Book review - Since You've Been Gone

Title: Since You've Been Gone
Author: Mary Jennifer Payne
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Throwaway Girl by Kristine Scarrow
                     15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins
Rating:

fails to connect

Summary: Edie and her mother have been on the run for years, moving at a moment's notice. This is their most drastic move yet: from Canada to London. Edie tries to make the best of things but it isn't easy when she doesn't fit in at her new school. Bullies take a back seat, though, when her mother fails to come home from her night shift. Edie fears the past has caught up with them at last.

My opinion: From a strictly plot perspective, this is a pretty solid book. Events follow a decent level of logic and order. As characters, Edie and Jermaine could use a little more fleshing out. They have only minimal definition and very little emotional depth. A book like this, about a girl's desperate search for her missing mother, should really connect with the reader on an emotional level. We should feel Edie's fear, loneliness, and desperation vicerally. This book simply doesn't do that. Edie's search is almost meandering and haphazard. The lack of engagement makes this something of a disappointment.

More information: Since You've Been Gone releases January 24th.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.