as she dodges police questions and DNA and blood tests to keep her secret. Despite it seeming unlikely that she would get away with this impersonation, I still very much enjoyed Only Daughter.
I really did not find the impersonator very likable (it's kind of hard to like someone who pretends to be someone's long lost daughter) or Bec for that matter, but in the end they both grew on me. The impersonator because of how she changes as a person and Bec because what happens to her makes her more sympathetic in the end.
The book switches back and forth between the impersonator's (I don't think we are ever told her name, at least I don't remember it) point of view in the present and Bec's point of view in the past. The mystery is very slow to unfold and, to me that is one of the books weaknesses. It drags a bit at times because of this. Not much is revealed until nearly the end. There were clues, but it was hard to put them together and make sense out of them. There were also a few people who acted suspicious but then completely normal at the same time, and there were a couple of people that seemed like obvious predators.
I chose to read this because I was in the mood for a good mystery. I feel like it lived up to that expectation because it kept me guessing all the way through. I really would have liked more closure at the end with a couple of people, but this was still a good read and I sped through it despite the things I didn't like or found far-fetched. I recommend giving it a try.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
In 2003, sixteen-year-old Rebecca Winter disappeared.
Eleven years later she is replaced.
Bec Winters went missing eleven years ago. In present day a young woman has just been caught shoplifting food and knowing she has to find a way out of going to jail, she decides to tell the police that she is the missing Bec Winters, whom she looks a lot like, and that she has just escaped from the place she has been held all these years.
If that sounds hard to pull off, then you are not alone in thinking so. I kind of thought the premise of the book was a bit far-fetched, but then a person can change a lot in eleven years, especially from a teen to an adult. The impersonator here has quite a few close calls as she dodges police questions and DNA and blood tests to keep her secret. Despite it seeming unlikely that she would get away with this impersonation, I still very much enjoyed Only Daughter.
I really did not find the impersonator very likable (it's kind of hard to like someone who pretends to be someone's long lost daughter) or Bec for that matter, but in the end they both grew on me. The impersonator because of how she changes as a person and Bec because what happens to her makes her more sympathetic in the end.
The book switches back and forth between the impersonator's (I don't think we are ever told her name, at least I don't remember it) point of view in the present and Bec's point of view in the past. The mystery is very slow to unfold and, to me that is one of the books weaknesses. It drags a bit at times because of this. Not much is revealed until nearly the end. There were clues, but it was hard to put them together and make sense out of them. There were also a few people who acted suspicious but then completely normal at the same time, and there were a couple of people that seemed like obvious predators.
I chose to read this because I was in the mood for a good mystery. I feel like it lived up to that expectation because it kept me guessing all the way through. I really would have liked more closure at the end with a couple of people, but this was still a good read and I sped through it despite the things I didn't like or found far-fetched. I recommend giving it a try.
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
pia_de_e's review against another edition
4.0
This is the kind of book that keeps you awake until 3 am... the just one more chapter, one more page kind...
A young girl profits of a strange situation and in the spur of the moment tries to pass herself as someone else. The someone else is a girl that disappeared 11 years before, and little does she know that even if she's getting a warm bed and the affection of her "new" family, she's into more trouble than she can imagine.
I can't say much more, as I shouldn't give away the plot, but I was surprised chapter after chapter with all the twists of the plot.
This is a very visual book, and I can well imagine a TV series or a movie of it.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
A young girl profits of a strange situation and in the spur of the moment tries to pass herself as someone else. The someone else is a girl that disappeared 11 years before, and little does she know that even if she's getting a warm bed and the affection of her "new" family, she's into more trouble than she can imagine.
I can't say much more, as I shouldn't give away the plot, but I was surprised chapter after chapter with all the twists of the plot.
This is a very visual book, and I can well imagine a TV series or a movie of it.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
jmarchek's review against another edition
4.0
A case where the narrator pushes a 3 star up to 4! I think this would appeal to fans of Gone Girl. One of those cases of be careful what you wish for. The protagonist has been arrested for shoplifting, she homeless, hungry and desperate. When she remembers an old missing person television program for Rebecca Winters to whom she bears an uncanny resemblance. By assuming Bec's identity she's out of jail and home with the "perfect family" who's been missing their daughter over 10 years. But things aren't so perfect, in fact they're downright creepy in the Winters family and getting worse. Told in alternating chapters from the protagonist in the present and Bec in the past. Good suspense.
jol69's review against another edition
2.0
Really 1.5 stars. There were so many holes in this novel. The storyline sounded fascinating but it just didn't work.