Nearly Gone

I loved this! Equal parts creepy and scary mixed with a little cute and sweet. Nearly isn't your average teen. She has a drive and a focus to get out of her town.

and she needs this scholarship

but she's competing for it with her best friend. She doesn't have time for a boyfriend or drama or worrying about a school dance. Because, along with her need to get out, she can't touch anyone. Because when she does, she can taste their emotion.

Imagine that. Imagine how bad bitter and anger must taste. Or how sweet love does. It's a tough life, made even tougher when strange taunting words start appearing on her science desk. And then come the personal ads - giving her clues and hints to where bodies start being found.

This one had me guessing show more until the very end. Great read! show less

Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Recommended?: Yes, particularly if you love smart, flawed girls, math and science riddles, and serial killer stories. It’s a wonderful book with amazing characters, and I can’t wait for the next in the series.

I loved this book. I had no idea people were calling it Bones meets Fringe when I read it, but that comparison really captures how I feel about NEARLY GONE. I love Bones, I love Fringe, and the combination here is fun and absolutely entertaining.

Nearly Boswell is a delight. Yes, there’s some idiot ball holding, or rather, she rushes headfirst into situations without giving it enough thought, but that worked for me. She’s book smart, she’s driven, and she’s lonely; it makes sense to me that she’s show more tempestuous and headstrong and a little bit naive about her invincibility. Not a superhero invincibility, but the way some teenagers can feel untouchable, even when they’ve already experienced pain and loss. Nearly chases a missing father, obsesses over cryptic clues in personal ads, and feels lost as she makes her way through high school, but she is wonderful, flawed and smart and strong, and I loved reading her story.

If anything, I wanted more of Nearly, especially her ability to taste emotions when she brushes against skin. That little fringe science twist to her abilities intrigued me, and I would love to see her use of that developed further. (Since there is a sequel, I hold out hope.)

The only thing that fell a little flat for me was the romance with Reece, the reformed bad boy working undercover. Something about the dynamic between them felt unbalanced, probably that whole undercover thing, though I did love the other people working with him. I hope I grow to like Reece more in the next book, because my guess is that he’ll continue to be her love interest.

I loved the way Cosimano wove the clues through the personal ads, mixing science and math and riddles in wonderful ways. Between the clues and Nearly herself, I was sucked into this book, and could not put it down until I’d devoured it all. Seriously cannot wait for the next book, and Cosimano is going on my auto-buy author list. show less

If I had to describe Nearly Gone using one word, I'd say edgy.
This book literally had me on the edge of my seat. The plot was so twisty and the mystery sucked me right in. I was racking my brain trying to figure out who the killer was and well... I didn't even come close. The Author is a pro at thought manipulation. She pushed us one way and was quick to pull us back. There was intrigue, romance, thrill, and danger. I wanted a thriller and that's exactly what I got.

Nearly is addicted to personal ads. Every week she finds herself consumed by words hoping to find a note from her long lost father. It's an innocent hobby that quickly turns into a dangerous game. Before she knows it she is communicating with a killer through the newspaper. show more Each week there is another clue and each week Nearly is too late... Another person connected to her is murdered. She seeks the help of the police only to end up as the lead suspect with a hot bad boy on her tail. The bad boy, Reece, is a narc. He is sent to follow her and figure out how she is connected to the murders. She knows what he is and vows to steer clear but finds herself caught up in his good looks and his kind heart. In order to get answers they start working together... A swoon worthy romance forms and secrets are revealed.

I really liked this book a lot. The writing was top of the line and the story kept me glued to the pages. I found the characters to be relatable and well developed. I definitely recommend it to all readers who enjoy danger and good girl/bad boy romance. show less

Fact: Ms. Cosimano can plot a string of serial murders like nobodies business.
Note to self: Never get on her bad side.

Seriously though, the in-depth plotting and planning of this book must have taken forever because it was brilliant! I would compare this book to a giant spider web. There were so many different threads interwoven with one another to create this mystery that was impossible to figure out before things were revealed.

Nearly Boswell, otherwise known as Leigh, has been reading the personals in the Friday paper every week since her father left her & her mom, looking for a sign that he’s still out there. When a riddle-like ad shows up in the paper, Nearly can’t shake it. A girl at her school is attacked and Nearly soon show more picks up on the similarities between the attack and the ad. After it happens a second time, Nearly know the ads are connected to the murders happening at her school. For some reason the killer is leaving her clues, but why her? And will she be able to figure out who it is before it’s too late?

While the mystery aspect of the story was amazing, I didn’t feel strongly about either of the main characters or care much about their romance. While Nearly always had good intentions of trying to save the next target or catch the killer, she made some really dumb decisions along the way. As for Reece, I just didn’t see the appeal. Fresh out of Juvie for possible murder and now serving as a Narc, Nearly is just his ticket out. She knows this but gets involved with him anyway and of course they end up falling for each other.

Overall, the brilliantly plotted mystery kicked serious butt and helped me to overlook the mediocre characters and romance. show less

I had to fight the urge to abandon this book early on, but finally about 50 pages in, it gained traction. Nearly (that actually IS the main character's name) aka Leigh Is desperately hoping for a message in the personal ads from the dad who abandoned her and her mom 5 years earlier leaving them struggling to make ends meet. Living in a trailer park with her stripper mom, Nearly sees the school's scholarship contest as her ticket out. But after one of Nearly's classmates goes missing, her dreams of winning the contest slowly begin to unravel. When she goes to the police with a message in the personal ads that she is sure is a clue, she only succeeds in becoming the prime suspect. She is convinced that bad boy Reece is trying to get close show more to her in order to feed information to the police.

As the story progresses more clues send Nearly on desperate attempts to intercept the killer as more students suffer tragic deaths. She only succeeds in placing herself at the crime scene and putting herself in more danger. As much as she tries to convince herself that Reece is up to no good, she can't suppress the growing feelings she has for him or the feeling that he just might be on her side after all.

It turns out that the author does an excellent job of keeping the reader in the dark about who the killer might be until the very end. The plot is full of action and suspense that moves the story along. The only part that I felt was unnecessary and actually detracted from the story was a strange ability Nearly possesses that allows her to sense a person's true emotions simply by touching them. It added a hokey quality to the story that I didn't care for. It so rarely came into play in the story that I just didn't get why the author felt the need to add that in. All in all a good book for teens who like a good crime mystery. show less

Very well written. Such a clever story and well plotted mystery. This is a "Thinking Person's" novel. It kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing all the way to the end. I really enjoyed "the game" of trying to solve the mystery as I read. And as i said, it's one the more clever mysteries that I've experienced.

Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano is a page turner through and through. Not only does Nearly Boswell have a unique name, but she has a unique hobby and a unique ability - one that she's kept secret her whole life ... Unfortunately, her hobby has made her a prime suspect in a long line of murders at her school. However, while the police is investigating the innocent Nearly, the serial killer is running amok and nobody's safe. The question is; why? Why is the serial killer dead-set on implicating Nearly as the killer? What has this silent, intelligent girl from the wrong side of the tracks done to piss off the murderer? All of these questions are answered, and yet the story will leave you wanting more.

Filled with mystery and intrigue, Nearly show more Gone is well-balanced, nicely written, and the female protagonist is a strong and surprisingly realistic character. There's a bit of romance (not so much that it clutters the plot, but just enough to keep you intrigued), a lot of death, and a twist that I didn't see coming. Also, the characters are quite relatable. Total win, right? Frankly, I can't wait for the second book in this fantastic trilogy (series?), coming out June 2015, called Nearly Found.

Basically, if you're looking for a young adult thriller with a good plot, this is the book you want to get your hands on. It's fun, and you won't be able to put down the book. Definitely perfect for a stocking filler this Christmas.

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