Friday, June 10, 2016

Never Missing, Never Found by Amanda Panitch

Title: Never Missing, Never Found
Author: Amanda Panitch
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date: June 28, 2016
Pages: 320
Source/format: ARC from publisher

Rating: ☆☆☆ 

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

A juicy thriller about a girl who returned from the missing. . . . Hand to fans of We Were Liars, Bone Gap, and Vanishing Girls.

Some choices change everything. Scarlett chose to run. And the consequences will be deadly.

Stolen from her family as a young girl, Scarlett was lucky enough to eventually escape her captor. Now a teen, she's starting a summer job at an amusement park. There are cute boys, new friends, and the chance to finally have a normal life.

Her first day on the job, Scarlett is shocked to discover that a girl from the park has gone missing. Old memories come rushing back. And now as she meets her new coworkers, one of the girls seems strangely familiar. When Scarlett chose to run all those years ago, what did she set into motion? And when push comes to shove, how far will she go to uncover the truth . . . before it's too late?

M Y  T H O U G H T S

Scarlett Contreras was taken when she was younger. She eventually was reunited with her family but when she starts working at Five Banners Adventure World, Monica disappears without a trace. Monica's disappearance bring back memories of when Scarlett was kidnapped.

"A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost."

It doesn't help when Scarlett is smitten with Connor. Katharina is an interesting character. I can't make her out as a true friend when she tries to make Scarlett feel uncomfortable. Even though Scarlett and her sister Melody did not get along very well, Scarlett tries to rekindle the sisterly relationship. When she was captured, Scarlett also found a sister in Pixie.

Amanda Panitch includes flashbacks in Never Missing, Never Found which helped build the plot of novel. It's nice how the readers find out what happened to Scarlett in the past. It helps the readers understand what she is thinking in present day and why she reacts the way she does. Panitch's own experience working at Six Flags Great Adventure inspired this novel.

Never Missing, Never Found is a clever and gripping psychological thriller. Not only does Scarlett find hope during her situation but she can't figure out whether she is going crazy or if someone is back to hunt her down with revenge. The ending is truly twisted. I had to re-read certain parts of the ending in order to fully understand what I read. Never Missing, Never Found is about hope, survival and uncovering the truth.

2 comments:

  1. I think that is really interesting that the author worked at Six Flags! I really want to read this one. I want to get into reading more mystery/thrillers! Great review!

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    1. I hope you have a chance to read it! It's a fun read.

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