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3.09 AVERAGE
3.09 AVERAGE
This book had me at true crime podcast… and didn’t let go from there… yea, it’s totally left me wondering about these fictional characters and the ending was a total mind f
I truly have no idea what happened at the end of this. It was confusing.
This book landed on a lot of lists months before it came out, as a book to read. The description may be one thing, but the story and execution was another. Now the writing itself was actually quite good in many parts, the story was just so insane with unlikable characters and an unreliable narrative that made it difficult for me to give this book 3 stars.
Sera is mourning the loss of a miscarriage and failed marriage as well as several dead end jobs as she never finished college and didn't have any direction. Except for this podcast about missing women in a small town in Northern California, by a Rachel Bard. Sera Fleece is obsessed with this podcast to the point of knowing the episodes inside and out memorized. She gets "concerned" after the podcast stops producing new episodes just after Easter. By May, Sera impulsively leaves her job and apartment behind to find Rachel, convinced she's in trouble and needs Sera's help. There is some kind of arrogance or stupidity in that belief since Sera has no detective skills other than listening to a podcast. But she ambushes the small town near the ranch where she is treated like an outsider in "Happy Camp". Then she wrangles a job from Rachel's mom Addy. The entire time she is there, weird things happen and I don't understand why Sera doesn't just leave. Plus people start calling Sera by Rachel's name and she doesn't correct them, bizarrely she likes it. Even more so the 2nd person narrative just doesn't work here. Especially because it makes me think of Joe Goldberg and Sera acts like she knows Rachel even though she's never met her. Even at the end, with the big crescendo, nothing makes sense. How does Rachel fit into this story? She dominates it without being much of an actual presence. The ending too was very abrupt and left things unsolved or unresolved. Much like a French film. The key thing I want to point out is Rachel telling Sera that her mother's child is a serial killer, but does not say her brother, and that's for a reason. This book was disappointing because it could have been something interesting if you actually explored a Podcaster who WANTS to find missing women not use as a cover to make women disappear. And if it was a trick, it could have been executed much better.
TW for animal abuse.
Sera is mourning the loss of a miscarriage and failed marriage as well as several dead end jobs as she never finished college and didn't have any direction. Except for this podcast about missing women in a small town in Northern California, by a Rachel Bard. Sera Fleece is obsessed with this podcast to the point of knowing the episodes inside and out memorized. She gets "concerned" after the podcast stops producing new episodes just after Easter. By May, Sera impulsively leaves her job and apartment behind to find Rachel, convinced she's in trouble and needs Sera's help. There is some kind of arrogance or stupidity in that belief since Sera has no detective skills other than listening to a podcast. But she ambushes the small town near the ranch where she is treated like an outsider in "Happy Camp". Then she wrangles a job from Rachel's mom Addy. The entire time she is there, weird things happen and I don't understand why Sera doesn't just leave. Plus people start calling Sera by Rachel's name and she doesn't correct them, bizarrely she likes it. Even more so the 2nd person narrative just doesn't work here. Especially because it makes me think of Joe Goldberg and Sera acts like she knows Rachel even though she's never met her. Even at the end, with the big crescendo, nothing makes sense. How does Rachel fit into this story? She dominates it without being much of an actual presence. The ending too was very abrupt and left things unsolved or unresolved. Much like a French film. The key thing I want to point out is Rachel telling Sera that her mother's child is a serial killer, but does not say her brother, and that's for a reason. This book was disappointing because it could have been something interesting if you actually explored a Podcaster who WANTS to find missing women not use as a cover to make women disappear. And if it was a trick, it could have been executed much better.
TW for animal abuse.
It was a little unusual. I couldn't tell if I was in the head of a stalker, someone who had mental health issues, or someone who was credible.
This book took me a while to get through for sure. It starts out slow, like any book does to create a story and a picture for the reader. The main character, Sera, was just a women trying to disappear, and in that, she surrounded herself with chaos. Her plans were always clear, though. Find Rachel.
In doing this, you meet a plethora of wacky and wild characters, ones you always keep in the back of your mind as possible suspects throughout the novel. They create suspicion around the people you most and least suspect which truly gets your mind whirling. I will say, I wasn’t a huge fan of Sera. She was nosy and didn’t seem to have an actual care or feelings towards the other characters, regardless of how innocent or helpful they may have been.
And honestly? I won’t say much but Jed deserved better. He was one definitely a favorite for me and I felt like Eliza didn’t do him justice.
The ended was what I needed after pacing my room the last 65 pages of the book. It left mystery for the reader without leaving questions, if that makes sense. It all came together but it felt rushed? It felt like Eliza could have spread the final few chapters out a bit more but instead, it felt like a summary and then a final twist of the knife during that last few pages.
I will say, a super fun read if you love plot twists and who-done-it type novels.
In doing this, you meet a plethora of wacky and wild characters, ones you always keep in the back of your mind as possible suspects throughout the novel. They create suspicion around the people you most and least suspect which truly gets your mind whirling. I will say, I wasn’t a huge fan of Sera. She was nosy and didn’t seem to have an actual care or feelings towards the other characters, regardless of how innocent or helpful they may have been.
And honestly? I won’t say much but Jed deserved better. He was one definitely a favorite for me and I felt like Eliza didn’t do him justice.
The ended was what I needed after pacing my room the last 65 pages of the book. It left mystery for the reader without leaving questions, if that makes sense. It all came together but it felt rushed? It felt like Eliza could have spread the final few chapters out a bit more but instead, it felt like a summary and then a final twist of the knife during that last few pages.
I will say, a super fun read if you love plot twists and who-done-it type novels.
Obsession abounds in this examination of a fans' need to insert themselves into the life of a true crime Podcaster, one that's gone missing. I'd have run after the first day!
Creepy mystery with a cast of characters that are beyond the pale.
Creepy mystery with a cast of characters that are beyond the pale.
I will read this author's next book because I enjoyed the atmospheric, tense writing. However, I was so confused throughout this book (not in a good way) by the far-fetched plot and strange, unbelievable characters and their actions. I couldn't connect at all with the main character and I felt that the ending went totally off the rails.
Sera is a unique character. She lives alone, recently divorced, has no real friends, listens to true crime podcasts, and feels like her favorite podcaster, Rachel, is talking directly to her. When Rachel’s podcasts stop Sera is sure that something bad has happen to her and heads to Rachel’s hometown to save her. When she arrives, she finds a ranch that has a history of women disappearing and a town that warns her to stay away from the ranch.
I am not a podcast listener, but I love a good thriller, mystery book. If I Disappear had me wondering what had happen to Rachel, were her parents as odd as they seemed, would Sera find out the truth. I had so many questions as I continued reading. I loved that Sera did not let anything detour her from finding the answers she was looking for and that she did not take everything and everyone around her at face value. She questioned everyone and everything she encountered.
I was not pulled into this story as deeply as I would like, I was able to put the book down and not really think about it until I picked it up again. But when I picked it up the rest of my world went away, and I could not be distracted by the life going on around me. I like the unique format of adding the podcast notes within the story. Over all, I really enjoyed If I Disappear and look forward to more of Eliza Jane Brazier’s books.
I am not a podcast listener, but I love a good thriller, mystery book. If I Disappear had me wondering what had happen to Rachel, were her parents as odd as they seemed, would Sera find out the truth. I had so many questions as I continued reading. I loved that Sera did not let anything detour her from finding the answers she was looking for and that she did not take everything and everyone around her at face value. She questioned everyone and everything she encountered.
I was not pulled into this story as deeply as I would like, I was able to put the book down and not really think about it until I picked it up again. But when I picked it up the rest of my world went away, and I could not be distracted by the life going on around me. I like the unique format of adding the podcast notes within the story. Over all, I really enjoyed If I Disappear and look forward to more of Eliza Jane Brazier’s books.