19/04/2024
The reapperance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
As someone who loved A good girls guide to murder and Five Survive I had high hopes for this latest offering from YA writer extraordinaire Holly Jackson.
Rachel Price disappeared 16 years ago leaving 2 year old Bel on the backseat of her car with the headlights on and the engine running. Rachel dispeared without a trace with no indication as to where she had gone or what had happened to her. Since then, the conspiracy theroists have gone wild and every avenue has been explored but no one has a clear idea what happened all those years ago. Bel is now 18 and a film crew have been invited into her home to interview her and her family to hear their reactions so many years on and how they have managed to cobble together a life without Rachel in it.
One day this is all turned on its head and Bel is left trying to find the answers everyone else is trying hide or trying to forget about.
Told in third person the book focuses on Bel and her reaction to everythjng that happens in the book (trying not to give away any spoilers!) In Jacksons trademark style details are slowly drip fed to the reader as we, like Bel, try to piece together what is real and what is not.
Bel, in my opinion, is a brash and sharp tongued character - no doubt as a way for her to stop people getting too close to her as she is so distrustful of others. She is bright but doesnt like to give too much away but also likes to pile the tension high without really caring who she might hurt on the way. She is a contrast to golden girl Carter, her cousin - always the confidiant and being mollicodled by her over protective (and pushy) parents. These two drive the story (as well as a few others that I won't mention due to their pivitol nature as part of the plot).
I will be completely honest and say that I devoured this in two days due to its fast paced nature and the cliffhanger at the end of nearly every chapter. Jackson is could at a plot twist and I audibly gasped a few times when new information came from left field.
I was a little scared that this book wouldn't live up to the hype but thankfully this one knocked it out of the park.
I recommend this to anyone that loves an edge-of-your-seat thriller but, due to the language, I would say it is suitable for 14+ years.
Published by Electric Monkey
