Books & Chocolate
I love to read just about anything, as long as it's fiction. I read for me - that means I read what I want, when I want. My reviews tend to mostly be based on how I'm able to personally connect with the story/characters. They are not intended to influence someone to read, or not read, a particular book. I always encourage people to take a chance and make up your own mind.
Oh, and I love chocolate.
Don't Try to Find Me
Even though, as a mother, Don’t Try to Find Me was a difficult read, I really enjoyed this novel. The book description had me hooked immediately, and I was thrilled that my library had the audiobook available for digital loan. I will say that I wasn’t crazy about the narrator’s voice for Rachel - there were times when it came out as almost robotic. I couldn’t tell if that was intentional, or if it was the result of poor editing. I didn’t let that affect my rating here though.
At first the style of the story really threw me off and I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. I guess I’d refer to it as passive in the sense that it’s mostly Rachel’s thoughts and Marley’s journal. I guess I was expecting more of a ‘thriller’ vibe so this really slowed the pace down for me. In the end, I can appreciate why the author wrote it this way. Although, I still don’t think it was my preferred style.
I liked the alternating voice between Rachel and Marley, and how it gave us a chance to see how each person perceived situations in different ways. I also liked how the family challenges were played out in this book. None were over the top or extreme - they were common issues that many families experience in real life. Yet, it’s these seemingly insignificant moments that can fester and build and drive up walls until one person snaps or gives up. When this happens with a child who is impressionable and looking for acceptance and love, it’s easy to see how they can be lured into a dangerous situation.
I also liked how the media was used, showing both how it can help and hurt all at the same time. The way that media attention can try to focus on the ‘wrong’ things just to drive up ratings, and how that can pressure others to focus on something other than what really matters.
The primary issue I had with this book was the ending. It just felt too convenient. I don’t want to give away a spoiler, but I can’t really talk about it without some spoilers. So if you don’t want to know the ending, don’t peek :-)
(show spoiler)
Overall, really good book that made me think. And want to install a butt load of monitoring software on all of my daughter’s devices!!
3
