The Reappearance of Rachel Price
The Reappearance of Rachel Price is the Book That YA Mystery Fans Have Been Waiting For: Holly Jackson is the author of the fabulously successful Good Girls Guide to Murder series, which I’ve reviewed here. What is the deal on this new book, is it anything like Good Girls Guide to Murder, and should you read it? (Spoiler: YES!) Here’s my Review!
The Reappearance of Rachel Price: The Holly Jackson Book That YA Mystery Fans Have Been Waiting For
What was great (in my opinion) about the Good Girls Guide to Murder series (and the things I hoped would be in The Reappearance of Rachel Price as well.)
- Good Girls Guide to Murder was true-crime inspired (I think by the podcast Serial)
- It had a podcast/journalism element
- The main character was a smart, intrepid teen detective
- Plenty of small town intrigue
- The series had a ride-or-die fan favorite romance that develops over three books
- It was a YA Mystery series approved by mystery super-fans (ok, by me! And many other HoJo fans as well.)
If you loved Good Girls Guide as much as I did then
What I Loved About the Book
There was so much I loved about this book:
a documentary filmmaker element
First, I really liked the Podcast Elements of The Good Girl’s Guide, and was excited that The Reappearance of Rachel Price involved a film crew making a documentary about Rachel’s disappearance.
true crime inspiration
Second, I was only a few pages in when I realized that the book was (loosely) inspired by a real true crime case. (I had to pause my reading to take this in.)
Yes, I read thrillers with podcasts, and thrilling true crime podcasts. I’m not going to get into my theories here about the case that inspired the book, but feel free to give my yours in the comments.
not a ton of romance, but a cute flirtation
The Ravi and Pip duo in the Good Girl’s Guide is a beloved couple among YA readers. While the book didn’t have a full-on romance, there was a very cute flirtation/friendship that could be more.
The flirtation was with a guy who gave ALL the Harry Styles vibes. Bel, the main character, even calls him that when she’s mad at him. As an insult (!)
Where was rachel price, anyway?
The story really kept me guessing. As the title suggests, Rachel reappears after being missing for years. But IS it Rachel? And if it is, why is she being so cagey about where she was? And where the heck was she? Can her daughter Bel figure it all out?
The clues! I completely missed them and was smacking my head. But true mystery fans expect clues, and Holly Jackson delivers.
My Only (Tiny) Issue With A Book That YA Fans Have Been Waiting For
I wish this were a duology. First, it would have given the Bel and Ash relationship time to turn either into a romance or a really great friendship.
Second, I felt there were a LOT of revelations in the last third or quarter of the book. I managed to keep up, but I do think that this could have been two books.
Still, This is a book that YA Mystery Fans Have Got To Read
If you want to discuss spoilers for book, come on over to my Spoiler Discussion page for The Reappearance of Rachel Price and let’s talk!
And if you want to check out Holly Jackson’s other standalone, Five Survive, it’s on my list of Spring Break Thrillers!
I loved GGG (book 1), then the series got so dark. Is this dark like that?
I mean, it’s true-crime based, so it’s not light. I feel like Holly Jackson writes YA crime books that are on the darker side. I’ll message you because my full answer has spoilers. Or we can talk on my Spoiler Review!
It’s the first time I’ve been over here to this site. It’s awesome, Jen! I have Five Survive to read, but just haven’t gotten to it. This one sounds fabulous too. I do like duologies so it’s very possible that I’ll agree with you when I read this.
Five Survive is so different from her other books and I’ve wondered if it was an earlier book or just a one-off that she decided to try. I felt this is more in the GGG lane, but I still hope she writes another series!!
Sounds like a thrilling read! Holly Jackson always knows how to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Question, though: How similar is it to the Good Girls Guide style? That series had me hooked with its podcast vibe and small-town feels. Looking forward to diving into this one. Thanks for the review!