This was a great book! I enjoy Holly Jackson’s books. This book had lots of twists, and even a few I didn’t see coming. There were a few times that the character felt a little emotionless especially considering what the characters were going through. Overall, I highly recommend this book!

I am a big fan of Holly Jackson and had it not been for the fact that the plot seemed interesting and that it was written by her, I probably would not have finished this book. The beginning of the book drags, especially when you know that Rachel is going to come back.

Bel has had to go through a great deal, more than we are made aware of until pretty far into the book. One would think that her mother reappearing after 16 years would be a good thing, but Bel is less than thrilled at the idea and searching for ways to poke holes in Rachel's story. But this story was meant to challenge preconceived notions and have the reader watch as Bel's life completely implodes on itself.

I don't know if it would have been better if I was a teenager, but my teen was jumping up and down when she found we had a copy. I wanted to like this more, I just didn't.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

The plot was interesting and kept me guessing! I liked the storyline, even if it was dark for my taste. The liberal use of the f word was off-putting. I can’t remember if the author’s previous work was similar, but it really stood out to me in this book. It was too much and didn’t seem to serve a purpose that I could discern.

I wanted to love this book. I really did, but it didn’t work for me. The beginning is extremely slowwwww as you’re introduced to basically the entire family tree (none of which are all that memorable IMO). Things really don’t pick up until Rachel reappears, and even then it’s slow until the last 1/4 of the book when it’s a complete info dump. Unfortunately, I was relatively checked out before then to care much anymore.

The spite Bel has for her ‘mom’ is palpable. I use air quotes since she doesn’t even refer to her as mom or mother but instead as Rachel. While Bel hasn’t had it the easiest because of her mom’s disappearance and always being in the shadows of that, I’m not sure that really makes up for the fact that she’s an immature brat. I wish I was being sarcastic/over dramatic but I’m not. She’s so entirely unlikeable. In fact, none of the characters are extremely likeable or make you invested in their stories.

I think this is either a love-it or hate-it book. Diehard HJ fans will understand, especially the teen crowd. To me, it was just meh. It doesn’t hold a candle to AGGGTM unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Children’s for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Bel’s mother is dead…or is she?

Two year old Bel saw what happened to her mom that day, twice to be exact. She was with her mom when it all happened. But being too young to remember, she was unable to actually tell anyone what she saw.

This case quickly grew to be the most talked about disappearance. From message boards to true crime podcasts, everyone wanted to know what happened to Rachel. Including me, the more I read, the more I had to know. What happened to Rachel?!

I had an absolute blast reading this book! The documentary setting hooked me from the first page. The mystery surrounding Rachel, the twists and turns and don’t forget the characters, aka suspects. All of this had me flying through the pages needing to piece the whole puzzle together!

And let me tell you, that puzzle is far bigger than I originally thought. It just kept getting bigger and bigger! I thought I had it figured out, completely sure that I nailed it. Oh my gosh! The way my mouth fell open (multiple times!) as it all started to be revealed...I wasn’t even close!

Bel is also such a fantastic lead to the story. She had me laughing at her sarcastic lines and her personality in general was just so fun! You also can’t forget about Ash! The two of them together was not only hilarious but just down right delightful. They made the perfect team and bounced off each other so well, it was such a treat to read!

This book was fantastic! So pick it up and get ready to try and piece together the mother of all puzzles.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

Holly Jackson really doesn’t disappoint! My anxiety could not keep up with the wild ride at times. Messy, but good kind of messy. Though, some parts in the middle were quite repetitive and it took me away from the suspense.

I like how things were tied together at the end, though I did find that some situations were a little convenient, especially with the film crew. But! It goes to show that there is still good in humanity. I like that. In a way, it helps Bel heals.

Anyway, definitely recommend!!

Thank you for the arc!!

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson follows Bel Price. Bel is the daughter of Rachel Price, who went missing 16 years prior. The Price family is participating in a documentary about the disappearance of Rachel Price. During the making of the documentary Rachel Price returns. I didn't really care for Bel at the beginning of the book, but as the story unfolds, I started to understand her actions and decisions more. The beginning of the book felt slow and I had a hard time staying engaged in the story, but around the 60% mark it picked up and as things were wrapping up I was fully engaged and didn't want to put the book down. The ending took this book from a 3 star read to a four star read for me. I liked the documentary/true crime aspect of the book.

Read this book if you like:
*true crime/documentary plot
*unreliable characters
*family secrets/ dysfunctional family dynamics
*lies and deception
*mother daughter relationships

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's / Delacorte Press for an advanced copy of this book. I voluntarily read it and gave an honest review.

I liked our protagonist Bel but honestly everyone else was fairly minimally present to the point where none of them stood out - even Ash was only memorable for his clothes (which accounted for at least 87% of his personality). But that’s fine; Bel carried the story, and I think that was intentional. Because if we scrutinized anyone at all, I think we would have seen through the whole thing.

The center chunk of the book (~25-75%) was a bit of a slog as poor Bel gets gaslit and terrorizes Ash and Rachel is sketchy and no one else exists as more than props. Then when we do get reveals and some action, it comes hard and fast - primarily in a dialogue heavy infodump (more of a monologue). The twists weren’t laid out very well, which left them feeling kinda half baked.

But it made for easy reading.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=4.5 | 😘=2 | 🤬=4.5 | ⚔️=4.5 | 14/15+

summary: sixteen years ago, Bel’s mom disappeared. now they’re making a documentary about her disappearance—or perhaps her reappearance? with Bel’s mom suddenly back, more mysteries unfold et cetera is her mom lying et cetera what’s up with the cute cameraboy et cetera et cetera

thoughts: if you liked A Good Girl's Guide to Murder , you’ll like this, and I’m saying that because… it’s kinda similar to A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. grumpy girl with single syllable nickname and sunshine boy use an innocent project (documentary, school assignment) as an excuse to investigate a suspiciously solved case very personal to one of them—Ravi’s brother, Bel’s mom. The Reappearance of Rachel Price is different since Bel is attempting to implicate rather than exonerate her mother of a crime, and things get way way more twisty in an insular family way, so it’s definitely different than A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, but like… they are similar. anyway. i loved A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, so i really enjoyed this, even when Ms. Jackson started doing the As Good As Dead thing (the girls who get it get it; i LOVED As Good As Dead). like it’s very tropey but in a very Holly Jackson way—genuinely great twists, genuinely great character arcs!!

5 stars! Holly Jackson cannot write a bad book!!

This was a highly, highly anticipated book of 2024 for me — I devoured the Good Girl's Guide to Murder Series, and Five Survive. Every Jackson novel has absolutely swept me away, kept me on the edge of my seat, and kept me up way past my bedtime.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price is no different. Here, we follow the Price family, specifically Bel, whose mother, Rachel, disappeared 16 years ago. While filming a documentary about the mysterious disappearance, Rachel ... reappears. But Bel is suspicious about her long lost mother's story, and as filming continues, secrets come out, and everything begins to unravel. This was captivating, with twists and turns that had me GASPING at the end. The way that Bel spiraled throughout the book had me spiraling too, and I just couldn't pull myself away from this story. Pick this book up when it's out in two weeks!!

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a DRC in exchange for my honest review!

The story follows a teenaged girl named Bel, whose family participates in a documentary about her missing mother, Rachel Price. Tensions escalate when Rachel reappears after more than a decade. The initial high interest in the story waned as the book progressed due to unlikable characters, particularly Bel. The excessive use of profanity, with over 100 mentions of the word "fuck," and repetitive scenes made the reading experience less enjoyable.

Despite the drawbacks, the author, Holly Jackson, excels in crafting mind-blowing endings. The conclusion was unpredictable and engaging, redeeming the book to some extent. However, the repetitive nature of the plot and uninteresting conversations hindered the overall enjoyment. While not a bad read, the book may not be memorable in the long run, with the standout still being "Five Survive" as my favorite book by Holly Jackson!

Holly Jackson does it again. I loved this book so much. The plot was chiefs kiss.The roller coaster ride i went on while reading this was crazy. This twist, the turns, and the suspense had me on edge and wanting more. I could not put this down. I cant wait get the physical copy on release day to add to my collection :)

Read if you like:
🪢 Investing Mysteries
🎥 True Crime Docs
👯‍♀️ YA books
👨‍👧 Family Dynamics

Overall, I was really invested in the story and wanting to know what the frick happened when Rachel Price disappeared 16 years ago, and how she ended up reappearing during the filming of the documentary of her disappearance.

The pacing was slower than some of Holly’s other books and I feel like some editing to shorten the story telling and having an increase in the pacing would have made this a winner for me, but unfortunately while I did like it, it was just too long and the pacing too slow to love it more.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review! I did love Bel’s character and the way the story ended up, I just wish the pacing had been sped up a bit.

4.5 stars.
I LOVE Holly Jackson's books. I've read every single one since AGGGTM and she'll always be an auto-buy author for me. This book was totally unputdownable. The kind where you'll ignore your husband while you're reading because you NEED to know what happens 😂 There were many times I couldn't help my eye balls from jumping down the page, trying desperately to see what was happening. Without giving it away, the abductor was not who I thought and Jackson cleverly sticks a few characters in there who are suspicious and could be good for it. I didn't really love that the police weren't involved at the end, and how easily some of the characters let others go, but I guess I see how that was the only way for the main characters to truly be free.
Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read early!

oh my gosh, i was so incredibly excited to see that i received this ARC. like you would not believe the expression on my face and the way i was jumping with joy. i love holly jackson so much and i don’t think i’ve given any of her books below four stars. this book was really, really good !! i loved the concept of the documentary and, just in general, i love when authors incorporate different features into their books like that.

one thing that really annoyed me was the constant stuttering on the names. like, i get the point but it was just annoying to keep reading that.

a good girl’s guide to murder will always hold a special place in my heart, and i’m not sure if i liked five survive more than this or not. there’s so many things that set them apart: both good and bad. it was also a bit jarring (not necessarily in a bad way), for some reason, to read some of the modern-day stuff in this and hear about books i’ve read being brought up and the references to wearing a “Covid mask” and things like that.

This book was an absolute roller coaster for me and I’m so torn with the rating… but I think I’m coming down at a 3.5.

I struggled with the beginning of the book, I found the pacing slow and Bel wasn’t that likable of a main character. I think Holly Jackson did TOO good of a job making Bel a standoffish teen that kept everyone at arm’s length because I feel like she kept the reader at arm’s length as well. About midway through the book I was finally hooked and was so excited for the story to come together and the mystery to be revealed.

I have a more detailed review hidden behind spoiler tags on Goodreads - but to sum it up I LOVED the reveals detailing what happened to Rachel all those years ago, but then the ending just went totally off the rails for me.

Overall I definitely enjoyed the ride but I wish she would’ve taken the ending in a different direction. I can think of plenty of options that would’ve been more believable and not so over the top.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read an early copy!

The first 40% of the book had me screaming….i thought Bel was such an immature, obnoxious brat and I felt like I was wasting my time. BUT that next 60% is worth it. Again, another book where I did not see the ending coming. I was shocked and mad but also felt like revenge was served, which is my favorite kind of ending.

This book is like riding a roller coaster for the first time- you know it’s going to be exciting and there’s going to be twists and turns you don’t expect, but when you’re done, you’re shocked at how fun it was. AND there were a lot more surprises than you realized. THIS BOOK IS A WORLD CLASS ROLLER COASTER. 10 out of 5 stars. Seriously. There were SOOOO MANY plot twists that I can’t even count them all. This book. Is. AMAZING.

In a mystery book, you are naturally trying to solve the mystery as you read the book and look for clues. You might as well throw that idea out the window because it is IMPOSSIBLE to guess what happened until it unfolds on the pages. There is some seriously incredible clue dropping during this book, but you will still never figure it out. You just have to read the whole book.

Absolutely amazing- I never thought I would like a mystery more than A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, but I was wrong. This book is fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. This review is not influenced in any way.

Holly Jackson is a master at writing strong female characters. I loved Bel. Her character felt very genuine, while most of the others were pretty shallow. This worked though, because we were in her head and she trusted no one and had all the attachment issues. There were so many twists, most that I never saw coming, and the ending was very satisfying.

This had me hooked from the beginning. I am not a usual YA reader and surprisingly this kept me turning and pages and gripped. I will now be sure to read her back list. The characters were well developed, and the writing flowed. I did not see the twist coming. Thank you to Delacorte Press Publishing, and NetGalley for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.
4.5/5