Catching up (again) on some reviews from earlier in the month!
Thanks to Penguin Teen for the free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review
I KNOW YOU REMEMBER – Jennifer Donaldson (Released October 8th, 2019)
Book Description:
Jennifer Donaldson is back with another twisted thriller perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying and Gone Girl.
Zahra Gaines is missing.
After three long years away, Ruthie Hayden arrives in her hometown of Anchorage, Alaska to this devastating news. Zahra was Ruthie’s best friend–the only person who ever really understood her–and she vows to do whatever it takes to find her.
Zahra vanished from a party just days before Ruthie’s return, but the more people she talks to, the more she realizes that the Zahra she knew disappeared long before that fateful night. Gone is the whimsical, artistic girl who loved books and knew Ruthie’s every secret. In her place is an athlete, a partier, a girl with secrets of her own. Darker still are the rumors that something happened to Zahra while Ruthie was gone, something that changed her forever…
As Ruthie desperately tries to piece together the truth, she falls deeper and deeper into her friend’s new world, circling closer to a dangerous revelation about what Zahra experienced in the days before her disappearance–one that might be better off buried.
In her stunning follow-up to Lies You Never Told Me, Jennifer Donaldson once again delivers a propulsive thriller with a masterful twist, skillfully creating a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
My Thoughts: 4/5 stars
This was my introduction to Jennifer Donaldson, but I had heard great things about LIES YOU NEVER TOLD ME, so I was ready to jump in. Going into this I knew it was more of a YA thriller, and I think that helped a lot. I’ve had books before where I went into them not knowing this and it kind of threw me for a loop. Fans of YA suspense and thrillers I think will absolutely love this!
We meet Zahra and Ruthie – best friends that were once inseparable. Ruthie returns to her hometown in Anchorage, Alaska and discovers that her best friend has disappeared just days before her return. What happened to her? Where is her friend? Ruthie will stop at nothing to find Zahra. The more she looks the more she begins to learn that Zahra isn’t the girl she once knew.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers and I’m really happy I went into this one blind. For the first three quarters of this book I thought for sure I knew where things were going, but that last quarter, HOLY CRAP did that throw me! I think Donaldson did a great job laying out the groundwork for that eventual twist. She set the scene perfectly – I loved being transported to Alaska – and we got a good feel for the characters. I couldn’t believe how obsessed Ruthie became.
Overall, if you’re a fan of YA thrillers, then I think this will be a perfect addition to that TBR. I definitely want to go back and pick up Donaldson’s other book – good thing it’s already sitting on my shelf!
Jessicamap Reviews 