Reconstructing Amelia

I just finished Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight.  This was a book billed as an "if you liked Gone Girl..." sort of book.  While I can't say I liked Gone Girl, it was definitely a book I couldn't put down, so I thought I'd try this one.

Whew.  Let me tell you, there is not an ounce of fun in this book.  I couldn't even think of anything related to this book for a catchy title of the review, because there are very very few "light" moments.  

Having said that, I devoured this book.  Read it in less than 24 hours.  I just had to know what happened.  The premise of the book is Kate's overachieving daughter Amelia is caught cheating at her premier private school.  Kate is told she needs to come pick Amelia up because she's been suspended, but by the time Kate arrives, the school is a crime scene.  Kate is told that Amelia killed herself.  Weeks later, Kate receives a text that tells her Amelia didn't kill herself.  The rest of the book is Kate trying to figure out what really happened.

This book was good.  Not great, but good.  It's definitely a heart-string puller.  There were multiple times when I teared up.  I think the best parts of this book were the moments when Kate was grieving.  They were the few "real" moments in a book full of the superficial.

There were a lot of loose ends that I wish had been tied up, and one of the big twists felt forced to me, but overall I enjoyed the book.  I would definitely recommend that you read it, but I would also recommend that you don't open it with your expectations too high.