✅What I liked
🔪 Unique concept, not something I’ve seen in YA much
🔪 I wasn’t expecting some of the twists that we encounter which made this a fun read. I finished it in two sittings only because I had work the next morning.

🔪 The book design is freaking amazing!!

❎ What Didn’t Work For Me
🔪 I didn’t like Bel. She felt flat to me until the last few chapters and by then it was too late for her to be redeemed in my head.

🔪 Holly Jackson is a master at sensory details as evidenced by the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, that power isn’t as strong in her standalones.

☆★ ★ ★ ★

I loved the idea of this but I had so many problems with it. The main character is completely unlikeable and not nearly as smart as she thinks she is. Her mom comes back after being missing for 16 years and no, her story doesn't make sense, but it also doesn't make sense for her daughter to be parsing every word looking for a way to make her out to be evil. The story was longer than it needed to be, especially considering that most people weren't really likeable. However, I did enjoy the end, so that was a bit of a payoff. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

This pains me to say but this was just okay. I love Holly Jackson's books, but this one didn't completely work for me. I think there were a few issues with the book. The main character, Bel, was very difficult to like. There were several twists and turns in here, and I can't say I anticipated how the ending would actually play out, but it also almost felt like there was way too much going on. There was definitely way too much family drama in here, like I was drained by the end of the book. I felt like I just didn't get all the answers and closure I'd hoped for either. It did keep me entertained and interested all the way through though, so there's that.

This was such a good thriller. Holly Jackson really knows how to keep you on your toes. And that plot twist!! I can’t wait to see what she puts out next.

4.4⭐️

Imagine with me, if you will… Your Mom, that you’ve never known, shows up after 16 years of mysteriously missing (Kidnapped? Dead? Left? No one knows.) Now you have to fit her back into your lives, share a home, clothes - and she’s trying to “play Mom” but she knows nothing about you.

This story is unique and entertaining. The family is raw and unpolished, full of animosity and issues. And Rachel, a beloved Mom that an entire nation fell in love with after her mysterious disappearance, comes packing secrets. All signs are pointing to “she faked her disappearance.” She’s desperate to win her daughter’s (Annabel - Bel, not Anna) affection, while her daughter is feeling threatened over losing the life she knew. To add to the unsettled situation, the Father, having been blamed for her disappearance, mysteriously goes missing after her return!

Bel has no choice but to take matters into her own hands, become an amateur sleuth and prove that her Mom is lying and is responsible for her Father’s disappearance. But it seems Rachel is always one step ahead…

This was my first Holly Jackson book. While the writing style felt a bit childish and amateur at times, it was written perfectly for the character, Bel, and did a great job of showing growth. Perfect for YA. It felt like a long book to me, but a nice steady pace and some really juicy answers at the end. A nice ending that you likely won’t see coming.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children’s, and Holly Jackson for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!

Perfect for fans of murder podcasts or Only Murders in the building. Another fast paced myster my from Holly Jackson.

There were lots of twists and turns but the book felt long. It took me a little longer to become invested than I anticipated it would. However, I enjoyed it.
3.75 stars

Bel's mom, Rachel, vanished without a trace sixteen years ago. Her case is being covered by a true crime documentary and shortly after filming begins, Rachel reappears. Bel thinks Rachel's story is shady and doesn't adds up, so Bel starts her own investigation to uncover the truth, no matter how horrible it may be.

AGGGTM is one of my favorite series ever, so a new Holly Jackson book is obviously an auto-read. I loved this - it was twisty and wild and I really, really wish it was a series because I need more Bel!

Jackson is at the top of her game with her latest novel. This book is gripping from the first page. All of the twists and turns are gut-wrenching and believable. I can't recommend this enough.

Holly Jackson you are that girl! Forever my favorite YA mystery/thriller author! She never misses I swear!

I really liked this book and couldn’t wait to get to the bottom of where Rachel had been! The story centers on high school senior Bel, whose mom Rachel went missing when Bel was almost 2 and is now presumed dead. When a film crew shows up to do a documentary about her disappearance, Rachel just happens to show back up, leading to a lot of questions.

The mystery in this book was strong, and I appreciated Bel’s skepticism. I really liked Bel overall as a character and didn’t find her aloofness or sarcasm frustrating as some readers did. The author did a great job at laying breadcrumbs and introducing believable red herrings that kept me guessing throughout the book. The ending tied up the loose ends but was a bit unbelievable- I was ok with it but didn’t love it.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and found myself picking it up even when I only had a couple minutes to spare because I was so invested in the story. I didn’t even realize it was a YA book- it was written (in my opinion) in a more mature writing style that I appreciated. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately for everyone this book is my new personality trait!!! It gave me “None of This is True” by Lisa Jewell vibes but YA and a documentary instead of a podcast!!

Needless to say another 5.0⭐️ read for me from Holly Jackson✨

Happy Pub Day to The REAPPEARANCE OF RACHEL PRICE AND @hojay92 ❤️

Thank you to @delacortepress for the review copy!

Overall a good story but this felt so incredibly long. The twists were good it just took a long time to get there.

Wow this book was a ride! I figured out a few of the twists but there were also a lot of surprises. This book was set in New Hampshire close to where I grew up. I was very ready to nitpick parts of the setting as the author is from England. However her research was excellent and I didn't find any glaring issues. The main character could be very whiney and somewhat annoying and the book was a little bit longer than it needed to be. However, overall a very good story. Holly Jackson hasn't let me down yet. This is my third novel by her and I love her style of thrillers. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read the ARC of this novel.

I am A GOOD GIRLS GUIDE TO MURDER STANNN! IF AGGGTM has zero fans, I am dead. SO I was BEYONDDD excited to get an ARC of this, even though I am the absolute WORST and still posted my review a month later!

This was SUCH a fun read. Honestly everything I loved about AGGGTM was still in this story, but with all new characters and an all new premise that made this SUCH a fun read. What would you do if your mother who disappeared without a trace, only to REAPPEAR years later, all during you filming a documentary about her disappearance?? I loved the documentary background of this story, it put a ton of pressure on the characters in an already emotional situation and it was fun to see how they acted on camera vs behind the scenes. The true icing on the cake for this story was the characters! Our FMC Bel, Rachel Price’s daughter, was so normal in the best way. Like typical high school girl dealing with heavy stuff but at the same time being SO SMART. I loved her interactions with the documentary’s assistant, it was fun to have a lil Pip and Ravi inspired romance in there.

Overall, I only have amazing things to say about this book. It may be YA but it is so fast paced and fun and TWISTY and you could binge this in two sittings. Also after you read this, please read AGGGTM if you haven’t already!!

So disappointed. I loved AGGGTM and AGAD. I hated GGBB. I hoped that this book would recapture what I loved about Jackson’s first two books. Instead, it helped me to decide that maybe this author isn’t for me. I have so much to say, so prepare for a stream of consciousness style review:

The writing was awkward. A editor who actually catches missing words & other mistakes would be very beneficial. The story was boring, completely unbelievable, and yet cliche all at the same time. The book was too long. I hate short, choppy fragments as sentences. The repeated use of w-writing d-dialog l-like t-this was annoying. Once or twice I get. Over and over, especially by two different characters during a conversation is too much. Speaking of the characters, I hated Bel. She’s so irritating, rude, nasty, and just plain unlikable for no reason. The other characters weren’t likable either, other than Ash, who was done dirty, in my opinion. The character “development” and changes from beginning to end were also jarring and had no real buildup (looking at you, mom, dad, & grandpa). The end made me mad. I understand morally gray areas. But the blatant disregard for truth, justice, honor, integrity, etc. is becoming a theme I don’t agree with. I didn’t find this book thrilling. I didn’t even find it particularly mysterious, given the subject. I wanted to give it a chance and only finished it out of stubbornness.

1 star.

Holly Jackson masterfully writes YA suspense fiction with mass appeal, and with each hit novel that she puts out, she further cements herself as an author that you can count on to deliver a page-turner. Jackson’s new novel, The Reappearance of Rachel Price, a departure from her popular A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, is a standalone story that integrates the multimedia aspects that made Good Girl so appealing. In this case, it’s a documentary being filmed about the disappearance of a teenage girl’s mother sixteen years ago instead of a podcast, and if you were hoping for candid, voyeuristic vibes, they’re all here!

Bel was with her mother Rachel when she disappeared 16 years ago. Essentially, Bel holds the secrets as to who kidnapped her mother from their car while they were out doing some shopping, but the only problem is Bel was a baby and of course, doesn’t remember. That doesn’t stop a film crew from interviewing her and the rest of her family about Rachel’s disappearance, however, as they explore possible theories as to what happened to her.

The documentary takes a plot twist that no one saw coming, however, when Rachel reappears out of thin air one day. Rachel has an incredible story about where she has been the past 16 years, but can she be believed? As Bel tries to adjust to now having her mother back in her life, she also has to grapple with all of the things that don’t add up with Rachel’s story. Is she telling the truth, or is it all lies?

The Reappearance of Rachel Price is a multi-layered, suspenseful whodunnit. I had so many theories as I tore through this book, going back and forth trying to figure out the truth about Rachel’s dubious story. This novel is a lot of fun to read, and is even better enjoyed with a friend - buddy read, anyone?! Trust me, you’re going to need someone to bounce those theories off of! However, I will say that speculating about the truth was more fun than discovering the truth, as the end of the novel was admittedly my least favorite part of the book.

Holly Jackson consistently ranks as one of my top read and recommended YA authors based on her ability to create absorbing, compelling thrillers. Jackson turns the suspense genre on its head, writing engaging, relatable mysteries for young adults who are not yet ready to transition to adult thrillers. Her books certainly serve as a gateway for teens on the verge of crossing over, and can even be read and enjoyed by adult readers, as well.

Wow. Lots of twists and turns near the end. The clues are all there. Even the ones you may not realize are clues until the end. If you liked her other books, you'll definitely enjoy this one. Though I think I may like this one more.

I thought this was a really good mystery. I sat down to start reading it and next thing I knew; I had finished it in one sitting. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time with this book. However, I enjoyed Holly Jackson's other books more, especially regarding the main character. There was something about the way that Bel acted at times that frustrated me, I also struggled with there being a small romance in the book, feeling as though it was not quite necessary.

Despite the little issues I had, I still felt like the mystery was struggle. There were plenty of clues to steer the reader into a bunch of different directions. The reveals about what actually happened to Rachel were incredible.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys mysteries and thrillers.

Holly Jackson is truly great at what she does. There are few YA mystery writers that have the mass appeal she does, and I have loved everything I've read by her leading up to this release. Because of this, despite this book not being awful, or having anything really wrong with it, it was sort of a letdown. We follow Bel Price, whose mother, Rachel Price, disappeared 16 years ago. When a documentary crew comes to town to make a movie about her mother, Rachel reappears, with some inconsistencies in her story. The setup is cool, the family dynamic is really compelling and honestly felt very visceral at times. Most of the characters, with the exception of one underdeveloped side character and another side character (Ash you will always be famous) who did not get enough page time, were insufferable. I get that Bel and her family have been through one of the worst things imaginable, and I forgave a lot of Bel's choices, but it came to a point where her attitude was too much. And Rachel herself makes a lot of baffling choices. Also, there were some good twists, but the ultimate reveal was predictable.

This was good. Not great. It has the Holly Jackson charm I'm used to but lacks some of the character work I love. I'll continue to read and recommend her books and think this would make for some great discussions.