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A review by renee_reads_books
Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Invisible Girl weaves together the stories of Saffyre Maddox, a teen girl with a troubled past; Owen Pick, a socially awkward loner; and the Fours family. Roan Fours is a psychologist who has treated Saffyre in the past. Son Josh meets her in the neighborhood. Wife Cate thought he was having an affair with Saffyre a year ago.
When Saffyre goes missing amidst a string of sexual attacks in the neighborhood, everyone looks at Owen Pick because he's the neighborhood creep. But Cate starts to think that it might be someone else. Someone much closer.
I liked the book and found it engaging, but it did seem at times that it was trying a little too hard to touch on different hot social topics. There was the gender disparity (The Fourses were okay with letting their son walk around by himself even though he'd been mugged, but they were worried about their daughter walking around alone). There was women's work (Cate stays at home to do freelance work and take care of the house even though she had a career that she loved, but barely does it anymore while Roan works). There's a tie-in to incels because the neighbor is lonely and finds that community (that one seemed a bit forced, in my opinion, and it was blown up in the synopsis a lot more than it actually ended up being). There's a missing girl. A potential affair. A potential sexual predator. Sometimes it seemed like it was just ticking off a check list, but not to the point where I found it offputting or felt like I didn't want to keep reading. The end didn't feel that smooth to me, but that could just be my tastes and preferences.
Overall, an engaging read if you're in the mood for a thriller.
When Saffyre goes missing amidst a string of sexual attacks in the neighborhood, everyone looks at Owen Pick because he's the neighborhood creep. But Cate starts to think that it might be someone else. Someone much closer.
I liked the book and found it engaging, but it did seem at times that it was trying a little too hard to touch on different hot social topics. There was the gender disparity (The Fourses were okay with letting their son walk around by himself even though he'd been mugged, but they were worried about their daughter walking around alone). There was women's work (Cate stays at home to do freelance work and take care of the house even though she had a career that she loved, but barely does it anymore while Roan works). There's a tie-in to incels because the neighbor is lonely and finds that community (that one seemed a bit forced, in my opinion, and it was blown up in the synopsis a lot more than it actually ended up being). There's a missing girl. A potential affair. A potential sexual predator. Sometimes it seemed like it was just ticking off a check list, but not to the point where I found it offputting or felt like I didn't want to keep reading. The end didn't feel that smooth to me, but that could just be my tastes and preferences.
Overall, an engaging read if you're in the mood for a thriller.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Infidelity, Self harm, and Sexual assault