I love young adult mystery thrillers. This one had a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I loved the mysterious aspect.

This book was so unbelievable.
A girl who was raised to be suspicious of everyone immediately falls in love with a stranger?
I don’t think so.

I hated this book.

Super fun young adult title featuring Sophia, the daughter of diplomats who has been on the run after seeing something she shouldn't have. A budding romance with Aksel but is he who he says he is? Will the bad guys find Sophia?

If I had read this five years ago, I may have absolutely adored it. But, as it stands, I had a very difficult time with this one. It wasn't the writing for me, it was the story. The subject matter. 

The fact that it's YA, is probably partly to blame for that. While I still will read young adult books--or even some middle grade--I'm finding that I'm ever increasingly more picky when it comes to them. 

And this one just didn't do it for me. The writing was solid, and I can see enjoying these characters had I been a teenager. However, I was bored and unimpressed with a lot of the parts of the book that I think I was supposed to be the most impressed by. 

Because the writing wasn't the issue, I'd never say never when it comes to reading something else by Ms. Rosenhan.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. My review will be live, at the link given, on 8/26/22.

The synopsis sounds great, but this book was jumping all over the place. Too unbelievable and almost rushed. I understand it's a YA, but the writing style was a bit too immature for my liking. I've read a lot of YA, but this wasn't relatable in any way.

Thank you Bloombury and Netgalley for the ARC!

When life has you moving so much, what happens when you just have to live a normal life?

Sophie has lived an abnormal life with parents that work for the CIA! Moving to make sure nothing happens to them, along with knowing how to protect yourself has made Sophie a very strange girl. Now Sophie has moved to a town and is told just live a normal life. How is she suppose to just let it all go. When Sophie meets new friends and a new guy Aksel, can she trust them or will she be able to leave if they need to again. Later in town Sophie feels like someone is following her, Is someone following her or is it just her imagination. Sophie just wants to be normal but what if life doesn’t let her.

Sophie and Aksel are amazing characters along with all of the characters in this novel. Coming in strong with the first scene, to Sophie just be a normal girl is a big whirlwind of an adventure. Aksel is a strange boy in town who keep protecting her but why is there always worry that he might actually do something to her. The story is a strong adventure that had me on the edge of my seat for the entire time. Working with the knowledge I have of guns and military, Rosenhan did a lot of research, and all of the info was correct. I would suggest this to a mystery lover or a military lover. This is an amazing novel and that’s why I gave it 5 stars!

I struggled with Girl From Nowhere. The first and second half felt like two completely different books. The first half was early 2000s-style angsty/instalove YA romance (think girl at a new school falls for mysterious boy with mesmerizing green eyes) and the second half felt like one long and confusing action scene. Neither half really worked for me, and I didn't think they worked together.

GIRL FROM NOWHERE brings the spy novel up a few notches for its YA audience. Quick moving and filled with tons of twists, Rosenhan has given her readers quite the ride.

Girl from Nowhere is a difficult book to describe or categorize. It doesn't fit neatly into the YA romance package, nor does it effectively slide into the "thriller" genre as promised by the premise. This might have been better if it chose a genre and stuck firmly with it, because as it stands, it feels very disjointed. I'm deeply put off by Sophia's toxic obsession with Aksel. I get that teen girls are going to have their infatuations, but it's not one that is written in a particularly relatable way, and distracts from the story. I'd heard great things about this book, but it was very difficult to finish.

I received a gifted copy courtesy of Uplit Reads and the author. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Girl From Nowhere
By: Tiffany Rosenhan


REVIEW ☆☆☆☆
Tiffany Rosenhan offers a young adult story with a bit of a different twist in Girl From Nowhere. Sophia, the heroine, has, so far, led a most interesting life of international travel and intrigue. Why? Her diplomat parents are the reason, but the time has come to settle down and be a normal teenager for once. I personally find it difficult to define normal in any capacity.

Sophia's acclimation to regularity is not necessarily the smooth transition she hoped for, rather, she is in for a wild ride. With a bit of romance, quick action and quintessential teen drama, readers follow along as Sophia navigates the choppy waters of becoming her own person.

I found Girl From Nowhere entertaining, compelling and just plain fun to read. It lifted my spirit and made me smile. Sophia is adventurous and unpredictable and quiet lovely overall. Seriously cute story!

The book summary doesn’t quite fit the novel I think. It’s not bad but it’s not a good way to let readers know exactly what the book is about. The book starts off like a YA teen book and it twists into a high stakes thriller. Some of the scenes are far fetched but it’s a fun read.

Honestly, GIRL FROM NOWHERE feels like the author had come up with a really great idea, started on it, and then got distracted by the latest 007 movie and decided to change the novel without actually going back and changing it. It was jolting from "oh, I just moved to a small town and now I am trying to fit in" to "oh no, a terrorist is trying to kill me and I may be in deeper than I thought". It was too scattered for my taste.

Where in the world do I start with this one!? This book is so full of action that it’s difficult to break it down into segments, but we’re going to try!

My overall reading experience was really great. From the very beginning, we are dropped into the fast action world of Sophia, the daughter of top secret government operative. After her father retires following some mysterious, vaguely mentioned things take place, Sophia and her family move to Montana to live a normal life.

We get to follow Sophia on her journey to living life as a normal teen, even though there is nothing normal about her. She quickly makes new friends, finds a love interest – Aksel – and gets a cell phone. Unfortunately, the normal life doesn’t last very long. Soon, her past catches up to her and she’s on another whirlwind mission across the globe.

I think the thing I struggled most with in this one is just how much happens. It almost feels like two books crammed into one. I wouldn’t have minded having two separate books with a little more detail about each part. As it is, it feels like the first part of the book and the second part of the book are a bit rushed and hasty. It’s also difficult to follow along with the second part. There are so many names and characters and languages that it can be difficult to keep up.

But I thought the story was incredibly interesting. It felt like I was reading an action movie. It was dramatic, fast-paced, and kept me on the edge of my seat. There is action, love, sacrifice, and so much more. You never know who to trust. You cannot predict what will happen next. It was a great experience, I just wish it had been split up a little more.

Mini Review: This YA book reminded me a little of the later Gallagher Girl books by All Carter (One of my all-time favorite series, and the one that really got me into YA books!), which is always plus. There were a lot of twists and turns throughout! If you think it sounds interesting, I would recommend trying it!

Did not finish. This novel was not for me. I had a hard time connecting to the story and the characters.

I really liked the cover of this book. I also really liked the premise of the book. But that's where the likes stop.

Girl from Nowhere felt like two separate books smushed into one. The first half was very typical YA romance. The second half was an action-adventure. Neither half was done super well. The main character was a Mary Sue. She spoke a billion languages, was good at everything (because of course she was), was beautiful and had perfect aim. Oh and she's a teenager. The main love interest was pretty much the exact same. It is so hard to root for perfect characters. Characters need vulnerabilities to be relatable.

But either way the first half with the *romance* was still the better half as it made more logical sense. The action in the second half of the book just did not fit the theme and flow of the book. It is riddled in plot holes and is very disconnected. It's also way too fast paced. All of the characters introduced in the first half of the book are now unimportant and any character development that occurred was on stand by.

The book was readable which was nice. I read it in one sitting and it was engrossing the whole time.

Girl from Nowhere would have been a better book if the two halves of the books were better connected and the characters were more relatable. Or conversely, if the book had owned how over the top it was and taken a satirical tone.

2.5 stars for an interesting idea. I would be interested to see what the author writes next as I think with some more time and experience, they could definitely write a 5 star book.

Girl from Nowhere is fast paced, action packed and engaging. I definitely agreed with the blurb that it's similar to Red Sparrow and One of Us is Lying, if you like adventure novels, spies and girls who can kick butt you'll enjoy it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children’s Books for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the feel of a female teen, James Bond. I must admit this book was more like a guilty pleasure for me. I really got sucked into the life Sophia had led before moving to Montana to have a “normal life.” However, I find it hard to do an overall review on this book without giving away spoilers.

However, I will say this book is an action-adventure, mystery, thriller with a romance story all rolled into one. It is nearly impossible to put down. The plot was extremely unique to this particular story and it had some twists that were absolutely excellent. The kind that makes reading fun and leaves you wondering, what could possibly happen next. There are parts throughout the story that seem a bit over the top, nonetheless it offers up a fantastic ride. Sophia is tough as nails, totally BA and an inspiration to any teenage girl. Aksel is every teenage girl’s heart throb. Rosenhan’s ability to keep the reader on her toes is exceptional. This is one that will definitely get added to our library collection. This will appeal to several different types of readers. I HIGHLY recommend this one.

This debut novel for teens is fast moving. Sophia Hepworth has grown up with loving parents, but constantly on the move and not really making any friends along the way. Her parents appear to be diplomats, but they are definitely more than that. Her father's public job is facilitating NGOs in developing countries, working for the State Department. He is a spy and many of the skills needed to survive in that world have also been taught to Sophia. She can handle a gun, a knife, and many other tools of defense. She is in good physical shape and can hold her breath underwater for long periods of time. She can get her bearings quickly in places she hasn't been before. She speaks quite a few languages fluently, and knows a decent amount of even more. She has been trained to survive many dangerous situations.
When her family lived in Istanbul, something bad happened to her, and she's been running ever since, and not really recovering from that incident.
Now, her family is finally back in the United States and her parents have retired. They've moved to a small town in Montana, called Waterford. Furniture and smaller items she hasn't seen in years are coming into their new home. Sophia is attending the regular town school and making friends with other girls her age. And there's a boy who she finds compelling.
Of course she stands out. In her first class, French, the discovery that she is fluent has the teacher moving to move her to a different language class, but all the ones on offer are ones that she is fluent in, so she stays. And now her classmates know this about her. They are friendly, but have lots of questions. She answers as truthfully as she feels she can. She has been told that she is no longer in danger, that the men hunting her since Istanbul are all dead, but she still can't be completely honest about her unconventional life.
The boy saves her from a dangerous situation, and only later did she learn his name, Aksel Fredericksen. Then he rescues her again. She notices that he has some of the same skills that she's learned, and that he doesn't seem fazed by her. She likes that. As their relationship grows, the situations that they find themselves up again grow more dangerous. She begins to wonder if she is really as safe as her parents have led her to believe.
This novel is fast-moving and has an edge of the seat plot interspersed with bits of normal love and some romance. It kept me engrossed.

Sophia Hepworth has never led the life of a normal teenage. She’s always been on the move, traveling the world with her parents because her dad works for the United States government. Her father has trained her in extreme survival skills and taught her to always be on-guard. So when her parents tell her that their life on the move is over and they want to settle down in a small, rural, Montana town she has a little trouble adjusting. Is there really someone following her or has she just been scarred by recent events? Nothing makes her want to believe her new reality can last more than meeting Aksel, a good looking guy who always seems come across her when she’s in need of help. The closer she gets to Aksel though the more certain she is he is hiding something from her. As the walls start crumbling on her new reality, Sophia will learn Aksel is not the only one with something hidden in his past. Who will she be able to trust when it seems like everyone is lying?

VERDICT is that this book had a really intriguing plot line that ultimately ended up falling a little flat for me. I am always down for a YA novel with a fierce female lead, but there was something about Sophia’s story line that felt a little too contrived for me. For such a strong female (with some pretty kick ass survival skills) she found herself in one too many predicaments where Aksel came to her rescue. She was set up to be strong and independent but it fell a little flat for me in the end.