She's Not Here

by Mandi Lynn

One life in exchange for thousands, maybe millions. Wouldn't it be worth it?
Willow watched her father diminish in front of her as Alzheimer's pulled him further away each day. When a fire creates the perfect disaster, Willow's desperation to find a cure to the disease causes her to change Samantha Ellison's life forever. Treated as an experiment, Willow injects Samantha with a serum that mimics Alzheimer's and deteriorates her brain. Sam's mental capacity is declining at an alarming rate and it won't be long until people start looking for answers. With Willow's husband as the doctor, it's only a matter of time before he uncovers the truth. The only question is whether he discovers Willow's secrets in time to save the innocent life at stake.
Dark contemporary meets psychological thriller in this story that makes you ask yourself, "how far would you go to find a cure?"
What readers are
"A gripping story of love, pain, and loss with divided characters and complicated relationships." - J.L. Willow, The Scavenger
"She's Not Here is full of real life hospital scenes but with a morbid twist of an experiment that will leave you shocked and curious to know more!"
"This story blurs the lines of good and evil, and it really explores the gray shades in between."

Genres: Thriller, Fiction

295 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2018

About the author

Mandi Lynn published her first novel when she was seventeen. The author of multiple books, Mandi spends her days continuing to write and create YouTube videos to help other writers achieve their dreams of seeing their books published. Mandi is the owner of Stone Ridge Books, a company that works to help authors bring their books to life through cover design and digital book marketing. She is also the creator of The Book Launch Planner Series, a collection of planners designed to help authors write, publish and market their books. When she’s not creating, you can find Mandi exploring her backyard or getting lost in the woods.

Reviews

[Kim Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandi Lynn's third novel, She's Not Here, an emotional roller coaster that centers around a young woman, Willow, who is desperate to find a cure to the disease that stole her father from her. That desperation pushes Willow to make some terrible choices and begs the questions of what would YOU do, what would YOU be willing to sacrifice to save your loved ones and yourself from such a fate? What I really loved about this book was the unique concept. I thought the science behind Mandi's ideas was really interesting and I found myself wondering if some of the theories she mentioned were feasible in real life. It definitely got the wheels turning! I also connected with Willow's devastating plight. Having witnessed family members with the same disease, Willow's journey was both heartbreaking and relatable. I really enjoyed She's Not Here and I think Mandi Lynn did an incredible job of presenting a moral dilemma that really makes you think! One life for hundreds...maybe even thousands. Wouldn't it be worth it?

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

OK, so for what it's worth, I wanted to like this book. I really did. I knew how much work Lynn put into it because of her youtube channel. She spent thousands on editing, the cover, marketing, and probably countless things she hasn't told her audience. This is her third novel and she once acknowledged her one glaring mistake in both of her previous books: her main characters didn't have a goal which stunted the plot. The main improvement in this book is that she gave her characters a goal-primarily Willow. The major downside is that Lynn practically took what made the other two books unique out of this one. Lynn has a literal GIFT for narrative prose. She can articulate thoughts and make the audience feel something like no other author I'd ever read. I hate to bring up her previous books because this review isn't about them but for example, the description of Emma's attraction to the Lagoon or Aida's revolting description of the Plague.
But all of that wasn't in this book.
The fact that it's 3rd person unlike the first two books doesn't matter. She still could've done it, it just would've been slightly limited. Anyway, I just wanted to mention that tidbit for anyone who'd read her previous books. I'll start off by listing the pros and cons to this novel.
PROs:
-Cover is gorgeous. The symbolism with the broken glass isn't lost on me. Even if I wasn't familiar with Lynn's work, I'd still pick up the book based on the cover.
-Character driven story. It helped giving Willow a goal- find a cure to Alzheimer's for herself. However, this didn't help the plot as much as it could've have. I'll expand on this in my cons. For what it's worth, I think it would've been more interesting if her father had lived and was getting worse so that desperation is what led her to test on Sam. Not that Willow herself, may have had Alzheimer's.
CONs:
-Stagnant plot. After some inciting incidents at the beginning (The fire, Willow's dad dying, and Sam being injected), the plot slowed down drastically. It was pretty much this: Sam's family (specifically the grandad) is angry that the hospital staff can't figure out what's wrong with her, lots of meaningless blood tests to show readers that Willow is tampering with the results (which we already know, didn't need chapters of Dr. Ash being confused), and Sam's brain reverting to a child like personality with her stuffed animal, Pup. Even when Dr. Ash finds out, it doesn't get that much interesting because he still allows Willow to tamper with Sam instead of turning her in or at least making her feel guilty about what she's done. For the record, she DOES feel guilty but after the initial shock, Dr. Ash still protects her so that emotional tension was not utilized at all.

-The Characters. I didn't like ANY of the characters, nor relate to them. The grandad pissed me off because every scene he was in, he was angry. He kept undermining Dr. Ash (This is before he knew about Willow's meddling) and saying stuff like 'what's the use of all the years medical school, if you can't figure out why Sam's memory problem?' He also got frustrated with Sam when she couldn't pass those memory tests, claiming the answers were simple. And he was just an ass, and only useful in the end when he got the lawyer and got the plot rolling again. Avery also made me angry which she kept getting frustrated with Sam for not remembering their parent's death. She has brain damage, even the most traumatic shit like that can't be remembered. Grandmother was useless, should've been written out of the story. Other characters that should've been written out were those lab technicians-I thought there was going to be more to them. As in they'd discover what Willow had done but they didn't so they should've been cut out. Half of the nurses should've been cut out. There were too many names for characters that did the same exact thing. Jenna should've been Sam's primary nurse, and the one to find Willow BOTH times she went unconscious.

I didn't care for Sam at all. It would've helped if we had just seen a glance of her life before the fire. Maybe I would've cared a bit more when she started to revert to her "Pup" personality. I felt bad that she was used as a lab rat but because she was an unconsenting human being, but not for her as a character. I could've cared a little for Willow had she just committed to what she was doing. I'm not saying she shouldn't have felt guilty but overtime, it would've been interesting if she had gone all balls to wall insane. Like to point where she would convince herself she was a god for finding a cure, practicing about her nobel speech or something. I think Lynn didn't explore her full potential as the "villian" and had she, I think a crazy character would've been a lot more enjoyable to follow and her ultimate demise would've been satisfying. I was surprised that Willow died but I was meh because it was either she died or would be in jail like her husband. She was also stupidly rash-injected Sam when she had a sliver of forgetting something and injecting herself with the cure without actually knowing if she'd had it. Maybe if she had gotten diagnosed secretly and we could see her decline along with Sam's, it could've been a bit less rash. Dr. Ash wasn't conflicted enough for my taste. He obviously disapproved of Willow's schemes but he was still decent to her while keeping it a secret. It would've been more interesting to see him agree to keep the secret but look down on Willow. I wanted to see some strain in their marriage, maybe him moving out but they have to keep appearances at home. Or hell, if he had worked behind her back to turn her in and the ending scene is Willow realizing he betrayed her.

-3rd Pov. Didn't work well in the novel at all. Too many perspective and it'd jump within chapters. I didn't need to know Avery's thoughts and other characters as well. If the pov was solely in Sam's, Willow's, and Randy (especially toward the end) it would've worked well. The multiple POV jumps was unnecessary and gave me too much useless information.

-Genre didn't fit too well the plot. Thriller isn't how I'd describe this book. I think maybe contemporary would've worked better. There wasn't much mystery because we knew too much information. For example, we knew when Dr. Ash would confront Willow about her notes because we were in his POV when he found them. It would've been better if we were in Willow's POV and he suddenly confronted her about. Didn't have many elements of a thriller.

Overall, Lynn needs to think through her novels a bit more. They all lack many components that make a story interesting and the plot rarely carries the story through. In a recent collab video, she stated she pantsed all of her novels and it showed. I think if she plotted an outline, she would've figured out all the ways her story could be more interesting (Like the way I suggested Willow to be fully committed to the point where she insane over this cure or having the father alive as a more immediate source of motivation instead of some half-baked possibility that Willow had Alzheimer's) because an outline is the barebone of the story. You can see where it needs to go and figure out how to make it more compelling without being 20k words in and having to set up an inciting incident. She also needs more beta readers because according to her acknowledgements, it seems only 3 people beta read. That's too small of a pool and either they weren't good or Lynn didn't take into account their criticisms. There were some editing mistakes, mostly some words didn't have spaces in between them but that's just a pet peeve honestly. My review is rather harsh but at this point, Lynn keeps taking a step forward and backward all at once. Her dialogue isn't strong and because she didn't keep in her unique narrative prose, it's more obvious. At this point, I think she needs to take a serious look at her craft and work on a viable story idea with an outline. Again, I wanted to like this book but alas, I wouldn't reccomend this book to anyone.

[J.L. Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandi Lynn’s newest book, She’s Not Here, kept me on the edge of my seat from page one. It’s a gripping story of love, pain, and loss with divided characters and complicated relationships. As a reader of her other work, I can attest that Lynn’s writing continues to improve as time goes on. I look forward to seeing what she creates next!

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, thank you to the author for providing me a gifted copy for my honest review.

She’s Not Here is a story about Willow, who’s father is suffering from the debilitating disease, Alzheimer’s. She just wants a cure and after a failed experimental drug attempt, she’s more determined than ever to stop this dreadful disease.

While this book had what I’d consider a great plot line and story idea, there were a few things that didn’t go well for me.

The lack of medical accuracy bothered me. There were quite a few instances, scenarios, and procedure explanations that were not correct. I have a lot of family and friends that work in the medical field and in my opinion books need to be accurate when dealing with medical wording and scenes. A little more research would have done this book wonders in my opinion.

The characters lacked depth for me which made it hard to connect with any of them. I wish there would have been some more backstory to them, especially the main characters, Willow and Sam. I would have been more invested in their stories if I felt I knew them in a deeper sense.

Also, the dialogue and the way the professionals spoke in this book was a little juvenile, especially in the beginning.

Overall, this book had a great premise and the plot was intriguing for sure. I found myself very interested in the outcome of the Alzheimer’s experiments. This disease is heart-breaking and I truly wish there was a cure.

TW: Alzheimer’s, Death of a Parent, Fire, Medical Malpractice.

[Thais • tata.lifepages • · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of the first thrillers I've read, I was sooo intrigued by the plot that I couldn't put the book down! It was veeery fast paced so you just keep on going, I love fast paced reads!

The only reason it isn't a 4 stars for me is that the genre of the book is more a melodrama instead of thriller, but still very well constructed, getting the reader entangled into the mishaps of the protagonist!

There is a lot of up to date medical insights which encounter today's situations, the whole idea behind the plot is very aligned with one of our biggest worries of a current alarming condition: Alzheimer’s. I could see this happening in real life.

One may or not agree with the protagonist decisions, would you risk one innocent's life to save thousands? I personally wouldn't, however the main characters motivations are justified and you keep very interested to know what's going to happen. I love reading about anti-heros and not perfect characters so this fits right in.

I did wish during the book that the medical details related to Alzheimer’s disease would have been improved and deeper, with more research to sell better the idea .

Overall I really enjoyed the book and recommend it to those who love a anti hero suspense!

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars.

An intriguing premise, but the grammar needs refinement and the characters need depth.

In terms of the positives, this novel is fast and the story is fascinating. It has a solid premise with loads of potential. Unfortunately, those are the only positives. I went in expecting wonderful things because the synopsis had me hooked and the cover is stunning, but I was completely disappointed.

Firstly, the writing is poor. The problems? Passive tense, typos, grammatical messes, and nonsensical descriptions. There's also too much telling. Here are a few examples of just how bad the writing is:
- 'She felt a spark of life that she hadn’t felt in months.' A spark of life? That doesn't make sense, and it's passive tense, not active, which also makes the sentence weak.
- 'Sam’s skin felt raw.' This is telling instead of showing, and it's passive tense.
- 'Her thin cotton pajamas felt thick in the heat of the room.' Again, telling and passive.
- 'Her body felt raw.' Telling and passive.
- 'She was a bright piece of panic.' Nonsensical - a piece of panic?! Not to mention passive.
- 'The tears were still readily streaming.' Passive and clumsy.
- 'Her face fell slack, the tears wanted to return, and they slipped like rain drops as she reached out for her grandmother’s arms.' Poor development of the sentence, and too purple prosey for the context.
- 'Her spine was as straight as an arrow.' CLICHE *yawns*
- 'His words seemed final, frustrated, but most of all tired.' Painfully telling instead of showing, and so passive!
- 'Her eyes sparked open when she heard the voice.' Sparked open?! Does not make sense.
- 'She felt her body swaying.' Telling once again.
- 'Her emotions became something so strong it was physical.' Vague, non-specific, and extremely weak and dry as a result.
- 'Willow felt a lift of excitement.' Telling. And the..."lift"?! It's silly.
- 'She let a small smile form as her mom walked back to bed.' Telling, passive, and poor sentence structure.
- 'Her face was a scarlet red, and her voice hit a higher octave.' Ummm what??? This needs serious reworking.
- 'The corners of Sam’s lips creased into a smile, but the light in her eyes was faded.' The two fragments of the sentence are clashing, and I blame that "was".
- 'Like she was sinking it the sheets of the bed.' Typo: "it" should be "in."
- 'In that moment, John possibility firing him.' Typo: "possibility" should be "possibly."
- 'But it weighted on his shoulders.' Typo: should be "weighed."
- And then there are at least 6 uses of something (usually sweat) "coating" something else, which is repetitive and overused description.

Writing aside, the dialogue and characters aren't good either. The characters are flat and one-dimensional, and the dialogue is cheesy, predictable, and devoid of personality or wit.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

She’s Not Here is a psychological thriller which follows Willow Ash, a nurse who intervenes in the life of Samantha Ellison, a young girl that arrived in her hospital, plunging everything into chaos after essentially giving her Alzheimer’s Disease. This premise, along with loving Essence, had me interested in this novel.

To be honest, the first quarter, while developing a motivation for Willow and setting up Sam’s life, didn’t grab me as much as I would like. It’s not until Sam is injected with the serum where I get invested. The prose is for the most part, easy to read, and I can picture the hospital where a good chunk of the novel takes place. Mandi Lynn worked at a hospital while writing this novel and the accuracy shows. The story is fast paced and builds a lot of tension throughout with end of chapter cliffhangers, which makes the last third of the novel gripping. And the idea that this situation could play out in real life made it that much frightening. The ending was fitting for what happened and I was satisfied with it seeing that Willow dies and Randy goes to prison for his wife's actions, but Sam mostly recovers from her affliction.

Willow Ash and her husband, Randy, are the two most developed in the story, chronicling Willow’s motivation for her actions, first with watching her own father in decline, and wanting to make sure nobody has to suffer like them again since she's also suffering from the disease, breaking many ethical standards of her job to do it. I understood why she did it and felt for her due to the regret she felt. I wanted her to try and repair the damage. Randy finds himself mixed up in the situation and having to play both sides to satisfy his wife and their patient, Sam, as she suffers the effects. While Sam’s family wasn’t as developed, I had a basic image of a family that has just suffered loss and not wanting to suffer more. I can feel to an extent what’s happening to Sam as she falls to the effects of the disease and the toll this takes on a family and the people that care for them. It was heartbreaking at several points.

I usually don’t talk about formatting/proofreading in reviews, but there were typos and formatting errors all over this book, at least once a chapter and pulled me out of the story at times. Also, no chapter indicators in the e-book version.

Despite everything, it’s an interesting insight to Alzheimer’s Disease and how it affects the victim and the people around them. As well as what would motivate someone to put an innocent person and their loved ones through that plight.

[Mimi Strzelewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

She's Not Here is an incredible story with its setting held mostly in a hospital in the hopes to find a cure for Alzheimer's.

What intrigued me the most is that even though it is fiction, there is so much reality that gripped me. This book has so many experiences in it, such as love, evil, fear, deception and more. I found myself so upset at one point that I was yelling at a character.

I like a book that could potentially be true, and even though this story is fiction, it has the potential to be real, which is a scary thought! Like the saying goes, “There is one bad egg in every profession”.

The story was so captivating that I read the entire book in one day. So many emotions and thoughts went through my head as the story kept unfolding the unexpected.

I was so eager to find how this story was going to end and I was not disappointed.

I would highly recommend this book!

[Tianna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Full review coming soon

[Carol lowkey.bookish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This medical thriller is about Willow who has seen what Alzheimers has done to her father and is desperate to find a cure before the same things happens to her. She decides to use a patient in her hospital, Samantha, as a guinea pig for a serum she has developed to help find a cure. Willow’s husband is a doctor in the same hospital and happens to be Samantha’s doctor; it’s only a matter of time before he uncovers the truth. The only question is whether he discovers Willow’s secrets in time to save Samantha’s life.

What I liked: I liked the original concept of the story--the idea that someone could develop a serum to cure Alzheimers. I also, definitely felt the suspense of the story and was on the edge of my seat wondering if Willow would get caught, lose the serum formula, or smash the vials.

What could have been better: The scenes in the hospital were a little too far-fetched to be believed. I don’t think a stranger could enter a hospital lab several times and mix up a complex chemical compound without getting caught. The legal scene at the end was also not very accurate. I felt like the characters were very one dimensional and it was hard to find a relatable character in the story. This could be because the dialogue was off - it did not sound like how professionals would speak or act with each other.

Thank you to the author for my gifted copy of She’s Not Here in exchange for my honest review.
Rating: 3/5

[Suzy Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Mandi Lynn writes an intriguing and heartbreaking thriller about love, loss, and grief, and how the combination can drive someone to the brink of madness with 'She's Not Here'
The story centers around Alzheimers and a question that has been asked since the beginning of time- is one life lost worth thousands saved? An ethical and moral question that becomes the root of the story and the actions the main character- Willow- decides to take.
I thought the story was decent- interesting enough to keep me turning the pages, but I felt more editing needed to be done. I would have liked "the disaster" looked into a bit more and who may have caused it. I also thought the characterization was severely lacking. All of the characters besides Willow, were kind of dull and not very likable.
This is an interesting, fast paced thriller/drama within the medical world. Focusing on the desperation of an already unraveling main character, that believes the ends justifies the means.

[Marie McWilliams · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with all books, there are some good points and bad points. First of all, as someone with relatives and friends who have suffered from dementia, I am always happy to see books putting the topic in the public eye. Alzheimers is a horrible disease, which robs people of everything that made them who they were. Mandi has done a good job of describing the nature and the effects of the disease on the individual as well as the devastating effects on the people around the sufferer, those who have to watch their loved ones fade away. The relationship between Willow and her Father is a poignant one and her desperation to keep him tethered to solid ground even as he floats further and further away is an emotional read. Her loss and heartache is well written. It’s a difficult topic to tackle and I think the author deals with it sensitively.
The down side to choosing Alzheimer’s is that it is not necessarily an exciting disease to have at the centre of what is intended to be a thriller. It isn’t some unknown epidemic tearing its way through a city, wiping people out or something which requires a lot of medical action like crash carts and emergency procedures…It is the loss of memories. Whilst that creates a lot of opportunities for emotional scenes and development, it does not provide much ‘action’ so to speak. As a result, the pace of the book does not remain consistent and wanes for large portions. Moments like the fire at Sam’s home and the discovery of what Willow has done are far outweighed by hospital visits and blood tests and so the books storyline can seem stagnated and repetitive.
Another issue I found was the fact that none of the characters were particularly likeable. Sam’s Grandfather spends the whole book throwing a hissy fit, his wife is less than useless and frankly might as well not be there, Avery, Sam’s sister, thinks only of herself and instead of wanting to be there for her sister through her illness, she just gets irritated and upset by the impact the illness has on her. Even Sam, an innocent victim in the novel, is not developed enough initially for the reader to feel a huge amount of concern or fear at her deteriorating health once Willow injects her with the serum and that leads to the most problematic characters for me: Willow and her husband Randy. I accept that Willow is desperate. She is clearly traumatised by the deterioration and eventual loss of her father and terrified of going the same way and I get that Randy loves her deeply, but these people swore oaths to heal and protect people not to destroy their lives. It didn’t matter about any potential cure or the whole needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few, what they did was inexcusable and flies in the face of everything their roles stand for. I have trouble reconciling that Willow, having suffered so badly because of Alzheimers, would be so willing to inflict that pain on someone else or that two people who dedicated their lives to helping people would so readily throw them under the bus. When they both receive a justifiably unhappy ending, I felt no sympathy, in fact they deserved far far worse. I feel it would have been more realistic and far less selfish had Willow been fighting to save her Father from the disease rather than herself. Maybe then I would have sympathised with her and her empathised with her decisions.
Saying all this, there are moments where the reader can see the true potential of this novel. The decline of Willow’s mental health is a great thread in this story and I wish the author had drawn on this further. I would have liked Willow to have really lost it, the true weight of the disgusting act she committed pulling her further and further into madness, (think “The Tell Tale Heart”). I also love the whole who started the fire story line and again wish this had been explored more, the full effects of guilt and blame covered a little more. It’s clear that Mandi is a good writer however and there are some beautifully written moments threaded throughout the book.
Overall, this is an original story and a good read exploring moral ambiguity, familial relationships and grief in a new and interesting way. Worth a read if you fancy something a bit different. I will award it 3 out of 5 stars.

[Zu Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

UPDATE: I've left my original review below, but I'm bumping up my rating as my biggest issue with the story was the grammar and typo errors. The author has since responded to me and is looking into the issue of why the print version still has them! I like a good book, but even more so I like good customer service, and the issue is being attended to. I feel confident recommending the print version now.

***
A lot of reviews are going to talk about the lack of editing and typos. I'm familiar with the Authors Youtube channel, and since her initial release of the book, she got edits done to fix them. I bought the book after these edits were announced.

For one reason or another, I did not get that edited copy. I bought the print version, and there was at least one typo a page, which was unfortunately very distracting and constantly breaking up the reading experience. Because of this, I can't comfortably rate it any higher than three stars.

The beginning was very slow for me, but once I got to the half way mark I was engaged and flipping pages. The story is written in third person omniscient, which isn't my favourite style as it's very telling. If you don't like third person omniscient, you probably won't like this. Otherwise, the plot of the story did have me hooked. It's a quick read you can get through in an afternoon or two. Because of the large cast of characters, I found myself rooting for everyone in a strange counter-productive way. The story delivered on its promise of the moral ambiguity. The ending felt a bit abrupt though, I felt like another chapter or two of resolution should have been written, as we got no information on what ended up happening with the Alzheimer's research that since that was a big part of the book, it felt like a dangling loose end, but not in a satisfying way.

Because of the typos in the print version, I honestly cannot recommend this book be bought in its print form. It might be that the typo print copies are sold out by now, but because I bought a typo version in print after the edits were made, I can't be certain others won't too. It was a waste of money to spend over 15 dollars for an unfinished product. However, I think the story was interesting enough, and the ebook reasonably priced enough, that the digital version might be worth the purchase if the premise intrigues you and you're looking for a quick read with a bit of darkness outside of contemporary romance.

[chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

She’s Not Here, the third novel by author Mandi Lynn, is full of heartbreak, emotion, and desperation. It blurs the lines between mortality and morality, dancing in a grey area where hope is the only thing to hold onto. It tests the boundaries of love, and poses the question; would you sacrifice one life to save thousands?

She’s Not Here follows Willow Ash, a nurse dealing with the death of her father, who was taken from her after a long battle with Alzheimer's. She wanders aimlessly through life, going about her daily routine of treating patients and being a wife until she discovers her husband’s research, and it changes everything.

Going into this book, I had some reservations. Alzheimer’s is an illness that has affected hundreds, thousands of families, and is a subject close to my heart, so while I was curious to see how Mandi would handle such a subject, I was nervous too.

However, my reservations proved to be for naught.

I have to commend Mandi. Alzheimer’s is a tough subject to tack, but she did it well. Her portrayal of Tom, Willow’s father, was spot on. She showed him not only at his darkest moments, but also showed the small moments of light where he was his old self. I was filled with sadness during his scenes, and I felt for Willow so much.

It is this tragedy that’s the driving force for Willow, and the catalyst of the story.

----

Read the full review: https://bit.ly/2VsFzNj

[Tae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story blurs the lines of good and evil, and it really explores the gray shades in between. I loved the way it was written because it's a book that really makes you think. It explores how the main character feels and helps you understand her actions. However, at the same time she isn't necessarily who you are rooting for.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story :)

[Savy Leiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is ABSOLUTELY WILD. full review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49Fqs...

[Jeremy Fowler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story, however, felt like it had such promise. The storyline and the writing were great. I just wanted more? Idk

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will start off the bat by saying that I have one complaint with the entire book: So many grammatical and spelling errors. So, so, so many that if I didn't love the book (as I'll explain further below), I would've rated this book much lower solely based off these errors, because they peeved me off so much, especially since they were all so clearly clumsy and careless and it felt like no one edited the novel.

Otherwise, I loved the novel. Especially for someone who loves psychology, it was a great psychological thriller (mixed with medical thriller – something that I've never read before), because it really delved into the ethics of what can or cannot be pursued. In this case, it's Willow hunt for the cure of Alzheimer's.

When reading other people's reviews, I notice that some complained about the characters. Personally, I liked them. I liked how realistic each one of them was. Honestly, each character was unlikable in their own way, but I respected that a lot. Humans are extremely flawed, especially during times of trauma (this being house burning down, parents dying, and teenager mentally dying; or, for Willow, suffering years with a father suffering from Alzheimer's, watching said father die in front of you), so I view their thoughts/actions matched up perfectly to their flaws. I respect Mandi Lynn's way of handling this.

I beg to differ for other people's reactions that the plot was slow. I read the book within a week, which admittedly would've been faster (as in within at least 3 days), had I not be busy with a lot of traveling. I really can't think of any "unnecessary" scenes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. Honestly, if this novel was proofread before being released, it easily would've had a perfect score.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thoughts on this one are incredibly mixed.

It was hard for me not to be frustrated by the lack of medical knowledge, especially since almost the entirety of this story took place in a hospital and centered around biology, chemistry, pathology, and physiology. Perhaps because I come from a medical background, it made me come at this material with a strong bias, but if this is going to be the basis of the story, I think more research needed to go into an understanding of the concepts that were addressed so heavily.

That said, I think the original idea was executed in an interesting, quick, and page-turning fashion. The premise was a unique one and the book didn't lack for excitement in that category. As frustrating as Willow's character was, I appreciated the fact that she was flawed. I was appalled at her actions, especially since she had been a nurse for years, but the description of her descent into the recesses of her mind and the panic that ensued made her humanly flawed, which I can appreciate. But it also made her a ruthless psychopath, so I don't know.

I'm deeply saddened by Randy's storyline and heartbroken for the one character that tried so hard to maintain some semblance of right from wrong. It was refreshing to see a male character so loving and morally correct.

If you need a fast-paced, entertaining read and you don't get caught up on medical and scientific inaccuracies, then this is the book for you!

Thank you to Mandi Lynn and Stoneridge Books LLC for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Sathepine Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect this book to be that of quiet suspense, especially from the cover. But I have been reading two eventful stories back to back and for me this was a welcome change of pace. In my ebook version, I found several misspellings and formatting issues, which I hope the paperback doesn’t have. I also realized, after reading the book, that I have no idea what the characters look like. Maybe I missed their descriptions or maybe it didn’t matter to me, but I managed to enjoy the book despite all of that. This story takes place almost entirely in a hospital and that already makes things uneasy. Add to that the tragic circumstances that surrounded Sam and her family, which pulls on the heartstrings. Sam’s interactions with Pup was quite cute and disturbing at the same time. I wish we’d had more background on Sam’s teenage life to get a bigger impact on what she had lost after what Willow did to her. I fully sensed Willow’s desperation but did not sympathize with her selfish goals until the end when I felt so bad for her. I completely sympathized with Randy, who was stuck in an impossible situation, except at the end where I felt he should have been less selfless. Overall, I respected this book and appreciated the message I felt the author was trying to convey. I’m glad I picked up this book.

[Ana Marreiros · Rating 3 out of 5]

“She’s Not Here” has a really interesting premise, and overall it was an easy read. I enjoyed the story. The writing flows well, although at times I felt there were some repeated ideas and a bit too much text between dialogues, which slowed the pace a bit.

In my opinion, the characters were under-developed. I would have loved to know more about their backstories, especially considering how much potential there was.
Randy, in particular, drove me crazy. I understand that he loved Willow, but his passivity made no sense to me, so many of his actions felt frustrating, and I kept thinking that he could have prevented so much of what happened. I wanted a more satisfying conclusion for Willow, I finished the book with a sense of injustice.
There were also moments with Sam that, in my opinion, could have been better explored, especially the storyline involving the stuffed toy.

Still, despite these issues, I enjoyed the book and I’m glad I read it.

[Pam Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dementia and experiencing it in our loved ones, whether they are parents or a spouse, is poignantly expressed in this book. This is a dark story, with some unexpected turns that give both excitement and drama to a tale that could be unfurling for any of us. Having it told from within the healthcare system makes it all the more chilling.
I did find myself having to flip back a page or two a few times when points of view or the setting made a transition, but it doesn't diminish how topical the story is for me.

[Kaylee Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I was sent this as an ARC as part of the Street Team.***

I initially gave this a poor review and low rating. I was mistakenly under the impression this was the final copy we were given because I skimmed the materials Mandi gave us and was not bright enough to read all of it. Mandi was kind enough to remind me of this. The poor review was a mistake on my part and something I regret, as it was something Mandi didn't earn.

Knowing the final copy has been edited to reflect Mandi's hard work, I have to increase my rating! The story Mandi created followed its own path, taking a twist every time you thought you knew where it was going. It kept me intrigued, ready to keep reading all the way until the end.

Will definitely be buying the final copy!

If you want a story where you'll feel conflicted, learn all about how an ethical dilemma can affect someone's life, and love and feel sorry for characters in a way you don't know, then you should pick this up. If you don't want any of that, well, I can't help you.

[Joey Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the premise of this story. The idea that one life to save thousands, possibly millions, is it justified? Willow was written as a likeable character, she was caring and kind, a nurse who loved her dad and hated what the disease had done to him. The story was engaging, and you felt pulled along by the words. There are twists and turns that have you wondering what's going to happen, and the ending is beyond what you could imagine. Overall a good read and a solid four stars!

[VM DarkAngelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mandi is clearly has a natural story telling ability. Her voice is clear and unique. She’s Not Here isn’t quite a thriller, however I did enjoy the story tremendously. There is quite a lot of head popping, and at times this serves the story well. But it is a habit that does need to be curbed. That being said, there is clear raw talent in this writer, with more time spent honing the craft on the technical side, she will be an amazing writer.
All in all, I liked the unique story line.

[T.A. Beasley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Willow wants to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. She will do anything to get it. This book is about how one woman’s need for answers made her choose the wrong way to get them. I will say this book took an unexpected turn and I was shocked toward the end, but it made for a good thriller. I believe author did a good job showing how the disease affects the patient as well as family. It was an emotional read for me having taken care of patients with Alzheimer’s.

[Alyssa Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've not finished this quite yet because of school but wanted to rate it and do a small review for now!! I absolutely love Mandi and her stories and I think this one is a step up for her. I also love how you can how much research that she'd done for all the medical parts of the story. Can't wait to finish the book!! But great job Mandi!! :)

[Quinn W Buckland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic read with well written characters. It's heart breaking in a few areas, all of which actually got a real emotional response from me. The end was a bit sudden though. I could have used an extra chapter for a bit more of a wind down. far from that, this book was brilliant.

[J. Kenney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good and sometimes unbelievable in the best possible way for things that happen, and happen do fast.

[Rebecca Witkus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting plot and the type of story that really gets you thinking of what people are capable of when they’re scared if something