Even though, as a mother, Don’t Try to Find Me was a difficult read, I really enjoyed this novel. The book description had me hooked immediately, and I was thrilled that my library had the audiobook available for digital loan. I will say that I wasn’t crazy about the narrator’s voice for Rachel - there were times when it came out as almost robotic. I couldn’t tell if that was intentional, or if it was the result of poor editing. I didn’t let that affect my rating here though.

At first the style of the story really threw me off and I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. I guess I’d refer to it as passive in the sense that it’s mostly Rachel’s thoughts and Marley’s journal. I guess I was expecting more of a ‘thriller’ vibe so this really slowed the pace down for me. In the end, I can appreciate why the author wrote it this way. Although, I still don’t think it was my preferred style.

I liked the alternating voice between Rachel and Marley, and how it gave us a chance to see how each person perceived situations in different ways. I also liked how the family challenges were played out in this book. None were over the top or extreme - they were common issues that many families experience in real life. Yet, it’s these seemingly insignificant moments that can fester and build and drive up walls until one person snaps or gives up. When this happens with a child who is impressionable and looking for acceptance and love, it’s easy to see how they can be lured into a dangerous situation.

I also liked how the media was used, showing both how it can help and hurt all at the same time. The way that media attention can try to focus on the ‘wrong’ things just to drive up ratings, and how that can pressure others to focus on something other than what really matters.

The primary issue I had with this book was the ending. It just felt too convenient. I don’t want to give away a spoiler, but I can’t really talk about it without some spoilers. So if you don’t want to know the ending, don’t peek :-)

Overall, really good book that made me think. And want to install a butt load of monitoring software on all of my daughter’s devices!!

Synopsis: When a fourteen-year-old runs away, her parents turn to social media to find her—launching a public campaign that will expose their darkest secrets and change their family forever, in this suspenseful and gripping debut for fans of Reconstructing Amelia and Gone Girl.

Don’t try to find me. Though the message on the kitchen white board is written in Marley’s hand, her mother Rachel knows there has to be some other explanation. Marley would never run away.

As the days pass and it sinks in that the impossible has occurred, Rachel and her husband Paul are informed that the police have “limited resources.” If they want their fourteen-year-old daughter back, they will have to find her themselves. Desperation becomes determination when Paul turns to Facebook and Twitter, and launches FindMarley.com.

But Marley isn’t the only one with secrets.

With public exposure comes scrutiny, and when Rachel blows a television interview, the dirty speculation begins. Now, the blogosphere is convinced Rachel is hiding something. It’s not what they think; Rachel would never hurt Marley. Not intentionally, anyway. But when it’s discovered that she’s lied, even to the police, the devoted mother becomes a suspect in Marley’s disappearance.

Is Marley out there somewhere, watching it all happen, or is the truth something far worse? 

*****

Books like Holly Brown's Don't Try To Find Me reassure my love of reading. I've been rather fortunate the last few months -- I've liked almost every new book and/or new author (that is, new to me -- not new releases, per se) I have tried, thus letting me write positive reviews here on a fairly regular basis. There have been a few clunkers here and there, but on the whole the last few months of my reading life have been pretty dandy.

And then there are books like this one. Books that keep me glued to the pages (or screen -- I read this one on my Kindle), hungrily reading, ravenous to see how the whole thing turns out while not wanting the journey to ever end. I'm not one for hyperbole, but Don't Try To Find Me lit a fire in my heart and soul. It is one I won't forget for a long time.

So, what's this book even about? Well . . . I really don't want to give too much away, but the gist is a fourteen-year-old girl runs away from home and goes cross-country to move in with her boyfriend whom she met on Facebook. Said boyfriend is much older than her (even older than she is led to believe at first -- spoiler?) and, as it turns out, not such a nice guy. Her parents -- two people not so happy in the marriage they're in -- are left grappling and turn to social media, creating a campaign in a desperate effort to find their daughter. In the midst of the media blitz, secrets are revealed and the family dynamic risks permanent destruction. It's a tense situation, making for riveting reading. With alternating chapters between daughter and mother, the reader gets an interesting perspective into the characters and what makes them tick. Alternating chapters, while around for ages and ages (Faulkner, anyone?), have really become popular recently due to Gillian Flynn using it to her advantage in her smash hit Gone Girl. While I love that novel, I must say this book takes what works in that one to another level, creating a reading experience similar to that one but a good deal more rewarding.

This is the good stuff, guys. Intriguing plot developments, interesting and sympathetic characters, believable dialogue, an impressive ending, stellar character development . . . This book checks all the boxes. And to think this is the author's debut novel! While I'm not sure if this is my favorite read of 2015, it is certainly up there. As soon as I finished this novel I downloaded Brown's next book, Necessary Endings, to my Kindle as quickly as I could. I'll be giving that one a read ASAP.

Note: This is my 100th novel read in 2015, so I have reached my reading goal! Go me!

This is a magnificent story. So far it's very comparable to and much better than Gone Girl,  a book I totally enjoyed.

A pregnant teenager, a couple who can't conceive, and a deal Gabe and Adrianne can't pass up. Or was it really such a good deal?

Adrianne was so desperate to have a baby that she and Gabe signed up for a birth mother site that would give them access to unwed mothers who wanted to put their baby up for adoption.  They got burned on the first mother and Leah sounded too good to be true so they took the “deal.”​  Leah arrived at their home within 24 hours with her flight paid for and with her own secret agenda.​

I was apprehensive about their decision ​and about Leah ​the second I read about it.  Leah was going to have the baby, stay with them for a year, be paid $400 a month ​with all medical expenses covered but ​with the stipulation that she could still decide to keep the baby.

A NECESSARY END kept me on the edge of my seat as the characters interacted and as Leah continued to show her true colors​ and carry out her plan.  Ms. Brown addressed a social situation that could escalate to this height.

Ms. Brown does a superb job of keeping the tension of the book's situation very high.

​A NECESSARY END is a gripping psychological thriller with characters that were well developed but ones that I wanted to shake and tell to wake up and see what actually was going on.  There was a good deal of betrayal as well as manipulation.

If you enjoy books with characters you d​on't trust from the start and a gut feeling that all isn't as it really seems A NECESSARY END is a book you won't want to miss.  The ending revelations and the ending itself are definitely a surprise and not what I expected.  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review

Meeting someone online and falling in love is wonderful.  Yes, it is wonderful but not when you are fourteen and he is twenty-nine and has lied to you about a lot of things including his name.

Marley met Brandon on a social media site, and he talked her into leaving her family and joining him for a life together.  But...she couldn't take her computer, her phone, or even go out of the house once she arrived.

As Marley traveled by bus to meet Brandon, on the other side of the country, her parents were frantically looking for her with no clues at all.  Marley wiped out everything on all devices so no trace of where she was could be discovered.

This nightmare was real for Marley’s parents, Rachel and Paul.  They used social media to start a site named FindMarley.com

This book discussed a lot of social issues and showed the dangers of social media’s influence on youth as well as its ability to aid in getting cross-country exposure about a runaway.

The characters were difficult to like. I wanted to shake Marley. I definitely disliked Brandon.  I wasn't even fond of Rachel or Paul.

But, despite the unlikeable characters, DON’T TRY TO FIND ME had me glued to the pages and had my heart racing.  The suspense was quite high.  My fear for Marley had me tense while I was reading the book as well as when I was waiting to return to see what was going to happen.  I still am anxious as I am writing this...definitely the sign of a GOOD book.

If you like to be kept on the edge of your seat, don’t miss reading DON’T TRY TO FIND ME.  It was a quick read, but very intense.  It could even be called a thriller.

My rating is going to be a 4/5 because parts of the book were a bit too descriptive, but the anxiety and apprehension as each scene took place made it a terrific read.

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.