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A review by kathywadolowski
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book was crazy, and like... not in the good way. Or even the fun way. Which sucks because the premise is quite interesting! But in character development and actual execution, "The Reappearance of Rachel Price" falls totally flat.
So Bel is THE WORST. Main characters/narrators don't have to perfect or even necessarily likable to work, but she is the most annoying, whiny, repetitive, and downright mean character. She is literally the teen girl of your nightmares without any of the fun chaos. So much of the book is wasted on her angst, and I hated being in her head for this long. The book could've been much shorter if we'd been spared the 5 million* (*approximate) references to "the knot in her gut" and "everyone leaving" but here we unfortunately are. It also could've been shorter if Bel actually achieved anything other than yelling at people while she "investigated" Rachel, but I digress.
In addition to being unpleasant, Bel was also pretty unrealistic. Listen mean girls are real we've all seen the film, but some of the things she does and says—and especially some of the confrontations she initiates—seem borderline ludicrous for a teenager... especially one who's been through a traumatic experience like she has. None of the other characters were really great either except maybe Ash, but he was also supremely unrealistic because he liked Bel so I refuse to take him seriously.
Speaking of unrealistic, the other offender there is the PLOT. Obviously I expected to suspend *some* disbelief here. I read all of AGGGTM tyvm, I know what Holly Jackson is capable of. And it wasn't necessarily the truth of Rachel's disappearance that was the hard-to-believe part; moreso, the way things were resolved in the last few chapters and how essentially physically impossible it all seemed. I had this complaint about "As Good As Dead" as well so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, but it's disappointing to race to the end of a book only to completely disengage because the plot becomes so unhinged. Also while I'm still on the topic of unrealistic things, I can't close without mentioning Charlie andthe absolutely nonexistent explanation of his reasoning for wanting kill Rachel. Like I'm literally telling you there is no reason except he's annoyed?? I'm not even sure. Maybe if we spent less time on Bel's yelling and more developing the backstory of Charlie and Rachel's relationship (and its deterioration) this aspect of the plot could've worked for me, but I'm sorry... it just felt so dumb and like a means to an end, rather than an "a-ha" revelation that hit hard but also made sense. It kind of seems like Jackson couldn't include too many hints about Charlie's real self without spoiling the reveal, but by hiding that she necessarily makes his character unbelievable and his actions feel totally out of left field. *sigh*
I won't include spoilers here (aside from the one above because sorrryyyyy I couldn't help myself) because I get it if you want to read this book, and you should go in blind to the twists ahead. But I have to be honest: even if it has a few surprises, it's just not very good.
So Bel is THE WORST. Main characters/narrators don't have to perfect or even necessarily likable to work, but she is the most annoying, whiny, repetitive, and downright mean character. She is literally the teen girl of your nightmares without any of the fun chaos. So much of the book is wasted on her angst, and I hated being in her head for this long. The book could've been much shorter if we'd been spared the 5 million* (*approximate) references to "the knot in her gut" and "everyone leaving" but here we unfortunately are. It also could've been shorter if Bel actually achieved anything other than yelling at people while she "investigated" Rachel, but I digress.
In addition to being unpleasant, Bel was also pretty unrealistic. Listen mean girls are real we've all seen the film, but some of the things she does and says—and especially some of the confrontations she initiates—seem borderline ludicrous for a teenager... especially one who's been through a traumatic experience like she has. None of the other characters were really great either except maybe Ash, but he was also supremely unrealistic because he liked Bel so I refuse to take him seriously.
Speaking of unrealistic, the other offender there is the PLOT. Obviously I expected to suspend *some* disbelief here. I read all of AGGGTM tyvm, I know what Holly Jackson is capable of. And it wasn't necessarily the truth of Rachel's disappearance that was the hard-to-believe part; moreso, the way things were resolved in the last few chapters and how essentially physically impossible it all seemed. I had this complaint about "As Good As Dead" as well so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, but it's disappointing to race to the end of a book only to completely disengage because the plot becomes so unhinged. Also while I'm still on the topic of unrealistic things, I can't close without mentioning Charlie and
I won't include spoilers here (aside from the one above because sorrryyyyy I couldn't help myself) because I get it if you want to read this book, and you should go in blind to the twists ahead. But I have to be honest: even if it has a few surprises, it's just not very good.