Book Review: Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister

Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister opens with Simone arriving in Texas from the United Kingdom to meet up with her daughter, Lucy, for one last vacation before Lucy goes off to university. From the moment she arrives, everything seems to go wrong, beginning with her lost luggage. After finally making it to the cabin and reuniting with Lucy, Simone wakes in the early hours of the morning before drifting back to sleep. But, when she wakes again a few hours later, Lucy is gone, having left behind her cell phone, and there's another phone on the bed containing ransom text. Forced to follow a series of terrifying demands without involving the police, Simone must race against time to save her daughter. Will she reach Lucy before it's too late? 

First and foremost, I'd like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for approving my request for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister. I hadn't read anything by this author before, so I was eager to give McAllister a chance. I received a digital ARC for free in exchange for my honest opinion of the story.

When I first started reading the book, I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it because the opening chapters felt a little disjointed and didn't immediately capture my attention. However, the story quickly came together, and I found myself eager to see what would happen next. With that said, I didn't really connect with most of the characters aside from Simone. While I did care what happened to her, and of course Lucy, there were still moments the main character got on my nerves. Simone was very relatable, and despite not having any children myself, I felt and related to every moment of anxiousness and worry she felt. However, Simone wasn't very nice towards her husband when speaking to him over the phone. I completely understand that she said things that she wouldn't have normally said, but I definitely think she treated him terribly by dismissing his feelings, worries, and thoughts about what to do.

Early on, I had a feeling that Lucy would be saved, which left me wondering where the story was going to go considering there where still so many pages left. While that took away some of the suspense for me, I was still curious enough to keep reading to see how everything would unfold. Some parts of the story felt believable and grounded, especially Simone's fear and desperation as a mother, but there were also quite a few moments that stretched believability. I won't go into detail about what those unbelievable moments so I don't spoil the rest of Caller Unknown for readers who haven't picked it up yet.

Overall, this wasn't my favorite book, but I didn't think it was terrible either. I really wish Goodreads allowed readers to give half-star ratings because I would have rated Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. Since that wasn't an option, I ended up giving it three stars on Goodreads. Even so, I'd still be interested in reading more from Gillian McAllister in the future.

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