The Reappearance of Rachel Price

By Author / Illustrator

Holly Jackson

Genre

Suspense & Thrillers

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

HarperCollins

ISBN

9780008582197

Format

Hardback

Published

02-04-2024

Synopsis

A stunning new YA thriller from the bestselling, award-winning author of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder!

18-year-old Bel has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mom's mysterious disappearance. 16 years ago, Rachel Price vanished and young Bel was the only witness. Rachel is gone, presumed dead.

The case is dragged up from the past when the Price family agree to a true crime documentary. Bel can't wait for filming to end, for life to go back to normal. But then Rachel Price reappears, and life will never be normal again . . .

'Jackson is the queen of young adult novels' Independent. 'A blisteringly good standalone thriller.' The Observer on Five Survive, YA Books of the Year, 4/12/2022. 'A thrill ride.' The Guardian

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Reviews

Despite the clue in the title, the reappearance of the focus of this brilliant new YA novel from Holly Jackson still surprised me! I was so deeply immersed in the disappearance of the main character, Bel's mum Rachel, that her unexpected return to the Price family left me, the reader, as unsettled as it did Annabel.

The author cleverly uses the device of a documentary being filmed to introduce the details of the disappearance, the aftermath and devastating effects on the various members of her family. The depiction of Bel as a now ambivalent 18-year-old makes for interesting reading as she doesn't reconnect easily with the mother who left her when she was so young. Before long her curiosity turns to suspicion and the rest of this mystery focuses on Bel discovering the awful truth behind her Mum's disappearance.

I am not a fan of spoiler alerts but The Reappearance of Rachel Price has so many twists and turns that I could have shared more of the storyline in this review without giving away the ending. The final denouement is as surprising as Rachel's reappearance was at the start of this book. Holly Jackson's mystery thriller is well worth curling up with for all 50 page-turning chapters! Highly recommended for upper school students. Please note this book contains swearing.

448 pages / Reviewed by Ruth Cornish, school librarian