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A review by actuallyjusthanne
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
This book was so fun! Its the first time I have read a book so close to its release date and it was so fun! I hadn't known about this release (because I've been horrible at keeping track of upcoming releases) so finding out at the start of the month was a really fun surprise. I read it all in one day (which is something I haven't done in MONTHS) and overall just had a really good time with this book.
I've read all the books Holly Jackson has released (as far as I can tell) and the main thing that impressed me about this book was how clearly she has defined her craft since she started publishing books. I can see aspects from the AGGTM trilogyESPECIALLY As Good As Dead as well as from Five Survive. I still think the AGGTM trilogy was more engaging, but I really did enjoy reading this book.
The story is based off a reversal of the standard true crime story: instead of covering a disappearance, it covers the reappearance of the stereotypical white young woman. Bel, the main character and daughter of the missing person, is the narrator and protagonist, and the whole story is told from her perspective.
The pacing is the most similar to AGGTM or maybe Good Girl, Bad Blood: it used slice of life with character development to develop the story, in my perspective. It never felt like the story was dragging, yet it was also not particularly fast paced. It felt really realistic (or at least, however realistic a thriller book can be), and all the steps lined up really logically. There were a few plot holes that I wonder about, and I felt like the ending was too rushed to be truly realistic, but that is fairly par for the course with this genre of book. The author's interview at the end of the book said that the original manuscript was much longer, and this book was cut down from that, and I really think that I could pick out spots where background was omitted or things were implied that really didn't make all that much sense.
The character development throughout this book was really well done: both Bel and Rachel grew up significantly over the course of this book, even though it may have been only a few weeks. The length of time that they were separated by and the familiar-yet-unfamiliar dynamic was done really well in my opinion. The process of them getting to know each other, and the healthy distrust of each other was so realistic that I could understand the entire thought process of what happened, despite it being obviously a very nonrealistic scenario.The process of Rachel calling her Bel and her calling Rachel mom was SO GOOD (even if I thought it was just a tiny bit overdone LOL - the number of 'Anna-B-Bel's I read REALLY started to get annoying by the time they stopped), and its impact was incredible
I was also happy that this was a family drama book, instead of a high school drama book: I really think that I am just too old for those now, and no matter how much I try to care about high school drama, books centering around it are starting to feel really juvenile to me. Of course, I've also been saying that for at least 5 years now, so who knows when that will become actually true and/or that feeling will wear off. It being a family centered book made it easier to follow along with the characters, which was really nice for me (lol) and it also made the whole story feel more well-rounded.
One thing I do wish was developed more was the relationship between Bel and Ash: they had so much potential to be cute and fun together with good banter, but there really wasn't enough scenes with them together. I wished theB plot of Bel and Ash trying to solve the mystery together was leaned on more heavily: those scenes were so fun!
Circling back to the juvenile YA books, I didn't really love Bel's personality. She seemed too immature in my eyes, and made many questionable decisions.When she was breaking into/watching Rachel break into Grandpa's house, WHY THE HELL DID SHE DECIDE TO RUN CLOSER TO THE HOUSE AND GET SPOTTED?????? COULDN'T SHE JUST HAVE WAITED TO SEE IF RACHEL CAME OUT WITH ANYTHING IN HER HANDS???????? but also in the exact same instance, how did Rachel expect to go and erase the tracks of her pencil markings in 50+ books in a couple hours????? like GIRL how did you think you were going to do that??? . Also the fact that she was a klepto was REALLY glazed over too quickly. I really didn't understand it, and to be honest, I think it was a plot point that should've been left on the cutting room floor.
My favorite character in this book was DEFINITELY Rachel: as the story progressed and we (Bel) get to know her more, she is more and more interesting, and I was so invested in the time she spent away.Her revealing the things that she endured/did after getting out was so impressive and definitely Mastermind-coded , and her obvious love for Bel and Carter and how well rounded she was even after being kidnapped was so cute.
Obviously, there were a bunch of heavier topics discussed (kidnapping being the first one). None of it was particularly descriptive, but there were a couple scenes that were more vivid than most. The three that stick out to me wasthe stalker attacking Bel inside her house, the description of the gaslighting that Charlie was doing, and the chase that Charlie did when he got released . Aside from those, any violence was pretty lowkey. I do wish there was a bit more diversity in the book - I believe that other than Ramsey the documentary producer, all of the characters were white (which does make sense, given that it is a family story). I did like the inclusion of Grandpa with dementia in this book - I don't think I've read another book where a character with dementia is part of the story (albeit only slightly), so that was fun.
The ending was so satisfying and it was so fun seeing all the puzzle pieces come together. As aforementioned, I do think that the entire ending(aka the entire family's secrets coming unraveled) happening in one night was REALLY quick, but also, it was realistic for the circumstances. I find it really hard to believe that Carter would turn her back on BOTH of her parents as quickly as she did, with proof from . . . Rachel . . . who literally just showed up at her house 2 weeks ago???? but it sure did make the story wrap up nicely LOL.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was a solid read and I really hope it gets me out of this weird years-long slump that I've been in lol. It was so fun to read a book in a day again!
I've read all the books Holly Jackson has released (as far as I can tell) and the main thing that impressed me about this book was how clearly she has defined her craft since she started publishing books. I can see aspects from the AGGTM trilogy
The story is based off a reversal of the standard true crime story: instead of covering a disappearance, it covers the reappearance of the stereotypical white young woman. Bel, the main character and daughter of the missing person, is the narrator and protagonist, and the whole story is told from her perspective.
The pacing is the most similar to AGGTM or maybe Good Girl, Bad Blood: it used slice of life with character development to develop the story, in my perspective. It never felt like the story was dragging, yet it was also not particularly fast paced. It felt really realistic (or at least, however realistic a thriller book can be), and all the steps lined up really logically. There were a few plot holes that I wonder about, and I felt like the ending was too rushed to be truly realistic, but that is fairly par for the course with this genre of book. The author's interview at the end of the book said that the original manuscript was much longer, and this book was cut down from that, and I really think that I could pick out spots where background was omitted or things were implied that really didn't make all that much sense.
The character development throughout this book was really well done: both Bel and Rachel grew up significantly over the course of this book, even though it may have been only a few weeks. The length of time that they were separated by and the familiar-yet-unfamiliar dynamic was done really well in my opinion. The process of them getting to know each other, and the healthy distrust of each other was so realistic that I could understand the entire thought process of what happened, despite it being obviously a very nonrealistic scenario.
I was also happy that this was a family drama book, instead of a high school drama book: I really think that I am just too old for those now, and no matter how much I try to care about high school drama, books centering around it are starting to feel really juvenile to me. Of course, I've also been saying that for at least 5 years now, so who knows when that will become actually true and/or that feeling will wear off. It being a family centered book made it easier to follow along with the characters, which was really nice for me (lol) and it also made the whole story feel more well-rounded.
One thing I do wish was developed more was the relationship between Bel and Ash: they had so much potential to be cute and fun together with good banter, but there really wasn't enough scenes with them together. I wished the
Circling back to the juvenile YA books, I didn't really love Bel's personality. She seemed too immature in my eyes, and made many questionable decisions.
My favorite character in this book was DEFINITELY Rachel: as the story progressed and we (Bel) get to know her more, she is more and more interesting, and I was so invested in the time she spent away.
Obviously, there were a bunch of heavier topics discussed (kidnapping being the first one). None of it was particularly descriptive, but there were a couple scenes that were more vivid than most. The three that stick out to me was
The ending was so satisfying and it was so fun seeing all the puzzle pieces come together. As aforementioned, I do think that the entire ending
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was a solid read and I really hope it gets me out of this weird years-long slump that I've been in lol. It was so fun to read a book in a day again!