Where did she go?

Author : Cara Delevinge with Rowan Coleman
Title : Mirror Mirror
Published : 05/10/2017
Pages : 368
Format : Hardback
Publisher : Trapeze

     Sixteen-year-old friends Red, Leo, Rose, and Naomi are misfits; still figuring out who they are and who they want to be. Life isn't perfect, but music unites them, and they're excited about what the future holds for their band, Mirror, Mirror. That is until Naomi vanishes before being pulled unconscious out of the river. She's left fighting for her life in a coma. The police claim it was a failed suicide attempt, but her friends aren't convinced. Will Naomi ever wake? What -­ or perhaps who - led her to that hospital bed? How did her friends fail to spot the warning signs?

     The synopsis for this book really grabbed my attention. it sound part coming of age part crime thriller. When a friend goes missing how far would you go to get them back. And with life already hard as a teenager in the world we live in how far can we go before we break.

 

    Out story revolves around three main characters. Red who is trying to fit in to her own skin. Red comes across as brave and strong even dealing with the problem of family and friends. Not really sure where life is going. Leo who is having to deal with problems from his past. But for me seems like the back bone of the group. Always ready to stand up for his friends even at cost to him self. And Rose who keeps secrets that are to painful for most too carry. All the while trying to aspire to bigger and better things.  This group of friends is bound together not only out of friendship but with there band. And the mystery of what happened to there friends Naomi. They are all broken in many ways but still hoping for a better place in this world. I like each of them for different reasons. They never seem to come across as stilted or clichés. Each of these group of friends is given enough page time to make you want to care for them, and become invested in the tales they have to tell.

 

     Devlevinge and Coleman have combined to give us a style that is both interesting and easy to follow the pages fly by as you become more engrossed in the story they have to tell.  This book felt as much about how friends are the family of the modern age as it does a thriller. The triumphs and problems we face in our lives are better shared with friends. While the mystery's of Naomi's sudden disappearance and just as sudden re-emergence unconscious in the themes add plenty of twists and turns. This story at times goes to some truly dark places. But while never overly graphic in the details it's funny how just a few short words can break you heart or make you wonder why some people can be so truly evil. They also manage to bring in the use of social media and not get bogged down in it. Showing that it can be both a source for good as well as the most nefarious of ends. With out it I think the mystery of Naomi would have remained just that. This was a book that held my attention the whole way through. With every thing I've said about it the ending will bring you hope. I have no wish to give to much away. but here is light even at the end of the darkest roads.

 

     I would gladly recommend this book to any one. While you may find some of the subject matter hard to deal with at times you will want to find out how this brave group of friends will make it to the end. They show a bond that will be hard to break and I look forward to more instalments from them.