A review by hailsbooknook
Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5.0 stars
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TW; Child death, Kidnapping, Confinement, Violence, Emotional abuse.
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Molly Clarke isn't the perfect mother - just like every family she is guilt-ridden by things that have happened in the past. One night she walks away from her life and family, her car is found abandoned miles from home, a mysterious letter found in a nearby hotel. It all seems to allude to one thing; she's left her old life behind to start over. What her family doesn't know is that on the night of her disappearance a man in a truck with a little girl offers her a ride to shelter herself from the storm. As soon as this character was introduced I knew that something was off and as soon as the doors lock Molly in the car with them I couldn't help but start to worry over what was going to happen.
When a new lead in the case comes after the initial search has ended it leaves Nicole wondering, nothing about her mother's disappearance has made any sense. Nicole returns to the small town her mother was last seen to uncover the truth - and a few secrets while she's at it. Although this family wasn't perfect, I really appreciated the dedication Nicole went through to find out the truth about her mother.
The book flips between Nicole's perspective and Molly's, I really liked the fact that Molly's perspective starts from before she is taken and what happens once she gets into the car. Nicole's perspective is from when she returns a few weeks later, until eventually both perspectives line-up in time and we find out what happens. There were so many good twists in this book, every time I thought I had guessed what was happening I was proved wrong. It was really fun trying to figure out who Mick's character was - and when we did, I was left shocked.
-
TW; Child death, Kidnapping, Confinement, Violence, Emotional abuse.
-
Molly Clarke isn't the perfect mother - just like every family she is guilt-ridden by things that have happened in the past. One night she walks away from her life and family, her car is found abandoned miles from home, a mysterious letter found in a nearby hotel. It all seems to allude to one thing; she's left her old life behind to start over. What her family doesn't know is that on the night of her disappearance a man in a truck with a little girl offers her a ride to shelter herself from the storm. As soon as this character was introduced I knew that something was off and as soon as the doors lock Molly in the car with them I couldn't help but start to worry over what was going to happen.
When a new lead in the case comes after the initial search has ended it leaves Nicole wondering, nothing about her mother's disappearance has made any sense. Nicole returns to the small town her mother was last seen to uncover the truth - and a few secrets while she's at it. Although this family wasn't perfect, I really appreciated the dedication Nicole went through to find out the truth about her mother.
The book flips between Nicole's perspective and Molly's, I really liked the fact that Molly's perspective starts from before she is taken and what happens once she gets into the car. Nicole's perspective is from when she returns a few weeks later, until eventually both perspectives line-up in time and we find out what happens. There were so many good twists in this book, every time I thought I had guessed what was happening I was proved wrong. It was really fun trying to figure out who Mick's character was - and when we did, I was left shocked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Violence