When I read the synopsis for Tell Me You’re Mine I was sold. I am a fan of suspense/thriller books and the “is this my long lost daughter” narrative seemed very intriguing.

Stella is almost 40, a successful psychotherapist, in a loving marriage with Henrik, and they share a young son, Milo. She may seem to have it all together, but Stella was part of another family: one broken leaving her permanently fractured.

In her late teenage years, lovebirds Stella and Daniel become pregnant and welcome baby Alice to their young, new family. During a vacation gone horribly wrong, one-year old Alice will go missing. Her carriage toppled over and it will be determined that she died from accidental drowning; no body ever being found. Stella has always believed her daughter was alive, even if no one else did.

Fast forward twenty years, a young patient walks into Stella’s office and “boom” Stella knows in her bones that this girl is her daughter Alice, not actually Isabelle. She obsesses over proving Isabelle is actually Alice that she jeopardizes her career, her family, and her overall mental well-being. She tries convincing Henrik and law enforcement, but they view her as unbalanced and suffering a nervous breakdown. Should they be taking her seriously? Is Isabelle really Alice?

I loved this book, then didn’t, then did again, then didn’t again. We had a love/lukewarm relationship. The first couple of chapters were so cryptic and I loved it! I totally thought I knew what was happening and then a bit more than mid-way through the book I was like “wait, what?!” Totally not what I thought at first, and then all my realizations came to me.

Why the lukewarm status? There were times I felt the book dragged; I wasn’t whipping through it quick enough. I wasn’t as excited to read the next chapter, as you can experience with other suspense books. That is not to say it wasn’t a good read. It’s just one I could start and stop as I pleased.

There is one image that I keep thinking about during the climax of the book, but if I put it in my review you can probably figure out what happens and I don’t do spoilers. Darnit! It would have been quite funny.

Also – I love this book cover! A+

Will you be reading this one too? Do tell so we can discuss what gif I wanted to share 😉

To read my reviews visit: www.saturdaynitereader.com

I mit blod er en både underholdende og dramatisk historie på trods af de lidt karikerede personer

This review and more: Sharing Inspired Kreations

Tell Me You’re Mine took me on quite the ride. Going from almost DNFing to not being able to put it down and then how it tugged at my heartstrings!

So, it took me awhile to really get into this book. For the first 25% I was a bit bored and didn’t feel any motivation to read it. I actually considered DNFing it in the beginning. I was only really interested in Stella’s chapters. The other two perspectives just didn’t capture my interest. I wished that all the chapters were from Stella’s point of view.

Then it started to pick up for me around the 25% point and I got into it. While I was mostly captivated while reading, however, I didn’t really think about the book when I was away from it. Nothing was pulling me back to it. I could have easily just left it unfinished. But since there was interest while reading, and nothing I necessarily disliked about it, I kept reading it.

THEN maybe about the last third of the book really pulled me in. I didn’t want to put it down and definitely thought about it when I wasn’t reading it!

I am disappointed, though, that I did totally predict everything. I posted on Twitter:

sikreations
@sikreations
49% mark of Tell Me You're Mine by Elisabeth Noreback and I think I figured something out... Maybe? We'll soon see if I'm right!

4:23 PM - Aug 23, 2018

…and I was right. So, nothing surprised me, which is no fun. I always love when a book can surprise me!

Overall, I am left with a very pleased feeling. It took a while to get there and there were some definite disappointments along the way, but I did enjoy this book. I would even recommend it! And for parents out there – it will really tug on your heartstrings in parts. One particular part specifically – I had to take a break so that I wouldn’t get too upset, as I was reading in a public place.

Psychotherapist Stella Widstrand's one year old daughter Alice was stolen from her stroller while the family was on vacation over 20 years ago. Or at least that is what Stella believes. In fact, she is the only person who is convinced this is what happened to Alice. Everyone else has accepted that Alice likely drowned in the ocean that fateful day. Her body was never found and the family even held a burial for her. But Stella is not convinced. She knows her baby is out there somewhere.

Stella's entire world is turned upside down one day when a patient named Isabelle walks into her office. Stella is convinced that Isabelle is her long-lost daughter, and she is determined to prove it all costs. But as Stella begins to behave more erratically in her efforts to convince the world that Isabelle is in fact her daughter, she gains a reputation as being someone whose perception of the world cannot be trusted. Is Isabelle really Stella's daughter, or has she just lost her mind?

Translated from its original Swedish, Elisabeth Noreback's Tell Me You're Mine is a long-winded psychological suspense novel told from the POVs of three women - that of Stella, Isabelle, and Isabelle's mother Kerstin. Noreback creates a tense atmosphere In Tell Me You're Mine as she showcases a woman spiraling out of control in an effort to prove that she is not crazy. Throughout the novel, Noreback makes it difficult to determine just who is telling the truth as the novel unravels. Is Isabelle really Stella's daughter, or is Kerstin being accused of a kidnapping that she didn't commit? And just why is Isabelle so angry and seeking therapy? What is really going on here?

Perhaps it is due to Tell Me You're Mine originally being written in Swedish, but much of the first two-thirds of the novel was lost in translation for me. I found the story line difficult to follow with much of it taking place in the characters' heads and constantly jumping around. The novel would have benefited from a tighter plotline, as it goes on and on without much development. There are also numerous Swedish locations mentioned throughout the novel, and being an American with no frame of reference, I was easily confused by the number of unfamiliar place names.

Overall, Tell Me You're Mine is not a bad novel, but it isn't an easy one either. The pace and development pick up in the last third of the book, making me wish that the rest of the novel had been similarly thrilling and consequential.

This is a fabulous page-turner and I couldn't put it down. The main character, Stella, is both fascinating and someone you can sympathise with. I also thought the secondary characters were very well written. The plot rattles along and keeps your attention all the time until the powerful and simple ending - which I loved. Will definitely read Noreback's next one!

2,5