Carrie Ann DiRisio calls The Disappearance of Sloane Sullivan “Pretty in Pink meets The Sopranos” and FOR REAL is she right. Wow.

Probably the most disappointing part of this book is the fact that it took me more than a year to read it after it landed on my radar. I HAVE REGRETS. This is a stunning thriller that builds up all the tension and releases it quickly through the end.

When Sloane and her father witness a murder between two rival mob families, they’re forced into Witness Protection. Now on her 19th alias, Sloane and her handler, Mark, have a plan for her to exit WitSec and move on with their lives.

That is, until Sloane comes face to face with her childhood best friend, who after 12 years has not forgotten her.

The first 75% of the book is a slow build toward the big action. The whole time you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Sloane’s plans to fall apart. For her 20th alias to arise and set her back.

The last 25% is absolutely pack with thrills and twists. You may think you know what’s coming and every time BAM - you’re thrown off course. This is a one sitting read you won’t soon forget!

First, thanks so much to Net Galley for the ARC provided in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Disappearance of Sloane Sullivan by Gia Cribbs is a book that I believe will become an instant bestseller. It follows an 18 year old girl named Sloane (or one of the nineteen aliases she uses) who is in The Witness Protection Program. The book hops from plot twist to plot twist as she meets people from her past, deals with drama, and starts to recall memories that have led her to her life in hiding. She also has to deal with breaking the rules for the first time in her six years of hiding as a result of her attempts to leave the program. This book would be loved by any fiction fan as it's really a blend of multiple genres.In all, I think Sloane Sullivan is an impressive work of fiction.

In our current horror obsessed society, a book like this is refreshing.A book that stays true to the genre of true crime, while not maintaining the "true" part, is rare and it's this new play on the mystery genre that keeps it fresh. It's not exactly like any other books I've read, but if I were to pin it down, elements make me think of Alias, the tv show with Jennifer Garner. It has the same amateur is thrust in over her head feel.

5/5: would recommend!
http://bibwithblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/guest-blogger-teen-daughter-reviews.html

Thank you NetGalley for this book. I’m so very sorry about my late review.

I absolutely loved this book. I honestly did not think I would but I did. It pulls you right in and keeps you wanting more. It was very good from start to finish.

I recommend this one to everyone. It’s that good.

Sloane Sullivan (not her real name) has been on the run for the past several years accompanied by her trusty Witness Security Program agent Mark. When she lands at her latest school, things are different. If she can make it to the end of the school year, she’ll be out of the witness protection program and on to the rest of her life. But then she runs into Jason, her best friend from her old life, and she knows she and Mark need to run but she can’t. She wants just a little normal, a little reminder of before in what has been a crazy couple of years.

There is a lot of good in the debut novel. Sloan is a hugely sympathetic character and the reader can’t help but identify with her and feel for her. The technique of inserting flashbacks from the past really works here, as we see Sloane having to leave other places/identities, losing her father and eventually all the way back to the event that sent her into protection in the first place. The pace of the story also works well, and again I think the flashbacks add to this by how and where they are placed in the story. The contrast of the scenes of Sloane with her high school friends doing normal high school things with scenes of things like making sure Sloane knows the best way to escape the high school if needed or rehearsing the plan of what to do in an emergency really make you feel for Sloane even more. Also the cover of this book is very well done!

The less strong parts of the story for me were that I knew the biggest twist almost right from the beginning. I suspect that most teens won’t and will be swept along with Sloane to the end. Sloane also teeters on the edge of becoming part of the “fem jep” trope by virtue of making a series of small but bad choices. Yes she is a teen and yes she has feelings and wants something normal but if you really thought your life was is in danger, would behave like this? I also found the ending dissatisfying but again I suspect it is because I am not a teen. For a teen, the ending is exactly the kind of wishful romantic thinking that they will LOVE.

I suspect, as I said, teens won’t care at all. And the character of Sloane and the construction of the plot make me eager to read the next book from Cribbs.

Readalikes: This book reminded me in some ways of Kieran Scott’s Pretty Fierce which tells the story of the daughter of assaisins who is on the run after her parents’ hit goes wrong.

Review Excerpts:

“Cribbs excels at depicting complicated relationships and vulnerable characters. A solid beach read filled with love triangles and high stakes.” -Kirkus

“[An] intricately plotted debut thriller… Just when it seems that a resolution is in sight, more surprises build to an explosive, satisfying finale.”-Publishers Weekly

“This thriller is high on swoon and red herrings…a satisfying payoff.” -Booklist

Intriguing and captivating. The perfect summer read! Warning: you will be turning pages long into the night, having to know what happened to Sloane. I was hooked on the first page and read straight through to the end!

In The Disappearance of Sloan Sullivan, Gia Cribbs introduces us to Sloane and Jason- two friends who knew each other in a past lifetime, but only one of them knows it. Sloane longs for a normal life and wants her old friend, Jason, to be part of it after a lifetime of uncertainty in the witness protection program. However, as we know, in a great mystery, things aren't always as them seem.

A friend recommended this book to me, and I am so thankful she did. It had the right mix of mystery and , unpredictability that made me want to keep reading. A perfect read for anyone who likes mysteries or police thrillers with a high school twist.

Thank you Net Galley for giving me the ARC of this book.

Wow!! What did I just read? This was a brilliant debut YA novel that have me entranced from the first pages. This is a story that delves into the world of a teenager that has to decide if she is going to change herself again or embrace who she already is? What started as a normal childhood quickly changes when a young girl witnesses a crime that put her into WITSEC and starts her on a path of not knowing who she really is. Thank you for allowing me to read and write about this book.

Excellent YA thriller debut! I loved this book and I read it all in one sitting. Sloane, the MC, is in the witness protection program after witnessing a crime when she was 12 years old. Now she is almost 18 and has moved multiple times and had many identities. Her parents both died so she has been in the care of her assigned federal agent, Mark, who looks out for her. The beginning of the book is all about her hiding and moving and changing identities, but then the mystery builds. Suspense along with your typical high school drama make this a great book! LOVE the twist at the end!!

Although this is a YA novel, it has widespread appeal. Filled with a large number of twists--many of which I didn't see coming. I really enjoyed the intrigue, trying to figure out who was good, who was bad, and why things were happening. I truly loved that there wasn't just one big twist, there were quite a few and they were thrown in when I wasn't really expecting them.
This is high quality psychological suspense, recommended for both teens and adults.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I loved the mystery that this book had from the very beginning. It starts out with our main character "Sloane Sullivan" going to her first day of school. However this isn't like any other first day of school this is something that Sloan has done a million times before, and with a different name and a different appearance starting over has always been easy. While it might be easy it is something that Sloan hates however it will be over shortly and she can go back to being who she was before she had to change her name. However things get a little
more difficult while she runs into her former best friend from her original life. This book was a bit high school drama and a bit thriller. I really liked the combination because it's not something that I see written about very often. The characters were very relate able and likable in this book while each were very different it was hard for me to pick a favourite because of all of their individual quirks. I liked how the author managed to combine mystery almost spy like quirks with a teen girl and her decisions on her love life and friends stuff like that. I think my favourite part had to be the ending it was crazy to see everything fall together and see the lies and the truths. So well done I didn't expect to be shocked in the end but I was.

The disappearance of Sloane Sullivan has a great intro where it appears Sloane is talking to the audience about the negatives of being under witness protection. I received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Sloan Sullivan has been under protection since she was 12 years old. Her sometimes brother, father or uncle, Mark, depending on the situation is the agent that moves with her to ensure she is always protected. They have moved more than 10 times over the last 6 years. This is the last year the Sloane has to change her name as she has to do each time they move. She is 18 years old, someone has confessed to the crime she witnessed and she no longer has to worry about repercussions of what she saw. She can come out of witness protection and start a new life just in time for college.

Sloane has had a pretty good life if you ignore the constant moving, name changes and loss of her family and best friend. She is applying to some of the best universities in the country because she has excellent grades and test scores. She manages to keep herself aloof from most of her classmates at each school she attends, though she has had a couple of situations that involve dating teenage boys, but, Mark is always there for her watching out for her and protecting her. They have really become a real family. The last move where she becomes Sloane Sullivan is where things start to go really wrong. She finally runs into someone from her past and things go on a downward spiral that leads Sloane to some realizations that will threaten her family. It is a great suspense story with some great characters and some that epitomize everything that can go wrong with being a teenager. Review can also be seen at Lady Techie's Book Musings http://LadyTechiesbookmusings.blogspot.com

I tried so hard to like this book, but I just couldn't. I seem to be in the vast minority, at least so far, so if you're still interested in checking it out, I would say give it a shot. I just could not get behind any of the choices the main character made. Every single decision was basically the exact opposite you should make if you're in Witness Protection and it was so frustrating. Everything was super convenient and also incredibly annoying. I try to give books the benefit of the doubt and I try to be nice, but I just absolutely did not like this book. I read the whole thing thinking it would get better (and I do want to say it was a quick read, so there's that), but it didn't for me.

4.5 Sloan Sullivan Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

This book was just so much fun to read... I enjoyed it from first page to last... The book was like a mash up of a YA contemporary and a thriller.... and warning to my thriller loving friends, the first 60% of this book is filled with quite a bit of teenage angst.... I found it a perfect blend, however it is a slow building thriller... but well worth it!

Sloan is a typical teenager... with the same dreams and feelings as other teens... The difference Sloan isn’t her real name, in fact this is the 19th name she’s had in the past six years... sloan has been in witness protection ever since she was 12 and witnessed a murder along with her father.... but she only has nine more weeks... and then she will be Sloan Sullivan forever living a normal life going to college.... so when on her first day at the new school she runs into Jason a boy from her past, she is not going to tell Mark her handler.... nothing is standing in her way of a normal life....

sloan was a fabulous character... smart and funny and never feeling sorry for herself and her situation.... I loved the bond between Jason and her... there were quite a few adorable and swoon worthy moments in the first part of this book.... along with a scavenger hunt, senior trip, and of course the prom.... also found the relationship between Sloan and Mark (her handler) really interesting, the trust you’d need to have for that person....

I thought Sloan’s past was revealed to us very well... and I enjoyed all the flashbacks of her time in witness protection and before... there were some intense moments towards the end of this book and some twists I was caught off guard by... extremely well done especially for A debut!

Absolutely recommend to fans of a slow building thriller, just keep in mind these are teenagers and the beginning of this book is filled with all kinds of teenage nonsense and fun... I think this book is perfect for all ages, and if you are a parent I’d say 15 and up, there is some partying and sexual references....

*** thank you so much to the publisher and Net Galley for my copy of this wonderful book ***

I find all stories concerning the witness protection program intriguing, and this book was no exception.. It kept me guessing, it was suspenseful, and the twists were fantastic! Young adults will enjoy this one, and I highly recommend it for grades 8 and up. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance read.

We meet Sloane Sullivan, a senior in high school involved in Witness Protection. She gets knocked by two jocks playing football in the halls. Lizie, Jason and Sawyer are all friends. They ask her to be on their senior scavenger hunt team. Jason seems to think he knows Sloane. The characters in this book are loving, thoughtful, funny, sarcastic and overall amazing. This book has had me on the edge of my seat with all the twists, turns and amazing plot.
This debut novel of Ms. Cribbs is stunningly beautiful, mysterious and absolutely enthralling. This is a book I'll recommend highly and I'll be in line when Ms. Cribbs writes her second book

This is a 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Read for me

Interesting concept. The characters were okay. We learn about how Sloane Sullivan came to be in WITSEC through flashbacks here and there. We deal with typical high school drama. There were some twists thrown in that did surprise me. But I found too many things happened conveniently for the story to end up how it did and I just couldn't get past those things to really enjoy the book overall. I also found this to be a bit too long. Not as good as I thought it would be.

Sloane Sullivan has been in the Witness Protection program for 6 years. She hopes that she will be Sloan Sullivan for the rest of her life. She is just a few short months away from graduating high school, moving on to college, and getting out of WITSEC. She and her US Marshall, Mark, have thought of everything. But with each step closer to graduation, Sloane has to make difficult decisions that may impact everything she has put in place.

When I first started reading The Disappearance of Sloane Sullivan, I thought it was very much like The Rules for Breaking series. It differs, however, in it's depth, it's plot development, and it's solid resolution. What Rules for Breaking does in three books, The Disappearance of Sloane Sullivan manages to do in a standalone novel. I didn't at all feel like the book was rushed, and everything was wrapped up nicely. This one will be a hit for students who like mystery and action stories.

The Disappearance of Sloane Sullivan was a fantastic book. I am a big fan of witness protection books, especially with teenagers, and this might top that list as my favorite now.

I absolutely loved Sloane’s character. She was strong, and witty and someone you could easily love. All of the secondary characters were wonderful and added great depth to the story. The romance was swoonworthy.

This book was pulse pounding, and I loved how the author wrote memories throughout the present, to give you a better idea of what had happened to get her here. There were quite a few storylines I found myself trying to put together. This included the present, the event that put her in witness protection, and her past relationships with Mark and Jason. It all came to a head at the end of the book, and I found myself gasping several times over the twists in the story.

I absolutely LOVED this book, and will definitely be rereading again. Can’t recommend enough. Read it!

* ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Even though this was supposed to be a thriller, this was nothing but high school drama mixed with a few reveals at the end. The final chapter was predictable because Sloane is selfish enough to choose her boyfriend over her family and safety so you know what's going to happen based on her actions from page one. There wasn't anything suspenseful about this novel unfortunately and Sloane was an unlikable character from the beginning. Despite spending 6 years in Witness Protection she regularly put her and her agent's lives at risk because of her stupidity by never following the rules or thinking. Every guy at her new school was in love with her and of course her childhood BFF/boyfriend is at this same school, knows Sloane's real identity, and remembers how much he loves her. What followed was lovers quarrels between all the guys obsessed with Sloane and their jealous ex-girlfriends and a minor plot featuring the Witness Protection program. Thanks NetGalley and Edelweiss for the ARC.

Awesome story! I was intrigued from page one and couldn’t put it down! It had secrets, lies, mystery, danger, death, angst and suspense and was really really well done! Sloane story was fascinating and I loved it! Fabulous book from a debut author!