SCOUT

Scout is a great book for YA readers who want to try crime mixed with first love, mental health and unusual gifts.

Scout had to grow up fast and she is taking care of her mother while working in a cafe without seeing a chance to go to college.
One night, her mother wanders off and Scout has to find her, using her strong empathic gift. This way, she gets the attention of a police officer, who happens to be an old friend of her mother, who is searching for a missing child.
It turns out Scout's mother had the same gift in her youth. And she was helping in the search for a missing child... the killer was never caught.

I liked this book for giving the reader a good look on what living with a person with dementia is like.
Scout is a young girl caught between caring for her mother, her job, first love and learning to harness her strong empathy.
The story was never boring and often had great twists. I just felt that it was a bit rushed by the end, I would have loved for the reveal of the killer to be a bit... more. It felt too sudden for all the build-up.

Still, I enjoyed reading Scout and the diversity in it. Also, it has great 80ies music references.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC!

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

What I find quite intriguing about YA novels is that it always seems like the world is falling apart for the characters and as the reader you find yourself asking "how much can a teen take?"
However, I can step back and ask this now that I am way beyond my teens, but back then, even a simple conversation was enough to make me break down and it's the same theme here. Scout is 17 years old having to care for her mentally ill mother, who once bright and comprehensive, cannot even recall her own daughter due to memory loss. She's also got to work and finds herself opening up to the possibility of love and with all this is this gift, her innate ability to find/track anything that's missing...so her greatest battle comes when she has to find a missing child.
It's a mesmerizing read. When Scout is tracking you are there with her and the author did such a tremendous job of describing her thoughts merging this with her feelings and fears so well that you cannot miss a beat of it.
I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a YA novel that has themes of love, mental illness and a bit of crime and mystery.

A very interesting read! The book revolves around a girl who has the uncanny ability of finding things and her adventures.

The writing flow is fluid, containing some very beautiful lines. The storyline is just the right amount of predictable, with enough callbacks.

The book has some wonderful characters like Mr. Dinkel, Moy and Scout herself. Mike initially seemed the guy every girl would fall in love with, but I didn't like the way his character plays out to the end.

It's a terrific and a fast read. Page turning masterpiece!

I loved the premise of this book, It’s unlike any YA book I’ve read before. It deals with being a young carer to a parent with Dementia, a first love, a serial killer and Lauren ‘Scout’ Mann’s special ability to track people by sensing their feelings/emotions.
It did take me a couple of chapters to get in to this book but once I did, I read the whole book in just a day. I think being a true crime fan, my favourite parts of the book had to be when Scout was tracking the children, these parts definitely kept my interest. The ending did feel a little rushed to me, I think the author missed the opportunity to really have the readers on the edge of their seat wondering if Scout would survive, it just all happened too fast.. it felt too easy. For that reason I have given this book 3.5 stars.

I loved the premise for this and it’s such an interesting read, completely different from any YA I’ve read before. This is the kind of book. That once you pick it up you are really reluctant to put it down. Well rounded relatable characters, wonderful writing, great plot twists. This is a thoroughly entertaining story.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book turned out to be very different than I expected but in all of the best ways. Despite having a supernatural ability, I found Scout highly relatable. This book was heartbreaking at times but in the most beautiful way. I found it impossible to stop once I started reading and would highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I very nearly did not read this story. I was only just getting started with it when I realized how Scout age 17 was constantly finding things that had been lost, like a paranormal talent and I thought: Seriously?!

I was definitely not in the mood for some unbelievable sci-fi story, but am quite happy I gave the book a chance after all. Sure the story was about Scout and how she ends up helping the cops find missing children, but the story was definitely more about her relationship with her mom who has dementia and Scout's potential love life.

It was a pretty good story although I found the end lacking. I didn't quite get the closure I had hoped for.

I have a love for YA murder mystery novels, and I have read so many, but this book is a first for me. The way the mystery comes about is unique, I’ve never read anything like it.

There are so many other storylines written into the novel that the main plot is hard to distinguish. It feels like a naturally written plot line - so much so that the author makes Scout’s talent believable. She is a great character, strong but not to a point that it makes her difficult to relate to. All throughout the narrative, we hear what she perceives as her weaknesses/strengths and as the reader you definitely root for her.

It’s a really beautifully written book, a little predictable at times, but enjoyable all the same. I felt that the plot is rushed along quite a bit at the beginning of the novel, the introduction of Molly as a character in particular.

It kept me in suspense and you really don’t guess who the killer is going to be though it’s hidden in plain sight.

Read this book in a few days, it’s tense enough to keep you reading but not too intense that it gets difficult to read.

Would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys YA books - a couple of love stories, murders, mystery and some deeper themes too.

Scout has had no choice but to look after her mother since she was 13. Now 17, Scout has missed out on a lot of hrr life. However as she is losing her mum to Alzheimer's she wouldn't have it any of her way.
When her Mum gets out accidentally. Scout is able to track her down. The police are impressed and urge for her help in some missing children's case.

This book covers two issues, a sick parent who has Alzheimer's and what life is like. Then it turns into mystery/thriller type. As when her Mum is taken away she helps the police to track down a kidnapper. Can Scout find them in time.

A great story centered around a stong and independant 17 year old.

This was a difficult one to arrange my thoughts about. On the one hand, it tackles the sensitive and difficult situation of child as career for parent, which I can only applaud the author for tackling. But on the other hand it doesn’t really come together as an effective story about either Scout’s loss of her mother, or the solving of the crime that makes up the bulk of the story.

Plus it bashes To Kill a Mockingbird, and I’m not cool with that.

First the mother plot, then. The story starts strong with Scout on a quest to find her mother, who has wandered off due to not having her full faculties thanks to a variety of early onset dementia. It’s a heart wrenching situation for Scout to be in, and you’re immediately sympathetic. However, the mother is removed from the story fairly quickly, taken away to a medical facility and largely forgotten about, when the crime story comes to the fore. The two plots are intertwined, as Scout learns her mother had the same ability she does to find people, and went up against the same killer in her youth.

The identity of the killer is obvious because there’s really only one candidate for who it can be, going by the law of fiction that it has to be someone you’ve been introduced to in the first few chapters of the book. The entire cast is made of people who can’t possibly be the killer, on account of being a young child, or not alive the first time round, so there’s no suspense there. And because the killer is somewhat removed from Scout and her situation, there’s no real emotional drive for the character to figure things out. It was hard to care about the crime when none of it impacted Scout directly.

So a mix of good ingredients that doesn’t quite pull together to make an effective, coherent whole. Not terrible by any stretch, but left me feeling unsatisfied. 2.5 stars

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of SCOUT was actually pretty interesting and engaging, not something I would usually read. Dementia, a murder and other various issues that faced the book gave it a lot of twists and turns, many that I didn't really see coming. Loved the writing :)

-Thank you for the ARC!

I'm fickle when it comes to books. If it doesn't grab me on the first page of two, I often won't buy it. Well, i received this book for free from the publisher and net galley, so I decided to give this a shot even though I wasn't instantly hooked. I am so glad I did!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a mystery with a slow burn romance. It was about a girl with a supernatural talent. It was about friendship, family and finding yourself.

I was drawn into the story and loved the characters.

The only negatives were small things. There was a bit at the end that seemed stupid. It felt like it was added in to make a happier ending.

I'm hoping there is a follow up to this story since I want to know what happens next in their lives.

This book is so unique and personally I find so hard to categorise because I don’t want to do it any injustice and pigeon hole it in any way whatsoever. It’s part murder mystery, part coming of age and completely heartbreaking. I mean ugly crying - but the best kind.
Scout is a seventeen year old girl whom is the sole carer for her mum whom has early onset dementia. She is also extremely talented at finding things that are lost...even people.
Although this novel is in the YA category I can’t recommend it highly enough to EVERYONE. It’s a beautifully written story that is as much a fast paced thriller as it is a beautiful coming of age story intertwined with a love letter to those whom care for their parents and family members with debilitating illness. A read that will stay with you long after the final page.

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for granting me early access to "Watches And Warnings".

I'm currently in the middle of a major move, but I definitely will come back at a later time and write out a full review and rating. Thank you so much!

Loved this story. Characters were very likeable and real. Hope get to read more of these characters.

I really liked this book. Scout is a 17 year old girl who graduated high school early and is working in a coffee shop while supporting her mum who has dementia. Scout (and her mum) have a talent for finding lost things. This is put to good use when a child goes missing. I enjoyed Scout's story and found myself emotionally invested especially when she encounters Social Services. I surprised myself by reading this book in one evening - I had put it off because the blurb sounded a bit heavy - but I really enjoyed it. Definitely recommended. I will be seeking out more from this author.

I found this to be a good read. I liked how it gave you an inner monologue of Scouts thoughts, especially surrounding her mom. Good twists but not too many. Overall a good read and kept me interested.through out

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

SCOUT has a great mix of crime, mental illness, and emotions. It's a YA book, so I may not be the target audience, but I was enthralled with this book. I couldn't it down once I started!