Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - En el corazón del bosque

I have very mixed feelings about this book. It was such an easy read which was nice however a lot of the content was quite heavy as it focuses on severe child abuse. I also found the writing so strange as it was set in America but English terminology was used - for example crisps instead of chips.

I really enjoyed the character development - particularly Carey and Jenessa.

When Jenessa finally spoke out loud and was calling after the dog I was so happy!! /spoiler> I also really liked Melissa and the dad - very wholesome. I found Delaney very annoying tho.

I did find the plot really predictable which was quite disappointing

I pretty much knew from the first few chapters that she killed a man that raped her

I also think it was pretty random chucking in the love interest Ryan - I really liked his character but I just feel like it was thrown in.

I did like the happy ending, however I don’t think I would read the book again.

There really needs to be some content warnings about this book - Child rape.

Content Warnings

keepsleep's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

alexiconic's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.5

If You Find Me has some really good qualities: it is creative, has a fast-paced and engaging plot, explores important themes, and Carey is quite a lovely girl so watching her develop closer relationships with a great stepmom and her father is incredibly satisfying. It is definitely a good book if you want to read something that will keep you on the edge of your seat- though beware that it deals explicitly with child abuse.

But, it fell a little flat for me overall. There was too much that I had to buy into, that I simply didn't.

I guess I just like my good therapy representation. And this book didn't have that. I'm disappointed with the apparent lack of follow-up therapy for both girls after they are found. The girls settled into normal life too quickly. Years of abuse and/or previous lives were forgotten within three months. I didn't really buy that - no matter how sweet Melissa and Dad are. And there was the easy use of (overused) tropes, like the "popular mean girl (who is secretly just hurting)" Delaney, the fact that Carey happens to meet and like the same boy Delly crushed on (of course), the prodigy status Carey holds academically and musically and also socially... And of course she is also the most beautiful girl anyone's ever seen outside of a magazine... it was all a little toooo much, too happy, too fast.

A final minor annoyance: The novel also starts off with a strongly accented inner voice, which Carey seemingly drops in a few pages (specifically the dropped gs, which completely disappeared quickly), even though this was apparently how she has spoken for a good ten years.

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