Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - The Reappearance of Rachel Price

This book felt like a roller coaster....

There's a reason why I never reviewed the AGGGTM series, or wrote a long review of Five Survive. Holly Jackson has a way of writing the best plot twists, weaving complicated mysteries that I could never predict. Her books always leave me shocked and exhilarated, and The Reappearance of Rachel Price was no outlier.

This one features Bel, an 18-year old whose mother Rachel disappeared when she was young. A documentary is being filmed of her family, which she is not overly happy about, when suddenly Rachel Price returns...

Sharing my opinions of the plot twists or the very complicated members of Bel's family would spoil a lot, so I'll just describe this book by comparing it to a roller coaster. The start was slow, but I could feel it preparing for a drop. Then came the speedy dashes around, down, side to side, more and more information and twists thrown at me. Then the ending, when it slowed down and sweetly steered back to starting position. The ending to this book (the last 2/3 chapters after the climax) felt out of place for me.

I'm rating this book 4 stars, because I didn't like Bel's treatment of Ash (the clumsy camera assistant) at the beginning and because the ending felt wrong. But I hope that doesn't discourage mystery fans from picking up this YA mystery thriller.

Content Warnings

hematthews's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

Content Warnings

staceyinthesticks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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stellabyproxy's review

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

with another Nancy Drew coded novel, and a hint of Gone Girl, Holly Jackson has left me shocked, laughing and in a puddle (albeit small) of tears.

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.”

(1 star deduction for taking my heart, cradling it gently while whispering sweet, sarcastic flirtations between Ash and Bel, feeding it with only the most nourishing hope and love, and then putting it in a blender with that ending… I WAS NOT OKAY)

Content Warnings