Via Amazon
Title: Give It Back
Author: Danielle Esplin
Genre: Mystery
How I got the book: From the author in exchange for an honest review
Summary (from Amazon):
This novel follows three characters: Lorraine, Lexy, and Ella.
Lorraine:
Not long ago, Lorraine lost her husband to another woman. She thought that was the worst thing that could happen to her, but soon she realizes it’s just the beginning of an everlasting nightmare.
Lexy:
Lexy, an au pair from London, moves to Seattle to help Lorraine with her infant son. But she didn’t come for the child…she came for something else.
Ella:
When Ella receives a call from her sister, Lorraine, who begs her to leave San Diego to spend time with her, she decides to take a few days off from work to visit her. Frightened to see how much Lorraine has weakened since her diagnosis eight months ago, she packs a bag and heads to Seattle with a foreboding feeling that this might be the last time she sees Lorraine.
But on her way to the airport, she learns that something shocking has happened since she last spoke with Lorraine and now. To make matters worse, once Ella arrives in Seattle, Lorraine’s story keeps changing, making Ella question how reliable her sister really is.
Soon Ella is entangled in a mysterious investigation, and more so, in the lives of everyone involved. She realizes not only that she won’t go home anytime soon but also that she’ll never look at others the same way she did before.
My Review:
This story is told in three different points of view, two sisters, Lorraine and Ella, and Lorraine’s nanny, Lexy. Lorraine and Lexy each have their own pasts to uncover while Ella tries to keep the peace and figure everything out.
I have to say that I wasn’t too sure about the novel when I first started reading it. Though I don’t mind the POV switching, it was the dates that threw me off. At the beginning of each new POV switch, there was a new date. Sometimes it was the present, sometimes it was the past.The dates were close to each other, too. The past wasn’t a few years ago, it was just a couple months ago. I had a hard time keeping track of whether we were in the past or present. Though it was fairly easy to figure out on my own using the actual writing as my guide, especially towards the end of the book.
The dates were close to each other, too. The past wasn’t a few years ago, it was just a couple months ago. I had a hard time keeping track of whether we were in the past or present. Though it was fairly easy to figure out on my own using the actual writing as my guide, especially towards the end of the book.
I liked Ella, I felt for Lorraine, but I had a hard time feeling anything for Lexy. We didn’t get much background information on any of the characters so whenever something happened to them I had a hard time feeling sorry or being happy for them; especially Lexy because she just kept making one mistake after another.
However, each character has a distinguished voice and every character introduced in the novel had a purpose. The writing style was very good and easy to read. The story itself was a fun murder mystery that I ended up reading the novel in just a few days.
The ending was much darker than I thought it would be, but it was appropriate and it fit.
I would recommend this book to anyone, especially if they enjoy mysteries.
Give It Back by Danielle Esplin gets 4 out of 5 stars.
Favorite Quote:
“It’s as if everyone got cancer the day I was diagnosed, except I’m their tumor.” –Danielle Esplin, Give It Back
About the Author (from Amazon):
Danielle Esplin studied Food Science with Chemistry at the University of Stellenbosch. She had a full-ride scholarship and was one of the top students. After three years of sleepless nights in the library and endless experiments in the laboratory, she realized that something was missing. And that was writing fiction. Without telling anyone, she packed her bags, waved her twin sister good-bye, trudged down the street and got on a bus to leave the country. When she crossed the border and entered Namibia, she switched her phone on and sent her mother a text. “I dropped out of University,” she wrote and never looked back. In Namibia, among the countless dunes that appeared like a half-closed girdle nestling the everlasting sea, her desire to write surfaced. Ever since she has been pursuing her dream to become a full-time writer. Danielle also loves to travel, and she writes about her adventures on her blog http://www.exploringmyplanet.com. Today she lives with her husband in Seattle. In her spare time, she likes to sing, read or spend time with family and friends.
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