Kim Savage

Nothing about After the Woods was particularly groundbreaking and I guessed the 'twist' fairly early, but that didn't detract from how much I enjoyed it. One thing that frustrates me about books of this ilk is that they try too much to hide the twist so it's surprising, rather than crafting a journey that's enjoyable whether or not you knew the end. It's more a psychological thriller than a straight up crime story. In some ways, it owes a lot to Gillian Flynn's [b:Sharp show more Objects|18045891|Sharp Objects|Gillian Flynn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1370630413s/18045891.jpg|3801], its spiritual predecessor.

Julia Spunk was a great character to read. She's damaged, sarcastic and fastidious, suffering from flashbacks and nightmares, her growth and healing slow but there. Julia's PTSD, her struggle, is fascinating, particularly the way she separates herself from other girls her own age. I loved her complicated relationship with her best friend Liv; the comparisons between them worked well. Julia's got an overprotective, media-hating mother that insists she goes to various therapists. Liv's mother is an attention-seeking momager that cares little for her daughter's well-being and is, in many ways, a subtle, pervasive secondary villain.

There's a little hetero romance, but it's minimal and takes a backseat to Julia's relationships with her mother and her best friend, while still advancing Julia's story.

Rating: 8/10
Gay-o-meter: 1/10 show less

"Here we are, you and me. Not what I expected. But something."

Julia was trapped in the woods, kidnapped by Donald Jessup, someone who wanted Liv but got Julia instead. When Julia saved her best friend Liv almost a year ago while Liv fled; she faced two days of fear and her survival instincts have not gone away. Julia analyzes everything like she is still back in those woods. She analyzes Jessup, her kidnapping, and now the new body that was found. But most of all she analyzes Liv - the show more friend she saved who's acting anything but normal.

Julia is one tough MC. The fact that she finds a way to save her friend who then runs away, leaving her with a probable killer, is beyond anything I could ever expect from a character or real life person to do. I liked that she was such a fact finder when it came to kidnappings and her own trauma. She was trying to reason her way through what happened to her which made her story very believable.

"Liv wants to leave the woods," I murmur, my head thrown back, tracing the jagged lines in the canopy.
"Most people wouldn't blame her," Kellan says.
From the jeep, Liv yells at us to hurry up.
I'm not like most people.
I stoop up to pick an oak leaf, twirling its stem between my thumb and forefinger. Veins radiate out, starting and ending at the midrib, the leaf's spine. I close my eyes and run my finger over the midrib, a distinct indent on the front, an unmistakable ridge on the back. Starting and ending at the same place. Imminently traceable.
"I'm not ready to leave yet," I say, heading to the truck.

Liv is one shady human being. From the get go, she left her friend and she acts like everything is fine when Julia's back home. She doesn't want to talk about the woods anymore because according to her it's over and it's not like she got raped or anything.... WHAT!? I instantly had my guard up when it came to her and couldn't understand her motives for the things she said or did.

Kellan is the son of the detective/police officer on the case. He comes to her rescue when it comes to reporters trying to get a piece of her story. He's very dark and mysterious and of course beautiful (I've never understood how every boy in YA are called beautiful but I digress). He's drawn to her and she's drawn to him once she sees he seems to care for her. I really liked the way they talked about each other and the kidnapping. I really loved the writing in this story in general. It's really spot on and I couldn't get enough. I do think though that maybe it was too early and too fast for them to get into a semi-relationship thing but I won't go so far as say it was instalove. He is an interesting character on his own. He helps play off Julia's need to find out the why of it all but he is respectful and protective of her most of all.



Literally, other than thinking Liv was shady and her mother is a horrible human being, (Liv's mother Deborah would degrade her any chance she got. I would have ripped out her hair by now if I was Liv.) I couldn't help wonder how this was all going to end. And it ended with an explosion in my mind. In the end I couldn't process what just happened and couldn't believe how it ended. Talk about a great conclusion while still feeling like I needed more (in the good way - not the disappointed way). The mystery was freaking awesome and I could have never predicted the craziness that came with it.

I'm really happy I decided to buy this book because 1) The mystery was awesome and twisted 2) Julia's analytical brain and 3) That cover is gorgeous. If the summary entices you or this review I don't think you can go wrong. It's a well written mystery that will keep you guessing Why? to the very end. show less

Wow. That will be the first word that comes out of my mouth (and therefore, my fingers) in response to how this book made me feel.

In the same way that this book left me feeling like the wind had been knocked out of me a few times, it also left me feeling so desperately sad. I'll get back to that..



Jo Chastain, a young homeless teen, who basically wants a family of her own, assumes the identity of a missing girl (who would now be a teenager), in order to live in a wealthy household. Ignoring show more how hard I think it would be to actually assume the identity of a missing person and start living a new life, it takes a lot of tenacity and desire to want to rid yourself of your past and get yourself into a new situation, and risk being found out.

The home that Jo comes to live in is one where she now not only has the 'parents' she never had, along with the wealth, she also has the daughter of the Lovecrafts, Temple, who becomes like a sister and best friend to her.



As Jo (now Vivi) becomes lost inside this new identity of hers, and becomes attached to Temple, she has to remind herself of her truth because she starts to realize things are not quite as 'peachy' in the Lovecraft household as she once thought, and there's definitely an ominous tone. It takes a long while for the suspense to build and it's a slow burn that creeps up on you; the book is broken up into three different parts (of which, the first is the bulk of the book), and at the end of the first part the biggest twist comes.

Suspense in a book like this spells danger for a character like Jo, and the book is turned on its heels and at the same time it made me gasp (it's blatantly obvious I can't give you spoilers), this was very cleverly written.



What I felt is so sad about all this, is that we have one young girl wanting a family so badly she is willing to go to these lengths, and within the inner workings of this novel, there's another very sad tale going on for Temple too. This intimate friendship of these two girls starts to look very dysfunctional and you can't help but feel something's not going to end well unless...well, something.



Ultimately though, Kim Savage has written a very engrossing novel about a case of stolen identity, yet it's so much more than that; I read this book from beginning to end with hardly putting it down, and I now know I need more of her writing! show less

TWISTY. DARK. EMOTIONAL.

I'm not sure where I thought this was book going, but it sure didn't end up there, and that's fine. Great YA thrillers are difficult to find, and this one holds its own with most (and betters quite a few) of the adult crime novels I've read this year. A fast read, but a deep read.

Julia was a snarky and believable narrator, and her process in dealing with her PTSD was heartfelt. It made for an uneasy read at times, but not a heart-stoppingly uncomfortable one like show more ALL THE RAGE.

Perfect crossover appeal for adult crime readers as well!

I see Savage has more mysteries headed our way, and I definitely can't wait to get my hands on them.

*I'll probably expand on this once I've mulled it over a bit more.

(ooooh, and thanks to Macmillan and FSG for the DRC!!) show less