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briannareadsbooks 's review for:
Where the Truth Lies
by Anna Bailey
content warnings:
representation: gay mcs, latina mc, disabled mc, survivor of domestic violence.
themes: mysterious disappearance, religious violence, family drama.
plot: when teenager, abigail, goes missing, no one seems that fazed by it except for her best friend, emma, who is convinced abigail didn't run away. abigail's disappearance begins to unravel the secrets that their town of whistling ridge has been hiding for years.
i never really read murder mysteries or stories about disappearances, but this one really stuck with me! i think what made me love it so much is that the story is really character-driven, which is my downfall! i love really good characters, even if the plot sucks. BUT the plot didn't suck at all!! i found the plot very intriguing and made me want more, but i did feel a certain connection to the characters, more so than in other mystery books which tend to be more plot-driven.
the beginning of the book was a bit slow to me as i tried to find my footing among the characters and who was who. the first 30% took me like 2 weeks to slowly inch through! however, around the 30% mark, i was read the rest of the book in about 2 days, and even stayed up late to finish it (which i hardly ever do anymore)!
the reason why it was a bit slow to me at the beginning was that the characters were confusing me, and i also didn't feel much of a connection to abi, the missing girl. but i soon realized even though the story begins with abi's disappearance, the story isn't about abi, but the family, friends, and secrets she left behind that begin to be unravelled. and soon enough, the large cast of characters just all clicked in my mind. i wasn't confusing them anymore, i learned to really love them. emma, hunter, rat, jude, and noah were my favourites (and I'm sure they're everyone's favourite!) and i thought the story was sad, but incredible.
the resolution is so satisfying, and even though the reason behind abi's disappearance isn't mind-blowingly unique, the whole point of the book is to point out the horrible tragedy that is the town of whistling ridge, and how the culture of the town led to abi's disappearance. this book is going to stick with me forever.
Spoiler
molestation, incest, murder, domestic abuse, child abuse/neglect, homophobic violence (physical abuse, arson), antiziganism/anti-romani sentiment, racism against latinx character, harmful religious sentiment, drug and alcohol use.representation: gay mcs, latina mc, disabled mc, survivor of domestic violence.
themes: mysterious disappearance, religious violence, family drama.
plot: when teenager, abigail, goes missing, no one seems that fazed by it except for her best friend, emma, who is convinced abigail didn't run away. abigail's disappearance begins to unravel the secrets that their town of whistling ridge has been hiding for years.
i never really read murder mysteries or stories about disappearances, but this one really stuck with me! i think what made me love it so much is that the story is really character-driven, which is my downfall! i love really good characters, even if the plot sucks. BUT the plot didn't suck at all!! i found the plot very intriguing and made me want more, but i did feel a certain connection to the characters, more so than in other mystery books which tend to be more plot-driven.
the beginning of the book was a bit slow to me as i tried to find my footing among the characters and who was who. the first 30% took me like 2 weeks to slowly inch through! however, around the 30% mark, i was read the rest of the book in about 2 days, and even stayed up late to finish it (which i hardly ever do anymore)!
the reason why it was a bit slow to me at the beginning was that the characters were confusing me, and i also didn't feel much of a connection to abi, the missing girl. but i soon realized even though the story begins with abi's disappearance, the story isn't about abi, but the family, friends, and secrets she left behind that begin to be unravelled. and soon enough, the large cast of characters just all clicked in my mind. i wasn't confusing them anymore, i learned to really love them. emma, hunter, rat, jude, and noah were my favourites (and I'm sure they're everyone's favourite!) and i thought the story was sad, but incredible.
the resolution is so satisfying, and even though the reason behind abi's disappearance isn't mind-blowingly unique, the whole point of the book is to point out the horrible tragedy that is the town of whistling ridge, and how the culture of the town led to abi's disappearance. this book is going to stick with me forever.