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Girl Last Seen
Two missing girls. Thirteen years apart.
Olivia Shaw has been missing since last Tuesday. She was last seen outside the entrance of her elementary school in Hunts Point wearing a white spring jacket, blue jeans, and pink boots. I force myself to look at the face in the photo, into her slightly smudged features, and I can't bring myself to move. Olivia Shaw could be my mirror image, rewound to thirteen years ago. If you have any knowledge of Olivia Shaw's whereabouts or any relevant information, please contact... I've spent a long time peering into the faces of girls on missing posters, wondering which one replaced me in that basement. But they were never quite the right age, the right look, the right circumstances. Until Olivia Shaw, missing for one week tomorrow. Whoever stole me was never found. But since I was taken, there hasn't been another girl. And now there is.
Olivia Shaw has been missing since last Tuesday. She was last seen outside the entrance of her elementary school in Hunts Point wearing a white spring jacket, blue jeans, and pink boots. I force myself to look at the face in the photo, into her slightly smudged features, and I can't bring myself to move. Olivia Shaw could be my mirror image, rewound to thirteen years ago. If you have any knowledge of Olivia Shaw's whereabouts or any relevant information, please contact... I've spent a long time peering into the faces of girls on missing posters, wondering which one replaced me in that basement. But they were never quite the right age, the right look, the right circumstances. Until Olivia Shaw, missing for one week tomorrow. Whoever stole me was never found. But since I was taken, there hasn't been another girl. And now there is.
340 pages, Paperback
First published June 20, 2017
2125 people are currently reading
22995 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,149 reviews
November 7, 2018
I thought it would be fitting to start my review off with this lovely quote, one that I think carries a lot of weight—
“No two persons ever read the same book.” ― Edmund Wilson
Here’s to hoping Mr. Wilson’s words ring true—that every other reader has a completely different experience with this book than I did. Or that they find the wherewithal to toss it aside and move on; something my sense of obligation, tied to the review copy I received, just wouldn’t allow me to do. I really must be a glutton for punishment.
Some readers tend to cut an author a break when they see the word debut, but I’m not one of them. In no way would I ever accept that five-letter word as an excuse for the messy plot and mediocre characters I forced myself to spend the last few weeks with (yes, it took me several weeks to get through this book!). I’m surprised Girl Last Seen landed itself a spot on bookshelves in this state, considering how poorly structured and written this book actually is.
Within the first few chapters, I could tell this wasn’t going to go well. There was something mundane about the author’s writing—it lacked personality and that oomph that typically accompanies what I consider to be a great book—and it failed to deliver the reader’s high necessary for a binge session. In fact, for me, with this book, it was the complete opposite experience. When I set this down for any length of time, I never felt the urge to get back to it. It was more of a forced activity.
Aside from the author’s writing itself, it was the plot and the structure of the story that caused the most problems—for me. Overcritical or not, I have certainly never read a traditionally published book with as many plot holes, underdeveloped characters, and blatant disregard for reality, as this one. And I'm not referring to the altered reality the author tried to create with the pill-popping junkie at the center of it all. I'm talking about the nonsensical aspects of this story, things that didn’t add up or weren’t researched enough by the author. I guess, at the end of the day, the excuse can be thrown out that this is a work of fiction. But, in my eyes, if you’re going to try and sell an investigation or a closed adoption scenario, put in the time and effort to do the research. Make it believable. Not only did this story feel thrown together, but it was riddled with convenience, lacked polish and was all tied together with an uninspired ending.
Bottom line, there was nothing I enjoyed about this book, nor would I consider reading another from this author. At the end of the day, this is just the opinion of one reader, who frequently lives in the minority. So, if the synopsis grabs you, give it a chance and draw your own conclusions.
*Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“No two persons ever read the same book.” ― Edmund Wilson
Here’s to hoping Mr. Wilson’s words ring true—that every other reader has a completely different experience with this book than I did. Or that they find the wherewithal to toss it aside and move on; something my sense of obligation, tied to the review copy I received, just wouldn’t allow me to do. I really must be a glutton for punishment.
Some readers tend to cut an author a break when they see the word debut, but I’m not one of them. In no way would I ever accept that five-letter word as an excuse for the messy plot and mediocre characters I forced myself to spend the last few weeks with (yes, it took me several weeks to get through this book!). I’m surprised Girl Last Seen landed itself a spot on bookshelves in this state, considering how poorly structured and written this book actually is.
Within the first few chapters, I could tell this wasn’t going to go well. There was something mundane about the author’s writing—it lacked personality and that oomph that typically accompanies what I consider to be a great book—and it failed to deliver the reader’s high necessary for a binge session. In fact, for me, with this book, it was the complete opposite experience. When I set this down for any length of time, I never felt the urge to get back to it. It was more of a forced activity.
Aside from the author’s writing itself, it was the plot and the structure of the story that caused the most problems—for me. Overcritical or not, I have certainly never read a traditionally published book with as many plot holes, underdeveloped characters, and blatant disregard for reality, as this one. And I'm not referring to the altered reality the author tried to create with the pill-popping junkie at the center of it all. I'm talking about the nonsensical aspects of this story, things that didn’t add up or weren’t researched enough by the author. I guess, at the end of the day, the excuse can be thrown out that this is a work of fiction. But, in my eyes, if you’re going to try and sell an investigation or a closed adoption scenario, put in the time and effort to do the research. Make it believable. Not only did this story feel thrown together, but it was riddled with convenience, lacked polish and was all tied together with an uninspired ending.
Bottom line, there was nothing I enjoyed about this book, nor would I consider reading another from this author. At the end of the day, this is just the opinion of one reader, who frequently lives in the minority. So, if the synopsis grabs you, give it a chance and draw your own conclusions.
*Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2018
*3 Stars*
Girl Last Seen offers everything I look for in a thriller: mystery, suspense, an untrustworthy cast of characters, a twisty “whodunnit” plot, not to mention that eerily beautiful cover—and yet the way it was all sort of haphazardly pulled together left me slightly underwhelmed.
But why not start with the positive: The characters were gritty and uncensored—in fact, so were the elements of the plot—and I love that. If you’re going to create a lost and abused, pill-popping, drug addicted female protagonist, I want to be able to *feel* her desperation to my core—and I DID.
I felt “icky” (Amy *Foxy’s* term, All Rights Reserved;) and uncomfortable, and deeply saddened for the tragedy our heroine endured. This author knows how to breathe life into her characters, and their hopelessness was suffocating.
The suspense was thickly layered, turning almost everyone into a suspect at some point, and sparked a lingering guessing game for the reader. Without giving away any spoilers—the ending was a change from most of the thrillers I’ve been reading lately, and although it closed in a way I don’t typically prefer, I will say, in this case, I was left satisfied.
The not-so-postive : As alive as this story became, I didn't find myself wondering about it much or compelled to pick it back up after I’d stopped reading, and I’m not exactly sure why. The writing style was decent, but didn't leave a huge impression, and there were some undercooked scenarios in this story that appeared to hold significance but were left to dangle as loose ends.
Although the structure of the plot felt a little unpolished, I do think this book has incredible potential, and would definitely recommend to those looking for a thriller with an unrefined edge.
*Thanks for buddy reading this one with me, Amy (Foxy)!*
Complimentary ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley
Pre-review:
Girl Last Seen offers everything I look for in a thriller: mystery, suspense, an untrustworthy cast of characters, a twisty “whodunnit” plot, not to mention that eerily beautiful cover—and yet the way it was all sort of haphazardly pulled together left me slightly underwhelmed.
But why not start with the positive: The characters were gritty and uncensored—in fact, so were the elements of the plot—and I love that. If you’re going to create a lost and abused, pill-popping, drug addicted female protagonist, I want to be able to *feel* her desperation to my core—and I DID.
I felt “icky” (Amy *Foxy’s* term, All Rights Reserved;) and uncomfortable, and deeply saddened for the tragedy our heroine endured. This author knows how to breathe life into her characters, and their hopelessness was suffocating.
The suspense was thickly layered, turning almost everyone into a suspect at some point, and sparked a lingering guessing game for the reader. Without giving away any spoilers—the ending was a change from most of the thrillers I’ve been reading lately, and although it closed in a way I don’t typically prefer, I will say, in this case, I was left satisfied.
The not-so-postive : As alive as this story became, I didn't find myself wondering about it much or compelled to pick it back up after I’d stopped reading, and I’m not exactly sure why. The writing style was decent, but didn't leave a huge impression, and there were some undercooked scenarios in this story that appeared to hold significance but were left to dangle as loose ends.
Although the structure of the plot felt a little unpolished, I do think this book has incredible potential, and would definitely recommend to those looking for a thriller with an unrefined edge.
*Thanks for buddy reading this one with me, Amy (Foxy)!*
Complimentary ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley
Pre-review:
September 29, 2019
My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
2.5 Stars
I have always been interested in stories about missing people. So of course after reading the description for GIRL LAST SEEN, I knew I had to read it.
Two missing girls. Thirteen years apart.
Ella/Lainey/Laine has seen many missing posters over the last ten years. She studies them closely. But this recent one is different. The missing girl looks very similar to how Lainey looked 13 years ago. They never caught the man who kidnapped her and she didn't think he had replaced her...
Until now.
"Olivia Shaw, Age ten, missing for one week tomorrow"
After seeing the poster it's all she can think about. Running on a loop in her head "Olivia Shaw, age 10, last seen...."
Laine works two jobs, trying to make ends meet. Her evening job is as a bartender in a strip-club. She's working and notices one of the patrons is blatantly staring at her. It starts to creep her out. She's about to tell him off but then he calls her by name. It takes her a moment to place the familiar voice. Then she remembers....it's Detective Sean Ortiz with the Seattle PD. As soon as she realizes who he is, her first instinct is to flee. He gives chase catching up to her easily and wants to know why she ran. She doesn't know what to tell him as she's not sure why she ran either. She wonders what he wants from her.
"Laine...this is about a missing girl"
And then he proceeds to tell her something else that she did NOT see coming.
They need Laine's help and she wants to help, but she's not sure how. She doesn't remember anything more about her time in captivity or her kidnapper.
I have to say I was really pulled in by the beginning of this book. However, about halfway through I started having trouble with a few things. I know that all characters won't be likeable all the time. But everyone seemed unlikable. For one thing there aren't a lot of characters in the book and I was having a hard time connecting with any of them. Of course I felt sorry for Laine....the girl hasn't caught a break her whole life. She's addicted to drinking and drugs which after everything she'd been through isn't surprising. But some of her decisions were frustrating beyond belief. As time went on I did start to feel more for her and I was definitely engrossed in the story and what was happening.
There was also something about Detective Sean Ortiz that put my teeth on edge. I had a really hard time liking him. I found him inconsistent...which of course characters can be, but some of his actions as a detective and a man both baffled and angered me.
However, I was still intrigued and wanted to know what was going to happen. Laine is determined to help the Shaw family find their daughter, even if it means putting herself in danger.
What secrets is Laine still hiding? And the missing girls parents seem to have secrets of their own.
Where is Olivia?
The book started off really good. The plot had me intrigued. Then it sort of lagged from the middle on. However, the action definitely picked up again in the last few chapters. In fact at that point I had a hard time putting it down. So I am glad that I stuck with it.
Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing an advanced copy of this book for me to read in exchange for my honest review.
2.5 Stars
I have always been interested in stories about missing people. So of course after reading the description for GIRL LAST SEEN, I knew I had to read it.
Two missing girls. Thirteen years apart.
Ella/Lainey/Laine has seen many missing posters over the last ten years. She studies them closely. But this recent one is different. The missing girl looks very similar to how Lainey looked 13 years ago. They never caught the man who kidnapped her and she didn't think he had replaced her...
Until now.
"Olivia Shaw, Age ten, missing for one week tomorrow"
After seeing the poster it's all she can think about. Running on a loop in her head "Olivia Shaw, age 10, last seen...."
Laine works two jobs, trying to make ends meet. Her evening job is as a bartender in a strip-club. She's working and notices one of the patrons is blatantly staring at her. It starts to creep her out. She's about to tell him off but then he calls her by name. It takes her a moment to place the familiar voice. Then she remembers....it's Detective Sean Ortiz with the Seattle PD. As soon as she realizes who he is, her first instinct is to flee. He gives chase catching up to her easily and wants to know why she ran. She doesn't know what to tell him as she's not sure why she ran either. She wonders what he wants from her.
"Laine...this is about a missing girl"
And then he proceeds to tell her something else that she did NOT see coming.
They need Laine's help and she wants to help, but she's not sure how. She doesn't remember anything more about her time in captivity or her kidnapper.
I have to say I was really pulled in by the beginning of this book. However, about halfway through I started having trouble with a few things. I know that all characters won't be likeable all the time. But everyone seemed unlikable. For one thing there aren't a lot of characters in the book and I was having a hard time connecting with any of them. Of course I felt sorry for Laine....the girl hasn't caught a break her whole life. She's addicted to drinking and drugs which after everything she'd been through isn't surprising. But some of her decisions were frustrating beyond belief. As time went on I did start to feel more for her and I was definitely engrossed in the story and what was happening.
There was also something about Detective Sean Ortiz that put my teeth on edge. I had a really hard time liking him. I found him inconsistent...which of course characters can be, but some of his actions as a detective and a man both baffled and angered me.
However, I was still intrigued and wanted to know what was going to happen. Laine is determined to help the Shaw family find their daughter, even if it means putting herself in danger.
What secrets is Laine still hiding? And the missing girls parents seem to have secrets of their own.
Where is Olivia?
The book started off really good. The plot had me intrigued. Then it sort of lagged from the middle on. However, the action definitely picked up again in the last few chapters. In fact at that point I had a hard time putting it down. So I am glad that I stuck with it.
Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing an advanced copy of this book for me to read in exchange for my honest review.
June 5, 2017
Thrillers are an addiction. Ask anyone. Sometimes they just thrill and sometimes they get under your skin and tie you up for years at a stretch, doing unspeakable things to you... and then they let you loose, making you feel like a monster for years and years.
Well, it hasn't been years, rather... minutes since I finished this book, and I can tell right away that I'm going to stay in a bit of shock.
This is a dark one.
I love the premise, the connection over many years, but I probably love other kinds of entanglements even more. I'm talking about you, Ella and Shaw. :)
There's a good deal of perfect twists and turns in the plot, but it's the downward spiral of poor Ella that takes center stage, the victim blaming the victim all the way, and yet, always holding onto tiny little sparks and obsessions to keep her going. I love it!
If this doesn't become the next big thing, I don't know what will! It goes down smooth. Real smooth. And scary.
(The fact that I know the author has nothing to do with my judgment of the book. I literally couldn't put it down from the time I picked it up.) :)
Well, it hasn't been years, rather... minutes since I finished this book, and I can tell right away that I'm going to stay in a bit of shock.
This is a dark one.
I love the premise, the connection over many years, but I probably love other kinds of entanglements even more. I'm talking about you, Ella and Shaw. :)
There's a good deal of perfect twists and turns in the plot, but it's the downward spiral of poor Ella that takes center stage, the victim blaming the victim all the way, and yet, always holding onto tiny little sparks and obsessions to keep her going. I love it!
If this doesn't become the next big thing, I don't know what will! It goes down smooth. Real smooth. And scary.
(The fact that I know the author has nothing to do with my judgment of the book. I literally couldn't put it down from the time I picked it up.) :)
March 5, 2017
Wow,Wow and Wow again,this is a totally riveting twist packed story that I would gladly give far more than five stars if I could and would happily recommend to anyone who enjoys reading a damn good thriller.
Ten years ago Ella Santos escaped from the clutches of the monster who had kidnapped and abused her for three years.She has changed her name to Lainey and has tried really hard to get on with her life but the person who kidnapped her has never been caught and Lainey has always known that one day that person will strike again and now it's looks like he has.
Olivia Shaw has disappeared from outside the entrance to her school,the right look,the right age,the right circumstances and she could be a mirror image of Lainey thirteen years ago.
Lainey just wants to get on with her life but sometimes you can't move on until you confront events from your past.
This gripping thriller is voiced by Lainey who understandably after everything that she has been through is a emotional wreck.She is a drug addict who has a short temper but deep down inside she is just a lost little girl who just wants to be loved.She didn't have a very nice life before she was kidnapped and it didn't get any easier after she escaped,I just hope real kidnap victims are not treated the same way that she was treated throughout the book.The characters are well developed,realistic and totally untrustworthy,the story is fast paced,packed full of twists and you have no idea what has happened to Olivia until the very last chapter.
This is a very well written debut thriller that had me hooked from the gripping prologue right to the very last word and I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.
Many thanks to Grand central publishing for a arc of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review
Ten years ago Ella Santos escaped from the clutches of the monster who had kidnapped and abused her for three years.She has changed her name to Lainey and has tried really hard to get on with her life but the person who kidnapped her has never been caught and Lainey has always known that one day that person will strike again and now it's looks like he has.
Olivia Shaw has disappeared from outside the entrance to her school,the right look,the right age,the right circumstances and she could be a mirror image of Lainey thirteen years ago.
Lainey just wants to get on with her life but sometimes you can't move on until you confront events from your past.
This gripping thriller is voiced by Lainey who understandably after everything that she has been through is a emotional wreck.She is a drug addict who has a short temper but deep down inside she is just a lost little girl who just wants to be loved.She didn't have a very nice life before she was kidnapped and it didn't get any easier after she escaped,I just hope real kidnap victims are not treated the same way that she was treated throughout the book.The characters are well developed,realistic and totally untrustworthy,the story is fast paced,packed full of twists and you have no idea what has happened to Olivia until the very last chapter.
This is a very well written debut thriller that had me hooked from the gripping prologue right to the very last word and I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.
Many thanks to Grand central publishing for a arc of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review
March 6, 2017
4.5 First Time's a Charm Stars
* * * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
Every once in a while, I will step away from my Romance Addition and read something that reminds me of all the Mystery/Thrillers, Etc. I use to gobble up like M&M's. Nothing could get my heart pumping and brain working into overdrive like a book with an intricate plot for me to figure out before the author gave all of the clues away.
When Kristin(KC) posted she was thrilled to have gotten Girl Last Seen by Nina Laurin from NetGalley, I checked out the blurb and was sold. Lucky Me, I got it and dug right in.
This is a first novel and I thought it was truly solid. Laurin set the situation up and I understood from the start how deeply messed up the main character was...After all, to have been kidnapped, sexually abused and have other unspeakable things done to you for 3 years...I don't know how a child taken at 10 and released at 13 could be any different. And those things that happened to her are only the tip of this Iceberg tale.
10 years later, the main character is trying to exist. She has physical scars she hides from the people around her... and the mental ones are only manageable with the help of chemical wonder pills. She has 2 jobs she barely is able to hold on to...and it is during a shift with her day job, she gets the shock she has been waiting for...
You see when she was held captive, her abductor was very, very careful. He made sure she never saw his face, heard too much of his voice or saw anything that would help her lead the police to where she was held. When she was surprisingly let go and discovered by two policemen, she could barely speak or walk...And through all of the interviews, no matter how hard she tried... there was nothing she could give the police that would help in their investigation.
So on this fateful day... a flyer of a missing girl needs posting at the store and it is our gal who must tape it to the window. She has done this before with others...always looking and checking to see if any of these children were like her...and none were until today...
The face staring out at her has the same coloring, the same curls and is the same age as she was when she was taken...she knows deep down... the same man who hurt her, who took her... now has this child.
When the policeman who found her by the side of the road all those years ago shows up at her second job and tells her about the missing girl...
We know the hunt will begin...
This will not be like the usual, though...
Everyone is just too damaged... and it will be slugging through the ugly, confusing and out right evil to find all of the answers.
I bought into this from the start. It had an overcast tone... nothing pretty or easy about it. I was able to feel EVERYTHING this woman felt... as effed up as it was....There were so many factors I will not share... for learning them at the pace of this story is the power in the reading.
I did work out a few things but not all ahead of schedule and that is important... there was a lot of tension and complexity... nothing ever was what it seemed.
If you like to be drawn in.... to feel others pain, to have your mind work to see if you could have all the facts lined up before you should...Then you will enjoy this book. To have it be a first novel and read so well was impressive. I will look for more from this author.
●•●•●•●•●•●•●•
We all have seen the breaking news....
Small child gone... disappeared...
And the flyers have all of the details....
But how would you deal if not that long ago...
You were the one who was missing...
Destroyed from the experience...
And They Never Found Your Captor...
Now there is another child gone...
More Flyers and You cannot Turn Away From...
Girl Last Seen-June 20, 2017
A gifted copy was provided by Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
* * * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
Every once in a while, I will step away from my Romance Addition and read something that reminds me of all the Mystery/Thrillers, Etc. I use to gobble up like M&M's. Nothing could get my heart pumping and brain working into overdrive like a book with an intricate plot for me to figure out before the author gave all of the clues away.
When Kristin(KC) posted she was thrilled to have gotten Girl Last Seen by Nina Laurin from NetGalley, I checked out the blurb and was sold. Lucky Me, I got it and dug right in.
This is a first novel and I thought it was truly solid. Laurin set the situation up and I understood from the start how deeply messed up the main character was...After all, to have been kidnapped, sexually abused and have other unspeakable things done to you for 3 years...I don't know how a child taken at 10 and released at 13 could be any different. And those things that happened to her are only the tip of this Iceberg tale.
10 years later, the main character is trying to exist. She has physical scars she hides from the people around her... and the mental ones are only manageable with the help of chemical wonder pills. She has 2 jobs she barely is able to hold on to...and it is during a shift with her day job, she gets the shock she has been waiting for...
You see when she was held captive, her abductor was very, very careful. He made sure she never saw his face, heard too much of his voice or saw anything that would help her lead the police to where she was held. When she was surprisingly let go and discovered by two policemen, she could barely speak or walk...And through all of the interviews, no matter how hard she tried... there was nothing she could give the police that would help in their investigation.
So on this fateful day... a flyer of a missing girl needs posting at the store and it is our gal who must tape it to the window. She has done this before with others...always looking and checking to see if any of these children were like her...and none were until today...
The face staring out at her has the same coloring, the same curls and is the same age as she was when she was taken...she knows deep down... the same man who hurt her, who took her... now has this child.
When the policeman who found her by the side of the road all those years ago shows up at her second job and tells her about the missing girl...
We know the hunt will begin...
This will not be like the usual, though...
Everyone is just too damaged... and it will be slugging through the ugly, confusing and out right evil to find all of the answers.
I bought into this from the start. It had an overcast tone... nothing pretty or easy about it. I was able to feel EVERYTHING this woman felt... as effed up as it was....There were so many factors I will not share... for learning them at the pace of this story is the power in the reading.
I did work out a few things but not all ahead of schedule and that is important... there was a lot of tension and complexity... nothing ever was what it seemed.
If you like to be drawn in.... to feel others pain, to have your mind work to see if you could have all the facts lined up before you should...Then you will enjoy this book. To have it be a first novel and read so well was impressive. I will look for more from this author.
●•●•●•●•●•●•●•
We all have seen the breaking news....
Small child gone... disappeared...
And the flyers have all of the details....
But how would you deal if not that long ago...
You were the one who was missing...
Destroyed from the experience...
And They Never Found Your Captor...
Now there is another child gone...
More Flyers and You cannot Turn Away From...
Girl Last Seen-June 20, 2017
A gifted copy was provided by Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley for an honest review.
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
January 12, 2022
"Normal is something you can fake really well if you try hard enough. You have to start by convincing yourself, and everyone else will follow, like sheep over a cliff."
There’s nothing normal about this story. The main character, Lainey, is an unreliable narrator. At times I wondered if she was giving us the whole truth about situations or if we were being manipulated into thinking a certain way.
Lainey was taken at the age of 10 and held captive for 3 years. The story begins 10 years after she was discovered and released. As a 23-year-old she’s been scouring the missing person's boards to see if any other girls are ever taken and for 10 years none have been taken. But now a 10-year-old girl is missing who meets Lainey’s captor's criteria. Immediately, Lainey is certain her captor has struck again and she’s determined to bring him down. Her captor was never found and she’s not going to let him ruin another girl’s life.
“My life ended in that basement. It’s just that my body forgot to die for some reason. And I’m walking around, a body without a soul, waiting for someone to come along and pull the plug on me.”
Lainey is a broken girl/woman. She’s hiding in plain sight and yet her world is clouded. Her coping mechanisms have led her on a path of drugs. She’s made some poor life choices but who can blame her after the horrific childhood she’s endured. The empowerment Lainey comes to as she tries to track down this monster and free this missing girl will have the reader journeying down the rabbit hole with her. Lainey is a frustrating character because one minute the reader will be rooting for her to make a smart move and the next the reader will want to lock her up in a psych ward so she can’t continue to harm herself.
At times Lainey seemed to be a pawn in this situation. At every turn, she was either being manipulated and/or coerced into action. The whole plot twist and turns at every bend in the story.
Some of my favorite parts were reading the conspiracy chat boards Lainey frequents. The users had some interesting conspiracies on what was happening with this missing girl case. And at times I felt like how this user expressed: ”Mike6669: Holy shit. This case is starting to seriously give me the heebie-jeebies.”
For my romance friends, this book has zero romance in it. I repeat there’s no romance in this book. If you’re looking for a book to clean your palette I’d recommend reading this thriller. It has many plot twist that will have you flipping pages to figure out what’s on the horizon.
Thank you for the buddy read, Kristin! It’s been awhile since we’ve done one … actually, it’s been too long.
Girl Last Seen is a standalone thriller that takes place in Seattle, Washington.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
RELEASE DATE: June 20, 2017
STANDALONE
**Complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**
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There’s nothing normal about this story. The main character, Lainey, is an unreliable narrator. At times I wondered if she was giving us the whole truth about situations or if we were being manipulated into thinking a certain way.
Lainey was taken at the age of 10 and held captive for 3 years. The story begins 10 years after she was discovered and released. As a 23-year-old she’s been scouring the missing person's boards to see if any other girls are ever taken and for 10 years none have been taken. But now a 10-year-old girl is missing who meets Lainey’s captor's criteria. Immediately, Lainey is certain her captor has struck again and she’s determined to bring him down. Her captor was never found and she’s not going to let him ruin another girl’s life.
“My life ended in that basement. It’s just that my body forgot to die for some reason. And I’m walking around, a body without a soul, waiting for someone to come along and pull the plug on me.”
Lainey is a broken girl/woman. She’s hiding in plain sight and yet her world is clouded. Her coping mechanisms have led her on a path of drugs. She’s made some poor life choices but who can blame her after the horrific childhood she’s endured. The empowerment Lainey comes to as she tries to track down this monster and free this missing girl will have the reader journeying down the rabbit hole with her. Lainey is a frustrating character because one minute the reader will be rooting for her to make a smart move and the next the reader will want to lock her up in a psych ward so she can’t continue to harm herself.
At times Lainey seemed to be a pawn in this situation. At every turn, she was either being manipulated and/or coerced into action. The whole plot twist and turns at every bend in the story.
Some of my favorite parts were reading the conspiracy chat boards Lainey frequents. The users had some interesting conspiracies on what was happening with this missing girl case. And at times I felt like how this user expressed: ”Mike6669: Holy shit. This case is starting to seriously give me the heebie-jeebies.”
For my romance friends, this book has zero romance in it. I repeat there’s no romance in this book. If you’re looking for a book to clean your palette I’d recommend reading this thriller. It has many plot twist that will have you flipping pages to figure out what’s on the horizon.
Thank you for the buddy read, Kristin! It’s been awhile since we’ve done one … actually, it’s been too long.
Girl Last Seen is a standalone thriller that takes place in Seattle, Washington.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
RELEASE DATE: June 20, 2017
STANDALONE
**Complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**
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June 12, 2017
I decided to bump the rating up on this to 4 full stars, just because this is the author's debut novel. While this book isn't without it's problems, it is still a very strong start and I have a feeling her second book is going to be even stronger.
Here's what I liked:
-Ella/Lainey was the best developed character. She drew the short end of the stick in life and has the scars to prove it, both external and internal.
-While the plot wasn't necessarily fresh, it did draw me in
-I thought the ending provided some nice closure and I'm glad it wasn't the complete fairy tale ending-this was one I could get behind.
Here's where things went wrong for me:
-Ella/Lainey may have been the best developed character, but it doesn't mean I liked her very much. I was hoping for more from her than the stereotypical pill popping, binge drinking, low self-esteem protag who continually makes poor choices.
-With such a short list of characters to choose from, it wasn't too hard to zone in on the antagonist. Once I figured out who it was, I was hoping for more backstory on why.
-The pace of the book was off for me. It was too slow of a build up and at times I really wanted to skip ahead. Once the antag was revealed, the pace completely picked up, but by then the book was almost over.
Still a strong start to what I think is going to be a very successful career for this new author. I look forward to seeing what comes next!
ARC provided by NetGalley
Here's what I liked:
-Ella/Lainey was the best developed character. She drew the short end of the stick in life and has the scars to prove it, both external and internal.
-While the plot wasn't necessarily fresh, it did draw me in
-I thought the ending provided some nice closure and I'm glad it wasn't the complete fairy tale ending-this was one I could get behind.
Here's where things went wrong for me:
-Ella/Lainey may have been the best developed character, but it doesn't mean I liked her very much. I was hoping for more from her than the stereotypical pill popping, binge drinking, low self-esteem protag who continually makes poor choices.
-With such a short list of characters to choose from, it wasn't too hard to zone in on the antagonist. Once I figured out who it was, I was hoping for more backstory on why.
-The pace of the book was off for me. It was too slow of a build up and at times I really wanted to skip ahead. Once the antag was revealed, the pace completely picked up, but by then the book was almost over.
Still a strong start to what I think is going to be a very successful career for this new author. I look forward to seeing what comes next!
ARC provided by NetGalley
June 24, 2017
Girl Last Seen is the debut book by Nina Laurin and it's an exciting thriller that engrossed me from the moment I started to read the book. One of the reasons for the book to be so darn good is that Laine, the first girl that was taken was so well written that one could really feel her torment through the pages. She may have escaped her tormentor, but she is still not free. And, now another girl, Olivia has gone missing and the girl looks just like her. Is it a coincidence or has the man that took taken Olivia as well?
Now, there were things I saw coming that didn't surprise me, as things happen that made me perceive how it probably would go. Not that the book was without surprises. The last part of the book was definitely not lacking surprises. It's a book that pulls you in as you follow Laine being pulled into the investigation and even being suspected of being involved in Olivia's disappearance.
There was just one thing that bothered me in the book, but it's a spoiler thing so I can't really discuss it so much, but it's something that happens when the police officer in charge is at Olivia's school with Laine. They learn something there about Olivia that the school shouldn't know as far as I know when it comes to the law and I found that really puzzling. And, that's all I'm going to say about that! Other than that was the book really good!
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley for an honest review!
Now, there were things I saw coming that didn't surprise me, as things happen that made me perceive how it probably would go. Not that the book was without surprises. The last part of the book was definitely not lacking surprises. It's a book that pulls you in as you follow Laine being pulled into the investigation and even being suspected of being involved in Olivia's disappearance.
There was just one thing that bothered me in the book, but it's a spoiler thing so I can't really discuss it so much, but it's something that happens when the police officer in charge is at Olivia's school with Laine. They learn something there about Olivia that the school shouldn't know as far as I know when it comes to the law and I found that really puzzling. And, that's all I'm going to say about that! Other than that was the book really good!
I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley for an honest review!
June 2, 2017
Ten years ago, 13-year-old Ella was found walking along a road. She had been missing for three years, sexually abused and held captive in a basement. Unable to provide the police with any clues to her captor's identity, no one was ever apprehended for what happened to Ella. Now known as Lainey, she just about manages to scrape by, working two jobs, relying on booze and pills to keep going, and avoiding any meaningful human contact. When a ten-year-old girl disappears from the grounds of her school, Lainey/Ella believes the same person who abducted her is responsible.
I'm going to start with the not so good bits. For me, those were certain aspects of the plot. I think I might be harsher than others here because of the amount of crime fiction I get through, so consequently, after a while, you tend to come across the same old plot devices and this story had several here-we-go-again elements that resulted in eye-rolling and a lack of surprise.
Despite this, Girl Last Seen was a fast-paced page-turner that I didn't want to put down. This was mainly due to the taut writing style and the dialogue, which I thought was very well done. Also, the characterization of the addicted, lonely and completely broken protagonist was excellent. Can't say I particularly liked any of the characters, but as far as flawed characters go, Nina Laurin did a fantastic job. This was gritty. It was dark. It's a debut, which makes the writing and the characterization even more impressive. I would certainly read more from this author. Hopefully, next time, there will be less need for overused plot devices.
I received an ARC via NetGalley.
I'm going to start with the not so good bits. For me, those were certain aspects of the plot. I think I might be harsher than others here because of the amount of crime fiction I get through, so consequently, after a while, you tend to come across the same old plot devices and this story had several here-we-go-again elements that resulted in eye-rolling and a lack of surprise.
Despite this, Girl Last Seen was a fast-paced page-turner that I didn't want to put down. This was mainly due to the taut writing style and the dialogue, which I thought was very well done. Also, the characterization of the addicted, lonely and completely broken protagonist was excellent. Can't say I particularly liked any of the characters, but as far as flawed characters go, Nina Laurin did a fantastic job. This was gritty. It was dark. It's a debut, which makes the writing and the characterization even more impressive. I would certainly read more from this author. Hopefully, next time, there will be less need for overused plot devices.
I received an ARC via NetGalley.
July 6, 2017
I picked this book up at a new local independent bookstore. While I typically don't read in the child jeopardy genre, this is more YA/Adult--a sort of "what happens later," with the original victim slowly taking matters into her own hands.
The entire book is a highly suspenseful, strong debut novel.
It appears the author named Nina Laurin is in fact Canadian author Ioulia Zaitchik: I wish her editor/publisher had just kept the Zaitchik name. Perhaps concern about being shelved alphabetically in bookstores?
I recommend Girl Last Seen for its fast pace, engaging and self-aware main character, well-drawn minor characters, and Seattle setting.
The entire book is a highly suspenseful, strong debut novel.
It appears the author named Nina Laurin is in fact Canadian author Ioulia Zaitchik: I wish her editor/publisher had just kept the Zaitchik name. Perhaps concern about being shelved alphabetically in bookstores?
I recommend Girl Last Seen for its fast pace, engaging and self-aware main character, well-drawn minor characters, and Seattle setting.
May 1, 2017
Wow! What a damn good thriller! About the last 40 pages I couldn't turn them fast enough! Excellent story that grabbed me from the first chapter & left me racing to finish! Honestly hard to believe this is a debut!
Thanks to the author and Grand Central publishing for this early copy in exchange for review.
Thanks to the author and Grand Central publishing for this early copy in exchange for review.
March 5, 2017
Right so stand by for a really subjective review of this book its mostly personal perhaps due to over saturation.
SO first of all the rating I give this book in actuality is 2.5* and that is all because the writer has skill. Talented prose building, for anyone new to psychological thrillers (or for those who just love them for whatever reason) a definitely intriguing and page turning story and Nina Laurin has a great eye for characters.
But I'm bored of the same old excuses and reasons to move the plot along. Or rather to hold off on allowing anything to be solved until the finale. Our main protagonist is once again a pill pushing loner with poor judgement skills due to a childhood trauma. And her mobile phone keeps dying. Every time her "thoughts slipped away from her" or she couldn't think straight or something happened and she immediately drank or did something stupid I wanted to stab this book with a fork. Whenever (and it happened more than once but she didn't learn) she had no battery in her phone I wanted to stab the book with the knife as well as the fork. I was stabby I tell you. And it took me away from the (honestly really fascinating) original premise. That of 2 girls years apart who may or may not be connected to one monster.
I know that "victims" often grow up to have problems but it seems to be such a well worn plot device that you begin to feel that nobody who suffered a trauma ever went on to be a well adjusted member of society who actually could cope in any practical or realistic fashion when life threw them another curve ball. And we all know that's not true. Plenty do. There is no right and wrong. I understand that maybe that's not so interesting to write about I'm sure it could at least be attempted - but every book like this I've read since the girl phenomenon started, it feels like the main character is either too doped up to have any common sense or has turned themselves into a kick ass ninja killer type. There are no levels anymore. No nuances. Now of course NONE of this is the fault of this particular author who writes extremely well and is just after all telling the story she wants to tell. So I feel I should be sorry that this one annoyed me but I'm afraid it did. And I have to be honest therefore when reviewing it.
The good news? It has a small level of unpredictability and a certain amount of redemption for Lainey and a really good thrilling ending to it. The writing flow is lovely and if I hadn't spent a lot of the read randomly growling at the bits of cliche I reckon it would have been a much higher rating from me. If you love psychological thrillers go for your life - Girl Last Seen has all the elements you need for a good one, the writing is taut and atmospheric, if this was the first of this type of novel I'd read I doubt I'd be complaining at all.
I'll certainly read the next novel from this author.
This one? Probably wrong read wrong time. But sometimes that's how it goes.
SO first of all the rating I give this book in actuality is 2.5* and that is all because the writer has skill. Talented prose building, for anyone new to psychological thrillers (or for those who just love them for whatever reason) a definitely intriguing and page turning story and Nina Laurin has a great eye for characters.
But I'm bored of the same old excuses and reasons to move the plot along. Or rather to hold off on allowing anything to be solved until the finale. Our main protagonist is once again a pill pushing loner with poor judgement skills due to a childhood trauma. And her mobile phone keeps dying. Every time her "thoughts slipped away from her" or she couldn't think straight or something happened and she immediately drank or did something stupid I wanted to stab this book with a fork. Whenever (and it happened more than once but she didn't learn) she had no battery in her phone I wanted to stab the book with the knife as well as the fork. I was stabby I tell you. And it took me away from the (honestly really fascinating) original premise. That of 2 girls years apart who may or may not be connected to one monster.
I know that "victims" often grow up to have problems but it seems to be such a well worn plot device that you begin to feel that nobody who suffered a trauma ever went on to be a well adjusted member of society who actually could cope in any practical or realistic fashion when life threw them another curve ball. And we all know that's not true. Plenty do. There is no right and wrong. I understand that maybe that's not so interesting to write about I'm sure it could at least be attempted - but every book like this I've read since the girl phenomenon started, it feels like the main character is either too doped up to have any common sense or has turned themselves into a kick ass ninja killer type. There are no levels anymore. No nuances. Now of course NONE of this is the fault of this particular author who writes extremely well and is just after all telling the story she wants to tell. So I feel I should be sorry that this one annoyed me but I'm afraid it did. And I have to be honest therefore when reviewing it.
The good news? It has a small level of unpredictability and a certain amount of redemption for Lainey and a really good thrilling ending to it. The writing flow is lovely and if I hadn't spent a lot of the read randomly growling at the bits of cliche I reckon it would have been a much higher rating from me. If you love psychological thrillers go for your life - Girl Last Seen has all the elements you need for a good one, the writing is taut and atmospheric, if this was the first of this type of novel I'd read I doubt I'd be complaining at all.
I'll certainly read the next novel from this author.
This one? Probably wrong read wrong time. But sometimes that's how it goes.
April 8, 2017
4.5 Very strong debut, reminded me a little bit of SHARP OBJECTS so if that's your thing, I highly recommend it. Laurin is good at making you care about difficult people--every time I was ready to hate Lainey, something was revealed about her that made me root for her again.
I figured out the culprit halfway through, but there's still a nice twist or four down the road.
I figured out the culprit halfway through, but there's still a nice twist or four down the road.
June 23, 2020
Laurin's book is disturbing and suspenseful. It is fast paced, yet the reader is able to enjoyably watch things unfold. The ultimate resolution is a bit muddled, but provides a great twisty ending that will satisfy. Ella/Laine isn't written as a very sympathetic character, but the reader can't help but have some sympathy that she is the result of the terrifying things that have happened to her. Her reactions are very realistic for her situation, and add significantly to the tale.
Twenty years ago, Ella Santos disappeared. She reappears years later. Now, Olivia Shaw is missing. Ella, who now goes by the name Laine, is drawn to these types of cases, but Olivia's hits too close to home — she looks almost exactly like Laine did as a child when she went missing. Laine starts to experience some frightening things, and she discovers an eerie connection to Olivia. What happened to Laine when she was a child, and can she help to find out what happened to Olivia?
February 21, 2019
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I thought that this book was okay. I really liked certain aspects of the book while I found other aspects less impressive. This book found its way onto my reading schedule largely because the premise of the book was quite intriguing in addition to positive reviews from others. I did find the story to be rather interesting and I am glad that I decided to give it a try.
Lainey is a rather tragic character. As a child, Lainey was taken and held captive for three years. She carries a lot of emotional scars from her ordeal in addition to her physical ones. They have never caught her captor. Lainey is really just getting by in her life. She works a couple of entry-level jobs and lives in an apartment she can afford. She uses chemicals to help herself deal with day to day life.
Everything changes when Lainey sees a poster for a missing girl. She knows right away that this girl is connected to her case and she knows that the girl is in danger. Lainey feels compelled to help find the girl before it is too late. She finds herself working with the police and even her parents to get to the bottom of what has really happened.
I liked the basic story but had a few issues. It seemed like everyone kept crossing boundaries with Lainey. Not only did I hate seeing these things happen to Lainey, but they also didn't always feel authentic to me. It never felt right that Lainey would have been given so much access to a case being actively investigated by the police. She was anything but qualified! I really had a hard time connecting with Lainey or any of the characters.
I thought that Vanessa Johansson did a great job with the narration. I think that this was the first time that I have had the chance to listen to her narration work and I really enjoyed the way she read the story. She did a great job with various character voices and added a lot of intensity to the mystery.
I do think that a lot of readers might like this one a bit more than I did. I thought it was a compelling mystery with an interesting twist. I wouldn't hesitate to read more of Nina Laurin's work in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley and purchased a copy of the audiobook.
Initial Thoughts
This was okay. I liked it but it was never great for me but it wasn't terrible either. Lainey is a rather tragic character. She has been through so much more than any person should be expected to endure. This book is not only a mystery regarding the disappearance of little Olivia but also what really happened all those years ago to Lainey. Unfortunately, I never grew to care for Lainey. I could see that she has been beaten down by what has happened to her in her life and I didn't like how the people who were supposed to care for or watch out for her crossed the line time and again but I just couldn't connect with her on any level. It didn't make sense to me that she would have been allowed so deeply into the investigation surrounding Olivia's disappearance in the first place. I listened to the audio version of the book and thought that the narrator did a great job.
I thought that this book was okay. I really liked certain aspects of the book while I found other aspects less impressive. This book found its way onto my reading schedule largely because the premise of the book was quite intriguing in addition to positive reviews from others. I did find the story to be rather interesting and I am glad that I decided to give it a try.
Lainey is a rather tragic character. As a child, Lainey was taken and held captive for three years. She carries a lot of emotional scars from her ordeal in addition to her physical ones. They have never caught her captor. Lainey is really just getting by in her life. She works a couple of entry-level jobs and lives in an apartment she can afford. She uses chemicals to help herself deal with day to day life.
Everything changes when Lainey sees a poster for a missing girl. She knows right away that this girl is connected to her case and she knows that the girl is in danger. Lainey feels compelled to help find the girl before it is too late. She finds herself working with the police and even her parents to get to the bottom of what has really happened.
I liked the basic story but had a few issues. It seemed like everyone kept crossing boundaries with Lainey. Not only did I hate seeing these things happen to Lainey, but they also didn't always feel authentic to me. It never felt right that Lainey would have been given so much access to a case being actively investigated by the police. She was anything but qualified! I really had a hard time connecting with Lainey or any of the characters.
I thought that Vanessa Johansson did a great job with the narration. I think that this was the first time that I have had the chance to listen to her narration work and I really enjoyed the way she read the story. She did a great job with various character voices and added a lot of intensity to the mystery.
I do think that a lot of readers might like this one a bit more than I did. I thought it was a compelling mystery with an interesting twist. I wouldn't hesitate to read more of Nina Laurin's work in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley and purchased a copy of the audiobook.
Initial Thoughts
This was okay. I liked it but it was never great for me but it wasn't terrible either. Lainey is a rather tragic character. She has been through so much more than any person should be expected to endure. This book is not only a mystery regarding the disappearance of little Olivia but also what really happened all those years ago to Lainey. Unfortunately, I never grew to care for Lainey. I could see that she has been beaten down by what has happened to her in her life and I didn't like how the people who were supposed to care for or watch out for her crossed the line time and again but I just couldn't connect with her on any level. It didn't make sense to me that she would have been allowed so deeply into the investigation surrounding Olivia's disappearance in the first place. I listened to the audio version of the book and thought that the narrator did a great job.
March 1, 2017
The description for this book is chilling. This is a dark psychological thriller with plenty of suspense, and I believe this will be one of the most talked about books this year. Nina Laurin has an excellent writing style and descriptive imagery that grabs you from the prologue and never lets go. She taps into the main characters thoughts and shares them as an internal narration throughout the book. The character development is extensive and very well done. I believe this is Laurin's debut thriller, and I look forward to more reading more novels from her.
The first big plot twist that I didn't see coming comes about 10% into the book. Definitely an "oh boy" moment. As the book progresses, Lainey (Laine) gets pulled deep into the investigation of the current abduction. The detective on the current case was involved in Laine's abduction a decade before. She is naturally apprehensive about getting involved in the new case, and the detective also voices his concerns against it.
Laurin does an excellent job portraying Laine's internal struggles with her past, and her many coping mechanisms to deal with her past and the present situation. A series of plot twists ensue that will keep you guessing, because nothing is as it seems. Laine scrambles to keep up and desperately tries to stay in front of the dangers around every corner. She soon comes to the startling realization that she's all alone again, and her desperation and determination intensifies. Before long her past and present worlds collide and crash down around her, and she must scramble to figure out a way to resolve things before it's too late. The conclusion is shocking and explosive.
I hope this book will be adapted into a movie, but of course there is no way the movie could match the caliber of the novel. I would recommend this book to fans of suspense and psychological thrillers. I received this as a free ARC from Grand Central Publishing on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The first big plot twist that I didn't see coming comes about 10% into the book. Definitely an "oh boy" moment. As the book progresses, Lainey (Laine) gets pulled deep into the investigation of the current abduction. The detective on the current case was involved in Laine's abduction a decade before. She is naturally apprehensive about getting involved in the new case, and the detective also voices his concerns against it.
Laurin does an excellent job portraying Laine's internal struggles with her past, and her many coping mechanisms to deal with her past and the present situation. A series of plot twists ensue that will keep you guessing, because nothing is as it seems. Laine scrambles to keep up and desperately tries to stay in front of the dangers around every corner. She soon comes to the startling realization that she's all alone again, and her desperation and determination intensifies. Before long her past and present worlds collide and crash down around her, and she must scramble to figure out a way to resolve things before it's too late. The conclusion is shocking and explosive.
I hope this book will be adapted into a movie, but of course there is no way the movie could match the caliber of the novel. I would recommend this book to fans of suspense and psychological thrillers. I received this as a free ARC from Grand Central Publishing on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 24, 2017
Ten years ago a young girl, Ella Santos, escaped her captor and was rescued after being held hostage for three long years. Now Ella has grown up and changed her name to Lainey. Lainey works two jobs and struggles daily with the mental and physical scars her time in captivity left her with. One day they Lainey's worst fear comes to pass when she sees the picture of a missing girl, one that looks exactly like her ten year old self had.
Lainey had wondered and watched all these years for her captor to replace her in her basement prison knowing that psychopaths like that rarely stop until caught. Her memories of that time never helped catch her captor though and now Lainey fears that he has struck again and this time that little girl may just be Lainey's daughter.
When starting off reading Girl Last Seen I was really thinking I was going to love this book. The author's writing and the story did have me rather engaged in the beginning of the book however somewhere along the line it went a bit downhill leaving me to rate this one at 2.5 stars.
To start with I really never did care for Lainey/Ella as a character. She's a broken soul after what happened to her that has had a rough life so I really wanted to feel for her but the drinking and pill popping along with some questionable moves just rubbed me the wrong way I suppose. Then I would add that there are things within the story that never quite sit well with me along the way plus when getting to the final wrap up I just didn't see that working in my mind. Perhaps it's just me having read several really good thrillers and being a bit too critical but unfortunately this one seemed a bit flawed in the end.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
Lainey had wondered and watched all these years for her captor to replace her in her basement prison knowing that psychopaths like that rarely stop until caught. Her memories of that time never helped catch her captor though and now Lainey fears that he has struck again and this time that little girl may just be Lainey's daughter.
When starting off reading Girl Last Seen I was really thinking I was going to love this book. The author's writing and the story did have me rather engaged in the beginning of the book however somewhere along the line it went a bit downhill leaving me to rate this one at 2.5 stars.
To start with I really never did care for Lainey/Ella as a character. She's a broken soul after what happened to her that has had a rough life so I really wanted to feel for her but the drinking and pill popping along with some questionable moves just rubbed me the wrong way I suppose. Then I would add that there are things within the story that never quite sit well with me along the way plus when getting to the final wrap up I just didn't see that working in my mind. Perhaps it's just me having read several really good thrillers and being a bit too critical but unfortunately this one seemed a bit flawed in the end.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
July 4, 2018
Wow. That book was amazing! And that ending... couldn’t have predicted it AT ALL. At first you tend to feel sorry for Lainey, for everything that she endured while she was kidnapped, but then you begin to know her and she is stronger that she looks like; she’s courageous as hell.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
March 26, 2017
"In the books and movies, the broken girl always dies at the end. Sometimes she's allowed one final heroic act, one last snarky line before she goes out. Maybe she sacrifices herself to save the real hero, or maybe her death is just a meaningless accident, an afterthought. But she always dies, because she's too tarnished to live."
My first ARC! *sparkle*
What makes Girl Last Seen unique in the slew of Girl books is that it's as much a character study as it is a suspense. It's the "psychological" in psychological thriller (especially since, just like the Girl title, the label is slapped on everything from horror to romance these days). It has the twists and turns, a few juicy reveals, the explosive ending you expect of a suspense, but its greatest strength IMHO is the main character, Laine. She's had a rough life from the start, and as she's dragged into the investigation into Olivia's disappearance, it only goes from bad to worse for her. Like a couple of other reviews here said, I felt EVERYTHING she was feeling, to the point where it took me past my comfort zone. I'm not the world's fastest reader, but I finished the book in a couple of nights, because I HAD to know that Laine makes it out alive and that Olivia is brought back safely.
**Thanks to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.**
My first ARC! *sparkle*
What makes Girl Last Seen unique in the slew of Girl books is that it's as much a character study as it is a suspense. It's the "psychological" in psychological thriller (especially since, just like the Girl title, the label is slapped on everything from horror to romance these days). It has the twists and turns, a few juicy reveals, the explosive ending you expect of a suspense, but its greatest strength IMHO is the main character, Laine. She's had a rough life from the start, and as she's dragged into the investigation into Olivia's disappearance, it only goes from bad to worse for her. Like a couple of other reviews here said, I felt EVERYTHING she was feeling, to the point where it took me past my comfort zone. I'm not the world's fastest reader, but I finished the book in a couple of nights, because I HAD to know that Laine makes it out alive and that Olivia is brought back safely.
**Thanks to the author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.**
July 16, 2017
I hate being the first person to give a book one star on Goodreads, I really do. I really hate it when I am conflicted about that one star rating, especially when it is a debut novel.
But two stars means okay, and I didn’t find the book okay. Official rating is 1.5.
The basic premise of this novel is that a woman, Lainey, who escaped her rapist/abductor realizes that the latest missing girl looks like her and may be the first victim of the same sadist, the first in several years.
All of which sounds pretty interesting.
The best part of the book, and the riskiest, is the character of Lainey – who is really unlikable. She isn’t so much of anti-hero as hapless. It’s understandable considering that she is suffering from a variety of mental issues caused not only by her abduction and rape, but also because she had a shitty life before. In many ways, this backstory in terms of Lainey is cliché and overused. It isn’t so much the mental issues, as the fact that these characters never truly seem to be trying to get help to overcome these issues. Look, I’ve suffered with depression for half my life. I have good years and bad years. I know how hard and difficult it is to get yourself into treatment. That’s half the battle or more. I understand that.
But, also from experience, I understand too well what it is to live with people who are suffering from depression or other forms of mental illness and do not get proper treatment. They refuse to, full stop. It is absolutely horrible. Not only for the mood swings and hurtful behavior and words that get spewed, but also because it is somewhat manipulative. Look, I understand, but it is absolutely exhausting. And my patience for reading about such characters is very, very thin. I live with these people, thank you.
Therefore, while I admire the bravery that Laurin showed in her depiction of Lainey, I was also somewhat frustrated with it. This frustration made the other problems with the book stand out more.
Spoilers ahoy!
Okay, I am sorry, but I don’t buy the American setting, I truly don’t. I have never been to Seattle, but I am pretty sure there is more than one police station. Do Canadians and Brits just place books in Seattle because, hey it’s just like Canada to most US people, so don’t worry about sounding American? I also cannot believe a school that does such detailed screening, so detailed that it gets information about a closed adoption and shares it to all the teachers, would not know about the abuse of a student at the hands of her father. While I understand that many in the school would not want to do anything, there are two teachers where such lack of involvement would seem to be out of character. Additionally, the whole public-school comment about suspension was just plain stupid. I’m sorry it was. I am a product of a public-school system, I teach products of a public school who haven’t students in public schools. That statement was so crap. I’m sorry, but it was.
The whole reveal premise also does not work at all. It really doesn’t I’m sorry. I’m asking how too much and the answer, which seems to be the answer, is money for all the hows. That’s at best sloppy plotting. Sorry.
Okay, but those are quibbles. The major issue is the relationship that Lainey has with Ortiz, the detective who discovered her when she escaped her rapist. This is a seriously sick relationship. If Ortiz is supposed to be the hero, he doesn’t come across as one, especially with his assault of Lainey in the opening section of the book. Considering why he is there, wouldn’t Lainey’s social worker also be there? Wouldn’t the social worker be there when she is questioned by the police? If I am asking all these questions, I’m not being thrilled. Then she sleeps with him. Which, okay mental illness, drug addiction, but he is then supposed to be wise and caring. Sorry, nope. I really do not like abusive YA romantic leads, and this supposed cop is that. The relationship would have head a purpose or been less objectionable if there had been some exploration of the problems with it. But there really wasn’t, not until the sop at the end which doesn’t quite work.
Honesty, this book is like a bad Lifetime movie in many ways, except for the character of Lainey.
Yet, there is something there in the writing, you can see a spark every now and then. A hint that the author’s later work will be better. So, skip the book, keep an eye on the author.
But two stars means okay, and I didn’t find the book okay. Official rating is 1.5.
The basic premise of this novel is that a woman, Lainey, who escaped her rapist/abductor realizes that the latest missing girl looks like her and may be the first victim of the same sadist, the first in several years.
All of which sounds pretty interesting.
The best part of the book, and the riskiest, is the character of Lainey – who is really unlikable. She isn’t so much of anti-hero as hapless. It’s understandable considering that she is suffering from a variety of mental issues caused not only by her abduction and rape, but also because she had a shitty life before. In many ways, this backstory in terms of Lainey is cliché and overused. It isn’t so much the mental issues, as the fact that these characters never truly seem to be trying to get help to overcome these issues. Look, I’ve suffered with depression for half my life. I have good years and bad years. I know how hard and difficult it is to get yourself into treatment. That’s half the battle or more. I understand that.
But, also from experience, I understand too well what it is to live with people who are suffering from depression or other forms of mental illness and do not get proper treatment. They refuse to, full stop. It is absolutely horrible. Not only for the mood swings and hurtful behavior and words that get spewed, but also because it is somewhat manipulative. Look, I understand, but it is absolutely exhausting. And my patience for reading about such characters is very, very thin. I live with these people, thank you.
Therefore, while I admire the bravery that Laurin showed in her depiction of Lainey, I was also somewhat frustrated with it. This frustration made the other problems with the book stand out more.
Spoilers ahoy!
Okay, I am sorry, but I don’t buy the American setting, I truly don’t. I have never been to Seattle, but I am pretty sure there is more than one police station. Do Canadians and Brits just place books in Seattle because, hey it’s just like Canada to most US people, so don’t worry about sounding American? I also cannot believe a school that does such detailed screening, so detailed that it gets information about a closed adoption and shares it to all the teachers, would not know about the abuse of a student at the hands of her father. While I understand that many in the school would not want to do anything, there are two teachers where such lack of involvement would seem to be out of character. Additionally, the whole public-school comment about suspension was just plain stupid. I’m sorry it was. I am a product of a public-school system, I teach products of a public school who haven’t students in public schools. That statement was so crap. I’m sorry, but it was.
The whole reveal premise also does not work at all. It really doesn’t I’m sorry. I’m asking how too much and the answer, which seems to be the answer, is money for all the hows. That’s at best sloppy plotting. Sorry.
Okay, but those are quibbles. The major issue is the relationship that Lainey has with Ortiz, the detective who discovered her when she escaped her rapist. This is a seriously sick relationship. If Ortiz is supposed to be the hero, he doesn’t come across as one, especially with his assault of Lainey in the opening section of the book. Considering why he is there, wouldn’t Lainey’s social worker also be there? Wouldn’t the social worker be there when she is questioned by the police? If I am asking all these questions, I’m not being thrilled. Then she sleeps with him. Which, okay mental illness, drug addiction, but he is then supposed to be wise and caring. Sorry, nope. I really do not like abusive YA romantic leads, and this supposed cop is that. The relationship would have head a purpose or been less objectionable if there had been some exploration of the problems with it. But there really wasn’t, not until the sop at the end which doesn’t quite work.
Honesty, this book is like a bad Lifetime movie in many ways, except for the character of Lainey.
Yet, there is something there in the writing, you can see a spark every now and then. A hint that the author’s later work will be better. So, skip the book, keep an eye on the author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2017
This book broke me.
The blurb is vague, infuriatingly so, but it grabs you. And the book itself grips you right from the chilling prologue to that whopper of a twist in the end. I think it was a great choice to make the narration from only Laine's first-person viewpoint; it created an atmosphere of stifling claustrophobia, not too dissimilar from what Laine herself experienced as a kidnap victim when she was a child. This is one of the book's greatest strengths, imho.
And I must admit, after being in Laine's mind for three hundred pages, I was emotionally worn out, and with good reason. Laurin makes you feel for her the way I rarely feel for characters. Usually angst just makes me reach for the popcorn, to be honest. But I was wholly absorbed in rooting for Laine (and hoping to hell Olivia was found safe!!).
All in all a promising debut. I was going to take off half a star for minor consistency foibles, but decided to leave it at 5. (Besides, the foibles were possibly due to the fact that this was an ARC.)
The blurb is vague, infuriatingly so, but it grabs you. And the book itself grips you right from the chilling prologue to that whopper of a twist in the end. I think it was a great choice to make the narration from only Laine's first-person viewpoint; it created an atmosphere of stifling claustrophobia, not too dissimilar from what Laine herself experienced as a kidnap victim when she was a child. This is one of the book's greatest strengths, imho.
And I must admit, after being in Laine's mind for three hundred pages, I was emotionally worn out, and with good reason. Laurin makes you feel for her the way I rarely feel for characters. Usually angst just makes me reach for the popcorn, to be honest. But I was wholly absorbed in rooting for Laine (and hoping to hell Olivia was found safe!!).
All in all a promising debut. I was going to take off half a star for minor consistency foibles, but decided to leave it at 5. (Besides, the foibles were possibly due to the fact that this was an ARC.)
June 7, 2017
Lainey was ten when she was taken. She spent three horrible years in her kidnapper's basement, enduring horrible things. Lainey is supposed to be "lucky," since she escaped, but it's hard for her to see it that way sometimes. Her entire life has been formed by that awful period in her life. And now, another girl has gone missing. Olivia Shaw, who looks exactly like Lainey did thirteen years ago. Lainey's kidnapper was never found: the police say because she could never give strong enough evidence to identify him. So Lainey has spent these years afraid, living in a haze of pills and booze, and waiting for something bad to happen. Well, something bad has happened. How exactly is Lainey involved, and is she ever going to be safe again?
I definitely have some mixed feelings about this one. It certainly grabs you from the beginning and has some moments that make you go "what?!" Parts of the story are very unique--I enjoyed the plot of two young women/girls aligned by a potential kidnapper--but the story was marred somewhat by the focus on Lainey's drinking and drugs. She's presented as an unreliable narrator, which I understand, and as a flawed heroine. Some of the scenes with her nearly make you cringe: you feel a mix of such sympathy and frustration, because she's such a stressful protagonist. The trend toward these frustrating, unreliable narrators lately has grown a bit old for me.
My other issue was Lainey's strange dynamic with the detective investigating Olivia's disappearance, Sean: the same detective, coincidentally, who found Lainey thirteen years ago as she stumbled helplessly along the road after escaping her horrible fate in the basement. Their dynamic, frankly, is just odd, and I found it almost distracting from the main story. Romance? Just a side story? Is he involved? It was less a bit of intrigue though and, as I mentioned, a distraction. And honestly, a little confusing. After a while, I started to get a little bored with Lainey's helplessness, her interactions with Sean, and the overall lack of things moving forward.
That changed about 3/4 in, when things picked up and became interesting again. There are definitely some fascinating moments in the book, and I did find it engaging overall, despite some stumbles along the way. This is a first novel and I see room from improvement, for sure. I'm going for a 3-star rating -- this is based on a combination of 2.5 stars for some stilted/cheesy writing combined with 3.5 stars for some exciting plot twists, including one near the end that pretty much made it all worth it. I would certainly be intrigued to read Laurin's next book. Don't let my review scare you from this one: I read a lot of thrillers, so I get bit jaded reading some similar plot devices. There's still plenty of pieces to like here.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!); it is available everywhere as of 07/20/2017.
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I definitely have some mixed feelings about this one. It certainly grabs you from the beginning and has some moments that make you go "what?!" Parts of the story are very unique--I enjoyed the plot of two young women/girls aligned by a potential kidnapper--but the story was marred somewhat by the focus on Lainey's drinking and drugs. She's presented as an unreliable narrator, which I understand, and as a flawed heroine. Some of the scenes with her nearly make you cringe: you feel a mix of such sympathy and frustration, because she's such a stressful protagonist. The trend toward these frustrating, unreliable narrators lately has grown a bit old for me.
My other issue was Lainey's strange dynamic with the detective investigating Olivia's disappearance, Sean: the same detective, coincidentally, who found Lainey thirteen years ago as she stumbled helplessly along the road after escaping her horrible fate in the basement. Their dynamic, frankly, is just odd, and I found it almost distracting from the main story. Romance? Just a side story? Is he involved? It was less a bit of intrigue though and, as I mentioned, a distraction. And honestly, a little confusing. After a while, I started to get a little bored with Lainey's helplessness, her interactions with Sean, and the overall lack of things moving forward.
That changed about 3/4 in, when things picked up and became interesting again. There are definitely some fascinating moments in the book, and I did find it engaging overall, despite some stumbles along the way. This is a first novel and I see room from improvement, for sure. I'm going for a 3-star rating -- this is based on a combination of 2.5 stars for some stilted/cheesy writing combined with 3.5 stars for some exciting plot twists, including one near the end that pretty much made it all worth it. I would certainly be intrigued to read Laurin's next book. Don't let my review scare you from this one: I read a lot of thrillers, so I get bit jaded reading some similar plot devices. There's still plenty of pieces to like here.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!); it is available everywhere as of 07/20/2017.
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June 12, 2017
The damaged girl always dies at the end, because she's too tarnished to live.
It's hard to review this one because I don't want to give anything away. The main character, Ella (now known as Lainey) is a survivor: after being the victim of a terrible crime, she was essentially left to fend for herself for over a decade.
Then another girl goes missing. she's the same age Lainey was when she was kidnapped, and looks a lot like her... Sure enough, the police show up at Lainey's job, and she knows it can't be a coincidence. The man who had kidnapped her now has someone else.
While the ending twist alone has the 'whoa' power to carry the whole book, the characters really make it shine. It's domestic/psychological suspense at its finest: no one is quite what they seem, and everyone reveals a nasty, messed-up side, even those who seem outwardly perfect and have their act together.
Lainey is weirdly sympathetic despite being a complete mess. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about her , but as more and more of her story is revealed, you can't help but root for her (at least to make it out of the book alive and with relative sanity left).
And, to repeat myself, there are a few twists and turns throughout, but the big giant one in the end will have you racing through the last fifty pages.
Thanks to the author/Grand Central for the ARC.
It's hard to review this one because I don't want to give anything away. The main character, Ella (now known as Lainey) is a survivor: after being the victim of a terrible crime, she was essentially left to fend for herself for over a decade.
Then another girl goes missing. she's the same age Lainey was when she was kidnapped, and looks a lot like her... Sure enough, the police show up at Lainey's job, and she knows it can't be a coincidence. The man who had kidnapped her now has someone else.
While the ending twist alone has the 'whoa' power to carry the whole book, the characters really make it shine. It's domestic/psychological suspense at its finest: no one is quite what they seem, and everyone reveals a nasty, messed-up side, even those who seem outwardly perfect and have their act together.
Lainey is weirdly sympathetic despite being a complete mess. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about her , but as more and more of her story is revealed, you can't help but root for her (at least to make it out of the book alive and with relative sanity left).
And, to repeat myself, there are a few twists and turns throughout, but the big giant one in the end will have you racing through the last fifty pages.
Thanks to the author/Grand Central for the ARC.
July 3, 2017
I would say this book was moderately enjoyable. There wasn't anything bad that stood out but then again there wasn't anything amazing that stood out for me in this book either. I feel like I've been reading a lot of books about kidnapped girls and their recovery after being found and transitioning into normal life and/or The fear and paranoia they go through based on the fact that their captor is still at large, so this book really fell into the category of several books that I've read and really didn't stand out amongst all of them, rather it just sort of of mixed in with all the rest of them.
Now as bad as that sounds, I would still recommend this book and this author to everyone. I really enjoyed the fast pace of this novel and had I had more time I would've actually been able to read this in 1 to 2 sittings, which is saying a lot because I tend to read on a slower pace. Also, I'd say the writing was actually well above average, The central protagonist, Laine/Ella, was a really fleshed out, troubled, and tormented young woman. I cannot say that I grew to love her by the end of the story, but more so understood her pain and grew to tolerate the mistake after mistake she made. All of the other side characters had a mediocre limelight, as the story was mostly about Ella.
The reveal at the end could surprise many, however I saw it coming, mainly because of the fact that there were not many characters and you know that the bad guy is always going to be someone the victim knows, so go figure. Solid three star read – not a waste of time by any means, but had so much more potential and could have been much better.
Now as bad as that sounds, I would still recommend this book and this author to everyone. I really enjoyed the fast pace of this novel and had I had more time I would've actually been able to read this in 1 to 2 sittings, which is saying a lot because I tend to read on a slower pace. Also, I'd say the writing was actually well above average, The central protagonist, Laine/Ella, was a really fleshed out, troubled, and tormented young woman. I cannot say that I grew to love her by the end of the story, but more so understood her pain and grew to tolerate the mistake after mistake she made. All of the other side characters had a mediocre limelight, as the story was mostly about Ella.
The reveal at the end could surprise many, however I saw it coming, mainly because of the fact that there were not many characters and you know that the bad guy is always going to be someone the victim knows, so go figure. Solid three star read – not a waste of time by any means, but had so much more potential and could have been much better.
April 10, 2017
A great debut thriller from Nina Laurin! Don't miss it!!
June 20, 2017
Girl Last Seen by Nina Laurin is a gritty, suspense-laden mystery.
In the ten years since her pedophile kidnapper inexplicably freed her, Laine Moreno has never fully recovered from her three year ordeal. Now twenty-three, she holds down two jobs to support herself and she relies on alcohol and drugs to keep her dark memories at bay. Laine comes face to face with her past when ten year old Olivia Shaw goes missing and Detective Sean Ortiz suspects there is a connection between Laine’s still unsolved case and Olivia’s kidnapping. Laine wants nothing more than to help find the young girl, but will she help or hinder the investigation?
Laine’s ordeal at the hands of abductor was horrendous but little was done to find her captor after her release. The daughter of a junkie, Laine was quickly forgotten as she became a ward of the state and soon turned to unhealthy methods of coping with what happened to her. Now on probation and still undergoing counseling, Laine is her own worst enemy as she numbs her pain with a plethora of prescription drug addictions and alcohol. She wants to help rescue Olivia, but Laine is impulsive and unable to cope with the traumatic memories from her time in captivity.
Since Olivia is from a wealthy family, her disappearance is a high profile case with intense media scrutiny. There is also a great deal of pressure on the police to locate the missing girl and Sean’s reason for reaching out to Laine is two-fold: rule her out as a suspect and check to see if she has recalled any new details about her own case. Laine implicitly trusts Sean due to their history but is her faith in him misplaced? Laine soon discovers she can rely on no one but herself as she continues trying to find Olivia on her own while she becomes progressively more paranoid as her downward spiral continues.
With plenty of unexpected twists and turns and an increasingly unreliable narrator, Girl Last Seen is a somewhat dark mystery that delves into some difficult subject matter. Although Laine is initially a sympathetic protagonist, it is easy to become frustrated with her erratic behavior and poor choices. Sean is not exactly impartial when it comes to Laine and he, too, makes some very ill-advised decisions. Nina Laurin brings the investigation to an adrenaline-fueled (but slightly improbably) conclusion and the novel ends on a surprisingly upbeat note.
In the ten years since her pedophile kidnapper inexplicably freed her, Laine Moreno has never fully recovered from her three year ordeal. Now twenty-three, she holds down two jobs to support herself and she relies on alcohol and drugs to keep her dark memories at bay. Laine comes face to face with her past when ten year old Olivia Shaw goes missing and Detective Sean Ortiz suspects there is a connection between Laine’s still unsolved case and Olivia’s kidnapping. Laine wants nothing more than to help find the young girl, but will she help or hinder the investigation?
Laine’s ordeal at the hands of abductor was horrendous but little was done to find her captor after her release. The daughter of a junkie, Laine was quickly forgotten as she became a ward of the state and soon turned to unhealthy methods of coping with what happened to her. Now on probation and still undergoing counseling, Laine is her own worst enemy as she numbs her pain with a plethora of prescription drug addictions and alcohol. She wants to help rescue Olivia, but Laine is impulsive and unable to cope with the traumatic memories from her time in captivity.
Since Olivia is from a wealthy family, her disappearance is a high profile case with intense media scrutiny. There is also a great deal of pressure on the police to locate the missing girl and Sean’s reason for reaching out to Laine is two-fold: rule her out as a suspect and check to see if she has recalled any new details about her own case. Laine implicitly trusts Sean due to their history but is her faith in him misplaced? Laine soon discovers she can rely on no one but herself as she continues trying to find Olivia on her own while she becomes progressively more paranoid as her downward spiral continues.
With plenty of unexpected twists and turns and an increasingly unreliable narrator, Girl Last Seen is a somewhat dark mystery that delves into some difficult subject matter. Although Laine is initially a sympathetic protagonist, it is easy to become frustrated with her erratic behavior and poor choices. Sean is not exactly impartial when it comes to Laine and he, too, makes some very ill-advised decisions. Nina Laurin brings the investigation to an adrenaline-fueled (but slightly improbably) conclusion and the novel ends on a surprisingly upbeat note.
July 25, 2017
***Note: I received a copy curtesy of Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
The best thing about this novel is the main character: formerly abused as a girl, the now-woman is depicted incredibly realistic, a drunkard and medication abuser, depressive, chaotic, with relationship issues, totally marked by her past.
The plot was interesting, the secondary characters added up to the story, the atmosphere was heavy - exactly like it should be, considering what happened and what is happening now. The pacing was ok, a little dragging maybe in the middle part, but overall the suspense was well dosed and the ending was satisfactory.
However, I had are some issues too, but I’ll mark them so as not to spoil the experience of those who didn’t read the novel:
Well done for a debut. 3.5★
The best thing about this novel is the main character: formerly abused as a girl, the now-woman is depicted incredibly realistic, a drunkard and medication abuser, depressive, chaotic, with relationship issues, totally marked by her past.
The plot was interesting, the secondary characters added up to the story, the atmosphere was heavy - exactly like it should be, considering what happened and what is happening now. The pacing was ok, a little dragging maybe in the middle part, but overall the suspense was well dosed and the ending was satisfactory.
However, I had are some issues too, but I’ll mark them so as not to spoil the experience of those who didn’t read the novel:
Well done for a debut. 3.5★
June 12, 2017
"I've barely been able to leave a mark on my own life."
Girl Last Seen had a great blurb and I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately, I was unable to connect with the main character Ella Santos. She spent most of the story being high on drugs or coming down from them. I have no idea how she was able to piece anything together when she was never really lucid. Don't get me wrong, I like characters with flaws. I need characters who are imperfect to be able to root for them but in my mind, Ella was just dull. She made hasty decisions and then she was surprised by the outcome of her choices.
Saying that the story had a good premise. Ella was kidnapped when she was ten years old. She was kept by a monster for three years. She was able to escape and was found by cops who recognized her and took her to get the medical attention she needed. Ten years later and now Ella has changed her name to Laine and she's working as a bartender.
When Oliva Shaw goes missing, Ella can feel it in her bones, her kidnapper and rapist is back. She's positive he has Olivia and when Sean Ortiz, a cop from her past, comes calling, she knows she has to help Olivia. Too bad Ella can't remember anything about her captor.
As I said before, the story had good components. I liked the plot, I just couldn't connect with Ella. Also, the end left me unsatisfied. I was expecting a different closure.
Cliffhanger: No
2/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Grand Central Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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May 30, 2017
A great debut thriller from Nina Laurin! Don't miss it!! Nina has a way with words that makes this book impossible to put down. I love a good thriller so this was amazing. Laurin has a way of making this a fast paced read while still giving the reader a chance to indulge and digest the information that is beautifully presented. Ella/Laine is not really a character that you can have sympathy for. Yet there are bits and pieces of a broken girl that you will find yourself dying to understand. The story is dark and twisty and you can’t help but continue to turn pages to see how it all plays out. 13 years ago, Ella disappeared without a word, daughter to a junkie no one even looked for her. Laine goes on a roller coaster ride trying to piece her past together to try and give a little girl a future. I cannot go into many details on plot without giving it away but if you are looking for a book to get lost in this is your book. Thank you to Netgalley the author and the publisher this was awesome.
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