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ghostsversion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
linnea1801's review against another edition
- 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: Mental illness, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement, Eating disorder, Infertility, and Death of parent
christygsp's review against another edition
3.5
You basically couldn’t trust ANYONE in this story, and that drove me a little insane. It keeps you on the edge but it’s also maddening to try and connect to anyone. Anyone at all.
At one point or another I basically hated everyone. It was twisty and maddening, and yet it still had me. It was really well done. The mystery overall was unexpected and great. The documentary elements were fun. Characters were a disaster, but on purpose.
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Death, and Kidnapping
colorcrystals's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Dementia, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Infertility, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
dubious_little_creature's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
Moderate: Stalking
emmajh91's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Violence, Dementia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
alicia_g's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Eating disorder and Alcohol
readingwithmeredith's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Confinement and Abandonment
_moonsongenthusiast_'s review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
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, Mental illness, Violence, Dementia, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting