Reviews

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I liked the premise of this book and how it conveyed a non-nuclear family. The story was also fast-paced and quite twisty.

Unfortunately, the story also stigmatizes mental illness. Stigma aside, it's never fulfilling when a character's mental illness IS the twist -- it borders on a deux ex machina.

I have liked Liao Butler's other books and won't write her off, but this one was not for me.

Content Warnings

mrb123's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

esmekizer's review

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

eparen's review

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emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

2.0

jessicamap's review

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3.5

A good thriller/suspense novel is full of secrets, lies, backstabbing, and bonus points for obsessions. This book has all of those and keeps guessing until the very end. I don’t normally mention many trigger warnings, but I know how difficult mental health representation can be in this genre, so proceed with caution if that is something that could affect your reading experience. I also want to mention that this falls more so under the umbrella of domestic suspense/drama and not a thriller. The pacing is slower moving than you would expect or want from a thriller. I think that any book having to do with the disappearance of a child immediately has a tone of anxiety and dread. You feel the desperation radiating off the characters as they try to find nine year old Luca. This book was told in three parts and each one was crucial in setting up the characters and progress the search. I think the only drawback for me was the fact that the pacing was a little slower, however, I actually wasn’t able to predict the ending! That’s always a win for me in this genre as many books can feel predictable at times. I’ll now need to look for more from Lyn Liao Butler.

sarahsbookstack's review

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mysterious fast-paced

3.5

3.5 rounded up.

Ok, I flew through this book. It can be triggering as there is a child abduction and drug abuse and mental health stigma.

I can't imagine Hope's terror at realizing her son was missing. I felt really bad that she accused her -standoffish neighbor- of the deed. I became sad when I heard his story.

I would have changed a character arc to be different and handled differently. I've read a lot of books that I feel dealt with mental health a bit better.

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