[Review] You Were Always Mine - Nicole Baart

Summary: Jessica Chamberlain, newly separated and living with her two sons in a small Iowa town, can’t believe that a tragedy in another state could have anything to do with her. But when her phone rings one quiet morning, her world is shattered. As she tries to pick up the pieces and make sense of what went wrong, Jess begins to realize that a tragic death is just the beginning. Soon she is caught in a web of lies and half-truths—and she’s horrified to learn that everything leads back to her seven-year-old adopted son, Gabriel.

Years ago, Gabe’s birth mother requested a closed adoption and Jessica was more than happy to comply. But when her house is broken into and she discovers a clue that suggests her estranged husband was in close contact with Gabe’s biological mother, she vows to uncover the truth at any cost. A harrowing story of tenacious love and heartbreaking betrayal, You Were Always Mine is about the wars we wage to keep the ones we love close, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Jodi Picoult. (Pub Date: Oct 16, 2018)

Jessica has two sons and has recently separated from her husband after him being distant for so long and later finding out that her was having an affair. That's when she's told her husband has died in a context that wasn't like him at all and quite far from home. The suspicions increase and she starts finding links back to the adoption of her youngest son.

This had an interesting mystery to a point I questioned if Jessica's husband was even dead for real. There are small clues along the text that work more like teasers—letters he'd exchange with the son's biological mother without Jessica knowing, some notes on random women followed by even more random numbers. You do get the idea of the big secret, but there's still so much more to know you can't help but keep reading.

At the same time, it wasn't a read that flowed well. I'm not into navel-gazing, especially when I'm itching to learn more about a mystery. You did see there was something else happening in the background but it was too subtle to really give you a thrill from reading and in the end you get a bunch of bad choices by Jessica and her life falling apart. It was frustrating, even though I understood most of her choices and found her very brave in most of what she did.

There was a nice conclusion but all in all this book didn't do me much. I think this could appeal those who like family drama, since this element was far more present than the thriller, but even as such I don't think it could be a five-star.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.


Rating: 3 out of 5.