Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price disappeared without a trace, leaving her family, including her daughter Bel, with a lot of heartbreak and unanswered questions. Now, a documentary crew is working to find those answers with the help of Bel and her family. To everyone’s complete shock, Rachel reappears with an unbelievable, heroic story. A story so unbelievable, Bel finds herself questioning, is it true?

I was so excited for this book. The premise alone was enough to reel me in, reminding me of the bizarre true story of Sherri Papini, so I thought for sure I was in for a wild ride. Unfortunately, this book ended up being a disappointment.

My biggest positive for this book was the character of Rachel Price. She was by far the most interesting part of this story, and Holly Jackson does a great job of making the reader suspicious of her, but also root for her. The rest of the characters are either bland or unlikeable, with Bel (the MC) being the biggest offender of them all. She is nasty to everyone, to the point where her only personality trait is that she is rude. I found myself having to take breaks while reading this because Bel was so unpleasant and spending too much time with her put me in a bad mood.

The writing in this book is very repetitive and choppy. Throughout the book, the author omits things like pronouns and conjunctions. For example, instead of a saying “she went to the room, but couldn’t find what she was looking for” she’d say “went to the room, couldn’t find what she was looking for”. Sometimes this style worked well whenever she was trying to convey tension or chaos, but when it is used repeatedly it just sounds, for lack of a better word, ugly.
I think the author wanted Bel’s “knot in her gut” to be like a secondary character (i.e. Dexter’s “dark passenger”), but after what felt like the fiftieth time it was said, I almost put the book down for good. The use of the words disappeared and reappeared are also all over this book, sometimes used in a way that doesn’t make any sense (i.e. the line “in the sixteen years she was disappeared.")

The actual plot ended up being surprisingly boring, with a few flecks of information sprinkled amongst pages of grating teen angst, culminating in an exposition dump of an ending that was somehow both super obvious and way out of left field. There wasn’t enough in the set up or character development to make this a satisfying conclusion, leaving the climax feeling hollow.

Overall I give this book a 2/5 stars. I am a fan of Holly Jackson, but this was not my favorite. I can forgive poor writing if the characters are strong and the plot is intriguing. This unfortunately was lacking on all 3 fronts. I will still be interested in reading the next one though!

I love Holly Jackson's YA thriller! I may be addicted to them but that's okay because they are so good! I devoured this one! I highly recommend it those who love the genre and the authors previous novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

I was super excited to get approved for this book because I enjoyed the A Good Girls Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson. This book did not disappoint! When I thought I had discovered the twist, I later found out I was very wrong. I didn't see the major twist coming. This book hooked me, and I finished it in under 24 hours! I can't wait to read Holly Jackson's next book!


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Wow. I've read most of Holly Jackson's work so far and this was one of the best. I can usually predict where these stories are going to go and I honestly did not see most of it coming. It's a great ride following Bel navigate the mess that is her life. Her mother disappeared while she was a toddler. Her father was accused of murdering her, but found not guilty of the murder and their family has been pretty tight knit since. Until it suddenly isn't. Surprisingly, Bel's father agrees to participate in a documentary about the disappearance of Rachel Price. Things unravel from there. Bel has trust issues and fairly so. This had twist and turns and was quite a ride. It was nice to see Bel grow a bit during this entire ordeal. Well worth the read, I could not put this down.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings: kidnapping, murder

16 years ago, Rachel Price disappeared, leaving behind her husband and 2-year-old daughter, Bel. Despite being present when her mother disappeared, Bel does not remember what happened. Rachel’s family agrees to film a documentary detailing her disappearance, but they never could have imagined that Rachel herself would reappear. Noting a few discrepancies in her story, Bel is dubious if Rachel is lying about what happened to her. Navigating both her family and the cameras, Bel tries to uncover the truth about Rachel’s disappearance, despite everyone’s insistence that she is being paranoid.

First things first, thank you again to NetGalley and Random House publishing for this ARC. I audibly gasped when I read the email that I had been approved. Holly Jackson has been a favorite author of mine since reading the first A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder book, and I have enjoyed every release since.

This book. I am absolutely speechless. Holly Jackson is so incredibly talented; I have yet to read another author who can drop small clues throughout the book without them being obvious and connect them all together at the end the way that she can. I often find myself wondering how she will manage to tie up all of the loose ends, but she delivers every single time. 5/5 stars, no question.

I'm a big fan of Holly Jackson's books and this has been one of my most anticipated releases this year, so I audibly squealed with excited when I got approved for this ARC!!

Bel Price has lived in the shadow of her mom's disappearance her whole life. When Bel was just a baby, her mom disappeared-leaving Bel with no memory of what happened. Now eighteen years old, Bel is revisiting her mom's case after her family agrees to participate in a true crime documentary about the disappearance. As filming begins to wrap up, Bel cannot to put this behind her and for her life to return back to normal... until the unthinkable happens-Rachel Price shows up on her doorstep alive and back in Bel's life with an unbelievable story as to where she's been during these sixteen long years. As Bel starts to question the validity of Rachel's story, Bel is determined to uncover the truth about her family... and why Rachel really came back.

I loved this book!! I couldn't put it down. Every time I thought I had it all figured out, something happened that pulled me in a different direction! Jackson is an expert at leaving clues throughout the book that point to different possibilities throughout the story, but come together cohesively at the end. If Holly Jackson writes it, I will read it. While this book is YA, I absolutely think mystery/thriller readers of any age will enjoy this fast-paced and suspenseful novel!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to have been given access to this ARC from NetGalley because I am the biggest fan of documentaries and have seen so many crime ones (American Murder: The Family Next Door, Crime Scene: The Vanishing of the Cecil Hotel, Why Did You Kill Me?, The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, etc.). Reading the description for this book, I just felt a calling for me to get my hands on it as soon as I could.

It started off slow. Almost to a point where I wasn't actually sure if I felt like reading it. There's a lot of almost filler-like moments in the beginning that really do set the stage for the whole story, but are dry and not very engaging. Then Rachel reappears. Shortly after that, it takes off. It took me about three days to read 100 pages and about 3.5 hours to read the remaining 348.

Bel is an interesting character. I can see a lot of myself in her. She is guarded and sarcastic and unpleasant (as Ash would say). But it's perfect. Ash, on the other hand, is ridiculous. But in the best way possible. He's clumsy and wear the most atrocious and iconic outfits. He's a lovable weirdo.

Something I did miss in the story though was the actual documentary part of it. It started out so strong and then fell towards the end, but that was my whole reason for wanting to read the book to begin with. The ending was still eye-widening, but I would have loved a better outcome with the actual documentary that was being made the whole time. But again, documentaries are just something I love and that's why I personally would have liked for that aspect of it to be more present.

3.5 stars. While I have too much anxiety to fully appreciate The Reappearance of Rachel Price, that’s not going to affect my star rating. If you like thrillers, you’ll LOVE The Reappearance of Rachel Price. This is a solid thriller with loads of twists and turns. I gasped plenty of times and sent my friend a 7-minute voice memo about the ending because it shocked me to my core.

What I liked:
* The documentary plot. I liked that Holly Jackson branched out from podcasts into the documentary world. It raised interesting ethical questions, which brings me to…
* The discussion of ethics surrounding true crime consumption. At what point does true crime media become exploitative? As someone who enjoys true crime podcasts, I do believe there is a fine line between an interest in and an obsession with cases that affect very real people.
* Carter! She was my favorite character. Holly does a great job of alluding to her struggles without hitting us over the head with foreshadowing.
* Rachel! I won’t say much else because of *spoilers*

What I struggled with:
* Bel’s character. I definitely felt bad for her and wanted her to be okay, but I didn’t necessarily like her. And there’s nothing wrong with that per se: female characters don’t always have to be likeable. I just couldn’t help but compare her to Pip from AGGGTM, who I absolutely adored.
* The pacing at the beginning. This novel got off to slow start, though once things picked up, they REALLY picked up.
* How often the characters swore. I’m a big girl, so I can skip over this usually without it affecting my rating. However, it felt excessive to the point where I wondered why we couldn’t find a better way to express our feelings (I’m looking at you, Bel).

Overall, despite discovering through reading this that I am a big scaredy cat, I did enjoy The Reappearance of Rachel Price. It’s a solid thriller that focuses on familial love. It’s good, though I didn’t enjoy it as much as I loved the author’s previous books.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND PUBLISHER FOR THIS ADVANCE REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
How long I waited for this book and how excited I was after getting the ARC and Holly Jackson didn't disappoint me, as usual. Holly Jackson is nothing if not smart. I don't wanna give away too much so it's gonna be a rant rather than a review 😂

Rachel Price disappeared 16 years ago, leaving a baby Bel behind in the car seat. Bel and Charlie (Rachel's husband) have been living under all of the controversies about Rachel's disappearance. Charlie has been a suspect and everything has left a permanent mark on Bel's life. She is bitter, snarky, and definitely struggles to trust people. Her character can be unlikeable or relatable. Bel has accepted that her mother is dead and this mystery is never gonna solved. Until Rachel returned one day with a story of kidnapping. Bel is paranoid and can't trust her own mother and the activities of her parents are shady which is fueling more to her suspicion.

Holly Jackson knows how to write a gripping story and keep readers on the edge throughout the book. One of the best things about her writing is the development of characters, every character has so many layers that make them unique and humane and easy to relate to or hate. The involvement of nuanced emotions is another powerful element. I love the way the entire emotional turmoil of each character was presented upon the return of Rachel. Unlike other books of HJ, romance was a really tiny part of the book. I so wanted to give this book 5 stars but there were a couple of things that didn't sit right to me. But I can bet this is gonna be my favorite book of the year and it is only March.

I have to say, the beginning was hard for me to get into. A few times it felt like it changed from different characters point of view from one paragraph to the next without much of a transition. But the ending was everything!! As soon as I thought I had it figured out, she had twist after twist. I felt like I had no idea where the book was going to end in the best way. I couldn’t put it down and the ending was amazing. Though the beginning wasn’t as good as the ending, the book is still worth reading. Truly different than any other book. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me get a copy early!

I really enjoyed THE REAPPEARANCE OF RACHEL PRICE. My daughter is a huge fan of Holly Jackson, so I had to see what I was missing out on. From the start, the story grabbed my attention. In fact, I was not expecting all the surprises that were in store for me. It was fast paced, with great characterization and a well developed plot. I can see why Holly Jackson is a huge success, with that said, I can highly recommend grabbing a copy. I definitely will be reading more of her books in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared to my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) closer to publication date.

16 years ago Rachel Price disappeared leaving her 2 year old daughter Bel in the backseat of her car. Now while her family is in the middle of a documentary about said disappearance, she reappears. The story follows her daughter Bel figuring out what happened.

This has similar vibes to a good girls guide to murder and just like in that series I enjoyed the beginning, until it went off the rails. The ending is a hot mess, unrealistic just absurd. This could have been spun in so many different ways, but this was not it.
Also the characters were so unlikeable, all of them. I get that Bel is going through it, but still.
I dont know, maybe Holly Jackson isnt for me. This surely wasnt it.

Thanks to netgalley and delacorte press for an advanced readers copy.

Wow! So much to unpack here. I love Holly Jackson's writing style as she leaves you guessing and makes you change your theories 100 times before the end of the book. I love a mystery that keeps on twisting. The premise of this book was intriguing from the start - Bel became wrapped up in a family mystery when she was 2 years old and her mother was taken and she was the only witness. Then 16 years later, Rachel, her mom comes home. Where was she? Who took her? Why did she come back? With the help of a documentary filming crew Bel starts to investigate what really happened and she gets caught up in the lies. I thoroughly enjoyed this middle-grade novel and will recommend it to high school libraries (there's a bit too much language for middle school). My only complaint is how the sister-in-law was treated in the end, felt the unfairness for her! Otherwise, great read!

This was a wild ride. I sometimes forgot I was reading a YA book, which is a plus. I also felt like this was better than the murder series. The characters and secrets kept me so invested and by the last half I was reading every chance I got. Thriller fans will really be excited about this one.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price is a twisty mystery about a mother that’s been missing for 16 years, the family left behind, and the daughter who will do anything to find the truth.

Holly Jackson really, truly delivers again. So far, every single book she’s written I’ve devoured in hours. She manages to write complicated, lovable characters that are not just smart and cunning, but incredibly relatable. You’ll feel a lot for Bel, and for her family. You’ll feel so much that every twist and turn will have you on the edge of your seat, flipping the pages as fast as you can.

I clearly love Holly Jackson, and I love this book.

I think this was a well written YA book. I think teens will like the thrills it provides as well as the twists

4.45!

So much happened. Expectations were high, some were met, some were not but all in all, it was a splendid experience that I know I will want to experience once again.

It is honestly something in the way that Holly writes because there is no way that I could read a book by her and not feel hooked, not feel like I have to let go of all my other reads just to finish this one. Her style of writing, her way with words are beautiful and immersive, from the moment that I read the first page I knew this was going to be a wild ride and I was not proven wrong. I swear to god if I had time, I would have read it in one sitting but even when I was not reading it and was occupied with work, this book never failed to leave my mind, it was literally etched into it. Holly Jacksons writing style is so atmospheric, suspenseful, compelling and captivating

Annabel Price (bel) our main character through whom we experience the whole book was a pleasure to read because let me tell you there is not one character that has made me laugh, feel sad, happy and frustrated at the same time, She was so witty and smart and I loved how all the snarky retorts were at the tip of her tongue and how she spoke back because we do not see that happen in many books and I hate characters who can not stand up for themselves luckily that was not the case for Bel. Holly has the magic of writing flawed and complex characters so well and she does not hold back any chance she gets to wield it because there were so many layers to Bel's character and just so much depth. I honestly felt Bel and because she was written in such an intricate way I saw how much frustrating it must have been for her.

The plot was so well webbed and I honestly believe that authors of this genre should be praised so highly because it is not easy at all to write a plot line that engages readers, keeps them on their toes while simultaneously foreshadowing and throwing things around things which make so much sense and the fact that they have the brain to throw us off completely from what is happening and prove our theories wrong again and again is just straight up amazing, because I can write a romance and a fantasy novel but I could never write a thriller. Moving back, Under these well placed layers of clues, interviews, documentary and notes I found so much enjoyment. I experienced the sudden epiphany of unveiling the clues that were thrown at us and at times I stopped doing my work just to sit and read this. It was so well thought and so well placed. The only reason why I am not giving this a 5 is because I somewhat predicted one of the main twists which instead of giving me satisfaction, made me feel underwhelmed but I was thrown off once again with another twist that I did not see coming but should have.

Note: There is very minimal romance, much less than AGGTM and we do get crumbs and nice moments with banter but it is definitely not the main focus and is overshadows but the development and twists.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I cant talk about these two characters without spoiling it for others.

Rachel Price, from the moment she was introduced I knew she was innocent and had been wronged, there was someone after her and at first tbh I did not expect it to be Charlie but rather the stalker but as the story progressed and things started to unravel I went like FUCK YEAH IT IS HIM
but technically I was wrong since the grandpa was the one who kidnapped her but the father was the one who orchestrated it all and truth be told the moment I heard him say "works tough" I knew he was lying and he had a role to play and I was RIGHT but OH MY GOD that Carter twist was so unexpected MY EYES WERE WIDE and I GASPED so loud.

SPOILERS END

Overall, I had the best time with this book and would definitely recommend it to everyone! y'all have to experience this!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review*

*thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte for a free ARC of this book, it in no way changed my rating*

Best book of the year, I’m calling it now.

The first and last 20 pages were a little long winded and probably could have been edited but otherwise this book was INSANE. I love a book where there are clues along the way and this was definitley that.

We follow Bel, whose mother went missing when she was 2. 16 years later, the mother has reappeared but her story isn’t making sense.

This is FULL of twists and turns and an Absolutley wild ride. I couldn’t put it down.

I haven’t rated a book 5 stars at all this year and this was first one that I did. Holly Jackson never fails to make the most diverse and interesting characters and a storyline that has you on the edge of your seat at all times. I absolutely loved this book and I look forward for more of Holly’s books!

Holly Jackson delivers AGAIN!

I was worried I wouldn't love it since it wasn't Pip...but this story hooked me early on and never let go. Jackson has such a gift and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to read this early.