e-Audio, 09:55:45
Narrated by: Amy McFadden
Release Date: March 5, 2024
Published by: Tantor Media, Inc. (Sourcebooks Fire)
Read from: March 20-21, 2024
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received a copy of this e-audiobook and the physical from the publisher and/or Netgalley in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Grief, Alcohol, Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Sexism, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Guns, Murder, Hostage
For Readers Interested In: Realistic Fiction, Thriller, Contemporary, YAFrom the author of Dead Girls Can’t Tell Secrets and They’re Watching You, a compelling new thriller!
Last summer, they searched for Audrey Covington.
This summer, they’ll search for the truth.
Paige Redmond has always felt lucky to spend her summers in Clearwater Ridge, with lazy days sunning at the waterfalls and nights partying at the sprawling houses of the rich families who vacation there. The Covingtons are one of these families, and beautiful, brilliant Audrey Covington is Paige’s best friend. And last year, when Audrey’s crush-worthy brother Dylan finally started noticing Paige, she was sure it would be the best summer ever.
Except Audrey didn’t seem quite like herself. Then one night, she didn’t come home. Though Audrey wasn’t the first girl to disappear in Clearwater Ridge, she left behind more lies than clues. Now, one summer later, her case has gone cold, and nobody, least of all Paige, can make sense of what happened.
When Paige stumbles across a secret hidden in Audrey’s room, however, it changes everything she thought she knew about last summer. She and Dylan set out on their own investigation, discovering things even the police don’t know about the people of Clearwater Ridge. But tracking down missing girls—girls who might be beyond saving by now—means entering a world far darker than Paige has ever imagined. And if she isn’t careful, she’ll become the next girl to vanish.
*MY THOUGHTS*
This was my first read by this author so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. As it turns out, I was a little bit worried, but I shouldn’t have been. This book was really good and I found myself surprised by the ending. Definitely not something that happens on the regular.
After the last two thrillers I read were a bit of a bust, I wasn’t sure where this one was going to land with me. Would I like it or would I be annoyed by it like the others? So when this one started, I expected the clues and red herrings to be meterly doled out like the others. BUT with this one, it was much different. The story was just told and the twists kept coming. I did figure one thing out, but the huge twist on why was crazy. And let me just say, that one girl was brave af because how she was doing this was mind-blowing. And because of that, you’ll be so focused on her, that you won’t see the real culprit coming. Or at least I didn’t. I was too preoccupied. And with that being said, it felt like it came out of nowhere. And I loved that. Every time an author can get me, I love the book a little bit more. Because with the amount of thrillers and horror I read, I can usually always catch it. So this time when I didn’t, I was happy.
The characters were kind of weird. The main character and her missing best friend’s brother finally got together and they were the ones trying to solve this murder. And while that’s not unusual, I found it weird that they were doing this right after he ghosted her. I am all for second chances, but they didn’t even have a first chance and he messed it up. And then she went back to him? No. And like, Audrey, all this secrecy over THAT? All of that could have been avoided. But like, bffr you had a whole like other phone with a bookshelf covering it? You knew all of it was wrong and you still did it smh
I did feel like the ending was rushed tho. It was like they found who it was and then it was like the epilogue. She didn’t show how the one person reacted when the other person showed up. They didn’t show how that one person felt after what they did, nothing. And I know it’s a me thing, but that annoyed me lol I want to know how that person felt and what they thought of everything in that moment too. And while I get it, it was probably just supposed to be focused on Audrey and Paige, I wanted to know more and like maybe take in the scene with them. It was more of a telling what’s happening vs showing us and me putting myself in the story if that makes sense.
The narrator gave a good performance. I don’t remember just absolutely loving it, but it wasn’t bad. In fact I remember thinking that she had to be new because she sounded a bit nasally. But as it turns out, she has a really extensive backlist. And looking at what she’s done, I can’t believe even with her huge catalog, I was still able to miss her. So looks like I have some catching up to do now.
This was a super cute and actually thrilling book. I was a bit worried because I had never read this author before, but I have to say, I looked up what other books they have and I’m ready to get my hands on the other thrillers written by Ichaso.
Overall, I give this
