A fun thriller full of action and a young adult as the main character-- something I don't typically get drawn to! Lots of twists and turns.

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<p><em>Girl From Nowhere </em>is marketed as a story of a girl "running from her past." The initial pages of the novel take place in the Suburban United States, and much of the conflict in the first third comes from interpersonal drama - friendships, romances, Calculus class, and so on. I was settling in to read a quiet contemporary novel about trauma, when all of a sudden, roughly halfway through the book, things changed - and <strong>fast. </strong></p>
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<p>All of a sudden, what had been a middling read picked up in speed and became a thrilling adventure. The terrorist cell that Sophia and her family had nearly destroyed comes back with a vengeance - and a terrible secret. Suddenly, we're flying alongside our intrepid heroine as she crosses the globe in search of answers. Some of the reveals from this latter section of the book were genuinely shocking, but, in retrospect, had been well-established earlier in the book. As quickly as the plot wrapped up, it did so in a mostly satisfying way that felt truthful to the motivations and experiences of the characters.</p>
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<p>If I had one complaint, it's that the first third of the book feels woefully out of place with the latter thirds. Moreover, as much as this book is marketed in order to hide the reveals of the later chapters, I felt that what I expected was not the book I read. Some of the other reviews I've read voice similar concerns. Ultimately, however, poor marketing should not be the metric by which I judge the quality of a book; marketing aside, this was a thrilling and enjoyable read that kept my attention and engagement from the slow start to the exciting conclusion.</p>
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The novel centers around Sophia Hepworth, who has spent the last 18 months of her life traveling the world with her diplomat parents. While spending time abroad sounds luxurious, Sophia's life is far from it. Her parents have devoted their livelihoods to tracking down various terrorist groups, while on the run from one of the most powerful members. Sophia's parents declare that there are no more potential threats to the family and that they can settle down in the small American town of Waterbury, Montana. Although Sophia is skeptical of this sudden transition, she tries her best to conform to American standards. Only a few days into her move she crosses paths with the mysterious Aksel, a boy from her school that has withdrawn from his friends and keeps a low profile. However, it becomes apparent that their two lives intersect in more ways than one.


I highly recommend Rosenhan's novel to fans of ONE OF US IS LYING by Karen McManus. As the reader, you are constantly attempting to put the pieces to the puzzle together and understand the narrator's train of thought. This was such a page-turner; I could not put it down and loved every minute of it.

Very well written. This is a great story and hope that there may be more books coming because I see Sophie and Aksel becoming a super team.

I am totally enamored of Girl from Nowhere. I received a copy via the publisher, Bloomsbury YA and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I work a lot of hours each week. It used to take me a few hours or at most a day or two to read a book. Sometimes it takes me 2 weeks, if I am lucky and have not forgotten some of what I have read. Part of this occurred when I was working on my dissertation and I thought I will get to read more leisure reads now that this is done. But, no, work just replaced it. I have a pretty good reading month and I am happy to say that I honestly loved Girl from Nowhere. I am a big fan of YA Action books, especially those where the protagonist is someone the reader can like and admire.

Sophie and her family move to a new town in Montana which oddly enough is a place that my best friend has been harassing me to visit. I have no clue why and it is not really on my list but, it worked well in this book. Sophia has parents that have traveled the world as diplomats for the government since she was born and she is always with them. They have never really had a permanent homestead to stop at and take a break from. They move often. It turns out that something occurred during one of their trips which has traumatized Sophia. The author does a great job of having Sophia slowly tell her story as she meets new friends and makes a more permanent home for the first time. Her parents have gone out of their way to make a home for her by actually taking their things from storage and decorating their new house. Sophia is adjusting when what they appear to have been running from seems to have found them. Girl from Nowhere vividly introduces colorful characters, good and bad, and even makes the places Sophia and her parents travel into characters, i.e., Montana, Istanbul, etc. I do not know if there are any plans to continue Sophia’s story, but, I can see room for it and it also had a great ending if this is the last we see of Sophia. The review can also be seen at LadyTechie’s Book Musings https://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.com

This was a great read that had me hooked from beginning to end. It was well written and well developed. The characters were enjoyable. Everything was well-paced. If you are a fan of one of us is lying and similar thriller novels, then you should pick this one up.

This book was fun to read. I enjoyed the "spy" storyline and the romance, while quick, added to the story for the most part. The plot was unique to this book and it had a few twists that were executed quite well. I did think that the romance moved along a bit too quickly for my liking and towards the middle of the book it was a bit slow. The beginning and end were very good though with the beginning being an intriguing set up and the end being really action-packed. Overall, a decent YA spy romance novel.

I received a temporary digital advanced copy of Girl from Nowhere by Tiffany Rosenhan from NetGalley, Bloomsbury YA, and the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Hepworth's are no normal family. While traveling the world with her parents--US diplomats--Sophia Hepworth learns fourteen languages, attends thirty-one schools, and visits ninety-four countries in her mere sixteen years. After a life-changing experience, the Hepworth's give up their uncommon whirlwind travels for retirement, or that is what they have told Sophia when they move her to Montana. Sophia has never had a "home" and begins to embrace her new home, friends, boyfriend and high school. However, the past catches up with the Hepworth's and they are thrust back into the life they swore they left behind. Sophia doesn't want to leave behind all she is come to love, but must in order to get answers to the questions she has desperately been needing.

Girl from Nowhere is a thriller. It is almost impossible to put down. Please note that this story is extremely unrealistic, but once you can move on from that aspect, it is a great story. There are so many twists and turns to the story, what you think will happen, doesn't and what does is shocking. From the book's synopsis, and even from the one I wrote, the reader does not get a true understanding of the adventure and suspense; however, it is impossible to describe without fully giving away the plot. I highly recommend Girl from Nowhere to all readers.

I loved every second of reading this book, honestly couldn't put it down. This was just the kind of entertaining read I needed.

#GirlfromNowhere
#NetGalley
Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for the E-arc copy of a Girl from Nowhere by Tiffany Rosenhan. I found the action, mystery, and character development to be spot on for a young adult thriller. I would defiantly recommend to any of my teen readers.