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stellabyproxy's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Rachel Price has been missing for sixteen year and suddenly makes a reappearance, just as her daughter, Annabel Price — known as Bel — and family are filming a documentary about her disappearance. this reappearance brings with it many emotions of anger, sadness, joy and grief from Bel, who was abandoned in a car at only 2 years old on the day her mother was kidnapped. the shadows of family secrets and mysteries is a difficult place to grow up in, and as the lights (camera, bitch smile) are shone on this family, what seems to be a happy conclusion is only the beginning.
i enjoyed every second of seeing Bel messily navigate having her mother back, the scepticism surrounding her return, and the drama that came with it. from the shadows, she found her light, and beautifully blossomed. and her sleuthing similarities to Pip (AGGGTM) were nothing like i’d expected and more than i could’ve hoped for.
as a gnostic theist, i rarely bring religious lore into things, however to truly sum up this novel:
Luke 8:17
“For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”
Graphic: Abandonment, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Minor: Stalking, Infertility, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
hal00alex's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Stalking, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Dementia, Infertility, Vomit, Violence, and Murder
linnea1801's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Murder, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Eating disorder, Confinement, Infertility, and Death of parent
hannahsbookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Great YA thriller for teens and adults alike.
Holly Jackson remains an "autobuy author" for me.
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Infertility and Gaslighting
colorcrystals's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Dementia, Stalking, Gaslighting, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Infertility, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
emsbookishness's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
This book was absolutely amazing and kept me guessing until the very end. It had a really interesting premise that left me not really knowing what to expect. I loved the messy family dynamics and how unhinged everything played out. I had some suspicions that were partly right, but I couldn’t have predicted how everything played out. In true Holly Jackson fashion all the random clues she dropped now tie together perfectly and make so much sense looking back, I was trying to keep track of all the random details and still kept missing them.
The main character, Bel, was an interesting one. She could be hard to read about at times as she purposefully drove people away, but it was interesting to see how the disappearance of her mom when she was young affected her life and psyche. I did love her growth and that she realized she was wrong about things. I obviously loved Ash, the golden retriever camera assistant, who was all too willing to go along with Bel’s crazy antics.
Totally recommend if you want a good mystery to read, once you reach the second half of the book you won’t want to put it down!
Moderate: Abandonment and Kidnapping
Minor: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Eating disorder, Violence, and Murder
emmajh91's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Physical abuse, Violence, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Dementia, Murder, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
lilshelly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Murder, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Violence, and Dementia
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
glutenfreebread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm super conflicted, my heart likes this book, but my head just can't stop being nitpicky.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Death, Emotional abuse, Dementia, Abandonment, and Confinement
Moderate: Cursing, Gaslighting, Stalking, Pregnancy, Blood, and Infertility
Minor: Alcohol
mrsmishler's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Gaslighting and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Murder
Minor: Infertility