A review by melanie_dc
The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo

4.0

This is not a thriller. You've been warned. But if you like a slow burn, you like a subtle story about a family tragedy and how each person in the family handles it, as well as spot-on descriptions of teenage girlhood, then I recommend this book. I liked the quietness of this book and the way the author put me inside the head of an eighth grade girl. Meredith, a regular girl who tries to stay out of the way of the mean girls, is standing in line at the neighborhood deli after school with the top mean girl, Lisa Bellow, ahead of her in line, when an armed robber comes in the store and forces the two girls to the ground. For some unknown reason that is never fully explained, when he leaves, he takes Lisa with him. This story is not about Lisa or the hunt for the kidnapper. It's about Meredith and how she and her older brother and parents cope with her not being abducted, about her being the "lucky one." It's slow and quiet and takes place a lot in Meredith's head. I was totally absorbed.