I'm so thankful writers are choosing to write about important issues
I'm so thankful writers, such as this one, are choosing to write about important issues. I don't necessarily know if a book like this would have been published ten years ago, so I guess I am also thankful for the publishers for recognizing the value in these types of stories.
Autumn Casterly is a senior in high school and a drug dealer. She hopes to keep adding to her stack of cash so she will have enough to eventually leave town and not look back. It's been a long time since she has gotten along with her family members, including Ivy, her younger sister. Ivy is a bit of a band geek and she surrounds herself with a trusted group of friends with similar interests. The sisters share nothing in common these days.
After a drug deal goes horribly wrong, Autumn is beaten and held hostage. She has a bit of an out of body experience where she can see what others are up to but they can't see her. Autumn knows if someone doesn't find her soon, she's going to die. Ivy starts feeling this strange presence, almost like her missing sister is there with her. If Ivy wants to piece together what happened to her sister, she might have to dig into Autumn's past. And Ivy might discover there's a lot about her sister she didn't even know. The story goes back and forth between the perspectives of Ivy and Autumn.
There's certainly a thriller aspect to the story as you want to keep reading to find out if Autumn will ever be found. However, that wasn't the strength of the novel as for me it was much more about getting to know Autumn. At first I was a bit turned off by her over the top tough approach to handling things. In all honestly some of her dialogue at the beginning of the book sounds like it's from some cheesy mafia type movie or show. I do think though she is a character worth getting invested in. I thought Ivy was another well-developed character. I liked what the author did in terms of Ivy's storyline that wasn't directly about her sister's disappearance.
When I write a book review I try to stick to what is mentioned in the publisher's synopsis. So that's why I am choosing not to discuss in detail the important issues in the story but I do think it is okay to mention it's related to some things that have been brought up in the #metoo movement.
Definitely recommend reading this book if you appreciate it when writers explore tough topics in a thoughtful way.
Autumn Casterly is a senior in high school and a drug dealer. She hopes to keep adding to her stack of cash so she will have enough to eventually leave town and not look back. It's been a long time since she has gotten along with her family members, including Ivy, her younger sister. Ivy is a bit of a band geek and she surrounds herself with a trusted group of friends with similar interests. The sisters share nothing in common these days.
After a drug deal goes horribly wrong, Autumn is beaten and held hostage. She has a bit of an out of body experience where she can see what others are up to but they can't see her. Autumn knows if someone doesn't find her soon, she's going to die. Ivy starts feeling this strange presence, almost like her missing sister is there with her. If Ivy wants to piece together what happened to her sister, she might have to dig into Autumn's past. And Ivy might discover there's a lot about her sister she didn't even know. The story goes back and forth between the perspectives of Ivy and Autumn.
There's certainly a thriller aspect to the story as you want to keep reading to find out if Autumn will ever be found. However, that wasn't the strength of the novel as for me it was much more about getting to know Autumn. At first I was a bit turned off by her over the top tough approach to handling things. In all honestly some of her dialogue at the beginning of the book sounds like it's from some cheesy mafia type movie or show. I do think though she is a character worth getting invested in. I thought Ivy was another well-developed character. I liked what the author did in terms of Ivy's storyline that wasn't directly about her sister's disappearance.
When I write a book review I try to stick to what is mentioned in the publisher's synopsis. So that's why I am choosing not to discuss in detail the important issues in the story but I do think it is okay to mention it's related to some things that have been brought up in the #metoo movement.
Definitely recommend reading this book if you appreciate it when writers explore tough topics in a thoughtful way.