Next Of Kin - Kia Abdullah || Review

 

ON AN ORDINARY WORKING DAY…

Leila Syed receives a call that cleaves her life in two. Her brother-in-law’s voice is filled with panic. He’s at his son’s nursery to pick up Max. But he isn’t there.

YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE…
Leila was supposed to drop Max off that morning. But she forgot.
Racing to the carpark, she grasps the horror of what she has done. Max has been locked in her car for three hours on the hottest day of the year.

IS ABOUT TO COME TRUE…
But she’s too late.
What follows is an explosive, high-profile trial, that will tear the family apart. But as the case progresses it becomes clear there’s more to this incident than meets the eye…

A gripping, brave and tense courtroom drama, Next of Kin will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final, heart-stopping page.

This book constantly gets recommended on my Tiktok as one of the best, i managed to find it on Kindle unlimited and was so excited to curl and give it a read - only to spot the actual real life ARC on my bookshelf from 2021 (the year my first baby was born hence why it got missed) so i must of always had an interest in it.

Straight away we are met with a horrific opening of Leila travelling to work in a rush only to recieve a phone call saying her nephew was never dropped off at nursery that day, she realises in panic that she has infact left him in her car (this isnt a spoiler but the whole premise of the book) 

I really thought this was clear cut and wasn't really sure what could actually happen other than a small argument of accident of not. What actually follows is an impactful heavy read, that is not by one tiny bit clear cut and when i just thought it was all wrapped up neatly, oh boy nope. I totally get the hype this book is simply phenomenal, absolutely one of the best i have read so far this year.

 Its complicated, its about relationships and family and love and so much more. Its brilliantly written and i adored the characters, learning all their flaws, their history's and their lives. Leila was a strong successful woman who had worked hard to achieve everything she had. Yasmin was quite content with her job and plodding along with her little family after we discover some of the turmoil she had faced, so to see the family pushed to their limits as we discover - did Leila really accidently leave her newphew - i mean of course she did...didnt she?

Kia Abdullah is a bestselling author and travel writer. Her novels include Take It Back (a Guardian and Telegraph thriller of the year), Truth Be Told (shortlisted for a Diverse Book Award), Next Of Kin (longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award) and Those People Next Door (a Times Bestseller and Waterstones Thriller of the Month). Her new novel, What Happens in the Dark, is out now.

Kia has won a Diverse Book Award (2022) and a JB Priestley Award for Writers of Promise (2020), and has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Times, The Telegraph and the BBC. She is also the founder of Asian Booklist, a nonprofit that advocates for diversity in publishing.

Website: kiaabdullah.com
Twitter: @kiaabdullah
Instagram: @kiaabdullah
TikTok: @kiawriter