Jennifer Donaldson

Featured in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2019/10/28/villainathon-wrap-up/

Mentioned in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2019/12/23/2019-in-review/

Mentioned in a blog post at rel="nofollow" target="_top">https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2020/01/06/how-i-learned-i-love-thrillers/

I had so much trouble stepping away from this utterly compelling book. Although I did not enjoy the author's previous work, this plot-driven mystery pulled me in from the first chapter. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I was drawn in by the details of the Alaskan setting, especially given my own roots growing up in an isolated, Northern, small city. The political awareness that is obvious in this book was also surprising to me, given that from what I know of the author, she is a white woman, and I would say that oftentimes, thrillers are lacking in the political awareness that I would like to see in a book. All of that said - I did not see the ending of this book coming, and it was a shocking revelation. This was such a satisfying read. I would absolutely recommend it. CW for religious extremism, parents with substance use issues, disappearing girls, murder, threatening wildlife encounters, underage alcohol use, death of parents, death of teenagers, child abuse. No sexual content beyond kissing on the page, or sexual abuse or harassment.… (mehr)

Whelp. Jennifer Donaldson knows how to craft a twisty, utterly delightful YA thriller/mystery. I’m going to keep this review short and sweet, because I don’t want to give away anything, but suffice it to say, this book kept me guessing, and kept the twists coming all the way to the end. Ruth left Anchorage years ago when her parents split up. But after her mother’s death, she’s forced to return to move back in with her father and stepmother. She’s looking forward to reuniting with her former best friend, Zara, but the weekend she’s arriving home, Zara goes missing. Really. Awesome. Mystery. Nuff said!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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