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May 12, 2015

Review: Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver




Title: Vanishing Girls
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: March 10, 2015 
Genre(s): Young Adult (Contemp/Mystery)
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Pages: 357

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.

In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other  
Vanishing Girls is another contemporary novel by Lauren Oliver that I found myself really enjoying. After reading and loving her previous novel Panic, I was excited to see what else she came up with. Vanishing Girls tells a story about two sisters named Nick and Dara (I found this interesting as I have a sister), who were each others best friend. Unfortunately, a tragic accident that led to scarring Dara's face has led their relationship to go down the toilet. Dara blames her sister Nick for the cause of the accident, and the two sisters end up being in a long run argument. Although this might sound like a cliche story of two sisters fighting, it's much more than that. Lauren Oliver's writing really has an affect of gripping people into her stories, and she is somehow always able to turn a simple idea into something very intriguing and interesting. Told from dual POV's, Vanishing Girls is a great contemporary with a touch of mystery. 
Dara and Nick are like the two opposite sisters we hear and read a lot about. Dara is the pretty sophisticated rebellious teenager who lights up any room she's in, while Nick is rather the jeans a shirt type of girl whose first priority  isn't having the perfect outfit or makeup done, Although complete opposites, Dara and Nick share a very close relationship, and consider themselves are best friends. That all changes after the accident that somehow ends up leaving Dara's beautiful face with a scar. What was interesting about this book was the fact that it's told in both girls' POV, and before/after the incident. That way, I was able to get a clear sense of their relationship before the accident, and the difference with how their relationship is now.  There is also the next door boy/best friend who also plays a very interesting part in the book. 
As the story progresses and Dara's disappearance happens (no spoiler here -- it's in the synopsis), everything starts to get a tad bit confusing and messed up. So many questions start to pop up, and I couldn't help keeping one of my eye brows raised throughout the whole time. I will definitely not spoil anything here, but I have to admit, Lauren Oliver really had me shocked. I never expected this major plot twist to occur, and I think I needed time to actually comprehend what was happening indeed. I was kind of mad at first at how things turned out, but I like that it was different and very unexpected. Although Vanishing Girls started out slow for me,  it definitely got very interesting 50 pages in and was a major roller coaster ride. Fans of Lauren Oliver will absolutely enjoy this, and any contemporary / mystery readers out there. Lauren Oliver has become one of my must-read-every-book-that-comes-out author. 



Other books by Lauren Oliver:


5 comments:

  1. I can't wait to read this!!! I read my first 2 Lauren Oliver books in the past 2 months and I'm definitely a new fan. I LOVED Before I Fall. I heard mixed things about it before I read it, but I really shouldn't have been worried because it was AMAZING!!! I'm glad you liked this book, and I like that there's a twist!!!

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  2. Gosh this book was so good. I wasn't a huge fan of Panic, but this one restored my faith in LO's storytelling abilities. I was *shaking* when I found out The Thing. Like. Omg it was gorgeous.

    Great review! You've reminded me that I need to write mine...haha

    Sierra @ Yearning to Read

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  3. I'm not in a contemporary mood, but this book and your review may have changed that! It sounds extremely fascinating and I'm glad you liked it. I have a lot of catching up to do on Lauren Oliver books...

    -P.E.

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  4. I was really excited about this book, but unfortunately it didn't work for me. The jumping from past to present & the two different POVs really confused me.

    I'm glad you enjoyed it though!

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  5. Awesome review Farah :D I'm so glad you liked this book a lot. <3 I'm curious about it, but probably not a book for me. But it looks so pretty :D Thank you for sharing your awesome thoughts about it. <3

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