Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Second Child

By: Caroline Bond
Narrated by: Antonia Beamish
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £13.99

Buy Now for £13.99

Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Why do you love your child? Is it because they're a straight A student, a talented footballer? Or is it simply because they're yours? Sarah and Phil love both their children, James and Lauren. The couple have the same hopes and aspirations as any parent. But their expectations are shattered when they discover that their perfect baby daughter has been born with a flaw; a tiny, but life-changing glitch that is destined to shape her future, and theirs, irrevocably. Over time the family adapt and even thrive. Then one day a blood test casts doubt on the very basis of their family. Lauren is not Phil's child. Suddenly, their precious family is on the brink of destruction. But the truth they face is far more complex and challenging than simple infidelity. It tests their capacity to love, each other and their children, and it raises the question of what makes – and what breaks – a family.
©2018 Caroline Bond (P)2018 Bolinda Publishing
Family Life Fiction Medical Women's Fiction Thought-Provoking
Show More Show Less
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Another Woman’s Child cover art
The Secret Child cover art
The Forgotten Sister cover art
My Husband's Wife cover art
The Mother I Could Have Been cover art
One Split Second cover art
After the Lie cover art
Other People's Marriages cover art
The Woman I Was Before cover art
The Silent Wife cover art
The Other Son cover art
Three-and-a-Half Heartbeats cover art
Tiny Acts of Love cover art
Cry Baby cover art
The Marriage Mender cover art
And Then it Happened cover art

Critic reviews

'Caroline Bond takes a complex situation and has written a thoughtful, wrenching and, at times, tear-jerking novel.' (Elizabeth Buchan)
'I stayed up long into the night to finish The Second Child ... a carefully crafted and utterly compelling tale of lost opportunity and impossible choices.' (Amanda Brooke, internationally bestselling author)
'I was so invested in every word of this novel. An unthinkable situation, but highly believable, this story is spellbinding, real, and brilliantly written. I felt for every character. It mines the depth of every possible human emotion. Caroline Bond will go far. ' (Carol Mason)

What listeners say about The Second Child

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    165
  • 4 Stars
    94
  • 3 Stars
    32
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    168
  • 4 Stars
    67
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    157
  • 4 Stars
    73
  • 3 Stars
    29
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Sandy Frew

Superb listen

What a brilliant book this was. My fist experience of this author, but it won’t be my last. Storytelling at its finest with such a well thought out plot. Had me intrigued from the first to the very last page.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Hilary A.

Good story. Slightly slow

An enjoyable story. Slightly slow and ponderously told. Lets you into the life of a family with complex problems leaves you annoyingly on a cliff edge at the end.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Amazon Customer

A tangled web of family relationships

This was a gripping read with twist and turns along the way and I recommend

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Teddi

Really enjoyable book

I would definitely recommend The Second Child - a perfect book to take on your holiday .

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Joanne Munyard

Excellent, completely different theme

Brilliant story - so different from the usual themes on offer. The characters were easy to imagine without too much unnecessary description and the story flowed really well .

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for AdamH

enjoyable but it has been done before

easy read author has great potential. although story has been done before. with boys

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for MISS E HAYES

A must read

Surprisingly brilliant! And unexpected even mesmerising. A very good listen indeed… left me tearful at the end.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Miss M

Absolutely beautiful

This book was captivating from the get go. You could feel for each of the characters. The plot was really interesting. Loved it!

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for G. Rance

Excellent read.

I so enjoyed listening to this book, telling the story of two families who came home with the with the wrong babies and how they tried to cone to terms with that and deal with the fallout. Really well written . Recommended

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Jennywren 54

A wonderful story

This is my first review
The story is an emotional and well executed one It looks at everyone’s perspective and feeling throughout throughout and made me think of my reactions in the same scenario
Well worth a listen and narrated very well

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!