The Escape by Hannah Jayne

YA thrillers can be very hit or miss with me. Sometimes the teen drama becomes the focus, with the mystery being a bit of an afterthought. When I want a thriller, I want a thriller! I want an exciting story. That's what I got with The Escape, at least at first. The story has been done before. Two teens walk into the woods, one never returns, and the other comes out covered in blood with no memory of what happened. This is a common story, but it's common because it keeps you guessing and wondering. It grabs your attention. We don't know which boy survives right away, and I liked that we were kept in the dark for a while. I was definitely curious about how this was going to play out. My problem lies with how things were wrapped up. We find out who the survivor is and what happened, and it doesn't make sense. I don't want to spoil anything, but why was the survivor so beat up when he came out of the woods? Was a crime scene team never consulted to gather DNA evidence? Why was the survivor never looked into? How can a police chief miss such basic things? I feel like the author wanted a certain resolution, but didn't exactly know how to get there. That was disappointing for me. Overall, I don't think I would recommend this title to those looking for a satisfying mystery.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I wasn't able to download this before it archived. Sadly I won't be able to review.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Not everyone who goes into the woods comes out...
It was supposed to be a short hike, a way for Fletcher and Adam to kill time one boring afternoon. But when day turns into night and neither boy returns home, their town is thrown into turmoil.
Search teams comb the forest. Then Avery, the police chief's daughter, stumbles on a body. It's Fletcher- disoriented, beaten, and covered in blood. He has no memory of the incident, and worse yet, he has no idea what happened to the still-missing Adam...
As danger and suspicion grow, one thing become very clear: No one can escape the truth.

*3.5 stars*

Psychological thrillers in the YA category can be tough. There is definitely a formula that we see a lot. And this book follows that formula for about 90% of the story: mysterious death or disappearance; the female protagonist who either knows (or dates) the missing person or is involved in some way with the case; then comes the love interest who is then suspected of being involved in the crime; finally we have a climax to the story and everything works out in the end.

And then the ending of this book blew that whole trope-summary out of the water. The best thing about this book is the last few pages. Some people won't like the way it ended but for me it made perfect sense.

There were a few things that could have made this a better story, well, a more consistant story. If we had dropped the romance angle, the Fletcher could have stopped with the puppy-love and worried more about his missing friend (and the fact that he was almost beaten to death!); Avery may have actually paid more attention to her father - you know, the guy who is in charge of the whole police force; and writing it in first person actually helps us understand the trauma and suspense the characters are feeling, rather than a distant third person where no real suspense can build.

Having complained, let me say that this is still a very cool story that deserves a look, at the very least!


Paul
ARH