This story was genuinely chilling and hard to put down. Even though I'm much more like Chelsea's childfree coworker, I found myself able to relate to Chelsea and the nightmare she found herself in. Noonan also portrayed a very accurate image of deep depression that would resonate with anyone who has ever experienced it before. ( )

Author: Rosalind Noonan
Published By: Kensington
Age Recommend: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating 5
Blog For: GMTA
Review:

"All she Ever Wanted" by Rosalind Noonan was a sad mystery contemporary
read. We find Chelsea Maynard after having a baby she has longed for so long is now battling 'sleep deprivation and feeling of isolation' and the baby Annabelle cries all the time only leaving Chelsea having 'dark visions fueled by exhaustion and self-doubt.' Chelsea goes to the doctor and doesn't get any comfort there. He refers to this a 'baby blues.' What kind of doctor wouldn't recognize these signs? What was going on to Chelsea has happened to many women. This was a very captivating read of this poor person suffering from 'post-partum depression(PPD).' Now, to add to some more problems for Chelsea her baby was now missing and she has no glue to where she is! Now, who had taken the baby? This is definitely one of those stories that will stay with you long after the read. This author did a wonderful job with this well written novel and illustrating the effects of 'PPD.' Be ready for many twist and turns because you may be kept guessing until the end. The characters were all well developed and all looked guilty at some time: Chelsea, Leo, Chelsea's sisters, neighbors and care workers, and even Leo's ex wife Detective Grace who seemed so intelligent and empathetic to Chelsea because she had been through this with her childbirth. I did like how this author did show points of views of PPD from the husband, wife and other family members. So, to find out who was behind the kidnap of Annabelle you will have to pick up"All She Ever Wanted" to see out this author will get this all delivered to the reader. There will be many leads but only one will be it.

Can many women relate to Postpartum depression? I think so. Would I recommend "All She Ever Wanted?" YES! I believe you will find it a interesting and captivating read. ( )

Publication date: 24.12.12

4 / 5 stars

Overview

Chelsea Maynard has " all she ever wanted" a loving husband and the baby girl she always knew she would have - the perfect family. Still Chelsea keeps asking herself " why was she a million miles away from her baby?" Chelsea knows that the dark visions of her baby being hurt, hiding the knives, having the urge to swerve into oncoming traffic and leaving her baby outside in the cold unattended is not normal yet she is exhausted and disconnected from her baby, family and friends and incapable of getting the help she needs by herself.

Chelsea's sister Emma is convinced she has postpartum depression even though Chelsea's doctor says its just a case of the " baby blues and all she needs is good food and exercise. Leo Green, Chelsea's husband, is trying to keep things going at home and to support Chelsea however he can but when a work convention comes up he feels he can't cancel, leaving her at home alone with baby Annabelle for a week.

Chelsea wakes one morning feeling fuzzy headed, grateful that Annabelle has seemingly slept through the night only to find that her baby is nowhere to be found, the side door left open and an empty stroller outside in the driveway. Chelsea cannot clearly remember the events of the night before and can't help but question if she has in fact done something to harm Annabelle or left her outside where someone has taken her.

Detective Grace Santos leads the investigation into Annabelle's disappearance. She feels for Chelsea, having herself had a personal experience with postpartum depression when her teenage son was a baby. Everyone in the circle of Annabelle's life becomes a potential suspect from Chelsea and Leo, Chelsea's sisters, neighbors and care workers, even Leo's ex wife as the police try and piece together the events of that evening and find Annabelle before it is too late.

My Thoughts

The characters in this book are well developed. In particular I thought that the portrayal of Chelsea as a new mum with Postpartum depression was well done and I came away feeling a deep sense of compassion for any mother who suffers this way. Chelsea is a sympathetic character regardless of whether you questioned if she had in fact hurt her child. Having the bond between two women - Chelsea and Detective Santos - with a similar personal experience of mothering was a nice addition to the storyline.

I read this book in one sitting. I was really drawn in especially when the suspects started being investigated and didn't want to stop reading until I found out what had happened to Annabelle. A few times I thought I had it figured out, that it was in fact fairly obvious but then another theory would arise. I thought Ms Noonan did a great job of keeping the twists and turns coming making many of the leads look like they would be the one that would lead to solving the mystery of Annabelle's disappearance.

A captivating read. Highly Recommended. ( )

All She Ever Wanted is a story about the disappearance of an infant, who was in the care of a mother suffering from Post Partum Depression.

This book did a great job of illustrating the effects PPD. I really felt for Chelsea and all she was going through. She was very aware that her feeling were due to PPD, but was unable to get effective help due to an unsympathetic doctor and a bureaucratic insurance company. You could feel her desperation growing as she tried to keep her daughter safe, even while having horrible visions of her injuring her daughter.

I thought that the "mystery" aspect was okay, but not great. It did not feel as suspenseful as I'd expect a search for a missing infant to be.

Disclosure: I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I gave this 4 stars because it dealt with two important issues: postpartum depression and child abduction. I was so very fortunate that I gave birth to 8 children and never even suffered from the baby blues. I do know someone who did have postpartum depression and her newborn was also colicky which made it all the harder. I love the way this author wrote so sympathetically about what the mother, Chelsea was dealing with and also her willingness to get all the help she could. This book also flowed exceedingly well, there was not a time when I thought it needed to move along quicker. So many times moms are censored in our society for not being or acting like people feel they should, as if having depression is their fault somehow. Books like this make one aware of the fact that we are all different and do not all react the same but that all feelings should be valued and that help should be available. ( )