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sabrinalefebvre's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 ⭐️
The first 50% of the book, nothing was really happening. I was expecting more mystery and more detective work, but it was more Bel dealing with her mommy issues.
The characters were also hard to root for: you knew Rachel was lying, something was going on with the father and Bel was just being a bitch to everyone.
With that being said, I still read 98% of this book in 2 days so…
The first 50% of the book, nothing was really happening. I was expecting more mystery and more detective work, but it was more Bel dealing with her mommy issues.
The characters were also hard to root for: you knew Rachel was lying, something was going on with the father and Bel was just being a bitch to everyone.
With that being said, I still read 98% of this book in 2 days so…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Murder
sakuraisobsessedwithbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.25
Not what I expected. Annabel was sort of an annoying character but later when she’s close to the truth she really does get better and more likable. And the plot twist blew my mind I felt so bad for the victim. Holly Jackson is so smart.
I really hope all the remaining characters live happily ever after
I really hope all the remaining characters live happily ever after
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
stellabyproxy's review
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:
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.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Minor: Stalking, Infertility, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
amalauna's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This is slow until a tipping point and then so fast.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia, Abandonment, Confinement, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
lailajm's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
linnea1801's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Murder, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Eating disorder, Confinement, Infertility, and Death of parent
biapoweer's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death, Violence, and Abandonment
colorcrystals's review against another edition
dark
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Dementia, Stalking, Gaslighting, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Infertility, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
amypt46's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Abandonment, Violence, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Bullying
emsbookishness's review
mysterious
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
5.0
Holly Jackson keeps making me fall in love with golden retriever boys that follow around unhinged teenage girls as they obsess over solving a mystery and I love it!
This book was absolutely amazing and kept me guessing until the very end. It had a really interesting premise that left me not really knowing what to expect. I loved the messy family dynamics and how unhinged everything played out. I had some suspicions that were partly right, but I couldn’t have predicted how everything played out. In true Holly Jackson fashion all the random clues she dropped now tie together perfectly and make so much sense looking back, I was trying to keep track of all the random details and still kept missing them.
The main character, Bel, was an interesting one. She could be hard to read about at times as she purposefully drove people away, but it was interesting to see how the disappearance of her mom when she was young affected her life and psyche. I did love her growth and that she realized she was wrong about things. I obviously loved Ash, the golden retriever camera assistant, who was all too willing to go along with Bel’s crazy antics.
Totally recommend if you want a good mystery to read, once you reach the second half of the book you won’t want to put it down!
This book was absolutely amazing and kept me guessing until the very end. It had a really interesting premise that left me not really knowing what to expect. I loved the messy family dynamics and how unhinged everything played out. I had some suspicions that were partly right, but I couldn’t have predicted how everything played out. In true Holly Jackson fashion all the random clues she dropped now tie together perfectly and make so much sense looking back, I was trying to keep track of all the random details and still kept missing them.
The main character, Bel, was an interesting one. She could be hard to read about at times as she purposefully drove people away, but it was interesting to see how the disappearance of her mom when she was young affected her life and psyche. I did love her growth and that she realized she was wrong about things. I obviously loved Ash, the golden retriever camera assistant, who was all too willing to go along with Bel’s crazy antics.
Totally recommend if you want a good mystery to read, once you reach the second half of the book you won’t want to put it down!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Kidnapping
Minor: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Eating disorder, Violence, and Murder