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human_ish's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
piperhudsburn's review against another edition
3.0
Not worth your time.
The beginning of this book was everything I dreamed of. I loved both main characters, the fast paced storyline, and the captivating dialogue. However, by the time our two love interests met, the entire story went out the window and turned into just another "sexy new adult" novel. The plot took an illogical turn and our two protagonists went from two precious, naive yet lovable 18 year olds to strange, horny 25 year olds.
There were so many parts of this book I did not understand. I did not understand how Nicolette was just able to get money and clothes out of nowhere and how the authorities did not notice her absence. I hate how Stampler chose to not have Nicolette suffer any remote PTSD repercussions from the crime she witnessed. I could not possibly comprehend the absurdity of the last part of the novel at all.
Jack, perfect and adorable, became possessive and abusive 40% in. I didn't find him sexy- just annoying. The ending was long and took too long. By the end, I was gasping for air, hoping it would all end. I was very, very disappointed since I was growing to like Stampler's writing and was very interested in how the story would pan out.
The beginning of this book was everything I dreamed of. I loved both main characters, the fast paced storyline, and the captivating dialogue. However, by the time our two love interests met, the entire story went out the window and turned into just another "sexy new adult" novel. The plot took an illogical turn and our two protagonists went from two precious, naive yet lovable 18 year olds to strange, horny 25 year olds.
There were so many parts of this book I did not understand. I did not understand how Nicolette was just able to get money and clothes out of nowhere and how the authorities did not notice her absence. I hate how Stampler chose to not have Nicolette suffer any remote PTSD repercussions from the crime she witnessed. I could not possibly comprehend the absurdity of the last part of the novel at all.
Jack, perfect and adorable, became possessive and abusive 40% in. I didn't find him sexy- just annoying. The ending was long and took too long. By the end, I was gasping for air, hoping it would all end. I was very, very disappointed since I was growing to like Stampler's writing and was very interested in how the story would pan out.
dani005's review against another edition
3.0
The book cover teaser for this story had me hooked. Romance involved with drug lords and bounty hunters sounded for a good mix, especially when previous books with such a plot line proved to be the perfect combination of romance and adventure for me.
This book had a great plot theoretically. There were so many twists and turns - apprehension building through the tensions wrought between our two protagonists; emotions strained by the elusive answer to the question, who's telling the truth and who's lying. The irony of this story's complexity is how the reader knows what is a lie and what is a truth on face value, only for the story to turn around and for the reader to realize that what was the truth to one character was only a front to the reality of the situation as it actually occurred. I loved how many times Stampler lead me on to believe I knew what the truth to the novel was, making me think I understood these characters, only to realize how wrong I was. It was a game, one in which no one truly won because in this type of game in this novel, everyone must sacrifice something. It's only a matter of how much you're willing to sacrifice to get what you want, including what isn't yours to sacrifice in the first place.
The plot was well thought out, however the characterization fell a little flat. The characters were not exactly dynamic. You learned more about them as a reader, realizing as you go what each character is willing to do and sacrifice and thus learn what they value on a superficial level. However we know very little to how everything that has happened to them has affected them on any intimate dynamic level. We understand the harsh abusive life that Jack grew up with and how it supposedly made him hard but sensitive, and how Nicolette grew up wild and loved by all and so is portrayed as a naive girl having to grow a pair and face the reality to the consequences of her actions. To me, such portrayals of these characters are incredibly shallow when so much more of their personality could be fleshed out by the complex histories they each have that is only slowly portrayed to us, piece by piece.
Stampler is incredibly talented at directing this book in one direction only to wrench it into a new direction simply through twisting our understanding of the truth of this story in subtle degrees. However her characters were seemingly simple-minded pawns, and were romantically, an "insta-love" cliche that has little ground in reality. Immediately they would throw away all inhibitions for one another, disregarding all other safe guard mentalities that had up to that point driven every action and train of thought they had. At first it had been all about survival, and keeping those they loved alive as well, but hey, despite meeting so many other strangers along the way, Nicolette decides this one guy despite only knowing him a few minutes, is worthing risking her anonymity. It just didn't seem believable to me. And despite the reasons for which Jack was hunting Nicolette down, he decided to completely disregard these just for the chance of being with a hot girl that he could see "spending his life with".... That being said Stampler did allow for the portrayal of some hesitation but it seemed choppy and not exactly realistic.
This story had a fantastic plot line and with stronger characters it would have been a spectacular novel.
This book had a great plot theoretically. There were so many twists and turns - apprehension building through the tensions wrought between our two protagonists; emotions strained by the elusive answer to the question, who's telling the truth and who's lying. The irony of this story's complexity is how the reader knows what is a lie and what is a truth on face value, only for the story to turn around and for the reader to realize that what was the truth to one character was only a front to the reality of the situation as it actually occurred. I loved how many times Stampler lead me on to believe I knew what the truth to the novel was, making me think I understood these characters, only to realize how wrong I was. It was a game, one in which no one truly won because in this type of game in this novel, everyone must sacrifice something. It's only a matter of how much you're willing to sacrifice to get what you want, including what isn't yours to sacrifice in the first place.
The plot was well thought out, however the characterization fell a little flat. The characters were not exactly dynamic. You learned more about them as a reader, realizing as you go what each character is willing to do and sacrifice and thus learn what they value on a superficial level. However we know very little to how everything that has happened to them has affected them on any intimate dynamic level. We understand the harsh abusive life that Jack grew up with and how it supposedly made him hard but sensitive, and how Nicolette grew up wild and loved by all and so is portrayed as a naive girl having to grow a pair and face the reality to the consequences of her actions. To me, such portrayals of these characters are incredibly shallow when so much more of their personality could be fleshed out by the complex histories they each have that is only slowly portrayed to us, piece by piece.
Stampler is incredibly talented at directing this book in one direction only to wrench it into a new direction simply through twisting our understanding of the truth of this story in subtle degrees. However her characters were seemingly simple-minded pawns, and were romantically, an "insta-love" cliche that has little ground in reality. Immediately they would throw away all inhibitions for one another, disregarding all other safe guard mentalities that had up to that point driven every action and train of thought they had. At first it had been all about survival, and keeping those they loved alive as well, but hey, despite meeting so many other strangers along the way, Nicolette decides this one guy despite only knowing him a few minutes, is worthing risking her anonymity. It just didn't seem believable to me. And despite the reasons for which Jack was hunting Nicolette down, he decided to completely disregard these just for the chance of being with a hot girl that he could see "spending his life with".... That being said Stampler did allow for the portrayal of some hesitation but it seemed choppy and not exactly realistic.
This story had a fantastic plot line and with stronger characters it would have been a spectacular novel.
bookishstone's review against another edition
3.0
I read this off and on, for a while... but finally decided to sit down and finish it. It was interesting, but definitely not my favorite. The ending was a bit of a surprise though. The last hundred pages bumped the rating up to a three from the two I was originally going to give it.
madieanne's review against another edition
i had to DNF this book. there was no plot whatsoever, nor were there any large character developments. definitely the worst read of 2019 thus far.
pagesplotsandpints's review against another edition
4.0
Initial Impressions 1/14/16: 4 stars
This was such a gripping read! It actually started out kind of slowly for me, kicking off with an interesting start but then having a hard time getting a good read on the characters (especially Jack). It took me a while to get there and I didn't even realize that I was hooked until it was time for me to step away for a minute and I couldn't tear myself away from the book. I definitely flew through the second half!
Things really started to escalate around 60% for me and then I just couldn't stop! Throw in a good little nugget of a mystery and I am there!
I did hope for a few more twists thrown in there because I felt like this could have been a really wild ride!!
I was hoping for juuuust a little bit more but I really did get hooked. The addiction factor was there but missing a little wow.
Full review as originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 5/18/16: HOW TO DISAPPEAR was definitely the kind of book to get me hooked! It started off just a bit slow for me — partially because I wasn’t quite sure what I was in for — but a little after halfway through, I couldn’t tear myself away! The book feels more like a thriller with a dash of mystery thrown in and the dual POV made for a really interesting take on the whole story as well!
The book is structured with alternating POVs from the two main characters: Nicolette (the girl on the run) and Jack (the boy who’s sent to find her). One of the things I loved about this was the anticipation of when these two POVs would finally collide. It was incredibly interesting to see things from both perspectives and as with any mystery/thriller, I was left wondering if one was an unreliable narrator or if both were to be trusted. Then once the two characters did meet, it was that anticipation of who was going to spill the beans or how one found out about the other. I’ll admit that I did hope for a run-in early than it happened but I also loved the interactions between characters once they did finally cross paths!
I say that HOW TO DISAPPEAR was more thriller for me because of the main action with Nicolette being on the run. The first portion of her narratives are hiding out and the paranoia that someone will figure out how to get to her. I actually felt like this dragged just a bit for me and I think that was because without Jack actually on the scene, there’s not as much opportunity for details to come out with why she needs to be in hiding in the first place. I wished there were just a few more hints dropped and questions for the reader to ponder earlier on in the story because those would have really pulled me in even more!
The mystery came a bit later in the story for me although it was set up since the beginning, the main idea of which is did Nicolette really commit this murder? My mind was racing through the many possible scenarios and I really just didn’t know what was the right one. The questions and investigation really came into play in the second half of the book and there was a whirlwind of reveals towards the end! It was a satisfying ending and yet I found myself wishing there were more twists. I just love a good, twisty book and my brain tends to jump to incredible conclusions so there were a few twists that I hypothesized about that were purely my imagination.
I actually really like Jack’s character throughout the book. At first I’ll admit that I was incredibly confused but he really started to grow on me. Jack is the more anti-social type and he may not be a good guy but at least he’s trying to stay out of the family business: crime. He keeps trying to fend off his brother’s threats, even when his brother is in prison. He actually really cares about his mom though and that’s a big motivating factor for why he even agrees to go after Nicolette. There was an interesting gray area there and I was so curious to see what choices Jack would end up making!
HOW TO DISAPPEAR was definitely thrilling but at the same time I don’t feel like it made a lasting impression on me. It was a fun read and I finished it in only two days because I just couldn’t put it down! It didn’t quite make the list of my favorite mysteries or thrillers but it was quite a fun and quick ride!
This was such a gripping read! It actually started out kind of slowly for me, kicking off with an interesting start but then having a hard time getting a good read on the characters (especially Jack). It took me a while to get there and I didn't even realize that I was hooked until it was time for me to step away for a minute and I couldn't tear myself away from the book. I definitely flew through the second half!
Things really started to escalate around 60% for me and then I just couldn't stop! Throw in a good little nugget of a mystery and I am there!
I did hope for a few more twists thrown in there because I felt like this could have been a really wild ride!!
I was hoping for juuuust a little bit more but I really did get hooked. The addiction factor was there but missing a little wow.
Full review as originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 5/18/16: HOW TO DISAPPEAR was definitely the kind of book to get me hooked! It started off just a bit slow for me — partially because I wasn’t quite sure what I was in for — but a little after halfway through, I couldn’t tear myself away! The book feels more like a thriller with a dash of mystery thrown in and the dual POV made for a really interesting take on the whole story as well!
The book is structured with alternating POVs from the two main characters: Nicolette (the girl on the run) and Jack (the boy who’s sent to find her). One of the things I loved about this was the anticipation of when these two POVs would finally collide. It was incredibly interesting to see things from both perspectives and as with any mystery/thriller, I was left wondering if one was an unreliable narrator or if both were to be trusted. Then once the two characters did meet, it was that anticipation of who was going to spill the beans or how one found out about the other. I’ll admit that I did hope for a run-in early than it happened but I also loved the interactions between characters once they did finally cross paths!
I say that HOW TO DISAPPEAR was more thriller for me because of the main action with Nicolette being on the run. The first portion of her narratives are hiding out and the paranoia that someone will figure out how to get to her. I actually felt like this dragged just a bit for me and I think that was because without Jack actually on the scene, there’s not as much opportunity for details to come out with why she needs to be in hiding in the first place. I wished there were just a few more hints dropped and questions for the reader to ponder earlier on in the story because those would have really pulled me in even more!
The mystery came a bit later in the story for me although it was set up since the beginning, the main idea of which is did Nicolette really commit this murder? My mind was racing through the many possible scenarios and I really just didn’t know what was the right one. The questions and investigation really came into play in the second half of the book and there was a whirlwind of reveals towards the end! It was a satisfying ending and yet I found myself wishing there were more twists. I just love a good, twisty book and my brain tends to jump to incredible conclusions so there were a few twists that I hypothesized about that were purely my imagination.
I actually really like Jack’s character throughout the book. At first I’ll admit that I was incredibly confused but he really started to grow on me. Jack is the more anti-social type and he may not be a good guy but at least he’s trying to stay out of the family business: crime. He keeps trying to fend off his brother’s threats, even when his brother is in prison. He actually really cares about his mom though and that’s a big motivating factor for why he even agrees to go after Nicolette. There was an interesting gray area there and I was so curious to see what choices Jack would end up making!
HOW TO DISAPPEAR was definitely thrilling but at the same time I don’t feel like it made a lasting impression on me. It was a fun read and I finished it in only two days because I just couldn’t put it down! It didn’t quite make the list of my favorite mysteries or thrillers but it was quite a fun and quick ride!
jaclynday's review against another edition
2.0
As I’m reading this, I’m saying to myself, “This dialogue is pretty juvenile. Weird.” And then I realize it’s YA and it all comes together. It’s an average book blatantly pulling plot points from much better adult fiction and should therefore be shelved indefinitely.
jz_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
this book is definitely a mystery!! (as in it's a mystery as to why someone would want to publish this). more of a middle-school level book, somewhat entertaining storyline, confusing ending.
delaneybull's review against another edition
3.0
Spoiler alert: no one's a good person. I enjoyed this in the moment, but after I finished reading it I loathed everyone, so that was odd. I don't think it was at all a thriller, or even a psychological mystery book. It's kind of hard to classify, but you can tell it was trying really hard to be ~mysterious~ and just wasn't.