Review: Last Seen by Sara Shepard

Author: Sara Shepard
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Date of publication: October 2018

At first, the mystery they're tasked with seems to have nothing to do with Aerin or her kidnapper. But as Seneca, Maddox and Madison hit the Jersey Shore to gather clues, they begin to uncover the true background of the killer and the horrors that shaped him into who he is. The scavenger hunt leads them to the family of a recently kidnapped boy and dark secrets they could never have seen coming. 

As Aerin struggles to play nice with the person who killed her sister in order to buy herself time, her friends work feverishly against the ticking clock that could mean her life, and every clue they uncover leads Seneca to suspect she's more connected to the killer's history than she ever realised ...

Last Seen is the conclusion to "The Amateurs" trilogy.  I would not advise reading this one unless you have read the first two books.  This book assumes you have read them and will spoil you for the first book.  Last Seen picks up immediately after the events of Follow Me.  Seneca, Maddox and Madison have to solve a cold case of a missing child in order to find their missing friend.

Out of the three books, I liked this one the best.  I thought the mystery was the strongest and harder to figure out.  Even though the stakes were high and there was danger involved, I enjoyed following the group as they followed the clues.  The solution in the end wrapped up the entire series nicely.  

As in the other books, we get multiple perspectives. Aerin's perspective with her kidnapper was the most interesting as she figures out how to get out of her situation.  All of the characters have grown in their own way over the course of the series.  However, I will admit that Seneca's hot and cold attitude toward Maddox did kind of get old after  a while.  It definitely was the weakest part of this book.  To me, it felt like it was just used as a devise to set up the final act with Seneca being on her own. In the end, I do recommend this trilogy.  The first book was just OK, but they get better if you stick with it.

Review: The Elizas by Sara Shepard

Author: Sara Shepard
Publisher: Atria
Date of publication: April 2018

When debut novelist Eliza Fontaine is found at the bottom of a hotel pool, her family at first assumes that it’s just another failed suicide attempt. But Eliza swears she was pushed, and her rescuer is the only witness.

Desperate to find out who attacked her, Eliza takes it upon herself to investigate. But as the publication date for her novel draws closer, Eliza finds more questions than answers. Like why are her editor, agent, and family mixing up events from her novel with events from her life? Her novel is completely fictional, isn’t it?

The deeper Eliza goes into her investigation while struggling with memory loss, the closer her life starts to resemble her novel until the line between reality and fiction starts to blur and she can no longer tell where her protagonist’s life ends and hers begins.

When The Elizas opens,  Eliza has just been found at the bottom of a pool, in what her family believes is another suicide attempt. When she wakes up, she insists she was pushed.  Eliza can't swim and she thinks this was an attempt to kill her.  She has a novel coming out that her family doesn't want her to publish.  Soon the lines between what is in her novel and real life begin to blur.

One of the best types of books to read is one with an unreliable narrator.  The Elizas features one of the best unreliable narrators that I have ever read.  I spent much of the book wondering if Eliza was sane or not. She has major gaps in her memory.  She isn't exactly likable, She's prickly and rude but I ended up rooting for her.  There was a little bit of a side romance with Desmond  that I could have done without though.  I'm not sure I felt any chemistry between them.  

The book is told through Elizas point of view and through excerpts from her novel about Dot.  As the story progresses, it's hard to tell which of the story lines is the real one. The pacing was slow at times, but at about the halfway mark it really gets moving along.   I loved the twist at the end.  It was a perfect way to end the book.  I do recommend this one.  It's a stand alone and definitely an adult thriller.

Throwback Thursday: Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepherd

Author: Sara Shepherd
First published in 2006 by Harper Teen

Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since. Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief. Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known. Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world. When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic sets in. Are they being betrayed by some one in their circle? Worse yet: Is Alison back? A strong launch for a suspenseful series.

Yes, I finally succumbed and read the first book in the Pretty little Liars series.  I have watched the first few seasons on Netflix and enjoyed them.  I have also read a couple of the more recent books from this author and liked them.  So, I figured why not?  I should have known better.

For some reason, the TV show does a much better job with this story line.  But, then it could be because this first book is pretty much the first season verbatim, so if you've seen it, you've read it.  I didn't feel like I had any more insight into the characters by reading the book.  Honestly, that is 6 hours of audiobook listening that I can't ever get back.  The book is already incredibly outdated.  It's so full of pop culture references and product names that today are already obscure and not used.  By the end, I was left wondering if the author got paid for all of the product placement in the book.  I know this is a hugely popular series, but I really can't recommend it. 

The Amateurs by Sara Shephard

Author: Sara Shephard
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Date of publication: November 2016

Five years ago, high school senior Helena Kelly disappeared from her backyard in Dexby, Connecticut, never to be heard from again. Her family was left without any answers—without any idea who killed Helena, or why.

So when eighteen-year-old Seneca Frazier sees a desperate post on the Case Not Closed message board, she knows it’s time to change that. Helena’s high-profile disappearance is the one that originally got Seneca addicted to true crime. It’s the reason she’s a member of the site in the first place.

Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, she agrees to spend spring break in Connecticut working on the case with Maddy Wright, her best friend from Case Not Closed. However, the moment she steps off the train, things start to go wrong. Maddy’s nothing like she expected, and Helena’s sister, Aerin, doesn’t seem to want any help after all. Plus, Seneca has a secret of her own, one that could derail the investigation if she’s not careful.

Alongside Brett, another super-user from the site, they slowly begin to unravel the secrets Helena kept in the weeks before her disappearance. But the killer is watching…and determined to make sure the case stays cold.

The Amateurs is a new series about a group of college/high school age kids who get together to try to solve the murder of Aerin's sister, Helena.  All of them have something invested in it, or so it seems.  As they get further along, someone keeps trying to get them to stop.

For me, this ended up being just OK.  I was hoping it would be like The Perfectionists series.  But this one kind of fell flat. The mystery was interesting enough to keep me reading.  But it was the characters  that I didn't really care for. None of them were particularly likable.  Many times, I found myself rolling my eyes at their over reactions to things.  It could also be the mulitple points of view that I didn't care for.  I think I would have liked it more if it has been through just Seneca and Maddy's eyes. Of course this one ended with a big cliff hanger.  I'll probably read the next one just to see how it all works out.  

The Good Girls by Sara Shepard

Author: Sara Shepard
Publisher: HarperTeen
Date of publication: June 2015

Mackenzie, Ava, Caitlin, Julie, and Parker have done some not-so-perfect things. Even though they all talked about killing rich bully Nolan Hotchkiss, they didn't actually go through with it. It's just a coincidence that Nolan died in exactly the way they planned . . . right? Except Nolan wasn't the only one they fantasized about killing. When someone else they named dies, the girls wonder if they're being framed. Or are they about to become the killer's next targets?

It had been a while since I read the first book, The Perfectionists, so it took a bit to re-orient myself to The Good Girls.  Thankfully, the author did a good job of covering ground from the first book in the first couple of chapters.  This one pretty much picks up where the first one left off.  In The Good Girls, the five girls are back and someone is targeting the rest of the "kill list" from the first book.  Bodies seem to be dropping everywhere and the girls are once again suspects.

I thought this was a great sequel to the first book.  I had a hard time figuring out the solution.  There are a lot of twists to the story.  I won't give away any of the plot.  I just can't ruin it for anyone!  The ending was a major "Wait, what?"  moment for me.  Thinking back, I honestly never saw it coming until the reveal.  You must read this one just for the ending alone!  I'm not sure if this is meant to be a duology or if there will be another book in the series.  The epilogue does leave an opening for a third book.  It will be interesting to see what comes next if there is a third one!  If you are a fan of the Pretty Little Liars series, you will love this one. Check it out!

The Perfectionists by Sara Shephard

Authors: Sara Shephard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Date of publication: October 2014

In Beacon Heights, Washington, five girls—Ava, Caitlin, Mackenzie, Julie, and Parker—know that you don’t have to be good to be perfect. At first the girls think they have nothing in common, until they realize that they all hate Nolan Hotchkiss, who’s done terrible things to each of them. They come up with the perfect way to kill him—a hypothetical murder, of course. It’s just a joke...until Nolan turns up dead, in exactly the way they planned. Only, they didn’t do it. And unless they find the real killer, their perfect lives will come crashing down around them. 

This is a new series by the author of Pretty Little Liars.  I actually was pleasantly surprised by the book.  The book definitely has shadows of PLLs, but I thought the author came up with a good and fresh story line.  The five girls have all been wronged by the same boy in some way.  they plot to give him a taste of his own medicine.  But he shows up dead the next day.  The girls know it wasn't them, but all of the evidence puts doubts in the minds of the police.  

I felt like this book was less about the mystery and more about setting up the characters.   I was able to really get a sense of who each girl was and where she was coming from.  They may be in a school that demands perfection, but they are all less than perfect. I didn't really get the snob vibe from any of them.  In fact, I liked them all.   The book ends in a cliffhanger much like the end of a season cliffhanger would on a television show.  That was a little frustrating.  I am hoping that in the next book, there will be more mystery and sleuthing.  

I would probably keep this to the over 15 crowd. I did feel like there were some sensitive subjects that wouldn't be appropriate for tweens.  I look forward to the next book, The Good Girls, which comes out in June.

The Heiresses by Sara Shephard

Author: Sara Shephard
Publisher: Harper
Date of publication: May 2014

You know the Saybrooks. Everyone does. Perhaps you’ve read a profile of them in People or have seen their pictures in the society pages of Vogue. Perhaps while walking along that choice block on Fifth Avenue, you’ve been tempted to enter the ornate limestone building with their family name etched into the pediment above the door.

The only thing more flawless than a Saybrook’s diamond solitaire is the family behind the jewelry empire. Beauties, entrepreneurs, debutantes, and style mavens, they are the epitome of New York City’s high society. But being a Saybrook comes at a price—they are heirs not only to a dizzying fortune but also to a decades-old family curse.

Tragedy strikes the prominent family yet again when thirty-four-year-old Poppy, the most exquisite Saybrook of them all, flings herself from the window of her TriBeCa office. Everyone is shocked that a woman who had it all would end her own life. Then her cousins receive an ominous threat: one heiress down, four to go.

Was it suicide . . . or murder? In the aftermath of the tragedy, the remaining heiresses—Corinne, the perfectionist; Rowan, the workaholic; Aster, the hedonist; and Natasha, the enigma—wrestle with feelings of sadness, guilt, and, most of all, fear. Now they must uncover the truth about their family before they lose the only thing money can’t buy: their lives.

I was really interested in reading The Heiresses because I will admit to being a fan of Pretty Little Liars on TV.  I haven't read the series, but love the show.  So, when I saw that the author was coming out with an adult series, I had to give it a try.  Honestly, I'm still trying to decide if I liked the book or not.  

None of the characters were particularly likable.  I lost respect for most of them within the first half of the book.  Does no one stay faithful anymore?  I was kind of put off by the amount of infidelity that ran through this crowd.  I was a bit disappointed that the author felt she had to go that route with just about everyone. I think the only character that I really ended up liking was Aster.  She was the most changed by the end of the book. 

The other disappointment for me was the feeling throughout the book that I had spent time with these characters before.  In essence, I had while watching every episode of PLL.  The "heiresses" are essentially adult versions of the teens on PLLs.  Oh, there are differences yes, but I really felt like at the heart they were the same women.   Then there is also the similarity to Gossip Girl with the website. So, the lack of originality was a let down.

Ignoring all of the disappointments, I did like the mystery part of the book.  There are several suspects and several "red herrings", so it was hard to guess all of the truths.  That part was fun in trying to figure out what was important and what wasn't.  The solution(s) were a surprise, so the author gets points for that.  

This is supposed to be the first in a series.  Honestly, I would have been happy to see this be a stand alone.  I felt satisfied with the ending before the "one year later" epilogue that ended of with a cliff hanger and opening for the next book.  Will I continue?  Probably, if only to see whose body was found.  

About the author:

Sara Shepard graduated from New York University and has an MFA in creative writing from Brooklyn College. The author of the bestselling young adult books Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game, as well as the adult novel The Visibles, she lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and dogs.

Visit her website at sarashepardbooks.com and follow her on Twitter, @sarabooks.

Sara’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, May 20th: Mystery Playground

Wednesday, May 21st: The Gilmore Guide to Books

Friday, May 23rd: Write Meg

Monday, May 26th: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Tuesday, May 27th: Kritters Ramblings

Wednesday, May 28th: From L.A. to LA

Thursday, May 29th: From the TBR Pile

Friday, May 30th: My Bookshelf

Monday, June 2nd: Excellent Library

Tuesday, June 3rd: Stephany Writes

Wednesday, June 4th: Bibliophilia, Please

Thursday, June 5th: Peeking Between the Pages

Monday, June 9th: bookchickdi

Tuesday, June 10th: Book-alicious Mama

Thursday, June 12th: A Bookish Way of Life

Monday, June 16th: BoundbyWords

Tuesday, June 17th: cupcake’s book cupboard

Wednesday, June 18th: Books à la Mode

Wednesday, June 18th: Great Imaginations

Thursday, June 19th: Books in the Burbs