Author: Cylin Busby
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: October 25, 2016
Length: 288 pages
Genre: YA, Mystery
Source: eARC
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Find it Here: Amazon // Goodreads
The Stranger Game is a dark, suspenseful, and twisty young adult novel—perfect for fans of Lauren Oliver and E. Lockhart—about fifteen-year-old Nico Walker, whose sister returns home after a four-year disappearance.
When Nico Walker's older sister mysteriously disappears, her parents, family, and friends are devastated. But Nico can never admit what she herself feels: relief at finally being free of Sarah's daily cruelties.
Then the best and worst thing happens: four years later, after dozens of false leads, Sarah is found.
But this girl is much changed from the one Nico knew. She's thin and drawn, where Sarah had been golden and athletic; timid and unsure, instead of brash and competitive; and strangest of all, sweet and kind, when she had once been mean and abusive. Sarah's retrograde amnesia has caused her to forget almost everything about her life, from small things like the plots of her favorite books and her tennis game to the more critical—where she's been the last four years and what happened at the park on the fateful day she vanished. Despite the happy ending, the dark details of that day continue to haunt Nico, and it becomes clear that more than one person knows the true story of what happened to Sarah. . . .
My Review:
I always enjoy a good little mystery, especially one that is quick to read and easy to follow. Which is what I found with The Stranger Game. It wasn't anything particularly memorable which is probably why I'm struggling to write this review.
One aspect that I remember very clearly was the Sarah, the girl who is missing, was an absolute bitch before she went missing. I had a very hard time feeling bad for her even if she was kidnapped and forced to do horrible things. She just seemed like a really horrible person and acted like she was better than everyone else because she was beautiful and thin. At least, that's the way the reader see her through Nico's eyes.
Even after Sarah is found, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on even though I wasn't exactly sure what had happened to her to make her go missing. I was pretty shocked when the truth was revealed, which is good, because I don't like to guess the ending. I always like to be on the edge of my seat, looking around the next corner and anticipating the next twist!
What I found most fascinating was the dynamic of the family who had lost one of their own and the uncertainty of whether or not Sarah was dead or alive. Busby did a good job of writing the grief, the anger, the denial, the depression and the attempt at moving on with the unknown always looming over their heads.
The Stranger Game is a very YA type book, one that is sort of forgettable and yet enjoyable while I read it. It was a good enough mystery to have me guessing all the way through!
One aspect that I remember very clearly was the Sarah, the girl who is missing, was an absolute bitch before she went missing. I had a very hard time feeling bad for her even if she was kidnapped and forced to do horrible things. She just seemed like a really horrible person and acted like she was better than everyone else because she was beautiful and thin. At least, that's the way the reader see her through Nico's eyes.
Even after Sarah is found, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on even though I wasn't exactly sure what had happened to her to make her go missing. I was pretty shocked when the truth was revealed, which is good, because I don't like to guess the ending. I always like to be on the edge of my seat, looking around the next corner and anticipating the next twist!
What I found most fascinating was the dynamic of the family who had lost one of their own and the uncertainty of whether or not Sarah was dead or alive. Busby did a good job of writing the grief, the anger, the denial, the depression and the attempt at moving on with the unknown always looming over their heads.
The Stranger Game is a very YA type book, one that is sort of forgettable and yet enjoyable while I read it. It was a good enough mystery to have me guessing all the way through!
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