Title: She’s Gone
Author: David Bell
Publication: November 1, 2022
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: YA Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 384
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
When a girl disappears, who do you suspect?
When 17-year-old Hunter Gifford wakes in the hospital on the night of homecoming, he’s shocked to learn he and his girlfriend, Chloe Summers, have been in a terrible car accident. Hunter has no memory of the crash, and his shock turns to horror when he is told Chloe’s blood has been found in the car―but she has disappeared.
Back at school, his fellow students taunt him, and his former best friend starts making a true-crime documentary about the case―one that points the finger directly at Hunter. And just when things can’t get any worse, Chloe’s mother stands in front of the entire town at a candlelight vigil and accuses Hunter of murder.
Under mounting pressure from the police, Hunter takes matters into his own hands by questioning anyone who might know the truth and posting videos to prove his innocence. When Hunter learns he and Chloe were seen arguing loudly outside the dance, he faces a sickening possibility. Was he angry enough to kill the person he loved?
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I sure do love a book where a super smart, and slightly nerdy, teenager helps solve a huge crime. So, I was extremely excited about She’s Gone by David Bell and he did not disappoint.
This story follows Hunter as he tries to figure out what happen after he loses his memory following an accident where his girlfriend went missing and he becomes a primary suspect. First I want to say I love that the main character is a male. A lot of these teenage detective books are teenage girls and it was nice to see it from the male perspective.
Also, I really enjoyed Hunter’s personality and his constant struggle with what he wants to do that he feels is right compared to just sitting and keeping a low profile. I feel that struggle was extremely realistic. I loved the sister/brother relationship between Hunter and his sister and how team Hunter she was the entire time, never once questioning him.
I also felt like Bell wrote some really great supporting characters that were nice to see supporting Hunter, but also those who were obviously suspicious of him and pertinent to the story. The different personalities and questions regarding characters really amped up the suspicion in this book and I did NOT see the ending coming.
Bell shocked me thoroughly and when the end started to unwind, I found myself gasping, saying “no way” and more as it all clicked into place. I was not ready for that! Such a shocking ending and loved how Bell had it play out. Great writing and build in this story really put it above others I have read and character development was good as well. There were a few cheesy moments, but I don’t think they took anything away from this story and it continued to flow extremely well.
I cannot wait to check out more books from David Bell after reading She’s Gone and I adamantly encourage all to check it out! A must read!
