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purpledaisies's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
melkirkman's review
5.0
I loved this book. It had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning wanting to know what really happened. BUT who can really say what happened except for those who were there?
Definite must read for thriller fans!
Definite must read for thriller fans!
wolfshine's review
5.0
As I’ve come to expect with Miss Lynch’s books, this is another story that’ll have you holding your breath, waiting for answers.
Emily never wanted to go back home. For her, home has too many memories, both those she can remember and those she can’t. When her sister, Madeline, asks her to come visit, she feels like enough time has passed, and she’s ready to face her demons. At first, she’s not sure what she had been so afraid of. Then Madeline disappears in the middle of the night. Desperate to find her sister, Emily is plunged into not only her own secrets, but the secrets of the entire town.
I think my favorite part of this story was how the plot was woven together so delicately with such complex characters. There wasn’t one mystery that was solved in the story, but two. Everyone had a secret, and I loved the way that separate demons worked in such harmony. I honestly didn’t see any of the ending coming. The person who I thought was the villain of the story wasn’t as bad of a person at all.
Gripping from start to finish.
Narration complimented the story well.
Emily never wanted to go back home. For her, home has too many memories, both those she can remember and those she can’t. When her sister, Madeline, asks her to come visit, she feels like enough time has passed, and she’s ready to face her demons. At first, she’s not sure what she had been so afraid of. Then Madeline disappears in the middle of the night. Desperate to find her sister, Emily is plunged into not only her own secrets, but the secrets of the entire town.
I think my favorite part of this story was how the plot was woven together so delicately with such complex characters. There wasn’t one mystery that was solved in the story, but two. Everyone had a secret, and I loved the way that separate demons worked in such harmony. I honestly didn’t see any of the ending coming. The person who I thought was the villain of the story wasn’t as bad of a person at all.
Gripping from start to finish.
Narration complimented the story well.
porschefreund24's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
eserafina42's review
3.0
Estranged from her father and sister since their parents’ divorce years ago, Emily Ashburn, who did not even come back for her father’s funeral, reluctantly returns to her hometown of Bare Borders at her sister Madeline’s request. Madeline says that she has something important to tell Emily, but the next morning she disappears, leaving her two children behind with their aunt, who has literally just met them for the first time. Sure that her sister never would have willingly abandoned her children, Emily desperately begins a search for her.
What has happened to Madeline? What does the mysterious - and seemingly threatening - message on Facebook from her high school friend mean? Does the disappearance of one of Emily’s classmates 20 years earlier and a mysterious injury that Emily suffered around the same time in the woods near their home have any bearing on current day events?
On the whole, this book was well plotted and I didn’t guess the solution to the mystery, although I had a general idea of what might have happened to Madeline using some logic and a process of elimination. I really liked Madeline’s children, Shelley and Ben. However, I found the character of Emily herself to be somewhat problematic. For a woman who is presumably in her 30s and has been on her own for probably half her life (without any support from family or friends, apparently), she seemed to be rather immature and unable to accept any responsibility for things that went wrong in her life, although she may have changed and grown some by the end of the book. Her problems with relationships were the fault of her boyfriend standing her up at her high school prom. She had lost her job because people at her workplace were out to get her - although this may, of course, have been true. But the way she essentially takes over the investigation, rushing in where angels fear to tread, searching a crime scene and removing evidence before calling the police, telling the police how to run the investigation when, given how long she’s been away, it’s hard to argue that she really knows any more than they do about her sister, and certainly less about criminal investigation, annoyed me. I’m also a little sick of the whole trope where the cop in charge of the case turns out to be the protagonist’s ex, with whom she had a bad breakup years ago, but miraculously the spark is still there. The standard “protagonist stupidly walks into a situation where she puts herself in the killer’s power” section also wound up way too quickly and neatly, in my opinion.
Despite what I perceived to be these flaws, however, the book is a quick and enjoyable read.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What has happened to Madeline? What does the mysterious - and seemingly threatening - message on Facebook from her high school friend mean? Does the disappearance of one of Emily’s classmates 20 years earlier and a mysterious injury that Emily suffered around the same time in the woods near their home have any bearing on current day events?
On the whole, this book was well plotted and I didn’t guess the solution to the mystery, although I had a general idea of what might have happened to Madeline using some logic and a process of elimination. I really liked Madeline’s children, Shelley and Ben. However, I found the character of Emily herself to be somewhat problematic. For a woman who is presumably in her 30s and has been on her own for probably half her life (without any support from family or friends, apparently), she seemed to be rather immature and unable to accept any responsibility for things that went wrong in her life, although she may have changed and grown some by the end of the book. Her problems with relationships were the fault of her boyfriend standing her up at her high school prom. She had lost her job because people at her workplace were out to get her - although this may, of course, have been true. But the way she essentially takes over the investigation, rushing in where angels fear to tread, searching a crime scene and removing evidence before calling the police, telling the police how to run the investigation when, given how long she’s been away, it’s hard to argue that she really knows any more than they do about her sister, and certainly less about criminal investigation, annoyed me. I’m also a little sick of the whole trope where the cop in charge of the case turns out to be the protagonist’s ex, with whom she had a bad breakup years ago, but miraculously the spark is still there. The standard “protagonist stupidly walks into a situation where she puts herself in the killer’s power” section also wound up way too quickly and neatly, in my opinion.
Despite what I perceived to be these flaws, however, the book is a quick and enjoyable read.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
mandylovestoread's review
4.0
My Sister is Missing by Carissa Ann Lynch is a short book but so much happens in the 197 pages. It is a page turner and I read it all in one sitting. I was hooked from the beginning and didn't see the ending coming at all.
Emily is returning to her hometown for the first time in 9 years at the request of her sister Madeline. She meets her niece and nephew for the first time and learns that her sisters marriage is over. She agrees to stay for a little while to help Madi with the kids but the town holds bad memories for her. When she wakes the next morning her sister is gone without a trace. She starts to look for her and begins to uncover secrets from the past - things that she never dreamed could be true.
A fast paced story that will keep you guessing. Thanks to Harper Impulse/Killer Reads for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
Emily is returning to her hometown for the first time in 9 years at the request of her sister Madeline. She meets her niece and nephew for the first time and learns that her sisters marriage is over. She agrees to stay for a little while to help Madi with the kids but the town holds bad memories for her. When she wakes the next morning her sister is gone without a trace. She starts to look for her and begins to uncover secrets from the past - things that she never dreamed could be true.
A fast paced story that will keep you guessing. Thanks to Harper Impulse/Killer Reads for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
mgnstwrt19's review
4.0
Quick read, interesting twist
Decent story, i was frustrated trying to figure out what happened! There was no indication of how it would end, which i really enjoyed. A free things were a little predictable, and some extra twists were kind of unnecessary... Overall, though. Recommended.
Decent story, i was frustrated trying to figure out what happened! There was no indication of how it would end, which i really enjoyed. A free things were a little predictable, and some extra twists were kind of unnecessary... Overall, though. Recommended.
apagetoturn's review
5.0
HOLY CRAP, you guys! This book took me on a wild ride, making me question every single character and situation the whole way through. The tagline on the cover is what drew me in. There were little hints along the way that built this story, so many little things that started to tick off this list of what COULD of happened to Madi. Emily is the sister I would of been, the super sleuth, investigating for myself. I spent most of the chapters making up all these scenarios... mentally keeping track of all the big and small clues...and once I started getting real answers, I was bouncing in my seat to watch it all unfold and fill in all these holes of information that was missing. I was in complete shock at the admissions of some of these characters. This book was a movie in my head telling the story from an investigative mind, and it played out so perfectly. The author took so much care in crafting a perfect crime, and I was left guessing the events of what happened up until the very end.