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I Know What You Did
Mia covered her mouth to keep from crying out. She hated the dark, but her mother had made her promise. But what was the point of being a good little girl if she couldn’t help her mother? She’d promised her mother not to scream, but she hadn’t promised not to escape…
To the world, Mia Thornton is invisible—a quiet, timid preschool teacher. People would never guess that she found the will to dig her way out of a locked shed when she was just six years old. That she never saw her mother again.
Now, all Mia longs for is a normal life and friends to call her own. But when she runs into a group of colleagues one evening, she discovers that, once again, she’s been excluded. Stung at the rejection, she pockets the keys of one of the women in a petty act of revenge. Celeste Cooper is fearless, pretty, popular—everything Mia wishes she could be.
The next day, Celeste is reported missing. And Mia realizes that it might have been her fault. Wracked with guilt, she joins the search, determined to make up for her mistake. But as she grows closer to Celeste’s family, Mia can’t help but feel she’s being watched…
What if Celeste’s disappearance has more to do with Mia than she realizes? And if she keeps digging, does she risk being dragged back into the dark forever?
Prepare to be gripped by the pulse-pounding new psychological thriller from USA Today bestselling author Carey Baldwin. Fans of The Wife Between Us, The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl will be totally addicted to Her First Mistake.
To the world, Mia Thornton is invisible—a quiet, timid preschool teacher. People would never guess that she found the will to dig her way out of a locked shed when she was just six years old. That she never saw her mother again.
Now, all Mia longs for is a normal life and friends to call her own. But when she runs into a group of colleagues one evening, she discovers that, once again, she’s been excluded. Stung at the rejection, she pockets the keys of one of the women in a petty act of revenge. Celeste Cooper is fearless, pretty, popular—everything Mia wishes she could be.
The next day, Celeste is reported missing. And Mia realizes that it might have been her fault. Wracked with guilt, she joins the search, determined to make up for her mistake. But as she grows closer to Celeste’s family, Mia can’t help but feel she’s being watched…
What if Celeste’s disappearance has more to do with Mia than she realizes? And if she keeps digging, does she risk being dragged back into the dark forever?
Prepare to be gripped by the pulse-pounding new psychological thriller from USA Today bestselling author Carey Baldwin. Fans of The Wife Between Us, The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl will be totally addicted to Her First Mistake.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2021
759 people are currently reading
553 people want to read
About the author
Carey Baldwin
28 books478 followersCreating stories and then sharing them with you so that you can shine your own light on them, reading through a lens shaped by your own perceptions, is such a joy. I hope you enjoy the books!
Carey Baldwin is a USA Today bestselling author of psychological suspense. Also a dedicated physician, she holds two doctoral degrees, one in medicine and one in psychology. Her experience in the fields of medicine and psychology often informs her writing. She loves reading and writing stories that keep you off balance and on the edge of your seat. Carey lives in the southwestern United States with her amazing family. In her spare time she enjoys hiking and chasing wildflowers.
www.CareyBaldwin.com
www.facebook.com/CareyBaldwinAuthor
www.twitter.com/CareyBaldwin
Carey Baldwin is a USA Today bestselling author of psychological suspense. Also a dedicated physician, she holds two doctoral degrees, one in medicine and one in psychology. Her experience in the fields of medicine and psychology often informs her writing. She loves reading and writing stories that keep you off balance and on the edge of your seat. Carey lives in the southwestern United States with her amazing family. In her spare time she enjoys hiking and chasing wildflowers.
www.CareyBaldwin.com
www.facebook.com/CareyBaldwinAuthor
www.twitter.com/CareyBaldwin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
August 21, 2021
Mia made a mistake ... thought of as a small thing, it's turned into a huge error.
Such a simple thing for no good reason, she stole Celeste's keys .. leaving her to have to walk home from an exclusive restaurant. Now she's missing.
Mia has a history of a severe trauma when she was younger. it's her secret past that she's tried to keep hidden. But someone has been watching her . Do they know her past? Is Celeste in the same kind of trouble that once imprisoned Mia ... and by the same person?
Intense suspense from start to finish, this is well-written with frequent changes of direction. The twist at the end is a real heart-stopper. There are many characters to follow who may know more than they're saying ... a suspicious detective, a possible stalker, nosy reporters who will do anything for a scoop, and last but not least, a strange and unexpected friendship with Celeste's family.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological / crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Such a simple thing for no good reason, she stole Celeste's keys .. leaving her to have to walk home from an exclusive restaurant. Now she's missing.
Mia has a history of a severe trauma when she was younger. it's her secret past that she's tried to keep hidden. But someone has been watching her . Do they know her past? Is Celeste in the same kind of trouble that once imprisoned Mia ... and by the same person?
Intense suspense from start to finish, this is well-written with frequent changes of direction. The twist at the end is a real heart-stopper. There are many characters to follow who may know more than they're saying ... a suspicious detective, a possible stalker, nosy reporters who will do anything for a scoop, and last but not least, a strange and unexpected friendship with Celeste's family.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological / crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
April 9, 2021
This is a fascinating look at what lengths some will go to in order to protect the ones the love and the ramifications of those actions on the ones they love.
Mia is a shy, insecure teacher who had a super rough upbringing. She wants to keep her past a secret so that people don’t feel sorry for her. One of Mia’s fellow teachers, Celeste, has it all-comes from a wealthy family, she’s pretty, got loads of friends-everything Mia has always wanted. One night, Mia does something impulsive and it changes everyone and everything. Shortly afterwards, Celeste goes missing and all eyes point to Mia, and so she has to figure out what has really happened by joining search parties and asking questions the questions the police don’t. Mia hopes that in helping to resolve this case, it will clear her name and also it may help the police look into what happened to her mother as well more than 20 years ago. Little does she know how dark things will get before it all comes to light.
There were loads of twists and although I had guessed at some of them, ultimately there were a few that threw me off the scent and there was really no characters you could trust, which added depth to the story.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.
Mia is a shy, insecure teacher who had a super rough upbringing. She wants to keep her past a secret so that people don’t feel sorry for her. One of Mia’s fellow teachers, Celeste, has it all-comes from a wealthy family, she’s pretty, got loads of friends-everything Mia has always wanted. One night, Mia does something impulsive and it changes everyone and everything. Shortly afterwards, Celeste goes missing and all eyes point to Mia, and so she has to figure out what has really happened by joining search parties and asking questions the questions the police don’t. Mia hopes that in helping to resolve this case, it will clear her name and also it may help the police look into what happened to her mother as well more than 20 years ago. Little does she know how dark things will get before it all comes to light.
There were loads of twists and although I had guessed at some of them, ultimately there were a few that threw me off the scent and there was really no characters you could trust, which added depth to the story.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.
July 4, 2021
Her First Mistake started brilliantly and emotionally about Mia’s childhood. After twenty years, Mia is working at a private school and then made her first mistake related to Celeste, and Celeste was missing the next day.
Mia is not in a good state as she sometimes takes a sleeping pill and can’t fully remember what she did while she’s sleeping. And that thing makes me suspicious of her. As the story continues, I have my suspicion of all the characters, especially Celeste‘s family.
For me, the storyline is not fast-paced, but it’s not slow either. I only found the story is quite dragging. Nevertheless, I liked the plot twist and surprised by the actual person who did things wrongly. Overall, it's still a decent read for me.
Thank you Netgalley for the copy!
Mia is not in a good state as she sometimes takes a sleeping pill and can’t fully remember what she did while she’s sleeping. And that thing makes me suspicious of her. As the story continues, I have my suspicion of all the characters, especially Celeste‘s family.
For me, the storyline is not fast-paced, but it’s not slow either. I only found the story is quite dragging. Nevertheless, I liked the plot twist and surprised by the actual person who did things wrongly. Overall, it's still a decent read for me.
Thank you Netgalley for the copy!
April 26, 2021
So this is yet another book that had an abrupt change of cover and title after I got it from the Publisher. I have to say that the cover change is great but I liked the previous title "I Know What You Did" way better.
Anyways, to the book.
The writing has a great flow and even though I wasn't particulary interested in the story during first few chapters, as it felt bit boring and Mia wasn't a particulary compelling protagonist, it picked up pretty quickly and I got really into it.
I got so into it that when I was around 70% I didn't want to put it down and stayed up until like 2am to finish it. I'd give this book 3/3.5 stars, but the fact that I wanted to finish it instead of going to sleep in my book is a justification for an extra star.
I had few problems with the ending (even though the general idea was good and I enjoyed it). The "Bad Guy Telling You Everything Instead Of Just Killing You And Be Done With It" is my most hated trope and I hated it here as well. I much more prefer the protaginist finding out the truth on their own instead of listening to The Killer's tedious monologue for like 15 pages or so.
The prologue was a brilliant start of the book and it was very well written.
I likied the epilogue very much, because it was so different from all of the twisty thrillery epilogues.
Mia is sort of an unreliable narrator and I enjoyed that.
Overall, it's a good, fast-paced novel, even though it has some major drawbacks.
I received this book from the Publisher in an exchange for an honest review
Anyways, to the book.
The writing has a great flow and even though I wasn't particulary interested in the story during first few chapters, as it felt bit boring and Mia wasn't a particulary compelling protagonist, it picked up pretty quickly and I got really into it.
I got so into it that when I was around 70% I didn't want to put it down and stayed up until like 2am to finish it. I'd give this book 3/3.5 stars, but the fact that I wanted to finish it instead of going to sleep in my book is a justification for an extra star.
I had few problems with the ending (even though the general idea was good and I enjoyed it). The "Bad Guy Telling You Everything Instead Of Just Killing You And Be Done With It" is my most hated trope and I hated it here as well. I much more prefer the protaginist finding out the truth on their own instead of listening to The Killer's tedious monologue for like 15 pages or so.
The prologue was a brilliant start of the book and it was very well written.
I likied the epilogue very much, because it was so different from all of the twisty thrillery epilogues.
Mia is sort of an unreliable narrator and I enjoyed that.
Overall, it's a good, fast-paced novel, even though it has some major drawbacks.
I received this book from the Publisher in an exchange for an honest review
April 29, 2021
This is a great read.
Mia had an unusual start to life as her mum used to lock her in a shed while her ‘friend’ visited her. One day when she’s 6 years old Mia knows she’s been in the shed too long and has to dig her way out.
No-one knows what happened to her mum so she goes to stay with her aunt, Misty.
We then follow Mia as an adult and find that she struggles in social situations and has just finished therapy.
On a night out, her friend cancels at the last minute so Mia goes to leave the restaurant but bumps into Celeste and her friends. They ask her to join them, but why wasn’t she invited in the first place? Feeling a bit annoyed Mia sees that Celeste’s keys have fallen out of her bag, and takes them.
The next day she hears that Celeste is missing and her handbag was found down an alley.
Mia feels awful so integrates herself into the search party and soon she’s chatting to Celeste’s mother, who invites her home after she faints.
It then gets interesting as there seems to be a few people under suspicion but I still wasn’t ready for the conclusion which had me on the edge of my seat.
This is a great read that I can highly recommend.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Mia had an unusual start to life as her mum used to lock her in a shed while her ‘friend’ visited her. One day when she’s 6 years old Mia knows she’s been in the shed too long and has to dig her way out.
No-one knows what happened to her mum so she goes to stay with her aunt, Misty.
We then follow Mia as an adult and find that she struggles in social situations and has just finished therapy.
On a night out, her friend cancels at the last minute so Mia goes to leave the restaurant but bumps into Celeste and her friends. They ask her to join them, but why wasn’t she invited in the first place? Feeling a bit annoyed Mia sees that Celeste’s keys have fallen out of her bag, and takes them.
The next day she hears that Celeste is missing and her handbag was found down an alley.
Mia feels awful so integrates herself into the search party and soon she’s chatting to Celeste’s mother, who invites her home after she faints.
It then gets interesting as there seems to be a few people under suspicion but I still wasn’t ready for the conclusion which had me on the edge of my seat.
This is a great read that I can highly recommend.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
May 4, 2021
Thrilling. Tense. Fast paced. Just brilliant. Loved this amazing book. Five absolutely well deserved stars
January 18, 2022
This story will hook you and not let go until the final page.
"Mia covered her mouth with her hand; she mustn’t cry out. Her mother had promised this would be the last time she’d lock her in the shed, and Mia believed her—or at least she was trying to." ... from this wonderful opening line, the reader meets the perfect unreliable narrator and an unexpectedly strong character.
At age six, Mia's mother would lock her in the shed in the woods overnight whenever she had a 'visitor'. Mother always came in the morning and let her out, until--one day--she didn't. Out of food and water, alone and scared, Mia found an empty tin can and dug herself out of the locked shed. The story then picks up twenty years later, and we meet Mia as a young woman who's just finished regular therapy sessions and works at a local private school with young children.
One night, after being stood up by a female possible-friend, Mia sees a group of her teacher colleagues on a night out together and realises that they've all left her out. In a fit of pique, Mia snatches up Celeste's keys after the woman drops them. The next morning, she awakens wracked with guilt, but before she can make good on her spur-of-the-moment mistake, Mia discovers that Celeste has gone missing.
From here, Mia's life spirals downward, and she struggles to understand the many undertones and events, not being good at reading people or between the lines. She has to juggle an over-protective aunt ... who has her own major issues ..., a suspicious detective, a possible stalker, and the complex relationships of Celeste's family, who adopts Mia somewhat in the aftermath of Celeste's disappearance.
The world building, characterisation, and plotting are all excellently done. Here are some lines I loved ...
"I’m supposed to be on the wagon, but I seem to have gone under the wheels."
And ...
"It’s hard to pack your bags and get away as fast as you possibly can when you have nowhere to go." (Right?!)
And ...
"True friendship can’t be built on deception."
And, finally ... so difficult to stop! ...
"It takes a dark night to reveal heaven’s beauty."
While I guessed the culprit by about two-thirds of the way in, I could never have seen how deep or far reaching the perpetrator's treachery would go. And I had lots of fun watching Mia struggle to decipher the many and conflicting clues and threads until she reached her own, horrifying truth. Her First Mistake gets a resounding 5 stars from me.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
"Mia covered her mouth with her hand; she mustn’t cry out. Her mother had promised this would be the last time she’d lock her in the shed, and Mia believed her—or at least she was trying to." ... from this wonderful opening line, the reader meets the perfect unreliable narrator and an unexpectedly strong character.
At age six, Mia's mother would lock her in the shed in the woods overnight whenever she had a 'visitor'. Mother always came in the morning and let her out, until--one day--she didn't. Out of food and water, alone and scared, Mia found an empty tin can and dug herself out of the locked shed. The story then picks up twenty years later, and we meet Mia as a young woman who's just finished regular therapy sessions and works at a local private school with young children.
One night, after being stood up by a female possible-friend, Mia sees a group of her teacher colleagues on a night out together and realises that they've all left her out. In a fit of pique, Mia snatches up Celeste's keys after the woman drops them. The next morning, she awakens wracked with guilt, but before she can make good on her spur-of-the-moment mistake, Mia discovers that Celeste has gone missing.
From here, Mia's life spirals downward, and she struggles to understand the many undertones and events, not being good at reading people or between the lines. She has to juggle an over-protective aunt ... who has her own major issues ..., a suspicious detective, a possible stalker, and the complex relationships of Celeste's family, who adopts Mia somewhat in the aftermath of Celeste's disappearance.
The world building, characterisation, and plotting are all excellently done. Here are some lines I loved ...
"I’m supposed to be on the wagon, but I seem to have gone under the wheels."
And ...
"It’s hard to pack your bags and get away as fast as you possibly can when you have nowhere to go." (Right?!)
And ...
"True friendship can’t be built on deception."
And, finally ... so difficult to stop! ...
"It takes a dark night to reveal heaven’s beauty."
While I guessed the culprit by about two-thirds of the way in, I could never have seen how deep or far reaching the perpetrator's treachery would go. And I had lots of fun watching Mia struggle to decipher the many and conflicting clues and threads until she reached her own, horrifying truth. Her First Mistake gets a resounding 5 stars from me.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
May 24, 2021
I was immediately sucked into this book from page one and couldn’t put it down until I finished it. I devoured it in a single day while reading poolside. If you enjoy psychological fiction this one is a winner.
Mia is a fade-into-the-background type of person who makes a bad judgement call when she childishly steals a pair of discarded keys. Celeste, the owner of the keys is a popular, attractive, social butterfly who hails from a wealthy family. When she doesn’t turn up the next day and is reported missing, Mia realizes she could be at fault for something dreadful happening to Celeste. If only she hadn’t taken her keys, Celeste wouldn’t have needed to walk home, making her a target for potential harm.
To atone for her mistake, Mia throws herself into the search for Celeste. In the process, she digs herself into a hole rife with trouble—including a suspicious detective, a potential stalker, an over-protective aunt, nosy reporters, and an odd and unexpected friendship with members of Celeste’s family.
As with stories of this kind, there are plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing about what is really going on and who is responsible for the string of circumstances that build like dominoes. As conflicted as Mia is, I enjoyed her character, especially seeing her growth over the course of the book. She discovers steel she didn’t know she had, digging into her own psyche as much as struggling to discover what really happened to Celeste. The unraveling of that final plot thread brings shocking revelations and a satisfying conclusion.
This is an easy read with quick chapters and a writing style that makes it easy to lose yourself in the pages. This is my first book by Carey Baldwin, but it definitely won’t be my last. A solid 5-star read.
Mia is a fade-into-the-background type of person who makes a bad judgement call when she childishly steals a pair of discarded keys. Celeste, the owner of the keys is a popular, attractive, social butterfly who hails from a wealthy family. When she doesn’t turn up the next day and is reported missing, Mia realizes she could be at fault for something dreadful happening to Celeste. If only she hadn’t taken her keys, Celeste wouldn’t have needed to walk home, making her a target for potential harm.
To atone for her mistake, Mia throws herself into the search for Celeste. In the process, she digs herself into a hole rife with trouble—including a suspicious detective, a potential stalker, an over-protective aunt, nosy reporters, and an odd and unexpected friendship with members of Celeste’s family.
As with stories of this kind, there are plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing about what is really going on and who is responsible for the string of circumstances that build like dominoes. As conflicted as Mia is, I enjoyed her character, especially seeing her growth over the course of the book. She discovers steel she didn’t know she had, digging into her own psyche as much as struggling to discover what really happened to Celeste. The unraveling of that final plot thread brings shocking revelations and a satisfying conclusion.
This is an easy read with quick chapters and a writing style that makes it easy to lose yourself in the pages. This is my first book by Carey Baldwin, but it definitely won’t be my last. A solid 5-star read.
April 25, 2021
Caveat: It's been some time since I read a Carey Baldwin book and when I saw that her newest book, a psychological thriller, I was so excited and preordered a Kindle copy. But then, I saw that it was available for request as an eARC on NetGalley and I did because sometimes patience isn't one of my virtues. Am I glad I did?
Since the synopsis concisely describes the story, I'm not going to reiterate except to say that Mia's first mistake of taking Celeste's keys, sets in motion a chain of events of lies in which Mia finds herself and deepens as the story progresses, but will state how I felt reading this book.
Even though it may look like that it took many days to read it, it has nothing to do with the story and suspense of the book. It was due to adulting responsibilities. But also with this book, I did something I haven't done in quite a while and that is read into the early hours of the morning until I finished it because I just HAD to find out how this was going to end. Am I glad I lost some hours of sleep? Absolutely!!!
The author's writing style transported me directly into the story. I felt that I could visualize every single page of the story and feel each of the characters' emotions. The suspense started on page 1 and continued to the intense ending. An ending that I had to process after reading the last word.
A thrilling page-turner that captivates the reader and doesn't let go!!!
Since the synopsis concisely describes the story, I'm not going to reiterate except to say that Mia's first mistake of taking Celeste's keys, sets in motion a chain of events of lies in which Mia finds herself and deepens as the story progresses, but will state how I felt reading this book.
Even though it may look like that it took many days to read it, it has nothing to do with the story and suspense of the book. It was due to adulting responsibilities. But also with this book, I did something I haven't done in quite a while and that is read into the early hours of the morning until I finished it because I just HAD to find out how this was going to end. Am I glad I lost some hours of sleep? Absolutely!!!
The author's writing style transported me directly into the story. I felt that I could visualize every single page of the story and feel each of the characters' emotions. The suspense started on page 1 and continued to the intense ending. An ending that I had to process after reading the last word.
A thrilling page-turner that captivates the reader and doesn't let go!!!
April 15, 2021
The prologue is the best part of the book, I loved it, it's engaging, heartbreaking and promising.
The rest of the book, even if quite good, doesn't stand up to its start.
It's not that it's bad, because it absolutely isn't, maybe it's just that I expected it to follow a different path and I felt let down.
Also everything and everyone seemed against Mia, the lead character, and it felt a bit too much.
The twists of the plot were good, though.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The rest of the book, even if quite good, doesn't stand up to its start.
It's not that it's bad, because it absolutely isn't, maybe it's just that I expected it to follow a different path and I felt let down.
Also everything and everyone seemed against Mia, the lead character, and it felt a bit too much.
The twists of the plot were good, though.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 20, 2021
I experienced major anxiety while reading this thriller! There was so much going on between the past and present life of the main character, Mia. There were also so many times throughout this story that I just wanted to scream, “Mia, what are you doing?!” Be prepared for a wild ride with this read!
Carey Baldwin is a new author to me, but I am definitely looking forward to reading future novels from her. I also suggest reading I Know What You Did, to anyone who enjoys suspenseful thrillers as much as I do. This book was not an easy one to figure out!
I would also like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for my advanced review copy. I Know What You Did is to be published April 30, 2021.
Carey Baldwin is a new author to me, but I am definitely looking forward to reading future novels from her. I also suggest reading I Know What You Did, to anyone who enjoys suspenseful thrillers as much as I do. This book was not an easy one to figure out!
I would also like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for my advanced review copy. I Know What You Did is to be published April 30, 2021.
June 3, 2021
This was a quick, suspenseful book. The first chapter had me hooked - a flashback to when our MC Mia is 6 and her mother has locked her in a shed while she has a man over. However, it’s been 4 days and her mother still hasn’t come for her. It ends with Mia digging her way out of the shed for help...
Flash forward twenty years and we meet Mia as an adult - painfully shy, suffering from PTSD and a complete loner. When she’s stood up for dinner with a friend she runs into her work colleagues. However, it soon becomes clear that they are all meeting up (and have been for some time) without inviting her intentionally. So, when one of them drops their keys Mia sees this as an opportunity to spit her colleague Celeste.
But the next day Celeste turns up missing. Wracked with guilt, Mia inserts herself into the case and into Celeste’s family. This quickly becomes borderline obsession for Mia. She needs to find out what happened to Celeste since she never did find out what happened to her mother all those years ago. But, Mia's having blackouts with lost time and it someone may be following and threatening her...or is it all in her head? As time goes on we just aren’t sure, but Mia seems to be running into bad luck left and right. Meanwhile, she’s got a nagging feeling her mother’s case is connected to it all.
I really liked the overall plot of this novel, but the unfolding of the story itself felt a little unbelievable to me. Especially how everything comes together to connect in the end. Between an unreliable narrator (Mia) and plenty of other suspects I felt this story could’ve played out a lot more creatively. It wasn’t quite predictable, but all the other coincidences throughout were also far-fetched so the ending didn’t feel realistic. A good premise for a thriller, but I just felt it could’ve been done a lot better.
Flash forward twenty years and we meet Mia as an adult - painfully shy, suffering from PTSD and a complete loner. When she’s stood up for dinner with a friend she runs into her work colleagues. However, it soon becomes clear that they are all meeting up (and have been for some time) without inviting her intentionally. So, when one of them drops their keys Mia sees this as an opportunity to spit her colleague Celeste.
But the next day Celeste turns up missing. Wracked with guilt, Mia inserts herself into the case and into Celeste’s family. This quickly becomes borderline obsession for Mia. She needs to find out what happened to Celeste since she never did find out what happened to her mother all those years ago. But, Mia's having blackouts with lost time and it someone may be following and threatening her...or is it all in her head? As time goes on we just aren’t sure, but Mia seems to be running into bad luck left and right. Meanwhile, she’s got a nagging feeling her mother’s case is connected to it all.
I really liked the overall plot of this novel, but the unfolding of the story itself felt a little unbelievable to me. Especially how everything comes together to connect in the end. Between an unreliable narrator (Mia) and plenty of other suspects I felt this story could’ve played out a lot more creatively. It wasn’t quite predictable, but all the other coincidences throughout were also far-fetched so the ending didn’t feel realistic. A good premise for a thriller, but I just felt it could’ve been done a lot better.
May 5, 2021
'Her First Mistake' by Carey Baldwin has kept me on the edge of the seat I was not able to decide on whether I liked the protagonist or not till the very end and the journey was a complete roller coster.
Mia Thornton is a young lady, leading a simple life is pretty much invisible to the world. There are some old wounds for which she has undergone therapy and finds the confidence to get back into the world. But then a petty act of revenge puts her in tremendous amount of guilt and also into the centre of a huge story of the town, missing of her colleague Celeste. . So is she guilty or was she just a wrong pert at the wrong place? You will need to read the story to understand this.
The plot is intricate, it does weave between the past and the present in between. Mia's thoughts are written in Italics so we understand the difference of what's happening and what she is thinking. The character of Mia is really complex and that's what conflicted me the whole time. I just couldn't pick my side. The other characters are all very relevant and some act as red herrings and the story is pretty much about people, their behaviours and the judgements we carry on others and the masks that people wear to put up a convenient face in the society. To add to this the mystery surrounding the missing Celeste. All these make a great story to enjoy.
I enjoyed this whoddunit thoroughly. If you like mysteries with complex characters then this story is for you.
I thank the author, the publisher Bookouture and Netgalley for approving my request to read the book and providing me an eARC. The opinions expressed are entirely mine.
Mia Thornton is a young lady, leading a simple life is pretty much invisible to the world. There are some old wounds for which she has undergone therapy and finds the confidence to get back into the world. But then a petty act of revenge puts her in tremendous amount of guilt and also into the centre of a huge story of the town, missing of her colleague Celeste. . So is she guilty or was she just a wrong pert at the wrong place? You will need to read the story to understand this.
The plot is intricate, it does weave between the past and the present in between. Mia's thoughts are written in Italics so we understand the difference of what's happening and what she is thinking. The character of Mia is really complex and that's what conflicted me the whole time. I just couldn't pick my side. The other characters are all very relevant and some act as red herrings and the story is pretty much about people, their behaviours and the judgements we carry on others and the masks that people wear to put up a convenient face in the society. To add to this the mystery surrounding the missing Celeste. All these make a great story to enjoy.
I enjoyed this whoddunit thoroughly. If you like mysteries with complex characters then this story is for you.
I thank the author, the publisher Bookouture and Netgalley for approving my request to read the book and providing me an eARC. The opinions expressed are entirely mine.
May 1, 2021
Mia has longed to have friends and fit in. When she bumps into work colleagues on their planned night out, she's mortified and embarrassed that they didn't include her. When she sees Celeste's keyring on the floor, she swipes it and leaves, starting a chain of events that unknowingly will change her life.
I thought this was a great, page-turning, intriguing book. Mia has an unresolved, traumatic past that continues to haunt her 20 years later. She is envious of Celeste - bold, beautiful, and liked by everyone. She dreams of having a life like hers - beloved, wealthy, and is close with her family. When Celeste goes missing, she realizes this is her chance to learn more about her life as she helps with the search to find her. She has soon charmed Celeste's mother and has inserted herself in the family.
For me it was difficult to see Mia's transformation of shy, quiet and timid to strong, fearless and confident. She is doing things on her own to try to figure out what happened to Celeste, confronting people and putting herself in danger. The book had me guessing through the end, keeping me on my toes and trying to finish the book in one sitting. Overall a very good read and I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.
I thought this was a great, page-turning, intriguing book. Mia has an unresolved, traumatic past that continues to haunt her 20 years later. She is envious of Celeste - bold, beautiful, and liked by everyone. She dreams of having a life like hers - beloved, wealthy, and is close with her family. When Celeste goes missing, she realizes this is her chance to learn more about her life as she helps with the search to find her. She has soon charmed Celeste's mother and has inserted herself in the family.
For me it was difficult to see Mia's transformation of shy, quiet and timid to strong, fearless and confident. She is doing things on her own to try to figure out what happened to Celeste, confronting people and putting herself in danger. The book had me guessing through the end, keeping me on my toes and trying to finish the book in one sitting. Overall a very good read and I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.
March 31, 2021
The book was off to a great start with a chilling flashback prologue. The story held great promise with a compelling narrative, but somehow I wasn't very taken with the ending.
26-year old Mia Thornton is a pre-school teacher with a traumatic past. Her meek personality renders her almost invisible to those around her, no matter how much she desires to have friends. When she finds out that she has been sidelined yet again by her popular clique of colleagues, she commits a spiteful act that she immediately regrets. A remorseful Mia intends to make amends the next day, but finds that her action may have lead to the disappearance of one of her colleagues, Celeste.
What I liked:
* The suspense build-up in the plot was on point; that alone kept me hooked to the book. Mia was an unreliable narrator which led to plenty of surprises in the story.
What I wasn't so on board with:
*Mia's personality pre- and post- Celeste's disappearance was poles apart; from timid to assertive, it was like a switch was turned on.
Though the climax was rather shocking, the villains' justification behind their actions was pretty weak, in my opinion.
Overall, an engaging plot with a good suspense.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
26-year old Mia Thornton is a pre-school teacher with a traumatic past. Her meek personality renders her almost invisible to those around her, no matter how much she desires to have friends. When she finds out that she has been sidelined yet again by her popular clique of colleagues, she commits a spiteful act that she immediately regrets. A remorseful Mia intends to make amends the next day, but finds that her action may have lead to the disappearance of one of her colleagues, Celeste.
What I liked:
* The suspense build-up in the plot was on point; that alone kept me hooked to the book. Mia was an unreliable narrator which led to plenty of surprises in the story.
What I wasn't so on board with:
*Mia's personality pre- and post- Celeste's disappearance was poles apart; from timid to assertive, it was like a switch was turned on.
Though the climax was rather shocking, the villains' justification behind their actions was pretty weak, in my opinion.
Overall, an engaging plot with a good suspense.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 30, 2021
A huge thank you to #NetGalley, #Bookoutour, and author #CareyBaldwin for providing me the ARC of #HerFirstMistake.
We are witnesses to a little girl, Mia, fighting for her life digging out of a shed where she has been locked in by her mother.
Then we are taken to present day where Mia is a somewhat damaged adult carrying more than her share of baggage. She has been in therapy for years, but still has problems making friends and getting close to people. She doesn't remember anything about those days when her mom would lock her in the shed to hide her when men came over. That's a good thing because I'm sure I wouldn't want to remember either.
Mia tries very hard to fit in with the other teachers at the same preschool where she teaches. She believes none of them care about her. So, while she's out and about one evening she sees some of the other girls from work. Celeste, another teacher drops her keys, but doesn't notice so Mia picks them up. Just a little something to get back at them, right?
THEN Celeste goes missing. Uh oh.....and Mia has had episodes of sleepwalking. At times she has even left the house on her little late night excursions. Unfortunately Mia had one of those episodes the night Celeste went missing.
Now being questioned by the police she feels she has to be very careful, because even she is unsure of her innocence. Besides, she still has Celeste's keys which will make her look bad even if she is innocent.
What a joy this book was to read. The plot was perfect. Fresh and imaginative would be the perfect way to describe this book. It even has all kinds of twists and turns and makes you root for some of the characters and not like others much at all.
I really hope you will run out and grab this book! It will be available to buy wherever you like to buy your books on 4/30/2021. #HappyReading
We are witnesses to a little girl, Mia, fighting for her life digging out of a shed where she has been locked in by her mother.
Then we are taken to present day where Mia is a somewhat damaged adult carrying more than her share of baggage. She has been in therapy for years, but still has problems making friends and getting close to people. She doesn't remember anything about those days when her mom would lock her in the shed to hide her when men came over. That's a good thing because I'm sure I wouldn't want to remember either.
Mia tries very hard to fit in with the other teachers at the same preschool where she teaches. She believes none of them care about her. So, while she's out and about one evening she sees some of the other girls from work. Celeste, another teacher drops her keys, but doesn't notice so Mia picks them up. Just a little something to get back at them, right?
THEN Celeste goes missing. Uh oh.....and Mia has had episodes of sleepwalking. At times she has even left the house on her little late night excursions. Unfortunately Mia had one of those episodes the night Celeste went missing.
Now being questioned by the police she feels she has to be very careful, because even she is unsure of her innocence. Besides, she still has Celeste's keys which will make her look bad even if she is innocent.
What a joy this book was to read. The plot was perfect. Fresh and imaginative would be the perfect way to describe this book. It even has all kinds of twists and turns and makes you root for some of the characters and not like others much at all.
I really hope you will run out and grab this book! It will be available to buy wherever you like to buy your books on 4/30/2021. #HappyReading
May 16, 2023
My Review:
Enjoyed!!!! This isn’t my first rodeo with this author and it most definitely won’t be my last. This one kept me hooked from the very first page. As each chapter passed I wanted more and more. I just had to find out what happened and quick. Where to begin with this one? How about the characters. I did not trust any of them. I didn’t know who or what to believe even the main character who was trying to right a wrong. I felt from the very beginning something was off about her but couldn’t put my finger on it. Next up is the plot. It was interesting and kept me intrigued the whole entire time. Finally, let’s talk about that ending. Wow, I’m still shocked. I didn’t see that one coming at all. I can’t wait to read more by this author.
In conclusion, the plot, the characters and all the twists in this book made this book an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 4 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️
Enjoyed!!!! This isn’t my first rodeo with this author and it most definitely won’t be my last. This one kept me hooked from the very first page. As each chapter passed I wanted more and more. I just had to find out what happened and quick. Where to begin with this one? How about the characters. I did not trust any of them. I didn’t know who or what to believe even the main character who was trying to right a wrong. I felt from the very beginning something was off about her but couldn’t put my finger on it. Next up is the plot. It was interesting and kept me intrigued the whole entire time. Finally, let’s talk about that ending. Wow, I’m still shocked. I didn’t see that one coming at all. I can’t wait to read more by this author.
In conclusion, the plot, the characters and all the twists in this book made this book an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 4 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️
September 6, 2022
A disturbing novel about Mia Thornton, who is a young child kept in a shed. Her mother is seeing a man, and she has not told her about Mia.
Fast forward to Mia as an adult. She is a preschool teacher and the world does not know she escaped from a shed when she was six and her mother went missing.
Mia finds herself in situations where she feels rejected by others. At an event with colleagues one evening she steals one of the ladies keys. Celeste is loved by everyone, and Mia is envious so she decides to take this from her. Unfortunately Celeste comes up missing the next day. A search team is set up and Mia decides to join, since she feels guilty. Could Mia have something to do with her missing? Have their paths crossed before. Read this cat and mouse psychological thriller to find out.
#bookouture, #audiobook, #audible, #bookstagram, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50, #bookreview
Fast forward to Mia as an adult. She is a preschool teacher and the world does not know she escaped from a shed when she was six and her mother went missing.
Mia finds herself in situations where she feels rejected by others. At an event with colleagues one evening she steals one of the ladies keys. Celeste is loved by everyone, and Mia is envious so she decides to take this from her. Unfortunately Celeste comes up missing the next day. A search team is set up and Mia decides to join, since she feels guilty. Could Mia have something to do with her missing? Have their paths crossed before. Read this cat and mouse psychological thriller to find out.
#bookouture, #audiobook, #audible, #bookstagram, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50, #bookreview
May 3, 2021
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Mia Thornton had a very hard childhood and barely made it out of it alive to eventually live with her aunt where things were a little more normal. Although Mia never really fit in with her co workers, she ended up out one night when one goes missing and it send this story into a tail spin as she must investigate where this co worker went and if she holds any of the blame.
I typically enjoy a book where the investigation is led by an amateur, it is fun to watch them learn to investigate in the middle of it all. I loved how Mia was weaving in and out of the way of the detectives and she kept getting caught up in their investigations - it was so entertaining!
Mia Thornton had a very hard childhood and barely made it out of it alive to eventually live with her aunt where things were a little more normal. Although Mia never really fit in with her co workers, she ended up out one night when one goes missing and it send this story into a tail spin as she must investigate where this co worker went and if she holds any of the blame.
I typically enjoy a book where the investigation is led by an amateur, it is fun to watch them learn to investigate in the middle of it all. I loved how Mia was weaving in and out of the way of the detectives and she kept getting caught up in their investigations - it was so entertaining!
April 24, 2021
Wow is all I will
Say! Mia has truly been through the ringer. All she wanted was a normal life right? I was praying that she got that normal life considering all that she endured..I don’t want to give spoilers so you have to read it to see if she got it.. What a great domestic suspense thriller. This book did not disappoint. I was very satisfied with the character development and the pace of the story. There were times when I thought I had it figured out only to be completely wrong. I neglected all chores while reading this book. Not sure if that’s a good thing or bad.😂 but it was very well worth it. I recommend this book. It is mind boggling making you want to flip those pages until there are no more. Very well written.I look forward to reading more from this Author.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book for my honest opinion
#NETGALLEY
Say! Mia has truly been through the ringer. All she wanted was a normal life right? I was praying that she got that normal life considering all that she endured..I don’t want to give spoilers so you have to read it to see if she got it.. What a great domestic suspense thriller. This book did not disappoint. I was very satisfied with the character development and the pace of the story. There were times when I thought I had it figured out only to be completely wrong. I neglected all chores while reading this book. Not sure if that’s a good thing or bad.😂 but it was very well worth it. I recommend this book. It is mind boggling making you want to flip those pages until there are no more. Very well written.I look forward to reading more from this Author.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book for my honest opinion
#NETGALLEY
April 12, 2023
very slow, but suspenseful.
I was disappointed with the pace of the book. At times it seemed as though it was going to pick up, but never really did. There is a low level of suspense, but not what I have come to expect. There is a small twist that is totally unexpected. Once you realize who is responsible for everything, it is not a huge surprise, but by this point you want to finish it out.
I was disappointed with the pace of the book. At times it seemed as though it was going to pick up, but never really did. There is a low level of suspense, but not what I have come to expect. There is a small twist that is totally unexpected. Once you realize who is responsible for everything, it is not a huge surprise, but by this point you want to finish it out.
May 28, 2022
An excellent book! Looking forward to reading more by this author
April 25, 2021
Interesting read.
April 30, 2021
This has one of the most devastating prologues I think I’ve ever read. A young girl locked in a shed by her own mother tore at my heart.
Then we skip forward to present day and Mia is now working as a pre-school teacher, ostracised by her colleagues who as it turns out have been meeting secretly for drinks every month for the past year. Which she only discovers by having gone to the restaurant to meet with a child’s mother and, after being stood up, bumps into them on leaving. This is where she makes her first mistake!
Narrated in third person, with Mia you are never quite sure how reliable her version of events are, especially after learning what she is capable of doing in her sleep.
My heart went out to Mia though, from terrible beginnings all she wanted was a friend and I found that so heartbreaking and the cruel rejections she continued to face just made me want to protect her from all the meanness. The school setting was perfect as it’s often a place where rejection, bullying and cruelty happens. Although it’s normally the children not the adults who are both the victims, ringleader and cohorts.
This book really made me think of the film The Butterly Effect and how one small inconsequential thing can bring about devastating consequences.
Then we skip forward to present day and Mia is now working as a pre-school teacher, ostracised by her colleagues who as it turns out have been meeting secretly for drinks every month for the past year. Which she only discovers by having gone to the restaurant to meet with a child’s mother and, after being stood up, bumps into them on leaving. This is where she makes her first mistake!
Narrated in third person, with Mia you are never quite sure how reliable her version of events are, especially after learning what she is capable of doing in her sleep.
My heart went out to Mia though, from terrible beginnings all she wanted was a friend and I found that so heartbreaking and the cruel rejections she continued to face just made me want to protect her from all the meanness. The school setting was perfect as it’s often a place where rejection, bullying and cruelty happens. Although it’s normally the children not the adults who are both the victims, ringleader and cohorts.
This book really made me think of the film The Butterly Effect and how one small inconsequential thing can bring about devastating consequences.
April 16, 2021
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Her First Mistake' by Carey Baldwin.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Carey Baldwin, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 30th April 2021.
This is the first book I have read by this author.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. It also stated in the synopsis that this book is 'Fans of The Wife Between Us, The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl will be totally addicted to Her First Mistake.' I am a huge fan of 'The Girl On The Train' and 'Gone Girl' so am looking forward to see if it lives up to this. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 43 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in San Diego, USA 🇺🇸.
This book is written in third person perspective with the main protagonist being Mia Thornton. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
This book is very well written and the vivid descriptions completely absorb the reader from beginning to end. The cover and synopsis work well with the storyline.
The storyline is absolutely captivating as well as realistic. Throughout the storyline I kept questioning myself on what I thought was going on and was completely blown out of the water when I discovered who was actually behind everything. A huge congratulations is in order to Casey, its getting harder and harder to shock me and just when I thought I had sussed it all out BANG I was completely blind sighted! The storyline was packed full of mystery, suspense, lies and was an excellent psychological thriller. The only thing I will say is that there was an awful lot going on with two characters which I would have like to have read more about, I don't really want to say who I mean as it might go towards spoiling it for readers when finding out what happened but it did seem like more was going to come of their story and then didn't. The storyline was quite unique in what Mia was going through and I would be interested in reading more of Carey's books. It is also quite thought provoking and makes you wonder what you would do in Mia's position and also makes you realise how one small thing can make such a huge difference.
The characters were strong, well defined and realistic. I am still not sure how I felt towards Mia though. There were times I really felt sorry for her especially with how cruel the teachers were bullying her in the book club session, I really felt for her. However, at other times she went from being this strong woman who I praised for her strength and determination and then completely flipping personalities to somebody who was quite weak and needy. Overall though I did feel sorry for what she went through and continued to go through and it can't have been nice for her to have such big gaps in her memory. I also felt sympathy towards another character mentioned right at the end who was judged wrongly by other characters as well as myself. I won't say who again due to spoiling things but once read I'm sure you will know who I mean.
Overall an intriguing psychological thriller that will keep you on your toes.
Genres covered in this book include Psychological Fiction, Thriller, Suspense and Psychological Thriller amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Girl On The Train', 'Gone Girl' and anyone looking for an action packed psychological thriller.
315 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
#HerFirstMistake #Bookouture #CareyBaldwin #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour
@CareyBaldwin @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
https://kcmw86.wixsite.com/bookworm86
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Review for 'Her First Mistake' by Carey Baldwin.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Carey Baldwin, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 30th April 2021.
This is the first book I have read by this author.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. It also stated in the synopsis that this book is 'Fans of The Wife Between Us, The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl will be totally addicted to Her First Mistake.' I am a huge fan of 'The Girl On The Train' and 'Gone Girl' so am looking forward to see if it lives up to this. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 43 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in San Diego, USA 🇺🇸.
This book is written in third person perspective with the main protagonist being Mia Thornton. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
This book is very well written and the vivid descriptions completely absorb the reader from beginning to end. The cover and synopsis work well with the storyline.
The storyline is absolutely captivating as well as realistic. Throughout the storyline I kept questioning myself on what I thought was going on and was completely blown out of the water when I discovered who was actually behind everything. A huge congratulations is in order to Casey, its getting harder and harder to shock me and just when I thought I had sussed it all out BANG I was completely blind sighted! The storyline was packed full of mystery, suspense, lies and was an excellent psychological thriller. The only thing I will say is that there was an awful lot going on with two characters which I would have like to have read more about, I don't really want to say who I mean as it might go towards spoiling it for readers when finding out what happened but it did seem like more was going to come of their story and then didn't. The storyline was quite unique in what Mia was going through and I would be interested in reading more of Carey's books. It is also quite thought provoking and makes you wonder what you would do in Mia's position and also makes you realise how one small thing can make such a huge difference.
The characters were strong, well defined and realistic. I am still not sure how I felt towards Mia though. There were times I really felt sorry for her especially with how cruel the teachers were bullying her in the book club session, I really felt for her. However, at other times she went from being this strong woman who I praised for her strength and determination and then completely flipping personalities to somebody who was quite weak and needy. Overall though I did feel sorry for what she went through and continued to go through and it can't have been nice for her to have such big gaps in her memory. I also felt sympathy towards another character mentioned right at the end who was judged wrongly by other characters as well as myself. I won't say who again due to spoiling things but once read I'm sure you will know who I mean.
Overall an intriguing psychological thriller that will keep you on your toes.
Genres covered in this book include Psychological Fiction, Thriller, Suspense and Psychological Thriller amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Girl On The Train', 'Gone Girl' and anyone looking for an action packed psychological thriller.
315 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
#HerFirstMistake #Bookouture #CareyBaldwin #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour
@CareyBaldwin @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
https://kcmw86.wixsite.com/bookworm86
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May 2, 2021
Her First Mistake
by Carey Baldwin
Publisher: Bookouture (April 30, 2021)
Publication date: April 30, 2021
315 pages
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Description:
Mia covered her mouth to keep from crying out. She hated the dark, but her mother had made her promise. But what was the point of being a good little girl if she couldn’t help her mother? She’d promised her mother not to scream, but she hadn’t promised not to escape…
To the world, Mia Thornton is invisible—a quiet, timid preschool teacher. People would never guess that she found the will to dig her way out of a locked shed when she was just six years old. That she never saw her mother again. Now, all Mia longs for is a normal life and friends to call her own. But when she runs into a group of colleagues one evening, she discovers that, once again, she’s been excluded. Stung at the rejection, she pockets the keys of one of the women in a petty act of revenge. Celeste Cooper is fearless, pretty, popular—everything Mia wishes she could be. The next day, Celeste is reported missing. And Mia realizes that it might have been her fault. Wracked with guilt, she joins the search, determined to make up for her mistake. But as she grows closer to Celeste’s family, Mia can’t help but feel she’s being watched…What if Celeste’s disappearance has more to do with Mia than she realizes? And if she keeps digging, does she risk being dragged back into the dark forever?
📌 MY REVIEW 📌
Her First Mistake by Carey Baldwin is a gripping psychological thriller . The unique story line kept me hooked to the point of not wanting to put the book down. The flashback at the beginning of a little girl named Mia ( the main character) , fighting for her life out of food and water digging her way out of a shed where she has been locked in for several days by her mother had me hooked .
I loved every minute of it, which is why i stayed up all night when I only intended to read one more chapter. Baldwin's writing is fantastic and she writes an amazing story and weaves a web you'll be anxious to follow and unravel to see just what happens.
There was plenty of twists and turns which built up to a brilliant unexpected ending. Never did I predict the ending to turn the way it did! This was my first read by this author and I did enjoy it.
I Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great suspenseful read! I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review. I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
#HerFirstMistake
#CareyBaldwin
#netgalley
#psychologicalthriller
#Bookouture
by Carey Baldwin
Publisher: Bookouture (April 30, 2021)
Publication date: April 30, 2021
315 pages
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Description:
Mia covered her mouth to keep from crying out. She hated the dark, but her mother had made her promise. But what was the point of being a good little girl if she couldn’t help her mother? She’d promised her mother not to scream, but she hadn’t promised not to escape…
To the world, Mia Thornton is invisible—a quiet, timid preschool teacher. People would never guess that she found the will to dig her way out of a locked shed when she was just six years old. That she never saw her mother again. Now, all Mia longs for is a normal life and friends to call her own. But when she runs into a group of colleagues one evening, she discovers that, once again, she’s been excluded. Stung at the rejection, she pockets the keys of one of the women in a petty act of revenge. Celeste Cooper is fearless, pretty, popular—everything Mia wishes she could be. The next day, Celeste is reported missing. And Mia realizes that it might have been her fault. Wracked with guilt, she joins the search, determined to make up for her mistake. But as she grows closer to Celeste’s family, Mia can’t help but feel she’s being watched…What if Celeste’s disappearance has more to do with Mia than she realizes? And if she keeps digging, does she risk being dragged back into the dark forever?
📌 MY REVIEW 📌
Her First Mistake by Carey Baldwin is a gripping psychological thriller . The unique story line kept me hooked to the point of not wanting to put the book down. The flashback at the beginning of a little girl named Mia ( the main character) , fighting for her life out of food and water digging her way out of a shed where she has been locked in for several days by her mother had me hooked .
I loved every minute of it, which is why i stayed up all night when I only intended to read one more chapter. Baldwin's writing is fantastic and she writes an amazing story and weaves a web you'll be anxious to follow and unravel to see just what happens.
There was plenty of twists and turns which built up to a brilliant unexpected ending. Never did I predict the ending to turn the way it did! This was my first read by this author and I did enjoy it.
I Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great suspenseful read! I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review. I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
#HerFirstMistake
#CareyBaldwin
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January 31, 2022
3.5 stars
It is an easy read book and Carey Baldwin knows how to pull a reader in. I was looking for a book just like that and I will try her other books as well.
But it's the second time when I find Carey's main protagonist on the border of likeable. I do not mind flawed people and exploring their weaknesses but Mia is just too airheaded, too whinny for me (I found the same in the main protagonist of "The Marriage Secret"), and a bit too pathetic. As a two-degree doctor, it is very strange that Carey Baldwin has trouble portraying an intelligent woman. I would definitely cut down on self-pitying in the future books. A reader doesn't need to know every single thought that crosses a person's mind. Please stick to what is interesting, what develops her character and adds to the story.
Secondly, the book is on the border believable, almost like a melodrama. It is hard to believe that Mia with her serious social disorder so quickly raises from "a puddle on a floor" to going around and confronting everyone or moving in with strangers (after never having lived alone). The blackmailing Keisha added not much to the story. The reference to a serial killer although the police never explained the linkage was also not here, not there: people disappear all the time and unless there is hard evidence linking all the victims which were none (the body was not found), it seems that it was thrown out there for the sake of it. The reference that her mother either abandoned her or was a victim of psychopath just added to Mia's character as a drama queen. She could have been killed by anyone - a drifter traveling through the woods, her boyfriend, she could have had an accident and felt somewhere (in the woods!) Most domestic crime is committed by a partner and Mia had no evidence that the mother's boyfriend was psychotic.
Towards the end the book starts telling, rather than showing and the end is also wrapped in the bow with a sociopath. Of course, a sociopath was behind it! Who else...
So in the end, I have the same problem. Carey Baldwin uses a sociopath / psychopath as a solution to all the crimes and it is just plain lazy. It allows the author not to explain everything - well, he or she is a sociopath and we all know that their brains are wrong wired! - and thus the psychology of the person who commits the crime does not need to be revealed. What drives a person to a murder, what drives them to commit such heinous acts? Oh, he is a psychopath. End of the story. This is just not good enough.
It is an easy read book and Carey Baldwin knows how to pull a reader in. I was looking for a book just like that and I will try her other books as well.
But it's the second time when I find Carey's main protagonist on the border of likeable. I do not mind flawed people and exploring their weaknesses but Mia is just too airheaded, too whinny for me (I found the same in the main protagonist of "The Marriage Secret"), and a bit too pathetic. As a two-degree doctor, it is very strange that Carey Baldwin has trouble portraying an intelligent woman. I would definitely cut down on self-pitying in the future books. A reader doesn't need to know every single thought that crosses a person's mind. Please stick to what is interesting, what develops her character and adds to the story.
Secondly, the book is on the border believable, almost like a melodrama. It is hard to believe that Mia with her serious social disorder so quickly raises from "a puddle on a floor" to going around and confronting everyone or moving in with strangers (after never having lived alone). The blackmailing Keisha added not much to the story. The reference to a serial killer although the police never explained the linkage was also not here, not there: people disappear all the time and unless there is hard evidence linking all the victims which were none (the body was not found), it seems that it was thrown out there for the sake of it. The reference that her mother either abandoned her or was a victim of psychopath just added to Mia's character as a drama queen. She could have been killed by anyone - a drifter traveling through the woods, her boyfriend, she could have had an accident and felt somewhere (in the woods!) Most domestic crime is committed by a partner and Mia had no evidence that the mother's boyfriend was psychotic.
Towards the end the book starts telling, rather than showing and the end is also wrapped in the bow with a sociopath. Of course, a sociopath was behind it! Who else...
So in the end, I have the same problem. Carey Baldwin uses a sociopath / psychopath as a solution to all the crimes and it is just plain lazy. It allows the author not to explain everything - well, he or she is a sociopath and we all know that their brains are wrong wired! - and thus the psychology of the person who commits the crime does not need to be revealed. What drives a person to a murder, what drives them to commit such heinous acts? Oh, he is a psychopath. End of the story. This is just not good enough.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2021
Carey Baldwin’s newest psychological thriller, “I Know What You Did,” explores the lengths one will go to protect somebody they love and the emotional damage they leave in their wake.
Harbour Youth Academy’s timid 26-year-old preschool teacher, Mia Thornton, has a past she wants to keep hidden. She’s no stranger to keeping things hidden. In fact, just last night she did something on impulse that she now regrets. Now, she's got to keep it a secret. She knows being rejected is a trigger, but she had no idea such a simple act would have lasting repercussions.
Celeste Cooper, a colleague, appeared to have it all; the $800 Michael Kors tote Mia had her eye on, the admiration of staff, students and parents, and a loving family. When she goes missing, Mia joins the search effort despite the frustration that Celeste’s missing person coverage is getting way more attention than Mia’s mother, Emily, received 20 years ago. When she makes the decision to get close to Celeste’s family, she has no idea about the darkness ahead.
Carey Baldwin’s very detailed psychological thriller has many threads contributing to its success. At times I wondered how they’d all be woven together, but, Baldwin, skilled at planning a thriller, expertly worked behind the scenes to produce her masterpiece. At times I didn’t know who to trust, and just when I thought I had it figured out, Baldwin pulled the carpet out from under me! The characters are the star in this one; multidimensional and believable (well, maybe not Detective Griffin Samuels). The anxiety rides high, the bodies pile up and nobody is who they say they are in this book.
Thank you to Carey Baldwin, Bookouture, and NetGalley. . I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Publishes April 30,2021
Harbour Youth Academy’s timid 26-year-old preschool teacher, Mia Thornton, has a past she wants to keep hidden. She’s no stranger to keeping things hidden. In fact, just last night she did something on impulse that she now regrets. Now, she's got to keep it a secret. She knows being rejected is a trigger, but she had no idea such a simple act would have lasting repercussions.
Celeste Cooper, a colleague, appeared to have it all; the $800 Michael Kors tote Mia had her eye on, the admiration of staff, students and parents, and a loving family. When she goes missing, Mia joins the search effort despite the frustration that Celeste’s missing person coverage is getting way more attention than Mia’s mother, Emily, received 20 years ago. When she makes the decision to get close to Celeste’s family, she has no idea about the darkness ahead.
Carey Baldwin’s very detailed psychological thriller has many threads contributing to its success. At times I wondered how they’d all be woven together, but, Baldwin, skilled at planning a thriller, expertly worked behind the scenes to produce her masterpiece. At times I didn’t know who to trust, and just when I thought I had it figured out, Baldwin pulled the carpet out from under me! The characters are the star in this one; multidimensional and believable (well, maybe not Detective Griffin Samuels). The anxiety rides high, the bodies pile up and nobody is who they say they are in this book.
Thank you to Carey Baldwin, Bookouture, and NetGalley. . I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Publishes April 30,2021
April 4, 2021
The start of the book was really intriguing. A flashback to the main character’s life when she was just six years old. I think it’s fair to say that Mia didn’t have the best start in life.
Move on twenty years. Mia is now a pre-school teacher with a meek personality and few friends. She is so upset to be once again side-lined by her colleagues that she commits a spiteful act that she regrets immediately but can do nothing about. She decides to put things right the following day, when to her horror, her colleague Celeste is now missing. Mia is sure that her thoughtless action has at least contributed in some way to Celeste’s disappearance.
She exaggerates her relationship with Celeste to try to get close to her family, so that she can help in their search for Celeste. Mia has no idea of the trouble she is getting herself into. Her spiteful act was just a spur of the moment decision, one that she never imagined would lead to her involvement in what becomes a murder investigation.
Mia is not the only one with a secret. She meets others who aren’t who or what they say they are. As a psychological thriller, there were a lot of loose threads right from the start of the book. Unfortunately I had worked out what had happened so the end was not such a surprise for me. However, I liked the writing and the characterisations. It was fun to hate a few of the characters right from their introduction. I was not so sure about Mia’s personality, however, as it went from a meek, quiet type at the start of the book to an intrepid, confident woman by the end.
I’m sure that this book will interest many lovers of psychological thrillers, as all the ingredients are there. There are a number of bodies and many anxious moments. Poor detectives don’t add a lot to the story unfortunately, apart from bumbling incompetence.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy Bookouture and NetGalley. Thank you for sharing your work Carey, it was much appreciated. I leave this personal review voluntarily.
Move on twenty years. Mia is now a pre-school teacher with a meek personality and few friends. She is so upset to be once again side-lined by her colleagues that she commits a spiteful act that she regrets immediately but can do nothing about. She decides to put things right the following day, when to her horror, her colleague Celeste is now missing. Mia is sure that her thoughtless action has at least contributed in some way to Celeste’s disappearance.
She exaggerates her relationship with Celeste to try to get close to her family, so that she can help in their search for Celeste. Mia has no idea of the trouble she is getting herself into. Her spiteful act was just a spur of the moment decision, one that she never imagined would lead to her involvement in what becomes a murder investigation.
Mia is not the only one with a secret. She meets others who aren’t who or what they say they are. As a psychological thriller, there were a lot of loose threads right from the start of the book. Unfortunately I had worked out what had happened so the end was not such a surprise for me. However, I liked the writing and the characterisations. It was fun to hate a few of the characters right from their introduction. I was not so sure about Mia’s personality, however, as it went from a meek, quiet type at the start of the book to an intrepid, confident woman by the end.
I’m sure that this book will interest many lovers of psychological thrillers, as all the ingredients are there. There are a number of bodies and many anxious moments. Poor detectives don’t add a lot to the story unfortunately, apart from bumbling incompetence.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy Bookouture and NetGalley. Thank you for sharing your work Carey, it was much appreciated. I leave this personal review voluntarily.
May 2, 2021
First, I want to thank Carey Baldwin, Bookouture, and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.
Ohh there were a lot of mistakes she made in Carey Baldwin’s Her First Mistakes! This book literally took me on one of the strongest emotionally heartbreaking and traumatic roller coaster rides I have been on in a while. There were times when I couldn’t believe the book was going there! However she did and it was so good.
OH!!! This prologue made me so heated!! I was screaming at my kindle!! What Mother in their right frame of mind would lock their daughter up to hide them from their boyfriend?! A boyfriend who was on the fence about having kids to begin with. My heart just broke not knowing what was going on or if her Mom was coming back. This literally was a scene from something out of The Lifetime Channel! So many emotions and feels. Amazing job hooking me Carey!
This quote that Carey used is so true. One motto I have used many times just this year alone. “You never know until you walk a mile in someone’s shoes what struggles she may face. For example, I’m sure she doesn’t have any idea what you’ve been through.”
What Mia went through at such a young age no child should ever go through! My heart just broke in a million pieces!! The fear of the unknown of what truly happened to her Mom is just devastating and has been brought up all again present day.
WOW!! I didn’t see those turn of events Mia doing something so dramatically outside of her comfort zone it blew my mind!! Oh she got a shock too!!
The hypnosis storyline fascinated me and what Mia uncovered as a young child.
Ohh there were a lot of mistakes she made in Carey Baldwin’s Her First Mistakes! This book literally took me on one of the strongest emotionally heartbreaking and traumatic roller coaster rides I have been on in a while. There were times when I couldn’t believe the book was going there! However she did and it was so good.
OH!!! This prologue made me so heated!! I was screaming at my kindle!! What Mother in their right frame of mind would lock their daughter up to hide them from their boyfriend?! A boyfriend who was on the fence about having kids to begin with. My heart just broke not knowing what was going on or if her Mom was coming back. This literally was a scene from something out of The Lifetime Channel! So many emotions and feels. Amazing job hooking me Carey!
This quote that Carey used is so true. One motto I have used many times just this year alone. “You never know until you walk a mile in someone’s shoes what struggles she may face. For example, I’m sure she doesn’t have any idea what you’ve been through.”
What Mia went through at such a young age no child should ever go through! My heart just broke in a million pieces!! The fear of the unknown of what truly happened to her Mom is just devastating and has been brought up all again present day.
WOW!! I didn’t see those turn of events Mia doing something so dramatically outside of her comfort zone it blew my mind!! Oh she got a shock too!!
The hypnosis storyline fascinated me and what Mia uncovered as a young child.
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