11 Missed Calls by Elisabeth Carpenter, Anna's mother vanished thirty years ago. Anna believed her mother was dead, but suddenly, she starts receiving notes—could they be from her mother? Her father remarried her mother's best friend, raising questions about a possible affair. Anna is struggling; she knows little about her mother, and no one will disclose the events of that night. Frustrated by claims of her insanity and urged to forget her mother, Anna seeks her husband's support, only to discover a photo that suggests he might be unfaithful.
Previously, Anna had obsessively followed a woman resembling her mother, leading her family to worry she might repeat the past. The narrative alternates between the present and thirty years prior, revealing characters whose identities may not be as they seem. As Anna feels increasingly threatened and suspects she's being followed, she must unravel why someone is determined to conceal the truth from her. ( )

This is quite emotionally intense with quite a focus on mental illness. The present-tense narrative didn't work (but then, it never does, in my opinion). Nor, in this instance, did the first-person POV; the disappearance of a young mother on holiday in Tenerife has a profound effect on more than just the main narrator, and we never really quite get into the minds of the other characters also distressingly affected by it all. There are, in fact, two narrators: the mother who disappeared, telling her story, and the daughter, Anna, telling her story, thirty years later. The build-up to the ending is compelling, but the final 'reveal' was a little disappointing, flat and a tad unbelievable.

Although I did quite enjoy it, it turns out that the book blurb is slightly misleading. 'And then a body is found'. Well, yes, but not until the very end and you've pretty much guessed whose it is by 75%, in any case. Moreover, the title is also misleading. The '11 missed calls' only get a brief and passing mention. If you blinked while reading that bit, you could well have missed it.

It's quite well written and the author certainly portrayed both narrators well. The anguish and anxiety of them both came over well and sympathetically.

Editing-wise, I do wish authors and their editors would learn that standing is not the same as standing up and sitting is not the same as sitting down. Look it up.

Okay, but not great. ( )

Elisabeth Carpenter sure knows how to write a gripping page-turner as I found out when I read her fantastic debut, 99 Red Balloons, and 11 Missed Calls is no exception. From the intriguing prologue until the final page was turned, I was frightened to blink in case I missed a crucial word that would explain what happened all those years ago on the edge of a cliff in Tenerife.

11 Missed Calls grips the reader from the start as we meet Anna's mum, Debbie, on the edge of a cliff in Tenerife. With suicidal thoughts in her head, she thinks her family would be better off without her, but just as she's about to step off the edge someone else appears...of course, we don't find out who this was until much later so prepare to read very fast!

Thirty years later, Anna can't forget a mother she never knew and she's sure that there's more to Debbie's story than meets the eye. I certainly agreed with Anna and was really suspicious of the fact that Anna's Dad and Debbie's friend, Monica, were now together. Hold on a second...didn't Monica go to Tenerife with Debbie? Yes indeed, Debbie's story is sounding more fishy than Baldrick's apple crumble so I read with such eagerness to find out what really happened.

There's a lot going on in this book that can sometimes make it quite busy and a little overcrowded but do bear with it; I think I was so hooked on the Debbie story that it was all I could think about and I almost glossed over Anna's other drama with her husband, Jack. I think I just wanted to get back to the main storyline as quickly as possible with one huge question buzzing around my brain: did Debbie jump or was she pushed?

I always felt as if people knew more than they were letting on and I felt angry at times at the attitude that Anna shouldn't really be asking about what happened to her mother when she couldn't even remember her. The thing is, she remembers more than even she realises and I do believe that traumas in childhood can cause us to have phobias and fears throughout our life.

11 Missed Calls is such an intense family drama and that amazing prologue ensured I was hooked like a hungry fish from the very first page to the very last. Keep 'em coming, Elisabeth!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. ( )

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really loved it until I got to the end. I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Debbie. I kept going through the group of people in her life- her husband, her best friend and her best friend's husband. Then it's revealed and I felt so disappointed. I guess I was expecting something different. While reading the book I didn't want to put it down. It was full of twists and turns. I kept blaming Monica and she was such a horrible best friend.

The book alternates between Annie and her mom Debbie. Did I like the characters? I'm not sure. Annie had no back bone. It felt like her family kept stuff from her regarding her mom. Her husband Jack seemed like he hated her and turned everything around on her. Annie desperately wanted to find Debbie. She never got to know her mom, because she disappeared when Annie was a baby. I got the feeling that Annie's parents (Monica and her dad) and her brother Robert really didn't want her to find her mom. There were so many secrets and every so often one was revealed.

Then there was Debbie. After having Annie she didn't feel like herself. She heard voices in her head and felt like everyone was conspiring against her. She started getting these strange anonymous letters in the mail. They were creepy and should have been shown to the police. I got the feeling her husband and Monica were more than just friends. Monica and Debbie were supposed to be best friends, but seemed more like frenemies when Debbie talked about her. Then there was Monica's husband Nathan. There was something about him from the very beginning. He was creepy and always showed up when least expected. The two families decide to go on vacation in Tenerife and that's where everything changes.

I had different feelings when Annie would talk about Monica and her dad, compared to Debbie's thoughts. Through Annie, Monica and her dad seemed like loving, kind people who made the best of a horrible situation. Debbie made them seem like they were scheming behind her back.

I do recommend the book. I did love it up until the ending. I look forward to reading more by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author, Elisabeth Carpenter, for a free electronic ARC of this novel. ( )