Would've been a 4 or 4.5, but the ending was rushed and there are a lot of loose ends that I can't seem to forgive. ( )

YES!! Go read this book!!

This book is definitely going to be on my end of year favorites list. This is just the type of Mystery/Thriller I like, and I'm kind of mad it wasn't shoved in my face earlier!!

The first thing that jumped out at me was the setting. This whole thing takes place in a town called Shelocta, which is a real town located about 15 miles from where I live. I always find it fun to read books that are set in Western PA-- it gives me an instant connection to the book. Also, this was set in the 90's!! The references weren't enough to put my 90's nostalgia into high gear, but it was cool to go back in time a little.

Then, there's the characters. Remy, the boy next door, was my fave. I don't know why I like the kinds of book boys that are aloof, but you know that if the m/c breaks through their outer shell they'll be adorable, but I do. Remy is the kind of character that is frustrating, but worth sticking with. Sam wasn't someone I super connected with, but the mystery was enough to keep me with her.

The Mystery: I wanted to know what happened to the sister. I wanted to know why in the hell someone would dress as Santa Claus on New Year's Eve. If Steven was supposedly innocent, I wanted to know how/why there would be 2 people dressed as Santa Claus after Christmas. There was so much grief and pain to wade through to get the heart of what happened, but once we got there, there were more answers than I was expecting.

Bonus: Mixed in are police interviews and excerpts from a true-crime book about the case. I love a good epistolary element to break things up & these ones added a lot to the book.

I gotta talk about that ending!!! I won't give any spoilers, but AHHHHH. This ending totally messed with my head and freaked me out. I don't usually sit around thinking someone is going to break into my house, but the night I finished this, I jumped at every creak and shadow.

OVERALL: A YA Mystery/Thriller!! This is just the kind of Mystery/Thriller I like-- very character driven, deals with issues beyond the actual mystery, deep, and twisted. I totally, 100% recommend to anyone looking to get lost in a good mystery.

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Pink Polka Dot Books

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The Good & the Meh
* It was a quick read. I finished it in a few hours and I was (mostly) entertained while reading.
* Secondary characters were interesting. I’m not sure why some were included though (I’m talking about you, Noah)
* Some of the long passages about random stuff were obviously used as filler, but it was sometimes rather interesting. Sometimes
* Sam’s father stole the show. His quiet derision and dislike of himself was heartbreaking to read. I felt terrible for him.

The Bad & the Annoying
* Not much leading up to ending. No climax really, just “here’s what happened”. I wanted more oomph.
* The rushed “and this is what happened to so-and-so” sucked. A little blurb about the rest of the characters lives does not an ending make.
* We never really find out what happens to Turtle and that really pissed me off. At least tell me [Spoiler]
* Nothing was really solved. [Spoiler]. I need to know!
* Gretchen was a cold ass bitch. I don’t understand why she and Abby [Spoiler]

Questions I Have After Reading:
WHAT happened to Turtle? What did that monster do to her?
Were Gretchen and Abby lesbians? i didn’t get their relationship. it seemed like a big ol’ clusterfuck.
Why was Noah even in the story? What was his role, anyway? He didn’t do anything but be annoying. Oh, and apparently, he smells. Yuck.

My Notes While Reading
Chapter 10
Sam’s mom is one hell of a character but the dad, who is always in the background, seems a little more human. His sorrow and heartbreak is pitiful and really shows that the author can write.
“And I deserve that. Don’t shake your head, because you know it’s true. This is my life and my hell, and this is where I have to stay, because if Sharon or Sam or Gretchen calls my name and I’m not there … I don’t know. I can’t think about it. It kills me every morning. I hear her screaming for me every morning.”

Chapter 11
Not sure what to make of the mom. She’s pretty fucked up all around. She was even before Turtle disappeared. Sam has a weird relationship with her.
“She’s not happy, Remy. She’ll never be happy. But at least now she doesn’t sleep for twenty hours a day. Now she doesn’t have to use prescription eyedrops because her eyes are so dried out from crying—crying every day for so many years that it’s starting to permanently affect her vision.”

Conclusion:
I’m kind of pissed now that I think about all that stuff. I give it a solid 3.5. ( )

Read this after a Year 9 student recommended it to me. This is about 16 year old Sam and Remy who live next door to each other in a small country town in the USA. Sam and her family have lived elsewhere for 10 years after the Christmas Eve 10 years ago when Sam's little sister was stolen from her sleeping bag next to her and Remy while their parents partied upstairs. Sam and Remy were able to identify the local disabled handyman as the kidnapper but Turtle's body has never been found. Sam comes back to town where everything has changed - her best friend,her tortured older sister, her mother who has had a new child to "replace" Turtle, Remy himself and also there are a lot of people in the neighborhood who think that the handyman is innocent (after an investigative reporter's book on the case.) She must look at herself , the past and the present - did she identify the wrong man? What did Remy see that night?
This kept me reading right to the end but I sort of worked out what was happening about three-quarters into the plot. There are a lot of references to alcohol, drugs and sex and some parts are quite graphic and violent. Not for the squeamish but I guess if you are watching "Walking Dead", this might seem pretty tame. ( )

Samantha, Sam, is living in a confusing world that is still in a whirl wind 10 years after the abduction and supposed murder of her 4 year old baby sister, Tabitha, known as Turtle.
On New Years Eve, with all the adults upstairs partying, the youngsters are in the basement tucked into their sleeping bags when 4 year old Turtle is taken by an individual dressed up as Santa Claus. 7 year old Sam and her best friend Remy witness the abduction and both swear it is a guy in the neighborhood that they know as Steven. Steven, who has some mental issues due to a skull accident in his teen years is arrested and tried for the crime and convicted. 10 years later, the family has moved back into their old house and neighborhood where the incident took place and are facing the memories of the past. After reconnecting with her childhood friend, Remy, all the details of Turtle's abduction begin to come into question for the teens as they examine their emotions and memories of long ago. The truth comes blaring into view as the bits and pieces are finally wound together and the truth of long ago is uncovered. The ending is quick and abrupt and I think could have been a little more detailed, but the mystery is solved. ( )