I found this to be a creative plot - something seemingly rare these days.

. .

Alex Dale stumbles across Amy Stevenson in a routine article on people in vegetative states. Amy disappeared when she was fifteen years old. She was found in a vegetative state. No one knows what happened to her. Alex makes it her mission to find the truth. While she searches she’s battling her own demons of Alcoholism. Will Alex be able to ward off her troubles and help Amy?

In an Oyster Shell – A compelling mystery.

The Pearls – The writing was concise and clear. The word choices were done in variety. The pace though slow at first picked up to a good steady one. It wasn’t a narrative with a lot of action in it. Yet there was a lot of drama that made up for that.

The POV was the third person. It was set with several POV’s but they never got confusing. It was good to have multiple POV’s in this story because you got more of the story. The POV I found most interesting was Jacob. Jacob was Amy’s old teenage boyfriend. He was instrumental in solving the mystery. Seeing it from his POV made the story a lot more clear.

The mystery was not as much compelling as much as it was interesting. Given that the mystery takes place years before the narrative does. The mystery is told mostly in the backstory. This being the case it was intriguing.

Alex was a great character. She was fatally flawed and had to work through that in the story. Her battle with alcoholism was real and added depth to the story.

That the Author gave Amy a POV in her vegetative state was really interesting. It kind of sold the theory that though fairly non-responsive, there can still be some consciousness of sorts going on.

The Sand – The pacing was a little slow in the beginning.

A psychological thriller at its best! Perfect for readers who enjoyed The Girl on a Train and wanted more! Intense story-line, leaves you wondering if you are on the right track to solve the mystery, saddened for the female main characters and angry at the weakness of Jacob. This is the story of Amy, a patient in a hospital ward for invalids and coma patients. Amy hasn't spoken in 15 years following a horrible sexual assault and beating that left her for dead. She was just an inexperienced teen then, basking in the attention of an older man, while dating Jacob, a boy her own age that was still trying to figure his own hormones out. One fateful night all their lives change as she makes the crucial mistake too many young women make and gets in the car. Now, Alex a female reporter who has seemingly lost everything to alcohol addiction is trying to get some piece of herself back and vows to help Amy get closure while proving although she might not be able to communicate, that she is still in there. Still seeking justice and still needing a friend.

A young woman lies in a persistent vegetative state after being attacked fifteen years ago at the age of fifteen.

One of the most interesting facets is that Amy seems to be rather lucid behind her outward appearance. Though she cannot communicate verbally she does so through brain activity and her thoughts. The problem is that she is still just fifteen years old with no immediate recollection of her attack and no realization that so much time has passed.

Alex, an alcoholic journalist with a tenuous grasp on her life takes on Amy’s story as a shot at redemption and attempts to solve her case and bring her attacker to justice. Along with Amy’s old boyfriend, Jake who is undergoing serious marital problems along with the impending birth of his first child. He and Alex form and unlikely alliance as they piece together a mystery that is more than a decade old.

Alex and Jake alternate narration of the story in the present day as Amy fills in the past building to the ending’s big reveal. As Alex and Jake move closer to finding out what happened to Amy, they realize that there are certain people who do not want Amy’s story told.

The story retains an interesting premise however Alex’s character does feel like a rip-off of Rachel in The Girl on the Train. I recently mentioned in a review for Jodi Picoult’s Leaving Time that I was fine with the story’s similarities with a certain blockbuster nineties movie but here the character parallels between Alex and Rachel felt forced. I also question the title which seems to have nothing to do with the story.

Though a somewhat entertaining quick read, this is not one in the thriller-suspense genre that I would rank high enough to offer a read it rating unless you’ve got time to spare.

BRB Rating: Skip It

The moment I started to write this post, Spotify queued Breathe (2 AM) by Anna Nalick. If that’s not perfect timing, I don’t know what is.

http://www.vevo.com/watch/anna-nalick/breathe-(2-am)/USSM20404036

Fifteen years ago, in the little village of Tunbridge Wells, a girl was attacked. When she was found, she was catatonic and never recovered. Freelance Journalist Alex Dale is researching a book lead when she comes across Amy–the girl from her hometown so many years ago, someone she thought disappeared after all the news stories dissipated. Amidst her own personal struggles, she takes on Amy’s story and fights to find her nemesis.

Try Not to Breathe starts a little slow–there’s a bit of character building–but once you actually get into the main story, WHOA. Fans of Gillian Flynn, I AM POINTING A BIG ASS ARROW STRAIGHT AT THIS BOOK.

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There is so much story here: thriller, drama, an uncommon medical issue to provide intrigue. It’s really just a very unique angle for such a story. And even right up until the very end, you have no idea who the attacker might be. Usually I have some idea by the final third of the book, but I really didn’t know.

I can’t even say, “For a debut, this is really good.” It’s just plan GOOD. Try Not to Breathe is out today, folks. Go get your copy!

Try not to breath by Holly Seddon is a mystery and thriller and general fiction (adult) read.
Some secrets never die. They're just locked away.

Alex Dale is lost. Destructive habits have cost her a marriage and a journalism career. All she has left is her routine: a morning run until her body aches, then a few hours of forgettable work before the past grabs hold and drags her down. Every day is treading water, every night is drowning. Until Alex discovers Amy Stevenson. Amy Stevenson, who was just another girl from a nearby town until the day she was found after a merciless assault. Amy Stevenson, who has been in a coma for fifteen years, forgotten by the world. Who, unbeknownst to her doctors, remains locked inside her body, conscious but paralyzed, reliving the past.
This was a absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. Very cleverly written. I didn’t see that coming. This is a must read and I would highly recommend this book. 5*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.