The Reappearance of Rachel Price

October 1, 2024 7:42 AM

The second book for the September Middle Grade/YA fanfare book club is a twisty mystery from Holly Jackson.

Kirkus Review

When her mother sudden reappearance in the midst of her family filming a documentary about her disappearance 16 years ago, Bel knows something’s not right —- not with the story of her disappearance or the woman who reappeared.

Discuss the book in this post and head over to Fanfare Talk for a more chatty discussion.

posted by CMcG (4 comments total)

I’m always interested in the experiences of readers new to a genre. I felt like some of the twists in this book were pretty strongly telegraphed from the beginning or upon the introduction of a character, but I wonder if I didn’t have a lot of experience reading mysteries or thrillers if I would feel the same way.
posted by CMcG at 7:44 AM on October 1

This one had the trope of the main character endangering themselves a lot more than most people would in order to push the plot forward. It happens all the time and it annoys me a little. They never call the police but go to the place where the victim is being held. It is like the end of Murder, She Wrote when Jessica confronts the killer and they are 3 seconds from shooting her. At least then the cops bust in, but it is still a bit stale for me. I understand we care much more about the main character, and it adds to the excitement, it just doesn't feel realistic.

I read a lot of mysteries but not many thrillers. I don't feel that the biggest twist was telegraphed until a bit late in the story and it was Carter's parents' identity. The grandpa being guilty but now impossible to punish is kind of unsatisfying. Either of the other two non-family prime suspects could have turned out to be the guilty one and I would have found it plausible. The teacher might have been in a relationship with Rachel or had a crush on her that was not reciprocated.
posted by soelo at 10:12 AM on October 1 [1 favorite]

I agree, soelo. I felt Bel was a bit 2D: the bloodhound detective who won’t let it go. I much preferred Black’s main character in The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder who read to me as neurodivergent. Her focus and meticulous investigating felt true to her character to me.
posted by CMcG at 11:20 AM on October 1

I wanted to like this way more than I did. Now, my experience was colored that I listened to the audiobook version, but it felt like everything was being dragged out for no real reason. I thought the slow tension was going to build to something and it didn't. Once it got to the not-too-surprising reveal, I thought we were going to get ... something. The book just kind of dumped explanation instead of the true solving of the mystery.

Bel was unlikeable in a way that didn't work for me. It went beyond "she's a teenage girl living with trauma" and just turned into "she's obnoxious for no real reason." I liked the romance but even that felt a bit implausible. I also think Bel's quick shift from "My mom is somehow evil" to "My mom is now my best friend" felt abrupt once she learned the actual truth. (Bel, girl, I hope they get you some therapy.)

I never do this with audio books, but by the final chapter, I did put it on 1.5x speed just to finish it. (I probably would've quit it sooner had I known it wasn't really going anywhere, but after a certain point, I felt too committed and wanted to see it through until the end.)

I really wanted to like this -- the reviews were good, the premise was intriguing -- but it did almost nothing for me. (I'd mostly forgotten about it until this was posted.)
posted by edencosmic at 2:51 PM on October 1