Mona has one goal this summer, find out what really happened to Roxy Raines in 1986 and report it on her podcast. She lies about her age to get a job on the island Roxy disappeared from and runs away from home. Mona tells us herself that she is a liar, and she proves it by lying to everyone multiple time s throughout the book.

The mystery is a good one with lots of twists a surprise ending, however, due to the vulgar language used in the book I will not be purchasing this one for my students.

CW: physical/mental abuse, language, alcohol use, murder.

Review:
4.4 ⭐
It took me longer than I would have liked to really get into MISSING. Don't get me wrong, the book is beautifully written, from the description to the prose. I was confused about the Roxy and Celeste case, but eventually, I understood where the author was going with the story. Speaking of the story, once the dialogue picked up and the story, I was hooked. I couldn't believe the route that was took---and what actually happened in the past with Roxy and the others. Overall, MISSING was a great read with so many twists and turns that'll keep you guessing and intrigued until the end.

What I Liked About It:
*that big twist
*the description
*the writing

This book is a mystery/thriller with different point of views from the characters and beautifully written. The timelines were also very well written.

I read this book in a day and I never looked back! The twist and the plot were pretty easy to identify but the different POV's kept me intrigued to see how everything was going to unfold. A couple of the characters were so unlikable that it made it hard to feel bad or connect with them in any way. I do wish that the ending would've given a little more, I wanted to know how the characters dealt with the aftermath.

Overall I give this 5 out 5 because it really was a great book and I will definitely read more from this Author. I enjoyed the thrill of the plot and its twists.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the copy of Missing by Savannah Brown. The story was really intriguing, even though I didn’t understand the point of the “other” missing person. I loved the big reveal and it was a huge shock for me! I’m not sure why the writing style made this book really hard to read, but I found myself having to read sentences and paragraphs a couple of times in order to understand them. I realized later that the author writes poetry, so it makes sense that the writing wasn’t my cup of tea and that I didn’t ‘get’ it. The only character I warmed up to was Ellis and it seemed like some of the other characters were just tossed into the story for no reason. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. It wasn't a bad book, it just wasn’t for me.

Mona heads to an island off the coast of Delaware to get answers about what happened to indie singer Roxy Raines over 30 years ago. But the islanders are secretive and don't appreciate Mona stirring up trouble, and with the island bringing up memories of what happened when her older sister went missing, Mona's in a lot deeper than she thinks.

This was certainly a book. I liked the podcast elements, but after the first part, they all but disappeared. I liked hearing the snippets of what Mona thought initially juxtaposed with the information she was finding out. Mona and Ellis (sunshine boy, must be protected at all costs) team up to get answers, but they seemed to have a very easy time getting them?? People would say "why are you doing this?" and proceed to spill their guts. Also the ending made literally no sense. It wasn't even a left unresolved on purpose sort of ending, it just abruptly cut off like the author hit a character limit and just gave up.
Topics like ableism and sibling abuse are skirted around and not addressed head-on, which was frustrating, especially in the case of the former because the treatment of Ellis is brought up so much but NO ONE talks about how it's not just because his family is "cursed"--it's because people are ableist and Ellis has a stutter. There were really no stakes, the mystery wasn't very interesting, and the writing was overly purple and too descriptive in a way that did not enhance the book, rather, it took away from the plot.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!:)

This was an interesting one for sure. It was jam packed full of twists and interesting characters. It just didn't grab my attention the way some others have but it was definitely a worthwhile read and I'd recommend it as a thrilling summery mystery!

I haven’t read any reviews for this book yet! I really enjoyed this. I will say- it is a slow burn at the beginning and I was questioning whether I was going to get sucked in or not, but I sure did. The story really comes together in the middle of the book.. and by the end you’re like “what the HELL!”
I loved this thriller and I think that the author is an incredible writer.

3.25/5

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS fire and NetGalley for my gifted e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The pacing of this book might be very slow at the beginning as the author is setting the scene, but once it picks up, you wouldn't be able to put it down. I did not see the reveal about Celeste's life (and eventually her death) coming at all. I really spent an entire chapter worrying about Ellis and about the possibility of him vanishing into thin air in the woods when there's a hurricane coming, only to be smacked with THAT instead? For two chapters in a row? Overall, this was an enjoyable read, I recommend everyone to push through the slow-ness of the beginning because it's worth it.

This is a beautifully written, almost poetic story of a young girl, hoping to resolve issues from her past by finding out what happened to a singer many years before. The main character is very well developed, she seems older than her years and with much more awareness and depth, which was refreshing. I think my students will enjoy it and I as an adult enjoyed it as well. 4.5 rounded up

The premise of this book was fascinating for me, despite it being somewhat unrealistic. I like the characters and thought they were well developed. The plot itself just felt underdeveloped throughout the book, like it needed some polishing

"Missing" is a ya mystery thriller written by Savannah Brown.

The story revolves around the young singer Roxy Raines, who in 1986 disappears from the tiny resort of Sandown, an island located off the coast of Delaware. A disappearance that gets moderate media coverage. An event the island locals refuse to talk about, especially to those they consider outsiders, declaring Roxy a troubled young runaway. A wound from which the island has never recovered. Thirty years later, 17-year-old Mona Perry arrives on the island determined to discover the real reason behind Roxy's disappearance. Armed with a suitcase and a microphone, Mona has just one torrid summer to get to the bottom of Roxy's story and record it all for her podcast, dedicated to missing persons, and fans. But as Mona digs deeper into the strange and isolated community, it becomes clear that nothing is as it seems, least of all Mona's own past and the disappearance of someone close to her.

I was deeply fascinated by this read! I found it delightfully dark, mysterious, atmospheric, and intricate. Some elements did not completely convince me, but overall it was still a very enjoyable book.

I liked the writing a lot! I found it evocative, lyrical and at times poetic, accompanied by vivid descriptions and effective dialogue. In my opinion this is a researched prose, careful in word choice, rich in similes, metaphors and more. Beautiful, at times dense, it requires special attention and perhaps for this reason is not suitable for everyone. Personally, I enjoyed it so much! Also, for me, the author handles the darker tones of the story very well, inserting a subtly unsettling nuance that I simply adored. Finally, the fast pace, combined with the short chapters, made it almost impossible for me to tear myself away from the pages.

The setting is beautiful! The story takes place on the sleepy island of Sandown Bay, off the coast of Delaware. Originally a sailors' port, it is now a tourist destination, with a resident population of nearly two hundred. A place with few activities, mostly bars and pubs, no hospital, and a school with fewer than thirty students. The small community is located on the southern side of the island, connected by a single arterial road and its smaller branches, surrounded by a larger, darker portion of forests, which extend from the northern side. Extremely intricate and dense vegetation, with a threatening and deceptively placid atmosphere, closed to the public because of its danger. A seemingly peaceful location, shrouded by the ocean, where everyone knows everyone. A closed, secretive community, distrustful of outsiders, where secrets run abundant and deep. What can I say? I loved the island of Sandown Bay! In my opinion it was portrayed beautifully, with its vast amount of mysteries, secrets and pitfalls. I admit that I disliked most of the residents, but the nature is something incredibly powerful and wonderful

The story proceeds quickly and intriguingly, revolving around the mysterious disappearance of Roxy Raines. A young singer, problematic by all accounts, vanished into thin air in the hot August of 1986, the night before she left Sandown Bay for Nashville. A closed, dismissed case, about which residents do not speak to outsiders. A nebulous subject, surrounded by secrets and whispers, that people prefer to leave in oblivion. A still open wound that has changed the island forever. A matter that young Mona, creator of the podcast "How to Disappear" wants to shed light on. What happened to Roxy Raines? Who was she really? These are the questions that hover throughout the story, intertwining with deceptions and lies. I quite enjoyed the idea of the podcast, as well as the whole murky mystery concerning Mona herself. The storyline development left me pleasantly satisfied. I admit that I spotted the various plot twists well in advance, however, I appreciated them all the same. The only flaw is that the ending, or better yet the last few pages, seemed a bit rushed to me. I don't know, I would have liked a few more lines to bring it to a less abrupt close.

I really enjoyed Mona, the protagonist and only first-person pov! Mona is a seventeen-year-old girl, creator of the podcast "How to Disappear," dedicated to missing persons cases. Haunted by the disappearance of Roxy Raines, she is intent on shedding light on the mystery once and for all. To do this, she travels to the island of Sandown Bay, disguising herself as a seasonal worker so she can investigate. Mona is an extremely complex and multifaceted character, with a complicated family and a turbulent past. She is a determined and intelligent girl, with a fixation on missing persons, characterized by deep inner contrasts. She is wounded, confused and lost, constantly searching for herself and her place in the world. She is an unreliable, uncertain narrator to whom one must pay close attention. In my opinion this is a character with excellent psychological characterization, which convinced me a lot.

The rest of the secondary characters, by contrast, seemed shallow and flat to me. Some less than others certainly, but in general they did not convey much to me. They entertained me, they played their role, but otherwise they left me indifferent. A pity, because some had potential.

All in all, this is an enjoyable ya mystery thriller, with an atmospheric setting and evocative writing, which I recommend to lovers of the genre!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

If teenagers could solve crime they would be hired to do so, teenage runaway decides she’s a detective and can solve the mystery of this missing singer. Not for me and I didn’t enjoy it.

Missing by Savannah Brown
Publisher Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date December 05, 2023


Characters: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Pace: 3/5
Overall Enjoyment: 3/5

I honestly wanted to love this book. The premise sounded really good but it was a very hard book to read. There was way too much language that because this author also writes poetry makes sense but I am not really into poetry and thrillers combined. it was a very slow read. It took forever to get to certain points that the author was trying to get at.

Rory Rains is a singer in the 1980’s and was supposed to arrive in Nashville for a singing contract but vanished the night before leaving. The story moves forward 30 yrs to a teenager Mona Perry. Mona has a podcast and now that she lives in the same city Rory did, she wants to solve her disappearance. Mona also had a sister that disappeared so that made her more determined to solve the mysterious disappearances of both girls. The only problem is that you will be able to figure it out pretty early on. This book could have been a 5 and maybe the author will work on changing some things around before it is due to be released.

3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

I surprised myself by how much I love the podcast-centric sub-genre of thrillers. That was one of the biggest aspects that drew me to Missing. Unfortunately, the plot just didn't hold my attention. With so many other thrillers to read, this went into my DNF pile.

This story takes place over a span of 30 years, One storyline follows Roxy Raines, who was a singer in the 1980s and simply vanished off the face of the Earth the night before she was supposed to leave for Nashville to fulfill a music contract. The other storyline follows modern day teenager Mona Perry, a newcomer to the small town where Roxy lived all those years ago. Mona has a podcast and wants to solve the Roxy Raines mystery for her followers. She's interested because a few years ago, her own sister disappeared. There are a lot of twists and turns, but this story drags along forever.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I started this book with no expectations, just a love of thrillers and YA fiction. I really struggled to get into this book. Usually thrillers and YA have something in the intro and beginning chapters that really hook you, but this book started with a lot more metaphorical language (which after reading it, I realized in the acknowledgements that the author has written poetry before so some of that makes sense; however, it still didn’t make the intro any more exciting in my opinion.)

I gave this book an honest 3 stars. It wasn’t bad, it just dragged on in the beginning especially and didn’t contain as much excitement as it could have. I guessed the “twist” from about 30% into the book so the mystery element was lacking to me. I didn’t love the main character, and I didn’t feel any more connected to her after I learned more about her past. Booker was the only character that I felt connected to, and I enjoyed his persona in the story. All in all, it wasn’t my favorite book, but it was a mystery worth reading (especially if you’re ever on vacation to an island during hurricane season!)

I love Savannah's poetry and her voice and way with words shows up in some gorgeous sentences and observations here. Mona is a truly thorny, unlikeable female character with a ton to unpack and a fascinating relationship with her missing sister that I wished had been unpacked more. There was a lot to like about this, but mainly I struggled to be convinced by the point of the whole Roxy Raines mystery, which made it hard for most of the book to land.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC !
Missing follows a teenage girl who goes to a idilic island for investigate the disappearance of a promising singer decades before. The books have a dry tone,so serious than it was even hard to me to depict the island as some place sunny,even tough the books takes place trough the summer. I really liked that ! Plus,the MC was bold and,even tough the book felt slow in some parts,I would totally recomend this one for thrillers and YA fans,the multiple POVS sounded a little bit off sometimes but it was nothing than could compromise my experience with "Missing".

Missing is a gripping thriller perfect for a young adult audience. I did think this was slow in parts as it is told from multiple POV's and there are different subplots however overall I was on the edge of my seat throughout and didn't want to put this down.

"Missing" is a brooding, atmospheric read with enough tension to keep the reader interested. Recommended for YA lovers of mystery and suspense. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.