A review by the_joyful_book_club
Ask for Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 This book is one I will remember for a long time. 

The story starts with Brecia, Meghan, and Skye all being murdered. Each is murdered years apart, in different states. This story moves between their timelines, but I wouldn't necessarily call this a true dual timeline. It feels more like each woman is telling her story and then they merge. 

Brecia meets a man and he gives her the creeps, and she calls it off. A year later, he murders her. Meghan meets a man from a dating app, and she disappears after leaving a restaurant with him. Skye is about to leave for college and is leaving her job at a coffee shop when she takes a ride from one of her regular customers, but she is never seen again. 

First, the premise and overall plot are unique to anything I have read. We get to see each character experience the immediate aftereffects of their deaths, the emotions they experience, and how they try desperately to interact with people and loved ones. One thing I appreciated about this book is that while we do see the murders, that isn't the sole focus of the book. There are some more graphic descriptions of the decomposition, but even that is done tastefully. This story truly revolves around the women and how they are trying to stop this man, James, from killing again. 

I don't want to say a ton more, because I think it would spoil aspects of the story, but I highly recommend this book. The author also has a follow-up short that she offers a link for at the end of the e-book (on Amazon). It was a nice bit of closure to some of the other characters we meet and I appreciated the author taking the time.