Just okay

While Megan Miranda has a skillful pen, this mystery does not feel nearly as exciting as it should. I expected a tightly woven narrative, but instead, it drags along in a very ordinary fashion with no real tension. Jessa, the MC, is a strong protagonist: enduring, softly relentless, and very patient, marks of a likeable character.

What doesn't gel, however, is why we should think something is amiss about Caleb, her ex-boyfriend, after his death. Nothing ever points to it. Jessa mentions that there were parts of him she didn't know, but she doesn't give us any clues as to what these fragments are or why she feels like they're missing. Where there should have been suspense and intrigue, there was simply Jessa's mundane daily act of going through his things, at his mom's request.

She suspects that his mom is hiding something too, but never do we get a clear picture as to why she would come to this conclusion. And when we get to the climax, Miranda understates just how shocking it is. So, while we are expected to be in suspense, held in the anticipation of something, we never are. All we see is Jessa packing his boxes and remembering moments that don't point to anything.

And Mia, Caleb's sister, shares something strange, but it's never addressed again. Then, Jessa jumps to this wild conclusion about Caleb, but once again, there is nothing to indicate why we should ever expect this.

Unfortunately, while Jessa's character, aside from her unfounded suspicions, keep us drawn in, the many holes make the story crumble.