Thursday, January 12, 2017

Lost Girls

Lost Girls

I loved this book. We'll just start with that. This one has a bang up beginning. Rachel wakes up in a ditch covered with leaves and begins screaming. She disappeared two weeks ago but has lost a year's worth of memories. And in that lost year, leading up to her disappearance, she went Goth and changed friends, she does drugs and she fights- but she doesn't know why. What happened to her? Why won't anyone tell her what she was like?

Rachel used to be a geek and hang out with her friend Molly, they would do cosplay together and watch The Lord of the Rings, but in the last year Rachel ditched Molly and started hanging with the cool crowd. Her new best friend is Lauren the head cheerleader and along with Zoe and Stephanie they smoke pot and go to raves. There's more going on at the raves than dancing though, and Rachel is surprised when she realizes she can kick ass- literally. Somewhere in the last year she developed serious fighting skills- and so did her friends. Not only that but she's also involved with Dylan, the guy she's crushed on for years and who apparently likes fighting as much as poetry.

The book is divided into three parts and I liked that- each part mirrors Rachel's journey as she slowly begins to remember what happened to her. It turns out that she was not the only one who went missing- there are other Lost Girls and the FBI is looking for them. Rachel knows that her memory may be the key to finding them, but whatever happened to her was so traumatic she just can't access those memories. There's a lot of YA books out there about missing memories and I've read a few of them, but this one is clearly my favorite. The writing is exceptional and I thought the author did a fantastic job making Rachel both sympathetic and relatable, but also more than a little frightening.

Whatever happened to Rachel made her tough and as she slowly remembers she realizes that on some level she likes the way she is, the tougher person she has become. Almost ruthless. I think this is realistic because anyone who goes through what she has (some of it willingly) would almost have to have that drive to excel the way she does. She wants to be the same person she was when her and Molly were besties, but she's not- she's still the girl Molly knew but she's also someone else.

The only issues I have with this story are the realism factor - I could kind of see where I thought it was going and I thought it was a tad over the top, but can't really say as it would be spoilery. This is a minor issue though and overall I loved this book. It seriously had me on the edge of my seat more than once, and it was a little grittier- felt more real- than a lot of YA. The characters are great (including Rachel's family) and all I can say is- if this appeals to you at all, read it. I'll be looking for more of Destefano's work. 

31 comments:

  1. Yup, I'm definitely going to read this. Add it my wishlist for now!

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  2. Oh my, this cover! And the story -- look brillaint! Totally adding it to my TBR.

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  3. This sounds super intriguing! Definitely adding to my TBR :) Great review!

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    1. Good, I hope you get a chance- it's quite good!

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  4. I love taking that fact-finding journey along with the character. But sometimes, I get impatient waiting for the revelation. Lol.

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  5. Hi Greg :) I've nominated you for The Mystery Blogger Award. You can find out more here

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  6. Yeah...I read another review and this one does sound gritty like you said, but it's great to know an author can keep you on the edge of your seat. I love when an author can do that for me.

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    1. It's kinda gritty and one of the more enjoyable YA reads I've had.

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  7. I've been seeing this around quite a bit- good to know it's definitely worth checking out! It sounds like quite a suspenseful read!

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  8. There are quite a few books out there with memory loss, and usually it makes the characters hard to connect to since our experiences are so much of who we are, but since this character only lost a year of her memory, that does sound like it'd be more interesting and work in a better and different way. Especially with the added thing of her wanting to be that same girl she remembers herself being but also being different now. And it does sound pretty gritty. Glad you liked it!

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    1. Exactly. She's changed so much but at the same time she still kinda remembers (and misses) who she was. And she has to play along with the new group while trying to remember- she's sort of the queen bee too rather than the "new" recruit or whatever, so that was a nice touch.

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  9. This is one I haven't seen before but I live the memory loss thing. Glad it was down well. Great review!!

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  10. Sounds like a great read and I've seen this one around a few places. I would probably grab this one if I saw it at the library. Great review Greg!

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  11. Oh I'm glad you liked this one. I didn't have a problem with the over the top feeling (I do agree that it had that in it) but then I find so much entertainment when it is done well. I do like her writing. :)

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    1. It was a little unrealistic, but I didn't care because the writing workd big time.

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  12. This sounds really good, but come on...a guy named Dylan who loves kicking ass as much as he loves poetry??? I call shenanigans on that one! Haha. I really like stories where the protagonist loses their memory and has to figure out who's telling the truth, who to trust, etc. Definitely putting this on the TBR!

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    1. I know, right? Even typing that out I felt silly. lol but this is good (just ignore that part). Seriously though I loved it and memory stories always work for me (or at least draw me in), but the twist here is she was sort of the queen bee of her new group even though she didn't know what was happening. I loved that angle!

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  13. I'd not even heard of this book and that is a major error on my part. It sounds so interesting. There is something about a good old missing memory book which just makes you want to read, isn't there? It just always gets you intrigued and wanting to know more and I want to know more about this book. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for it, especially after how much you enjoyed it.

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  14. This sounds so fascinating and exciting! I actually have seen it but knew nothing about it. I think it's going on my must read, you have me very curious! Great review Greg :)

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  15. Oh WOW! I think you have sold me on this. See, I was worried about the whole "lost memories" trope, because sometimes I find them really far fetched and ridiculous. BUT if you also find that trope sometimes annoying but this one was done well, then my fears are assuaged a bit! Plus I like that there seems to be so much character development and family stuff and great characters is a definite bonus! Great review!

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  16. Love the sound of this. Shame I'm on a book ban. Never mind, I'll add it to my list.
    Great review
    #ToTT

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  17. This sounds great! If I see it go in ebook special I will snap it up. I should probably put it on my Goodreads library-look-fors shelf. Thanks for the review. :(

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  18. I think I saw this one on netgalley and was so close to requesting it, but in the end wasn't sure if I would like it. but I like reading reviews for this book now that it's released. It really sounds like an exciting and suspenseful read with the mystery or her lost memory and her discovering how she changes. The missing memory trope is one I see more often, if well done it can make for an interesting book. I thin Burying Water is probably the best book witht hat trope that i read. Great review Greg!

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  19. wow sounds good! I'm not sure I want to read another memory loss book but you surely make it sound good.

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  20. This sounds very interesting, great review! :)

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