The School Trip: A completely gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist

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Make sure you have a few hours in your schedule clear before you start this one. Can't remember the last time I binged a book like this one. I will absolutely be reading more from Miranda Smith! WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!! Miranda Smith’s latest psychological thriller The School Trip is literally something ripped from the headlines! It is every teachers and parents' worst nightmare come true! The School Trip will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride pulling hard on your heartstrings! Infact, I wanted to reach out to my niece and nephew and give them a huge hug! The story start with a field trip to a pumpkin patch--Emma who is a kindergarten teacher along with her daughter Claire goes to the school trip. As the trip is nearing to an end, a girl goes missing first and Emma being a responsible teacher starts looking for the girl, leaving her daughter behind with other teachers. As the girl was found and the crowd start leaving the premises, Emma realizes someone else also goes missing--her daughter had gone missing. Claire is a parent and a teacher. She and other teachers, as well as several parents, are headed to a school trip at a local farm. Despite some misgivings, the day seems like it is going swimmingly well. However, at some point, Claire’s daughter Emma goes missing. Everyone, especially Claire, is in a panic. Where has her daughter gone? Emma is a kindergarten teacher, and today is field trip day! She and her colleagues will be taking their classes to a pumpkin patch, and Claire, Emma’s six-year-old daughter, will be joining her mom and classmates. Emma’s been having a rough year; her husband was killed in a car accident, and she’s now raising Claire alone. She’s looking forward to her day, despite field trips being a challenge.

Some Days Are Dark tells the intriguing story of Olivia, a woman who had a great life only to lose it all within a very short time. Olivia grew up poor, but life somehow works for her, and she ends up with a beautiful home, a loving husband, Frank, and an adorable son. Despite all these good things, Olivia feels like she is missing something, and this leads her to make the worst decision of his life. Olivia leaves her perfect family for Dane Miller, a no-good drug addict who has nothing to offer to a woman. Aside from losing a man who loves her, Olivia also jeopardizes her relationship with her son. Join Della on this captivating story as she tries to do what is right while she fights the demons from her past. This story comprises of Della’s recap of events in the past and her perspective on the new student and her evil brother. The storyline and the characters are simple, but they all work to make the story move along. Does Della have a valid point, or is everything simply a product of her imagination. How will Della’s dedication to this case affect her career?Emma is an elementary school teacher. She and her daughter are on a field trip to a local pumpkin patch with the rest of her students. One of them goes missing and the search is on. Thankfully that student is recovered safely on the property. In the chaos that ensues, another child goes missing. Emma's daughter, Claire.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Bookouture for this entertaining ARC! All opinions are my own.The rest of the book races through the evening, as they try to find Claire. As the police investigate, Emma soon realizes that some of her coworkers she thought were friends were anything but. Everyone seems to be lying, who can she trust? We also get the first-person narrative of the kidnapper thrown in, and “The Plan” is definitely unhinged. I would like to thank @netgalley, Bookouture, and Miranda Smith for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own! It's every parent's worst nightmare - your child going missing. And the author brings the reader to the forefront of the investigation as police search for missing Claire. Emma is placed in the spotlight as the media speculate a neglectful mother leaving her child in the care of another at the time she disappeared which only serves to infuriate her further. Why aren't the police updating them with the facts instead of wasting time. Then soon Emma discovers some of those closest to her aren't at all who they appear to be and she begins to wonder just who can she trust? Any one of them could have Claire. Everyone seems to be lying so who can she trust?

I loved how the story funneled into intensity while maintaining an intense pace. The subtle escalation was so well done. I found the emotions within this book genuine and well-written. Not only is it clear that Emma was kidnapped, Claire and the police wonder if it is someone from Claire’s past who has taken Emma. As this heartbreaking story is being told, Claire realizes how alone she and Emma are, especially after losing her husband several years ago in a tragic accident. As a parent, it's hard to imagine anything worse than having your child disappear and the author takes us through all of Emma's anguish and tears. Her willingness to do whatever she can to find her daughter cause the police to begin to leave her out of their case but she's willing to go against them and follow an idea that she has about who is responsible. This book was a real roller coaster ride with lots of twists and turns. The author did an interesting thing to make things even more tense for the reader -- interspersed in the story are several chapters by the kidnapper who has an attitude that is totally unhinged. Those chapters made me worry more about what the outcome would be because I could see the unnamed kidnapper as someone willing to hurt Claire Emma always looks forward to the annual kindergarten field trip to the local pumpkin patch, and this year is extra special because her daughter Claire is amongst her students. The teachers are frantic when a child gets lost, only to be discovered in the center of the corn maze. But before the relief of finding her can set in, Emma realizes that another child has gone missing – her daughter Claire.The author, Miranda Smith, has done an excellent job of creating a tense and suspenseful atmosphere throughout the book. The characters are great! Emma is very strong and caring, she likes to do things herself without relying on others. Smith’s writing style is engaging and easy to follow, making it hard to put the book down. This book had me up til 3 AM! This is another AMAZING psychological thriller! I’ve never heard of this author, however after reading her book I’ll be binging more! I finished this book roughly in 2 days! It’s a really fast paced thriller which I personally love! I had multiple theories about the plot twist, however I was very wrong. I also loved that about the book, that I couldn’t guess the twist(s)! I got serious Criminal Minds vibes from the legal point of the book! This book is tragic, heartbreaking, thrilling, while at the same time heart warming. I would give this book a 4.5/5! I’m so excited for it to be released and highly recommend it! The School Trip is the spine-chilling new thriller from Miranda Smith that will keep readers up all night. I was hooked… I devoured this book in one sitting. Got my heart racing, atmospheric, chilling and utterly gripping… Fantastic read, nail-biting and one of the best books I have read this year. A MUST READ!!!!!” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Olivia’s marriage to Dane doesn’t go well, and she is quite afraid of her husband. Now, Dane Miller is dead, and Olivia is the key suspect to the murder. People in Whitaker cannot stop gossiping about Olivia, and she has a hard time even leaving the house. Just what happened to her perfect life? Is there a chance that she can redeem herself and enjoy the company of her loved ones again? Well, all is not lost because, for the time being, Olivia is off the hook where her husband’s murder is concerned. Someone confessed to killing Dane, and he is already behind bars.