Zelly Ruskin

Thirty-somethings, Billie and Tyler Campbell from Boston, Massachusetts, are thinking about adoption. Following years of unsuccessfully trying to conceive a baby, the couple believe it’s their only chance to have a baby of their own. Billie works as an adoption specialist at a local adoption agency, while Tyler is a successful attorney about to become a junior partner at his law firm. When Billie meets Madison, a pregnant college student considering giving up her baby for adoption, she becomes obsessed with her unborn baby. She longs to adopt Madison’s baby and raise it as her own, but Tyler is having second thoughts about fatherhood. He wants to make Billie happy, but he is haunted by past events that Billie knows nothing about. Meanwhile, a troubled local woman named Anne also longs for a baby of her own and becomes obsessed with Madison and Billie. Billie and Tyler’s life is turned upside down when Tyler starts to receive anonymous messages and a photo of an unknown baby. Then, when a newborn baby goes missing, the characters collide as Billie becomes prime suspect number one.

Not Yours to Keep is a tense psychological thriller by Zelly Ruskin. The novel follows the journey of a young couple desperate to adopt a baby after years of heartbreak and infertility. Billie’s anguish and desperation to become a mother is heartbreakingly real. But their lives begin to unravel when a mysterious woman from Tyler’s past begins to stalk them. What starts as a story of heartache and longing, spirals into a chilling tale of obsession, secrets, and betrayal. Well written with multiple person perspectives and multiple timelines, the tension builds slowly over time. But, just when you think you have it all figured out, the plot twists again.

If you enjoy thrillers with complex characters, this one is for you.

Star rating: 5 Stars

Summary: An emotionally charged, captivating and heartfelt novel about a young couple desperate to adopt a baby after years of heartbreak and infertility.