I have mixed feelings about this one. On the plus side, I finished it in less than a day. On the down side, I just needed more character development.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Hunter. He was in a car accident with his girlfriend. He made it to the hospital somehow, but she is still missing. There is a lot he needs to recall since his memory hasn’t been the same since that fateful day.

I wouldn’t say that there is much going for Hunter besides trying to solve what happened to his girlfriend. I would say the same about all of the other characters as well. The character development was lacking and this could honestly be because the book was more plot-driven. I just tend to like a bit of both. Olivia was definitely my favorite character as she really cared about her brother and the outcome of the mystery.

The plot was pretty good. It did have me guessing but I did figure out who it was before the big reveal but not how it happened. The how it happened was not what I was expecting and I’m still not sure how I feel about it.

Overall, this was a fine YA Mystery. It will definitely reel you in and at least it is easy to get through.

I love David Bell's books and this was no exception. I enjoyed the story and following the main character. I was rooting for him from the beginning. There were some twists and turns; some I saw coming and some that were a surprise. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

She’s Gone is a punchy, twisty and exhilarating YA thriller that keeps you on your toes.

This is a book you will race through. The short chapters, pacy writing style and drip feed of information makes the pages just fly past. I love it when a thriller is all-consuming and you just have to binge your way through it. This is definitely that style of book, keeping the tension thick and the stakes rising ever higher. The pacing was spot on, never truly allowing you to pause for breath. Instead, you get bogged down in this dark web of secrets and lies.

There are so many colliding aspects of the story that take it into darker and darker territory. That rippling effect of death and destruction steamrolls over every character’s lives in this book. No one truly remains unscathed by the end. I love it when a book really delves into the realistic impacts of certain actions and sits within that grey area of morality.

I liked how much the characters resonated with me. As always with a thriller, everyone is a suspect and the narrative here is often murky and ambiguous. Hunter is a layered character, with his memory clouded by his amnesia, yet I never quite allowed myself to trust him. He presents a fractured and flawed version of events that slowly piece together to reveal the truth. However, he is also a deeply caring and passionate person, desperate to find Chloe and the truth - however difficult it may be. My favourite character of the book was definitely Olivia and her snarky protectiveness. She sparkled in every scene she was in for me, adding a little verve and passion.

She’s Gone is a fast-paced, entertaining thrillride moving into ethically dubious and ever darkening territory.

Hunter and Chloe are teenagers in love with all the joy and angst that brings. The night of their high shool's homecoming, they were seen exchanging some heated words, and left the event soon afterwards. Only minutes later, they are in a terrific accident which leaves Hunter in the hospital with no memory and Chloe missing.

Despite Hunter's protests of how much he loves Chloe, he soon finds himself the main suspect in her disappearance. Everywhere he turns, he's met with accusing looks and whispered comments. In this time of infatuation with social media, Hunter decides to make a video to put his side of the story out there and ask that people help find Chloe. It backfires - big time. Every time Hunter opens his mouth, he digs a bigger hole for himself. But lost memories begin to come back, and when Hunter starts to remember things, they don't make sense.

A former best friend Daniel, is obsessed with film and was filming that night. Do his pictures hold the answers?

This is a fast-moving, interesting read. I rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to read a copy of the book via NetGalley. Publication is set for 11/1/22. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

Easily one of my best reads of this year! The whole story kept me interested throughout, and the plot twist made me rethink everything I knew about the book. Really well done, and the whole plot will keep you on your toes. Full review will be up on my blog soon.

I’m so glad I kept an open mind on the author. I read Bell’s previous work, The Finalists and was somewhat disappointed. So, I was a bit skeptical going in. But I promised myself that I would give Bell a second chance. Sure enough, Bell delivered with She’s Gone.

Geared for the teen and young adult audience, the characters are high schoolers going through the typical teenage and social media angst. I liked a majority of the characters and I seem to think that Bell has found his niche market in the teen and YA genre. All of the main characters are well developed and diverse. Though I think some readers may be put off by the lesbian relationship (mild) in the novel.

The plot isn’t complicated and it’s the typical whodunnit. However, it does seem to drag along in some places. But, just when it seems to seep into that valley, there is a plot twist that brings back the suspense. There aren’t too many surprises and it was somewhat easy to determine who the perpetrator was in the novel. It’s still an engaging read, nonetheless.

Will I continue to read more novels from the author? If it’s anything like She’s Gone, I most certainly will. Four superb stars.

I received a digital ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Fire through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

A YA crime thriller, this is a well written story about a boy who's girlfriend goes missing - the blame is immediately pinned on him, and he's doing everything he can to clear his name with the help of his dad, his sister & her girlfriend, and his old best friend. Of course it's not as simple as that and the twists and turns throughout this book are impeccable. I really enjoyed this!

This was such a twisty turny thriller and I honestly had no idea where it was going. Even at the end, I was left a little dumbfounded. Hunter wakes up in the hospital with no memory of what happened to him. He knows he was in a car accident on Homecoming night with his girlfriend Chloe, but now she's missing and he can't remember what happened.
As he transitions back to school, he has to deal with the aftermath of this night. People think that he hurt Chloe, people think he remembers more than he does. They are threatening him, they are threatening his family, but Hunter loved Chloe and would never hurt her. He is doing his own digging and has to get to the bottom of what happened that night.
I was honestly scared for Hunter. He is a 17 year old boy and is dealing with so much. I had so many suspects in my mind, so the author really did a great job with diverting the path. I really loved that the chapters were short, it made the read go by super quickly.
Thank you to David Bell, Sourcebooks and Netgalley for an early copy.

Hunter Gifford wakes up in the hospital on the night of homecoming. He doesn’t remember anything that happened that night, including crashing into a tree with his girlfriend Chloe Summers in the passenger seat. The only trace left of Chloe is her blood in the passenger seat. What really happened that night? Did someone run them off the road? Did Chloe simply run away? Hunter takes the investigation into his own hands, determined to prove his own innocence as well as find out what happened to Chloe.

David Bell has a true talent with words. I read this book in less than 24 hours, which is very unusual for me. Bell made the character of Hunter interesting and relatable. I knew he had nothing to do with Chloe’s disappearance and found myself routing him on as he investigated to find out who did. I also really enjoyed his sister Olivia’s character and the LGBTQ+ representation of both Oliva and her girlfriend Gabby. They both added to the story and helped Hunter with his investigation. Bell had me on the edge of my seat throughout the story. Every time I thought I figured out what happened to Chloe, another twist was revealed. This book is going in my top 5 for 2022. I highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys thrillers! 5/5 stars!

… My girl, she was the world to me
She's gone, and that's a tragedy
My girl, is just a memory
She's been so long away
My girl (Gone, gone, gone, she been gone so long) Songwriters: Brian Macleod / William Henderson performed by Chilliwack.

Ok, I finally did it! I read a YA book!
And, wait for it…🥁🥁
I liked it!💃🕺🏻
Maybe because it was a David Bell novel? After all, he is the reason I knowingly picked up a targeted YA read.

Hunter and Chloe are your typical high school sweethearts! In love and going to their home coming dance. But after leaving the nights festivities they’re involved in a serious crash. One that leaves Hunter with a head injury and no memory of the accident. And Chloe? Well, it seems she has disappeared!

Isn’t it always the boyfriend the police look at first? Of course it is!

All eyes are cast directly on Hunter! Did he harm Chloe? Even with no memory he claims his innocence! And realizes it’s up to him to prove it.

This book is delivered in short chapters with mini cliffhangers that make you addictively keep reading more! I enjoy David Bell’s writing style and even though this was a different genre than his typical (thriller) books it still worked for me.

Am I a converted YA reader? I’m not sure I’d go that far. But I will admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this one and may be open for another down the road....maybe!😅

‼️ David Bell did include a great life lesson at the end that all should be aware of. I wasn’t…but I’m in the know now!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Fire and David Bell.
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She’s Gone || David Bell
She’s Gone is a YA mystery by best-selling author, David Bell. This is my second novel by this author, the first being The Finalists. I didn’t love The Finalists and wanted to give this author another chance as his books seems to be in high accolades. Now I’m starting to see what all the fuss is about. While the characters in this book were in their late teens, the story didn’t feel juvenile. The writing style was easy to read, the characters were fleshed out and interesting and the overall mystery nail-biting.

The story follows seventeen-year-old Hunter who wakes from a car accident with no memory of what happened and a girlfriend who is missing. With the entire town pointing the finger at him, Hunter starts to question whether he might have been involved in her disappearance. The amnesia element in the story makes Hunter an unreliable narrator and we get to learn alongside him what happened as he goes on his quest to undercover the truth.

The pacing was excellent with never a dull moment. I read most of the book across one sitting unable to put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological thriller and will after this be seeking out more of David Bell’s books to read. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this novel.

this one was not one of my favorites this year 🫠🫠🫠 the plot line is carbon copied from other novels, and the characters are so discombobulated and confused the whole time - I felt no satisfaction at the end.

as a fan of david bell books, I loved the set up of the thriller. however, the storyline unfolded in a very telling rather than showing manor. and while this can be argued that the readers were finding out the memories at the same time as hunter, it felt a bit rushed and off to me 🥴

additionally, I wish for once that in this type of memory loss “oh crap did I kill so and so” trope, the woman is the one not guilty. there are so many stereotypes around at the fact that females are “crazy” and more susceptible to alcohol and drugs for coping - and while hunter is the one physically losing his mind, seeing the story from his POV led to the audience feeling that way about chloe, her female friends, and her mother.

overall, I just don’t think I was the right audience for this one - and I really wanted to like it!!!

thank you to sourcebooks and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 2.5 stars
wine pairing: california merlot

Hunter was involved in a car crash on the night of prom. He has no recollection of the evening and is desperate to learn what happened. His girlfriend, Chloe, who was in the car with him can’t be found. Something awful clearly happened, and some are convinced that Hunter knows more than he’s letting on.
What followed was a bizarre read. Hunter acts in ways that don’t always make sense. There were some red herrings thrown in. I had a suspicion as to what had happened, but it still felt odd to have this affirmed - particularly as there were characters who knew more than they let on without it seeming to make sense once we’d learned that!
Still, after we’d learned the truth things got wrapped up quickly. Certainly a relatively quick read and I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this prior to publication.

4/5 stars.

i don't generally read many thriller/mystery books, but taking a chance on this one was one of the best decisions i ever made. the story follows hunter, who is a prime suspect in the disappearance of his girlfriend chloe. they get in a car accident while driving home from homecoming and while hunter makes it to the hospital, chloe goes missing.

the book kept me on the edge of my seat, never giving away too much information. they were perfect amounts of foreshadowing and although we don't get to know hunter as a person much, his thoughts and feelings are shown clearly throughout the entire book which i loved.

the only thing about the ending that robbed it of being a five star read was that i was a little let down by the explanation of what happened that night. after such a dramatic build up, there were things that i felt were left unresolved and the crescendo of mystery wasn't given the motive it deserved.

i would definitely recommend this book to anyone who's into mystery/thriller or true crime.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick and enjoyable read. The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Chloe was interesting, and I just had to know what happened on Homecoming night. However, I didn’t feel any connection to the characters, especially to Chloe, and I’m not sure if I even liked Hunter. I thought there were a couple of obvious tells as to who was involved pretty early on - normally this would not bother me, but it just felt like a bit of a let down this time. Overall, I thought it was enjoyable but it’s very much tell not show.

Hunter has been in a very awful accident with his girlfriend Chloe after Homecoming. He remembers absolutely nothing and she is missing. That is the whole story. Hunter spends a bit of time trying to find out what happened to Chloe and is hoping she is still alive while fighting his amnesia . The entire book revolves around this but feel once we get around to the reveal its more telling then showing.

I love David Bell's adult books because he writes characters and story's very well and they resonate with you. This worked if you like YA. However, It all seemed very simplistic. The characters were written very well but the story didn't work. I struggled through it because Hunter's plight along with the dialogue he had with his Dad and his teacher just didn't resonate as something someone would do. But I thought Olivia was written out very well

I think if you are the right audience for this it will work but as a David Bell adult fiction writer fan this wasn't my fav.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my advanced copy.

I really don’t like writing negative reviews but this book was a flop. The ending literally had my eyes rolling the entire time.

This book has all the elements YA readers love: romance ( a gawky kid who gets the prettiest, smartest girl), crowd shaming via the Internet, lots of dialogue expressing teen angst, a mystery, and a quirky "sidekick" who happens to be gay.All these elements combine to create a book that will likely capture readers and keep them guessing.

Bell does a good job developing his first person narrator.who initially has amnesia about the events of an automobile accident in which his girlfriend disappears. As his memory gradually returns, various characters become suspects, until the conclusion, when the real villain is revealed. Bell does a good job placing suspicion on different people,, then creating a surprising, but plausible conclusion.

I did think the ending was rushed. However, the book was fairly long and so needed to be wrapped up. I also didn't like the references to drug use. Did we really need to know that this character smoked weed regularly? That detail didn't advance the story and actually didn't seem to fit the character.

Overall, this was a good book many of my students would like.

A missing girl, a boy who can’t remember anything, and the mystery of what happened. Hunter Gifford is 17 years old and now a suspect in the disappearance of his girlfriend Chloe Summers. On the night of homecoming they both got in a terrible accident but Hunter awakes at the hospital with no recollection of the entire night, how he got the hospital, and what happened to his girlfriend. He learns that they were in a car crash... and that Chloe is still missing. The whole town thinks he did it and he is determined to find out what really happened to Chloe and who did this to them. As he begins trying to recollect what happened, he begins to question what exactly happened: some students say Chloe and him were arguing, he remembers her being a bit off for a while, and the more he digs the more someone else is trying to stop him... more bodies will drop and Hunter will find himself discovering things about people he thought he knew that will change him forever. This was an exciting mystery! I really liked the way the mystery played out and it definitely was a fun read. I always love a good amnesia mystery and this one was a really fun one!

*Thank you Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire, Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This is a really good YA thriller book! I find that it is one of the better one given the recent ones over the year.s