Review: The Last Good Day of the Year by Jessica Warman

Summary:

Ten years ago, seven-year-old Samantha and her next door neighbor Remy watched helplessly as Sam's little sister was kidnapped. Later, Remy and Sam identified the man and he was sent to prison.

Now, Sam's shattered family is returning to her childhood home in an effort to heal. As long-buried memories begin to surface, she and Remy wonder what they really saw. The more they re-examine the events of that fateful night, the more questions they have about what happened to Turtle . . . and they become more certain that Turtle's killer is still out there, hidden amongst the members of their tight-knit community.

Master storyteller Jessica Warman keeps readers guessing in an arresting page-turner that questions whether the potential for evil lurks within us all.

Publication Date: May 12, 2015

I read another book by the author and remembered really enjoying it, so I was extremely excited to get my hands on a copy of The Last Good Day of the Year. The premise sounded chilling and I expected to get really drawn into the story of a young girl’s abduction. I did end up liking The Last Good Day of the Year, but more so as a character study of how a family deals with tragedy than an actual suspense novel.

The beginning of the book was so fantastically good! I was so scared over the scene in the basement and the way Turtle was taken. Actually most of the flashback sections were much more intriguing than the parts that took place ten years later. The scenes with older Sam just didn’t resonate as much with me and I didn’t feel much toward her as a character. I guess I wanted more emotion from her about her sister’s abduction and the part she and her childhood friend Remy played in naming the purported murderer.

The pacing was a little uneven in my opinion. The beginning and end were very suspenseful, but the middle was mostly about how Sam’s family was falling apart because of the abduction. The book did a good job of showing how people can react dramatically different when faced with unspeakable tragedy. I only wish there was more clues given about the central mystery. The conclusion seemed to come out of nowhere and was wrapped up way too quickly.

I did find the book unputdownable at times, so I was definitely drawn into the story. The novel wasn’t what I expected, but still a good read nonetheless.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!

Review: Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman

Goodreads Summary:

Rachel and Alice are an extremely rare kind of identical twins-so identical that even their aunt and uncle, whom they've lived with since their parents passed away, can't tell them apart. But the sisters are connected in a way that goes well beyond their surfaces: when one experiences pain, the other exhibits the exact same signs of distress. So when one twin mysteriously disappears, the other immediately knows something is wrong-especially when she starts experiencing serious physical traumas, despite the fact that nobody has touched her. As the search commences to find her sister, the twin left behind must rely on their intense bond to uncover the truth. But is there anyone around her she can trust, when everyone could be a suspect? And ultimately, can she even trust herself? Master storyteller Jessica Warman will keep readers guessing when everything they see-and everything they are told-suddenly becomes unreliable in this page-turning literary thriller. 

Publication Date: August 7, 2012 

Beautiful Lies was definitely one twisty thrill ride. I started the book a couple of weeks ago and put it down because I just couldn’t get into it. The beginning was confusing and felt very slow. I’m really glad that I gave it another shot because it turned out to be really good.

I haven’t read a twin novel since probably the Sweet Valley High series, so I was drawn in by the premise of twins sharing a special connection. It is also a story about redemption as Alice, the “bad” twin, attempts to locate her missing sister Rachel, the “good twin.” Since the twins often switch places, Alice continues to pose as Rachel and launches her own search. Alice not only senses Rachel’s emotions, but also feels her physical pain.

The novel almost had a gothic feel to it and some of the imagery made me leave on the lights while I was reading. The author is a talented storyteller and her descriptions of the violence against Rachel and Alice were hard to read at times.

The story was more than a simple whodunit. There are mysteries revolving around the secrets Rachel 

kept from Alice, the gifts that Alice and her grandmother claim to possess and Alice’s relationship with a boy named Robin.

The characterizations for both Rachel and Alice were done well. There were a few too many secondary characters and many of them didn’t really stand out to me. I found myself forgetting who they were as I read on. And as far as the villain of the novel, I was able to guess early on who was responsible for Rachel’s disappearance.

There are so many questions that I have even after finishing the novel. When you have an unreliable narrator like Alice, you can’t help but wonder if what she was describing actually happened or was she simply imagining things. It was a moving novel with a memorable main character.

Rating: 4/5 Stars  

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!