I have read two of the authors previous books and was thrilled when I was approved to review this one through NetGalley! This book drew me in right away and I honestly couldn’t put it down. The author has such an awesome way with words and phrasing. A way that I don’t think you normally find in the thriller genre. Her words at times are lyrical and poetic and show deep thoughts about life and our circumstances (especially in this book). Yesterday was also its release day, so you can go pick it up!
Summary: A little girl named Arden sleepwalks one night and disappears. Unfortunately, she goes missing in the middle of a huge rainstorm and everyone fears the worst. Miraculously, after a massive search party that goes on for days, Arden is found alive in a storm drain. She becomes the subject of national headlines as “the girl from Widow Hills.” Suddenly she is famous and forced to relive the event every year as people retell the story. As an adult, Arden changes her name to Olivia and escapes the media that have followed her her whole life. Things are going well for Olivia until the twentieth anniversary of her disappearance approaches and she finds herself sleepwalking again. And then one night Olivia wakes up in her backyard standing over a dead body with no idea how she got there. And further investigation reveals that the dead person knew her when she was a child. How did he find her and what does he want? And more importantly – who killed him?
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
My Review:
What I liked: The main character was portrayed as a strong, self-aware woman who was able to survive a rather challenging childhood and rise above her circumstances. The way the author wrote the story and built the suspense, I had no idea who to trust. I doubted everyone Olivia came in contact with and suspected that they all had ulterior motives at some point in the book. I was also left guessing whether Olivia herself had committed the murder while sleepwalking. There were so many possibilities on how this story would play out and just when you thought you had it figured out, the author would lead you down a different path. I still didn’t guess the ultimate “bad guy” until the author lead you to them at the end of the book. It was definitely a surprise!!
What I didn’t like: The ending was a little rushed and I felt like there were a couple of loose ends that could have been tied up. I would have liked an epilogue or another chapter that jumped into the future to see how Olivia was doing once everything settled down. I felt like I connected to the main character and wanted to make sure she was okay when the story ended.
Disclaimer: PG-13 for language
Do You Read Me?: Yes! This was a solid thriller that I would definitely recommend! I would also recommend reading The Missing Girls by this author. That story is super unique in that it is told in reverse. It is one that you really have to pay attention to and also keeps you guessing!
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a free ARC of this book!!