by Noelle Ihli

A Mystery/Thriller, 2025 by Dynamite Books, 352 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:

Jessa wasn’t my favorite. She spent a long time ignoring what was happening and being generally unhelpful. While I can sympathize with the backstory that contributed to that, it was frustrating.
The voice of Sophie’s chapters felt off. As the only child who makes a POV cut, the author tried to make her seem very childlike. But it read fake.
You know what’s going on the entire time, so it really pulls you away from the main element most mystery/thrillers have. While that’s not necessarily a problem, it’s worth mentioning. If you’re looking for MYSTERY, this isn’t that. It IS a thriller, intended to make your heart pump and scare you.

The premise, especially since you know it’s based on true events, is terrifying. Knowing the kidnappers are not even “master minds” somehow makes it so much worse because you know anything can happen.
The focus on mental health techniques to stay calm is very well done. The truth is that this kind of situation would terrify anyone and linger for years. A group of young kids wouldn’t have the tools to stay calm. It’s realistic and important to show those tools being passed along to them.
The multiple POVs did have distinct voices that came through in their text and dialogue. While not perfect, it did feel like separate people were telling aspects of the story, and that is important in a book like this.