there’s something about solving a cold case that always gets me going - and I’m usually super invested in sleuthing along with the MCs!! and this one, combining two cold cases in one, was so addicting!

ashley flowers knows how to write mysteries so well, but more importantly, she knows how to write human stories and well-fleshed-out characters. the desperation that jenna and nic felt as they raced against the clock to discover new clues about their missing sisters was so well written!!! 

I thought I pegged the whodunnit from the beginning, and was validated for a bit when it started to look to go in that direction - but I never would have suspected the ending!! I gasped so loud when I got to the finale!

what didn’t quite work for me was the way the story wrapped up itself. when the initial shock wore off, I found myself questioning the decisions of jenna and nic and how they handled the conclusion very differently than their characters in the beginning. it does drive home the emotion of desperation, but at the same time, jenna and nic were two sides of the same coin and it felt a little too abrupt and neat for the tragedy of the book… 

a huge thank you to bantam and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! may’s gonna be a good month!

rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: finger lakes cabernet franc