A review by dawnshaee
And Don't Look Back by Rebecca Barrow

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

the death of Harlow Ford’s mother brings her to a crossroads; a path to either keep running from the unknown (like her mother, Cora, suggests) or face the mystery head on. with the commonly courageous spirit and invincibility mostly found in teens, 17-year-old Harlow chooses to confront the ghosts of her mother’s past. 

the mystery in Rebecca Barrow’s latest thriller is written with the appropriate amount of suspense for the age group it’s intended for; personally I thought there were quite a few aspects of the story that were unrealistically exaggerated for that appeal alone (for example, $15,000 in this economy is basically $150😭 how long can we last on that?!). it didn’t discourage me from finishing the book or make me think less of the narrative — a young biracial girl, unsure of her identity outside of the plethora of aliases given to her by her mother, finally has the opportunity to stop running from whatever is in the past to run into her own future... sadly, her mother has to die in order for that to happen.

this uncertainty of self mixed with the ingrained paranoia of outrunning “some thing” sends Harlow all over the place — figuratively and literally. without the proper space to mourn the death of her mother or experience living a stable life, she is eager to chase the fantasy of a “normal” life that she believes everyone else is fortunate to have. orphaned and alone, Harlow is staying in hotels bruised and battered from a car accident without any stranger expressing concern for her well-being, while trying to free herself of “ghosts” that don’t belong to her. the secrets were captivating to me in the beginning, but as the truth was revealed I smirked with disbelief too many times to count while reading saying “come on! really?!” which was fine until the last page, literally the last, where it became overkill. 

I love a good sapphic representation in books, but often times in And Don’t Look Back it read out of place and not necessary for the plot or character development. Even by the end I asked myself what was the point in teasing at sexuality if we’re not going to “look” into it for any of the characters (because there was so much representation without clear intentions). I really would’ve liked it if the author utilized Harlow’s friendship/relationship with Sloane to show her a healthy chance at a connection with someone while living lan authentic life. maybe the author decided including older lesbians in Harlow’s line of vision would help her see herself but it didn’t quite reach… like the idea was there and could’ve been something substantial but it was unclear.