A review by tiffyb
If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier
3.0
3.25 stars ⭐️
I read this book in one day, so I can’t be too critical of it (but of course I will be!). I LOVED the premise of this book, and I LOVED the twist near the end. This book was such a solid idea.
BUT three things:
1) too many plot holes at the end
2) several sections of the book moved so slow, I kept skipping paragraphs
3) Sera is most definitely insane, but it seems like the author doesn’t know that she’s insane
Sera is just such a hard main character to like. You really want to feel some pity or understanding for her, yet you find yourself overwhelmed by how DUMB she is. She’s supposed to be going “undercover” to find out what happened to her favorite podcast host (Rachel), yet she tells every person she meets exactly what she is doing, asks direct questions (basically on the level of “did you kill Rachel?!”)every 15 pages of the book, and does *literally nothing* to keep herself safe. Also she refuses to believe anything anyone says about Rachel, insisting that she knows Rachel better (through a podcast) than anyone else ever knew Rachel in real life!
Her obsession with Rachel also isn’t believable, to the point that, like many other readers, I spent much of the book wondering if Sera is insane or possibly if she is Rachel herself (and doesn’t know it - some sort of dissociative disorder). The author could have made her obsession more understandable… for example, if Sera had ever actually communicated personally with Rachel, or if she had been part of an online group of avid podcast fans who were all wondering why Rachel had disappeared. Identifying with Rachel’s message was not enough reason for Sera to drop everything, move to the mountains to do manual labor, and literally risk her life.
In a book clearly written on a (great) premise of “women are not taken seriously enough” and “women are not just here for the men,” it is truly bothersome to find the the main character is in fact a bit insane and that she is in fact just there for the man.
Also, I’m sorry, but the ending and the (perfect) twist was so weak. SO MANY plot holes, which I won’t write about to avoid spoilers. The entire book could have easily been written in such a way to lead up to the ending, and Sera could have been a true hero. Instead, she supports the bad guy blindly and puts a bunch of other people in danger. And again, the details DO NOT make sense given the ending. Ugh
I read this book in one day, so I can’t be too critical of it (but of course I will be!). I LOVED the premise of this book, and I LOVED the twist near the end. This book was such a solid idea.
BUT three things:
1) too many plot holes at the end
2) several sections of the book moved so slow, I kept skipping paragraphs
3) Sera is most definitely insane, but it seems like the author doesn’t know that she’s insane
Sera is just such a hard main character to like. You really want to feel some pity or understanding for her, yet you find yourself overwhelmed by how DUMB she is. She’s supposed to be going “undercover” to find out what happened to her favorite podcast host (Rachel), yet she tells every person she meets exactly what she is doing, asks direct questions (basically on the level of “did you kill Rachel?!”)every 15 pages of the book, and does *literally nothing* to keep herself safe. Also she refuses to believe anything anyone says about Rachel, insisting that she knows Rachel better (through a podcast) than anyone else ever knew Rachel in real life!
Her obsession with Rachel also isn’t believable, to the point that, like many other readers, I spent much of the book wondering if Sera is insane or possibly if she is Rachel herself (and doesn’t know it - some sort of dissociative disorder). The author could have made her obsession more understandable… for example, if Sera had ever actually communicated personally with Rachel, or if she had been part of an online group of avid podcast fans who were all wondering why Rachel had disappeared. Identifying with Rachel’s message was not enough reason for Sera to drop everything, move to the mountains to do manual labor, and literally risk her life.
In a book clearly written on a (great) premise of “women are not taken seriously enough” and “women are not just here for the men,” it is truly bothersome to find the the main character is in fact a bit insane and that she is in fact just there for the man.
Also, I’m sorry, but the ending and the (perfect) twist was so weak. SO MANY plot holes, which I won’t write about to avoid spoilers. The entire book could have easily been written in such a way to lead up to the ending, and Sera could have been a true hero. Instead, she supports the bad guy blindly and puts a bunch of other people in danger. And again, the details DO NOT make sense given the ending. Ugh