Lost Girls

"Lost Girls" is a captivating YA mystery/thriller that begins with Rachel waking up in a ditch after falling asleep in her bed at home. She soon learns that she is missing a year of her memories but has been missing herself for 2 weeks, thought to be the victim of a serial kidnapper. She finds triggers for some of the memories she has been missing as she returns to her new life, where she appears to be a completely different person- using drugs, lying to her parents, a whole new set of friends, wearing black, etc. We slowly get to the answers of what happened during the last year and why she disappeared as she pieces it all together.

It's a haunting story, and I absolutely could not predict where it would go. I did not guess anything like it was, so I will not give details so as not to spoil. There are several twists and turns along the way as Rachel regains her memories and connects the people who are now in her life and why. Most of it ends up making sense by the end, and it all comes together beautifully with great closure. No open endings here, and I really appreciated that as this book put me through an emotional wringer- it's dark and haunting and scary at times, so I needed the ending as it is written. This is an artfully crafted book.

Rachel is easy to understand and follow. Although it can be frustrating to the reader to not have the answers, we really get into Rachel's mindset and understand how she also feels- needing to know but afraid of what she will learn. Dylan, her long-term crush and boyfriend, is an intriguing character- a poet and fighter, and I really liked their relationship. It gives Rachel strength in a different way than her relationships with her family members, which are also really well written and lovely. Her father is a silently supportive man who will look out for Rachel no matter what, and she knows this. Her brother Kyle also cares for her in a loving sibling way, and he was a fun character whose scenes I really enjoyed. Her mother appears less but also provides her with support.

Rachel's former BFF Molly is a huge contrast to her new friends, and this was an interesting dynamic to reconcile between Rachel's past and present. It was interesting to see it all come together. I am not sure I would have made the "Fight Club" or "Black Swan" comparisons (though I do understand why they were made), but it made me think of the recent books "Dead Girls Society" and "Unnatural Deeds" largely because of tone and mystery, which I felt were the bigger elements of the book. Overall, this was a really fantastic, albeit dark, read, and I was absolutely captivated solving the mystery of her past and disappearance alongside Rachel. 

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are entirely my own.

Note: I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in return for an honest review. This in no way influences my opinion.

This has got to be the best YA Contemporary Thriller that I have read so far this year. It is a unique book that tackles subjects that I have never seen in a book. It is also a retelling of Black Swan, but done in its own way and I LOVED it! 

This book starts off with our MC crawling out of a ditch, with no memory of the last year or so. As the book continues, she begins to see her dark side (enter the Black Swan) and she learns things about herself that both excite her and scare her! I loved watching our MC and the things that she learns throughout the book. She comes a long way personality wise.

What I loved most about this book is the fact that it tackled the subject of underground fight clubs and human trafficking in this sense. It is something that I have never seen in a book before, which makes this book extremely unique in my eyes. I loved the way the issue was shown and dealt with throughout the book and I also love the fact that it was calling to our character. It showed the other side of underground fight clubs like these because it showed the characters mixed feelings toward it. Rachel loved the adrenaline that it gave her, but she also knew that it was wrong and against the law. There were many mixed feelings and I was interested to see how the MC was going to deal with these. 

I loved Rachel as a character. It was great to watch her memories slowly coming back. We could easily see as readers her personality changes from when she was found throughout the book as the book went on. I love watching her dark side coming out like the Black Swan and watching her try to fight it and the eventual ending that we got from it. I was not expecting the book to go in the direction that it did! 

An issue I did have with this book is that I felt like her memories could have trickled through maybe a little bit earlier. The mystery from the past year was definitely there from Rachel's muscle memory and her ability to fight etc. But I wanted a little more. I felt like the memories of the last year dragged on a little too much and could have definitely been introduced a little bit earlier and may a bit more frequently throughout. 

I LOVED the ending! The final scenes were the perfect ending for the book and I am so glad that her dad came through. I loved Rachel's mixed reactions from her memories finally coming through and the betrayal she felt from her so called friends. I'm glad that she ultimately made the right decision, but I also loved watching her think it through. 

I really enjoyed this book and it is definitely unique! I will definitely be checking out more from this author! I gave this book 4/5 stars.

When Rachel wakes up in a ditch and eventually stops traffic to get help, she can't remember the last year of her life--even though she's only been missing for ten days.  The story sinks its teeth into and won't let go until you turn the final page.  How does a teenager forget a year of her life?  Why does she have track marks on her arm and where do her reflexive skills of self-defense come from?  She thought she was a ballerina.  

The answers draw Rachel (and the reader) into a bigger, and more sinister mystery than anyone could have imagined.  In the end, Rachel must rely on everything she has learned about trust and who she really is and wants to be in order to save not only herself, but other lost girls.

A book that parents, teachers and law-enforcement officers should read, as well as young adults.  While not fitting the classic YA genre (a young person moving from the shelter of authority to autonomy), this isn't actually a Middle Grade novel, either (where the protagonist finds shelter in the family circle).

Rachel went missing for two weeks and when she comes back, she can't remember a single thing from the previous year. A year that turns out to have contained some big and crucial changes for Rachel. She sets out on a journey to recover her memories. She discovers she was not the only girl to go missing, but so far, she's the only girl to come back. The more she discovers, the more her memories return and she is desperate to find out what happened to her and the other Lost Girls.

This book has a really, really strong start. I was immediately hooked on this story and finished the book as fast as I could. A lot happens to Rachel, and a lot of it isn't normal. I was surprised at her reactions to the situations she found herself in. They were so spot on! She doesn't just accept anything right away en questions pretty much everything. 
At first I had my doubts about the whole good girl gone bad thing: from a sophomore girly girl, with dark brown shoulder length hair to a goth, platinum blond pixie junior who also lost weight and sports some track marks on her arm. Luckily this transformation didn't just happen and there is an explanation for it that I found acceptable, so yay!
The story has several twists and turns as we follow Rachel on her journey to recover her memories. Most of it makes sense in the end and everything comes together as it should. No open ending. The only thing that slightly bugged we was that I was following Rachel, but I could figure a lot of it out before Rachel actually did. So I wasn't as surprised by most of the twists and turns as I would've liked. But that really didn't matter to me in the end.

The mystery of what happened to Rachel is a big part of the story, but this is also a story about family, friendship and love; about different kind of struggles we can have in life and realizing that there is always someone out there who cares and who can help you and realizing that you are never alone. Some issues the characters in this book struggle with are: abuse, bullying, addiction and poverty. I think this added a lot to the story and this is exactly what makes this book great.

I loved this book, because it is different from a lot of the YA I've read lately. I loved the main character (which doesn't happen all that often). The story was dark, mysterious en captivating. Recommended for sure!

I received this book for free from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The books starts with Rachel waking up in a ditch by the side of the road after having been missing for a couple weeks, though the story really starts during the year missing from Rachel's memory. The plot kept you reading, wanting to find out what memory/piece of the puzzle will be revealed next. The author keeps you on the edge of your seat with the feeling of unease, with the idea that Rachel can't be safe until she remembers what happened to her. 

I also enjoyed the way the author handled the relationships Rachel had with the people in her life, such as her family, her boyfriend Dylan, her best friend from before her missing memories, and the new friends she made during her lost time and how they evolved and deepened with the reveal of her memories. I especially found Rachel's relationship with Dylan to be really sweet.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

This book is very captivating from start to finish and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read it! I have a feeling that this book is going to be one of the hits for 2017. Merrie Destefano has done a brilliant job with this one that is fit for a wide variety of audiences. Great story line and characters that are well developed make for a great story!

Rachel wakes up one day and has no idea what is really going on. She remembers falling asleep but everyone tells her that it is a year later than what she remembers. Her family is all the same as well as her friends, but she has a new boyfriend that cares for her deeply and that doesn't upset her at all. Dylan has been her dream boyfriend for awhile and now that he is her real boyfriend, Rachel is trying to enjoy it.

Rachel is still trying to figure everything out when more things continue to happen and add to the suspense of the story. I thought that Merrie Destefano did a great job with that and kept you on your toes as you were reading. Just when you thought that you had something figured out, another thing would pop up and surprise you. She did wrap it all up in the end though and gave us answers we were looking for to provide a great ending to the story. I can't wait to see what is next from Merrie Destefano. This story kept my attention from beginning to end and I can promise that you will not regret picking this one up to read!

This book was so much fun to read. YA Fight club but with enough differences, which made this book very unique. I enjoyed all the twists and turns and could not wait to find out how the story would end.

(full review will be posted on my blog, alexatalksbooks.blogspot.com, will post when it's live)

I'm here today to chat about Lost Girls by Merrie Destefano. This fast paced novel was realeased on Tuesday January 3rd and I highly suggest you run out the door right now and go buy it. There aren't many YA Mystery/Thrillers out there. I usually have to reach for the adult mystery section when I want a thrilling and scary adventure. But this novel was a delightful YA surprise that I enjoyed from beginning to end.
Synopsis

Yesterday, Rachel went to sleep listening to Taylor Swift, curled up in her grammy’s quilt, worrying about geometry. Today, she woke up in a ditch, bloodied, bruised, and missing a year of her life. 

She doesn’t recognize the person she’s become: she’s popular. She wears nothing but black. 

Black to cover the blood. 

And she can fight. 

Tell no one.

She’s not the only girl to go missing within the last year…but she’s the only girl to come back. She desperately wants to unravel what happened to her, to try and recover the rest of the Lost Girls. 

But the more she discovers, the more her memories return. And as much as her new life scares her, it calls to her. Seductively. The good girl gone bad, sex, drugs, and raves, and something darker…something she still craves—the rush of the fight, the thrill of the win—something she can’t resist, that might still get her killed…

The only rule is: There are no rules.

Thoughts

This compelling mystery had be at the main character missing a year of her life. It's an over used cliche plot for thrillers in general. But done right, I always enjoy it. I like seeing what lengths the character will go in order to recover said memories, and the mayhem that happens along the way. Lost Girls had the right amount of petrifying fear with the right amount of excitement occurring per chapter. Like I was actually scared towards the end and my anxiety turned up. I never actually wanted to stop reading. And in fact read the last 75% of the book in one sitting. I didn't think this story would be different of trick me but it was cool seeing the kidnapper's identity slowly being unfolded as memories were slowly recovered and light was shone in the darkness. Rather than trying to figure out which side character was responsible, as per usual. Something else you should know about this book is it pay's ode to Swan Lake. I really enjoyed the main character and her swan song transformation. It didn't rely on being a retelling so there was no need to follow Swan Lake to the letter. But in a gentle way it paid appreciation to the ballet. Lost Girls by Merrie Destefano is in a bookstore near you. I hope you'll consider supporting this author and her good read. 

Overall

I rated this novel 4.5/5 stars. I recommend it for all lovers of YA Mystery/ Thrillers and anyone who enjoys a little thrill in the life on occasion. 

I hope you guys have a wonderful day. Talk to me in the comments. TTFN.

This was surprisingly good! I was a little nervous when I first started reading it but than it got into the whole what happened mystery thing so I loved it! 

Thanks Netgalley for a chance to read this for an honest review

* I received a copy from the publicist via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

First, I want to say that I have yet to read a book from Entangled Publishing that has disappointed me. I have loved every book they sent me so far, and Lost Girl is my absolute favorite. I was hooked from start to finish, and even after the book concluded, I was still ready for more. The synopsis for this book could not be more accurate. Lost Girls is in every way Black Swan meets Fight Club. And, it's amazing! 

The book opens with Rachel having lost one year of her memories, which was pretty interesting, because for a while, I wasn't sure if it was because of something paranormal or because of her near death experience. I liked Rachel a lot as a narrator, and I rooted for her the entire time. 

I love that this is a YA novel that reads like an adult thriller. Until Rachel would mention school, I often forgot that she's in high school because of her maturity and the issues she struggled with. I guess to some extent drugs and partying wouldn't be appropriate for some YA readers, but I also think that's a very realistic high school experience that comes across as very real. Personally, I think that makes sense in YA books, but I know some people would disagree. 

Over time, Rachel eventually remembers why she's dating one of the hottest guys in school and why she's friends with the popular girls. she wasn't friends with the year before. I thought her friends would be the mean girls of her school in the beginning and was pleasantly surprised when I saw their relationship develop into real friendships.

I liked the relationship between Rachel and her boyfriend, Dylan. He's not what he seems on the outside. Rachel knows him as the sweet guy who writes poetry and just so happens to be one of the cutest guys in school. But that's not the person the rest of the school knows. The end of the book was really cute. Dylan... What a cutie pie. I wish someone would do that for me because that was so adorable. 

I don't want to mention too much about the fight club aspect of this book because I think it's better to find out on your own. I'm glad I didn't read any reviews before I read this book, and I honestly think it's best to go into this story with an open mind and without any previous knowledge of the plot. 

If you're looking for a book that will get you out of a reading slump and has so much intensity that you will read through the night, then you need to read Lost Girls. I like that the book had a little bit of teen drama, fight club, mystery, and even a solid friendship and family dynamic. I really liked the writing, and I plan to read more books by Merrie Destefano. The author is also really sweet, which makes it even better when you love a book and can connect with the author on social media. 

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely! I recommend it to anyone who likes YA contemporaries, mysteries, thrillers, and really anyone who has a pulse and would like to read something worth their time. 

Note: I plan to wait until the pub date to post the review on my blog, Amazon, and social media. The review is now on Goodreads. Thank you!

I knew that Lost Girls was going to be an interesting read, but I didn't expect it to be so totally engrossing! Merrie Destefano writes to capture attention and holds it by engaging readers thoroughly as Rachel's dark tale unfolds.

Rachel comes to consciousness in a ditch without memory of how she got there or the last year of her life. As she resumes her normal routine of school and ballet, she realizes that the truth behind her disappearance lies with the group of friends she doesn't remember acquiring. Their late night antics make her question what type of person she is and how they fell into this dangerous lifestyle.

Merrie Destefano tells a dark and imaginative story that takes readers beyond Rachel's dig for answers. This fast paced read takes readers into the heart of the characters and their emotional struggles. Reading Lost Girls is like putting together a puzzle. You try to piece the story together until it makes sense and when it all comes together in the end, you sit back with a sigh of satisfaction. The whole picture will put the story into a different light and readers will see how relatable Rachel's story is. When you pick up this story be prepared to lose yourself in it!

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*