Novel Review: Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5 (maybe 4)

Genre: YA Contemporary Suspense

Publisher: Dutton (Penguin)

Release Date: 2012

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

An arresting un-coming-of-age story, from a breathtaking talent

Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life.

Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia's death.

The Cover:

This cover is pretty much perfect for this book. The colors, the font, the image. It's really pretty, it represents the book really well, and it's definitely eye-catching.

Quotes:

•  "'For many, the emotional trauma of a broken heart can manifest as real, physical pain.’” (Hardback, pg. 5)
• "One girl lost forever to this stagnant place was enough.” (Pg. 269)
• "I have learned that knowing where you’re going means remembering where you’ve been. I’m not afraid of what lurks behind me, or ahead.” (Pg. 276)

Review:

I was not quite expecting this book. I mean, I’d heard some good things about it, but I was not expecting what actually happened.

To be honest, this is a sad book. It’s kind of depressing, and maybe a little morbid. It’s been a while since I read it, and I still don’t even know what to say about it.

There are two stories being told here, Becca’s and Amelia Anne’s.

Becca has a boyfriend, but she wants out of her town. The people in her town can be nice to each other, or they can be completely horrible and isolate someone. Becca wants out. She wants to leave and do something with herself.

And then Amelia Anne’s body is found, and no one knows who she is or what happened to her. There are rumors, and Becca unexpectedly starts wondering who killed her, and if she knows them.

I must say, the way Becca’s story gets entwined with Amelia’s, and as Amelia’s story gets closer to the end, it gets a little creepy. It gets horrible, even. And I wasn’t expecting it. It is very well done, though. The more I read, the more I really wanted to know what had really happened.

I’m not sure what else to say about this book. It’s depressing and it’s creepy. It was well done, but it’s also left me with a weird feeling. I don’t know how to feel. Which, I think, shows that everything was portrayed really well.

My rating, I think, shows that I do think this is a good book. And I think I will be picking up Rosenfield’s next book when I get the chance.