whitneydaniell

by: Andrea Bartz
Published: Aug 31, 2021
Genre: Thriller, Murder Mystery, Fiction
304 Pages, Paperback
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Emily and Kristen are living every 20-something dream! Traveling without care or fear, exploring countries that most wouldn’t even think of, and giving true meaning to YOLO (you only live once). That is until Emily is attacked and forced to defend herself. He was going to hurt her. He very well could have killed her. They had to do it! But just like in the movie Groundhog’s Day, Emily and Kristen are faced with the same horrific scene one year later.

When a backpacker is found murdered in the hills of Chile, Emily and Kristen are already 5,532 miles away but, this trip is not forgotten.

My Thoughts: I was glad that Emily started seeing a therapist, she really has a lot of childhood trauma that she needs to work through. As a young girl, Emily learned that she could not depend on her family and because of their mistreatment of her, she lacked awareness, self-esteem, and judgment skills when it came to that of the people she kept around her: Kristen – case in point.

Kristen could sniff out a broken person. She is a master manipulator and gaslighter. She saw something broken in Emily while in college – where Emily was admittedly not a social butterfly – and she took advantage of that. Pouring into Emily, giving her the praise and affection that she craved from someone who loved her. Except, Kristen knew that so long as she gave Emily these things, Emily would be putty in her hands. From the very beginning, I didn’t like Kristen.

• Kristen convinced Emily to break up with her boyfriend of five years
• Kristen convinced Emily that her other boyfriend, Colin, was possessive and abusive and basically told her to break up with him
• Every time Emily wanted to talk about the struggles she was having after coming home from Chile, Kristen flipped it around and made Emily believe that she was a bad person for even feeling guilty; for having human emotions.

Emily was isolated in a city without any family, only 1 “semi” friend (a work friend), and a recent boyfriend. She was a sitting duck and Kristen took full advantage.

The “boyfriend” Aaron, he didn’t seem wrapped too tight either. Something never feels genuine to me about people who rush into relationships without any real vetting. These two went out on what, 5 dates? Upon Emily’s return to Wisconsin, she’s acting weird, practically blowing him off at times; then her overbearing friend shows up, supposedly from Australia, and he just goes along with it all. That doesn’t seem off to you?

Final Thought: It was a fast-paced, quick read. I enjoyed the plot. I’m always here for. a good twist and a good killer who just enjoys being a killer — see You Shouldn’t Have Come Here. The ending left a lot to be desired however, I think it could have been written a little better. It kept me intrigued. The writing was good.

One-Word Summary: Pisco