Traces of Her

When I first read the synopsis I knew this was a book for me and it didn't disappoint. The story goes between the past and present day and is narrated by three characters; the first Ava, the second Rose and the mysterious other who pops up less frequently but obviously holds the key to the mystery of the deceased sisters.

Ava's story begins in the year 2001. She belongs to a dysfunctional family and idolises/envies her older sister. Her older brother has left and is living in Australia, her Father too has left and her mother is cold and unforgiving. Ava finds herself pregnant at the age of 17 which doesn't bode well with her mother.

Rose's story begins in present day. She receives a message from her step sister Willow, who she adores. Willow is in Cornwall looking to find clues about her birth mother, who died when she was a toddler. She sends Rose photographs of four men who she thinks could be responsible for her mother's death and asks Rose to come to Cornwall. However, when Rose arrives there is no sign of Willow apart from her jacket which is left upstairs in a bedroom. Rose continues to search for Willow and get drawn into finding the truth about Willow's birth mother.

I loved hearing Ava's story and the lead up to her sister's wedding as from the onset you know how the night ends. I was caught up in the events of Ava's life and felt sympathetic towards her. There is such a contrast between Ava and her sister and you wonder how the pair could even be related.

Rose on the other hand I found hard to have any feelings towards. She was just a vehicle for bringing the story and past events to a closure. Rose's own life was quite dysfunctional and that was the only saving grace for me.

There were lots of twists and some shocks along the way which allowed me to never drop my guard when reading. With the host of colourful characters I never quite knew who to trust and what information would turn out vital to the plot. Although I thought I had predicted a few things along the way I hadn't gauged everything accurately which added to my overall enjoyment of the novel.

The climax to the ending was a little far fetched but I forgave Amanda Brittany for this as she managed through Ava, to wrap things up neatly and allowed that element of hope I'd been clinging on to to evolve.

A very big thank you to Netgalley, HQ Digital and Amanda Brittany for this enjoyable thriller which I will definitely recommend to family and friends