Taking April

by Joshua Sparks

She was never supposed to be mine.
But for four years, she was my whole world.

Angela Jenkins never meant to become a monster—she meant to become a mother.

When a baby girl comes into her life under circumstances she won’t name, Angela makes a choice she can’t undo. She raises the child as her own, building a quiet, careful life around one fragile if she loves her enough, the truth will never catch up.

Then one mistake cracks everything open.

Now Angela is trapped in a nightmare of police, court orders, and media outrage—while the little girl she calls Rose is pulled toward a life that was stolen long ago. And Angela is forced to face the question no one wants to ask out

Can love ever excuse the unforgivable?

TAKING APRIL is a dark, emotionally charged psychological thriller about obsession, motherhood, and moral lines that don’t stay where you draw them. Taut, propulsive, and impossible to put down, it explores what happens when a lie becomes a family—and the past finally knocks.

Perfect for readers who

Dark psychological thrillers with emotional depth

Domestic suspense and moral ambiguity

High-stakes, page-turning family secrets

➡️ Fans of Freida McFadden, Riley Sager, and Lisa Jewell will be gripped.
➡️ Buy now—and discover what happens when the truth comes for her.

236 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 6, 2026

Reviews

[Jacqulyn Lynch]

Strange book, didn’t make much sense. Very confusing. Who was Angela’s “handler” in the beginning? How was Rose recognized as a missing child from four years prior off of one quick social media post? How was Rose able to remember her former home when she was only four months old? So many questions, I kept hoping everything would tie together in the end but it never did. Writing style was strange, never giving enough. Responses cold and clipped. I’m left feeling mind boggled, and not in a good way.

[Carmela Garcia]

Repetitive and choppy. No depth to the story.

[Shannon Jefferson]

If you want to be confused, from start to finish, read this book.

[Alanis]

I wasn't a fan of the writing style. Drawn out conversations that were very repetitive. Ending was also anticlimactic. Not much happened the entire book.

[Jenny]

Didn’t really make sense I was waiting for it to all tie together in the end and it didn’t. Also have no idea who April is, did I miss something ?

[Cynthia]

I finished this book and immediately needed to sit in silence for a few minutes.

This is one of those rare thrillers that doesn’t rely on shock for shock’s sake—it builds dread so carefully that by the time the big truths surface, you realize you’ve been complicit in them the whole time. The writing is sharp, intimate, and unsettling in the best way. Every scene feels intentional, especially the way motherhood, entitlement, and control are woven together without ever tipping into melodrama.

Angela is a terrifyingly convincing narrator. The author does something brilliant here: you understand her logic even when you hate it. Watching her justify each decision, especially in the aftermath of infertility and failed adoption, is uncomfortable and gripping. The moment you finally learn how Rose was taken is devastating not because it’s sensational, but because of how ordinary it is.

Jacob is equally well drawn—controlled, powerful, and morally ambiguous in a way that feels painfully realistic. Their dynamic crackles with tension, and every conversation between them feels like a chess match where a child is the prize.

The pacing is impeccable. The first half simmers, the middle tightens the noose, and the final chapters escalate without losing psychological depth. There’s no wasted exposition, no convenient explanations—just mounting pressure and consequences.

If you like Lisa Jewell, Riley Sager, or Gillian Flynn, this will absolutely be your kind of book. But it’s also doing something darker and more intimate than most thrillers in the genre.

[Robert Giordano]

I tore through this. The tension is constant, and it has that page-turner quality where every “normal” moment feels like it could turn dangerous. The mother’s voice felt real to me. She is obsessive in a way that makes sense, and I kept finding myself understanding her choices even when I did not fully agree with them.

I also loved the moral gray area. It is not a simple good vs bad story. The pressure keeps building through school, social media, and the way people start watching and talking, and it all feels uncomfortably believable. By the end I was completely hooked and honestly a little shaken.

Easy five stars for pacing, emotion, and that dread-filled vibe that sticks with you after you finish.

[Cortney Schwanger]

I picked this book for my first ever book club. I think it was a good book. It was a VERY easy read, with lots of short sentences. This author specifically uses comparison descriptions for the way things feel, which is a style I grew to enjoy throughout the book. I do think there could have been more detail in some more exciting chapters, but it was a quick, easy read that has enough to talk about for a first book club!

[Holly Neidlinger]

Wow 😳this book really makes you stop and think

Dark and twisty as a mother it definitely scared me, can you imagine your baby being taken and not knowing where they are ? You also feel so terrible bad for the child. This was so well written 👏

[Rachel Cimino]

I love the concept of this book, such a great idea for a story. Although, the execution was not great. A lot of opportunities of plot missed, conversations sometimes didn’t make sense, and just overall not executed the way I think it should’ve been.

[angie raven]

Oh dear . My first DNF for years.
Nothing really happens , there’s a lot of going backwards and forwards of the same thing, repeated conversations and no plot. Had hoped it was going to pick up and go somewhere but I’ve lost the will to live ! ( got to 65% of the book )

[Ashley Hoffmann]

This was so intense. I read it in one sitting because the tension just keeps building and never really lets you relax. The mother feels painfully real, and I kept understanding her even when I was uncomfortable with her choices.

It sits right in that gray area between love and obsession, and that is what makes it so good. Definitely five stars for me.

[Taylor Rozanski]

felt there was no plot to this story. same situations and lines over and over again.

[Sherry Berry]

I liked the idea of the story I just think it could have been better.

[Kaycie BluishGopher]

I did not like this at all. Confusing to read. Boring.

[Tiffany Armstrong]

I could not put this down. I started it late at night and told myself I would read a few chapters, and suddenly it was way too late and I was still going. The emotional tension is unreal, especially the way motherhood is written. It feels raw and personal, not dramatic for the sake of it.

What really got me was how conflicted I felt the whole time. I kept switching sides in my head. One minute I was thinking she would do anything for her child, the next minute I was asking myself how far is too far. That push and pull made it impossible to stop reading.

It is unsettling in a very real way, not flashy or over-the-top. Just quiet dread, bad decisions, and the terrifying power of being noticed. 4 stars without hesitation.

[Debbie]

Lots of details didn't make sense. Time periods were changed. The author had forgotten things that had been written earlier like things being left behind that were suddenly somewhere else. If you abducted a child of 4 months old why would they need to be told to lie to officials as they wouldn't know anything other than their reality. Why would you not change the name of a baby you abducted? That makes no sense. Why would preschool and the parents think this was the abducted child 4 years later simply based on the child's name??