I could not put this book down. I was in a reading slump and picked this one up at the library to buddy read with a friend and I was completely sucked into it from the first chapter.
Chelsey has become a detective after her life was upended by the murder of her older sister while they were teenagers. She has never let herself grieve and blames herself for not telling her parents that her sister had snuck out to see a boy.
Ellie Black went missing two years ago and suddenly is found by hikers. She is a shell of the stubborn teenager she once had been and is skittish and refusing to speak about what has happened to her. But is Ellie protecting someone?
I wish this was not a cautionary tale about what happens to girls who wander off in the dark. Who are made to learn that there are bad people everywhere.
********************* POTENTIAL SPOILERS *********
The way that the women are treated in this book makes me so sad. The fact that Chelsey’s dad stated:
“Get it together. If you’re going to be an officer, you’ll have to be better than a woman.”
We see how Chelsey idolised her father, ignoring his bullish behaviours and excusing his treatment as his way of trying to protect his only remaining daughter.
Ellie was a lot opposite of teenage Chelsey. Fighting with her parents, pushing the boundaries, breaking the rules to get what she wanted. Reading about how broken she becomes in the woods made my heart hurt for her. She loses herself, until Willa comes. Then her entire world shifts to protect the little girl, even if it means sacrificing her own life. It draws a parallel with Chelsey who is refusing to move forward with things in her life, her father’s house, making more permanent decisions in her life with Noah, and not allowing herself to grieve Lydia. Both women buckle down and sacrifice all that they could have, to save someone else.
I really enjoyed the twists and turns. I honestly did not it being the brothers and was delighted that the author was able to trick me with focusing on other potentially shady characters. Such a fun ride.
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