Finding Paris by Joy Preble (Blog, Twitter, Goodreads)Published by Harper Collins on April 21st 2015
Genres: Dating & Sex, Family, Runaways, Siblings, Social Issues, Young Adult
Pages: 272
Format: ARC
An evocative and compelling story of two sisters who would do anything for each other—perfect for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and Speak. Joy Preble's stirring new novel explores the lengths to which sisters go to protect each other, and the winding road that brings two strangers into each other's lives.Sisters Leo and Paris Hollings have only ever had each other to rely on. They can't trust their mother, who hops from city to city and from guy to guy, or their gambler stepfather, who's moved them all to Las Vegas. It's just the two of them: Paris, who's always been the dreamer, and Leo, who has a real future in mind—going to Stanford, becoming a doctor, falling in love. But Leo isn't going anywhere right now, except driving around Vegas all night with her sister.Until Paris ditches Leo at the Heartbreak Hotel Diner, where moments before they had been talking with physics student Max Sullivan. Outside, Leo finds a cryptic note from Paris—a clue. Is it some kind of game? Where is Paris, and why has she disappeared? When Leo reluctantly accepts Max's offer of help, the two find themselves following a string of clues through Vegas and beyond. But the search for the truth is not a straight line. And neither is the path to secrets Leo and Max hold inside.
Finding Paris was an interesting read… I love my YA mystery and suspense so I was really excited to see where this story went.
Leo and Paris Hollings only have each other. Their mom flits from city to city … right now they’re in Nevada living with her mom’s gambler husband. While Leo & Paris are super close they couldn’t be more different. Paris doesn’t worry about what’s around the corner, but Leo… she’s a planner and her future is laid out in front of her… she’s going to Stanford, she’ll become a doctor and she’ll fall in love.
But one evening after Paris’s latest break-up she takes a much needed study break and heads to the local diner where she notices Max Sullivan. While chatting with Max, Paris heads outside…. And doesn’t return. When Leo heads outside, the only clue she has is a cryptic note written in silver sharpie. The mystery is where did Paris go and was she forced somewhere? As Leo struggles to understand what is happening, Max offers his help and they find themselves following Paris’s clues to figure out where she went.
Of course this isn’t a simple mystery – and I’m going to keep this vague so as not to ruin anything for you.
There are secrets all over the place in this book. Max has them, Leo has them, and Paris definitely has them. I will say that I had an inkling as to what some of them were, but not all of them, so there was definitely some suspense here.
The characters are definitely an interesting mix, that said, I didn’t really feel that connection I need when I fall in love with a book. I don’t think that’s through any fault of the author here… I thought they were well-developed and layered, I just didn’t connect with them, I didn’t feel that urgency to keep reading until I finished that I love when I pick up a book I love, and I’m not sure if it’s because I had a feeling where things were headed or what.
And here is where the plot twist came in. I just … I don’t like how it was used. I don’t know how else to say that. I struggle because it’s a very serious twist and I just don’t think it was given the importance that it should have been… you find out about it and by then, you’re at the end of the story. Can you tell I’m trying not to spoil anything … that’s just it. I can’t even say anything about it because that’s the big twist! It’s a bit frustrating.
That said, this really is ultimately about how these sisters are there for each other, how they’re determined to protect each other and fight each other’s demons.
If you’re looking for a well-written story… one that has suspense and a bit of mystery to it… definitely give this one a try. Preble’s writing is lovely and her characters are intriguing… I’ll definitely be checking out her other titles.
Thank you to HarperTeen for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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