ALA Booklist (Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2014)

When Nick leaves her dad's place to move in with her mother and sister, Dara, she's very wary, since Dara hasn't spoken to her since their terrible car accident, which left Dara permanently scarred. In between working at the local amusement park and navigating her confusing feelings for her childhood friend Parker, Nick hopes to patch things over with Dara so they can rekindle the relationship they had before the accident. Meanwhile, everyone in Nick's Virginia beach town is captivated by the disappearance of seven-year-old Madeline Snow, and when Nick thinks Dara is missing in a related incident, she starts poking around in dangerous places only to find out shocking things about her sister. Best-selling Oliver weaves a taut mystery interspersed with blog posts about Madeline's disappearance, and the story is made all the more compelling by Nick and Dara's close but troubling relationship, marked by both love and intense jealousy. Although the plot occasionally seems muddled, and some readers might be frustrated by Nick's diffidence, the bombshell conclusion gratifyingly makes up for it all. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Oliver's Delirium trilogy was a big hit. Expect her many fans to turn out for this novel, too.

Horn Book

After a horrible car accident, sisters Nick and Dara are no longer on speaking terms, and Dara, the younger, is left with physical scars. The sisters' tag-team narration sheds light on their turbulent relationship and reveals events both before and after their crash. While Oliver's thriller relies on a common soap-opera trope for its conclusion, readers sucked in by the suspense may not see it coming.

School Library Journal (Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Gr 9 Up-Different as night and day, sisters Nick and Dara are practically joined at the hip. Nick is perpetually the cool and calm older one who calls the shots. Dara is always tagging along, longing to be in the spotlight. That was before the accident that left Dara injured and Nick shaken to the core. Now, the siblings barely speak to each other; they live together but never cross paths. Nick gets a job at a local amusement park and begins to interact with people again, mostly with her longtime best friend, but also with her sister's ex-boyfriend, Parker. As the summer continues, a young local girl goes missing and Nick finds herself getting more involved with the ensuing drama than she ever expected. The situation comes to a boiling point at Dara's birthday dinner when she disappears too, and it's up to Nick to piece the story together and discover what has happened to her sister. Like in her "Delirium" series and Before I Fall (2010, both HarperCollins), Oliver's characterizations and background stories are well-developed and compulsively readable. The relationship between Nick and Dara drives the plot and is very realistic. The twist the author incorporates at the end is dramatic without being absurd and was completely unexpected. Recommend to teens looking for a well-written work with a juicy ending. They will not be disappointed. Morgan Brickey, Marion County Public Library System, FL

Voice of Youth Advocates

A tragic accident changes sisters Nick and Dara's world. They were the best of friends before the accident, but now their relationship has been strained by their parent's separation and conflict over a boy, Parker. Nick's summer is further complicated when she is forced to take a job at an aging amusement park where she must work side by side with Parker. In town, a young girl has gone missing, and the constant reports start bringing dark memories to the forefront of Nick's mind. Sure that Dara is avoiding her because she is caught up in a sinister secret that is somehow linked to the girl's disappearance, Nick struggles to find the truth only to rediscover the secret she has long hidden from herself.Oliver has a proven ability to delve into psychological topics. This exploration of sisters' friendship and how it can be impacted by tragedy does the same. The changing points of view and the addition of emails, diary entries, and texts work well to build suspense until a major plot twist is revealed. The characters, however, are bland, and a deeper exploration of their emotions would have made the twist more impactful. The conclusion wraps up everything far too neatly, and Nick's resulting recovery lacks power. Several plot elements, including the missing girl and a death at the amusement park, feel detached and strained, even when they are connected. Fans of Oliver and those who enjoy psychological thrillers will be engaged, but other readers may find the overall effect confusing.Rachel Wadham.