Hello Everyone :)
Do you know that feeling of anticipating a book so much that you're almost scared to actually read it, as you're afraid it can't possibly live up to the high expectations you've build up for it in your mind?
Well that was how I was feeling when I finally went ahead and picked up If You're Gone by Brittany Goodwin.
I love reading YA suspense novels that keep you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what's going to happen next, and this one sounded like it would be along those similar lines.
I first heard of it when it was nominated for a 2017 Christy Award in the Young Adult category, and I've been wanting to read it ever since.
If You're Gone by Brittany Goodwin:
Source: Bought For Myself
Publisher: Edge of 22 Publishing
Publication Date: June 20th, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Christian Fiction
Synopsis:
Lillian White was planning for the perfect summer- spending every waking minute at the lake with her heartthrob boyfriend, Brad Lee. But her world is shattered when Brad mysteriously disappears the night of his graduation ceremony- the same night he tells her he loves her for the first time. After law enforcement dismisses the case, classifying Brad as voluntarily missing, Lillian becomes desperate to prove that he couldn’t have just walked away. Not from his family. Not from his friends. Not from her.
Heartbroken but determined to find answers, Lillian begins to uncover secrets from Brad’s past that force her to question everything she thought she knew about him and their relationship. Will the truth lead her to him? Or are Brad’s lies just the beginning of the mystery?
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
Days after I finished reading If You're Gone by Brittany Goodwin, the story is still circling round and round in my mind as I try and come to terms with the gripping, emotional, though provoking read that completely blew me away.
Lillian and her boyfriend Brad have been inseparable for the past six months. She knows that what they have is far beyond a typical teenage romance, and she loves him wholeheartedly with every bit of her heart. After Brad's graduation ceremony, Lillian experiences one of her most perfect nights ever. He takes her on a romantic picnic, and gets her home just in time for curfew, and then her night's made even better when he finally tells her those three little words she's been waiting to hear. The next day her life changes in a split second when a call from Brad's parents reveals that he never came home the night before, and no one's seen or heard from him since.
What follows for Lillian is a heart breaking journey as she struggles to come to terms with what happened to Brad, how she's supposed to go on living her life when he might not be, and how she can truly make sense of any of this without the answers she so desperately needs. If You're Gone is a roller coaster read that has the reader experiencing ever heart breaking moment right along with Lillian, and truly showcases what it's like for those left behind when their loved ones go missing.
Lillian doesn't ever give up on Brad or on his character; even when circumstances are revealed that have everyone around her doubting what's truly behind his disappearance. As truths are revealed, and Lillian begins to realize that she may not have known Brad as well as she thought she did, she still chooses to believe in him and keep searching. And while I've read quite a few young adult suspense novels, and I usually have at least a tidbit of an idea where the author plans to take the story, this one actually kept me guessing right until the end, and had my mind completely blown with the direction it went.
My only complaints about this one were the fact that sometimes I found the pacing to be a bit slow, and didn't keep me engaged within a few of the chapters, and also that I found a certain part of the ending to be a tad unrealistic. Other than those small concerns though, I really enjoyed this one, and I especially liked that the author included a bonus epilogue on her website that really tied everything together.
I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys books about grief or suffering, and for anyone who's a fan of young adult mystery or suspense stories.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'm happy to say that it definitely lived up to the expectations I had for it.
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day.
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
Do you know that feeling of anticipating a book so much that you're almost scared to actually read it, as you're afraid it can't possibly live up to the high expectations you've build up for it in your mind?
Well that was how I was feeling when I finally went ahead and picked up If You're Gone by Brittany Goodwin.
I love reading YA suspense novels that keep you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what's going to happen next, and this one sounded like it would be along those similar lines.
I first heard of it when it was nominated for a 2017 Christy Award in the Young Adult category, and I've been wanting to read it ever since.
If You're Gone by Brittany Goodwin:
Source: Bought For Myself
Publisher: Edge of 22 Publishing
Publication Date: June 20th, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Christian Fiction
Synopsis:
Lillian White was planning for the perfect summer- spending every waking minute at the lake with her heartthrob boyfriend, Brad Lee. But her world is shattered when Brad mysteriously disappears the night of his graduation ceremony- the same night he tells her he loves her for the first time. After law enforcement dismisses the case, classifying Brad as voluntarily missing, Lillian becomes desperate to prove that he couldn’t have just walked away. Not from his family. Not from his friends. Not from her.
Heartbroken but determined to find answers, Lillian begins to uncover secrets from Brad’s past that force her to question everything she thought she knew about him and their relationship. Will the truth lead her to him? Or are Brad’s lies just the beginning of the mystery?
(synopsis from goodreads)
My Review:
Days after I finished reading If You're Gone by Brittany Goodwin, the story is still circling round and round in my mind as I try and come to terms with the gripping, emotional, though provoking read that completely blew me away.
Lillian and her boyfriend Brad have been inseparable for the past six months. She knows that what they have is far beyond a typical teenage romance, and she loves him wholeheartedly with every bit of her heart. After Brad's graduation ceremony, Lillian experiences one of her most perfect nights ever. He takes her on a romantic picnic, and gets her home just in time for curfew, and then her night's made even better when he finally tells her those three little words she's been waiting to hear. The next day her life changes in a split second when a call from Brad's parents reveals that he never came home the night before, and no one's seen or heard from him since.
What follows for Lillian is a heart breaking journey as she struggles to come to terms with what happened to Brad, how she's supposed to go on living her life when he might not be, and how she can truly make sense of any of this without the answers she so desperately needs. If You're Gone is a roller coaster read that has the reader experiencing ever heart breaking moment right along with Lillian, and truly showcases what it's like for those left behind when their loved ones go missing.
Lillian doesn't ever give up on Brad or on his character; even when circumstances are revealed that have everyone around her doubting what's truly behind his disappearance. As truths are revealed, and Lillian begins to realize that she may not have known Brad as well as she thought she did, she still chooses to believe in him and keep searching. And while I've read quite a few young adult suspense novels, and I usually have at least a tidbit of an idea where the author plans to take the story, this one actually kept me guessing right until the end, and had my mind completely blown with the direction it went.
My only complaints about this one were the fact that sometimes I found the pacing to be a bit slow, and didn't keep me engaged within a few of the chapters, and also that I found a certain part of the ending to be a tad unrealistic. Other than those small concerns though, I really enjoyed this one, and I especially liked that the author included a bonus epilogue on her website that really tied everything together.
I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys books about grief or suffering, and for anyone who's a fan of young adult mystery or suspense stories.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'm happy to say that it definitely lived up to the expectations I had for it.
Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day.
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
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