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A review by bookishrealm
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
3.0
Oh friends, this is probably my lowest rated Holly Jackson book that I've read to date. For some reason (and I'm clearly the unpopular opinion), this didn't work for me the way I anticipated. CW: kidnapping, abuse, death.
The Reappearance of Rachel Price is the latest in my attempt to keep up with everything that Holly Jackson. The book focuses on main character Bel who has been living in the shadow of her mother's disappearance for most of her life. In fact, at the beginning of the book she is filming a true crime documentary on the case. To everyone's surprise, Bel's mothers end up reappearing, but parts of her story and who kidnapped her don't add up. Bel then makes it her duty to figure what really happened the night her mother disappeared.
What Worked: Regardless of my overall feelings about this book, I love that Holly Jackson continues to play with the "true crime podcast/documentary" theme in her books. It works well with the storyline and gives her characters a certain edge. There is something to be said about her characterization of motherhood in this book. While it's not true 100 percent of the time, Jackson shows that there are no limits or boundaries for a mother who truly cares for her children. And when I say none, I mean none. There are no hesitations, no questions if it means it keeps your children safe, happy, and healthy. While I'm not sure if Jackson has children of her own or is close with children in her family, but I thought the spirit of those feelings was captured very well.
What Didn't Work: This story was wayyyyy too predictable and to be quite honest it shocked me. Jackson, in my opinion, has been well known for her unpredictability and this story was very simplistic in it's overall structure. It wasn't hard to figure out who was responsible for Bel's mother's kidnapping; it also wasn't difficult to figure out the interconnectedness of her family i.e. her relationship to her cousin. The predictability took me out of the story, made me feel less engaged and genuinely made it a not so fun reading experience.
This was bound to happen eventually. I don't enjoy everything that is published by my most read authors. However, I was really hoping that this one would have been better.
The Reappearance of Rachel Price is the latest in my attempt to keep up with everything that Holly Jackson. The book focuses on main character Bel who has been living in the shadow of her mother's disappearance for most of her life. In fact, at the beginning of the book she is filming a true crime documentary on the case. To everyone's surprise, Bel's mothers end up reappearing, but parts of her story and who kidnapped her don't add up. Bel then makes it her duty to figure what really happened the night her mother disappeared.
What Worked: Regardless of my overall feelings about this book, I love that Holly Jackson continues to play with the "true crime podcast/documentary" theme in her books. It works well with the storyline and gives her characters a certain edge. There is something to be said about her characterization of motherhood in this book. While it's not true 100 percent of the time, Jackson shows that there are no limits or boundaries for a mother who truly cares for her children. And when I say none, I mean none. There are no hesitations, no questions if it means it keeps your children safe, happy, and healthy. While I'm not sure if Jackson has children of her own or is close with children in her family, but I thought the spirit of those feelings was captured very well.
What Didn't Work: This story was wayyyyy too predictable and to be quite honest it shocked me. Jackson, in my opinion, has been well known for her unpredictability and this story was very simplistic in it's overall structure. It wasn't hard to figure out who was responsible for Bel's mother's kidnapping; it also wasn't difficult to figure out the interconnectedness of her family i.e. her relationship to her cousin. The predictability took me out of the story, made me feel less engaged and genuinely made it a not so fun reading experience.
This was bound to happen eventually. I don't enjoy everything that is published by my most read authors. However, I was really hoping that this one would have been better.