Ellie Mack, a beloved and seemingly perfect teenage daughter, vanished suddenly, leaving her mother Laurel shattered. Ten years later, Laurel’s life remains in pieces as she grapples with Ellie’s disappearance and the collapse of her marriage. A chance encounter with Floyd, a charming man, leads to a surprising romance, but it’s his daughter, Poppy, who stirs Laurel’s heartache anew with her uncanny resemblance to Ellie. As Laurel delves into unanswered questions about Ellie’s fate, doubts about Floyd and his connection to her daughter intensify, reigniting her desperate search for the truth.
***
A good friend recommended this one, saying it was a must-read. Honestly, the first half of the book was a bit of a drag for me, but the second half was full of jaw-dropping twists with an absolutely satisfying conclusion.
The central character is Laurel, but the book also features multiple POVs, which I usually do not like in a book, but it works here. I can feel Laura’s emotions—the harrowing sadness and deeply poignant events in the past and present of each character—some of whom I empathized with deeply, while others I despised. At times, the weight of the story became so heavy that I needed to take a breather.
What I loved most about the book, though, was how the author kept me guessing until the very end. As someone who grew attached to Laurel and was rooting for her, I was relieved that she got some closure (sorry, spoiler alert!).
While the storyline wasn’t entirely groundbreaking, the author was very good in developing her characters and the unexpected twists, even the obvious ones, were executed flawlessly. This being my first encounter with Lisa Jewell’s work, I’m very much eager to explore more of her writing.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Published on July 27, 2027 by Atria Books
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