Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A teenager's half-sister goes missing during a family trip to a ski resort in this riveting mystery by McKay (The Assassin Game). Almost-16-year-old British Esme Gill and her parents are vacationing at the Moon Mountain Resort in New Hampshire, where her 19-year-old sister Gaia has been working. Chaos ensues at the resort when Gaia disappears the day after she and Esme attend a party. Because of her dyspraxia, Esme has difficulty remembering where and with whom she last saw Gaia: "Time, dates, names--it's all a mash-up," she says of her diagnosis. As authorities search for Gaia, Esme embarks on her own investigation, along the way befriending Bode, a local boy whose uncle works at the resort. But as she delves deeper into her sister's disappearance, Esme unearths new-to-her secrets about Gaia and learns that everyone at the resort might have something to hide--even Bode. While the resolution feels convoluted, there's no shortage of possible suspects with varying motives for Esme to puzzle through, leading to a packed-to-the-gills mystery laden with surprises. Esme's tenacity and her whip-smart first-person perspective is the driving force behind this stimulating thriller. Most characters are white; Gaia is biracial (Black and white). Ages 12--17. (Sept.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up--A missing girl, many suspects, and a desperate sister looking for answers. Esme Gill is almost 16, and she's finishing her trip to the U.S. before going back to England. Her beautiful and popular sister Gaia works at a ski resort in New Hampshire, and she's gearing up to start college. The day before the girls' family returns to the UK, Gaia goes missing. Esme and her parents are frantically tracing back her steps, and hidden secrets start coming out to the light. She befriends local boy Bode, who helps her do their own sleuthing while the adults work with the police. The two go on a wild chase that takes them through the mountains, a cabin in the woods, a slowly thawing forest, and many other places around Moon Mountain to pick up clues for Gaia's whereabouts. Can Esme and Bode find her before it's too late? Small-town life, family secrets, and a host of diverse characters make this book a compelling read. Gaia is biracial, Black and white, in a majority-white community, which is discussed frankly and matter-of-factly. The romantic friction between Esme and Bode adds to the overall tension of the plot, and despite a few far-reaching plot points, readers will fall in love with the witty main character, who is also open about her dyspraxia. VERDICT This is a fast-paced, twisty read that will keep readers guessing until the very end. A great addition to YA collections; hand it to readers who enjoy the works of Karen M. McManus, Jessica Goodman, and Holly Jackson.--Carol Youssif
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
When her sister goes missing, British teen Esme sets out to find her. Esme Gill and her parents have spent the last week at the New Hampshire ski resort where Gaia, Esme's older sister, has been working. The girls share a mother, but Gaia's late father was a U.S. soldier stationed at a military base in England. When it's time for Esme and her parents to leave, Gaia is nowhere to be found. Esme had been at a party with her the night before, but Esme left first. Complicating her efforts to put together a timeline or remember whom she last saw Gaia talking to is the fact that Esme has the sensory processing condition dyspraxia. As she attempts to figure out what happened to her sister, Esme learns that not only was Gaia keeping secrets, but almost everyone else at the resort is hiding something too. At the same time, Esme is becoming closer to Bode, a boy whose uncle works at the resort, but the more she investigates her sister's disappearance, the more she questions whether she can trust him. Esme is an appealing protagonist who finds hidden reserves of strength and bravery as she explores the woods, interrogates suspects, follows clues, and persistently seeks her sister. Gaia is White and African American; Esme, her parents, and most supporting characters are White. This fast-paced mystery will keep readers guessing until the very end. (Mystery. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
