Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf Published by Harlequin Enterprises, Limited on April 16, 2019
Genres: Fiction, Psychological, Thrillers, Women
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Twelve-year-old Cora Landry and her friends Violet and Jordyn are having a sleepover when their life takes a dramatic and dangerous twist. A fun adventure to a nearby rail yard becomes a nightmare, with two of the girls ending up in the hospital, one with life-threatening injuries.
What led to this fateful night is relayed to the reader in a variety of formats, including text messages, journal entries, witness perspectives and more. Riddled with twists and turns, Gudenkauf takes readers on a haunting journey of teen friendships, friendship and betrayal.
What a completely captivating read! I’m doing my best to leave most of the discovery up to the individual reader but it’s quite difficult to contain my interest in this book!
I adore everything Gudenkauf has written. She excels at writing captivating and genuine characters. This completely rings true with this most recent book. Gudenkauf captures the very essence of teen angst, including the ongoing struggle with acceptance and friendships.
Cora struggles with middle school. When Violet, a new girl, moves to town, she starts to come out of her shell a bit. Any further growth is dampened by Jordyn, “the” top of the social ladder at school. Jordyn loves to put a wedge between the two friends and gets a thrill out of tormenting Cora.
Yet when the trio are forced to work on a social studies project together, they must at least attempt to get along with one another long enough to complete the project. The assignment is to explore the truth behind an urban legend. They pick a local one, the story of Joseph Wither, a young boy supposedly responsible for the disappearances (and likely deaths) of high school students for the last several decades.
Although their initial research leaves them empty-handed, Cora becomes obsessed with learning more. Mocked by her classmates for believing in the urban legend, she puts her own life at risk to get proof. Adding a tinge of the supernatural really aided in my own personal reading experience.
This is definitely one of those books you can devour in one sitting. I like to think that I’m a pro at solving the “whodunit,” but in this case I was completely thrown! If you haven’t read Gudenkauf’s writing yet I do encourage you to do so; let this be your first! Highly, highly recommended.
