Well, this book was not for me. It wasn’t a book that I hated but it wasn’t one that I liked all that much either. I realize that I am not the target audience for the book but I decided to take a chance on it anyway. A lot of times those chances work out well but sometimes they don’t.

Terra hasn’t had an easy life. She has lived with her aunt since her parents died and she has survived an abduction where she was kept for days inside of a pit. There is one problem though since most people don’t believe that she made the whole story up. Her aunt never reported her missing and there is no evidence supporting her claims but Terra knows what happened to her. She looks for support on a website for survivors, Jane Anonymous, where she really connects with another user. When Peyton disappears from the website, Terra knows that she needs to do something.

I didn’t connect with any of the characters in this book. The book does jump around in time quite a bit and I didn’t think that the transitions from one period of time to the next was always as smooth as it could have been. I was never invested in the mystery of the story since Terra was always sure about what happened so either it happened as she said or she was an unreliable narrator. I realized that the book wasn’t clicking for me about halfway through when I was more focused on how much longer I had to listen to the book before it was over than what was happening to the characters.

I thought that Stephanie Willing did a great job with the narration of this story. I thought that she did a wonderful job voicing the different characters. She had a very pleasant voice that was easy to listen to for long periods of time. I do believe her narration is the reason that I never even considered not finishing the book. Unfortunately, her narration alone couldn’t save this book for me.

I would encourage anyone who thinks this book sounds like something that they would like to give it a try. It wasn’t the right book for me but it might be for another reader. I would be more than willing to try more of Laurie Faria Stolarz’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library. ( )

So, I’m going to say this is a 3.5 upgraded to a 4 star. Had some mixed feelings about this story. At times the pace is very rapid and exciting, other times it drags a bit. It seems like a lot of the early part of the book is consumed in the ongoing trauma of the protagonist. A still young girl who is coming to terms with an abduction she has suffered through, made all the worse by the fact that no one in her immediate circle seems to believe that the abduction ever happened. Which I can only imagine must be an everyday punishment in its own right. The last 50 pages or so are perhaps the most exciting from plot perspective. Not totally sure how I feel about the ending, which kinda left me with some open questions about what motivates some of these characters. Story was effective at characterizing a emotionally battered woman just trying to make her life work while her abductor still roams free. An interesting read, not my favorite in this genre. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )

3.5 - 4 STARS ( )

So twisty it would make a pretzel jealous. Terra was already eye deep in guilt and trauma after being the sole survivor when her house burned down. Now she's dealing with an additional double whammy, getting kidnapped and stuck in what she thinks is an abandoned well would be horrific by itself. Having all the people left in your life who you count on, start to doubt it happened is an added soul killer. Sprinkle with doubtful reality checks and top with mean girls. Stir well and savor. A very satisfying tale. ( )

Guilt can be a debilitating thing, altering your life and outlook, allowing you to do things you wouldn’t normally do. This story of mental health, abductions and surviving the guilt that plagues you is interesting and thought provoking. I admit I got lost a bit in the PTSD mind of Terra at times but the writing is worthy and the plot twists so much that you need to see the forest through the trees, and eventually you will.
*I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review ( )