Horrifying & Haunting: If You Find Me - Emily Mudoch

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
Date Released: March 26, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 256 Pages
Format: ARC
Source: For Review by St. Martin's Press
Rating: Amazing
Series: Standalone! 

Goodreads Synopsis: Here are some things you can’t leave behind…

A broken-down camper hidden deep in a national forest is the only home fifteen year-old Carey can remember. The trees keep guard over her threadbare existence, with the one bright spot being Carey’s younger sister, Jenessa, who depends on Carey for her very survival. All they have is each other, as their mentally ill mother comes and goes with greater frequency. Until that one fateful day their mother disappears for good, and two strangers arrive. Suddenly, the girls are taken from the woods and thrust into a bright and perplexing new world of high school, clothes and boys.

Now, Carey must face the truth of why her mother abducted her ten years ago, while haunted by a past that won’t let her go… a dark past that hides many a secret, including the reason Jenessa hasn’t spoken a word in over a year. Carey knows she must keep her sister close, and her secrets even closer, or risk watching her new life come crashing down.

From Goodreads

“We make attachments to what's familiar. We find the beauty, even in the lack. That's human. We make the best of what we're given.” 

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch was one of the most haunting, heart - churning  and captivating books I read this year! It's a book you pick up not because of its cover but the characters that are beautifully crafted and it's a book that doesn't try so hard to be poignant. In one word: haunting.

It's amazing that this is Emily's first YA debut,because she definitely mastered how to write YA! She captures the perfect tone and plot of this moving and haunting theme about secrets and lies and weaves it beautifully in the story. Carey and Jenessa are sisters living in the wood with their mom. They have instincts for survival and they depend on each other for survival, but when their mother disappears and they are thrown into a life that is new, she has to overcome her past and the secrets it holds. Carey was absolutely real and honest. She had a flow to her that easily helped the book move at a great pace. Jenessa and Nessa were also great characters also. :) But the situations they were all thrown into was intense. Especially dealing with a troubled mom and thrust into this new world that you should just accept but you don't know how to enjoy. Carey was a gustsy and strong willed character that I just love to read about! She was amazing :D

One thing I noticed while reading is how Emily blends scenes from Carey's past into the situations she faces. In addition, it actually flowed and help us see this whole dark side of their mom. It was so real that I could easily picture everything happen in the story including in the past. It was horrifying!! Emily explores the concept of child neglect and how everyone suffer because of it. You have to be a brave author to write something that is so poignant and touching. 



Absolutely stunning, evocative, real, and slightly poetic; If You Find Me shines in the YA contemporary section that is a must read for mature YA readers and adults! It's a debut that shows how kindness from the people you love can heal the past and the suffering. LOVED THIS! It's a real gem to find and read for review!

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