She thought she was the perfect mother—until the new neighbours moved in.
Emma and Dele’s dreams came true nine years ago when they adopted their daughter, Isla. It felt like fate, like they were meant to find each other, and now they’re living the life they always wanted. But then one day a new family moves into Forest Grove—and Emma can’t shake the chilling feeling that the wife looks just like Isla’s birth mother.
Emma tells herself that this sophisticated stranger can’t possibly be the troubled woman she remembers from the adoption. But as they get to know each other and it becomes clear that Tatjana has a special interest in Isla, her suspicions grow.
When small things start to go wrong and her parenting abilities are brought into question, Emma feels undermined, turning to her sister Harriet for support. But things only spiral further when secrets from her past suddenly resurface.
With rumours swirling, Emma begins to doubt herself. Could Tatjana be Isla’s birth mother? And, with everything that’s happening, is Emma the right person to be raising her daughter at all?
My thoughts on Circle of Doubt…
Last year, with everything else going on, my reading suffered. I struggled to get into a lot of the books I picked up, even by authors I love and genres that had previously drawn me in left me cold. It was, then, with some trepidation that I started Circle of Doubt, even though I had really enjoyed my last Tracy Buchanan book, Wall of Silence.
Turns out I needn’t have worried. In fact, Tracy Buchanan may just be my lucky charm because, for the first time in forever (sorry for those now signing songs from Frozen), I found myself really enjoying what I was reading – so much so, I basically didn’t put it down until I had finished it. I really couldn’t have asked for a better way to end 2020 (and hopefully start 2021!).
Why did I like it so much? The story mainly, which is actually liked to one of my biggest fears as an adoptive parent, that somehow I will be challenged in my role as a parent. It’s a fear many adoptive parents have and, while the tension is ramped up here to a point I don’t think I’d ever face, there is a realism to it that suggests Buchanan did her research, which I appreciate as a reader.
I also liked the characters, especially Emma (and not just because of her name 😄). She is just the right side of stressed and anxious. The school moms are a bit more stereotypical but I have to say that – having moved to a new area myself – still believable. The only slight downside I’d Dele who I couldn’t get a handle on and I didn’t like how he didn’t side with Emma from the start. That, though, is a slight niggle in what is a great book and one I would highly recommend.
Enjoy!
Emma
Please note: I received a copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review. All thoughts, feelings, and opinions are my own.
One Readers Thoughts 