Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie

Release Date: 4th August, 2011

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 304pgs

The Story

Lauren has always known she was adopted but when a little research turns up the possibility that she was snatched from an American family as a baby, suddenly Lauren's life seems like a sham. How can she find her biological parents? And are her adoptive parents really responsible for kidnapping her? She manages to wangle a trip across the Atlantic where she runs away to try and find the truth. But the circumstances of her disappearance are murky and Lauren's kidnappers are still at large and willing to do anything to keep her silent . . .

The Review

A big thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

Having already read a few of Sophie McKenzie's novels (the Medusa Project series), I was pretty excited when I received this book from the publisher. GIRL, MISSING is a thrilling read with a delightful set of characters, an unpredictable plot and it contains a greatly-written romance that will please many of its readers. And it certainly pleased me.

Lauren, the main character, was an easy female heroine to warm up to. Sure, she frustrated me at times with her poor and rush decisions, but given that she was under a lot of pressure to 'figure things out' clearly - for herself and for her family - but I'd liked how she handled herself and showed readers a depiction of realism in her character. It's hard to portray almost-real human emotion in a fictional character and I thought McKenzie did it perfectly. The same goes with the budding romance between Lauren and Jam. While I could easily see a romance forming on the horizon, but their relationship felt realistic to me and it wasn't insta-love like one would expect from a young adult novel. Being long-time and childhood best friends, Lauren and Jam practically share everything together and it's no wonder why an attraction sneaks up right behind them. Much like Lauren's character, Jam was a delightful love interest and I loved his 'crush' on Lauren, even though she was blind to it. Damn these girls! Anyway, I know a lot of readers will fall hard for this Jam because I sure did.

Overall GIRL, MISSING became an addictive read for me which is a surprise considering I don't usually read books in this genre. But filled with plenty of twists and turns that you won't see coming . . . everything in this novel from the storyline to the romance will NOT bore you in any way, shape or form.

The Rating

4/5 stars