The School Trip by Miranda Smith

Overall: ★★

Character Development: ★★

Ending: ★

Recommend: Maybe

🚨 May Contain Spoilers, Continue at Your Own Risk 🚨

This book fell right in the middle for me, it was good - but it wasn’t mind blowing. I do believe if you’re suffering from any sort of Parenting Anxiety you need to read this with caution, it’s a nightmare come true. Emma is a recently widowed mother & teacher trying her best when the disappearance of her daughter Claire shatters her world. 

Emma struggled finding balance between work & motherhood, is this something that you can relate to? I personally stay home, but I even being a stay-at-home mom requires balance between taking care of yourself & your little ones. When Katie was discovered in the corn maze, she had a soda in her hand. Did this detail strike you as odd or did you not pick up on it right away? I immediately thought that was suspicious, a missing child just acquiring a soda in the middle of a pumpkin patch? Even if they had a concession stand, she would have been witnessed buying the item & potentially not ever lost at all - assuming an employee would bring attention to her being separated from her group. What did you think of the ending? I don’t know, this book fell flat for me so I’m struggling as far as coming up with the words. I’m not sure that I liked Emily blaming herself for the car accident, the brother & sister-in-law drama, the fact that the sister-in-law knew the other victim. It all just felt a little far fetched I guess.