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A young, street-savvy runaway looking for a place to call home realizes he might have conned his way into the wrong family in this “unique suspense novel with twists and turns that will keep readers guessing” (School Library Journal) from award-winning author Cristin Terrill. It seems too good to be true when Daniel Tate, missing since he was abducted from one of California’s most elite private enclaves at the age of ten, turns up on a snowy street in Vancouver six years later. At first too traumatized to speak, he is eventually able to tell the authorities who he is and is reunited with his overjoyed family. In time, they tell him, he’ll recover the memories he’s missing; all that matters is that they have him back. It’s perfect. A miracle. Except for one thing: That boy isn’t Daniel Tate. But he wants to be. A young con artist who’s been taking on false identities for years, this impostor has stumbled onto the scam of a lifetime. Daniel has everything he’s ever dreamed of—wealth, privilege, the chance to make a fresh start, and most importantly, a family that loves him. Now that he’s finally found a place to belong, he doesn’t question his luck. Until he realizes that maybe Daniel isn’t missing at all. Maybe someone knows what really happened to the boy he’s pretending to be…and if he can’t uncover the truth—he could be next the next Daniel Tate to disappear.
Reviews with the most likes.
it's now 4:55 a.m. - 10min after I finished this book and I still haven't closed my mouth. My mind just can't comprehend everything that has happened right now.
(review to come)
This book starts slow, but it was really hard to put down in the last half. The twists were good because they make you reflect on what you've read, and think “oh fuck” for missing certain things. There's enough hints that you can pick up on them, but they're subtle enough that it makes you second guess yourself.
Spoilers for the ending
I had a feeling earlier on in the book that Patrick and Lex may have had an incestuous relationship, but I had shrugged it off only for it to be revealed at the end as true... or was it? The book ends with the MC reminding you that he's a con artist and the last line is literally “Do you believe me?”, which makes you rethink everything you just read.
All in all, I just thought the book was really well executed and I'm still reeling from the ending.