I will not send a review of this book. I couldn't get into it and never finished it. Sorry.
I will not send a review of this book. I couldn't get into it and never finished it. Sorry.

I am not usually a suspense fan, so that definitely set the tone here, but I just really didn't enjoy this read.

I was so excited for this one because I loved Peacock's other series. Sadly this one fell far from what I was hoping for. The plot was predictable, no real plot to begin with, and was seriously boring!

You Were Never Here by Kathleen Peacock is a young adult supernatural mystery/thriller read. The story is told in a first person point of view and the protagonist in the story has an ability to touch others and get visions from them but with a negative impact on herself.

Cat is headed on the bus from her home with her father in New York to stay with her aunt in the small town of Montgomery Falls in Canada. Cat feels as if this trip is a punishment and she’s not looking forward being in the small town once again after five years away.

Once Cat arrives to Montgomery Falls though she immediately notices a missing poster. The poster catches Cat’s attention because the boy in the photo is none other than Cat’s childhood best friend, Riley. The poster has to be old, right? Cat’s aunt said nothing of Riley’s disappearance but unfortunately Cat finds that he hasn’t been found in the three months since he went missing.

If there were anything that I would sort of complain about with You Were Never Here by Kathleen Peacock it would be that I felt this one could have used a bit more depth to certain aspects of the story, including that of the protagonist’s ability. I did like the story with the setting giving just the right eerie feel and the mystery being engaging enough that I was curious all the while as to how it turned out. This one was a bit of a slow burn although as much as I normally complain of that I didn’t mind so much here. Overall I’d give this one three and a half stars, mostly due to wishing there were more to Cat’s touch as far as background and use.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I feel like the title You Were Never Here also — unfortunately — sums up the experience of reading this book. Because — what?

So there's the set-up: Cat’s ability to see people’s deepest fears has alienated her from everyone she’s ever cared about, including her childhood best friend Riley. Most recently, it’s gotten her shipped off to Mongomery Falls, Riley’s hometown and a town tangled up with Cat’s mysterious family history. What happened to Riley? Why are people going missing in Montgomery Falls? What is the deal with the mysteries surrounding Cat’s family history? What is up with Cat’s uncanny ability? If you expect all of these questions to be answered, you will be sorely disappointed, my friend. Because after plodding through what starts to feel like endless flashbacks and self-administered body shaming, only the most cursory, superficial questions get any kind of answers. It’s a bummer because it feels like there are the ingredients for a cool story here.

Returning to a town full of secrets? Count me in! You Were Never Here is creative and the prose make for an un-put-downable read! Will be purchasing for the library's collection.

The beginning is a little slow, but the story picks up with the mysterious past of the city where the heroine's family made and lost their fortunes is tied to the recent disappearance of a neighbor. This story was engrossing once I got into it and I would recommend it to people who enjoy thrillers, crime drama, and supernatural elements in their stories.

Kat is being sent to her aunt in Canada to get her away for the summer from the disaster that is her life currently. While waiting at the bus station for her aunt to arrive, Kat finds herself looking at a missing person's poster for someone she knows- Riley, her best friend from childhood and the only person who really knew Kat. Shocked and mad nobody told her he was missing for the last six months, Kat wants answers she is not certain she should have. Against her will, she is drawn in by Riley's older brother to get to the truth of what happened to Riley all those months ago.

Well, I was super surprised to discover that You Were Never There was a paranormal mystery! I knew it was a mystery with a missing boy but the added layer of an unwanted psychic gift was the icing on my cake. I will make this review short and to the point so I don't over share and ruin some of the mystery, but I think this was a great that for some reason gets overlooked. I only have one complaint about the book and it was the main characters hang up on her weight. She allowed her weight to impact so much of her thoughts and interactions, super hard on herself even while nobody else seemed to care or be phased. Yes, I know that this is probably a 100% accurate depiction of someone struggling with body image, I just wanted to root her on and make her put herself out there when she kept hanging back.

If you are a fan of YA drama, mystery/thrillers and paranormal details I highly recommend this standalone read for you! There was also a nice addition of teen angst, as well as the surprising development of friendship and just a hint of romance (which I adored and wanted more of- but this was nice too).

The most difficult aspect of being an avid reader is that when you read mysteries it's often easy to guess the killer halfway through. This book, however, kept me guessing till the end.

Mary Catherine, Kat, has been sent to live with her Aunt Jet in tiny Montgomery Falls, Canada, after an unfortunate incident. (It's alluded to throughout the book and finally revealed about 2/3 of the way through.) Kat hasn't been to Montgomery Falls since she was twelve and there was an "incident" with her best friend Riley. Kat discovers that Riley has been missing for months. Kat quickly makes friends with a group of horror movie buffs - Aiden (who also is staying at her aunt's boarding house), Joey, Chase, and Skylar. She also rekindles her acquaintance with Aunt Jet's next-door neighbor and Riley's brother, Noah. Kat has a unique gift that keeps her from getting too close to anyone, but Noah wants her to use this gift to help locate his brother and her friend, Riley. Meanwhile, a young lady is found nearly dead on the banks of the river. Is this related to Riley's disappearance or something altogether different?

This book had many twists and turns and I wasn't sure until the very end what had happened to Riely and who was the villain. Highly recommended for mystery fans.

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley.

So glad I didn't read the reviews about this book before I gave it a try. While it looks like it's getting mediocre fanfare, I really loved it and hope that the author continues sharing Cat's story.

Throughout the story, Cat learned about friendship and trust. Her character seemed like a typical teenager in every way, which was refreshing and pleasant to read. Many of the YA books I've read have teen characters who are more mature than my grandma. Cat was self-conscious about her weight, frustrated with her father, and innocent enough to still get nervous about a sweet, chaste kiss.

YOUNG ADULT

You Were Never Here by Kathleen Peacock; HarperTeen, 400 pages ($17.99) Ages 13 to 17.

...

A feisty heroine trying to negotiate complicated situations with family and friends is front and center in this richly atmospheric, well-crafted thriller.

After a disastrous falling out with her best friend in New York, 17-year-old Mary Catherine "Cat" Montgomery is sent for the summer to stay with her aunt in Montgomery Falls, a small town in Canada where her family owned the now-closed textile mill.

Cat has a unique psychic gift, but it's a gift that brings her pain and makes it hard for her to get close to anyone. She is shocked upon arriving in Montgomery Falls to see "missing" posters for Riley Fraser, a high school senior who lives next-door to her aunt, was once a close friend and has been missing for months.

Aunt Jet rents rooms in the ancestral Montgomery home, and Cat starts hanging out with an 18-year-old boarder named Aidan, watching horror movies with him and his movie-buff friends. She starts investigating Riley's disappearance with the help of his older brother Noah; Riley was obsessive compulsive, always mapping the woods and keeping lists of things he found. Could a special St. Anthony's medal, found at a crime scene, be connected to his disappearance?

Peacock ramps up the suspense with numerous clever plot twists until the climactic and surprising reveal at the end. The ruined mill, with its dangerous tunnels, is a terrific backdrop for some of the action. "Cat," with her negative body image about her weight and her past history of fraught personal relationships, makes an interesting protagonist.

If you're looking for simple entertainment, this is a decent pick. Cat's psychic abilities have specific limits. They actually aren't especially helpful in solving a crime, the first criticism I would levy against this book. It's the largest leap of logic, that she is able to identify a criminal by fears and desires.

You Were Never Here by Kathleen Peacock is a wonderful young adult mystery and romance. When Cat Montgomery touches skin with another person she sees things. She is very careful around other people, but sometimes it happens. Cat is living in New York, but when she got in trouble, her dad sents her o live with her aunt in Montgomery Falls. When she arrives, she sees missing posters of her childhood friend, and his brother asks her to help find him. I really loves this story! So many things happening, I couldn't stop reading it. I will be reading more books by this author. I highly recommend this young adult mystery, you won't be disappointed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow! I could not put this book down. This is one of the books you finish and begin immediately craving another just like it. Due to a terrible incident, which is not revealed to the reader until long into the read-though it is alluded to, Cat is forced to move to Montgomery Falls to live with her Aunt. Long ago, Cat's family founded the town, that has slowly deteriorated and become dependent on the local University to survive. Now, Cat's Aunt lives in their huge old family home, where she rents rooms to tenants in an attempt to hold on to the place. The last time Cat visited the family home was years ago when she spent the summer with her best friend, Riley. The summer ended with a disagreement, another explanation the reader is going to wait for- if you want suspense you will get it with this one. Upon arriving in Montgomery Falls, Cat finds out her friend has been missing for awhile.
Remember when I said that you'll get suspense with this read? Well, also important to know is Cat possesses a special "gift"/"curse" depending how your perspective. And perspectives vary among characters, especially her father who wishes to pretend it doesn't exist.
Cat makes quick friends, that she (and the reader) can't sure about trusted. Will she be able to help find her friend? Will her gift be useful?
This book offers clues throughout keeping the reader engaged. There is a non-sappy love triangle which is always a bonus. Highly recommend. I am hoping for sequel.

I was given an advance reader copy of this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A pretty good read for spooky season - suspenseful and mysterious. I do wish Cat's backstory had been filled out a little more. I wanted to know more about her family and her gift. We got a little bit of that, but a more robust explanation would have been welcome.

You Were Never Here is about a a young girl who refuses to let anyone understand her because the last person she trusted was her childhood best friend, Riley and it didn’t end so well. So what happens when she’s focused back to Canada but only to find out he’s been missing. Can she trust Noah or Aidan enough to tell them about why she can’t touch anyone without seeing thing... or will the desire and fear of it all be too much?
Honestly this book kept me wanting to come back and read more, I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters even when I put the book down. However, I felt like the ending was a bit less thrilling than I was hoping for. Overall the character development was great and the plot of the story itself was beautiful written.

You Were Never Here by Kathleen Peacock is novel centered around a teen, Cat, who is returning to her hometown Montgomery Falls which she hasn't visited in 5 years. Shortly after, she discovers her friend Riley has gone missing without a trace. Cat has information, but she isn't sure if she wants to open up about her relationship with Riley, yet this all changes when a catatonic girl is found in the river. At times it was difficult to connect with Cat, which made her decisions frustrating at times. The pacing of the plot ramped up before slowing down before quickly picking up, but the ending still left a lot of questions, I believe that many teens and young adults would enjoy the mystery in this novel and recommend this book for that age group!

Many thanks to the publisher HarperTeen and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I don't read a lot of YA thrillers, but the plot of Kathleen Peacock's novel You Were Never Here intrigued me. Cat Montgomery hasn't been back to Montgomery Falls since she was twelve. Now, at seventeen, her father has sent her to stay with her Aunt Jet in the family home, which Jet has turned into a boardinghouse to pay for expenses.

On the day of Cat's arrival, she notices a MISSING poster with a familiar face on it - her best friend Riley Fraser, the first boy she ever kissed. He's been missing for months. It had been a while since Cat had talked to Riley, and now that she's back in Montgomery Falls, she and Riley's older brother, Noah, collaborate on trying to figure out what happened to Riley so the family can get closure.

Peacock weaves characters into the storyline skillfully, giving Cat a collection of people her own age to spend time with - Aiden, a military brat who lives in her aunt's home - and Aiden's friends Skylar, Joey, and Chase. Cat's hiding a secret from all of them. A secret Riley knew about. And her secret talent might be able to help Noah find the person responsible for Riley's disappearance.

The story has some great twists and turns, and without revealing any spoilers, I will just say the ending was a total surprise. This is Peacock's debut YA thriller, and I hope she continues to write more. It was very well written and an engaging read all around.

Cat hasn’t been to Montgomery Falls, the town her family founded, since she was twelve years old. Since the summer she discovered she could do things that no normal twelve-year-old could do. Since she had her first kiss with Riley Fraser. Since she destroyed their friendship.

Now, five years later, she’s back and Riley has disappeared.

This was a really fun book to read. The way this was written was amazing.
I really loved the plot, Cat was fun to follow.
A good solid mystery/thriller for young adults
The final reveal was pretty awesome, I loved it.

This is one of those books aimed at YA readers, but that adults will love to read just as much, as it isn't truly aimed at certain reading ages! Cat is every kid who has felt abandoned by parents, who lacks family support and has had to face internet bullying to such a degree, her dad feels it is better to get her out of town for awhile. So off she goes to her aunt's in Canada. Only past family secrets, hidden family dysfunction and the lure of new friendships, ultimately all lead her to a place worse than when she arrived. This is a book that grabs you and doesn't let you go, with all it's modern nuances, while nodding it's head to universal pangs of maturing. Add in 2 mysteries that seem intertwined and you start to have a roller coaster read that won't let you go! DONT miss this one! You'll want your teens to read it too!