Shed Girl

This started off as a slow read but gahered speed as it went along.There were so many twists and turns in this original mystery situation. I loved the idea of the shed but did find the concept of the youngsters commune a little on the far fetched side but it melded well into the story. The descriptions of people and situations were extremely well described and added to the realismof the main story. I found this a novel approach on how to solve a mystery and al the referneces to the Tarot were fascinating

"Kids from happy homes rarely run away." This simple truth is reiterated repeatedly throughout this mystery, set on the rainy coast of Washington with two runaway teens as the main characters. I found both Juliet and Kyle to be completely authentic teens, at times justifiably naive but wise in navigating the adult world. The story exposes the reality of homeless, runaway children and the ugly truth of why it exists as well as the failure of the social services that are supposed to help them. While reading this I wanted to scream in frustration when Juliet and Kyle would see crimes against children being committed but the police either didn't believe them or required concrete evidence before getting involved. As a retired middle school teacher, I have faced these same roadblocks with at-risk students. I loved the setting for this one because the weather felt as important as the plot or the characters. Although I've never been in that location, the author made me feel the wisps of chilling fog swirling around my legs, ominous and foreboding, as it did with Juliet. Although this is the first in a new series, this book doesn't leave you hanging, just ready for the next one to be released. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more about Juliet's life in Annie's Court.

My thanks to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for providing the digital ARC. All opinions and the review are my own.

This was slow to start but soon gathered pace and when it did, well you’ll not want to put it down. An extremely good book that made me laugh and cry and everything in between. My daughter who is 17 loved it too and so it’s suitable for many ages!