The Day I Lost You by Ruth Mancini ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A twisty thriller about a missing child and three adults whose shared secrets and hidden history could prove deadly.

“I need to report a crime. My baby has been stolen.”

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site.  A free book was provided for an honest review.

December 2025; Harper; 978-0063454101
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); domestic thriller

The premise of this book really grabbed me - two women and one baby named Sam, whom they both claimed was theirs.  It also had a surprise ending that I didn't see coming.  For me, though, the book was confusing and difficult to follow.

Lauren lives a quiet life in Spain with her young son, Sam.  She has had some terrible losses in her past, but she has started to live life again and finds daily happiness with her son.  

Hope is a therapist living in England with her handsome and caring husband.  They have been trying to have a baby for years, and when she is finally pregnant, they are ecstatic when their son, Sam, is born.  Their marriage has hit some roadblocks, but their son is the light of their life, until one morning when they find that he's missing.

Hope is thrilled when the police tell her that they have found a boy in Spain who fits Sam's description, but when the police talk to Lauren, she insists that Sam is her baby and even has the birth certificate.  So now there are two women claiming to be Sam's mother, but only one baby -- who does Sam really belong to?

One child. Two mothers. And a past that won’t let them go.

Some of the reviewers of this book absolutely loved it, but I found it disjointed and confusing.  Each chapter goes back in time, and there are multiple points of view and timelines that skip around.  Plus, both women change their stories and lie over and over.  As I got closer to the end, it all began to make sense.  I would definitely read this author again because her basic storyline was very intriguing, and maybe I should read this book again, too.

Buy The Day I Lost You at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.

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