Imagine waking up covered in blood, with no clue as to what happened. That's how Rachel felt when it happened to her. She finds out she has been missing for two weeks, however she can't remember anything for the last year! As Rachel tries to piece together her lost time, she discovers that she has a new group of friends and knows how to fight. She also find out that there are other girls missing too. Slowly her memories start coming back. What happened during the last year? Why can she fight like a martial arts champion?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Merrie has a great writing style and the dialog is hilarious. This is a great twist on fight club, and we'll worth the read! I highly recommend checking it out!

I gave my creative writing class a recap on the half of this book I had finished yesterday and the response was great! I had one girl who told me she wanted to me to order a copy for her to read because she loves a strong female character. Rachel is a strong female character who has faced something she can't remember. Her life for the past year has been wiped from her mind. One minute in bed with Taylor Swift in her ears and the next bloody in a ditch. As her memory returns and she returns to her life, she finds herself not recognizing the girl she was. Different friends, steamy romance, and the ability to basically kick butt. This story is told in three parts and it was a quick read. I really enjoyed the pacing and the writing. I loved how the author took the reader into this crazy mysterious fighting world that scared me as to how real it seemed. Well done and I look forward to more by this author!

This book is about Rachel who is a normal teenager one day and the next she wakes up in a ditch with no memory of the last year even though she was only missing for a few weeks. She doesn't recognize what her life has become, she looks different and she feels different. Rachel wasn't the only girl to have been taken but she is the only one to return. Trying to piece together her life and what happened to her she discovers secrets that seem too crazy to be her.

I really enjoyed this story although I found the beginning to be slow, I read this in two sittings. I must admit that I did suspend belief to get through this. There are a few things I found a tiny bit unrealistic. The only one I'm going to mention in this review is the tattoos I'm pretty sure Rachel and her friends are juniors in high school so 16 and 17 years old. I know in some states you can have parental permission but are you saying Rachel's dad was ok with that? At the same time I'm not going lie the tattoos were a cool inclusion to the story but still unrealistic.

As far as characters they all felt pretty realistic as far as reactions and feeling. Dylan was a great love interest

Another aspect of the story I liked was the mystery, well more of the lead up because I knew about the marketing angle, like I knew the mystery but finding out with Rachel was just as exciting. usually this doesn't jive with me but the build up and the pacing worked for me in this story.

To sum this up I had a great time with this book. Black swan and fight club are two stories you don't see much of as far as re-imagining or re-telling's go. I'm glad I gave this a chance.

This is my first time in reading this author with the plot drawing me to it. Sounded like a good mystery that would be different that needed solved. How would I have acted if I had been Rachel, boy is this not the norm sucking us right in. I would think I had lost my mind too but she does not give in. It also has other characters that fit right in with this. Now she is also the opposite of the girl she once was with the mind being strong to retell what happened. Emotions will be pulled to and fro in this one with I do like fighters but it is a bit odd her being one. This also has a dark veil too it which was really the surprise for me even though I knew it was different. Even though you think you will want to put this down, you will not until you reach the end knowing you just finished not your run of the mill.

This review is due to go live on the below link on 5 Jan 2017 at 1 am PST:

What an awesome read to start the year of with!

I picked up Lost Girls because the description for this book sounded incredibly intriguing - A cross between Fight club and Black Swan? Missing time and

memory? Main character trying to piece together the puzzle of what had happened in the last year and why she had forgotten it all? I couldn't wait to dive

in! As I started reading, the first paragraph of the first chapter drew me right in and I didn't emerge until I had devoured the story a few hours later.

This story has such a great combination of suspense, romance and action. I immediately liked Rachel, she was strong and loyal and I loved the way Ms

Destefano portrayed the complexity of Rachel's personality as she struggled to marry the life she remembered with the life she had now and find out the

reasons behind it all. She was such a real compelling character and it made the story that much better to read as I genuinely cared about what the character

was going through and the outcome of the story.

The story is also really well paced. As Rachel gradually gets memories back, we become privy to more and more of what happened before and the timing of this

worked really well to propel the reader onward through the story. I think the further I go in to the story, the quicker my page turning because as I need to

get to the conclusion and see how it all turned out.

I also loved the mystery of the story and the fact I was left guessing until the end. Whilst I put together a couple of elements along the way, I had to

keep reading, wanted to keep reading, to find out where the elements I had guess fitted and for the solution to the mystery as a whole.

I also loved the characters around Rachel, in particular Dylan, Mollie, Rachel's Dad and brother. Again, the genuineness of their characters and their

interactions with Rachel really helped fill out the story and provide the feels that complimented the suspense and action beautifully.

Overall, this was both an extremely thrilling and compelling read. I am so glad I picked up this story to read as my first read of 2017 and thoroughly

recommend it. This was the first Merrie Destefano book I have picked up to read but it certainly won't be the last.

I give this book 4 1/2 stars!

Sapphired Dragon xx

Actual rating: 3.5 stars (I always round up in author's favor on site where I can't do half stars)

I couldn't wait to read this book (and huge thanks to Melissa and Entangled Teen for sending me an early ebook!), and for the majority of the read I was completely hooked and couldn't seem to tear myself away from it. It somehow petered out for me, though, around about the 85% mark. I was completely on board but the...final denouement, I guess...left a lot to be desired, in my opinion. The author told a great story, and she gets huge marks in my book for doing something *completely* different than the average YA we see these days. In fact, I thought that this was going to be your typical mystery-thriller where teen girl is kidnapped, sexually assaulted (isn't that what always happens??), somehow gets away and gets home, and then has to come to terms with what happened to her. I was *definitely* wrong! I love the fact that Ms. Destefano surprised me and also that she went with such a different plot.

Like I said, the book is extremely well written, and I was hanging on for dear life for most of it, but then I felt like the ending kind of... fell flat. I would still recommend reading it, because it is so different from what I'm used to and that is always a good thing in my book! And some people might not feel the same as I do about the ending. So, bottom line, if you like mysteries and books that compel you to keep reading, and if you are intrigued by a unique story line, definitely pick this up! I for one will be looking to read more of Ms. Destefano's work, as I did enjoy her writing in this book.

Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher. This rating and review are my honest thoughts about the book.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Lost Girls by Merrie Destefano! Wow! The story jumps right into the action and mystery by opening with a girl waking up in a gully, with no memories of the past year or where she is or how she got there. Little by little, she learns what has taken place as her memories trickle back. The human trafficking in this book reminds me a bit of the Liam Neeson movie, Taken, with plenty of mystery and action all on its own. Rachel has a strength unmatched by others and she has to rely on that strength to get her through her current struggles. As her memories resurface, Rachel realizes that many teenagers- male and female - are in danger and she will do whatever it takes to help them. Banter between Rachel and her brother Kyle, alleviate some of the teen angst and dark struggles in this story. A bit of hopeful romance adds charm that lightens the mood also. This is unpredictable and a unique take on young adult mystery and I rate it 4 stars! I appreciate the author adding runaway, suicide, teen safety and teen health and wellness hotline information at the end of the book. As is often the case, when someone suffers it is difficult to ask people we know for help, so this hotline information is a wonderful resource.

Just wow! I was really excited about this book after reading the blurb. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review from Entangled Publishing. I started the first chapter and was really excited. As I moved forward I started to get worried that this plot was not for me at all. It is a story where several girls, including Rachel, have disappeared with one exception Rachel was found alive. Several of the girls have not been seen again. To make matters worse Rachel cannot remember the last year of her life. I always have a hard time reading anything where someone, especially children are the targets of criminals. There is way too much of that in real life. Most teens out there would disagree with me when I refer to them as children, however, I refer to the young ladies in this book as children because adults are still responsible for them and their behavior. I am more shocked than anyone that I could not put this book down despite having to get up to leave for work at 4:30 am I kept reading and kept reading. I was invested. I had to know that the bad guys, and there were a ton of them in this book get what was coming to them.

I have read Merrie Destefano's work in the past and I have always been a fan. It has been a few years, but, I recall that she has a way of drawing the reader in and making them uncomfortable. Lost Girls does that. It draws the reader in and makes the reader angry at those that target kids. Now, to be fair the teenagers in this story have done a fair amount of victimizing themselves, however, they needed an outlet. Despite the dangers, it seemed safe when they were in control, however, there is always someone that is stronger than we are and there is always someone watching and wondering how they can take advantage of or make money from a situation. Lost Girls epitomized that scenario and despite that I found this book one of those on the edge of your seat books where you have to keep going just so you know what happens to Rachel. I have to admit that I loved that she turned to her dad when most kids would have tried to be tough and think they could handle it on their own or worry about getting in trouble. Rachel was smart, tough and despite making some pretty crazy choices she tried to do what was right and she reached out for help. There are some sad moments in Lost Girls but, there was a great mystery and most certainly some great action scenes. Review can also be seen at LadyTechie's Book Musings http://ladytechiesbookmusings.blogspot.com .

I don't often read young adult novels, but every once in awhile I read one that convinces me to read more. This is one of them. Dark, fanciful, and engaging. I had such a hard time putting it down. It's a great story about friendship... and fighting. How far down you can fall when you make a few bad decisions. What kind of consequences they can have. And fighting for what's right, instead of just for fun or as an outlet for anger and rage.

Our story begins with Rachel running into the road, begging for help. She's been missing for two weeks, but her last memories were a year ago. She doesn't even recognize herself. Dying her hair, chopping it off when she was trying to grow it long? And what is up with the all black wardrobe? She quickly finds that her life has actually improved in some ways during the year she doesn't remember... she's doing better in school, slaying at ballet lessons and winning major parts, and has the attention of a cute classmate she used to crush on. That all sounds good, but not everything is so positive. She has different friends, having abandoned her old best friend she used to do everything with. She seems to have picked up some martial arts training. She feels angry and aggressive at small transgressions. And it seems she started to maybe even dabble in drugs. Could this really be her?

I don't want to give many details that weren't in the description. It's best to just dive right in. You'll probably end up blowing right through the whole book, as I did! Very easy to read and addictive.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Entangled Publishing, LLC. Thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Do you ever just get stuck reading books in a certain genre? I enjoy reading so many types of books, but sometimes it seems like I read book after book that sounds exactly the same as the previous story. I like to try to keep a variety of books at hand on my iPad or on my home library shelves. Thankfully, one of my favorite thriller writers is back with a book that feeds the need for a unique story. It has been a few years since I've read her adult fantasy novels, and that is sad because Merrie Destefano's books are some of my all-time favorites.

Lost Girls, her latest YA fiction from Entangled Publishing, is certainly another stunner of a story. Action-packed is the first term that comes to my mind as a descriptor for Rachel Evans' life in what is seemingly a quite suburb. Like many teens, she has a boyfriend, frenemies, and an annoying little brother. However, that is where the humdrum of her story ends and the insane, drug-fueled raves, fight clubs, and trafficking begins.

Every line is sheer pandemonium. I honestly can't remember the last time I read a story that had me on the edge of my seat for such a long period of time. The last half of the story was an absolute nail-biter! It takes a bit of a stretch to believe that Rachel and her friends all became masters of physical combat in such a short period of time, but, dang...what a wild mix!

Lost Girls is definitely not a happy, feel good story. It is dark and dangerous, but there is still that message of hope at the end. Hope in family, friends, and making positive changes in spite of all the bad.

Merrie Destefano has written another book to go on the keeper shelf! If you like a story with thrills and excitement, but want a story that is not all fluff, but also confronts some serious issues that face many teens and women today, I recommend Lost Girls. Destefano does not tread lightly, and as a reader returning to the YA fiction genre, I'm glad to see a female character who doesn't depend on a boy to fight her battles. Please direct me to more stories where a girl kicks butt both figuratively and literally!

~ My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars ~

**I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**


I would first like to wish a big HAPPY RELEASE DAY to Lost Girls and Merrie Destefano. Today is the day her latest book is released, and everyone needs to read this book. This book left me with such a book hangover, I've had trouble getting into my next read. O.O It has been said that Lost Girls is a mix between Black Swan and Fight Club.....And they're absolutely right. I have not read a Young Adult or Mystery novel quite like this before, and I enjoyed every moment of what it had to offer.



To see my full review, head over to rosebookreview.blogspot.com

Arc Provided by Entangled Teen

An ambitious concept... but I've read dystopias that are way more believable -_-

I requested this at a time in which I was so fed up with what I was reading, that I decided to take a risk on a new author, and on an ambitious concept for a story. Basically I wanted a strong female character leading the story... and in a way I got it.
Thing is, and I've said this over and over, I may be reading a fantasy book, but I want it to have strong foundations. This one?
Sandy foundations -_-
We have to believe that a once quiet girl, decides to go all Chuck Norris, just because she once was physically attacked by a bunch of girls in a bathroom.
Okay, sure, nothing wrong with that, but I wanted to see it. I wanted to see that transformation.
Also, I'm betting it takes way more than a year to become the killing machine that Rachel becomes.
The rest of the story is Rachel basically acting too stupid too live... but since she's this special snowflake who can get great grades at school without doing things like actually studying, or sleeping, she manages to have this adventurous life. Also the drugs she takes are "wolferine" type of amazing, so who cares?
She's more amazing than FBI agents and her own father, an ex-marine...
In the meanwhile there's this new adult romance who is supposed to be angsty and deep as all first romances are meant to be.
Note to self: stick with boring. At least it's more credible.

It’s one of those books you pick up and only put down 3 hours later after being utterly consumed by the story.

I am conflicted with this book. Did I like it? Yes? I am not sure. That doesn't happen often. I can't really say how I feel about this book.

A girl loses her memory and disappeared for a short time. The question in what happened to her in that time and how did she escape? Also, why can't she remember an entire year of her life? She had only been gone for two weeks.

I thought this was going to be a book with twists and turns that would blow my mind. Maybe make me gasp here and there. Unfortunately, none of that happened. Yes, there are a couple of turn of events that tell you what she had been doing in the year she lost and eventually what happened to her, but they aren't profound. They don't slam into you like a freight train.

I was into the book until things were made clear about Rachel and the things she had gotten into. Then I felt myself rolling my eyes. I might have had a few, "come on, really?" moments. I read somewhere that this book is a combination of Black Swan and Fight Club. And it is, I think. I am not familiar with Black Swan, so I can't attest to that. With that being said, it's not an original story. I don't even feel it has an original spin on other stories of its type.

Overall, this book is just an okay book. It's nothing I am going to shout over rooftops over. I may not necessarily recommend it. Maybe to a teen who likes Fight Club, but that might be it.

I didn't find this nearly as compelling as I expected. The flow is not particularly natural and I had far too many questions about the details. IT suffers from believability issues regarding both plot and characters. THe whole teen fight club thing was bizarre, especially once the drugs come into play. In spite of that, it's also predictable. I didn't feel like we really understood the fighters and their motivation. We get simple explanations for their behavior but not real understanding of their characters.