Little Girl Gone by Alexandra Burt

Little Girl Gone
By Alexandra Burt
Published by Avon Books (24 September 2015)
ISBN: 978-0008133177

Publisher's description

A baby goes missing. But does her mother want her back?

When Estelle’s baby daughter is taken from her cot, she doesn’t report her missing. Days later, Estelle is found in a wrecked car, with a wound to her head and no memory.

Estelle knows she holds the key to what happened that night – but what she doesn’t know is whether she was responsible…

My verdict
Little Girl Gone has one of the most unreliable protagonists I have come across. Stella's baby has disappeared from the family home, with all of the baby paraphernalia, and Stella is found several miles away in a serious car accident. But Stella has lost her memory and can't remember that day or the events leading up to it. She doesn't know what's happened to her baby girl and whether or not she killed her daughter. At one point, she starts doubting whether she had a baby at all.

Stella is suffering from post partum psychosis. She has jumbled thoughts and gaps in her memory, alongside an unsupportive husband who's away a lot for work. Struggling with motherhood, she has received no help or support. It's only after baby Mia goes missing, and she's suspected of murder, that she's given the treatment she needs.

I found Little Girl Gone to be a roller coaster paced read. I struggled with the first third of the book, as Stella's character annoyed me, and admit that I wondered whether to put it to one side. But gradually the layers built up. By around halfway through, certain events came to light and new characters appeared. From then on, I was intrigued to see which way the plot was going. The rest of the book moved at a much faster pace, as Stella's memory started coming back and she went in search of the truth.

I received an Advance Reader Copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.