Scan barcode
stellabyproxy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rachel Price has been missing for sixteen year and suddenly makes a reappearance, just as her daughter, Annabel Price — known as Bel — and family are filming a documentary about her disappearance. this reappearance brings with it many emotions of anger, sadness, joy and grief from Bel, who was abandoned in a car at only 2 years old on the day her mother was kidnapped. the shadows of family secrets and mysteries is a difficult place to grow up in, and as the lights (camera, bitch smile) are shone on this family, what seems to be a happy conclusion is only the beginning.
i enjoyed every second of seeing Bel messily navigate having her mother back, the scepticism surrounding her return, and the drama that came with it. from the shadows, she found her light, and beautifully blossomed. and her sleuthing similarities to Pip (AGGGTM) were nothing like i’d expected and more than i could’ve hoped for.
as a gnostic theist, i rarely bring religious lore into things, however to truly sum up this novel:
Luke 8:17
“For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”
Graphic: Abandonment, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Minor: Stalking, Infertility, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
linnea1801's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Murder, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Eating disorder, Confinement, Infertility, and Death of parent
bookcheshirecat's review
3.5
“Shit, yes, now you mention it, I’ve just suddenly remembered everything and solved the entire case, can you believe it? What a plot twist.”
➽ The Reappearance of Rachel Price is an intriguing mystery all about the reappearance of a missing person. Normally, it's all about someone disappearing and the characters chasing clues to find them. It was a nice subversion to have the person - in this case, Bel's mother Rachel Price - reappearing and causing a mystery about their whereabouts. Just when her family was filming a documentary about Rachel Price's unsolved disappearance, Bel is confronted with the reappearance of a mother she barely knows. She was still young when her mother vanished, so she barely remembers her. What's supposed to be a happy incident for the whole family quickly sours as Bel suspects her mother is lying about where she was and who took her.
➽ I loved the ominous atmosphere of having a practical stranger living in your house and uprooting your entire life. Bel doesn't trust Rachel and keeps carefully watching her for any slip-ups. She wants to believe her, but can't shake the insidious feeling that something isn't right. I loved the deep dive into Rachel's relationship with her daughter and her behavior after having been 'supposedly' abducted for years. The focus was on Bel's personal turmoil and complicated feelings toward her mother, whom she barely has any memories of. The atmosphere was good, as I felt Bel's unease and efforts to investigate Rachel without alerting her. She starts digging deeper into Rachel's past with the help of Ash, a part of the documentary's crew. I loved their interactions and investigation! Bel has issues trusting anyone to stay in her life, but Ash can be disarming and is willing to help her when most people believe she's grasping at straws.
➽ Unfortunately, the story was slow-paced and it took me a while to connect to the characters. I debated giving this a higher rating, but this paled in comparison to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. The book felt like it could have been shorter, especially as it took a while for everything to fall into place. Some plot points like Bel and Ash's investigation were interesting, but I wish we'd seen more of their dynamic. In between their interactions, I felt like the story stagnated at times and the ending was suspenseful, but a bit rushed. It also took me some time to fully understand and connect to Bel. Some secondary characters like her cousin Carter and other family members remained one-dimensional. In the end, the book could have focused more on the documentary and Bel's investigation with Ash, as I felt like this was pushed into the background after some time.
Graphic: Confinement, Dementia, Mental illness, Murder, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
caitlinspeachyreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Murder, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Stalking, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic and Miscarriage
siennaflynn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Murder, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Death, Cursing, Stalking, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Grief, and Blood
Minor: Infertility, Death of parent, Torture, Misogyny, Medical content, Mental illness, and Bullying
dblue236's review
- 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
5.0
I can honestly say I didn't see the end of this book coming, and I ended up siding with characters I sort of hated throughout most of the book and vice versa. This felt very much like watching a movie and while it wasn't always necessarily realistic or terribly intricate, it was entertaining as hell and I didn't really want it to end. This author never disappoints.
Moderate: Dementia, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Stalking, Death of parent, Abandonment, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Body shaming and Infidelity
tabea1409's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Murder, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Stalking, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Blood, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Confinement