The School Trip: A completely gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist

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Some Days Are Dark tells the intriguing story of Olivia, a woman who had a great life only to lose it all within a very short time. Olivia grew up poor, but life somehow works for her, and she ends up with a beautiful home, a loving husband, Frank, and an adorable son. Despite all these good things, Olivia feels like she is missing something, and this leads her to make the worst decision of his life. Olivia leaves her perfect family for Dane Miller, a no-good drug addict who has nothing to offer to a woman. Aside from losing a man who loves her, Olivia also jeopardizes her relationship with her son. WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!! Miranda Smith’s latest psychological thriller The School Trip is literally something ripped from the headlines! It is every teachers and parents' worst nightmare come true! The School Trip will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride pulling hard on your heartstrings! Infact, I wanted to reach out to my niece and nephew and give them a huge hug! But who could want to punish me this badly? Is it linked to the night I refuse to think about—the terrible night my husband died? We humans are drawn to tragedy in the same way we’re mesmerized by fire: its power, its unpredictability, its warmth.” But the day is almost at an end and night is drawing in, meaning they are now losing daylight. If Claire is out there, she will be in the dark and frightened. But the owner of the farm reassures her that all sections of the farm are now closed so she won't be anywhere on the property. So where is she? And then police discover park footage of Claire leaving with an unknown person. A stranger. But Claire wouldn't have left with a stranger...so who is it that lead her child out of the park?

Get ready for the twist of twists!!!… will have you on the edge of the seat!” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Emma is a kindergarten teacher, and today is field trip day! She and her colleagues will be taking their classes to a pumpkin patch, and Claire, Emma’s six-year-old daughter, will be joining her mom and classmates. Emma’s been having a rough year; her husband was killed in a car accident, and she’s now raising Claire alone. She’s looking forward to her day, despite field trips being a challenge. Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.I would like to thank @netgalley, Bookouture, and Miranda Smith for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own! We call the police and frantically scour the fields and playgrounds, my heart breaking as I cry out Claire’s name. And then a detective shows me a video: my daughter, skipping away from the farm, holding hands with an adult in a bulky coat, their cap pulled down low. The story is well-paced and filled with mystery and suspense, keeping the reader engaged throughout the book. The plot is layered and revealed slowly, with twists and turns that will leave you guessing until the very end. The characters are multi-dimensional with their own secrets and motives, making the story more interesting. I was hooked… I devoured this book in one sitting. Got my heart racing, atmospheric, chilling and utterly gripping… Fantastic read, nail-biting and one of the best books I have read this year. A MUST READ!!!!!” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Emma is a kindergarten teacher. She's a recent widow and worries about her 6 year old daughter Claire and how her father's death will affect her. As the story begins, all of the kindergarten classes take a field trip to the local pumpkin patch. Even though Claire isn't in Emma's class, they are on the field trip together. The kids have a great time - petting the animals, going on a hayride and playing in the park. Claire doesn't get to spend as much time as with Claire because she has to take care of her own class but she trusts her daughter's teacher to do the same. When a little girl goes missing, Emma works with the other teachers to find her. The police are called and when the little girl is found, the parents and their children begin to leave. That's when Emma realizes that Claire is missing. She knows that her daughter wouldn't leave with a stranger and begins to search for her. The police have a video of the park exit that shows Claire walking out of the park with a stranger. After losing her husband two years before, she is totally upset that she may have also lost her daughter and blaming herself as she wonders if there is somehow a link between her husband's death and her daughter's disappearance. This is one of those books that you could easily finish in one sitting. It was so hard for me to put this down and focus on something else, I had to know what was going to happen next. I literally devoured this in a day, it was such a fast, thrilling, twisty story.

The School Trip

Join Della on this captivating story as she tries to do what is right while she fights the demons from her past. This story comprises of Della’s recap of events in the past and her perspective on the new student and her evil brother. The storyline and the characters are simple, but they all work to make the story move along. Does Della have a valid point, or is everything simply a product of her imagination. How will Della’s dedication to this case affect her career? This set my anxiety through the roof, I think it is every parent’s worst nightmare that their child disappears on a school trip. I was hooked because I was hoping and praying that Claire would be found safe and well, and I wanted to know who would do such an awful thing.

The past two years have been tough for Emma. Having been on extended maternity leave during Claire's early years, she returned to work to find juggling motherhood and a full time job was not as easy as she'd first thought. And then just as she was trying to find her footing in both camps, her husband David is killed in a car accident leaving her to raise their daughter alone. To make matters worse, Emma and David had been arguing the day of his death and she has never forgiven herself for it. Now Claire is all she has left. I STAYED UP UNTIL 1AM FINISHING THIS BOOK. I tried going to sleep, I really did. But every time I closed my eyes, I just kept thinking about this book, and I neeeedddddeddddd to know how it finished.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It's every parent's worst nightmare - your child going missing. And the author brings the reader to the forefront of the investigation as police search for missing Claire. Emma is placed in the spotlight as the media speculate a neglectful mother leaving her child in the care of another at the time she disappeared which only serves to infuriate her further. Why aren't the police updating them with the facts instead of wasting time. Then soon Emma discovers some of those closest to her aren't at all who they appear to be and she begins to wonder just who can she trust? Any one of them could have Claire. Everyone seems to be lying so who can she trust? The pace is good, the build up is good and it gives you the confidence and urgency to carry on reading. Emma is frantic with worry. Claire would never willingly go away with a stranger and Emma is thus convinced that the person who abducted her daughter was somebody they both knew. But who could it be? Who would want to punish Emma so badly? And could this kidnapping be somehow linked to the night her husband died? Has Emma inadvertently put her daughter in terrible danger? Will she ever find her little girl safe and sound? Or is Claire lost to her mother forever?We go on to meet Emma, a school teacher and single mother, taking her students (including her daughter) on a field trip. Within those first few chapters, you really grow to like Emma & her coworkers. There's not an overbearing amount of detail about them, but it's enough to want to see where the day takes them. Of course, Claire had hoped to be spending the day solely with her mum at the Pumpkin Patch farm and isn't at all impressed to be having to share her with other students whose parents couldn't come on the school trip. But Claire's attention is soon diverted with the promise of feeding the animals and playing on the ten foot slide and play equipment the farm have. Tantrum diverted.