Eight Pieces of Silva

by Patrice Lawrence

Becks is into girls but didn't come out because she was never in. She lives with her mum, stepdad and eighteen-year-old Silva, her stepdad's daughter. Becks and Silva are opposites, but bond over their mutual obsession with K-pop.

When Becks' mum and stepdad go on honeymoon to Japan, Becks and Silva are left alone. Except, Silva disappears. Becks ventures into the forbidden territory of Silva's room and finds the first of eight clues that help her discover her sister's secret life.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, LGBT, Fiction, Lesbian, Mystery Thriller

310 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2020

About the author

Patrice Lawrence is a British writer and journalist, who has published fiction both for adults and children. Her writing has won awards including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Older Children and The Bookseller YA Book Prize.

Reviews

[A N N A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

Sadly, I did not get on with this book. At first I was enjoying it but then as the plot was slowly revealed I just couldn’t wrap my head around why anyone would lose their minds over a boy like that.

Not for me I’m afraid.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eight Pieces of Silva by Patrice Lawrence was wonderful and intriguing story of sisterhood with a complex mystery at it’s centre. It was beautifully written and full of personality, an exemplar of UKYA that I would really recommend.
The stand out aspect of Eight Pieces of Silva was definetely the characters for me. Becks is an engaging main character with a refreshing and real voice that came alive on the page and was distinctly young but not too immature. Becks is immediately likeable and relatable with her fangirl-ish love for Black Panther and Kpop, her casual and curious voice. She is bold and brave and her character development was natural and well-done.
I loved how Becks being sapphic wasn’t a main point of the book. It was like, here is our main character, she’s a lesbian by the way, and there’s this whole mystery she has to solve, which was something I really appreciate. Sapphics deserve coming of age and discovering our sexuality stories but we also deserve all kinds of others stories where our sexuality isn’t the focal point, like straight people get!
Becks romance and dynamic with China was wonderful - they were already friends and it’s immediately clear how much they care for each other. What I loved most about this two was how undeniably and stoically they were there for each other and supported each other. They were loving, kind and truthful to each other throughout and I really shipped them.
Their romance also stood as an opposite of the toxic relationship discussed in this book, which I can’t give too many details about. I thought this relationship was discussed with care and compassion but still showing how it was unhealthy.
Silva was also a nuanced and interesting character, she was compassionate and fiercely loving, perhaps too much so. I loved the sisterly relationship of Becks and Silva, I wish it had been discussed even more in depth, but though these two haven’t always got on perfectly it becomes clear that they’ll be there for each other no matter what and over the course of the book come to understand the other and their needs better.
There were so many more themes in this book that I loved, including the complexities of family, grief and mental health and race.
My main grievance with this book and the reason I gave it four rather than five stars is the mystery aspect of the plot. While it was intriguing, I didn’t find it to be nearly as exciting or mysterious as I had hoped. This book was very much marketed as a mystery thriller but I didn’t really find it thrilling at all. The big reveal and build up were not nearly as high stakes as the beginning of the book might make you believe and some of the clues leading to Silva were barely relevant. There are also diary entries written by Silva that pretty much explain why she’s gone before Becks finds it out, very much deducting from the suspense and surprise we could have felt alongside Becks had these not been there. It still was a complicated and interesting mystery just not to the degree I’d hoped. I felt this book was very much a character focused mystery which is wonderful but didn’t quite work for me. However Eight Pieces of Silva is still amazing and totally worth a read, with so many great aspects to it.
-
I loved the mc & characters and they were some good aspects but some of the plot fell a little short for me, hence probably a 3.5/4 star rating :) I do really recommend this it just didn't quite live up to my expectations

[charlotte, · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5)

Rep: Black lesbian mc, Black lesbian li, Black Vietnamese side characters, Black side characters, wlw side characters

CWs: past death of a parent

[Virginie (chouettblog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read!
One of those with many layers to peel and mysteries to solve.

Full review to follow.

[Annemarie Verhaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ster

[Gracie McCauley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not going to say spoilers but this book dragged on so much and I found the ending incredibly clichéd (in a bad way) and stereotypically sexist.

[Mellisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Becks is worried about her sister, Silva. She hasn't come home, and after looking through her room, she found things that don't make sense. Now Becks' is trying to piece together the pieces to find her sister and bring her home safe.

I really enjoy this story. It flowed well, the surprises came slowly but had a big impact. It all worked so well, really good book.

[Bookwormandtheatremouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy Patrice Lawrence's books and this one does not disappoint. A great mystery combined with an important message. Great YA fiction

[Tenelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eight Pieces of Silva is a YA mystery novel that follows a queer, black British teenager looking for her missing stepsister. When Becks’ mother and Silva’s father fly to Japan for their honeymoon, Silva doesn’t return home after accompanying them to the airport. Becks decides to search for clues in Silva’s bedroom to work out where she could be.

This novel is excellently crafted and executed. The story is told from Becks and Silva’s perspectives in alternating chapters. Silva’s chapters are like personal, apologetic letters to Becks in which she shares her innermost thoughts and why she never came home. The plot didn’t feel predictable at any point, and my main theory as to why Silva went missing was proved entirely wrong.

Becks is such a funny and charming character and I immediately loved her voice. It’s easy to empathise and identify with the protagonists in this story. For the most part, Becks is trying to sort out a huge mess and find her sister on her own and understandably becomes overwhelmed and frustrated by this. It’s easy to think Silva is out of order for doing a disappearing act on Becks, but as the novel progresses, it becomes clear how losing her mother has deeply impacted Silva. She reveals to Becks how strange and difficult it’s been having to adapt to her new family dynamic. The author thoughtfully portrays the complexities of dealing with loss and grief, especially as a young person. Eight Pieces of Silva also explores the intricacies of stepfamilies, and what it means to be a family.

Finding Silva is Becks’ main priority but there are also other things on her mind. She spends a lot of time thinking about her crush and reluctantly attempts to build a relationship with her biological father who has not been around since Becks was a baby. I enjoyed the pop culture references and numerous mentions of K-Pop and K-Drama–it makes the story feel current. Eight Pieces Of Silva touches on several other themes including race, class, friendship, falling in love and mental health, all of which are woven together so effortlessly that it just works.
If you’re after a smart, funny, current YA novel with many layers to peel back, and a loveable black, gay female protagonist, then you’ll love Eight Pieces of Silva.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Children's Group for sending me an early review copy.

Link to the full review on my blog: https://tenelleottleymatthew.com/book...

[Izzi DofE · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of this book was the characters. Our main character Becks is a lesbian - but this isn’t a major plot point - this is just her life, and I absolutely love that kind of representation. The characters were also all diverse and fairly well written.

I’m aware I have just said that the characters were the best - and this contrasts with some other reviews I’ve read - but Becks was so annoying! Do people actually talk like that? She would be cool as a side character maybe, but having the main character with an annoying narration? Not Food at all.

Also the mystery aspect of this book was lacking. I thought this book was going to be really interesting and leave me figuring things out along with the characters, but I seemed to figure things out ages before the characters.

Oh my god and the urgency aspect?? Some times she didn’t care at all, and went to her love interest’s house, but then as soon as she got there she figured something out and had to leave at a run? But then actually it didn’t matter and she didn’t do anything quickly once she was home?

Overall though I did enjoy this book when I was reading it - it’s basically only writing this that all of these things have occurred to me. So that may have come across as quiet harsh, but this is still a pretty good book. :)*

* there’s a slight chance I may have added this smiley face at the end so that this doesn’t look too mean. :)

[Imani · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG this book was one emotional roller coaster and the fact that this book was set in London made it 100x better. For me personally Silva's an extremely dislikeable person..... i fr like started skipping pages where it was her POV.

[Paula Gilfillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read a Patrice Lawrence young adult novel before and so I was very excited to read this.

I'm reliably informed by my teenage book group that Beck's voice within this novel was a typical teenager and so there's no criticism of this here. It's an intriguing story of Beck's search for her stepsister, Silva, when she disappears just as their respective parents go on their honeymoon to Japan. Becks has to delve into Silva's bedroom knickknacks to use as clues as to her whereabouts.

It's a story of friendship, grief and betrayal. I particularly admired Lawrence's storyline of Silva's abusive and deceptive sexual relationship and that she depicted Becks as a gay teenager navigating through her love life at a time when it's often difficult to 'come-out' to the 'right' person. I also like the way she used a different font to depict Silva's voice (each chapter was written from a different pov) and that the adult characters were often as flawed as anyone else. The only thing I didn't like was references to modern day pop culture which I think could date the book in due course.

A great read for any teenager around the 14-15 age range, and adults too who would like to know how their teenager ticks.

[Izzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2.5 Stars*
This was a book I randomly picked up because I needed a short read while waiting for my library hold to come in, so I really knew nothing about the book going into it. This is a weird sort of book because it’s a mystery without much mystery and what feels like very low stakes. She’s looking for her sister but comes into contact with her several times so we know she’s somewhat alright? It just didn’t feel suspenseful in anyway. It wasn’t a bad book, it just didn’t offer much to keep you invested. It was more a contemporary read with a side of intrigue, but it didn’t flesh out either genre enough for it to be satisfying. We didn’t know much about the sibling bond before Silva went missing and therefore most of the time the reader doesn’t care whether Silva comes back or not. Also the MCs best friend is awful. I did enjoy the lesbian rep and it was nice to see it in a book that wasn’t solely a romance nor was coming out a traumatic event or even part of the book, that certainly was refreshing. The rest of the book just fell flat, unfortunately.

[Lizzie Huxley-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, this weekend I decided I wanted to read a pacy British YA novel as a little brain cleanse. And I was immediately drawn to Patrice Lawrence’s Eight Pieces of Silva, and I ended up reading it all in one night. A really great little mystery-drama, in which Becks must track down her step-sister Silva who has disappeared through the box of secrets under her bed. But Silva seems to be living a whole life that Becks wasn’t aware of. Can she track her down before their parents get back from honeymoon?

I loved nerdy queer protagonist Becks' voice as she's so readable and captivating, and her growing feelings for her friend China was such a nice subplot. Eight Pieces packs in questions about family and familial loyalty, the prison system, love bombing and so much more.

i really liked how we got to dip into Silva's head through her diary entries, and even though there was a pretty large cast of characters by the end i felt each person was really well drawn. a great mystery, excellent read, 10/10 more please.

[Bastian Mielke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked it up at Oslo Airport based on Cover and it being vaguely mystery. Pretty fun read but I was not prepared for the sheer amount of post 2016 pop culture references. Not sure if I felt 100% totally satisfied but the conclusion and resolution but did think the narration devices and grey relationships theme was pretty cool.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

I went into this book with such high hopes and sadly,,, it just fell through in all aspects for me. 1st off, I was expecting a sapphic thriller, which this 100% was, and the f/f relationship was adorable, however, it was totally overshadowed by the actual mystery part of the plot, and almost felt as though it was an afterthought during editing. So, this book is actually about a straight girl who becomes creepily obsessed with a guy she meets when he comes over once and delivers her groceries. I hated this concept, I won't lie, I hate being negative in reviews but here we go anyways. The concept of a teen girl meeting this guy once and instantly feeling connected and then deciding to persistently try and find him again is so wierd. Like no, thank you, don't put that idea out there in the world because it's just harmful honestly. So, we've got the straight girl who stalks and eventually meets up with this guy again, only to find out that he is basically the scum of the earth and is a HUGE player, also married with a kid but,,,yanno. But after discovering that, does she leave him? Nope.

This whole book felt like a mess to me, I did enjoy the f/f romance, and the relationship between Becks and her mum was super sweet. But I felt kind of cheated at the fact that I had seen this marketed as a sapphic mystery/thriller, and then went into it and the sapphic relationship is on the back burner while we read all about a crazy, messed up m/f relationship, which is very hard to believe given that we're supposed to believe that they're what?? 19 or something?

[Anna A · Rating 3 out of 5]

gay mc who likes kpop and film ? yes pls

[Khushi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it! it was a rather light-hearted read, at times managed to make me teary. the writing was amazing.
surely recommend :)
review/reflections might come on my blog soon :)

[Victoria | vicysboktips]

DNF 35%

[Tara Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharp narrative voices, and a very engaging read. Becks is home alone, her mother and stepfather have gone to Japan on a highly anticipated honeymoon; her stepsister has vanished. Worried about Silva, Becks has a hunt in her room and finds some clues to what has been preoccupying her stepsister...

As much as the sibling relationship within the book, I was fascinated by the friendships. Who can Becks rely on for help, and how much does she know about the people she loves?

I received an ARC of Eight Pieces of Silva from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Matthew Telles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that some parts of the start felt a little unnecessary as it was almost like a stream of conscious thoughts. All over the place, but piggybacking off of the last one to build and make sense in the context. It did, but not all the information felt particularly relevant, especially since some of it could have been accessed only when it was needed. Such as including it in the story so there isn't just a massive exposition dump at the start where a lot of different things are set out right away. Things like that can work sometimes, but not all the time, and especially not when the book is just starting.

I liked the inclusion of the other voice, very clearly Silva, and how she never revealed too much about specifics. Only the letting us in on the overall themes and what she was thinking at that moment. We slowly get a look into her life and what it is like from her perspective, rather than what the other people around her think about her.

I definitely think that there could have been more done to include the interactions with her friends as something to do with the story. The first time they are shown it feels like something completely removed from the book, and just placed in here. There wasn't anything crazy in these scenes, only introductions, but it still didn't feel like it was in the correct place. Like there could have been a much better way of showing these characters off and looking at the dynamics between all of them.

I think that the actions in this book were very believable. The thoughts of Silva and why she was doing what she was doing made sense in context. Just looking from an outside perspective it would be much harder to understand why she acted the way she did. Why she was so obsessed with Logan and why she felt like she needed him to be complete. After seeing her inner thoughts and what she was thinking we got a much better idea of why she acted the way she did and I think it is in line with someone that has those mental health challenges. He was the first one that she felt saw her. At no point does it really feel like he does, but that is only with the privilege of looking at the situation from an outside perspective.

However, I also thought some of the themes were poorly executed and needed more exploration rather than just a couple of paragraphs ever so often. The breakdown of a certain relationship felt like it should have been a lot more drawn out as the relationship looked very strong.
Also, the way that her romantic life was shown and developed didn't feel very natural. It felt rushed, like a lot of other parts of human relationships in this book, while the story was dragged out too much in certain parts.

Overall certain parts felt like they held weight, but others didn't at all. This story wasn't hard to follow, but certain things didn't have enough development to end up where they did which definitely takes away from the immersion in the story. I did like the diversity of the characters which makes the story more appealing to me, but I cannot justify giving this book a higher rating than I did once I added and took away everything that it was lacking and what it did well.

I thought this book was okay. Nothing special and this book certainly could have got a higher rating if it just fixed up on the descriptive parts and made them less all over the place, which is especially prevalent at the start, and also if Patrice had spent more time developing relationships, whether they be degradation or the blooming of a changing one.

A different book, one I appreciate but not one that I would go out of my way to recommend to people unless they are really drawn in by the blub. Don't expect something crazy either, as it is more real-life, mental illness, and is something that is much more common in our society than the usual mystery thriller books.

book: Eight Pieces of Silva
author: Patrice Lawrence

[Rums · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I was sent an ARC of this novel via NetGalley and Hodder Childrens Books in exchange for an honest review, big thanks to them*

Trigger warnings: grief, loss of a parent, cancer, anxiety

Eight Pieces of Silva is an interesting and unique novel, in that I've legitimately never read a story quite like it and I mean that in a very good way. The novel weaves in and out of Becks and Silva's perspectives, following the thread between Becks working out the clues and Silva in the present so it was intriguing to follow. Becks voice feels real at all times and the many references to popular culture, k-pop, areas in London and more just made it feel all the more rich and current.

I thought that the depiction of family relationships as well as friendship was excellent, I especially loved that the portrayal of step family was so positive and genuine, while also portraying the complexities of two different families with their own histories and experiences coming together. This family narrative fits into the book seamlessly as well as the portrayal of Becks sexuality and her crush on her friend China, her conflicting feelings about her biological father, who has been writing to her and has just recently come out of prison, as well as the overarching mystery of where her sister Silva has disappeared to. I thought from reading the synopsis alone that this was just going to be a straight forward mystery but there is so much more to this book and it's a delight to discover all these layers as you get further.

I also thought the depiction and exploration of grief, mental health and first love and the different ways in which this can manifest was so important and valid. Without giving away too many plot details, I want to mention just how much I think this book speaks to the fact that while we think we may know what someone is going through, there's a lot that someone can hide, whether that be pain or grief or anything else in between. I think this novel also speaks to the idea of wanting to help someone so badly and wanting to erase the hurt they experience but having to accept and acknowledge that sometimes, the individual has to help themselves and be ready to accept help and take the step, and supporting them through this tough time. That was kind of a confusing explanation but I hope you guys get what I mean!

Overall, while Eight Pieces of Silva could be considered a mystery of sorts, it's also a refreshing and insightful Y/A contemporary which touches upon some key issues, which I think will be accessible and relatable to many young people.

[Yasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars? Hmm a tricky one to rate. Can’t help but feel that this novel should be renamed to ‘men are trash’.

This was pitched as a mystery with ‘clues to solve’ so that Beck can find her sister, Silva.
I’ll be honest, it didn’t read like this. It is quite clear at around the 30% mark what is happening with Silva (aided in that parts of the book are told from her perspective) so it’s less of a true mystery in this case - and more of a domestic drama. Some parts of it read like a telenovela, and I do think this would translate to tv well - it has that vibe.

Overall, Beck was an enjoyable character though I did feel like she was being gaslit throughout the novel which was frustrating... if my sister went missing I would also be freaked out but pretty much everyone in the book acts as if this is a completely normal thing and she just needs space?? Is it normal for siblings to just disappear without notice??? Bizarre. People also comment that Beck is very self centered / not a great listener and she does admit to this slightly but again I feel this was exaggerated. There’s some small cute lesbian moments throughout which was nice and I can’t help but feel that China was the only balanced, neutral person in this novel.

This is a good read but I do think as the mystery is quite clear early on this makes the pacing lose a bit of steam in the middle which only really picks up in the last 70 pages or so.

[Ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this for the most part and lgbtqia+ rep is always nice. I feel like I could really feel a lot of Becks' frustration and feelings of helplessness building throughout the story. My main complaint would have to be clarity. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I found the overall timeline quite confusing and I'm still not sure when some major events happened relative to each other.

[Sammi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Becks' dad and new step-mum have just flew to Japan on their honeymoon, seen off at the airport by Becks' step-sister Silva who is left in charge of looking after 16-year-old Beck until they get back. But Silva never returns from the airport, and Beck is worried. Does she call her parents, or try to find Silva herself? Beck decides she will find out if Silva is okay before calling her parents home from their honeymoon, and whilst fixing a mess her cat makes, stumbles upon a clue that might be the first key in finding her step-sister.

I fell into this book completely after the first few lines, the writing flowed well and was just so easy to consume, mixed with a great cast of characters and some intrigue, I was hooked. Patrice Lawrence made it so accessible. and she really captured the mind of a 16 year old in her writing, without it being too childlike. I believed Beck was 16 years old, I enjoyed all the culture references and how current it felt. But most of all I enjoyed her commentary on race, sexuality, wealth, love, obsession, loss and friendships. She managed to speak about these topics so openly, and touched on multiple layers of feelings and issues, applying them to her characters so easily, and embracing them. She is able to show unhealthy and healthy relationships in a real but gentle way. Her writing allows for usually hard to read topics to be consumed in a way that doesn't feel so harsh, and that isn't easy.

With so many themes it would be easy to loose the story, but she doesn't. She keeps you on the edge of your seat, wanting more, supporting Beck along the way to finding her sister and hearing from Silva too, in a duel perspective that was just written perfectly. It was so much more than a mystery. I will definitely be looking out for whatever Lawrence writes in the future.

I feel so grateful to have been able to read and review this ARC. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this opportunity.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eight Pieces of Silva is a unique take on a mystery and I was captivated by the twists and turns which lead to me racing through this book! Eight Pieces of Silva follows Becks and her sister Silva who are left home alone while their parents are on their Honeymoon, or that’s the plan at least. Silva suddenly disappears and cannot be contacted leaving Becks to piece together where she could have possibly gone.
Thank goodness for the resurgence of YA mystery recently! I am loving reading this genre at the moment and like many other books I was truly captivated by the intricacy and story telling in Eight Pieces of Silva. The story is told from two perspectives and I was a big fan the use of the dual narrative as it allowed for an in depth exploration of both Becks and Silva respectively. Both characters were excellently crafted and engaging in their own right which only heightened my interest when the narrative kept alternating. I also loved the slightly later introduction of Silva’s narrative, who was introduced a few chapters later than Becks. This really allowed for Becks to shine and set up the story which allowed for more mystery and intrigue when are finally given Silva’s point of view.
Lawrence’s stories typically feature a wonderful blend of diversity and pop culture references and Queen Patrice did it again in Eight Pieces of Silva! The exploration of Beck’s sexuality was such an important side plot and one that I would love to see explored further one day as I need more Becks in my life! Becks (like Ashley in the Black Kids) is such an authentic teenage voice and was so well crafted, it felt as if she could step out of the story and straight into our society with her constant k-pop and Marvel references!
I love Patrice as an author, her writing is always so unique and diverse and this was no exception. I was truly sucked into this mystery and was desperate to see how it panned out. This is such a different take on a mystery story and I guarantee that it will have you hooked!

[humna حمنہ (j. lynch's version) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book and that's because of multiple reasons,

- why, why would ANYONE put up with a guy like THAT??? it just pissed me off, I mean after everything the guy did to Silva AND others, she STILL KEPT GOING AFTER HIM

- the writing was frankly annoying in my opinion, and if there's one thing I do not like in books, it's the excessive use of modern-life slangs and mentions of daily apps and such. This was all included on mostly every page, and just ruined the vibe.

- the plot, if you could even call it that was mainly just 'girl gets dumped by douchebag guy, girl chases after guy, guy has a secret wife and DAUGHTER, family issues, girl dumps him, problem solved'.

- it was so predictable, that I knew what was gonna happen before it even happened.

- the characters had no personality whatsoever, had too much backstory and not enough detail, and feeling were not portrayed into that character.

- it was written in two perspectives, one from Becks the sister trying to solve the'disappearance' and one from Silva, the 'disappeared girl' in form of diary entries. That seemed interesting to me, and at first it was, but it seemed like the author just took advantage of that, turning something that resembled suspense, to something SO PLAIN, a five year old could have written it.

- Logan, this stupid piece of absolute trash, is also mainly the reason why I did not like this book, to think the whole plot was THIS DUDE, is something that ruined the vibe, and I don't even WANT to talk about him anymore.

Right, rant over. To those that did enjoy this book, happy for you, but in my opinion it's not a book I would recommend.

[Steff S (The Bookish Owl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

Becks's mum and Silva's dad have just got married and gone on their dream honeymoon. Silva at 18 is supposed to be the responsible adult looking after 16 year old Becks but then Silva doesn't come home after waving the parents off.

Becks's cat Azog decides to poop in Silva's room and while cleaning it up Becks finds a bunch of receipts for random items, the earliest dated has a handwritten message on it expressing romantic interest. Further investigation reveals other strange items: a crappy wig, fairground token, medal, locker key and a football related newspaper article.

So I loved Becks. Black, out and proud lesbian, Marvel and Tolkien obsessive (her cat's name even comes from the Hobbit movies). Also China - I wish we could have had more of her. Raych was interesting but we didn't know her enough to care about what happened.

But Silva. Silva pissed me off in short. She's supposedly so fragile following her mum's death from cancer but it's not like she was a little kid (I can't recall if the amount of time was specified), enough time has passed for her dad to feel comfortable remarrying. Also her blind obsession frustrated me to no end. You are 28 yet you are acting like a child!

The ending was also very abrupt like the author didn't want to go over a certain word count.

[Nightmarish · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, I went into this book with very high expectations. And that's my mistake. I mean why would I expect this book to actually be good. Now I guess I'm being harsher than warranted but the MC's only personality is that she likes k-pop and marvel and is completely overshadowed by her sister, who is, frankly, extremely unlikable. Am I supposed to actually root for Silva? The whole conflict of the book is just her being obsessed with a boy and I thought this was going to be a mystery/thriller whereas this was just an underwhelming attempt at the genre; there was no murder, no kidnapping, nothing remotely interesting happened. And the tone of the story. I can't get over it. The tone is suspenseful throughout the book which just highlights how underwhelming the plot is. The f/f romance between Becks and China would have been great, if it was actually written properly. Like, maybe I'm oblivious, but I didn't sense any chemistry there and didn't see a reason why they ended up together, apart from Becks having a crush on her. To me it translates as being an afterthought and, really, the love interest is only used to further the story. Overall, I'm disappointed and that's why the rating is so low - on a good day I'd give it 2 stars.

[Dawn Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Becks’ Mum and Silva’s Dad have gone on honeymoon to Japan, leaving Silva, as a young adult, in charge of 16 year old Becks. But Silva never returns from seeing the pair off at the airport. She doesn’t respond to any of Becks’ messages and Becks is rightly worried. Becks doesn’t want to alarm her parents and cause them to return from a much anticipated holiday, so she tries to manage the situation herself. She crosses the threshold of Silva’s bedroom to look for clues. She finds these in a box under the bed leading her on a trail to piece together a story of complete love and devotion Silva had for a boy none of the family had met.
Along the way, Becks discovers friends she thought she could rely on won’t help, and new friends who will.
This novel has both an LGBT element and a race element which are important parts of the story, but not the whole story and treated in a normal everyday manner which is refreshing. Although an accusation is leveled that sometimes we don’t actually listen to others is not strictly true, it is a thought to make us all consider how we treat others.
A book about what it means to be a family which is never quite as simple as it sounds.