I randomly picked this book off the shelf at my local library. It looked kinda interesting so I checked it out. For about the first 100 pages or so I was interested, but a little bored thinking that it was going to be a re-telling of Gone Girl which I really didn't like.

HOWEVER, much to my surprise, while it kind of is a retelling of Gone Girl, Melissa De La Cruz managed to fix everything I hated about Gone Girl. Which I found quite exciting!

I can't say that this book will stay with me, but it really does the genre well and if you're in for a good mystery with some twists, I recommend this one! ( )

eminding, in some ways, of the recent missing case surrounding Gaby Petito, this is a dark and thrilling delve into murderers, victims, and the cloak social media provides.

In a short time, Amelia has it all. She's not only reached near celebrity status with her restaurant review blog, but she has an amazing relationship with her boyfriend, Josh. So, the last thing anyone expects is for her to suddenly to missing. Josh returned from their dream trip to Europe alone and doesn't even realize Amelia has disappeared until he's hit by a social media storm. He has no idea where she is but knows that everyone expects him to, especially since they were supposed to take the return flight together. He's innocent and plans on cooperating with the police, but it soon becomes clear that he's the main suspect...that is, if there was a murder. Amelia's body, evidence of her death, or even clear evidence of violence is nowhere to be found, but that doesn't keep suspicion away. Plus, there's more at play than meets the eye. A dangerous game has begun, and no one is as innocent as they seem. Not even close.

Weaving and twisting around secrets and lies, nothing in this story is as it appears. Social media provides the first layer of shadows, illustrating how created, false fronts can be used to manipulate and deceive. This hits close to home and already brings an uncomfortable familiarity, but it doesn't stop there. The author lets the more traditional form of deception also mix in, and that with vicious cleverness. Add mental illness, and the truth is warped in every form.

While this takes place in the characters' college years, it is very fitting for the young adult audience. There's nothing inappropriate, and the situations still ring true. The plot is enhanced with blog, email, text, and even diary excerpts. The timeline does bounce around a bit thanks to flashbacks told from various points of view, and these also build the tension while exposing the lies, little-by-little and one at a time. The reader is kept guessing but also hits the emotional side of the characters as the mental end gains clout. I did find myself skimming through more than a few paragraphs of Amelia's going-ons and, later, even some from Josh. But then, I had a little trouble connecting with the characters, anyway. Still, it'd be wrong to say I didn't enjoy the read. Once the stage was set, I had to know what had happened to Amelia, what had truly set off the string of events, and what horrible secrets several characters were hiding. It's a book that demands to be read until the end...and even that exposes something very unexpected. I received a DRC and found this to be a gripping read. ( )

First sentence: The plane bucked with unexpected turbulence on its final descent, sending Josh’s stomach into his chest and causing him to grip the armrests so tightly his knuckles turned white. He’d finally dozed off while watching the in-flight movie when he’d been jolted awake by the sudden drop. Instinctively, he reached out to the seat next to him, only to find it empty. Of course, he’d forgotten. Amelia hadn’t boarded with him.

Premise/plot: Josh Reuter loves Amelia Ashley. Yet when these two get into a fight in Rome, Italy, he leaves for the States without her. That's when she goes dark. She disappears from social media. She doesn't respond to calls or texts. She vanishes. Her friends alert the police. Josh is questioned. Blood is found in his suitcase. He claims he's innocent. That she was alive and well--perhaps not mentally well, but physically well--the last time he saw her. As the police grow more and more suspicious, and the internet becomes more cruel, Josh faces a dilemma.

Amelia Ashley is--or was, or is???--a social media star. Her "category" is food/travel. She's got quite a devoted following to her accounts. She shares her lives through photographs, videos, and blog posts. Josh Reuter is NOT a social media star. And that's the way he likes it. He may be a photographer, but, his private life is private. She includes him in several videos and posts. After she goes missing, he's tormented/bullied by his girlfriend's fans.

Harper plays a pivotal role in this one. She was not a fan of Amelia Ashley before she goes missing. Josh is a nameless familiar face. They share a class--abnormal psychology. Yet her side-business, her illegal side-business, gives her the tools she needs to get to the bottom of this missing person's case. Her discoveries--which she does not share with the police--reveal that BOTH Josh and Amelia have deep, dark secrets.

The jacket flap pushes the idea that this one is "ripped from the headlines," and certainly on the surface that is true. The book also seems to be pushing the idea that coverage of missing persons is unjust, unfair, warped, racist, bigoted. While I don't negate that conclusion in its entirety, I'd just add that any person with a large following, a social media star, a person who has thousands of photographs, thousands of videos, media that is easy to "grab" for journalists...is naturally going to get more coverage. It is more of a news story--because those images, those videos, those words--are an easy hook to fit into allotted space. Another thing that I think is not considered enough in this one, is that the other missing person case explored in this one is of a girl who while yes is biracial and therefore "not white" she's also someone who has a) a history of running away b) a history of running away c) a history of going off her medication and....you guessed it...running away. That doesn't mean it's okay for the police to make all sorts of assumptions about her disappearance. (They assume that she has gone off her medication and run away.) So the conclusion that the reason this girl did not have a "trending hashtag" or a headline story simply because she was biracial...unfair at best. I think the trending hashtag has everything to do with her being a social media star....and not the color of her skin. As for headlines--I think there's more there to that argument.

My thoughts: I found this one super-compelling. It had multiple narrators--Josh, Harper, Amelia--and the points of view were so fascinating. As the mystery unfolded, it was just impossible to put down. I kept changing my mind with every chapter. ( )