mlriesberg's review against another edition
4.0
Overall I liked this book. It was a fairly quick read for me. It was heartbreaking, fast paced, and intense! Although it is fiction, there is harsh reality in this story.
There were parts of the books that I felt jumped around and I had to reread and still found I couldn’t follow what was happening until it was finally exposed. There were also some things that were introduced that were never fully explained such as the text messages overnight on Sean’s phone from Valerie. I also would like to know where Jacqueline was in her marriage when Laine was 10. There were a few things that needed tied up that weren’t.
There were parts of the books that I felt jumped around and I had to reread and still found I couldn’t follow what was happening until it was finally exposed. There were also some things that were introduced that were never fully explained such as the text messages overnight on Sean’s phone from Valerie. I also would like to know where Jacqueline was in her marriage when Laine was 10. There were a few things that needed tied up that weren’t.
gothfroggyreads's review against another edition
1.0
While this novel's premise is intriguing, the actual content fails to deliver. The writing style is often stale and doesn't flow very well. I also had issues with the stilted dialogue, some of it sounded a lot like lines from a cheesy Lifetime movie. To be completely honest, the whole novel sounded like a cheesy Lifetime movie. I found myself having trouble getting through the whole thing and had to take multiple breaks, especially when the main character did something stupid or hateful (which was SO often).
The main character is very unlikable. I know there are some stories where you aren't supposed to particularly like the main character, but sometimes writers go too far and make me really hate them. This was one of those instances. I had many moments where I was so incredibly frustrated with her thoughts and decisions. She is angry and rude at the slightest provocation and consistently makes the worst decisions possible in her situation.
As for the side characters, they're not really all that interesting or fleshed out. There's Sean the detective, but we don't really learn anything about him beyond his connection with the main character. I will also say that their relationship is MASSIVELY messed up. He was the one to find her, a 13-year-old kidnapping and rape victim, and then they have a sexual relationship in the present time of the novel (13yrs later). GROSS.
The twists and turns were less interesting and more for shock value than anything else. We learn her mom was the one to essentially sell her to her kidnapper so she could run off and have a secret family, but she shoots herself before we get any real details. Oh, and the secret family doesn't really serve much of a purpose otherwise. The identity of the kidnapper is also a very strange twist.
There's a lot more I could say, but I'm just going to leave it at that for now. I definitely wouldn't recommend this book, though I am interested to see the author's later works. There is some potential for improvement and I know debut novels can be pretty shaky.
The main character is very unlikable. I know there are some stories where you aren't supposed to particularly like the main character, but sometimes writers go too far and make me really hate them. This was one of those instances. I had many moments where I was so incredibly frustrated with her thoughts and decisions. She is angry and rude at the slightest provocation and consistently makes the worst decisions possible in her situation.
As for the side characters, they're not really all that interesting or fleshed out. There's Sean the detective, but we don't really learn anything about him beyond his connection with the main character. I will also say that their relationship is MASSIVELY messed up. He was the one to find her, a 13-year-old kidnapping and rape victim, and then they have a sexual relationship in the present time of the novel (13yrs later). GROSS.
The twists and turns were less interesting and more for shock value than anything else. We learn her mom was the one to essentially sell her to her kidnapper so she could run off and have a secret family, but she shoots herself before we get any real details. Oh, and the secret family doesn't really serve much of a purpose otherwise. The identity of the kidnapper is also a very strange twist.
There's a lot more I could say, but I'm just going to leave it at that for now. I definitely wouldn't recommend this book, though I am interested to see the author's later works. There is some potential for improvement and I know debut novels can be pretty shaky.
somerparsons's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
horrendousreads's review against another edition
4.0
I love a darker, uncomfortable narrative, a deeply flawed heroine that you can empathize with, a whodunnit that doesn't follow the cops around. Check, check, check.
I agree with many of the reviews that the ending was pretty easy to guess at chapter 17. That being said, I thought the writing was interesting enough and fast enough to get through that it was worth finishing.
I agree with many of the reviews that the ending was pretty easy to guess at chapter 17. That being said, I thought the writing was interesting enough and fast enough to get through that it was worth finishing.
Spoiler
I still want to know why Jacqueline dragged Laine into this nonsense and HOW did Laine feel ok enough with her to continue a positive relationship? She knew damn well what happened to her kid but talked her into going on TV anyway for what reason? To make her husband sweat more?blankeechats's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Kidnapping, Drug use, and Drug abuse