THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL

Author:  Simon Schwartz

Genre:  Graphic Memoir, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format:  Book

Yearly Count:  45

From Goodreads:

Simon Schwartz was born in 1982 in East Germany, at a time when the repressive Socialist Unity Party of Germany controlled the area. Shortly before Simon's birth, his parents decided to leave their home in search of greater freedoms on the other side of the Berlin Wall. But East German authorities did not allow the Schwartzes to leave for almost three years. In the meantime, Simon's parents struggled with the costs of their decision: the loss of work, the attention of the East German secret police, and the fragmentation of their family.

I learned a little from this read, but didn't find it as detailed or riveting as it could have been. It's told in a simplistic manner, which is always a good thing for young readers, though.  I would have liked a little more of something. 

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THE SAME SKY

Author:  Amanda Eyre Ward

Genre:  Women's Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3.25/5 (just okay +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/

Cabezas & Plummer

Yearly Count:  4

Two life stories are running concurrently and eventually intersect.  One is a 40-year-old woman and her husband that desperately want a child, and the other is a 13-year-old in Honduras desperately trying to get to her mother in Texas.

Not exactly sure when I finished this and not exactly sure of any details either.  :(  I do remember thinking some parts were interesting and others just ho-hum.  Not disappointed I listened to it, though.  That's good.  :)

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THE TEARS OF DARK WATER

Author:  Corban Addison

Genre:  Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  2.25/5 (not enjoyable +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Korey Jackson

Yearly Count:  21

From NetGalley:

Daniel and Vanessa Parker are an American success story. He is a Washington, DC, power broker, and she is a physician with a thriving practice. But behind the gilded façade, their marriage is a shambles, and their teenage son, Quentin, is self-destructing. In desperation, Daniel dusts off a long-delayed dream of theirs—a sailing trip around the world. Little does he know, the voyage he hopes will save them may destroy them instead.

Half a world away, on the lawless coast of Somalia, Ismail Adan Ibrahim is living a life of crime in violation of everything he was raised to believe—except this: the love and loyalty driving him to hijack ships for ransom and to plot the rescue of his sister, Yasmin, from the man who murdered their father. There is nothing he will not do to save her, even if it means taking innocent life.

Paul Derrick is the FBI's top hostage negotiator. His twin sister, Megan, is a celebrated defense attorney. They have reached the summit of their careers by savvy, grit, and a secret determination to escape the memory of the day their family died. When Paul is dispatched to handle a hostage crisis at sea, he has no idea how far it will take Megan and him into the past—or the chance it will give them to redeem the future.

Across continents and oceans, through storms and civil wars, their paths converge in a single, explosive moment. It is a moment that will test them, and break them, but that will also leave behind an unexpected glimmer of hope—that out of the ashes of tragedy and misfortune the seeds of justice and reconciliation can grow.

 This book moved at a snail's pace.  The first half is the introduction of characters and being hijacked on the ocean. The second half is figuring out why it happened.  For me, much of it was just boring.  (second attempt)

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My thanks go to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

SHOPAHOLIC TO THE RESCUE

Author:  Sophie Kinsella

Genre:  Chick Lit, Becky Brandon Series #8 

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  2.5/5 (eh)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Clare Corbett

Yearly Count:  11

Becky gathers up friends and family to assist her in the search of her father.

Someone I know has just started the series and loving it, so I was inspired to audioread the latest.  I didn't dislike it or anything, it just wasn't very good.  It only got a couple of smirks.  Oh well.

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TRUST NO ONE

Author:  Paul Cleave

Genre:  Psychological Thriller, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  4/5 (very good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Paul Ansdell

Yearly Count:  2

From NetGalley:

Jerry Grey is known to most of the world by his crime writing pseudonym, Henry Cutter—a name that has been keeping readers at the edge of their seats for more than a decade. Recently diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at the age of forty-nine, Jerry’s crime writing days are coming to an end. His twelve books tell stories of brutal murders committed by bad men, of a world out of balance, of victims finding the darkest forms of justice. As his dementia begins to break down the wall between his life and the lives of the characters he has created, Jerry confesses his worst secret: The stories are real. He knows this because he committed the crimes. Those close to him, including the nurses at the care home where he now lives, insist that it is all in his head, that his memory is being toyed with and manipulated by his unfortunate disease. But if that were true, then why are so many bad things happening? Why are people dying?

Hmmm.  I did not like a lot about this book, however, the strong desire to keep listening shifted the pendulum solidly into the positive realm.  :)  I was definitely hooked.

The switching of timeframes AND people was confusing in the very beginning.  After I thought that settled out in my mind, I continued to experience confusion from time to time.  :(  I had to pay close attention, and that wasn't enjoyable.  Also, the lack of complete closure - answers to all my questions - caused a bit of turmoil in me, amongst other unrealistic events.  After all of that, I oddly, still really liked the story.

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My thanks go to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with this eGalley.

FINDING AUDREY

Author:  Sophie Kinsella

Genre:  YA Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Gemma Whelan

Yearly Count:  47

Fourteen-year-old, Audrey, is dealing with diagnosed anxiety disorder brought on by an undisclosed event.

Sophie Kinsella always makes me giggle a time or two (often more) in her books, no matter the topic.  Even though this was a more serious topic of teenage anxiety, she still managed to tickle me.  Her version of a young adult (14) was depicted very well.  I appreciated that Audrey didn't act like a child with incredibly immature behaviors left and right (some were anticipated, though, she is 14).  I didn't feel like this was a serious attempt to cure anxiety or anything like that.  It was a glimpse into one girl's life as she works through her problems.

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THE MURDERER'S DAUGHTER

Author:  Jonathan Kellerman

Genre:  Psychological Thriller, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  2/5 (not enjoyable)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Kathe Mazur

Yearly Count:  43

From NetGalley:

A brilliant, deeply dedicated psychologist, Grace Blades has a gift for treating troubled souls and tormented psyches—perhaps because she bears her own invisible scars: Only five years old when she witnessed her parents' death in a bloody murder-suicide, Grace took refuge in her fierce intellect and found comfort in the loving couple who adopted her. But even as an adult with an accomplished professional life, Grace still has a dark, secret side. When her two worlds shockingly converge, Grace's harrowing past returns with a vengeance.

Both Grace and her newest patient are stunned when they recognize each other from a recent encounter. Haunted by his bleak past, mild-mannered Andrew Toner is desperate for Grace's renowned therapeutic expertise and more than willing to ignore their connection. And while Grace is tempted to explore his case, which seems to eerily echo her grim early years, she refuses—a decision she regrets when a homicide detective appears on her doorstep.

An evil she thought she'd outrun has reared its head again, but Grace fears that a police inquiry will expose her double life. Launching her own personal investigation leads her to a murderously manipulative foe, one whose warped craving for power forces Grace back into the chaos and madness she'd long ago fled.

Well, this wasn't my first Kellerman book . . . and it won't be my last, but it certainly didn't live up to my expectations.  :(  I did not buy into the main character at all.  While she is made out to be bold, she was fake and bland.  Her actions made no sense to me.

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My thanks go to Random House & NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

    

THE HANGING GIRL

Author:  Jussi Adler-Olsen

Genre:  Thriller, Department Q Series #6

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/
Graeme Malcolm

Yearly Count:  41

From NetGalley:

In the middle of his usual hard-won morning nap in the basement of police headquarters, Carl Mørck, head of Department Q, receives a call from a colleague working on the Danish island of Bornholm. Carl is dismissive when he realizes that a new case is being foisted on him, but a few hours later, he receives some shocking news that leaves his headstrong assistant Rose more furious than usual. Carl has no choice but to lead Department Q into the tragic cold case of a vivacious seventeen-year-old girl who vanished from school, only to be found dead hanging high up in a tree. The investigation will take them from the remote island of Bornholm to a strange sun worshipping cult, where Carl, Assad, Rose, and newcomer Gordon attempt to stop a string of new murders and a skilled manipulator who refuses to let anything—or anyone—get in the way.

I thoroughly enjoy the characters Carl, Assad and Rose and felt happy being back in their presence.  Unfortunately, this case ended up being my least favorite in the Department Q series (#5 being the next), and I'm concerned that I may have had enough of the camel jokes/references.  Also, there were so many side storylines that I just didn't enjoy the book as a whole like I have in the past.  This was certainly not a bad read by any means, but again . . . I was disappointed.

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My thanks go to Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

   

SLADE HOUSE

Author:  David Mitchell

Genre:  Paranormal Mystery (?), Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  1/5 (Don't Bother)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/
Judd & Rodrigues

Yearly Count:  37

From Amazon:

Keep your eyes peeled for a small black iron door.

Down the road from a working-class British pub, along the brick wall of a narrow alley, if the conditions are exactly right, you’ll find the entrance to Slade House. A stranger will greet you by name and invite you inside. At first, you won’t want to leave. Later, you’ll find that you can’t. Every nine years, the house’s residents—an odd brother and sister—extend a unique invitation to someone who’s different or lonely: a precocious teenager, a recently divorced policeman, a shy college student. But what really goes on inside Slade House? For those who find out, it’s already too late. . . .

Spanning five decades, from the last days of the 1970s to the present, leaping genres, and barreling toward an astonishing conclusion, this intricately woven novel will pull you into a reality-warping new vision of the haunted house story—as only David Mitchell could imagine it.

W. E. I. R. D.

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My thanks go to Random House & NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

THIRTEEN WAYS OF LOOKING

Author:  Colum McCann

Genre:  Short Story Collection, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  4.25/5 (very good +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Colum McCann

Yearly Count:  34

From NetGalley:

In the exuberant title novella, a retired judge reflects on his life's work, unaware as he goes about his daily routines that this particular morning will be his last. In “Sh'khol,” a mother spending Christmas alone with her son confronts the unthinkable when he disappears while swimming off the coast near their home in Ireland. In “Treaty,” an elderly nun catches a snippet of a news report in which it is revealed that the man who once kidnapped and brutalized her is alive, masquerading as an agent of peace. And in “What Time Is It Now, Where You Are?” a writer constructs a story about a Marine in Afghanistan calling home on New Year's Eve.

 Wow.  I like this guy's writing.  It's very engaging and deep.  The novella and all the short stories were well written.  The most unique story was "What Time Is It Now, Where You Are?" (see above)  I have never been privy to that thought process.  Kinda fun!  They all were on the sad side of the emotional spectrum, but not necessary a slap of sad, but a thought-provoking kind of sad.  I listened to Colum read his own collection . . . well done!  

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My thanks go to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

  

THE FEVER

Author:  Megan Abbott

Genre:  Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/
Davies, Heyborne, Barrett

Yearly Count:  33

From NetGalley:

The panic unleashed by a mysterious contagion threatens the bonds of family and community in a seemingly idyllic suburban community.

The Nash family is close-knit. Tom is a popular teacher, father of two teens: Eli, a hockey star and girl magnet, and his sister Deenie, a diligent student. Their seeming stability, however, is thrown into chaos when Deenie's best friend is struck by a terrifying, unexplained seizure in class. Rumors of a hazardous outbreak spread through the family, school and community.

As hysteria and contagion swell, a series of tightly held secrets emerges, threatening to unravel friendships, families and the town's fragile idea of security.

Hmmmm.  The entire time I was listening to this, I thought it was a YA book.  I discovered it wasn't when I went to get the description from NetGalley.  Again, hmmmm.

The writing did keep me somewhat engaged, which was a very good thing, because in general, I didn't care for the storyline.  I believe this was my first Megan Abbott book, and I'm still game to give another a try.

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My thanks go to Little, Brown & Company and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley. 

AS NIGHT FALLS

Author:  Jenny Milchman

Genre:  Thriller, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Susie Berneis

Yearly Count:  30

From Goodreads:

Sandy Tremont has always tried to give her family everything. But, as the sky darkens over the Adirondacks and a heavy snowfall looms, an escaped murderer with the power to take it all away draws close.

In her isolated home in the shadowy woods, Sandy prepares dinner after a fight with her daughter, Ivy. Upstairs, the fifteen-year-old—smart, brave, and with every reason to be angry tonight—keeps her distance from her mother. Sandy’s husband, Ben, a wilderness guide, arrives late to find a home simmering with unease.

Nearby, two desperate men on the run make their way through the fading light, bloodstained and determined to leave no loose ends or witnesses. After almost twenty years as prison cellmates, they have become a deadly team: Harlan the muscle, Nick the mind and will. As they approach a secluded house and look through its windows to see a cozy domestic scene, Nick knows that here he will find what he’s looking for . . . before he disappears forever.

Opening the door to the Tremont home, Nick brings not only a legacy of terror but a secret that threatens to drag Sandy with him into the darkness.

I liked this book quite a bit until it became a bit repetitive in general actions.  It caused my interest to wane, and if I heard about the size of Harlan one more time . . . AAAHHHHH!  I'm still very interested in reading another by Milchman, though. 

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My thanks go to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley. 

ANOTHER DAY

Author:  David Levithan

Genre:  YA Fiction, Every Day Companion

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/

Kathleen McInerney

Yearly Count:  29

From NetGalley:

Every day is the same for Rhiannon. She has accepted her life, convinced herself that she deserves her distant, temperamental boyfriend, Justin, even established guidelines by which to live: Don’t be too needy. Avoid upsetting him. Never get your hopes up.

Until the morning everything changes. Justin seems to see her, to want to be with her for the first time, and they share a perfect day—a perfect day Justin doesn’t remember the next morning. Confused, depressed, and desperate for another day as great as that one, Rhiannon starts questioning everything. Then, one day, a stranger tells her that the Justin she spent that day with, the one who made her feel like a real person . . . wasn’t Justin at all.

I didn't remember all the happenings of Every Day, so this didn't seem too much like a rehash for me. Therefore, it was an enjoyable YA book.  It has a good message regarding looking at a person's inner being versus their outer appearance.  And, I liked the ending.

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My thanks go to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

HOSTAGE TAKER

Author:  Stefanie Pintoff

Genre:  Thriller, Eve Rossi Series #1

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  4/5 (very good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Tanya Eby

Yearly Count:  25

From NetGalley:

In the hushed quiet of early morning Manhattan, in front of the towering brass doors of Saint Patrick's Cathedral, a young woman holds a sign that reads: HELP ME. For one FBI agent, a madman's terrified hostages, and an entire city, a long and harrowing day is about to unfold.

The hostage taker's identity is unknown. But he knows who FBI agent Eve Rossi is—and everything about her past. Along with her presence, he demands five witnesses: ordinary people with some hidden connection. Defying her superiors, Eve begins a deadly dance with an adversary whose intentions are surely sinister, whose endgame is anything but certain, and whose cunning keeps him one step ahead at every turn.

As Eve manages a taut hostage situation, she relies on the combined skills of her team—a secret unit inspired by France's most notorious criminal and made up of ex-convicts with extraordinary talents, oversized egos, and contempt for the rules.

Eve is up against a rapidly ticking clock. But the dangerous man calling the shots has a timetable of his own—and a searing question for his targets: What are you guilty of? As shocking revelations surface, so does another crisis nobody could anticipate—one not even Eve and her team may be able to stop.

This was my first introduction to Pintoff, and she had my attention all the way through!  I enjoyed the mishmash of characters and the storyline.  It reminded me of The Monkeewrench crew in P.J. Tracy's series, but the guys on this crew were definitely more on the grittier side.  I will definitely pick up another by her. 

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My thanks go to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

MRS. ROOSEVELT'S CONFIDANTE

Author:  Susan Elia MacNeal

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Maggie Hope Series #5

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  2/5 (not enjoyable)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Susan Deurden

Yearly Count:  19

From NetGalley:

December 1941. Soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Winston Churchill arrives in Washington, D.C., along with special agent Maggie Hope. Posing as his typist, she is accompanying the prime minister as he meets with President Roosevelt to negotiate the United States' entry into World War II. When one of the First Lady's aides is mysteriously murdered, Maggie is quickly drawn into Mrs. Roosevelt's inner circle—as ER herself is implicated in the crime. Maggie knows she must keep the investigation quiet, so she employs her unparalleled skills at code breaking and espionage to figure out who would target Mrs. Roosevelt, and why. What Maggie uncovers is a shocking conspiracy that could jeopardize American support for the war and leave the fate of the world hanging dangerously in the balance.

This blending of a fictitious story with real historical characters didn't sit well with me. There were many historical topics brought in and most didn't feel genuine. I didn't care for it at all.

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My thanks go to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with the eGalley.

BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Author:  Jane Isaac

Genre:  Mystery, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format:  eBook

Yearly Count:  18

From NetGalley:

I concentrated hard, desperately listening for something familiar, the sound of life. I heard nothing. Just my own breaths and the wind, whistling through branches above… The thought made me shiver. I am buried alive. Following an argument with her British boyfriend, Chinese student Min Li is abducted whilst walking the dark streets of picturesque Stratford-upon-Avon alone. Trapped in a dark pit, Min is at the mercy of her captor. Detective Inspector Will Jackman is tasked with solving the case and in his search for answers discovers that the truth is buried deeper than he ever expected. But, as another student vanishes and Min grows ever weaker, time is running out. Can Jackman track down the kidnapper, before it’s too late?

This book was good, but it didn't compel me to pick it up, and I wish it had. I still enjoyed the storyline and would read another by this author. 

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My thanks go to Legend Press & NetGalley for providing me with this eGalley.

LIFE OR DEATH

Author:  Michael Robotham

Genre:  Thriller, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/John Chancer

Yearly Count:  16

From NetGalley:

Why would a man serving a long prison sentence escape the day before he's due to be released?

Audie Palmer has spent ten years in a Texas prison after pleading guilty to a robbery in which four people died and seven million dollars went missing. During that time he has suffered repeated beatings, stabbings and threats by inmates and guards, all desperate to answer the same question: where's the money?

On the day before Audie is due to be released, he suddenly vanishes. Now everybody is searching for him—the police, FBI, gangsters and other powerful figures—but Audie isn't running to save his own life. Instead, he's trying to save someone else's.

This was not quite a "very good" audioread, because I am beyond annoyed for waiting forever for things to be revealed and thoroughly disappointed that this story had numerous flashbacks.  UGH.  However, it was a storyline that intrigued me, and I continued to listen eagerly.

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My thanks go to Mulholland Books & NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley. 

THE DAY THE CRAYONS CAME HOME

Author:  Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers

Genre:  Children's, 2 of 2

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format:  eBook

Yearly Count:  14

The crayons are asking to be rescued from their individual fates.

This book was much more colorful (pun intended) than The Day the Crayons Quit!  It had more creativity and intrigue.  Cute.

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CRASH & BURN

Author:  Lisa Gardner

Genre:  Thriller, Tessa Leoni Series #3

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  2/5 (not enjoyable)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/

Christina Traister & Mikael Naramore

Yearly Count:  12

From NetGalley:

My name is Nicky Frank. Except, most likely, it isn’t.

Nicole Frank shouldn’t have been able to survive the car accident, much less crawl up the steep ravine. Not in the dark, not in the rain, not with her injuries. But one thought allows her to defy the odds and flag down help: Vero.

I’m looking for a little girl. I have to save her. Except, most likely, she doesn’t exist.

Sergeant Wyatt Foster is frustrated when even the search dogs can’t find any trace of the mysterious missing child. Until Nicky’s husband, Thomas, arrives with a host of shattering revelations: Nicole Frank suffers from a rare brain injury and the police shouldn’t trust anything she says.

My husband claims he’ll do anything to save me. Except, most likely, he can’t.

Who is Nicky Frank, and what happened the night her car sailed off the road? Was it a random accident or something more sinister given the woman’s lack of family and no close friends? The deeper Wyatt digs, the more concerned he becomes. Because it turns out, in the past few months, Nicky has suffered from more than one close accident. . . . In fact, it would appear someone very much wants her dead.

This is my life. Except, most likely, it’s not. Now watch me crash and burn.

Too much crazy and not enough solid story.

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My thanks go to Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing me with this eGalley. 

DESCENT

Author:  Tim Johnston

Genre:  Thriller, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Xe Sands &
R.C. Bray

Yearly Count:  11

From NetGalley:

The Rocky Mountains have cast their spell over the Courtlands, a young family from the plains taking a last summer vacation before their daughter begins college. For eighteen-year-old Caitlin, the mountains loom as the ultimate test of her runner's heart, while her parents hope that so much beauty, so much grandeur, will somehow repair a damaged marriage. But when Caitlin and her younger brother, Sean, go out for an early morning run and only Sean returns, the mountains become as terrifying as they are majestic, as suddenly this family find themselves living the kind of nightmare they've only read about in headlines or seen on TV.

As their world comes undone, the Courtlands are drawn into a vortex of dread and recrimination. Why weren't they more careful? What has happened to their daughter? Is she alive? Will they ever know? Caitlin's disappearance, all the more devastating for its mystery, is the beginning of the family's harrowing journey down increasingly divergent and solitary paths until all that continues to bind them together are the questions they can never bring themselves to ask: At what point does a family stop searching? At what point will a girl stop fighting for her life?

I am really torn on how to rate this book because there were some things that impressed me and at the same time annoyed me beyond belief.  The actual writing had a special quality to it that I thoroughly enjoyed.  It made me feel like I was there; however, the writing style took me all over the place regarding timeline and who was speaking.  That drove me out of my mind!  I would give Johnston a try again, but only if I knew the story was told in sequential order and was grounded with one point of view.

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.