What would you do if your lost child came back? An emotional family drama, perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Kate Hewitt and Susan Lewis.
She pouts, looking upset, and I want nothing more than to kiss her better and say ‘All right then, yes. Perhaps he can come back, perhaps he will, perhaps he has!’ But I can’t. I know I can’t lie to her about this…
The day we lost Josh, a part of me broke. He was only three-and-a-half years old. His twin, Ruby, suddenly an only child.
We thought we were doing as well as expected. But when Ruby comes to me and says she saw Josh – alive – I assume she’s struggling more than we realised. It’s her way of holding on. Of refusing to let go.
But then I see him too.
A boy with Josh’s same pale blue eyes, the silvery-white hair that falls across his forehead in exactly the same way. It’s more than a similarity. This boy could be Josh’s twin.
How can that be possible?
I know I have to listen to my rational brain, that this must be my grief messing with my mind. But I can’t let go of the feeling that something is going on. Who is this boy? And does someone know more than they’re letting on?
A gripping, emotional page-turner about loss, love and the unbreakable bond between a mother and her child.
Shop The Book: The Child We Lost
Shop My Stack: 2026 Books Read
- Publisher : Boldwood Books
- Publication date : February 25, 2026
- Language : English
- Print length : 304 pages
I read The Child We Lost as part of a Rachel’s Random Resources tour via NetGalley. I’ve read a few of Sheila Norton’s books before, and they are always deeply emotional and centered around family drama, so I knew going in that this one would not be light.
And it wasn’t.
I was hooked right away. This family is already steeped in grief after losing their son in a car accident. Then suddenly the mother, Vicky, begins seeing a boy in the neighborhood who looks exactly like the child she buried. From that moment on, the book is heavy, suspenseful, and charged with tension right up to the end.
Reading Experience
The story is told through two perspectives: Vicky, the grieving mother, and her own mother. For a while it’s unclear why we’re seeing the grandmother’s point of view, since the emotional core revolves around Vicky and her remaining daughter, Ruby. But as the pieces fall into place, the grandmother’s perspective becomes essential to understanding the bigger picture.
Characters
I loved Vicky. I rooted for her the entire time. What mother wouldn’t try to get to the bottom of seeing a child who looks exactly like her dead son? It was incredibly frustrating watching the people around her dismiss her concerns and repeatedly suggest she was “losing the plot” instead of supporting her. That frustration felt real and human.
And Ruby. Sweet Ruby. A little girl who lost her brother and is trying to make sense of it all while the adults avoid telling her the full truth. I just wanted to hold her through the entire book.
Theme
The tone is heavy with loss and grief, but also driven by suspicion and the desperate need for answers. There’s a constant undercurrent of tension. Is this trauma? Is it something else? And how far will a mother go when she knows in her bones that something isn’t right?
Final Thoughts
When I finished, I wanted to hold my family closer. Stories like this always strengthen my resolve to believe my children, no matter how unlikely their stories might seem. Grief is complicated. Trauma is complicated. And sometimes the truth hides in places no one wants to look.
I would recommend this to readers who love family drama layered with high emotion and a suspenseful situation that slowly unravels. If you appreciate stories about loss, resilience, and a mother refusing to back down, this one will pull you in.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this virtual book tour, Rachel’s Random Resources
Sheila Norton lives in Chelmsford, Essex and part-time in Torquay, Devon. She is the author of over 20 novels, covering several different sub-genres of contemporary fiction, including family dramas for Boldwood Books. In 2022 she was the winner of the Romantic Novelists Association’s Christmas/Winter book award with her novel Winter at Cliff’s End Cottage.
Social Media Links
Facebook: @SheilaNortonAuthor
Instagram: @sheilaann.norton
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/SheilaNortonNews
Bookbub profile: @SheilaNortonAuthor
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