The last book I read was by one of my favorite authors, Megan Miranda. And it was actually for a book club that I lead in my Discord server that’s connected with my Twitch. We all agreed on most things in regard to this book, but I figured I’d share just a few of my thoughts here on the blog because, why not?

synopsis (from the back of the book)

“Ten years ago, Abigail Lovett fell into a job she loves: managing the Passage Inn, a cozy resort nestled in the mountains of North Carolina, in a town called Cutter’s Pass. Tourists are drawn to the town for its outdoor offerings and proximity to the Appalachian Trail – but also for its notorious history as the last known location for six different visitors who vanished without a trace over the past three decades. When journalist Landon West comes to investigate the story of “The Vanishing Trail,” then disappears himself, the town – and the inn – are thrust back into the spotlight.

After months without any leads, Abby is shocked when West’s brother, Trey, checks into the Passage Inn one evening. Knowing how cold the case is, Abby can’t help but feel for this man. She’s all too familiar with how the locals tend to close ranks to outsiders. But it isn’t until Abby uncovers incriminating new evidence that she realizes how very little she knows about her coworkers and neighbors – and just how dangerous that is.”

what I didn’t like.

Listen, I’m a sucker for a good main character. Especially if they’re the narrator of the story, beckoning the reader to hear them out. But goodness…Abigail Lovett pissed me off so bad, y’all 😂 I can only laugh now because I’ve finished, but throughout my reading, I found myself asking aloud, more than once: “What is she doing?”

My initial thoughts left me disappointed in Miranda’s choice of main character. Here Abby was, a decade into living in this town, and it took just one more visitor, the brother of the last person who vanished, to kick her butt into gear to try to figure out what really happened. Why hadn’t she made her move sooner?!

The pace of the book also reflected Abby’s choices on when and how she would move, which was s l o w l y. I like when I’m yearning to pick a book up and finish, and really, the main reason why I kept picking this book up was so I could figure out what actually happened to all the vanishing people, not because it was super thrilling.

what made this book somewhat bearable.

Now, there was a little twist in this story that caused me to lighten up on Abby and Megan Miranda a little. The whole theme of this book is trust, and whether or not Abby can trust those around her, even after she’s lived in Cutter’s Pass for ten years (which, she repeats a LOT in the book…there honestly could have been a little less of that).

Finding out that *spoiler alert* she’s the daughter of one of the “Fraternity Four”, the first group to vanish 30 years ago, really had me like “huh?!” Initially, I wondered why Miranda would have us think that Abby had no connection to the disappearances, but once we started talking in book club, I truly believe that Miranda’s intention was for us to feel slighted that we couldn’t even trust the main character to tell us everything she knew. Honestly, having this perspective makes me have a better opinion about the book, so maybe I’ll keep it as such.

overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐(out of 5)

Overall, this book was not one of my favorites by Megan Miranda. It’s honestly been so long since I’ve read something from her, so I was a little disappointed BUT I’ve seen that she has a new book coming out this month, so maybe that one will be better! I’ve also got 2 more books of hers to read, minus the new one, before I’m officially caught up with all of her works. I’ll have to see if these next two are better than this one!

Have you ever read something by an author you loved, and been disappointed by it? Did you give them another chance by reading something else by them? If so, were you rewarded with better content, or disappointed once again?

Mishy 🦋🩵