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When She Finds You
"Truly good thriller... keeps the suspense right to the very end." - Amazon 5* review
For fans of Lisa Jewell, Liane Moriarty and Heidi Perks.
Sophie Saunders has the perfect life.
Happily married to handsome Matt and expecting her first baby, she is the envy of her childhood friend, Lou.
Lou’s family has splintered. Her husband is dead and her son has left home.
She would give anything to turn back the clock.
But there’s a secret buried deep in their past that the two friends can never forget.
And when Sophie’s world starts spiralling out of control, it’s her new friend Roz to whom she turns.
Trouble is, secrets have a habit of unravelling. And when they do, you can kiss your perfect life goodbye.
Sometimes, it’s better when the truth stays hidden.
When She Finds You is the gripping debut psychological thriller by A J McDine.
For fans of Lisa Jewell, Liane Moriarty and Heidi Perks.
Sophie Saunders has the perfect life.
Happily married to handsome Matt and expecting her first baby, she is the envy of her childhood friend, Lou.
Lou’s family has splintered. Her husband is dead and her son has left home.
She would give anything to turn back the clock.
But there’s a secret buried deep in their past that the two friends can never forget.
And when Sophie’s world starts spiralling out of control, it’s her new friend Roz to whom she turns.
Trouble is, secrets have a habit of unravelling. And when they do, you can kiss your perfect life goodbye.
Sometimes, it’s better when the truth stays hidden.
When She Finds You is the gripping debut psychological thriller by A J McDine.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 15, 2019
1724 people are currently reading
1715 people want to read
About the author
A.J. McDine
14 books400 followersA J McDine is the author of twisty, character-driven psychological thrillers that explore secrets, lies and the dark side of relationships.
Before turning to fiction, she worked as a journalist and police press officer in Kent, where she lives with her husband, fellow thriller writer A J Wills, their two sons and three rescue cats.
When she’s not writing, she can usually be found with her nose in a book, attempting a 5K, or gazing out of the window thinking up new ways to get her characters into (and out of) trouble.
Her books are all standalone reads. They are (in no particular order):
The Baby
The Husband Before You
The Photo
Everyone Has Secrets
The Invite
Should Have Known Better
No One I Knew
The Promise You Made
When She Finds You
Before turning to fiction, she worked as a journalist and police press officer in Kent, where she lives with her husband, fellow thriller writer A J Wills, their two sons and three rescue cats.
When she’s not writing, she can usually be found with her nose in a book, attempting a 5K, or gazing out of the window thinking up new ways to get her characters into (and out of) trouble.
Her books are all standalone reads. They are (in no particular order):
The Baby
The Husband Before You
The Photo
Everyone Has Secrets
The Invite
Should Have Known Better
No One I Knew
The Promise You Made
When She Finds You
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
September 26, 2020
Just no. It feels like a man wrote these female characters. So off the mark. The woman was just kidnapped and almost had her baby stolen and she’s fixating on her husband’s fidelity?? Ugh I just couldn’t deal with ANY of the characters. The whole book was completely unrealistic and the emotional responses completely unnatural. And what kind of moron turns her back on the potentially unconscious woman who just tried to kill her to sing a lullaby? 👎🏼 Nothing really happened in retrospect. Upon completion of this book I felt more annoyed than anything. Definitely a miss for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2019
Amazing, chilling and utterly thrilling psychological thriller. I loved every moment. This book gripped me and wouldn't let me go. I struggled to put it down at the end of every chapter. Absolutely loved it and the ending. I will definitely be reading more of AJ McDine's novels.
June 2, 2020
A 5-star psychological thriller with a simmering start, a bubbling middle and a boiling end!
What a cracking debut this book is! I read it in just a couple of days, and I was so engrossed that I found myself reading into the early hours just to finish it.
Sophie and Matt are happily married and after a bit of a journey with IVF, they are finally expecting a longed-for baby together. Then after spotting a familiar face in town one day, Sophie is prompted to look up an old friend Lou on Facebook.
Sophie and Lou were inseparable as teenagers but lost touch when their lives took different paths. How great to catch up with an old friend and reminisce about the past, or is it? With secrets and lies that Sophie would rather leave in the past, she begins to wonder if contacting Lou was such a good idea after all.
At a time when Sophie should be getting ready to put her feet up on maternity leave, strange things start to happen, which leaves her stressed, worried and far from relaxed. Somebody is out to get Sophie, but who? And why?
This book is perfectly paced in my opinion. An intriguing start where not much is given away it makes you want to read on to see where the story is going. As bits are revealed it just hooks you in more and more, making for an unputdownable read.
The story is told from the point of view of Sophie who is a likeable and relatable character, with the odd chapter containing the thoughts of the person who is out to ruin her perfect life. I loved these little snippets as it really gets you thinking, who could it be? Even though I had my suspicions throughout, I still doubted myself and thought this really could go any which way!
I honestly can’t speak highly enough of this gripping read. This is a debut for Amanda in the psychological thriller genre and I can’t wait to read more from her. To all my friends who like to select their reads from my reviews, be sure to get this one on your to-read list.
Thank you so much to the author herself A J McDine for my gifted copy of this book in exchange for an open, honest review.
What a cracking debut this book is! I read it in just a couple of days, and I was so engrossed that I found myself reading into the early hours just to finish it.
Sophie and Matt are happily married and after a bit of a journey with IVF, they are finally expecting a longed-for baby together. Then after spotting a familiar face in town one day, Sophie is prompted to look up an old friend Lou on Facebook.
Sophie and Lou were inseparable as teenagers but lost touch when their lives took different paths. How great to catch up with an old friend and reminisce about the past, or is it? With secrets and lies that Sophie would rather leave in the past, she begins to wonder if contacting Lou was such a good idea after all.
At a time when Sophie should be getting ready to put her feet up on maternity leave, strange things start to happen, which leaves her stressed, worried and far from relaxed. Somebody is out to get Sophie, but who? And why?
This book is perfectly paced in my opinion. An intriguing start where not much is given away it makes you want to read on to see where the story is going. As bits are revealed it just hooks you in more and more, making for an unputdownable read.
The story is told from the point of view of Sophie who is a likeable and relatable character, with the odd chapter containing the thoughts of the person who is out to ruin her perfect life. I loved these little snippets as it really gets you thinking, who could it be? Even though I had my suspicions throughout, I still doubted myself and thought this really could go any which way!
I honestly can’t speak highly enough of this gripping read. This is a debut for Amanda in the psychological thriller genre and I can’t wait to read more from her. To all my friends who like to select their reads from my reviews, be sure to get this one on your to-read list.
Thank you so much to the author herself A J McDine for my gifted copy of this book in exchange for an open, honest review.
December 30, 2021
It was all going well until the terrible portrayal of mental illness. I also thought it was obvious who the perpetrator was going to be and guessed pretty early on. Would have been more satisfying if Roz hadn’t been labelled with BPD (this felt damaging to those with a BPD diagnosis). The main character also turned her back on an obviously not unconscious Roz? Not wise! I still finished the book nonetheless but won’t be rushing to read again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2023
1.5 but I've had to round down. I don't know if I just read too many of this type of book but the "twist" (if I can call it that) was SO OBVIOUSLY signposted from the beginning I found myself trying to just get to the end so I could confirm I was right. Not the worst concept but the hints had all the subtlety of a semi-truck, the characters weren't developed enough and I struggled to believe anyone would actually behave like the characters in this novel. I'm honestly surprised this has 4.08 stars.
August 5, 2025
Release date: 05-12-20
Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
Book synopsis says that Sophie Saunders, has the perfect life... but then I read that Sophie was pregnant but to become pregnant she had to go through several treatments for infertility (IVF). This was very expensive. Money was tight, and her husband Matt had to go to work to another city. So Sophie was mostly home alone, with no husband by her side...hmmm, the perfect life? Do not think so!
The dialogue felt forced and unnatural. I didn't much care about the flashbacks of the 17-year-old girls. It wasn't really needed and author could have easily told what had happened 20 years ago during the present day events. I still didn't feel the emotions and feelings of the characters. Plenty of things didn't make sense, and I wasn't sold on Sophie's and Lou's friendship.
Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
Book synopsis says that Sophie Saunders, has the perfect life... but then I read that Sophie was pregnant but to become pregnant she had to go through several treatments for infertility (IVF). This was very expensive. Money was tight, and her husband Matt had to go to work to another city. So Sophie was mostly home alone, with no husband by her side...hmmm, the perfect life? Do not think so!
The dialogue felt forced and unnatural. I didn't much care about the flashbacks of the 17-year-old girls. It wasn't really needed and author could have easily told what had happened 20 years ago during the present day events. I still didn't feel the emotions and feelings of the characters. Plenty of things didn't make sense, and I wasn't sold on Sophie's and Lou's friendship.
June 5, 2022
DUHHHH! This was a quick read, but VERY obvious! Also, the main character is way too gullible and innocent, she comes off as stupid so it’s hard to relate to her. She also has a terrible judgment in friends and her husband, so it’s hard to root for her… and she’s a victim in a revenge story, so you want to root for her…but she just makes me roll my eyes… I’d pass on this book
April 18, 2020
Absolutely brilliant!!! I thought Lou was behind the planning but did not expect it to be Roz or should I say Leanne!?! I thought this was brilliantly written. I can’t wait to read more books by her!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2021
It could have been okay but I'm giving it 2 stars because of the awful portrayal of mental illness. It felt badly researched, insensitive and potentially distressing to some.
April 25, 2022
The protagonist irritated my soul. She missed every single blaring and obvious clue about the danger around her. But somehow jumped to the most outrageous of assumptions regarding those who loved her. I get that as humans we can often do both of those things, however the extremes of this character made me roll my eyes during the entire book. I finished solely because I couldn't believe she was that dumb.
November 10, 2023
This was really quite good until she could have left with the baby while the other was knocked out ... I might have missed it but I saw no reason for her to stay put ... (trying to avoid spoilers)
September 20, 2023
3.75/5 I enjoyed the plot of this one, and even when I guessed who dunnit I kept picking it up every chance I got to answer the questions that remained. There was some real suspense, and I enjoyed the characters. There were some far fetched parts or things that fell short of course, but overall I enjoyed it a lot
March 8, 2021
I hate when you find yourself swimming up the stream instead of flowing blissfully along with the current. But I have to say that I honestly didn't like this book. I was thinking the other day that I very fairly just say... didn't like it... but here I am saying it.
The book started off pretty well, but then it just seemed to start to drag, and then I was sure it was dragging. I really wanted to DNF it, but I had to sit in a waiting room without anything else to do..
So, this was a ho-hum read for me... silly, unrealistic, and often amateurish the book moved along a very predictable route. I mean really? I was ready to close the cover at about a third of the way and skipped a chunk just to move ahead.. it was almost like I missed nothing. In novels, I have to say that being pregnant is a prereq to being kidnapped.
Very unrealistic...
2 stars
Happy Reading!!!
The book started off pretty well, but then it just seemed to start to drag, and then I was sure it was dragging. I really wanted to DNF it, but I had to sit in a waiting room without anything else to do..
So, this was a ho-hum read for me... silly, unrealistic, and often amateurish the book moved along a very predictable route. I mean really? I was ready to close the cover at about a third of the way and skipped a chunk just to move ahead.. it was almost like I missed nothing. In novels, I have to say that being pregnant is a prereq to being kidnapped.
Very unrealistic...
2 stars
Happy Reading!!!
February 27, 2021
Offensive
Reasonably well written, however there are times when the message being portrayed by the author is along the lines of "let's not demonise people with mental illness/disorders", to then reveal that the antagonist, a killer who tortures and manipulates people, has a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, with zero hints toward any actual symptoms of BPD throughout the book.
Reasonably well written, however there are times when the message being portrayed by the author is along the lines of "let's not demonise people with mental illness/disorders", to then reveal that the antagonist, a killer who tortures and manipulates people, has a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, with zero hints toward any actual symptoms of BPD throughout the book.
January 17, 2020
Great first novel!!!!
This book was fast paced and interesting with well developed characters with a hint of something sinister all through the book. I could not put it down!!! Kudos to the author.
This book was fast paced and interesting with well developed characters with a hint of something sinister all through the book. I could not put it down!!! Kudos to the author.
December 11, 2024
My first 2-star review for author A.J. Devine.
Too many painful eye-rolling moments.
TW: animal cruelty.
I listened to the audiobook expertly narrated by Danielle Cohen.
2 stars, rounded up.
April 5, 2022
I’m so tired of bpd being used as a catch all for crazy obsessed thriller antagonists. This book reminded me why I haven’t been reading thrillers anymore 🤡
May 10, 2021
Between four and five. This is good escapist literature. It delves deep into mental illness and secrets and lies. It is told in first person. The story is set in Canterbury, England. The book goes back in time from the present to the past when Sophie was seventeen and in love with Edward Sullivan. Ed plans to become a lawyer. Lou, Sophie's best friend, marries Ed. the two move to America, Boston, Ed gets a good job. Sophie is angry and bitter. They lose contact.
Sophie Saunders is forty-one and pregnant, her husband, Matt, is six yours younger. They have been married seven years and have been trying to have a baby. Finally she is pregnant.
Sophie works at "Camomile Commentary Garden, called Cam, a therapeutic garden for people with learning disabilities and mental health problems" She likes her job, but doesn't get along with Angela, her supervisor. The two ladies butt heard, Sophie tells Angela off one day.
Matt works a good job ninety miles away. He is gone all week, but comes home on weekends. Sophie is very pregnant. She needs her husband there. Danger lurks.
Lou has returned back to England with her son. She is a widow. Her son wants to go to the same university his father went to. Lou meets up with Sophie. They had so much fun when they were young. Sophie doesn't think so, too much time and anger over the years. But she decides to keep seeing Lou.
Sophie becomes good friends with Roz, her new hairdresser who comes to the house to do her hair. Roz is thirty-two, wife and mother of a toddler girl. Both have something in common. Sophie feels comfortable with the young woman more that with Lou.
Bad things begin to happen. Sophie is to give a computer presentation about the Cam's work. Her computer fails. There is a small staff and volunteers working at the Cam. Rose is down syndrome, Martin, schizophrenic plus bipolar. He has meltdowns.
One day at the Cam two police enter. Someone poured a gallon of petrol followed by a lighted rag in the letterbox of Angela's home. Neighbors heard the house fire alarm, then called the fire department. Sophie is questioned, then Martin. Both are persons of interests.
An important day at the Cam. The public is invited to see what is being done at the garden. Everyone worked hard and heavy get the Cam looking beautiful. Workers arrive early to find pretty plants destroyed, pots turned over and broken, plants torn from the ground, the whole garden trashed. After all that work. Sophie feels whoever is doing this is after her. Are they really?
Sophie is told she is too trusting, she needs to cover her back.
Sophie Saunders is forty-one and pregnant, her husband, Matt, is six yours younger. They have been married seven years and have been trying to have a baby. Finally she is pregnant.
Sophie works at "Camomile Commentary Garden, called Cam, a therapeutic garden for people with learning disabilities and mental health problems" She likes her job, but doesn't get along with Angela, her supervisor. The two ladies butt heard, Sophie tells Angela off one day.
Matt works a good job ninety miles away. He is gone all week, but comes home on weekends. Sophie is very pregnant. She needs her husband there. Danger lurks.
Lou has returned back to England with her son. She is a widow. Her son wants to go to the same university his father went to. Lou meets up with Sophie. They had so much fun when they were young. Sophie doesn't think so, too much time and anger over the years. But she decides to keep seeing Lou.
Sophie becomes good friends with Roz, her new hairdresser who comes to the house to do her hair. Roz is thirty-two, wife and mother of a toddler girl. Both have something in common. Sophie feels comfortable with the young woman more that with Lou.
Bad things begin to happen. Sophie is to give a computer presentation about the Cam's work. Her computer fails. There is a small staff and volunteers working at the Cam. Rose is down syndrome, Martin, schizophrenic plus bipolar. He has meltdowns.
One day at the Cam two police enter. Someone poured a gallon of petrol followed by a lighted rag in the letterbox of Angela's home. Neighbors heard the house fire alarm, then called the fire department. Sophie is questioned, then Martin. Both are persons of interests.
An important day at the Cam. The public is invited to see what is being done at the garden. Everyone worked hard and heavy get the Cam looking beautiful. Workers arrive early to find pretty plants destroyed, pots turned over and broken, plants torn from the ground, the whole garden trashed. After all that work. Sophie feels whoever is doing this is after her. Are they really?
Sophie is told she is too trusting, she needs to cover her back.
August 26, 2021
Another hit from Ms McDine.
Sophie is married to Matt and is expecting her first child. It seems life is going well for them. But it’s not.
Matt seems to get distant. Lies soon follow. To what end? And incidents happen. Too many of them to ignore them. What is going on?
Once again the author spins a great tale. She delivers clues slowly, has you going in all directions to try to figure out what is happening. Throw in some past history, friendships broken and renewed, obsession and mental health issues and you have a great suspense.
I really liked this book. It is well written, the characters are engaging and well developed, the story flows well and the end doesn’t disappoint.
Highly recommended to lovers of suspense.
Sophie is married to Matt and is expecting her first child. It seems life is going well for them. But it’s not.
Matt seems to get distant. Lies soon follow. To what end? And incidents happen. Too many of them to ignore them. What is going on?
Once again the author spins a great tale. She delivers clues slowly, has you going in all directions to try to figure out what is happening. Throw in some past history, friendships broken and renewed, obsession and mental health issues and you have a great suspense.
I really liked this book. It is well written, the characters are engaging and well developed, the story flows well and the end doesn’t disappoint.
Highly recommended to lovers of suspense.
February 28, 2024
Quite good but didn’t like the way abortion was expressed, also the husband was an idiot. But entertaining enough. Wouldn’t listen to it again.
April 4, 2024
Predictable and a bit of a flat ending.
November 5, 2024
Very good book what I would call an old-fashioned type of book well written plenty of twist and turns it’s the second book I’ve read by this author and I’ve liked them both
August 9, 2024
This was a fab book, very graphic in places but overall a very good edge of the seat read.
January 18, 2025
Highly predictable so it made it slow and a bit boring until the end.
November 12, 2022
Fantastic book
I thoroughly enjoyed this story from start to finish. The brilliant storyline kept me guessing and page turning the whole way through. Great read with some great twists
I thoroughly enjoyed this story from start to finish. The brilliant storyline kept me guessing and page turning the whole way through. Great read with some great twists
July 7, 2020
Dark tale
The story revolves around Sophie's pregnancy and her relationship with her husband Matt and her friendships at cam the garden center where the mentally ill work and volunteer. Her hairdresser Roz has a deep dark secret that will shock you as bad things begin to happen at the center.
The story revolves around Sophie's pregnancy and her relationship with her husband Matt and her friendships at cam the garden center where the mentally ill work and volunteer. Her hairdresser Roz has a deep dark secret that will shock you as bad things begin to happen at the center.
March 28, 2024
Ugh. I was super torn between 2 and 3 so lets say 2.5. The book was intriguing and I wanted to kept reading. Sure, it was really predictable but I was like okayyy lets see how it will happen and whats the motive.
I felt that all the dialogues were strange, they felt robotic, no emotion or feelings, just very generic strange words noone really uses.
The main character was incredibly boring. There was so much text about the garden and ‘cuppa tea’ that felt unnecessary for me. I wanted to yell by the end when they were in the cellar and hit the kidnapper on the head and then Lou left Sophie there with the baby by themselves with kidnapper. Why didnt sophie go with her? Why did she turn her back to her to sing a stupid lullaby. I would be out of that cellar waiting for police or I would stay alerted af.
I wasn’t buying the whole Matt and Sophie lovestory, it felt super forced.
And I didn’t get the backstory about Joshie and her hyperfixation on him because he looked like Ed. Also felt very unnecessary and didnt add anything to the story really.
I felt that all the dialogues were strange, they felt robotic, no emotion or feelings, just very generic strange words noone really uses.
The main character was incredibly boring. There was so much text about the garden and ‘cuppa tea’ that felt unnecessary for me. I wanted to yell by the end when they were in the cellar and hit the kidnapper on the head and then Lou left Sophie there with the baby by themselves with kidnapper. Why didnt sophie go with her? Why did she turn her back to her to sing a stupid lullaby. I would be out of that cellar waiting for police or I would stay alerted af.
I wasn’t buying the whole Matt and Sophie lovestory, it felt super forced.
And I didn’t get the backstory about Joshie and her hyperfixation on him because he looked like Ed. Also felt very unnecessary and didnt add anything to the story really.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2020
Sophie has a great life, she is finally pregnant after her and her husband, Matt have been trying for years. She has an incredible job. Now, the only problem is that it seems like Matt is pulling away from her. His job is out of town and so he only comes home on the weekends.
Sophie also has a secret that she kept from Matt. She doesn't want him to know because she fears it will tear apart their marriage. When her best friend comes back into town, things really start getting out of control.
One that I did figure out, but it was an interesting thriller and enjoyed it.
Sophie also has a secret that she kept from Matt. She doesn't want him to know because she fears it will tear apart their marriage. When her best friend comes back into town, things really start getting out of control.
One that I did figure out, but it was an interesting thriller and enjoyed it.
June 13, 2020
It has been awhile since I have wanted to chuck my adult responsibilities and hide in a corner so that I can finish a book. This was that book. I loved the innocence of the main character, Sophie. The way the author makes you suspicious of the husband, and the two people arguing for her friendship. This way a great debut novel for author A.J. McDine and I cannot wait to read more by this author.
December 3, 2020
Totally uninspired and unoriginal. Read this same story a bunch of times. Cliched characters, super super obvious cliched villain. Predictable and obvious ending. Snorefest. Nothing new to the table with this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews