Don't Try to Find ME by Holly Brown--a Review

Families are so unique to the individuals involved and included in them.  They are work and they are imperfect.    Sometimes a family that is different from yours, looks so appealing....much like the grass is always greener.   Sometimes, it is your family that appeals to someone else.   Sometimes families are broken, comprised of broken people.

SYNOPSIS:

When a 14-year-old runs away, her parents turn to social media to find her-launching a public campaign that will expose their darkest secrets and change their family forever, in this suspenseful and gripping debut for fans of Reconstructing Amelia and Gone Girl

Don't try to find me. Though the message on the kitchen white board is written in Marley's hand, her mother Rachel knows there has to be some other explanation. Marley would never run away.

As the days pass and it sinks in that the impossible has occurred, Rachel and her husband Paul are informed that the police have "limited resources." If they want their 14-year-old daughter back, they will have to find her themselves. Desperation becomes determination when Paul turns to Facebook and Twitter, and launches FindMarley.com.

But Marley isn't the only one with secrets.

With public exposure comes scrutiny, and when Rachel blows a television interview, the dirty speculation begins. Now, the blogosphere is convinced Rachel is hiding something. It's not what they think; Rachel would never hurt Marley. Not intentionally, anyway. But when it's discovered that she's lied, even to the police, the devoted mother becomes a suspect in Marley's disappearance.

Is Marley out there somewhere, watching it all happen, or is the truth something far worse?

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE:

Don't Try to Find Me was definitely a psychological journey of a broken family into nightmare territory.  The story is told from the point of view of mother/daughter alternately.  Paul and Rachel had grown apart over the years, but they thought they were providing their daughter, Marley, with all the advantages she could ever want or need.   They even provided her with a therapist when she needed clarity and mental health care.   The parents were split on that issue.    Paul saw no point to a therapist and only attended one session.    Rachel, however believed it was helping her daughter and formed a strong friendship with the therapist.   Marley's perception of the relationship between her parents and the relationship between her therapist and her mother is what breaks her further.   With only the support of her secret facebook friend, she plans her escape into a new "family"--just the two of them.

This was a very intense read as Rachel and Paul come to grips with the problems they knew existed but for whatever reason could never confront.   Under public scrutiny after turning to social media to find Marley, nothing was sacred or "secret" any longer.  But at least they did have a unified cause....find Marley.    Second guessing one another, second guessing the motives of those closest to them in the search, and trying to second guess Marley led to a lot of angst and revelation, until there were no more  secrets.

This story was relevant and pertinent to the world we live in today, where the vulnerable are sought out and found by predators, through the same social media Marley had been both lost and found.   The story moved fluently, and this reader was invested in the read immediately.  Characters were frustrating and believable.   The storyline and plot, both frightening and so sad.   Broken people, broken family--and so much rested in the perception of said family members.

I rated this book 5 winks!

Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like. I received a complimentary copy from the author or the author’s representatives in exchange for an honest review.