The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti flows naturally and without effort. The dialogue throughout this book really made the best part of the story. The main character is Hawthorn Creely who can at times be loveable and other times test your patience. She is a lonely teenager who is seventeen years old. She wants to fit in with the other people her age. This is a story about a typical high school girl who feels left out a lot of the time.

Lizzie Lovett goes camping with her boyfriend who is twenty-five years old and disappeared. Hawthorn becomes obsessed with Lizzie Lovett's disappearance. Hawthorn did not know Lizzie Lovett before she disappeared. It appears like Hawthorn is trying to take Lizzie Lovett's identity. On closer inspection Hawthorn does not feel good about herself. Hawthorn tries to find out everything she can about Lizzie. She gets different opinions from everyone else. She thinks Lizzie's life was perfect.

At its core, this book is a mystery, and it’s a great one. A popular girl named Lizzie Lovett has disappeared, and Hawthorn has a theory about what happened, so she decides to investigate. I thought this was GREAT. I was constantly guessing and trying to figure out what happened to Lizzie, and I found the twists and turns really rewarding. Also, the resolution was perfect and made total sense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Source books publisher for the advanced readers copy for a fair and honest review of this book.

Trigger Warning: Self-Harm, Suicide, General Bullshit About Mental Health

Oh boy, this one is going to be rough. Look, this is not some teen sleuth finding out what happened to Lizzie. This is all about Hawthorne being unstable, unlikeable, and full of herself. This is all about perpetuating the bullshit and stigma around mental health. This is another mediocre white girl thinking she’s a special snowflake and all the angst when the world won’t treat her like it. This is a 25 year old guy fucking high school kids. This is the worst mean girl ever written acting out because she’s jealous of fucking Hawthorn for no damn reason besides “Hawthorne is special”.

While there are some authentic moments, like wishing ill on people making fun of you, wanting to belong and being lonely, the non-perfect reality of losing your virginity, and small town life, it is buried until a mountain of harmful, painful, awful bullshit.

Let’s start with the title: what a crock of shit. Lizzie Lovett hasn’t spouted off ‘alternative facts’ to people. What the title referred to is actually other’s incorrect perception of her and social stigma against mental health issues.

Depressed people CAN have happy or content moments so Lizzie saying at one point that she’s happy IS NOT EVIDENCE SHE WASN’T SUFFERING.

I went search for articles about the bullshit that “happy” people don’t kill themselves and found this article from Jezebel. There’s an interesting quote:
“Appalachian State at least three — the disappearance in September of a freshman, Anna M. Smith, led to an 11-day search before she was found in the North Carolina woods, hanging from a tree.”

Hmmm, boy that sounds familiar? Just swap out the collage for a small town and that’s Lizzie. There’s lot of “but she had it all!” spouted and doesn’t get debunked. Hawthorn’s just confused, and then depressed. And her family doesn’t get her help or talk to her. They threatened her with a doctor and snap, Hawthorn got out of bed but she wasn’t better.

Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett perpetuals the social bullshit that comes along with mental health issues. Nothing is found out about Lizzie. She’s not in the story or part of it besides a Hawthorn’s obsession. She never gets inside Lizzie’s head and understands her or depression or suicide.

There’s no insight or consideration or thoughtfulness. There’s no exploring the grief of the people affected by a person dying by suicide. No hope or help. Just Hawthorn being Hawthorn, using her imagination as denial and escape and believing in it way too much. It honestly sounds like she has a disassociation disorder.

This is not some nerd geeking out about a fantasy or sci-fi world. She honestly thinks Lizzie turned into a werewolf and goes into a depressive state when finding out that’s not true. This is not about “oh, everyone grieves differently”. Hawthorne chokes herself with a scarf to “see how it’s like”, FFS.

If someone is grieving like this, they need help because it’s not healthy and needs at the very least a therapist to talk to.

Is this something kids and teens need to know, talk, and read about? Absolutely! But this is not this book. Please, for the love of all that is good and decent, do not put this book in the hands of someone who has mental health issues. And don’t praise it and support this bullshit either but the horse is already out of the gate on that one.


Next up, our leading lady Hawthorn:
Typical mediocre white girl that’s pretty but doesn’t think she is
Not Like Those Other Girls ™
Quirky ™
Self-involved
Selfish
Malicious. Constantly wishes minor inconveniences on other people.
Hates people that judge her but has a major in judging others
She’s different & special, “just no one understands her” angst
Thinks a boyfriend will fix everything
Has no plans or ideas for the future. Spurns everyone asking and trying to help her as sheep that just don’t get it.

Hawthorn’s super out there theory? Lizzie turned into a werewolf. Seriously. Really Really. Did I mention she’s 17?

She just wants someone to acknowledge and be open to the possibilities of magic though I don’t remember her using that term. But that’s what it boils down to, but has I stated earlier she uses it in unhealthy ways.

No one encourages her except Lizzie’s Boyfriend, her brother’s best friend, and hippies from her mother’s past that’s camping in the backyard. (This is important later, just wait.)

And apparently that kind of thinking makes her special and different and unique and should be a writer and she’ll go places! She won’t be stuck in a 9-5 job to pay the bills like everyone else, no siree bob. Those stupid sheep, just don’t get it. But this 17 year old white girl from a small white town has it all figured out. Even if she doesn’t know what she’s going to do after high school, it’ll work out just fine for Hawthorn the Special Snowflake.

Look, I’ve been a white girl in a small white town but I DO NOT identify with Hawthorne.

Did I wish bad things would happen to the people that made fun of me or joked around about things I was sensitive about? Yes. But when bad things enviably happened, like the popular girl breaking her arm, I wasn’t overcome with joy and thought she deserved what happened. That’s not karma, that’s just her being a cheerleader and landing horribly wrong once.

Did I anxiously want friends and a place to belong? Yes, but I didn’t alienate the one friend I had by treating her like shit, dominating the conversation making everything about me and daydreaming when she tried to speak. I sure as shit didn’t judge the dude she liked on assumptions and talk shit about him or try to break them up. Hawthorne should’ve been right there, getting to know the dude and making sure he treated her friend right.

Did I anxiously await the day to escape and never come back? Yes. But I HAD A FUCKING PLAN. You will not escape without a plan. Small towns live and breathe by families staying where the fuck they are. Like quick sand, panicking and screaming you don’t belong here make it fucking worse. You have to wait and plan until the time comes and strike out. Hawthorn is already working in a dead diner, I bet she keeps working there languishing until her parents kick her out to get her own crappy apartment.

If she really wants experiences, she could save up money and go traveling. But does she? No. Hawthorne doesn’t plan anything. She doesn’t follow through with anything like getting her fucking car fixed. Oh, did I mention she got an old used car because she wanted one with character and history? She turned down her parents offer and good advice to get a POS.

*SIGH* Anyways onto the plot…

There’s is Hawthorne being snoopy but she’s not a sleuth. There is no clues to follow or a mystery to unravel. It’s all about Hawthorne fucking over her one and only friend, her angst, and boys. And the feminine, traditionally ‘girly’ mean girl treating Hawthorne like shit because she’s jealous. (OF WHAT?!)

Oh and some hippies show up out of nowhere and camp in their backyard. Fun times!

Hawthorne hinks having a boyfriend will make her happy. She gets a sort-of one, loses her virginity, and she is admittedly happier than before with him by her side.

Her family and friend try to warn her off because the dude is 8 years older and used to date Lizzie. They surprisingly give up on talking about the subject quickly because Hawthorne has a temper-tantrum when they broach the subject. “At least she’s getting out of the house” WTF?

But wait! He’s a pathetic loser who’s not good enough for Hawthorne and finally she sees the light. Bam! Another dude who’s just been waiting in the wings for her is right there. HE believes her and thinks her way of thinking is cool. She promises to “search for magic but not invent it”. It ends with them walking and talking together and all is better.

SPARE ME.

This book was very unique! Hawthorne made the book come alive with her imagination and adventures. The ending was somewhat predictable but surprising at the same time. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a fun, fast, and unique read.

I have seen a few bloggers mentioned how they loved this book and I use that excuse to keep on reading but I just couldn't get into it. The wereworf thing was just too much and it's not even a fantasy book. 50% of the book and still not a lot going on.. The cover is my kind of book but the plot is very hard to get into.

I did not do a review of this book bc it just was not for me.

To discuss The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett is to revisit what I loved as a young reader. I was obsessed with middle grade mysteries... Nancy Drew, horror mysteries, fantasy mysteries, pretty much anything that left me guessing. All of those. I have no idea why I stopped reading them, but I suspect it was when they made us read a mystery in grade school, and when you HAVE to read something, you suddenly don't want to read them anymore. Anyway... back to the review!

This story introduces us to Hawthorn, a snarky but honest and comfortable in her own skin teen, slash somewhat outsider, slash lonely but not lonely teen who is trying to figure out how to get her mom to let her stay home from school when her older (and clearly popular) brother shares that news that Lizzie Lovett has gone missing. Lizzie is beloved, or envied, and a former cheerleader at Hawthorn's high school. Lizzie is cast as a likable and valued member of their world, or the 'inner circle' of their world. Though Hawthorn seems completely disinterested over the initial melodrama, she starts to put pieces of the truth together.

Without spoilers (as it is a mystery), I will say that my favorite part of this book is Hawthorn's voice. It is so true, clear, imperfect, obnoxious, snarky, endearing and valid. Her voice is so effortless you may forget that you are reading an authored work and not listening to an actual person or reading their journal. Hawthorn is immediately likable by anyone who has ever felt like they were on the outside looking in.

This was a refreshing read for me as it is so different than many of the most popular offerings out there. It's not a sci-fi, or a fairy tale retelling, it's just an original read. I look forward to Chelsea's next book!

Synopsis: "A teenage misfit named Hawthorn Creely inserts herself in the investigation of missing person Lizzie Lovett, who disappeared mysteriously while camping with her boyfriend. Hawthorn doesn't mean to interfere, but she has a pretty crazy theory about what happened to Lizzie. In order to prove it, she decides to immerse herself in Lizzie's life. That includes taking her job... and her boyfriend. It's a huge risk — but it's just what Hawthorn needs to find her own place in the world."

This book sounded appealing to me, as I love a good crime mystery, and that's what I went in expecting. While this book is a mystery, it's less about solving the mystery and more about Hawthorn dealing with not loving herself for who she is and wanting to become someone else, Lizzie Lovett. The character herself just bugged me. She was whiny and irrational and pretty immature. The story itself is good, and that's where the 3 stars come in, but I could have used a lot less of Hawthorn's self-loathing & whining about her life. She gets so wrapped up in Lizzie and her life and what she thinks it is, that she misses great things going on around her. I will purchase this for my library and some teens will like it and identify with it. For me, it was just so-so.

I was given an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett
I liked Hawthorn from the beginning page when she compared her mother’s oatmeal to silly putty. My mother made oatmeal like that. This lighthearted opening for The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti doesn’t stay lighthearted long.
Questions begin for Hawthorn as soon as word gets out that Lizzie Lovett has disappeared. Is she dead? Did her boyfriend kill her? Has she become a werewolf? And the big one, can Hawthorn find out what happened to her?
Relationships with her longtime best friend, her brother and his best friend Connor, the people at the diner where she works to keep her dilapidated car running, and Lizzie’s boyfriend round out the story of Hawthorn’s search. Then her mother’s long ago hippie friends show up to camp out in the back yard.
In an unapologetic spoiler, the book deals with bullying, social outcasts, and suicide. Hawthorn says it well, “The thing about high school is that you have to pretend you don’t care what people think, even though that’s all you care about.”
Hawthorn’s poor decisions sometimes had me wanting to yank a knot in her neck and questioning whether I would even use the book for a blog, but her frailties seemed so real and relevant that I began to come around. The final decision came when Hawthorn remembered and understood the significance of Connor’s words “about life looking different depending on where you were standing.”
This book is not an easy read but has relevance and would appeal to its intended audience of high schoolers.

Lizzie Lovett was the ultimate poplar girl, and Hawthorne Creely idolized her. So when Lizzie goes missing, Hawthorne decides to retrace her steps to find her. She befriends Lizzie's boyfriend, she works at the cafe where Lizzie worked, and she puts a lot of research into what she thinks happened to Lizzie- she turned into a werewolf.
Hawthorne is a naive high school student with a skewed view of the world. She thinks that just because someone's life looks perfect, it is. She can't imagine that anything bad could have happened to a girl like Lizzie, so she jumps to an extreme conclusion about werewolves. She is self centered and annoying, and although her voice made this a sometimes interesting read, The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett was a letdown.

Wonderful!!! The story-line kept me hooked and the characters drew me in. I loved it so much, I have been handing it to all the teens who come in the library!!!

Thanks to Net Galley and to Sourcebooks Fire for offering me an ARC of this book that I voluntarily chose to review.
This Young Adult novel is told in the first person by the protagonist, Hawthorn, a girl named after the tree, not the writer, as she has to clarify many times throughout the book. She’s seventeen and not the most popular girl at school. She feels the least popular, as she only has one friend, Emily, she never eats at the cafeteria to avoid others, never gets invited to parties… She has an older brother, Rush, who was a popular football player in High School, although he hasn’t made his dreams come true, her mother is a hippy who stays at home baking and cooking vegan food that nobody seems to appreciate, and her father is more practical and keeps trying to push Hawthorn into choosing a college and growing up. Hawthorn, who writes the story in a diary format, in the first person, is not a lovely girl (well, she is lovable but that’s different). She is selfish and has nothing kind to say to anybody or about anybody. As is often the case at that age, she always thinks the worst of anybody who tries to get closer to her and assumes that everybody’s life is better than hers. She also knows everything and everybody else is boring and/or lame. Let’s say that although she complains bitterly about how unfair her life is, it is not surprising that she doesn’t have a big fan club.
Then, one of the popular girls, Lizzie Lovett, who went to High School with her brother and had since left to live in a nearby town, disappears. She was a cheerleader and a popular girl, everything Hawthorn assumes is a recipe for happiness. She dismisses everybody’s concerns and decides that she’s alive and well. Later, she comes up with a fantastic and paranormal explanation for the disappearance, something that makes her the butt of everybody’s jokes. Somehow, despite the dislike she manifests for the missing girl, she decides to learn everything she can about her in order to prove her theory right, and that becomes her mission in life. That results in her investigating her life, working at her old job and even befriending her boyfriend.
The writing is strong and the character of Hawthorn is realistic and strongly rendered (like her or not. After all it takes all kinds of people). However much or little we might like her take on life (she does moan a lot and can be extremely negative, not only about herself but about everybody around), she is clever, she has a strong imagination and she refuses to be constrained by other people’s expectations and never follows other people’s lead. She refuses to grow up if that means you have to become dull and you can only do what others have done before. How convinced she is of some of her hare brained schemes is debatable (even she comes to question that towards the end) but that doesn’t stop her or make her less determined.
Throughout her investigation and her adventures, Hawthorn gets to hear quite a few truths about herself; she discovers that she should extend the kindness and tolerance she wishes for herself to others, and finds out that friends aren’t there only to make you feel good and to agree with you. She also discovers that people aren’t who they seem to be, that identity is fluid, and that happiness is less straightforward than she imagines.
Hawthorn’s character grows and matures during the book, even if others don’t, and the cast of secondary characters, that include from the members of her family, to the people at the café and the visiting hippies, are vividly portrayed and all have important lessons to teach. Even Enzo, Lizzie’s boyfriend, offers her an insight that is reproduced in the novel itself: sometimes it’s best to leave the ending to the imagination and not to tie all the loose ends. We can’t know everything but that doesn’t mean we can’t make good use of what we learn along the way. (I don’t mean the novel doesn’t end; it does and in a satisfying if somewhat unsurprising way, but the mystery of Lizzie Lovett isn’t fully resolved.)
This novel is strong on characterisation and makes us share the life of a seventeen year old girl (however uncomfortable that might be), one that craves excitement and interest and likes to bring drama into her life. I have read negative reviews by people who strongly dislike the main character, although acknowledge the book is well written and the character sounds real. Perhaps for some of us Hawthorn reminds us of aspects of our personality and our experiences as teenagers that we’d rather not remember, because there’s no doubt that most of us have at times been as obnoxious and annoying as her. The mystery and the plot aren’t the main drivers of the book therefore I recommend it to those who enjoy character driven novels, quirky stories and personalities, and to those who still remember or want to, the difficult and challenging years of adolescence. And of course to young adults looking for a different kind of heroine.

Why do teens want to get involved with missing persons or murder investigations?

This book had plenty of good. Especially the great writing, the issue is that this wasn't exactly a mystery, and if it was it wasn't investigated as such. In actuality the lead character Hawthorn decided Lizzie's disappearance was because she turned into a werewolf, and that's where you lose me.
Sedoti did a wonderful job with the coming of age elements. A great view into the life of a lonely and unpopular 17 year old girl. Getting to know Hawthorn made this book worth reading. I would recommend this to all high school girls and I would even be happy to see it brought to the big screen.

<b> 3.5 stars for it. </b>

<i> The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett </i> is a really interesting book. It's easy to get into the story, the plots, and characters. All of the characters are very unique and so authentic. There was a moment I found out that I were Hawthorn Creely, the main character. But I suddenly realize I'm not Hawthorn. Because I don't have her bravery to show her distinct traits. No matter how unwelcome she is, she has faith on herself. She can speak out loud to others her crazy theory, also executing the adventure to explore the truth. That's why I like her. <s>Honestly, I think she is a little bit annoyed at first. </s> LOL

The story is filled with humorous, hysteria, also enthusiastic atmosphere. And it makes me feel very relaxed while reading it. Even though the pace is kind of slow, still having patient to finish it. So just don't read this book too seriously, and will find out how joyful it is.

I'm not sure I can talk about this book without spoilers so be warned.

This book was ultimately a lot different than what I was expecting it to be. I was expecting a thriller and ended up with a very unique contemporary about a girl who feels alone in the world. The main character, Hawthorne, was very unlikeable but I felt like that was intentional. So many other characters were constantly calling out Hawthorne for being a "special snowflake" that I felt like the author wasn't excusing Hawthorne being selfish and abrasive. However Hawthorne being so unlikeable made it very difficult for me as a reader to feel any sympathy for her. She was funny and authentically quirky, but she continuously made horrible decisions and expected everyone to coddle her. I thoroughly appreciated that every character in this story did not. Everything in this book had to be about her. Even once you found out Lizzie had killed herself, Hawthorne still had to make it about her, which was incredibly frustrating to read.

I liked the realistic nature of the relationships in this book. I liked the relationship between Hawthorne and her friend Emily. I liked that Emily didn't take any of Hawthorne's unnecessary drama and that she felt like a real person wanting her own things. I liked the growth between Rush and Hawthorne as they came to understand each other a lot better. It was a new thing to see in YA. I liked that the relationship between Enzo and Hawthorne was incredibly flawed and that they didn't end up together. That felt very authentic because not every person you like is going to be your one true love, especially someone you get close too under the circumstances like in this book.

My only other complaint is that this book had so many messages in it. It felt like the author was trying to drive home a point on every other page. It was kind of exhausting and it made the novel feel too forced, like everything was happening just so the author could make this one particular point.

Otherwise I thought it was an interesting read, though perhaps not one that will still be with me in a few months time.

1.5 Stars. I wanted to like this book. I really did. I thought "Ohhhhh mystery GIMME!" and NetGalley was generous enough to fulfill my request.

Right from the start I had a problem with Hawthorne, the protagonist. She was a whiny brat that complained about everything without taking any initiative to change those things. I kept having to remind myself that she was a senior in high school and not 12 years old. She lacked empathy to a disturbing level and if someone dare disagree/try to check her she became even more hateful and sometimes wished physical harm on that person(s). Hawthorne is obsessed with Lizzie, a girl she had a total of 2 conversations with years before, and inserts herself into her life in a borderline stalkerish way. I mean... Why??? When it comes right down to it, she's at best as bad and at worst MUCH more horrible than any of her "bullies".

As for other elements of the book...

I found the romance to be cringy and couldn't overlook the fact that Hawthorne is 17 and her love interest is 25. So not ok.

Hawthorne's theory regarding Lizzie's disappearance. OMG. And no mater what she just. wouldn't. let. it. go. I'm a huge fan of paranormal but this book was not billed as even close to that and I just had no willing suspension of disbelief.

There was one bright spot and it was Hawthorne's friend Emily. Emily called her out on her shit at every turn, she was smart and driven, and even though Emily seemed to be as ostracized as Hawthorne she didn't let it ruin her perception of other people or life in general. Emily was the realist here. Please write a book about Emily!

Again, thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC. This one just wasn't my cup of tea.

Again, a prompt from the reading challenge that could fit many titles. And is definitely open to interpretation. I downloaded this title from Netgalley based on the publisher’s blurb. You might say it features more than one interesting woman since the reader gets to know Lizzie from the title and Hawthon who is trying to find out the truth about Lizzie.


lizzielovettSedoti, C. (2017). The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett. Chicago: Sourcebooks Fire. ISBN: 978-1492636083

Hawthorn is obsessed with Lizzie Lovett. Or maybe just with Lizzie’s disappearance. Lizzie was the kind of girl in high school that all girls wanted to be and all guys wanted to date. Hawthorn imagined Lizzie like a big sister but in the end, she was not on Lizzie’s radar. Years later, their small town is stunned when Lizzie disappears. At first Hawthorn doesn’t get it. Who cares what happened? And then she starts to wonder and to investigate and next thing you know, she has Lizzie’s old waitressing job and is dating Lizzie’s boyfriend Enzo.

This is definitely a quirky book. Hawthorn’s mom is an ex-hippie whose hippie commune comes to camp out in the backyard. Hawthorn is quirky and out there herself and swings from being endearing to frustrating and back again. Her long time best friend loses patience and her brother’s best friend waits in the wings for her to notice him. The publisher tries to hard to make this sound like a murder mystery–it isn’t. It feels like it has a lot in common with Megan Miranda’s All the Missing Girls. Less about solving a murder and more about learning, no seeing, how the world really works.

But for once the publisher is right, “Told with a unique voice that is both hilarious and heart-wrenching, Hawthorn’s quest for proof may uncover the greatest truth is within herself.” Less a laugh out loud funny and more a people are strange and the world is too kind of story. I did like that Hawthorn uncovers the real Lizzie, and I want to say more but don’t want to giveaway the plot. I saw this listed on one of those books to look forward to for 2017, and I do think this unique debut has its own charm but would be interested to know how wide its appeal really is.

Review Excerpts:

“A solid coming-of-age novel with light spunk and individuality” – Kirkus

“Sedoti’s debut offers an enlightening look at the dangers of relying on outward appearances to judge someone’s character, and Hawthorn’s first-person narrative, filled with obsessive thoughts and, eventually, meaningful reflection, is a lively, engaging vehicle for the story… Fans of character-driven novels will appreciate this.
” – Booklist

“Hawthorn’s wildly creative imagination and humor drive this mystery’s plot forward…Recommended for teens who appreciate a protagonist with a lively imagination and an acerbic tongue” – School Library Journal

“Sedoti deftly pulls readers into [Hawthorn’s] head where her yearning for excitement, angst about the future, and insecurity bring further depth to her character. Hawthorn and Lizzie both emerge as surprising, intricate characters whose stories are resonant and memorable.
” – Publishers Weekly

Reviewed from publisher provided e-galley. Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

** I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley

So I am giving 1 star for fair closure, 1 star for moderately interesting characters, and 1 star for fairly accurate depiction of high school, and .5 a star for a realistic-ish sex scene.

So first things first. I have a love-hate relationship with Hawthorne. She's interesting and definitely unique but she is so naive and childlike that it was hard for me to believe she was about to graduate high school. I mean, she *believes* in werewolves.

*also a side note I had issue with: skin walkers are NOT the same as werewolves. Also the skin walker legend is affiliated with a specific tribe, the Navajo. If you are going to mention such a specific legend please give proper credit. When this happens you generalize a margin of people who are very different and you muddle the rich cultures.

Aside from that. I found Enzo infuriating and sleezy.... but I liked it? It made my feelings towards the end much less complicated. People want to say Enzo and Hawthorne's relationship was inappropriate but I didn't have that much of an issue with it until it turned romantic and I was reminded of the age gap.

I loved that the parents were involved and seen throughout the book and weren't just absent from her life (like most YA).

Rush is flawed, but a really good, thoughtful big brother.

I didn't care for Emily or Mychelle. I just really didn't see their purpose? Like Emily is cool and I'd love to see this story from her Point-Of-View but if she's the voice of reason in this book she shouldn't have peaced out on her best friend. And Mychelle, GOD, especially Mychelle. I didn't get why there needed to be this girl-on-girl cat fight stuff going on. And the slut-shaming was unnecessary and annoying.

I loved that we got a very real ending to a missing person's case with a very important message and awareness.

I also commend the author on a very realistic "sex scene". YA usually overplays sex or doesn't mention it at all.. I think it'd be better if Enzo was closer to 21 or 20 rather then being 25.

Overall, I liked the book.

I came across this book by chance. I was actually searching for another book and this one popped up. I thought it sounded really interesting and as it was available to "Read Now" on NetGalley" I snatched it up....and I'm happy that I did.

As the book opens we meet Meredith Oliver age thirteen. Meredith is in the eighth grade, she tells us how it's all downhill after grade five.

"In fifth grade you were still friends with everyone, whether you liked it or not because it was easier for the adults that way"

The playing field was even and the same things happened to everyone. But by sixth grade the playing field drastically changed. Meredith has spent the last two years since trying to find her place.

All of this is made so much harder by Lisa Bellow....

Lisa Bellow and Meredith Oliver are not friends. They actually don't like each other much at all.

One afternoon after school Meredith decides to stop at the local sandwich shop. She really wants a root beer. However, when she sees Lisa Bellow in the shop placing an order for moment she debates walking away. But when Lisa catches her eye through the glass, Meredith figures it will look weird if she leaves now, so she walks in to the store. Two minutes later a man enters the store with a gun and orders the girls to the floor.

Both of their lives are forever changed.

Meredith is terrified... positive she's about to die but the next moment the man is gone and she's alone on the floor. The man has left ....but he's taken Lisa with him. Meredith is paralyzed, still on the floor when another customers comes in. It takes two men and medication to pry her off the floor.

How does a family go on after something like this happens?

Where is Lisa?

Meredith was very close to her brother Evan. We learn that just the year before the family was rocked after an accident seriously injures her brother and derails his dreams for his future.

In the aftermath of Lisa's abduction the community rallies together determined to find out what happened, Meredith retreats into herself. She rarely speaks to anyone, Even her brother. Her mother, Claire doesn't know how to get through to her. She knows she's still lucky that her daughter is not the one missing, she's right down the hall in her bedroom.....yet she's not.

A story about a missing girl but also the girl left behind. We also see how the families are affected by this devastating crime. How they relate to each other as they try to deal with what has happened. Each individual copes in their own way, ways very different from what we might expect.

This is a well-written story that was easy to follow. A fast but interesting read. The characters realistic and well-drawn, flaws and all. I was fascinated with how Meredith coped in the aftermath of what had happened and I found Meredith's mother, Claire especially interesting as I tried to understand the motivation behind some of her actions. I can't imagine being in the position of either of these mothers. As the mother of a teenage girl this was a terrifying read in many ways.

The Fall of Lisa Bellow is a novel about a horrible crime and the aftermath of that crime. But it is also about family, love, friendship, loss, anger, guilt, and forgiveness.

A dark yet beautifully written coming of age story. I am absolutely looking forward to reading more from Susan Perabo.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Susan Perabo for providing an advanced readers copy of this book for me to read in exchange for my honest review.