From the TBR Pile: Blog Tour: Don't Try to Find Me by Holly Brown

Author: Holly Brown
Publisher: William Morrow
Date of publication: July 2014

Marley’s quiet. Innocent. Sheltered. Growing up in Northern California with all the privilege Rachel never had, what does Marley know about taking care of herself? About being okay?

Rachel might not know her daughter at all. But she does know that she needs to find Marley before someone else does. Someone dangerous.

The police have limited resources devoted to runaways. If Rachel and her husband, Paul, want their daughter back, they’ll have to find her themselves. Paul turns to Facebook and Twitter and launches FindMarley.com.

But Marley isn’t the only one with something to hide. Paul’s social media campaign generates national attention, and the public scrutiny could expose Rachel’s darkest secrets. When she blows a television interview, the dirty speculation begins.

The blogosphere is convinced Rachel is hiding something. It’s not what they think; Rachel would never hurt Marley. Not intentionally, anyway. But when it’s discovered that Rachel lied to the police, the devoted mother becomes the prime suspect in Marley’s disappearance.

Is Marley out there, somewhere, watching it all happen . . . or is the truth something far worse?

Can you imagine coming home to see that your daughter has posted on the white board in your kitchen...that she has left and doesn't want to be found? That is the nightmare that Rachel finds herself in the middle of one afternoon in Don't Try to Find Me. The question that Rachel and her husband need answered is did Marley run away or was she kidnapped?

I was really expecting a mystery, but instead I got a glimpse into both sides of a teenage runaway situation and the dangers of not paying attention to how our children use the internet. The story is told from both Rachel's and Marley's point of view. Rachel struggles with the reason that Marley would want to runaway. What could she have done differently and would it have mattered. I did feel badly for Rachel. She has often been manipulated by her husband and her "friend" Michael. She has kind of lost herself and has forgotten how to be a good parent. Marley came across as a exactly what she is...a naive and troubled 14YO little girl who thinks she knows everything.

Overall, I liked the story. It's a great commentary on how much social media plays in our perceptions of people. Also in how nothing is private anymore and if you open yourself to the World Wide Web, it could come back to haunt you. I was a little unsatisfied with the ending. I felt like it was a little abrupt and would have liked to see more of what happened "after". But, I do recommend the book. It's well written and kept me engaged through to the end.

About the author:

Holly Brown lives with her husband and toddler daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she’s a practicing marriage and family therapist. Her blog, Bonding Time, is featured on PsychCentral.com.

Connect with Holly on Facebook.

Purchase Links

Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

Holly’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, July 8th: No More Grumpy Bookseller