Sam's Reviews > The Reappearance of Rachel Price

My Selling Pitch:
Gone Girl x Room x The Jinx. A solid YA thriller that descends into camp territory by the end, but still entertaining enough to pick up.

Pre-reading:
I am genuinely so excited to start this. I really liked A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and the novella. I have not liked any of her other books.

Thick of it:
Oh no. I fear this may be bad. It feels FIRMLY YA.

On the fashion alone, we are either getting a quirky gay bestie, or this is the love interest and I’m going to die of cringe.

If this is an artsy fartsy fuckoff mom book so help me-

And title drop.

Baby Bel- like the cheese. Omg.

Did she pull some Taylor Swift shit and get into a janitor’s cart or like a trash can? (Watch me crush this book. I am the FBI.)

The slug mouth is just making me think of that spell from Harry Potter.
Lol, a local. I'm a Masshole too

The dog dies lol.

A minty boy.

Oh god, this man is cringe.

Is it The Office that was all about the abbreviations? That dialogue feels lifted.

I feel like pawpaw is def involved. He’s set up too well with his memory issues to not be involved.

Isn't that the type of birthmark Phoebe Waller Bridge has lol?

Miracle baby? Sounds like Sherry had an affair and Ms. Rachel found out. Carter’s not her dad’s daughter, and redheads are recessive. Point me at the next red-headed man and that’s whodunit paternity wise.

Interesting how the book talks about a redheaded victim right after. Like did I open this book and solve it? (Oh girl, nearly.)

Holly Jackson- Disney adult

I assume Sherry had an affair with the teacher and Rachel found out. She would’ve known her abductor then so there’s no signs of a struggle.

If the math teacher is a ginger, he's the father of Carter.

A Sam!

Oh look, he’s a redhead. Oh look, I’ve guessed this book already. We’re at 13%. So help me god, if I’m correct. Now I just gotta figure out how they avoided cameras at the mall. (You nailed it on one, babe.)

I can't help but feel like the Ramsey name is a nod to Jon Benet. (Def my true crime white whale.)

I'm sure there will be something damning against the uncle as a red herring in the stalker’s interview, but it'll actually be Sherry whodunnit. (Wrong! But also, we dropped that plot point of the stalker’s interviews.)

I feel like I’m gonna have a hard time reading this book if I have to get through 400 pages just to be correct. I’m even guessing how they’re gonna try and throw me off. (Did not have a hard time reading. This book lets you play detective very well.)

“Fuck off, Harry Styles” is iconic.

Rachel Price: *returns*
Sam: *surprised Pikachu face*
The author, the blurb, the goddamn title: GIRL.
(I truly go in so blind with like zero predictions. It’s wild. They just let me loose on these books. Recreationally.)

How on earth do you still fit clothes from 18 years ago?

Oh look, I was right about how she got out of the mall if any of this is true.

How do they not have more questions for this woman?!? I would be going nuts!

How would the hospital not keep her for observation and tests and like rehydration?

Oh, she wrote stories? That’s convenient.

Does the ring have the date on it still?

How would the police not alert Rachel’s parents? What the hell? (They might as well be dead. They are not in this book.)

Also, I’d like to say that I can’t suspend disbelief that the police are this bad at their jobs to just let this woman go home, but then I think of the American Justice system. Like never mind. This could happen. But like I’m pretty sure missing people have to do DNA tests and have their identity confirmed before they’re just let loose with the family.

Now I’m assuming she’s in cahoots with her husband and was like you need an alibi so he cut his hand on purpose so that he could prove it wasn’t him when she went missing because of Sherry and the teacher. I’m still all in on that. (So close, yet so far.)

I don’t trust this bitch.

Does this bitch have a secret twin? I swear to god.

Get her, bestie! Holly Jackson is really good at making you root for these plucky teenage girls.

Here’s the thing though, if you’re trapped in a basement with no news source for 15 years, how are you not completely overwhelmed by the brands and technology of a mall nowadays? I feel like if you’re in Vermont, you don’t know what Starbucks is in the 90s. (Samantha, 15 years ago was 2009. Not the '90s. God, I’m OLD.)

This book is so well-paced.

Could they test her and see if she’s had a Covid vaccine? That would kind of prove that she wasn’t in the basement if she got a shot.

Can they prove that the tag or the size isn’t the pair of jeans she went missing in?

The Memory Thief is the book grandpa was reading to Bel in the home video. Sus. That’s gonna be a thing. I don’t know what kind of thing, but definitely a thing.

Am I crazy for thinking that someone in '80s/'90s New Hampshire wouldn’t know what paella is because like my parents definitely wouldn’t know.

Love the nod to And Then There Were None.

I feel like if they’re continuously pointing out a creaky stair, then it’s gonna come up during the climax of the novel. (Wrong. I don’t think it ever comes up.)

This trend for contemporary male love interests being such SUBS needs to take a hike. Gimmie a strong female character AND a strong dude.

Take a shot every time this book says horsefucker.

Dude, what the fuck, Sherry. Boomer diet culture is wild.

The dude watching the house is definitely the stalker.

New theory: Carter is actually Rachel’s daughter and she disappeared because she had an affair with the English teacher and was pregnant. She gave the baby to Sherry, and Carter got in contact with her after doing some genetic test in science class and realized she wasn’t Sherry’s. (Nearly there.)

Nelson has to come into the story at some point with this many mentions. She’s gonna like report that she saw Rachel coming and going with the teacher maybe?

See, like I’m even more sure that it’s gonna be a genetic reveal thing because they specifically bring up testing girlypop at the beginning of the book.

It’s the way I keep confusing Rachel and Bel because it seems like the daughter should be named Rachel.

I feel like the chief of police would definitely not answer a teenage girl, but I do love that Holly Jackson trope.

What did Carter order for $200? A paternity test? How much are those? ( Nailed. It.)

Oh look, we’re bringing up his red hair again.

Here’s the bad thing though, they’ve stumbled onto this teacher and possible affair plotline far too early in the book for me to think it’s actually true, so now I have to reconsider my theory.

Ash is growing on me. The Harry Styles thing definitely helped it along.

This offhanded mine shaft commentary better not come back into play because I don’t wanna write it down and I don’t wanna remember it. But I’ll bet you it’s where the climax of the novel is going to go down. (Nailed. It.)

Oh new theory: the guy outside the house is her dad‘s boyfriend or friend from prison and he picked him up and took him to Vermont. (So off base, Samantha.)

He definitely wants a book back. Were they communicating through books Anxious People style? (Again, so close, yet so far.)

It’s definitely a first edition of a book that’s like $3000. That’s 100% what it is. (Nah, babe.)

Oh shit, it was just money.

What’s that two-party recording rule? (Could’ve googled. Didn’t feel like it.)

She’s being a bad cousin to Carter, but I also don’t understand why Carter is on the mom’s side. Like she should be all in on playing Nancy Drew!

Yeah, Uncle Jeff in the bathroom audio just like that documentary, The Jinx. Actually, now that I put it out there, this whole thing feels very inspired by The Jinx. If you haven’t seen that doc and you’re a true crime fan, highly recommend.

I wonder if he got hurt and he was trying to type in Bel and it went to Bob instead? He better not be down in the mine.

You gotta earn mom. You don’t just get to be called mom.

Literally the first second I’m like oh he’s starting to grow on me, they kiss and I’m like wow, right back to square one. I don’t like this romance. It feels so forced and fast.

Maybe the brothers did murder the mom but it was an accident?

The intruder is the plumber stalker.
Oop-yeah, not surprised.

Holly Jackson does the same thing that Taylor Adams does where nothing is an offhanded comment. It’ll all be a callback eventually, so it gets a little formulaic and predictable. I think Taylor Adams does it better, but Holly‘s also writing for a younger audience.

Not to victim blame, but how does this family who has stalkers and supposedly an attacker who’s still at large not have a home security system?

Oh, I hate eye horror. That made me wince.

Also, I’m not gonna like it if the book pulls an actually, girlypop was just delulu the whole time. Her mom’s like totally a good person! (Sigh.)

Oh, she’s into biology? Like learning about recessive traits like red hair? Convenient.

I don’t think the dad is the villain. I’m willing to be wrong, but like what?

Also, I can’t not picture Charlie from Twilight. Like if you read this book and you’re not picturing Charlie from Twilight what’s that like?

The bookshop owner wouldn’t have kept her in a basement. Would she? What’s going on? I’m confusion.

Aw, look at the bookish shoutouts.

Wow, all the book title mentions just made my heart all warm and fuzzy. I’ve read a bunch of them.

I’ve been reading this as an audiobook, and I was like damn, it’s really taking me a long time to get through this. Then I picked it up on my Kindle today and like goddamn, I read so much faster than I listen, and I listen on at least 2x.

Her dad‘s gotta be the one in the trailer now. (Yup.)

This book is great. An easy read, well-paced, it keeps upping the ante, efficient and effective callbacks. Just really solid.

However, I do feel like I’m gonna be disappointed by this climax because I opened the book and guessed the big Carter reveal.

Oh, didn’t Sherry talk about a homebirth? It wasn’t a home birth. It was a tractor-trailer birth. Hahaha.

Wow, I nailed my predictions for this book. (I mean you guessed a handful real off base too, but-)

This reminds me of a true crime case that had this same brand of gaslighting, but I don’t remember which one. I just know it’s familiar. Does that make sense?

How did she hide the money? (Plot hole.)

What do you mean she got so skinny that the cuff slipped off her ankle? That’s some bullshit. Also, not to victim blame, but how would you not try that earlier? Or like save your butter pats to slip it or something.

I’m a little disappointed with this reveal. It's a little too far-fetched, but I’m also like this is a YA thriller. It’s written for entertainment, not realism.

Lol, very Room. What a movie that was.

How would this adoption not fall apart just by looking at Sherry‘s medical records?

Where is Ash for all of this? Like literally just call the police. This is so stupid.

Like the reveal is so dumb, and I guessed the big twist so easily that I feel like it should be three stars, but it’s still a well-paced and plotted thriller. It’s just a little delulu. But it’s also for children, so I’m like maybe we let it slide?

OK but pull the air cap on one of Jeff’s tires so he can’t follow you.

Oh my god, and there’s the mine. I literally begged you not to involve the mine

Oh my god, did she listen? Are we not involving the mine?

So help me god, if she runs into a bear.

We really jumped the shark. We’re going full Hairpin Bridge.

Oh, Holly Jackson. We were doing so well. We were four stars this whole time, but this ending is just terrible. We’re plummeting.

Wow, can’t believe I was wrong about the teacher being her dad. We brought up his red hair so much. A red hair-ing?

I don’t think unchecking the box on Ancestry DNA would prevent the police from doing that. Also, I think you need DNA on record somewhere just legally, but OK.

Cool motive, still murder

Holly Jackson loves a good for her book, and I am just not a good for her girlie.

OK, but there are scratch marks on her dad‘s arm from Bel. They’re gonna be able to tell.

Also, what about Sherry? Sherry knows some shit is going on. You’re gonna have people’s cars and the cameras. Oh my god, this book’s logic is downright bad. And like the entire documentary. All that footage. Girl.

This ending is so bad.

Listen, the book itself is good till you hit about 75%. Then it devolves into camp. It’s still worth the read. It’s fun, but like definitely not a good thriller. This is for the Verity girlies.

Also, Carter is literally a minor. How is she not a ward of the state? What do you mean?

Damn, it really always is the husband.

Post-reading:
A solid little YA thriller until the end.

The book does an excellent job of allowing its audience to play detective and try to figure out what’s happening. Even if you figure out part of the solution because it is a bit predictable, it’s well-paced and twisty enough that it’ll keep you reading. The main character is a melodramatic teenager and you still root for her. The romantic subplot was too rushed, and the love interest was too awkward and cringe to get me on board with it. Comparing your would-be hottie to a minion is a choice, and Icebreaker barely got away with that.

As far as the plot goes, I am not a good for her girlie. Nine times out of 10 it’s going to irritate me if we veer into revenge thriller territory. This book is no exception. To enjoy the ending you really have to suspend your disbelief. You have to be down for camp. And unfortunately, that’s not what the book is going for. It’s being fully serious. All of its twists and thriller mechanics feel pretty familiar. It feels like a mashup of well-known true crime cases and other popular thrillers of the past few years. It kind of felt like Holly Jackson cherry-picked the parts that she liked from other books or movies. It prevents the book from feeling original, but I don’t think it ruins it. It feels a little Easter eggy, just like all the bookish community title drops.

The book’s a bit plot holey. People leave a lot of DNA evidence lying around. Dropping bodies down a mineshaft isn’t the get-out-of-jail-free card that you think it is especially when you leave scratch marks on them. Somehow babies can just show up without hospital intervention. Feel free to correct me in the comments if I’m wrong, but I don’t think that’s legal. Like how did she get a birth certificate to enroll in public school? Are we supposed to believe that they contacted that Bob guy to get a fake baby birth certificate? And Bob is just so good at his side hustle that it stood up for all these years? Also, somehow Rachel was able to know everything that she needed for pregnancy and give birth and pass a placenta all on her own? Homegirl didn’t even have a sterile environment. Rachel‘s metabolism also must be for the gods if she could have a baby and still fit into jeans from 15 years ago.

There’s a couple dropped plot points as well. I don’t know if Holly Jackson left her options open while she was writing the thriller or if some parts got trimmed, but there’s definitely gaps. Rachel‘s mother may as well not exist. Rachel has an extra scar on her ankle that’s never accounted for. We never get to see any of the clues or interviews that the stalker conducted.

Part of the appeal of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder was its mixed media format. I think her returning readers are going to miss that in this book. I did.

The ending feels rushed. It feels like it jumps the shark. It all ties up a little too neatly, but it’s passable. It’s just a little YA thriller. Its job is to entertain you, not be a literary juggernaut, and it definitely succeeds in that. Pick this up for a fun time, just don’t expect it to change your life.

Who should read this:
The Verity girlies
I support women’s rights and their wrongs
Revenge thriller fans

Do I want to reread this:
Nah, but I look forward to her next release.

Similar books:
* Verity by Colleen Hoover-revenge thriller, gaslighting
* Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn-OG revenge thriller, gaslighting
* The Housemaid by Freida McFadden-revenge thriller, gaslighting
* No One Knows Us Here by Rebecca Kelley-revenge thriller
* Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams-revenge thriller, camp