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Frank

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Great story but who's on first?

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-19-21

Great story for Middle Grade and above but - the relationship of the family is confusing. Lucy calls the woman Nana, and the guy Uncle Paul, but Nana seems to be someone other than Lucy's biological Mother and Paul apparently is not Nana;s son.

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1 person found this helpful

Edit the title!

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 03-18-21

Is "The Missing Woman: Utterly Gripping Psychological Suspense with Heart-Thumping Twists" the title or an advert? The cover says, "The Missing Woman" - it'd be less obviously a sales pitch if the library title were edited to match the cover. As for the story, the opening chapters take too long to get rolling - I just didn't sense the excitement mentioned in the pitch and why the pitch needs to be deleted from the library title, because the story might not be able to deliver the build-up it's promising..

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Enjoyed it more at 1.50 speed (lol)...

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-25-19

No kidding - the faster speed makes Stef sound more like her character - give it a try! P.S. About the city ordinance hearing (the climax of the story), here in Florida the solution for roaming lunch wagons is this - the owner must wear disposable gloves at all times. Many lunch wagons also sell only pre-packaged food (it'd be sad to see a taco wrapped in plastic).

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Maybe it's my age, but...

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-30-19

...unlike some MG books that are readable for all age groups, TTWSS is meant for early tweens and younger readers. I suppose it's the imaginary balloon that makes the difference. I was hoping it had to do with the medication she was taking, but that never materialized. The story is well written and could I smell the lasagne from here (though being of the same ethnic group I thought the background was a little too rich at times - perhaps that part of me has "worn off" so to speak because amulets and la famiglia holding the dreaded grudge forever (the Thanksgiving argument) hold no interest for me). Still young readers who can manuver through a book of this length would probably enjoy staying with it to the end.

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Page 338 (EXTREME SPOILER ALERT)

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-30-19

I like to skip ahead and reading the last sentence on Page 338 (the story ends on Page 336) brought it all home.

Truth - loads of triggers for the claustrophobic so stressful due to the subject matter (granted, I'm a flight person in the fight or flight definition) and still waited for Hannah to do a Shawshank or MacGyver or Natty Gann and find a way out of her court-ordered captivity. She is very bright for a high school senior and no doubt instead of measuring the floor for the 1,000th time (8 steps by 7 steps) she could figure out a way to leave, and does - or did she. Escaping would make the story an adventure and more readable, but that's just me.

Then there are her wealthy parents - rude, arrogant and spoiled - and make it clear their daughter's illness is interfering with their jet-set lifestyle. I hated them (good writing is to blame - lol).

It's plain Hannah hates them for raising an only child in 5-star hotels, and perhaps the reason for her crisis that my guess could be resolved without the pills but with intense therapy, but I'm not a psychiatrist.

Then there's the last sentence on Page 338 - sneaky of the author to leave it for the few who would skip ahead...

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Confusing

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 02-19-19

Too many sub-plots made the stew too rich for me and confusing at times. A Newberry winner does not mean it's a book all will enjoy.

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2 people found this helpful