A girl wakes up in a ditch. It’s dark. She’s scared…. and she can’t remember how she got there, or who she is.

Soon found and with the police on nightshift, she is made comfortable and they try to figure out her name. Luckily, a man arrives in a fluster, relieved beyond measure to find her. He is her father, Wayne Boone. He tells her that her name is Mary.

It’s strange for Mary, sitting next to someone she doesn’t know or remember. But the police were very thorough in checking the paperwork and ID that Wayne produces. For Mary, the photos of her growing up on his phone are proof enough. When they arrive home to a cabin next to a river, nothing jogs her memory. She spends much time resting, and is told she’s a homebody who prefers to be inside.

Wayne is gentle, kind and patient with her, and she knows she must be patient about her memory too. But when vague memories begin to surface, they don’t match up with what Wayne has been telling her….

Drew is devastated at the loss of his girlfriend Lola. The last time he saw her was down by the river after he’d picked her up from her parent’s house. Being the last person to see her before she vanished that night makes him the prime suspect.

Drew can’t believe that the people who cheered him on at sports, liked him at school or just knew him as a popular student and sportsman in his community, all blame him for Lola’s disappearance. The local sheriff is almost relentless in questioning him and pointing the blame, making the vitriol from his town even worse.

Lola’s best friend August is just as bad, if not worse because she seems to be everywhere – watching and waiting, expecting Drew to slip up somehow and prove that he did something awful to Lola.

Drew was the last person to see her, and she was upset. And now he will do anything to find her to make it up to her. Anything.

This young adult mystery thriller was a gripping read. The two plot lines of the main characters were entwined together more and more as I read, and trying to work out who the strange man was and his relationship to Mary was intriguing. The swapping between viewpoints upped the tension in each storyline, always rising until the ending, and eventually revealing the answers both the characters and I (as the reader) sought. 

Not only did the plot line hold me captivated throughout, it totally threw me a curve ball in the conclusion. It became even more satisfying in the epilogue.

A must read for YA thriller readers!

Author – Megan Lally

Age – 14+

(2023, Source Books, Thriller, Mystery, Missing Girl, Blame, Guilt, Identity, Who Am I?, Police Investigation, Chase, Cabin in the woods, Search, Never Give Up, Fast paced, Multiple Viewpoints, Crime, Secret, Action, Love , Courage)