#TUESDAY REVIEW - Lost Girls by Merrie Destefano #YALIT #Psychological Thriller @MerrieDestefano @EntangledTeen

Series: Standalone
Format: E-Galley, 360 pages
Release Date: January 3, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Genre: YA, Psychological Thriller 

The only rule is: There are no rules.

Yesterday, Rachel went to sleep listening to Taylor Swift, curled up in her grammy’s quilt, worrying about geometry. Today, she woke up in a ditch, bloodied, bruised, and missing a year of her life.

She doesn’t recognize the person she’s become: she’s popular. She wears nothing but black.

Black to cover the blood.

And she can fight.

Tell no one.

She’s not the only girl to go missing within the last year…but she’s the only girl to come back. She desperately wants to unravel what happened to her, to try and recover the rest of the Lost Girls.

But the more she discovers, the more her memories return. And as much as her new life scares her, it calls to her. Seductively. The good girl gone bad, sex, drugs, and raves, and something darker…something she still craves—the rush of the fight, the thrill of the win—something she can’t resist, that might still get her killed…

Merrie Destefano's Lost Girls is a story that will grab your attention from the very first page, and won't let go until the last page of the story. It is a story that is being compared to Black Swan meets Fight Club. Appropriately so I might add. It is a story that is one of the more twisted, and interesting books to be released for 2017. The author slowly peeks away the layers on story narrator Rachel Evans. After waking up in a ditch half buried with leaves, Rachel with the help of motorists, finds a way to contact her family. 

“When everything you’ve forgotten is what you need to survive.”

Even though she went missing 2 weeks ago, Rachel has lost an entire year of memories. After sifting through her bedroom, and her belongings, she becomes aware that isn’t the only thing that has apparently changed. She has gone through a sort of metamorphosis into someone who is popular, smart, has her fair share of enemies, wears lots of dark clothing, has apparently learned how to fight, sneaks out at all hours of the night, and is also dating the boy, Dylan, that she’s had a crush on. 

She is also the alpha leader of a group of teen girls called Swan Girls (Lauren, Stephanie, & Zoe) who all participate in an underground fight club. If you are looking for the Black Swan comparisons, it is here with the tattoos they each have that show up under black light. It is also because she is called Odette by her teammates. 

"Peace. Love. Unity. Respect. Party like there's no tomorrow."

But, what’s even more disturbing, is that Rachel isn’t the first, nor the last girl who has gone missing. All of the girls have gone missing over the past 3 months. Rachel is the first to have returned to her family. As Rachel slowly tries to piece together her lost memories, and why she and her best friend Molly are apparently on the outs, she knows that at any time, her memories may come back. Rachel, with the help of Molly, try to uncover what happened to her before the kidnappers try to take her again.

Rachel is a conflicted but strong heroine because of her own actions, her own experiences, those she has surrounded herself with, and her desire to get to the bottom of what happened to her, and other girls who have gone missing without a trace. She tries to put together the reason why she went from an average student, to one getting straight A's. She has some very interesting moments that lead her into hell itself, but thankfully she has a brilliant father who is a former Navy SEAL, and even her new friends who have her back no matter what happens. 

Lost Girls is story that is dark, mature story that makes you think about other girls who have gone through the same experiences as Rachel. It is a world where underground raves and fight clubs exist. It is a world where Rachel and group of male and female friends drink, and take drugs like Pink Lightning, and Blue Thunder. Rachel's connection to Dylan is not one that is insta-lust. They have had a relationship for the past year, and while Dylan has some secrets of his own, his love for Rachel isn't just a side piece to be put into the story just to entertain.

Destefano hits on the world of Sex Trafficking with this story. Her world, like our own, has a group of wealthy individuals who will do anything to own a certain girl with a certain hair style and body type. It is absolutely disgusting, and the world needs to come together and track these abusers down. As an advocate for child & teen safety issues, I continue to push for legislation that will protect our most precious & most vulnerable members of society. I won't let up until all our missing boys and girls are returned home where they belong. 

If you walk away from Lost Girls with lots of emotions and a desire to do something, then the author has done an excellent job of telling her story. I liked that this book didn't ignore Rachel's family. Her relationship with them is a key component to this book, especially with her brother, and her father who I mentioned before. I'm also glad that Rachel's broken relationship with Molly didn't permanently shatter like so many have in the YA genre before. 

*I received this E-Galley from Entangled Teen via NetGalley in exchanged for an honest review. This book came with no money changing hands.*

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*Book Review* The Devil You Know by Trish Doller (YA Thriller)

Published by: Bloomsbury USA Children's
Release Date: June 2, 2015
Source: NetGalley
Format: E-book, 256 pages
Genre: Young Adult / Thriller

Eighteen-year-old Arcadia wants adventure. Living in a tiny Florida town with her dad and four-year-old brother, Cadie spends most of her time working, going to school, and taking care of her family. So when she meets two handsome cousins at a campfire party, she finally has a chance for fun. They invite her and friend to join them on a road trip, and it's just the risk she's been craving-the opportunity to escape. But what starts out as a fun, sexy journey quickly becomes dangerous when she discovers that one of them is not at all who he claims to be. One of them has deadly intentions. 

A road trip fling turns terrifying in this contemporary story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

18-year old Arcadia "Cadie" Wells lives in the small town of High Springs, Florida, not far from Gainesville. Cadie hopes to one day go on her own adventure once she has enough money saved up. She's mapped out every place she wants to go, and things she wants to see. What's keeping Cadie held back, is that ever since her mother died 3 years ago, she's had to work in her father's struggling grocery store, while taking care of her 4 year old brother Danny, and generally doing all the work that needs to be done around the house while her father is missing in action.

After making a snap decision, Cadie joins her former friends and soccer teammates for a night of partying and skinny dipping at the lake. Cadie later agrees to go on a road trip with two strangers, cousins Noah and Matt who she just met and felt connected to. Cadie is a girl you can connect with in the beginning. You understand that she's yearning for something new and different and a change from the mundane of work, work, and more work, while her father is out doing heaven knows what. 

During the trip, Cadie realizes that something isn't quite as right as they appear. Someone isn't who they say they are, and in trusting the cousins with her safety, she's put her future in their hands as well. But, Cadie continues to follow along as if nothing is wrong, while making some really stupid and head shaking mistakes. I do realize that making stupid choices is what being a human being is all about. We live and learn with the choices we make every single day of our lives. For Cadie, her choices are nearly costly because of her desire for adventure and excitement and perhaps a bit of romance as well. 

The Devil You Know is the first novel I have read by Trish Doller. Doller's story is fast paced, and wraps up fairly quickly. You can feel the undercurrent that something creepy and disturbing is happening right under the surface of the story. You can pretty much guess who the bad guy is, even though each has made some pretty dumb mistakes. I'm always intrigued by stories that take place in Florida, but this one takes a bit of letting your imagination flow free for it to make sense. Getting from High Springs to the Everglades isn't as easy or fast as it is made by Doller. But, then again, this is fantasy, so let your imagination run free.   

**I received this book for free from (Bloomsbury USA Children's) via (NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

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*Book Review* Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan (YA Thriler)

Series: Standalone
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 26, 2015
Source: Penguin First Reads
Format: E-book, 384 pages
Genre: YA / Thriller

I’m the daughter of murdered parents.
I’m the friend of a dead girl.
I’m the lover of my enemy.
And I will have my revenge.
 
In the wake of the devastating destruction of the luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story—and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace knows the terrifying truth, and she’ll stop at nothing to avenge the murders of everyone she held dear. Even if it means taking down the boy she loves and possibly losing herself in the process.
 
Sharp and incisive, Daughter of Deep Silence by bestselling author Carrie Ryan is a deliciously smart revenge thriller that examines perceptions of identity, love, and the lengths to which one girl is willing to go when she thinks she has nothing to lose.

"Revenge is the absence of emotion."

When Frances Mace was Fourteen, she watched in horror as her parents were gunned down along with hundreds of others on a cruise ship called the Persephone. She managed to survive thanks to her friend Elizabeth "Libby" O'Malley and a bit of quick thinking on her part. Libby and Frances spend Seven days in a raft hoping to survive long enough to be rescued. Hoping that it would rain so they could drink water necessary to keep the body from shutting down. Hoping that the truth about what really happened to them on the Persephone comes out. But, when Frances learns that two others have survived, Senator Wells and his son Greyson, while her friend was dying needlessly, plans are put into place that sets Frances on a dangerous course that will ultimately test her limits, her sanity, and her love for the boy she thought she knew.

Four years later, Frances travels to South Carolina having completely taken over Libby's identity and personality. Four years of formulating a plan, researching her intended targets, and collecting everything she needs to get her revenge. For "Libby," nothing matters but the truth about what really happened to the Persephone, her family, her friend, and paying back those who lied about what really happened for their own personal careers. But, how far does one go to ruin the life of the only boy who she truly loved and maybe still loves? How can she forget about the boy that her friend left behind? How far does one go to get revenge on those she believes are responsible? How many people does she have to turn away before she realizes that she doesn't have to do it all by herself?

Daughter of Deep Silence is such an imaginary tale with hints of the TV show Revenge integrated into the story. Haven't watched Revenge? Watch an episode before reading this book, if you like. I loved the description of being stranded in the ocean without any hope of being rescued. Such a vivid reminder of how frail the human body really is. Loved the struggles Frances had with reconciling who she really was. Is she still Frances, or has Libby taken control of her thoughts? Or, is she a hybrid of the two of them now? What does she do if and when her plan for revenge is actually finished? What happens if anyone finds out Frances true identity?

Daughter of Deep Silence is the first novel I have read by author Carrie Ryan and probably won't me my last. I think there are those who will latch onto Libby's plight. Her refusal to make friends. Her determination to see justice done for her family and friend. Her difficulty resolving her feelings for Grey, and her lack of understanding about Libby's loss would affect the boy she loved. What grabbed my attention, was the unusual attention paid to Frances identity struggles. How would her family feel about what she's doing now? Would they be proud or embarrassed. The idea of revenge has always intrigued me. I definitely recommended this story as something to add to your reading list, soon.

**I received this book for free from Dutton Books for Young Readers via First Reads in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!! This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

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