A review by jameslyons
The Van Apfel Girls Are Gone by Felicity McLean

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Really would have loved a firm conclusion to this thrilling story, but the immersive writing was so good and the characters so compelling, that it earns a solid 4 stars. Not a whodunit, but still worth a read if you can comfortably sit with the mystery and don't mind (or even enjoy) drawing your own conclusions.

The first chapter felt wildly out of place and I'm glad I pushed through my urge to stop reading, because the rest of the book was much better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Fatphobia, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Incest and Mental illness