A review by bellatora
Dead to You, by Lisa McMann
3.0
The premise of a teenager returning to his family after being kidnapped as a child is an interesting one. Add to that the teenager's younger brother is convinced that he is a cuckoo in the nest - not the real missing child, but an imposter - and you have a foundation for real intrigue.
Unfortunately Ethan (the missing child, now returned), has an utterly unconvincing and toxic "romance" with the girl next door (his childhood best friend). He instantly becomes obsessed with her and decides her boyfriend is "not good enough." Ethan has certainly had it rough, so it's not surprising that he doesn't have the best reaction to every situation. But the bad romance was distracting at best and made me less sympathetic to Ethan at worst.
The real problem with the book, however, is that in the very last chapter, in the last few pages, an event occurs that changes everything. And instead of examining the fallout, McMann cuts to black. If I hadn't read other reviews that said this would happen, I would've thought that my e-book was missing chapters. It's a climax without any payoff. I would almost think that this is setting up a sequel, except this is clearly a stand-alone novel.
Unfortunately Ethan (the missing child, now returned), has an utterly unconvincing and toxic "romance" with the girl next door (his childhood best friend). He instantly becomes obsessed with her and decides her boyfriend is "not good enough." Ethan has certainly had it rough, so it's not surprising that he doesn't have the best reaction to every situation. But the bad romance was distracting at best and made me less sympathetic to Ethan at worst.
The real problem with the book, however, is that in the very last chapter, in the last few pages, an event occurs that changes everything. And instead of examining the fallout, McMann cuts to black. If I hadn't read other reviews that said this would happen, I would've thought that my e-book was missing chapters. It's a climax without any payoff. I would almost think that this is setting up a sequel, except this is clearly a stand-alone novel.