Book Review: Don't Look Back

Title: Don't Look Back
Author: Jennifer Armentrout
Genre: Mystery
Similar books: Loud Awake and Lost by Adele Griffin
                     The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk
Rating:

Nail-biting suspense

Summary: Sam wakes up in the woods, with no idea of who she is or what she is doing there. After she returns home and tries to put her life back together, she realizes she doesn't really like the person she had been. She'd like to take full advantage of this opportunity to reinvent herself. There's only one problem: her best friend is still missing. The best chance to find out what happened to Cassie is for Sam to remember. And someone wants Sam to stay quiet.
My Opinion: This book has really great pacing and it is just as much driven by character as by plot. The mystery of Sam and Cassie's disappearance is nicely blended with Sam's rediscovery of her old life. We begin to understand how Sam got to be such a cruel person the same way she does: in bits and pieces through stories told by those around her. Plus, the twist at the end is fantastic, with just enough hints in retrospect to make it believable without becoming obvious. A fantastic mystery for older teens.
Other Information: Don't Look Back releases April 15, 2014

Advanced Reader Copy provided by Netgalley