I was so excited to see a book set in Laos and could not wait to read it. Unfortunately, I was met with great disappointment. I'm not sure why they Shannon O'Gorman called this Lost in Laos, as it is set in Cambodia (they do briefly go through Laos, but no one is lost). Actually they leave Laos on a moped and arrive in Cambodia for the dig with no mention of crossing a border into another country.

The over-simplification of the issues surrounding archeological digs and the ownership of the treasure found is astounding, In this case, the main character, Rose , has already kept marbles from a previous discovery and then is given and happily takes a statue from Cambodia back to her home in Toronto with no discussion about the treasure belonging to the people of Cambodia.

This gigantic (and offensive) oversight aside, I found the writing failing. A chapter ends in one time line and the next starts in another with no indication of the time change. There is no character development, For instance, Holly and David meet and before you know it are pregnant and in love. No relationship development at all - when did they even sleep together, or date?

I'd usually talk about the story line, but really, it was threadbare. As I said, I was so excited to read this. My husband was born in Laos and I have spent much time there and in Cambodia. This is not a good representation, or even a good story.

My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.