Title: Vanishing Girls
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Acquired Via: Publisher Release Date: March 10, 2015
Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before—before Dara kissed Parker, before Nick lost him as her best friend, before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred. Now the two sisters, who used to be so close, aren't speaking. In an instant, Nick lost everything and is determined to use the summer to get it all back.
But Dara has other plans. When she vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl has vanished, too—nine-year-old Madeline Snow—and as Nick pursues her sister, she becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances may be linked.
In this edgy and compelling novel, New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.
My Review
Vanishing Girls is a weird book. It's not sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal weird. It's not even the sisters' relationship that is weird. I think the writing, the twists, and the character interactions are what makes it all so strange, and to elaborate will mean spoilers.
Honestly, I had part of Vanishing Girls' plot twist that is really central to the novel figured out from the start, but the execution of the twist was so off. After being presented with the "truth" behind a mystery, I like to have some sort of satisfaction. Vanishing Girls only left me scratching my head. I understand why tackling the issue is important to YA, but the events surrounding it were confusing. I get that Oliver is trying to blindside the reader, but I was confused to the point that I knew I would have to reread it to have any understanding. And I didn't like the characters enough to justify rereading the book.