Community Reviews
I’ve been wanting to read this for quite some time; it’s been on my to-read list since Nov2024 making it a candidate for my 2026 cleaning out the to-read closet challenge. It’s also a candidate for GR’s 2026 Editor Picks, making it a double challenge read.
The book summary introduces the two storylines of Ellie being found alive after going missing two years ago, and Det. Chelsey Calhoun still missing her sister, Lydia, who is believed to have been killed by her high school boyfriend, even though her body was never found. It is believed that Lydia’s body was washed out to sea, which is where her boyfriend was found dead after driving off a cliff.
The story flips back and forth mostly between Chelsey and Ellie, with a few chapters from other characters like Jimmy, Ellie’s dad and Danny, Ellie’s high school boyfriend. Chelsey’s chapters flip back and forth between present day and before and right after Lydia went missing. Ellie’s chapters flip back and forth between her captivity and her return. There was a lot going on, but the transitions were clear and smooth and there was no confusion. Some stories can get confusing when there are several characters and different timeframes. From the get-go, Chelsey is suspicious and she wasn’t the only one; she just didn’t seem like someone who wanted her captors to be caught. It wasn’t until deep into the second half that Ellie’s plans are revealed. I didn’t actually see that one coming, but I should have.
The character development of Ellie and Chelsey was well done along with a couple of other ensemble characters that I don’t want to mention because it would be kind of a spoiler. The pacing was pretty steady throughout the story and the storyline engrossing. The writing was also well done, and I liked the intensity and drama that Emiko Jean created; Jean is a good writer and storyteller. I can see why it was GR’s reader’s favorite. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.25 that I will be rounding down to a 4star review.
The book summary introduces the two storylines of Ellie being found alive after going missing two years ago, and Det. Chelsey Calhoun still missing her sister, Lydia, who is believed to have been killed by her high school boyfriend, even though her body was never found. It is believed that Lydia’s body was washed out to sea, which is where her boyfriend was found dead after driving off a cliff.
The story flips back and forth mostly between Chelsey and Ellie, with a few chapters from other characters like Jimmy, Ellie’s dad and Danny, Ellie’s high school boyfriend. Chelsey’s chapters flip back and forth between present day and before and right after Lydia went missing. Ellie’s chapters flip back and forth between her captivity and her return. There was a lot going on, but the transitions were clear and smooth and there was no confusion. Some stories can get confusing when there are several characters and different timeframes. From the get-go, Chelsey is suspicious and she wasn’t the only one; she just didn’t seem like someone who wanted her captors to be caught. It wasn’t until deep into the second half that Ellie’s plans are revealed. I didn’t actually see that one coming, but I should have.
The character development of Ellie and Chelsey was well done along with a couple of other ensemble characters that I don’t want to mention because it would be kind of a spoiler. The pacing was pretty steady throughout the story and the storyline engrossing. The writing was also well done, and I liked the intensity and drama that Emiko Jean created; Jean is a good writer and storyteller. I can see why it was GR’s reader’s favorite. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.25 that I will be rounding down to a 4star review.
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