Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Other things I liked: the differences in narrative voice are very well done. Though the story begins to shape up fairly early (in the first third) I was still fully engaged throughout the rest, as answers only opened up more interesting questions. The writing itself was also very lyrical and nice. Read this!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Abandonment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault
Moderate: Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Kidnapping, Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy
There are some touchy subjects so check trigger warnings as with all books!
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief
Moderate: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Moderate: Ableism, Rape, Suicide
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
This is all I am going to say about this book. Honestly go as blind as you can into this one and let the story unfold. With every new character being introduced I thought of a possibility but there was always a twist. The end was not what I expected at all, and it kept me guessing all the time. The plot get darks at a time, but it's truly worth it. The story is told in multiple POV so you get to learn about everyone's motive too. The ending is dramatic and emotional.
Extremely Detailed Plot : One fine Wednesday morning Ellie heads out to the library but she never comes back. 10 years of exhausting search bear no result for Laurel. 10 years later, they find the last of Ellie's in a forest along with human remains of Ellie. Ellie is dead. Laurel moves on with her life, still having no answer to who killed Ellie and why. He meets Floyd in a cafe and soon meets her daughter Poppy who looks exactly like Ellie.
When she gets a rough idea that Floyd is somehow involved in Ellie's disappearance, Floyd dissapears(and later kills himself) leaving her a note which says -
Noelle Donnelly was Ellie's maths teacher. She was in love with Floyd. Floyd had a compilcated relationship with his daughter(with previous wife) and Noelle wanted to give Floyd a baby and in return she wanted his love. However she suffered a miscarriage. She was madly in love with Floyd and hence she kidnaped Ellie, locked her up in her basement for months. One night when Floyd was drunk enough, she switched herself with unconcious Ellie and Ellie soon gets pregnant with his baby and Noelle fakes her own pregnancy. 9 months later, Noelle can't take Elle to the hospital for obvious reasons so she delivers her baby(Poppy) in the basement. But still, Floyd would not love her. Even when she gave him a beautiful daughter Floyd wouldnt. All her hardwork bear no result and irritated by Ellie's cries (she got a terrible infection from giving birth in the dirty basement) she shuts the door and for months doesnt go there. Ellie dies just like that, in pain, in hunger, and in grief of not being able to see her family again. Months later Noelle dumps Ellie's remains in a forest and plans on returning to her home with Poppy(without telling Flyod). Floyd comes to know about this and just as she was about to leave he confronts her. Noelle tells Floyd the whole truth and in the process Floyd accidentally kills Noelle and buries her in his garden. It is then he decides he will meet Laurel and tell her the truth but all his life he was yearning for a family and with Laurel he found one. This delays the process and leads to Laurel's individual investigation and before she starts formulating reasons and situations about Ellie's death, he goes away forever, leaving behind a note, Poppy and closure.
"May was like the Friday night of summer: all the good times lying ahead of you, bright and shiny and waiting to be lived."
"A man who can’t love but desperately needs to be loved is a dangerous thing indeed."
"Stories,” she says, “are the only thing in this world that are real. Everything else is just a dream."
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Murder, Sexual harassment
Minor: Child death, Miscarriage