The Fallout From Finding Emily: The Kidnapped Kelsey O'Brien

This isn't your typical teen romance novel, which is actually kind of refreshing. The plot centers on Arlene, a self-professed tomboy, who is terrified that finding her identical twin, who was kidnapped when they were two, will destroy her current family dynamic, which sounds pretty fragile. She's made a pretty big mistake over the course of her summer, and her lawyer uncle comes up with the 'great' plan of sending her to his alma mater instead of the delinquent centre. Her parents and the judge agree, and Arlene has no choice but to go.

The story starts with Arlene at the airport, where a teenage boy recognizes her as a girl named Laura, and Arlene begins to suspect that something may be wrong and her time at boarding school may not be show more the escape from her past she'd hoped it would be. When she meets Laura her fears are confirmed - though she tries to deny that they look alike, there really is no way she can hold on to that belief with people at school constantly mistaking her for Laura and vice versa. Needless to say, there is a lot of animosity between Arlene and Laura. Arlene doesn't like Laura out of principle and on the grounds that Laura's already screwed up Arlene's childhood, and Laura can't stand Arlene because she's showed up at school with her face, no sense of style, and no discernment when it comes to who she talks to. It's kind of "The Parent Trap" (remember that old movie?) meets "Gossip Girl" or "Private" (the book). The friction between the two girls feels real, and it really kept the story moving.

For those of you who love your teen romance, there is a little of that, too, but don't expect any hot and steamy sex scenes or make-out sessions - Arlene is super shy when it comes to romance, and the friendship she has with Mason is cute and kind of awkward at times. He likes her and she doesn't really know what to do about it because she thinks he likes Laura, who won't give him the time of day.

For a debut indie novel, this book is written really well, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it - I literally couldn't put it down. There is humor, there is tension, there is a taste of romance, and the story moves at a really good pace - I can't say there was a single moment when I wasn't interested in what was going to happen next. The author gives you just enough information to piece Arlene's story together on your own, and she does it in a way that doesn't leave you feeling like the story stalled just so she could expound on the details of her character's history, which I really appreciated. The story is told specifically from Arlene's point of view, and the reader isn't told anything that Arlene doesn't already know, so when she's surprised by something that's going on, so is the reader. All in all, I really enjoyed this book - it is a "must read" and "read again" on my bookshelf. Good job, Ryleigh, and hurry up with the next one. show less