A review by starness
The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo

3.0

I enjoyed the beginning of this book and thought it was well set up but then it sort of just fell flat. My main problem was some of the writing felt a little off for me, I can't even describe what it was but it didn't always click with me. The author does do an outstanding job at getting the voice of the teenager down pat with all their nuances with her words feeling authentic and real. I also did enjoy the mother's point of view and thought her turmoil was plausible and she was layered and not altogether nice which made her interesting but the daughter was very vague which I understand is part of the plot but it was her part of the story that felt unfinished and underdeveloped for me. I thought there was some promise but it didn't quite deliver as the story didn't go where I was expecting it to. I was expecting more of a mystery or maybe even a twist but it was more about the characters left behind after the robbery and abduction takes place. There is survival guilt and trauma, it shows the other side of the crime for those who are affected indirectly but also the what ifs. On the plus side the narrator was engaging and kept my interest throughout the book, it was easy to follow which I appreciate very much in an audiobook.