Pretend She's Here

by Luanne Rice

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

We all grieve in different ways, and this books shows that some ways are better than others.

I keep seeing people calling this a thriller. I am not sure this read as a thriller for me, since one of the most shocking things happens in the first chapter. I will concede, that there were quite a few tense and suspenseful moments, but overall, this book was more an exploration of grief for me.

Emily's best friend, Lizzie, died about a year ago after a short battle with cancer. We get some very lovey peeks into their friendship and Lizzie's illness via flashbacks, and in the present, we see Emily and Lizzie's family still reeling from their loss. I thought the exploration of grief was handled well, and it's not often I see the extreme side of it in the books I read, so it was an interesting departure from the norm for me.

Where this book shined, in my opinion, was with its beautiful and complicated relationships. Emily's family was a story all on its own. She was the youngest of seven children, who were slowly rebuilding their relationship with they newly sober alcoholic mom. They stumbled and age differences put some of the older children at a physical distance, but I felt so much warmth and love from this group.

I also really enjoyed the friendships Emily shared with Carole and Casey. I thought they shared a great dynamic, and they were there for Emily when she really needed a friend. Without saying too much, let's just say they were very important players in this story.

Casey was such an interesting and wonderful character. I was enthralled by his musical prowess and family history, and greatly appreciated his rapport with his father. I think I cried three times while reading this book, and the biggest tears fell as Casey shared his emotions about his mother with Emily. The story was heartbreaking, but his love was so crystal clear and fierce.

I also liked that this story didn't end, where I expected it too. There was this HUGE thing that happens in the beginning, and that was resolved, but it wasn't over. Rice took us to a nice point after, and I got the closure I really wanted.

Overall: This was not exactly what I was expecting from the synopsis, but I enjoyed the exploration of grief and the relationship dynamics within Emily's circle.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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