Wow wow wow just wow. Thought this was an amazing first book. . So good. Enjoyed writing and characters and development so very much

Miranda’s life proves that hurtful things can happen when you give yourself completely to someone who doesn’t actually have your back, and being a teenager can really suck sometimes! Even through the awful parts of her high school experience, Miranda finds some truth that lightens her load and helps her begin to “become the person she is meant to be.” Fountain writes a meaningful story, with some great ‘Syd-isms’ and witty insights to boot. Great young adult, coming into oneself story.

Miranda and Sydney are the closest of friends. Both are intelligent and studious. Both have suffered the loss of their mothers, but Miranda has a supportive father and Syd has only Miranda. Sydney is determined to change her life and escape the small town and life of material and emotional poverty. She is at the top of her class academically and has been accepted to Stanford, so why does she suddenly disappear without even a word to Miranda?

When I read the synopsis for this book back in 2017, I knew it was going to be one of my favorite books of the year. I am a sucker for friendships, families, love, and realizing that sometimes the context of all of those things change as we grow. I related so hard to Miranda and found myself rooting for her at every little twist and turn... and I also found myself feeling genuinely protective of her, especially when it came to Syd.

I am so deeply in love with this book. It's perfect for anyone who has had their heart broken by a best friend or fell (embarrassingly) in love with their crush. I am in awe.

Two girls, bound by the abandonment of their mothers, learn to face & survive the world together - until one of them goes missing. Though this book was slow at times, I found the story touching, easily relatable, and sure, a little dramatic. But I loved the platonic element between the two girls, Miranda & Syd. Romance was not the center of the story, which was refreshing, and I liked that Miranda was not a passive protagonist.

3.5 stars in my book :) Worth the read.

I enjoyed this book. It’s about a teenager who is trying to come to terms with her best friend running away, and figuring out some of the mean things her friend did to her. The missing friend sabotaged a relationship between the main character and the guy she liked, who in turn liked her. Of course it all worked out in the end after typical teenage angst and making up. I would recommend this book. I received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I'd never read any of Carrie Fountain's work previously, but once I saw that she was a poet writing a young adult novel, my interest was immediately piqued -- and Flatiron Books has yet to publish something I don't like. This was no exception.

Best friends Syd and Miranda share a particular, specific bond: their mothers are wholly absent from their lives, by choice. The two senior high school students "adopted" each other early on and have what seems to be an unshakeable friendship -- that is, up until the day Syd disappears, leaving a note that specifies only that she is "gone, not missing."

Syd was academically successful, popular with her classmates and with boys, and right on the verge of early admission to Harvard. Miranda can't understand why her best friend would disappear without a word, and it doesn't help that the two of them have their first huge fight the night before Syd takes off. Syd's dad and stepmom are not good parents, and as such they are not much help in attempting to locate her. As Miranda begins to try and unravel the mystery on her own, she unearths secret after secret until she finally discovers the real reason for Syd's disappearance - and it's a lot closer to Miranda and her new beau than she would have ever expected.

It's a very character-driven story, and the family dynamics of Miranda and her dad are adorable. The descriptions of New Mexico's landscape are not only beautifully written, but really evocative - it's easy to place yourself right where the characters are. It's a sweet, fast-moving story that was difficult to put down.

I'm Not Missing is a poignant and necessary addition to young adult fiction in America. Though it centers on a relationship between the narrator, Miranda, and Nick, a boy from French class, Fountain has managed to present a female protagonist with genuine agency. As the novel progresses, Miranda becomes more and more autonomous. But what makes this novel so refreshing is its deliberate inclusion of consent culture, which is rendered as both terribly awkward and remarkably tender. Fountain has also included a wonderfully vulnerable, honest father-daughter relationship which defies traditional perceptions of masculinity, offering a vision of fatherhood which is both nurturing and protective, a man who is as good in the kitchen as he is in the science lab. All in all, Fountain offers a small cast of characters who are all wholly human, ensuring that readers will experience the full spectrum of emotions as friendships deteriorate, love blossoms, and family dynamics become increasingly difficult to maintain. An excellent debut, I'm Not Missing capitalizes on the lyricism and efficiency of Fountain's poetic endeavors, edging the reader closer and closer to the inevitable do-over for which so many of us hope.

In this contemporary YA novel, high school senior Miranda's world gets turned upside down when her best friend Syd runs away, cutting off all contact. Miranda's no stranger to abandonment - her mother left for a cult when she was 8 - but Syd's leaving forces Miranda to figure out who she is and what she wants.
The book's greatest strength is the relationship between Miranda and Syd, as well as the relationship between Miranda and her father, rather than the romantic relationship between Miranda and Nick, which, while well done is very clearly secondary to the other two longer-lasting bonds.