This young adult thriller was a fast and fun ride. I like when a story centers around missing memories and the search for trying to recover them. I did find the main character to be too intensely focused on his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend for little to no reason for so long, but the last third of the book was filled with sleuthing and a decent reveal. 17 year old Hunter woke up after the Homecoming dance in the hospital with a concussion and no memories of the dance or what happened after. This is particularly problematic because his girlfriend who was presumably in the car with him when it crashed is no where to be found. The whole town thinks Hunter is guilty but he is determined to find Chloe and figure out what exactly happened.

David Bell knocks it out of the park again. Even though this is a YA novel I truly enjoyed from start to finish. The short cliff hanger chapters are always a plus and I could not read fast enough to find out the perpetrator! Essentially a whodunit novel but YA and I loved it.

I’ve read several of Bell’s adult novels and was anxious to read his young adult debut. I’m hoping this won’t be his last novel in this genre.

My heart immediately went out to Hunter. After learning he and his girlfriend were in a horrible car accident, she’s now missing, most of the night is a blank, and there’s no shortage of people who blame him for her disappearance. I was so frustrated when the detective repeatedly told him to confess, tell the truth, and they’d go easier on him. Besides handling the grief and devastation over Chloe’s disappearance, he’s taunted at school by fellow students, and then called out by Chloe’s mother at a candlelight vigil. Fortunately, he has the support of a few friends, his father, and his powerhouse of a sister, Livvy. She’s willing to take on anyone who says a negative word about her brother – and even punches a lacrosse player in the face in defense of Hunter. Hunter makes some questionable decisions during the story, but rational thought goes out the window in his desperation to find his girlfriend.

I felt pretty confident I knew who was behind Chloe’s disappearance, and I was partly correct. But then there’s an added twist that caught me by surprise. The plot moves along at a brisk pace, and the short chapters made it easy for me to say “just one more” – and then a couple hours had passed.

If you’re a fan of thrillers, mystery, suspense, or true crime, She’s Gone will keep you turning the pages long after you should have been sleeping.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I absolutely loved this book! YA mysteries can sometimes feel condescending. This book is anything but. The characters are well-written, and the storyline kept me reading. Once you get 70% through the book, it is almost impossible to put down. I hope David Bell continues writing YA mysteries.

A quick read about a high school senior left without memories of what happened to him and his missing girlfriend after a fateful car crash the night of homecoming... Hunter can't remember what caused the accident - or anything leading up to the accident - after he and his girlfriend, Chloe, left the homecoming dance. And with Chloe missing, that leaves Hunter as the prime suspect and the only one who may have answers as to what happened to her. The town doesn't trust him, the police don't trust him, and Hunter doesn't trust himself. He can't remember that night, and with friends telling him Chloe thought he'd be mad at her for some reason, the target on his back just gets bigger. But when another tragedy hits, Hunter starts wondering if there isn't a bigger plot behind what really happened to Chloe...

Thoughts: I appreciated that the chapters were short and the plot moved quickly. Reluctant teen readers will find this story easy to lose themselves in. I also appreciated that it was from the teen guy's POV, which is actually not that common in today's popular YA fiction. This realistic thriller may appeal to a wide variety of teens but for avid readers it may fall a bit short. Most of the plot was easy to surmise about halfway through, the ending was a bit far-fetched and soap opera-ish, and a lot of the chapters have foreshadowing that ends up being anticlimactic. But Hunter's sister Olivia was an amazing character that anyone would love to have on their side, and even his dad goes from the quintessential absentee parent YA trope to being the kind of parent Hunter needs as the story evolves. All in all, an interesting and quick read that may be just the thing for reluctant teen readers.

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

It’s partially my fault that I wasn’t blown away by this book because I didn’t realize it was a YA book. I’m just not the right audience for this genre.

I will say I think this would be a great read for older teens. For that reason, I’m rating it four stars.

There’s a thread of thriller and a mountain of YA in these pages. There’s a nice twist at the end which is finished up nicely.

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the opportunity to read and review this book.

17-year-old Hunter Gifford wakes in the hospital on the night of the homecoming dance, suffering from a head injury and no recollection at all about the car accident that sent him to the hospital, or what happened to his girlfriend who was supposedly in the car with him. Chloe Summers has disappeared and everyone is looking at Hunter as the prime suspect in her disappearance. Desperate to find Chloe and clear his name, Hunter starts questioning anyone who might know the truth and posting videos to prove his innocence. Is there a reason Hunter can't remember anything about that night? And why have a multiple people come forward, saying they saw him arguing with Chloe in the parking lot, before they peeled out of the parking lot in her car?

I am a huge fan of this author's books, so I was interested to see what sort of YA mystery he would come up with. I was not disappointed. This had me captivated from start to finish, as I tried to guess what really happened to Chloe. I confess, I did sort of guess the correct answer, but it took me awhile, and I was still surprised with part of it. This has a great cast of characters, & a storyline and mystery that will keep you engaged. I definitely recommend this for both teens & adults.

Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Fire, Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley.com for this arc.

It was an interesting reading. Very gripping as well. I really could not put it down. I hoped just the ending was different. Just could not belived that. But I liked the book anyway.

I was sad about but also glad that the truth come out at the end. I could not imagine waking up and discover my love is missing. Having amnesia, not knowing, remembering a single thing about the tragic accident was a nightmare.

This is David Bell's first YA book and I have to say it was good read, if not a little bit predictable with a real twist at the end. Gifford and Chloe have an accident on the night of HoCo. She disappears and he is left without any memory of the evening. Everything that the police investigate seems to point to Gifford but he can't believe he would ever do anything to hurt Chloe who he loves. The story revolves around Gifford trying to prove his innocence while the police keep coming up empty. Where did Chloe disappear too? Did someone kidnap her, kill her? Gifford won't stop until he finds her.

This fast-paced YA thriller by David Bell makes perfect timing on the suspense. Some YA's are cheesy, but this one never felt like that degree. The characters were typical for sweetheart teenagers and kept me going enough to finish. When Hunter felt he had it all with his girlfriend, Chloe, he was not expecting it to end so abruptly and tragically. It was after their homecoming dance that it shifted against them. They left the dance and crashed into a tree leaving Hunter with no memory of the accident and Chloe missing. Her blood was found at the scene, but to no avail was she.
Fingers are pointed at Hunter as if he did something to her. Chloe's family and friends hold a candlelight vigil where the taunting begins against him even by her mom. Although Hunter makes some stupid decisions afterward, I felt sorry for his character and hoped for closure.
When his best friend makes a true-documentary capturing some sketchy scenes of the night, the case begins to unravel but not without someone being murdered and people close to him have some clues to add to that night.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What happened to Chloe? After she and her boyfriend Hunter leave homecoming, there is a car accident. Hunter shows up at the emergency room but Chloe is nowhere to be found. She's gone! To make the situation even worse, Hunter has no memory that night's events. As the town and detectives start circling Hunter as the likely person to have harmed Chloe, he starts trying to investigate on his own. Told from Hunter's point of view, the story is solidly YA with the kids dealing with romantic and sexual feelings, familial and school pressures, etc. However, it was written well enough to engage adult readers who were easily reminded of those days of emotional turmoil. I was a bit startled at the last twist. The story could have easily gone in another direction. But that all made for an engaging page turner of a book!

I've found David Bell's books somewhat hit or miss for me, and unfortunately this one was a miss. 
*
Quick synopsis: 17-year-old Hunter wakes up after a car accident to learn that his girlfriend Chloe (also in the accident) is missing. As the boyfriend, Hunter is automatically a suspect, and his memory loss since the accident makes it impossible for him to defend himself. 
*
Ok, on the good side, I finished this in a day. It has very short chapters, and does go pretty quickly. I also enjoyed most of the characters, mostly Hunter's dad and sister. 
*
But for a quick read, the pacing still felt off. It felt like nothing happened for about 80%, and then all is revealed somewhat suddenly and easily.  And yet the actual final ending required just way too much suspension of disbelief. The chapters are also interspersed with videos, but that ends up being unnecessary for the plot, so that seemed like a gimmick that didn't really work. 
*
It also seemed that the diversity was somewhat forced--the Mexican girl's reference to Border Patrol just tossed in there was somewhat jarring, and the plot never came back to that. 
*
I did JUST finish A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, also about a missing girl, so maybe this would have held up better if I didn't have that immediate comparison. And I will say amnesia as a plot point is not my favorite, so perhaps this would work better for others. But I ended up being largely disappointed.

Wow! I think I found a new author that I love. This is my first by David Bell and also my first YA, which I loved! The chapters were short and it had me flying through the pages. My eyes were stuck on this book and I just had to find out the mystery. I had my suspicions on a few individuals but I never would have guess what happened to Chloe. My mouth hit the floor when the big reveal made its debut!

If you want a good YA suspenseful mystery you should read She’s Gone. I know I will be checking out more of Bell’s work, regardless if it is YA or adult fiction.

I will be posting my review on Instagram (thriller_book_sisters) on 10/26/22.

***** Many thanks to Sourcebook Fire, David Bell, and NetGalley for the #gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.

This was a quick read for me. It's a YA thriller / mystery and the pacing was great.
Hunter and his girlfriend Chloe get into a horrible accident after leaving the homecoming dance. Hunter ends up in the hospital and Chloe is nowhere to be found. She's gone. So the question that surrounds their accident - what happened to Chloe? Unfortunately, Hunter can't remember due to his head injury... he is relying on other people to tell him what they remember from that night. But can everyone be trusted?

I liked Hunter as a character, but I really liked his younger sister Olivia. She was such a strong female character - witty and fiercely protective of Hunter. There are a lot of pieces to this story, including bullying and people going along with the majority... which means blaming Hunter for the accident and whatever happened to Chloe. I didn't expect the twist at the end, probably because I was so caught up in the story and the characters.

An amazing read that kept me interested the whole time. I didn't expect the ending but I definitely wish it ended a bit differently.

We follow Hunter's story after a car accident on Prom night leaves him with a concussion and his girlfriend Cloe vanishes in thin air.

This book gives a hint of thriller and loads of YA. We get to know the characters as the events of that night start to resurface. I would have liked to see a bit more character development for some of Hunter's friends. We receive a little twist at the end which brings the story to a nice close, although it felt a bit rushed. We had this whole scene build up and then it was over.

Not a bad read and perfect for older teens. Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC.

She’s Gone by David Bell, 360 pages. Sourcebooks Fire, 2022. $11. LGBTQIA
Language: R (118 swears, 22 “f”); Mature Content: PG13: Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Hunter (17yo) and Chloe went to the Homecoming dance together, of course. But Chloe hasn’t been seen since. With Hunter’s memory missing due to a concussion and Chloe’s car crashed into a tree, the questions on everyone’s mind are where is Chloe, and is Hunter the one who made her disappear?
I enjoyed the mystery, though there were a few points in the story where I thought something was suspicious before Hunter did. The explanation of everything in the end was mostly satisfactory, and Hunter’s final thoughts to close the book gave it a better ending than the close to the mystery itself. Overall, it was a bit dramatic, but the mystery is solvable for the reader, which makes it more interesting to read.
Hunter is White, and his family is implied White. Chloe and her family are implied White. Gabriela is Mexican, and Detective Haley is Black. The mature content rating is for mentions of drugs, alcohol, masturbation, and sexual harassment, as well as for discussions of sex and condoms. The violence rating is for gun use and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Thank you for the opportunity to preview She’s Gone by David Bell. A young man wakes up with no memory of an accident he had on the night of a high school dance. He remembers nothing. And his girlfriend is missing. And soon he is being accused of murder. His life is in turmoil until he takes matters into his own hands. And the truth may even kill him. This book was not for me. More YA and that’s not my genre.
3 stars

Thank you to Sourcebooks for letting me read SHE’S GONE early. This book publishes on November 1.

This one was just okay. I enjoyed the short chapters but I didn’t really care about any of the characters. I wish there was a least one character that was more developed so I could have been more invested in this story. It was easy to read and though I figured it out before I finished, it still was entertaining. It won’t change your life but it might distract you for a few hours.

This is my first time reading a David Bell novel and i am pleased. I found myself guessing the culprit throughout the story. This book would be great for teens who like mystery novels and enjoy to read about true crime. You could feel the angst of the main character and as the pieces continued to fall the story got more and more complex. The ending was shocking but not as shocking as you would think!!