Review: Good as Gone by Amy Gentry

Title:Good as Gone

Author:Amy Gentry

Narrator:Karen Peakes

Published:July 2016, Brilliance Audio

Length:7 hours 40 minutes

Source:Publisher

Thirteen-year-old Julie
Whitaker was kidnapped from her bedroom in the middle of the night,
witnessed only by her younger sister. Her family was shattered, but
managed to stick together, hoping against hope that Julie is still
alive. And then one night: the doorbell rings. A young woman who appears
to be Julie is finally, miraculously, home safe. The family is
ecstatic—but Anna, Julie’s mother, has whispers of doubts.  She hates to
face them. She cannot avoid them. When she is contacted by a former
detective turned private eye, she begins a torturous search for the
truth about the woman she desperately hopes is her daughter.

Propulsive and suspenseful, Good as Gone will appeal to fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, and keep readers guessing until the final pages.

My thoughts:There are some books that you just know you are going to be sucked into as soon as you start them…and this was one of them. Even though I listened to this on audio – I ended up finishing this in two days…something I don’t often do with audios, but I put it on, and fortunately had a blanket to finish. I was completely captivated with this book – so much so that not only did I finish the book in two days, I also finished the blanket I needed to and started another one!

This book is definitely not what you expect it to be…and I absolutely loved that. It pulls you in right from the start and never really lets up. Julie is kidnapped from her home and then eight years later, shows up on her parents’ doorstep. What happened during those eight years? And is she really who she says she is? These questions will haunt you as you read this book.

I really liked the way this story was told – not only alternating points of view, but also alternating time periods – both the past and present slowly unravel to reveal what has happened...so clever and so addictive – you don’t want to walk away from this book until you know what has really happened! Plus, it keeps you guessing as to how it is all going to come together. The twists and turns will keep you engaged and the emotions that you will go through with the family are palpable. This is one thought-provoking, psychologically suspenseful read!

This is a debut novel for Amy Gentry and I cannot wait to see what comes next from her. Hopefully it’s not too long a wait!!!  

Audio thoughts:This is the first time I’ve listened to Karen Peakes narrate…and I thought she did a great job. I thought she did a great job with the voices, giving everyone a unique voice and the pacing was just right.