bestdressedbookworm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
2.5
It’s hard to give such a traumatic, raw and horrific story such an average rating. Though this started really well and had great pacing that soon started to dwindle and I felt like I was going around in circles with a little bit more information being released each time.
In this story we follow Amy/Chelsea who has returned after being kidnapped for over 6 years. But her Cousin Dee/Stacie had not returned with her. In those 6 years the girls went through a lot, they were renamed by their captor, and some other stuff that I won’t spoil. Amy struggles to tell everyone what had happened, if Dee is still alive and at first I understood the trauma of reliving it, and as we find out more and more her silence makes sense.
However Amy goes back and forth in consciousness and memory a lot and it often becomes confusing as to what we are learning about. She is almost an unreliable narrator in some ways as she is manipulating the way she lets little bits of information slip. Although this has a happy-ish ending, some of it started to get a little far fetched if not even silly and a book that gripped me so much at the start did not hold my interest until the end. If you have read this you know those last 50 pages are all over the place with nonsensical behaviour.
In this story we follow Amy/Chelsea who has returned after being kidnapped for over 6 years. But her Cousin Dee/Stacie had not returned with her. In those 6 years the girls went through a lot, they were renamed by their captor, and some other stuff that I won’t spoil. Amy struggles to tell everyone what had happened, if Dee is still alive and at first I understood the trauma of reliving it, and as we find out more and more her silence makes sense.
However Amy goes back and forth in consciousness and memory a lot and it often becomes confusing as to what we are learning about. She is almost an unreliable narrator in some ways as she is manipulating the way she lets little bits of information slip. Although this has a happy-ish ending, some of it started to get a little far fetched if not even silly and a book that gripped me so much at the start did not hold my interest until the end. If you have read this you know those last 50 pages are all over the place with nonsensical behaviour.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, and Emotional abuse
maralrose's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
kellyjcm's review against another edition
3.0
Very compelling read. However, I was frustrated by Amy's insistence on withholding information and perpetuating misperceptions with her silence. I do appreciate that Amy's character is nuanced, not a one-note victim. The book has a satisfying and fairly realistic conclusion. I liked it, but don't think I would reread. Definitely for mature readers, because it is so emotionally challenging.
theothertyler's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
shauniesbookshelves's review
3.0
When they were only 10 and 12, Amy and Dee were kidnapped. The police, as well as their friends and families, went searching for the pair, but they couldn't be found anywhere. Six years later, and without any explanation, Amy comes back. Responding to the name of Chelsea, wearing only purple, and holding a doll wearing all pink, she definitely isn't the same girl that left. And then there's the question on everyone's lips... Where is Dee? And how did Amy get away from their kidnapper? The police reopen the girls' case, but they need information from Amy to find the kidnapper, and Dee. Only, Amy refuses to talk, and they're pushing her for answers that she's determined not to give. Can Amy go back to being the girl she was before their kidnapping, or did too much change for her to live a normal life?
This book... I don't even know where to start. I really did enjoy it, and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through. There were several parts in the book that I found hard to read, for various reasons, be it emotionally or not, and even though the plot seemed pretty straightforward, there were still some turns that I wasn't expecting. The reactions that people were giving off in the novel were what I would imagine to be realistic, and although there was a lot of anger to contend with, there was also a lot of love. I am honestly in awe of all the characters, and their strength throughout the trials they face in the novel. Put in their situation, I honestly don't know what I would do or how I would carry on, and that's not just Amy and Dee, but their families as well. A good book, but one that I would suggest not allowing a less mature reader get hold of, as there are a few very sensitive topics talked about.
This book... I don't even know where to start. I really did enjoy it, and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through. There were several parts in the book that I found hard to read, for various reasons, be it emotionally or not, and even though the plot seemed pretty straightforward, there were still some turns that I wasn't expecting. The reactions that people were giving off in the novel were what I would imagine to be realistic, and although there was a lot of anger to contend with, there was also a lot of love. I am honestly in awe of all the characters, and their strength throughout the trials they face in the novel. Put in their situation, I honestly don't know what I would do or how I would carry on, and that's not just Amy and Dee, but their families as well. A good book, but one that I would suggest not allowing a less mature reader get hold of, as there are a few very sensitive topics talked about.
chloe_maay's review against another edition
2.0
Ehh. Kinda skimmed the last few pages. Idk, the story itself was harrowing but I just didn’t feel invested in it like I usually would with a story like this.
blurrybug's review
5.0
Amy is back but Amy isn't Amy anymore, and where is Dee? Amy can't tell. There is too much to lose by telling.
This was intense. through the black outs and flash backs to the intense ending this book had me hooked from page 1.
Highly recommend this to any fans of YA thrillers. There is some things that are hard to deal with, abduction, rape and physical/mental abuse, but you can expect that from this kind of story. It did make me feel physically uncomfortable several times and I like that, some books should give you physical feelings.
Book was split into flash backs, current time and Amy's thoughts it can be a bit confusing as everything happens in one go, but overall a good effect.
I'm not going to say anything else but, read it!!
This was intense. through the black outs and flash backs to the intense ending this book had me hooked from page 1.
Highly recommend this to any fans of YA thrillers. There is some things that are hard to deal with, abduction, rape and physical/mental abuse, but you can expect that from this kind of story. It did make me feel physically uncomfortable several times and I like that, some books should give you physical feelings.
Book was split into flash backs, current time and Amy's thoughts it can be a bit confusing as everything happens in one go, but overall a good effect.
I'm not going to say anything else but, read it!!
samantha4309's review against another edition
3.0
I stumbled across this book at a used book store and the title, cover, and back were so intriguing I had to read it! I finished this book over the course of 2 days. The first half was extremely engaging and had me completely hooked. I had to know what happened to Amy & Dee while in captivity and what allowed Amy to escape. Unfortunately my intrigue fizzled towards the middle to end. The plot seemed to crawl along towards the end and I kept waiting for a big plot twist or reveal to occur, which unfortunately never came. Maybe I’m just not a fan of long drawn out happy endings. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this book and the characters and can’t wait to pass it along to another bookworm!
sparklesnowwhite's review
3.0
Im disappointed with this book. It had great potential and I did enjoy it but once I got about half way through the entire intrigue was gone. The mystery was solved and I guessed the last part because it was obvious. It was still a good book and worth the read but I just think it could have been more suspenseful I guess.
tjlcody's review against another edition
5.0
Oof.
If you've ever read [b: Living Dead Girl|2954411|Living Dead Girl|Elizabeth Scott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1314272108s/2954411.jpg|2983897] and enjoyed it, then this is the book for you.
The author does a superb job at pacing out the story so that we have information about what's happened, but not so much that we know everything that's happened until they're revealed to us by Amy.
I think what I loved most, though, was
But instead the author chose to go the more complex way of handling it: Amy was scared. She wanted to survive. She wanted to have a distraction from their confinement, so she showered love on the kids. And she is tormented with guilt when she accidentally kills Dee, who attempts to harm the two children.
It was beautiful. I can't emphasize enough how well-done this story was. It broke my heart, and I absolutely recommend it.
If you've ever read [b: Living Dead Girl|2954411|Living Dead Girl|Elizabeth Scott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1314272108s/2954411.jpg|2983897] and enjoyed it, then this is the book for you.
The author does a superb job at pacing out the story so that we have information about what's happened, but not so much that we know everything that's happened until they're revealed to us by Amy.
I think what I loved most, though, was
Spoiler
Amy's overall conflict with how she handled being held hostage especially regarding her relationship with Dee and the kids. I mean, it would have been easy to write a story about a girl who did all the things Amy tells Dr. Kayla she wishes she could have done: Kicked, screamed, offered to be raped in Dee's place.But instead the author chose to go the more complex way of handling it: Amy was scared. She wanted to survive. She wanted to have a distraction from their confinement, so she showered love on the kids. And she is tormented with guilt when she accidentally kills Dee, who attempts to harm the two children.
It was beautiful. I can't emphasize enough how well-done this story was. It broke my heart, and I absolutely recommend it.