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dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love how this book is separated into chapters in both the "girl's" perspective as well as Drew's. This book had me going through a range of emotions. Anxious, sad, heartbroken, hopeful.... It was really well written!
Drew, as the boyfriend of the missing girl, unfortunately has been the point of blame for the town and the sheriff. The girl with no memory is learning more about herself as experiences give her clues as to who she is before her "accident." The balance between their two perspectives really helps shape this story piece by piece!
Drew, as the boyfriend of the missing girl, unfortunately has been the point of blame for the town and the sheriff. The girl with no memory is learning more about herself as experiences give her clues as to who she is before her "accident." The balance between their two perspectives really helps shape this story piece by piece!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder
Minor: Car accident
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping
Moderate: Death
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
i just finished this book and i am absolutely not okay. the story is told in two alternative pov’s—the first pov follows a girl who wakes up in a ditch on the side of the road and is found by a police officer, but she doesn’t remember anything, not even her name. but then a man comes in the police station claiming she is his daughter, mary, and he has proof. and the second pov revolves around drew, whose life changed weeks ago after his girlfriend, lola, disappeared. he hasn’t been 100% truthful about the last night he saw her, not with anyone, not even the police, and now the guilt is eating away with him. making matters worse, the whole town, even the people he considered friends, seem to think he is responsible for her disappearance.
“everything feels far away, like the whole world took a step back, and i can’t reach anything that makes sense anymore.”
this is one of the novels that offers a superb depiction of a dark mystery. i was also impressed to know that this book is megan lally’s debut novel. the plot was skillfully constructed, and the writing style alongside the pacing was also commendable. yes, there were some dull stretches in the first half that caused to pause occasionally, but u believe it was partly my fault as i read the story during a reading slump, making it hard for me to engage and i sometimes find it uninteresting. however, things improved significantly when i read the second half. one thing i truly appreciated was the team-up between drew, autumn, and max in uncovering the truth behind their friend’s disappearance. i found several parts and characters quite hilarious—especially max and his one-liners that made me genuinely laugh. while there were funny moments, much of the content in this book is too unsettling and impactful for me. the entire plot evoked a range of emotions i didn't anticipate experiencing from a book.
overall, i rated this book 3.5 stars. although i struggled to appreciate the first few chapters, the storyline’s concept still captivated me, and the ending damaged me in inexplicable ways. it was a profoundly tragic, dark, and devastating read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Death, Stalking
Minor: Gore, Miscarriage, Blood
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was marketed as a ‘young adult’ thriller, but it felt just as readable for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers.
I found this to be a very quick read, which was exactly what I was looking for. The story was full of suspense and perhaps I’m an idiot, but I didn’t see the twist at the end coming. I was shocked reading those 3 words from Drew.
The only character I didn’t like was the Sheriff, I was disappointed he didn’t get a well deserved kick up the a**. I’ve probably watched too many True Crime documentaries with corrupt or negligent police.
A good book for a reading slump but possibly the wrong book for any paranoid parents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Gaslighting
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Kidnapping, Car accident, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Violence, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm going to be as kind as I can because this is a debut novel, and I don't like to be mean!
I did not enjoy this. I finished it, because I wanted to know what happened, and the ending did catch me by surprise, so there's that. The plot was cohesive and made sense.
However, Lally's writing reminds me a lot of my own writing back when I was still wanting to be a fiction author - and this is not a compliment by any means. There is a reason I stopped writing fiction, and thank God none of it was published. The writing was just so poor, and I know it's a young adult novel - but I've read middle grade that is written incredibly beautifully, so that's really not a good excuse to me.
I also hated the characters, just about all of them. Drew's gay parents and mixed raced family just felt like tokens, like Lally was crossing things off a checklist.
All that being said, again, the plot was just fine and it was an easy read (too easy) but I definitely was let down by the high ratings this novel is getting. Also, too many grammatical errors for my taste.
I did not enjoy this. I finished it, because I wanted to know what happened, and the ending did catch me by surprise, so there's that. The plot was cohesive and made sense.
However, Lally's writing reminds me a lot of my own writing back when I was still wanting to be a fiction author - and this is not a compliment by any means. There is a reason I stopped writing fiction, and thank God none of it was published. The writing was just so poor, and I know it's a young adult novel - but I've read middle grade that is written incredibly beautifully, so that's really not a good excuse to me.
I also hated the characters, just about all of them. Drew's gay parents and mixed raced family just felt like tokens, like Lally was crossing things off a checklist.
All that being said, again, the plot was just fine and it was an easy read (too easy) but I definitely was let down by the high ratings this novel is getting. Also, too many grammatical errors for my taste.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Violence, Medical content