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courtnetto's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What an enjoyable read this book was, I was so hooked with it and just didn't want to put it down! Every chapter there was a new twist which just added more and more suspense the more you read. The book follows Annabel (Bel) Price as she adjusts to life with her Mom, Rachel back in the picture after everyone believed she was dead for 16 whole years. But where was she that whole time? Who had her?
I honestly couldn't guess what was going to happen next, which is what made it the ultimate 5 star read for me. I audibly gasped a number of times as I read this book, as I didn't expect what happened.
Finding out Bel wasn't an only sibling, to finding out that it was Bel's Grandpa who had Rachel held captive, to finding out it was because Charlie wanted her killed! It was just never ending twists and turns, making it all the more enjoyable for me personally. Bel was a little bit annoying as she continuously just accused her Mom of lying without actually sitting down with her properly and talking through everything, or beginning to assume that the Pink sock she found in Rachel's bedside table was hers as a baby when it may not actually have been.
Bel does, however, have a lovely relationship with her "cousin", Carter and one of the assistants for the documentary, Ash even when her Dad tells her to stay away from him.
The book even gives some backstory to the first disappearance which is a great insight and doesn't leave you guessing how they disappeared from that location. Not only is Bel very smart and able to work out the lies she is being told, but Carter is also very smart and begins to wonder whether her parents are actually her parents, thus doing a DNA Ancestry test to really find out once and for all who her real parents are. It appears that around half of the Price family knew of Rachel's whereabouts but were lying through the skin of their teeth about knowing anything, as well as a former colleague of Rachel potentially knowing something!
I would 100% read this book again, I loved the suspense and the constant twists while trying to guess what was going to happen next. Holly Jackson never fails!
I honestly couldn't guess what was going to happen next, which is what made it the ultimate 5 star read for me. I audibly gasped a number of times as I read this book, as I didn't expect what happened.
Finding out Bel wasn't an only sibling, to finding out that it was Bel's Grandpa who had Rachel held captive, to finding out it was because Charlie wanted her killed! It was just never ending twists and turns, making it all the more enjoyable for me personally. Bel was a little bit annoying as she continuously just accused her Mom of lying without actually sitting down with her properly and talking through everything, or beginning to assume that the Pink sock she found in Rachel's bedside table was hers as a baby when it may not actually have been.
Bel does, however, have a lovely relationship with her "cousin", Carter and one of the assistants for the documentary, Ash even when her Dad tells her to stay away from him.
The book even gives some backstory to the first disappearance which is a great insight and doesn't leave you guessing how they disappeared from that location. Not only is Bel very smart and able to work out the lies she is being told, but Carter is also very smart and begins to wonder whether her parents are actually her parents, thus doing a DNA Ancestry test to really find out once and for all who her real parents are. It appears that around half of the Price family knew of Rachel's whereabouts but were lying through the skin of their teeth about knowing anything, as well as a former colleague of Rachel potentially knowing something!
I would 100% read this book again, I loved the suspense and the constant twists while trying to guess what was going to happen next. Holly Jackson never fails!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Confinement, Death, and Kidnapping
s_green217's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Dementia
parsbooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Confinement
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Toxic relationship
rhiwind93's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, and Emotional abuse
bridget_magpie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was so excited to read this book. I love Holly Jackson’s style, she easily win me with AGGGTM. I really liked this book, there was so much suspense and mystery and I really didn’t expect what really happened. The story is great, but I wasn’t absolutely fan of the ending. Something about it just didn’t feel right with me. Saying all that, this is easily a strong 4 star novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Abandonment, Death, Kidnapping, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Dementia, and Murder
Minor: Bullying, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, Stalking, and Pregnancy
nrogers_1030's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Kidnapping, Violence, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Moderate: Stalking, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Dementia
Minor: Infertility and Pregnancy
kitkatkatdog's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved it, what a great addition to my Holly Jackson collection. Enjoyed the twists and they just wouldn’t stop. It was a great read, I love a good mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Abandonment, and Cursing
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Car accident, Murder, Death, Dementia, Gaslighting, Violence, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Infertility
jaylulah26's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Murder
Moderate: Gaslighting, Stalking, Dementia, and Violence
wylanslcve's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
the funny thing about this book is that, even though I'd already pieced together 85% of what really happened fairly early on, holly jackson somehow managed to confuse me and make me second-guess myself consistently throughout this book in typical holly jackson fashion but honestly? I'm not complaining - this book is incredible in every sense of the word. it's very much what you'd expect there to be in one of jackson's books, filled with twists and turns and a meticulously-crafted mystery that left me completely hooked. seriously, I powered through most of the second half of this book in a single day, which is unusual for me nowadays. I do, however, have a couple of gripes with this one because no book is perfect and you need to be able to critically evaluate the media you're consuming, especially if it's media you enjoy:
1) the romance in this felt underdeveloped and frankly a bit forced. the chemistry between the two characters comes out of nowhere given how their dynamic never really changes over the course of the book, and even though it was sweet I didn't really care for it because of how little relationship development there is between them. they still felt like strangers to each other (at least, from my perspective) and it seemed like the only reason they were even paired with each other is because the love interest was the only age-appropriate person within bel's proximity.
2) I had a similar issue with some of jackson's other books (namely a good girl's guide to murder since the structure of the reappearance of rachel price is more similar to that than five survive), but it felt like most of the people were giving information up way too easily. I know bel is characterised as a persistent, "doesn't take no for an answer" type of person, but the way people were giving her the information she needed almost instantaneously without bel having to put up much of a fight felt extremely unrealistic to me. I get it, it's fiction, it's ya, it's meant to be unrealistic, but it still bothered me.
regardless, this book did not disappoint and holly jackson remains an instant-read author for me!
1) the romance in this felt underdeveloped and frankly a bit forced. the chemistry between the two characters comes out of nowhere given how their dynamic never really changes over the course of the book, and even though it was sweet I didn't really care for it because of how little relationship development there is between them. they still felt like strangers to each other (at least, from my perspective) and it seemed like the only reason they were even paired with each other is because the love interest was the only age-appropriate person within bel's proximity.
2) I had a similar issue with some of jackson's other books (namely a good girl's guide to murder since the structure of the reappearance of rachel price is more similar to that than five survive), but it felt like most of the people were giving information up way too easily. I know bel is characterised as a persistent, "doesn't take no for an answer" type of person, but the way people were giving her the information she needed almost instantaneously without bel having to put up much of a fight felt extremely unrealistic to me. I get it, it's fiction, it's ya, it's meant to be unrealistic, but it still bothered me.
regardless, this book did not disappoint and holly jackson remains an instant-read author for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Grief, Death, Torture, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Stalking, Violence, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Dementia, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
the_readingraven's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Wooooow. I don't even know how to rate this!
Things I have to get off my chest first!
1. I could hardly stand Belle, our FMC. lmao She was so annoying to me and I couldn't understand her whole "Everyone ends up leaving" attitude. Like, girly for real, your mother DISAPPEARED! Why do you assume she up and walked away?? Bffr! I also hated that she demanded to know stuff but then she was like, "omg I don't wanna be around that person, let me ignore them and run off!" Ugh, it wasn't until the big reveal that I finally started liking her!
2. I was hoping"Taco Bell Girl" would have a special appearance. Justice for her! Also, why didn't Belle confront her dad about this!? He better own his actions!
3. I read this one with my ears so Ash, the young love interest, had the same voice and accent as the older guy filming the documentary. Whenever Belle was flirting with Ash, I pictured her flirting with Albert Einstien lmfao. For some reason, Ash was pictured in my head as Archie Madekwe, so I am down with that.
Overall, I was STUNNED at the reveals! It came out like lava! I had an idea but also had no clue! The last 10 chapters had me sooo pulled in! I'm still in shock that it's over. I wanna give this 5 stars but not an "omg best book ever, everyone read" 5 stars. It's more like a "wow, this gave me a lot of emotions and I hate most of you, what is this?!" 5 stars.
Things I have to get off my chest first!
1. I could hardly stand Belle, our FMC. lmao She was so annoying to me and I couldn't understand her whole "Everyone ends up leaving" attitude. Like, girly for real, your mother DISAPPEARED! Why do you assume she up and walked away?? Bffr! I also hated that she demanded to know stuff but then she was like, "omg I don't wanna be around that person, let me ignore them and run off!" Ugh, it wasn't until the big reveal that I finally started liking her!
2. I was hoping
3. I read this one with my ears so Ash, the young love interest, had the same voice and accent as the older guy filming the documentary. Whenever Belle was flirting with Ash, I pictured her flirting with Albert Einstien lmfao. For some reason, Ash was pictured in my head as Archie Madekwe, so I am down with that.
Overall, I was STUNNED at the reveals! It came out like lava! I had an idea but also had no clue! The last 10 chapters had me sooo pulled in! I'm still in shock that it's over. I wanna give this 5 stars but not an "omg best book ever, everyone read" 5 stars. It's more like a "wow, this gave me a lot of emotions and I hate most of you, what is this?!" 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Violence, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail