Upcoming Books 2017: Book Review- Lost Girls (Merrie Destefano)

When Rachel fell asleep she was nervously preparing for her geometry final; when she wakes up she is in a ditch, bloody and bruised. A year of her life is missing.   As she begins to piece things together, she doesn’t recognize herself (her appearance and her actions).   She isn’t the only girl who has gone missing that year, but she has been the only one to return and she is desperate to find out the answers. What is happening to the lost girls?

Lost Girls by Merrie Destefano is a suspenseful, young adult read that reminded me of Fight Club. Random? I know. I tend to read some pretty heavy stuff; that being said, I am not usually one for Young Adult titles. The synopsis of this book hooked me right away.   Found bloody in a ditch, missing a full year of her life. Sounds right up my alley! I wasn’t even aware that this one was a YA title (or really what this book would be about) until after I had requested it on Netgalley. All this being said: this novel changed my opinion about YA books. There was nothing adolescent or trivial about Lost Girls.  It is an intelligent, suspenseful read that I ended up loving; from the character development to the plot, this one had me on the edge of my seat, desperate to find out the truth!

From the first page, Destefano hooked me with her narrative and I found myself completely captivated by this story. From Rachel’s initial encounters once she has been found, to her desperation to fit back into her old life and her revelations about her place in her new one, Destefano weaves an intricate path that forces the reader to follow along willingly.

This book was completely not what I was expecting, but I actually loved this aspect. As the narrative changed paths, and it became clear where it was going, I found myself more entranced. I won’t say much more. After all, you aren’t supposed to talk about it.

My only complaint was that I found this novel ended too quickly; it seemed a little rushed. Resolutions were made but I felt like it was too neat and tidy for such a story.   I needed the ending to be a little more developed.

Overall, I ended up being completely entranced by this one and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a YA title with some twists.   Fight Club meets Black Swan, this one will appeal to the masses.   It goes on sale January 3, 2017.

 Thank you to Netgalley, Merrie Destefano and Entangled Teen for providing me with a digital copy of this book; it was my pleasure to provide an honest review.