One of Us Is Gone

I think this book would be a good fit for anyone who enjoys reading books from the YA Mystery Thriller genre. The author crafted an intriguing storyline that was fast-paced and overall had a nice flow to it.

"One Of Us Is Gone" follows a close-knit group of friends as they try to unravel the mystery of what happened to their friend that vanished without a trace. To find answers they'll have to sift through hidden secrets, lies and betrayal.

I'll definitely be recommending this book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Thank you Shauntel Anette, Net Galley and MDW Press for providing me with an ARC of this book!

I loved this book! I loved the characters, I loved the authors writing style. I was consumed by it and read it in 24 hours. Highly recommend!

"One Of Us Is Gone” is a YA thriller about a group of friends, lead by Cleo, as they try to find out what happened to their friend, Sarah, that disappeared. Cleo finds Sarah’s room in dissaray, making her suspect that something bad has happened. Then her body is found….so who murdered their dear friend Sarah? Which “friend” is guilty? Cleo makes it her job to find out the truth, unravelling streams of lies and betrayals.
The plot development is excellent. Writing is good. Any teen or young adult would love this twisty thriller!

Shauntel Anette, Net Galley and MDW Press, thank you for giving me the pleasure to read this ARC!

"One of Us Is Gone" is a ya mystery thriller written by Shauntel Anette.

The story revolves around Cleo, Sarah, and Milton, childhood best friends who begin their freshman year at Kensington University with an unspoken pact: "Always stay close and never be apart long enough to miss each other." Growing up together, the three friends are practically inseparable, or nearly so, at least until Sarah vanishes without a trace. Upset by her disappearance, desperate to have news of her, Cleo begins to investigate to find out what happened and figure out where her best friend is, involving the thoughtful Milton in the search. However, Cleo soon discovers that Sarah had a hidden life and that her secrets run deeper than she could have ever imagined. Both friends, bewildered, find themselves confronted with the new group of friends who swear they have not seen her, what they know about Sarah, and the truth of events. All of them have something to hide, all of them harbor secret grudges against Sarah. Cleo and Milton included. The search for truth will lead Cleo to unravel lies, secrets and betrayals, making her doubt everything and everyone, including those closest to her.

I found it a fast-paced, tantalizing and compelling read, able to keep me glued to the pages. Some elements didn't entirely convince me, but in general I enjoyed it and it entertained me a lot.

I found the writing to be extremely smooth, simple and easy to follow. The captivating and intriguing pace, coupled with the presence of very short chapters, tantalized me and pushed me to continue to know, without moments of boredom or fatigue.

The story takes place on two timelines: the present with Sarah's disappearance and the ensuing investigation, narrated by Cleo's pov, and the past, which runs through the fourteen days before the disappearance until the fateful event, narrated directly by Sarah's pov. The alternation between past and present is well studied, so that the two lines are interlocked according to the scenes and developments brought forward. I appreciated this choice a lot because it allows a better understanding of the dynamics, comparing lies and truths, bringing more light to the various characters involved. The story proceeds quickly, untangling itself in an increasingly dense web of lies, secrets and betrayals, which absorbed me a lot. Nothing is as it seems. Everyone is hiding something. I loved the atmosphere of uncertainty hovering between the pages, the mystery unrolling as insidious as a snake. What has happened to Sarah? A crucial question that lingers for quite some time, dividing the characters involved. Despite the rapid narration, the author takes her time to repeatedly analyze the various elements, the dynamics of the group of friends, leaving nothing to chance. In that sense, the book deals with a lot of drama between the characters, who point fingers at each other, mixing this component with the protagonist's actual investigations. I admit I had some doubts about the solution for quite some time, which I pleasantly enjoyed, but in the end I got it right. My only criticism is that I felt the conclusion was too rushed compared to the premise. I don't know, in my opinion it needed to be a little longer. Apart from this observation of mine about the ending, I otherwise enjoyed the whole thing very much.

I really liked Cleo and Sarah, the two main characters with their first-person povs. Or rather, I liked Cleo, Sarah didn't. But not as a matter of characterization or development, but as an attitude. That is, they both convinced me, but while I bonded with Cleo, I disliked Sarah. I'd like to say more about them, but I'm afraid of making unintentional spoilers, so I'll stop here. I'll just add that I became attached to Cleo because of her situation and some episodes that happened to her, so much so that I wanted to hug her at certain times.

The rest of the secondary characters were hateful to me! I found them described effectively and that is probably why they annoyed me. I can't tell much more than that, but I loved the group dynamics. Between the original trio of inseparable childhood best friends and the new group of college friends, there is no shortage of tensions, subterfuge, backstabbing, and secrets. Everyone has something to hide, everyone has grudges, so much so that the lines between friendship and rivalry, truth and lies, support and exploitation, become very blurred. Seriously I enjoyed the unraveling of these dynamics, which as I mentioned covers abundant space.

All in all, I found it a thrilling and compelling ya mystery thriller that 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.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.