Member Reviews
This book was an absolute page turner that will get people talking and that I could not put down. 13 year old Chloe Cates has been an internet star since she was 4 years old. Her mother, Jennifer started her blog “CC AND ME” and became obsessed by likes and attention. Jen will do anything for the fame, even at the expense of her daughter. But then Chloe disappears and her world comes crashing down. This was a great thriller with a lot to get angry about. As a parent, I would never allow anything bad to happen to my daughter, let alone put her in danger myself. Such a great read!
I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.
Chloe Cates is Missing is about a mom and her influencer daughter that goes missing. We have different POVs from the mom, the detective, and Chloe's diaries.
I had to DNF this book unfortunately. I could not get in to the story and the characters were all pretty unlikeable. I do not like those parents who use their kids for likes on Social Media. It just really irks me and I had a bad idea of the characters right from the start from my bias. I have seen many other good reviews of this one so I just think it was not for me. I would be interested in checking out other work from this author though, it was the subject not the writing that made me stop.
Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.
This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience
Chloe Cates is Missing is an explosive thriller with nonstop twists and turns! About a girl named Abby Scarborough being manipulated by her mother to be a JoJo Siwa like internet star by the name of Chloe cates who blog brings in a huge sum of money the her entire family is dependent on the revenue but there live are turned upside down when they find that Chloe has gone missing on what started off as a normal weekend morning. This book had me reading late into the night just to find out what happens next
I read this in just a couple of sittings. A great read!
Can't wait to read more from this author!
This novel isn't the type of book that I really enjoy but Mandy McHugh creates a family and world that could exist. The writing is fluent and the structure of the novel works well. That being said, there are parts that were hard for me to accept - including the highly unlikely coincidence that Jennifer's former best friend would be the detective on the case. This coming together of past and present create more plot points and questions of morality and what can be done to make up for our past mistakes. The book also raises the question of whether evil, or the ability to commit murder, can be passed from parent to child. Although I found this an uncomfortable book to read and didn't particularly enjoy it (it's hard to read about evil and a dysfunctional family), I think it was well worth reading.
This was a slow burn that kept me reading. There were a few blips but the ending was a surprise. However, it didn’t end neatly for me. Therefore it’s a 4.
Chloe cCates is missing is my first read this year, definitely started the year off with a bang. This book showed all the things that are wrong with social media which is totally relatable to today. Add in a missing girls dead girl and a murderous mom equals the perfect thriller not to mention this is a debut?! This is an AMAZING debut can’t wait to see what Mandy McHugh spins up next
A missing 13 year old girl is such a scary scenario in our world today!
I couldn’t help but get pulled in - wondering what really happened to missing social media star Chloe.
The approach is interesting with the different viewpoints. A bit confusing or awkward with the jump in styles. But it helps give different perspectives. Parts are very YA, but parts are not. I read this teen drama as a mom, and it just adds to my fears for my own daughter.
The story gives a lot to think about. Very timely topic with the increasingly popular Internet teen stardom these days. Mystery and family drama with celebrity attention makes for an interesting tale. This was a pretty engaging story. Not necessarily a fun read, but intriguing.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5. This was a roller coaster! I thought this story was going to go in so many different directions.
Chloe Cates is an Instagram star at just 13 and then she goes missing. From there we start to see that her picture perfect life isn’t so perfect when secrets start to unravel.
The disappearance of a young internet celebrity ignites a firestorm of speculation on social media, and to find her a detective will have to extinguish the blaze.
This is a very engrossing read, about a thirteen year old social media star that goes missing. It definately reads like a ya novel, from multiple points of views and diary entries. It really makes you think about social media, infleuncers and the effect it has on people.
This novel is set perfectly for our era. Chloe Cates is a 13 year old YouTube sensation with a <b>very pushy</b momager, who has her life and appearances scheduled down to the second. So, when Chloe suddenly disappears, her family’s facade slowly breaks down.
The missing persons detective on the case is familiar with Chloe’s mother - though not in a good way, as the pair have some childhood trauma of their own to unpack. Meanwhile, there is a media frenzy brewing, growing bigger each day Chloe is missing.
The novel, told from perspectives of Chloe’s mom, the detective, and pages ripped straight from Chloe’s own journal take you down the dark path of teen celebrity, salacious gossip and rumors, and what a mother will do to have it all.
This psychological suspense has layer upon layer of intrigue and deception, both present and past. The characters are interwoven and past relationships are an integral part of what happens in the present. This was a page-turner with a lot going on but was easy to follow. The psychological elements are superb.
Especially in this day and age, the concept of the "momager" is perfect for a thriller, and it was fun to imagine how this dynamic could go south when fame/fortune were in the mix. Such an innovative idea for a thriller!
This book was so so so so incredibly slow!! I LOVE new takes on the "child raised in the spotlight" genre, and the premise of this sounded so good - Chloe Cates is practically two people! She goes missing! Content is still being uploaded as police circle the house! But it ruins it by making the bulk of the story happen in the past. Also, there are so many different perspectives that it brings you out of the story - especially when you know what happens with the mum and detective.
Very impressive debut for Mandy McHugh. I couldn't put this book down. I love reading about the darker side of social media and the control it has over some people. And I love when the ending is completely different than what I was expecting. I'll definitely keep my eyes open for more from this author.
This book could be an easy reality in this day and age, it’s about a young internet star who goes missing. It’s told across multiple points of view and has some interesting themes woven in including history with the detective and the stars mum! I love a bit of drama and this gave me all the dark twisted drama I needed along with a bit of a crazy mother which we all love to read about. Enjoyed this one more than I thought I might!
This book was great! an excellent mystery novel as we try to uncover the mystery of Chloe Cates. Very modern and relevant. good book.
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Warning: Some graphic moments when it comes to murders, and mentioning of affairs.
"Do you know what it's like to hope that your daughter has had an accident? That something awful has happened to her, but it's fixable awful? Just so you can have an explanation that makes sense? So your child comes home?"
14 clicks is what kept Jennifer Scarborough from getting a $1000 bonus from her blog. This is a number she focuses on and keeps looking back on throughout the book. The blog is about her and her daughter Chloe Cates (a personality of sorts that Jennifer made for her daughter whose real name is Abigail), and their life. The problem though is that most of the stuff on the blog is fake, or stretching the truth. It's to the point now where Chloe (Abigail) no longer wants to do the blog and doesn't want to take photos for brand deals, all she wants is to be a normal teenager and be able to have friends and a boyfriend. On the morning of a brand blog post and photo shoot, Chloe is missing when Jennifer goes to wake her up in the morning. With her not anywhere in the house and her window open, Jennifer and her husband assume the worst has happened to her. They call the police and that is where things get even more interesting with this family. Once they are working with the police, one of the detectives is someone that Jennifer knew as a child (this makes it all complicated and messy).
"Clicks. Likes. Shares. People all over the country are searching for Chloe and tagging our accounts."
Everyone in the Scarborough family has been keeping secrets. Jennifer keeps secrets from her husband about the families financial situation and something that happened when she was a teenager, the husband keeps secrets about how he feels about all of this, the brother keeps secrets and helps Abagail have a little bit of normalcy, and lastly, Abagail has secrets as well. All of these secrets make for a lot of revelations to happen while they are talking to the police, and for all of us to see the realities of what it's like to be a child of a blogger who is the star of the show that her mom is directing.
Overall I couldn't read this fast enough and I loved it. So many twists and turns and almost everyone is a suspect at some point or another with how this all went down. You see this isn't just a case of one missing girl, but by the middle of the book, two missing girls both have similar features and both kept secrets from their parents. These secrets end up leaving one of them dead, and one of them missing until at the last minute the detectives find her. My top suspects throughout the vast majority of this book was of course the mother, but also the brother, and then eventually even the dad. This family though, just wow. And the nerve of Jennifer to go about posting on social media while her daughter is missing and acting how she did about certain things. Just wow (truly left me speechless). So much lying and manipulation was happening, and all for just a few more blog clicks. It's just too much, but I do think it shows the toxicity that can happen in the blogging and vlogging world, especially when children are involved.
The ending of this book though... I wasn't expecting those last few pages, with how everything else had been going. Still liked it, but wow that took a dark turn at the end and really shows how much two of the characters were alike after all.
"I never had about being online. She told me I was special, but all I've ever wanted was to be normal. She wouldn't let that happen. She wanted me to be more. All of this is her fault."
I cannot wait to read more by Mchugh in the future!