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Sue Watson
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The Empty Nest: An unputdownably gripping psychological thriller Kindle Edition

by Sue Watson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 6,355 ratings
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Sometimes we can’t see what’s right in front of us, Kat. Everyone has secrets, even the people we love, the people we live with…’

Kat remembers the days when her only daughter Amy wouldn't leave her side. Amy was the baby who cried when you walked out of the room, the toddler who was too shy to speak to strangers, the small child who clung to Kat's legs in the school playground.

But now Amy is grown up, and Amy is gone – to university in a town several hours away. Kat's house – which once felt too full, too noisy, too busy – is deathly quiet, and Kat awaits the daily phone call to tell her that her beloved daughter is thriving and happy.

Until the day Amy doesn’t call, sending Kat into a panic. Her husband and friends say she’s being paranoid – surely Amy is just out, having fun? But Kat feels sure something is very wrong – she knows her daughter, and she would never just disappear.

As the hours turn into days, her fears are confirmed: Amy is missing. But there are secrets about her daughter that Kat doesn't know about yet. And the truth about Amy's whereabouts may be closer to home than Kat could ever imagine...

A gripping and suspenseful psychological thriller with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster and an ending that will blow readers’ minds. Fans of The Wife Between Us, The Girl Before and Gone Girl will be gripped by this unputdownable story about a mother’s obsessive love for her child.

Readers are loving The Empty Nest:

‘OMG… I couldn’t believe the ending and what truly happened to Kat’s daughter. There were so many twists and turns in this book but the ending blew my mind.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow I never saw that ending!... A huge rollercoaster of events that will keep you enthralled right to the end!... Great read.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A full on, straight into it thriller, with a banging twist and a satisfying end! A quickfire ever changing story of who has done what and why… It had me foxed and I got it completely wrong… So well written, full of drama and just a perfect read. 10/10.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘What an amazing book. I couldn't put it down. Had my attention from start to finish… Just when I thought I had it figured out I was proven wrong.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A compulsively readable mystery that kept me fully engrossed and turning pages long into the night. This is a twisty thriller that kept me guessing right up until the final page… Brilliantly executed… Thoroughly addictive.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I was so gobsmacked… The Empty Nest is a story steeped in secrets and lies. The suspense and tension surrounding Amy’s disappearance builds up wonderfully and had me totally hooked, tearing through the pages to see just what had happened to her.’ By the Letter Book Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘An addictive, suspenseful thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish… This story is filled with lies, betrayal, and shocking secrets. The author does a wonderful job building the tension and the ending was clever and satisfying. I highly recommend this twisty thriller.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This book was fast paced. Hard to put down. It flowed well and it was very well written. It caught hold of me and had me hooked from the start. I was literally on the edge of my seat reading this book.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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  1. Print length
    368 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    November 1, 2019
  5. File size
    1654 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07XNR56NG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bookouture (November 1, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 1, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1654 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 6,355 ratings

About the author

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Sue Watson

Sue Watson

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Sue Watson was a TV Producer at the BBC until she wrote her first book and was hooked.

Now a USA Today bestselling author, Sue has sold almost 2 million books and explores the darker side of life, writing psychological thrillers with big twists. Originally from Manchester, she now lives with her family in leafy Worcestershire where much of her day is spent writing – and procrastinating. Her hobby is eating cake while watching diet and exercise programmes from the sofa, a skill she’s perfected after many years of practice.

For up-to-date offers and news of Sue's latest books, click the Amazon 'Follow' button next to her photo.

Sue would love to meet you on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/suewatsonbooks

Follow Sue on Twitter @suewatsonwriter

Instagram @suewatsonbooks

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
6,355 global ratings
A suspenseful page turner
5 Stars
A suspenseful page turner
Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review. Your daughter is living away from home attending university. You receive a call from her everyday so you know she is safe and enjoying university life. Until the day comes when you don't hear from her and then you can't get in contact with her at all. You start to worry and tell your husband your concerns. He thinks you are overreacting, are you or has something happened to Amy?? A suspenseful read that will keep you wondering until the very end. #netgalley #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #litsy #bookstagram #bookqueen #amazon#kindle #suewatson #theemptynest
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Top reviews from the United States

Heather
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
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A must read
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Laurel-Rain Snow
4.0 out of 5 stars WHERE IS AMY?
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2019
Verified Purchase
Kat remembers the days when her only daughter Amy wouldn’t leave her side. Amy was the baby who cried when you walked out of the room, the toddler who was too shy to speak to strangers, the small child who clung to Kat’s legs in the school playground.

But now Amy is grown up, and Amy is gone—to university in a town several hours away. Kat’s house—which once felt too full, too noisy, too busy—is deathly quiet, and Kat awaits the daily phone call to tell her that her beloved daughter is thriving and happy.

Until the day Amy doesn’t call, sending Kat into a panic. Her husband and friends say she’s being paranoid—surely Amy is just out, having fun? But Kat feels sure something is very wrong—she knows her daughter, and she would never just disappear.

As the hours turn into days, her fears are confirmed: Amy is missing. But there are secrets about her daughter that Kat doesn’t know about yet. And the truth about Amy’s whereabouts may be closer to home than Kat could ever imagine…

My Thoughts: Kat Ellis is the first-person narrator of The Empty Nest, and she is clearly overly involved in her daughter’s life, so much so that Amy’s choice to attend a university in Wales might just be a way to finally create her own life.

But then Amy goes missing. For a while, nobody believes she is really gone, blaming Kat’s overly obsessive need to control her life.

Kat’s husband Richard, best friend Zoe, and even Jodie, who is Zoe’s daughter, all seem to bend over backwards to help Kat search for Amy—once they convince themselves that she is truly gone. All along, however, there are clues, red flags, and little pieces that don’t add up.

So many red herrings kept me off track, making me suspicious of everyone. Even Richard and Amy’s biological dad Tony are persons of interest. Every time I turned another page, there were more suspects.

Then we finally learn what happened to Amy…and I didn’t see it coming. I rapidly turned pages until the hidden truth was revealed. A twisty story that earned 4.5 stars.
5 people found this helpful
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Vickie Watts
3.0 out of 5 stars A good suspense but not many thrills
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2019
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This book starts with a huge bang and then kind of sizzles. The premise is a good one; Kat has left her only daughter at a distant university and is desperately missing Amy. Then, when Amy is supposed to be coming home for a holiday, she disappears. No texts, no calls and no online presence at all. Kat is understandably frantic, casting aspersions on everyone she can in order to get them to admit that they know where Amy could be. That is where the interest kind of slowed down for me, just as the momentum of the book did. The rest of the book is a slow burn, a slow revelation of where Amy is and who is responsible for her disappearance. The author did a good. job of including some twists, but I must say that I had guessed most of them by the time she got there. I enjoyed reading the book, but it was not the psychological thriller that I was prepared to enjoy. Fans who enjoy a slow and well-written suspense will enjoy this book as long as their expectations for surprises are low.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
2 people found this helpful
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Ginger Nielson
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2024
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Took me a while to get into this book. It’s a good book. I pretty much had it figured out pretty quickly. It is a good thriller.
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Kili
4.0 out of 5 stars hmmmm. Good but not GREAT
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2023
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I do love the ending however the super whiny mom stuff and co-dependent relationships are superiorly magnetic but like two wrong ends of the magnet. I almost quit reading it a few times however the self realizing did finally break open and it was okay.. I will read some other books however I hope they’re less whiny and self centered characters.
🌺❤️🫶
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Kindle Customer
2.0 out of 5 stars I tried to like it but...
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
I just couldn't.
Amy has gone off to uni, and her mother, Kat, is obsessed about her being gone. And I do mean obsessed. She cries when she hears music that they used to sing together. She expects a phone call every day and panics when Amy doesn't call. She sits in Amy's room every day. She repeatedly folds the clothes in her dresser. She won't go anywhere because Amy might call or want to come home.
I read 4 chapters, and it was nothing but Kat obsessing to her husband and best friend that Amy was supposed to come home for the weekend and she hadn't heard from her. Kat kept asking them if she was over reacting. Then she got angry when they gently told her that she needed to stop worrying and get on with her life.

And this went on and on and on for 4 chapters.
Obviously something did happen to Amy, but at that point I didn't care. I figured that she probably ran away from her crazy mother.
I feel like the author was just using all of this as filler to make the book longer.
For me, it was putdownable. I didn't finish it, and can't recommend it
6 people found this helpful
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Amanda
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!! 🔟
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2020
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So Kat is the mom , and she is OBSESSED with her daughter Amy. I mean like stage 4 clinger type obsessed. Helicopter fleet obsessed 🚁🚁
At first you think this mama is crazy , but Sue puts this puzzle together so well that you keep giving her chances. Because you feel for her mostly and there seems to be more than this to it. And there is. And then there right at the end she puts that last little puzzle piece 🗝in there and all of sudden Kat is a badass. The book is great and the last chapter didn’t leave you questioning anything, loved it. Will DEF be reading more of her books.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping
Reviewed in Canada on May 21, 2023
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As I am easily distracted, this book kept me interested and was a good beach read.
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Great book…love this author
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2024
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Good read
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N. Szoeke
2.0 out of 5 stars Quite boring
Reviewed in Germany on September 2, 2022
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I had read another book by this author and liked it, so bought this one. But I must say, nothing ever happened! The story was pulled like a chewing gum, and there was no character I could like much. And the end was really a fairy tale, I doubt it would be possible in reality. No. No recommendation from my side.
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Gio
5.0 out of 5 stars The Empty Nest
Reviewed in Italy on October 25, 2020
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I choose this rating because the plot is well developed and with many events and mysteries. I liked the way the things unfold and I recommend the book to whoever likes thrillers and stories with drama and lot of actions.
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asmita shelke
5.0 out of 5 stars A very awsome book
Reviewed in India on June 26, 2020
Verified Purchase
Very nice story and really a psychological thriller. Loved it
Must read . Who would've thought of such an ending.
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