Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: March 14th, 2017
352 Pages
Synopsis: What happens to the girl left behind?
A masked man with a gun enters a sandwich shop in broad daylight, and Meredith Oliver suddenly finds herself ordered to the filthy floor, where she cowers face to face with her nemesis, Lisa Bellow, the most popular girl in her eighth grade class. The minutes tick inexorably by, and Meredith lurches between comforting the sobbing Lisa and imagining her own impending death. Then the man orders Lisa Bellow to stand and come with him, leaving Meredith the girl he left behind,
After Lisa’s abduction, Meredith spends most days in her room. As the community stages vigils and searches, Claire, Meredith’s mother, is torn between relief that her daughter is alive, and helplessness over her inability to protect or even comfort her child. Her daughter is here, but not.
The Fall Of Lisa Bellow is the first book I’ve read by Susan Perabo. While I had a few issues, I thought she did a fantastic job getting into her characters’ psyches, which made this a very interesting read. The story is told for the most part from the first person POVs of Meredith, and her mother Claire. Thirteen-year-old Meredith is what really holds this book together. Seeing the trauma she goes through during and after the robbery and abduction of her classmate, who is your classic mean girl is heartbreaking. Perabo has a very descriptive style of writing which made me feel as though I was in the sandwich shop with the two girls as they laid on the sticky linoleum floor, terrified beyond belief, and trying to comfort one another. Meredith is extremely sympathetic as a young teen dealing with the aftermath, others expectations of her, and her PTSD. The way she deals with all this has her mind wandering at times into the fantasy realm. One scenario has her observing what Lisa is going through with her abductor. The other has her fantasizing that she and Lisa were both abducted. Both scenarios come across realistically, but the author meanders a little too much with them. The chapters that are told from Claire’s perspective are the ones I had the most trouble with because I disliked her immensely. Without going into spoiler territory, some of Claire’s thoughts and actions are pretty horrifying even before the abduction of Lisa. She loves her children, but she’s selfish and displays an appallingly skewed moral compass. Making things worse is that she and her husband are completely clueless when it comes to helping Meredith and her brother Evan who is still recovering from a trauma of his own. The loving relationship and dialogue between Meredith and Evan were my favorite parts of the book. I think they do a far better job at helping each other than any of the adults in the story. I wasn’t thrilled by the ending which left me with questions I really wanted answered, but I understand why the author chose to go this route. Overall, The Fall Of Lisa Bellow is less a thriller, and more a psychological drama that takes a thought-provoking look at the people affected by a child’s abduction. Susan Perabo has an interesting style of writing and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for any future books by her.
Lashaan and Trang (Bookidote) said:
I love books who offer a more depth into the character’s psyches and this one seems to do the job 🙂 ! Great review as always ! – Trang
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Trang! Meredith is especially well written!💁🏻
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Lashaan and Trang (Bookidote) said:
It’s confirmed I have to check it out for sure 😀 – Trang
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Yay!💁🏻
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Diana said:
Claire sounds terrible. The premise of this book sounds interesting and unique. The scene at the sandwich shop sounds terrifying and it seems like the author did a great job portraying Meredith’s feelings then and after. Great review.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Meredith was awesome, as was Evan, but the adults in this, particularly Claire were at best useless, at worst, horrible. 😕
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YAandWine said:
You are always reading such a wide range of books! I’ve never heard of this one before. I always get introduced to new books on your blog, and that’s one of the reasons i love it!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Aww! You just made my whole day Krysti! While I definitely have my preferred genres: YAvfiction, horror, mystery, thriller, paranormal, etc. I try to throw in something as well.🤗❤️
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YAandWine said:
Well, you do exceptionally well at it. I feel like I usually stick to the hyped books, and I need to break out of that a bit more. It’s fun to discover new books here. That may have to be my goal for next year, cause my TBR is booked through June already. LOL.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Krysti! I think my TBR is booked into infinity and beyond! LOL!🤣
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YAandWine said:
Haha! 😆 Seriously though!
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beetleypete said:
I quite liked the premise of this one, Kim. Sounds OK to me.
Best wishes, Pete.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
It had it’s flaws Pete, but young Meredith kept me reading.💁🏻
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Lashaan and Trang (Bookidote) said:
Ahh, books that leave you with no answers at the end… Plenty of up and downsides to that. I’m assuming that this is a stand-alone novel? Glad to hear about the complexity of the characters though. That’s fun. 🙂
– Lashaan
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
It is a standalone Lashaan. And I understand (I think) the rationale behind leaving some questions unanswered, but it was still frustrating nonetheless.
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vinnieh said:
I’m pretty fascinated by this story, your review was great.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Vinnie. It wasn’t perfect, but I think it’s still worth a read.💁🏻
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vinnieh said:
That premise looks highly intriguing.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
It definitely is. My issues were more character related.
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vinnieh said:
I understand Kim.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
😊
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vinnieh said:
Smiley faces are great. I always associate them with you.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
You really can’t have enough of them Vinnie!😊😊😁😁🤗🤗
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vinnieh said:
That’s so very true. On another note, I’m currently trying to watch more De Palma and Meryl Streep movies. Any suggestions? I know you really like Streep.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Three of my favorite Streep movies are: Kramer vs Kramer, Postcards Frome the Edge and One True Thing.💁🏻
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vinnieh said:
I saw Kramer vs Kramer years ago and really want to see it again. Strangely I haven’t seen the other two you mention.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Oh! I loved her in The Devil Wears Prada as well!😊
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vinnieh said:
She rocked playing the ice queen so much.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
She was brilliant!💁🏻
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vinnieh said:
I can’t think of a time when she wasn’t outstanding. She always delivers great work.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
A true Icon Vinnie!😊
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vinnieh said:
An icon of the highest order. I’ve got a lot of her stuff to see, Sophie’s Choice is one that somewhow has escaped me. Ever seen it?
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Yes I did see that years ago.
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vinnieh said:
It’s near the top of my list.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
👍🏻
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