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reader_fictions's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Vanished came in a package along with a Harper book they’d requested. Often, I’m not interested in the tagalong books, but sometimes you strike gold. I hadn’t requested Vanished or downloaded the egalley, because I had a bad feeling about it. Let’s be real, though: my bad feeling was that the cover reminded me heavily of a cover for a book that wasn’t for me. I almost vainished this book out of my mind. When it showed up, though, I looked it up, saw that it was lgbt, and determined that I simply had to give it a chance. Vanished by E. E. Cooper came out of left field and proved to be nigh unputdownable.
Here’s my pitch for Vanished: it’s Paper Towns meets Dangerous Girls. Neither of these books were actually huge hits with me, but the combination proved much more fascinating. To be clear, though, when I say Dangerous Girls, I’m not revealing the twisty bits, but the mystery and unreliable narrator aspects really brought that comparison to the forefront of my brain.
The opening of Vanished really brought John Green’s Paper Towns or Looking for Alaska to mind. Kalah has been accepted as a best friend by seniors Brit and Beth; they’re older, gorgeous, and popular. Being friends with Brit and Beth changes everything for Kalah. Beth and Kalah have a secret, though: they’ve been hooking up. Beth has a total mystery girl manic pixie vibe going, which, I have to admit, was probably my least favorite part. I find it a bit less annoying when she’s not just a vehicle to drive a boy’s development, but still.
Obviously I enjoyed the girl kissing bits but Vanished isn’t a romance. Heck, Kalah’s actually cheating on an incredibly sweet, wonderful guy with Beth, so it’s not exactly a book of good life choices. There’s actually a lot of infidelity going on in this book, but it’s not romanticized so it works. Come for the girls kissing; stay for the mystery.
The mystery plot takes a bit of time to really get rolling, but, once it did, I did not put the book down. Admittedly, I called one of the major twists, even without the accidental spoiler in the ARC version:Kalah thinks she’s been talking to Beth, but I knew it was Brit. Page 179 of the ARC says Brit instead of Beth is typing. Oops! However, I didn’t get the rest of the twists right, though I admit I like my version a bit better. To be fair, though, Cooper’s ending is darker, so I”m pretty happy with it, especially because we learn near the ends that Kalah may actually be the sort of crazy that could make this up. Unreliable narrators are such catnip. .
I love the way Cooper handles Kalah’s sexuality. There’s actually very little discussion of it in Vanished. She enjoys kissing her boyfriend and she enjoys kissing Beth, but she doesn’t know if she’s a lesbian, bisexual, or Bethsexual. So often books feel the need to slap a designation on sexuality, but Cooper leaves that open. Kalah, realistically, still needs to work out exactly who she is and what she wants. It’s not just Kalah but the other inclusions of LGBT relationships and tolerance that really made Vanished shine.
If you hear LGBT mystery and get excited, then you should very much be excited for Vanished. I’m very glad I fit it into my schedule despite mysteries not being my genre of choice.
Vanished came in a package along with a Harper book they’d requested. Often, I’m not interested in the tagalong books, but sometimes you strike gold. I hadn’t requested Vanished or downloaded the egalley, because I had a bad feeling about it. Let’s be real, though: my bad feeling was that the cover reminded me heavily of a cover for a book that wasn’t for me. I almost vainished this book out of my mind. When it showed up, though, I looked it up, saw that it was lgbt, and determined that I simply had to give it a chance. Vanished by E. E. Cooper came out of left field and proved to be nigh unputdownable.
Here’s my pitch for Vanished: it’s Paper Towns meets Dangerous Girls. Neither of these books were actually huge hits with me, but the combination proved much more fascinating. To be clear, though, when I say Dangerous Girls, I’m not revealing the twisty bits, but the mystery and unreliable narrator aspects really brought that comparison to the forefront of my brain.
The opening of Vanished really brought John Green’s Paper Towns or Looking for Alaska to mind. Kalah has been accepted as a best friend by seniors Brit and Beth; they’re older, gorgeous, and popular. Being friends with Brit and Beth changes everything for Kalah. Beth and Kalah have a secret, though: they’ve been hooking up. Beth has a total mystery girl manic pixie vibe going, which, I have to admit, was probably my least favorite part. I find it a bit less annoying when she’s not just a vehicle to drive a boy’s development, but still.
Obviously I enjoyed the girl kissing bits but Vanished isn’t a romance. Heck, Kalah’s actually cheating on an incredibly sweet, wonderful guy with Beth, so it’s not exactly a book of good life choices. There’s actually a lot of infidelity going on in this book, but it’s not romanticized so it works. Come for the girls kissing; stay for the mystery.
The mystery plot takes a bit of time to really get rolling, but, once it did, I did not put the book down. Admittedly, I called one of the major twists, even without the accidental spoiler in the ARC version:
I love the way Cooper handles Kalah’s sexuality. There’s actually very little discussion of it in Vanished. She enjoys kissing her boyfriend and she enjoys kissing Beth, but she doesn’t know if she’s a lesbian, bisexual, or Bethsexual. So often books feel the need to slap a designation on sexuality, but Cooper leaves that open. Kalah, realistically, still needs to work out exactly who she is and what she wants. It’s not just Kalah but the other inclusions of LGBT relationships and tolerance that really made Vanished shine.
If you hear LGBT mystery and get excited, then you should very much be excited for Vanished. I’m very glad I fit it into my schedule despite mysteries not being my genre of choice.
ruthsic's review
4.0
Vanished is a wonderfully crafted mystery that keeps pulling you in and on your toes throughout. The story starts out simple -three best friends, and our protagonist, Kalah, was the third one to add to the dynamic duo. She is younger than the two other girls - Beth and Brit, and while she feels a bit left out from much of their shared history, she is also secure in the knowledge that they both like her enough despite it. This story revolves around the dynamics of their friendship and the idea that perception, not the truth, determines reality.
While the mystery is definitely the selling point of the book, we have a great narrative being set up by virtue of our protagonist Kalah. She has a past history of mental illness; anxiety is her enemy but is also what is making her see beyond. Not to romanticize it, but she has a sharp mind that worries even when not needed. Her relationship with Zach and Beth pull at her; she loves them both, but strongly for the latter, and so feels guilty over the way she is treating the former. She is bisexual but there is no gay panic over it; it is treated normally like how you would treat a person cheating on one with another. Hiding behind her lie means she can't really come out with her suspicions immediately, and that's how involved the character design is in the plot progression. I really don't want to give the details of the actual mystery away, so all I'll say is that the ending was a teensy bit out of the normal, because I don't see the police not investigating that! Nevertheless, the story, and the book overall, make for a very engaging read.
Received a free galley from Katherine Tegen Books via Edelweiss.
While the mystery is definitely the selling point of the book, we have a great narrative being set up by virtue of our protagonist Kalah. She has a past history of mental illness; anxiety is her enemy but is also what is making her see beyond. Not to romanticize it, but she has a sharp mind that worries even when not needed. Her relationship with Zach and Beth pull at her; she loves them both, but strongly for the latter, and so feels guilty over the way she is treating the former. She is bisexual but there is no gay panic over it; it is treated normally like how you would treat a person cheating on one with another. Hiding behind her lie means she can't really come out with her suspicions immediately, and that's how involved the character design is in the plot progression. I really don't want to give the details of the actual mystery away, so all I'll say is that the ending was a teensy bit out of the normal, because I don't see the police not investigating that! Nevertheless, the story, and the book overall, make for a very engaging read.
Received a free galley from Katherine Tegen Books via Edelweiss.
majesdane's review
4.0
3.5, rounded up.
Is there a sequel to come? It feels like there should be a sequel.
Is there a sequel to come? It feels like there should be a sequel.
axs5609's review
3.0
Vanished is pretty well put together, with a tight, focused storyline that keeps you hooked. Cooper vividly portrays the emotions of the characters, and their responses to every twist and turn in the plot. The facts that Kalah is queer and has an anxiety disorder make it even more wonderful, because there is so little positive representation about them. Never once does the book suggest that it's something that makes Kalah lesser, that's it's something that needs to be fixed.
But as an Indian reader, Vanished feels... lackluster. Kalah reads like an American teenager with an unusual name, and the glimpses we get into her heritage are very superficial, and can be picked out of a Wikipedia page. There's something to be said for breaking Indian stereotypes, and plenty of diaspora kids immerse themselves into Western culture because they find their home there. But we get nothing on why this might be true of Kalah, and how it's a part of her identity - or her family's.
I'll be the first to admit, that's not the point of Vanished, but it wouldn't take much to go deeper. A reminiscence or more details about her family... Alas.
Still, it's a good book, and worth the read.
But as an Indian reader, Vanished feels... lackluster. Kalah reads like an American teenager with an unusual name, and the glimpses we get into her heritage are very superficial, and can be picked out of a Wikipedia page. There's something to be said for breaking Indian stereotypes, and plenty of diaspora kids immerse themselves into Western culture because they find their home there. But we get nothing on why this might be true of Kalah, and how it's a part of her identity - or her family's.
I'll be the first to admit, that's not the point of Vanished, but it wouldn't take much to go deeper. A reminiscence or more details about her family... Alas.
Still, it's a good book, and worth the read.
kimmym's review
3.0
(From www.pingwings.ca)
Received from the publisher, for free, for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Because of the Gone Girl and Pretty Little Liars mentions in the blurb, Vanished was a book I've had my eye on for a long time! When I finally got around to reading it, I couldn't put it down.
I loved the premise, and appreciated reading about someone who struggles with anxiety. I liked the mystery element and as Kalah investigated on her own, I too was trying to put the pieces together.
Some of the secondary characters, like Kalah's boyfriend, felt underdeveloped and uninteresting, and the ending left me wanting more. I wasn't really satisfied with the way the book ended, but I see on Goodreads that it's book number one in a series. I will definitely read the sequel!
I didn't love this book as much as I`d hoped I would, but I liked it. It was a fun, quick read.
Received from the publisher, for free, for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Because of the Gone Girl and Pretty Little Liars mentions in the blurb, Vanished was a book I've had my eye on for a long time! When I finally got around to reading it, I couldn't put it down.
I loved the premise, and appreciated reading about someone who struggles with anxiety. I liked the mystery element and as Kalah investigated on her own, I too was trying to put the pieces together.
Some of the secondary characters, like Kalah's boyfriend, felt underdeveloped and uninteresting, and the ending left me wanting more. I wasn't really satisfied with the way the book ended, but I see on Goodreads that it's book number one in a series. I will definitely read the sequel!
I didn't love this book as much as I`d hoped I would, but I liked it. It was a fun, quick read.
laurencebc1's review
4.0
I received a free copy via Edelweiss for review purposes
Slowly, Kalah is falling for Beth Taylor. But Beth is bad news. She likes to break hearts. Plus, Kalah has a boyfriend. Then Beth skips town and Kalah can't help but think it's something to do with their secret relationship. Beth's best friend, Britney, doesn't even know why she left. The rumor mill starts going and before you know it Beth's run off to be a movie star in New York, or got in trouble with a mob boss. But one of the rumors links Beth and Britney's boyfriend together and both Britney and Kalah feel betrayed. Then Britney's dead and Kalah is left alone, until Beth reaches out, but things aren't as they seem. Kalah becomes trapped in the middle of a net of deception and she must work out what's true and what's not.
Despite the slow start, Vanished turned into a really engaging mystery. I was prepared to give it three stars, but the last 50% or so was enough to put it up to four. Vanished wasn't overly clever, but enough to keep you on your toes and to keep you guessing.
I enjoyed the characters, though at times Kalah bordered on annoying. She pined over Beth and was pretty insistent she left because of her. Yet she was left alone so I can kind of understand why she attached herself to the idea of her and Beth. I wanted to see more of Beth because she was my favorite and seemed like such a dynamic character. Britney was another great character -- complex and intriguing.
What is also great about Vanished is that it's an LGBT book, and is one of a range of 2015 books that are including a lot more diverse and open characters.
Overall, a great mystery thriller that I would recommend to fans of Sara Shepard and the like.
Slowly, Kalah is falling for Beth Taylor. But Beth is bad news. She likes to break hearts. Plus, Kalah has a boyfriend. Then Beth skips town and Kalah can't help but think it's something to do with their secret relationship. Beth's best friend, Britney, doesn't even know why she left. The rumor mill starts going and before you know it Beth's run off to be a movie star in New York, or got in trouble with a mob boss. But one of the rumors links Beth and Britney's boyfriend together and both Britney and Kalah feel betrayed. Then Britney's dead and Kalah is left alone, until Beth reaches out, but things aren't as they seem. Kalah becomes trapped in the middle of a net of deception and she must work out what's true and what's not.
Despite the slow start, Vanished turned into a really engaging mystery. I was prepared to give it three stars, but the last 50% or so was enough to put it up to four. Vanished wasn't overly clever, but enough to keep you on your toes and to keep you guessing.
I enjoyed the characters, though at times Kalah bordered on annoying. She pined over Beth and was pretty insistent she left because of her. Yet she was left alone so I can kind of understand why she attached herself to the idea of her and Beth. I wanted to see more of Beth because she was my favorite and seemed like such a dynamic character. Britney was another great character -- complex and intriguing.
What is also great about Vanished is that it's an LGBT book, and is one of a range of 2015 books that are including a lot more diverse and open characters.
Overall, a great mystery thriller that I would recommend to fans of Sara Shepard and the like.
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