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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
A woman named Meredith goes missing, along with her young daughter, Delilah, and when she is later found, all evidence points to suicide, but her daughter remains missing, gone without a trace. Years later, a girl matching Delilah's age and description escapes her abusive captors and is returned home to her broken family. Can the traumatized girl be relied upon to shed light on what really happened all those years ago or is the truth something too horrible to uncover?
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Largely split between three POVs on different timelines, we slowly learn the awful, unthinkable truth of what happened to these women. Leading up to her disappearance, Meredith recounts her family life and the irrational fears she had been experiencing. And following it, her neighbor, Kate, takes it upon herself to investigate what really happened. Years later, Meredith's son Leo grapples with the reappearance of his sister and the reexamining of a traumatic event that had altered his life so long ago. Unfortunately, I felt like Meredith's POV was the only one that really held any importance. Kate's takes you on a wild goose chase and had me questioning her sanity (esp the scene with the gynecologist). Leo's sets a jaded and uncomfortable tone, but not enough to foster the doubt it is meant to.
.
Overall, I felt that the author definitely builds suspense with Meredith's anxiety and the creepy events leading up to her disappearance. While the POVs of the other missing characters provided some gruesome and haunting scenes, I felt like they were eventually forgotten. The twist at the end is surprising, but not in a good way. It didn't feel like it was set up appropriately and the motive wasn't believable. It didn't have me feeling like "oh it all makes sense now." I was just like... what the f***!
.
Largely split between three POVs on different timelines, we slowly learn the awful, unthinkable truth of what happened to these women. Leading up to her disappearance, Meredith recounts her family life and the irrational fears she had been experiencing. And following it, her neighbor, Kate, takes it upon herself to investigate what really happened. Years later, Meredith's son Leo grapples with the reappearance of his sister and the reexamining of a traumatic event that had altered his life so long ago. Unfortunately, I felt like Meredith's POV was the only one that really held any importance. Kate's takes you on a wild goose chase and had me questioning her sanity (esp the scene with the gynecologist). Leo's sets a jaded and uncomfortable tone, but not enough to foster the doubt it is meant to.
.
Overall, I felt that the author definitely builds suspense with Meredith's anxiety and the creepy events leading up to her disappearance. While the POVs of the other missing characters provided some gruesome and haunting scenes, I felt like they were eventually forgotten. The twist at the end is surprising, but not in a good way. It didn't feel like it was set up appropriately and the motive wasn't believable. It didn't have me feeling like "oh it all makes sense now." I was just like... what the f***!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
I LOVED the first ¾ of this book. The story was gripping and the characters were well developed. I was sucked into the story and didn’t want to read too fast because I didn’t want it to end.
Then it started to unravel.
Then it started to unravel.
dark
tense
fast-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
I did not enjoy this author’s writing style. It was simplistic and I hate when authors write stupid women. There’s no nice way to say this but Meredith is an idiot who is incapable of making a decision for herself and if she does, it’s guaranteed to be a bad one. It is difficult to root for a character when you are continually rolling your eyes at everything they do. The story is completely implausible. Would not recommend.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very thrilling, I was on the edge of my seat!
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated