Tuesday, June 4, 2019

BLOG TOUR - Invisible Girl


Today I am happy to make my stop on the Blog Tour for Invisible Girl by Jill Childs.

DESCRIPTION:

A heartbreaking story of family secrets from the USA Today bestselling author of Gracie’s Secret. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain.

I know you. I know you in a way you can’t even imagine. I have been searching for you in the years since you wrote that letter – the letter that told me you were looking for me too. But now that I’ve found you, I don’t know if I can say the terrible truth of what I am. It would ruin your perfect life. It would hurt your beautiful daughter.

So, I hesitate – bide my time, for now. This morning, you’re running late and your little girl, tugged by the hand, scurries to keep up with you. She’s clean but a little scrawny. Maybe that’s because you struggle with the bills; maybe she’s just made that way. 

I know what it is to have lost a child. I pray you never learn how that feels. But I can’t wait forever… and when I finally tell you my secret, will it break you like it did me all those years ago?

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MY THOUGHTS:

Title:   Invisible Girl
Author:  Jill Childs
Genre:   Literary Fiction; Women's Fiction
Publisher:   Bookouture
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:  302
Date of Publication:  May 30, 2019
My Rating:  4 Stars

Maddy is a bag lady - as she is oft-described in this affecting ready by Jill Childs. More than that, she is a watcher. Just who is she watching and why? She catches the eye of a five-year-old little girl, Rosie. 

In the very first chapter, written in first-person, which is in Maddy's voice, it is stated: "I know you. I know you in a way you can't imagine." These two sentences set the tone for the entire book. Quite swiftly, however, we get Becca's and Sarah's chapters. Each chapter is named after one of the three women.

Why is this done? Who are they and how are their lives connected? 

As mentioned, Maddy is often described as a bag lady, and this bothered me. But, the author no doubt had specific reason for doing this. In actuality, Maddy was a homeless woman, and one pivotal to this story. Because one of the primary characters was homeless, her story had to be told. It doesn't take long to see how Becca and Sarah are connected; they live in the same apartment building and their little girls are best friends. 

If one were to dissect the lives of Maddy, Becci and Sarah, it would be a bit painful. After all, reading about a woman forced to live on the streets, in part due to alcoholism, is difficult, to say the least. Then there is Becca, a divorced woman with little Rosie and a teen son. She is striving to make a living, all while trying to avoid her ex. Lastly with have Sarah, another single mom, and Sarah is struggling too. However, she is struggling with more than making a living. Sarah has a dark secret.

Speaking of secrets, Maddy has one of her own, and boy is it a whopper. Without spoiling this book with this review, it only makes sense that the three women are connected. I struggled through the read while making said connections. Oh, not with the book itself. I struggled because I felt their pain, all three of them. Their lives certainly were not easy and I could only hope that by the end of the book that the secrets would be revealed and resolved.

Invisible Girl is the third book that I have read by Jill Childs and, as before, I was hit right between the eyes. They are all sensitive stories, each and every one of them. I would like to add that there was a specific reason the author wrote this book, and I think she did an excellent job getting the message across. I will forever keep a few dollars in my pocket or wallet to give to the homeless. No doubt many, many of them are in that predicament due to circumstances beyond their control.

I look forward to the next compelling book by this inspiring author.

Many thanks to Bookoture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jill has always loved writing - real and imaginary - and spent 30 years travelling the world as a journalist, living overseas and reporting wherever the news took her. She's now made her home in London with her husband and twin girls who love stories as much as she does. Although she's covered everything from earthquakes and floods, riots and wars, she's found some of the most extraordinary stories right here at home - in the secrets and lies she imagines behind closed doors on ordinary streets, just like yours.

If you've enjoyed reading one of Jill's books, please do leave a review.

For latest news, follow Jill on Twitter (author_jill) and Facebook (Jill Childs)

5 comments:

  1. Nice review. So happy you enjoyed it.

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  2. This really intrigues me. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Great review! Sounds like a really interesting read, with the complexities of the dynamics between the characters.

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  4. This looks really interesting! Definitely has me intrigued!

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  5. Great review! Glad you enjoyed it.

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