This book was Envision’s College Success Program’s book club’s selection for January, 2023. If you are a college student who is blind or visually impaired, this may be a good resource for you. To learn more about the program, visit their web site.

https://collegesuccessbvi.org/

Synopsis

When Chloe was 12, six teenage girls went missing in her small town. Her father was arrested and he confessed to the murders. 20 years later, the same events are occurring again while Chloe is getting ready for her wedding. She soon realizes all the murders are connected to her.

Book Information

Genre: Thriller
Category: Adult
Explicit violence: No
Explicit sex: Not much
Content warnings I noticed: Discussions of physical abuse and addiction
This is a standalone.

Review

The prose is good. Accessible and easy to read.

The story is told in Chloe’s point of view. Most of it is in first person present. An old favorite. It keeps the reader in the character’s mind. It’s like the character and reader are riding side by side in a car. The character is driving while the reader sits in the passenger seat, listening to an engaging story.

Unfortunately, everything I just said is a pitfall of the first person point of view. The reader doesn’t get to see everything. They only see whatever the character wants them to see. Because of this, some character arcs don’t feel complete. I mainly notice this when the main character doesn’t spend a lot of time with the rest of the characters.

There’s a lot of telling in this story, but this didn’t bother me. We follow two different timelines, but one of them is mainly told to us. This usually leads to a flashback. It reminds me a lot of my own writing style.

The pacing is good. It’s not too fast or too slow. It picks up when it has to, but it’s definitely a slow burn. I love it.

The themes are explored well. All of them are given enough time on the page.

The characters are interesting. Because the story is told in first person, we’re only in Chloe’s head. As a character, she’s okay, but I’m not sure how to feel about her. I don’t necessarily like her, but I also don’t dislike her. I have similar thoughts about the other characters.

Conclusion

Overall, this is an okay story. It’s not good, but it’s also not bad. I’ve read better, but I’ve also read worse. I rate it three stars.