e-Audio, 09:39:48
Narrated by: Rebecca Quinn Robertson
Release Date: December 5, 2023
Published by: Recorded Books, Inc. (Sourcebooks Fire)
Read from: December 11-18, 2023
Stand-alone
Source: Publisher (I received a copy of this book from the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Gaslighting, Lying, Gun Violence (to one person)
For Readers Interested In: Thrillers, Mysteries, Podcasts/Social Media, Realistic Fiction, YAA brooding, atmospheric novel about the mysterious vanishing of a singer from a remote island, and the teenage runaway determined to uncover the truth.
When promising young singer Roxy Raines vanishes from the tiny resort of Sandown, the island locals refuse to speak about it to anyone they deem outsiders, instead proclaiming Roxy a teenage runaway.
Thirty years later, seventeen-year-old Mona Perry comes to the island resolute in her search for the real reason behind Roxy’s disappearance. Armed with a suitcase and a microphone, Mona only has one hot summer to get to the bottom of Roxy’s story and record it all for her podcast and fans.
But as Mona gets drawn deeper into the strange, isolated community, it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems—least of all Mona’s own past and the disappearance of someone close to her.
*MY THOUGHTS*
When I read the synopsis of this I just KNEW I was going to LOVE this. And normally I would have, but it was too confusing to really work for me. The ending was crazy, but everything before it was weird? Idk it went in an entirely different way than I was thinking.
Ok so when I said I thought it would be something else, I thought it was going to be a mystery about a girl trying to find what happened to her sister and telling her findings on the podcast she had. And having someone not wanting her to uncover those findings. And that’s what we did get, but it was also more. And let me just say, the more was weird lol It got really crazy and I think it could have been really cool, but it was never explained and we don’t know any real details. She kept alluding to being one thing, but then saying something else, but never clarifying one way or the other. Now, if she did in fact do that, it wasn’t clear and i think that annoys me even more because it was confusing.
The podcast aspect was a little annoying too. I was really hoping for some like episodes and stuff, but all we really get is the like script. And the way she kept mentioning her podcast equipment, but we never know what it is. And then there was the end. She just never really says anything about it. I just wish it had been more of a big deal. Especially if she was going undercover and making fake like id’s to be able to pull this off. And I think it made me mad too because I have A LOT of requests for books with podcasts/social media aspect (because that’s what they know I guess) and now I’d feel weird about recommending this one. I’ll have to do so with a caveat.
The mystery aspect was good. I wouldn’t call it a thriller tho. It needed more thrilling moments for sure. It felt more like she was finding out all this information from the people around her and no one gave her a hard time. if this was promoed as a mystery, I think I would have loved it. But because it was said to be a thriller too, I was more annoyed by it. So please, take this as your lesson to STOP putting the wrong freaking genre lol
This was just ok to me. I think the execution was just done terribly wrong. And it sucked because this is one book that sounded so good. A book about a podcaster who is solving a cold case or mystery? That’s one of my favorite microtropes! But ultimately I see that the execution of the book matters way more than my favorite microtrope.
Overall, I give this
