Showing up from the dead is best done in person…
Thirteen years ago, teenager Sadie Brubaker disappeared from her small Georgia town without a trace. Sheriff Chase Blackburn was a young deputy who worked the case diligently, refusing to give up even when others did. Her disappearance haunts him still, making him question the town and his law enforcement skills. Then one afternoon, astonishingly, Sadie, still heart-breakingly beautiful, arrives with no memory and a suitcase full of questions.
When her mother dies, Sadie discovers her entire life is a lie. Her “mother” found her traumatized and injured at a bus stop—a teen with no memory and created an instant family. Sadie knew she had amnesia but never why, so she sets out for the town she doesn’t remember, determined to dig up the answers.
Sadie and the sheriff work together to solve the puzzle pieces of her life so she can understand who she was, decide who she wants to be, and if they can have a future together.
PJ's Thoughts:
I enjoy Susan Sands' small southern towns, well-developed characters, closed-door romances, and complex family dynamics. Her Missing Pieces gave me all that and more. The two-page Prologue teed it up and then Sands aimed for the fences. By the time I got to page three - three! - I was well and truly hooked. I already knew I would not be putting this book down until all my questions - and Randi/Sadie's - had been answered.
I enjoy the immersive quality of Sands' writing. Her stories so easily pull me into her characters' lives and Sadie's is more compelling than most. Sands does a good job of unveiling complicated, and traumatic, family dynamics as Sadie's memory begins to return. There are so many layers to be explored, within the family, the community, and within Sadie herself.
And then there's Chase, a man who has a few layers of his own. I love his honor, his goodness, and his determination to keep Sadie safe as he helps her navigate the challenges her returning memory brings into her life while also tentatively exploring feelings that begin to blossom between them.
Sadie's amnesia is resolved in the first half of the book which then opens her character to other issues which surface in the wake of the revelations of her first sixteen years of life. Sands takes her time with Sadie as she explores the multitude of emotions that flood in when she begins to realize the ramifications of the actions - and inactions - of the people in her life who were supposed to protect her. There's emotional healing, forgiveness, growth, acceptance, love, and new beginnings, many of which are not quick or easy. I appreciated the realistic nature of Sadie's evolution.
This is the first book of a new series from Susan Sands. I'm eager to discover what she has planned for the residents of Moonshine, Georgia and looking forward to hopefully learning more about some unexpected revelations at the end of Her Missing Pieces.
Content warning: domestic abuse, child abuse, amnesia
A new to me author and sounds intriguing and like a real page turner.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting story. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read one of her books in a long time. I enjoyed the ones I did read earlier. This sounds like it will be a good , suspenseful read that tackles some important issues. Another one for my wish list.
ReplyDelete