Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews @Heidilynn_reads (Twitter) @heidilynnsbookreviews (Insta) ‘A winding rollercoaster ride of emotions… I was on the edge of my seat biting my already short nails dying to know how it was going to unfold. So many secrets and totally heart wrenching revelations!’
@coffee.break.book.reviews (Insta) ‘A powerful, gripping story. I could not stop reading until the secrets were fully exposed. Ali Mercer captivated me with this family drama.’
@staceywh_17 (Insta) ‘An absolutely cracking family drama full of secrets and lies… Told in five parts and narrated from three women’s POV, with a well written plotline, I found The Family I Lost a highly enjoyable read. It’s compelling, intriguing and highly emotional.’
@bibliosmiast (Insta) ‘I quickly and easily became immersed within the pages and didn’t want to stop reading… I loved the uniqueness of it. Every time I thought I had everything figured out, something changed, leaving me on my toes guessing yet again.’
@booksreadbyprairiegirl (Insta) ‘Every family has secrets. Some have very few, innocuous even. Others have great secrets that cover up many lies… Such is the case with The Family I Lost.’
Bookworm86 @bookwormwhitlock86 (Insta) @Bookworm86 (Twitter) ‘This book is a rollercoaster ride of emotions and is filled with family, loss, sadness, heartbreak, secrets and lies… Well done Ali on yet another emotional page turner. Get the tissues ready before you start!’
@robinlovesreading (Insta) @RobinLovesRead (Twitter) ‘Ali Mercer always writes in a way to capture the reader’s attention and that is exactly what she did in her latest book.’
@mewriter4 (Insta) @mewriter1 (Twitter) ‘Secrets, lots of blame and little forgiveness go a long way in telling the story of this family and its entanglements… Devilishly twisted!’
Captured on Film @jo_bee (Twitter) ‘This book had me gripped from the start and I had to – and wanted to – keep reading to discover the secrets behind the mystery photograph. We were kept waiting for the truth to emerge until the very end of the book. The twists and turns along the way really kept my interest and kept me guessing. This was an absorbing read – but I wouldn’t expect anything less from this author.’
Sibzzreads @emsibzz (Twitter) ‘I spent many happy hours completely engrossed in this book… I was sorry when this book had to come to an end, and I think that it will stay with me for a long time.’ ‘It’s at times sad, when we discover how many secrets were covered up, and how many years were wasted in misconceptions, but it’s also a very life-affirming story of family and love.’
B for Bookreview @BookreviewB (Twitter) ‘The story is told through the eyes of Lisa, Amy and Julie. Join them on their journey and believe me it’s a very emotional and heartbreaking one.’
@karen_loves_reading (Insta) ‘Warning! Tissues will be needed! The Family I Lost is a real tear-jerker yet it is also heart-warming. Ali Mercer really delved into a family with secrets with this novel. I cried, I laughed, I got angry, I experienced many emotions during the telling of the story.’
@pages_and_pups (Insta) ‘It’s addictive, intense, quite tragic, filled with enough family drama & secrets to keep your head spinning.’
About The Family I Lost
There are two little girls in the photo. I instantly recognise myself as the small, dark-haired child in the purple dress. But who is the girl with the long blonde hair laughing at the camera? And why is the photograph here, in a stranger’s house?
When I find the tattered picture hidden away at the back of a dusty cupboard in Amy’s house my mouth goes dry with shock. Though I haven’t known Amy for very long, I love looking after her young children, in her picture-perfect hilltop house with its sprawling wildflower garden and bright, airy kitchen. After feeling lost for months, reeling from the accident that tore everything apart, I hoped this was my chance to turn my life around.
But I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve been here before. I know this house somehow, the curve of the staircase and the view from the attic window are so familiar. I can feel it in my bones. What isn’t she telling me?
I can’t help noticing things that don’t add up: Amy’s guarded behaviour when I ask questions about her past, the whispered stories I overhear in the village and the locked room downstairs I’m not allowed to enter.
My mother always told me we didn’t have any family, that it was just the two of us against the world. I’ve always been sure she was hiding something. Maybe this house will give me the answers I’ve been searching for…
But am I ready to unlock the secrets of my past? Or should I have stayed well away?
A gripping and emotional novel about a dark family secret and the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. An unputdownable page-turner for fans of Amanda Prowse, Susan Lewis and Kerry Fisher.