The Reappearance of Rachel Price

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

2 disappointing stars. This was such an interesting concept, but it really did not work for me. There was so much potential for this to be a great mystery-focused thriller, but I felt the execution was really bad and boring.

There was no depth to anything. Not the characters, not the plot, not the writing. Everything was surface-level and none of it made much sense.

The characters don't sound or behave like people at all! It got quite infuriating. The main character is annoying and a horrible person to a degree that goes beyond an “unlikeable” character who is fun to read about. The plot is weak and very slow-paced. You have to wait quite a while for that blurb- and title-promised reappearance and you can figure out most of what's going on about 20% into the novel. The documentary and the people making it? Not actually that important or involved in the story!

It's also insanely repetitive. The same ground gets covered again and again. There is no tension at any point and with so little going on in this, it could have been a novella. It might actually have worked in that format!

Some of the commentary on parenting is also more than questionable.