Girl Last Seen by Nina Laurin

Title: Girl Last Seen

Author: Nina Laurin

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Release Date: June 20, 2017

Two missing girls. Thirteen years apart.

Olivia Shaw has been missing since last Tuesday. She was last seen outside the entrance of her elementary school in Hunts Point wearing a white spring jacket, blue jeans, and pink boots.

I force myself to look at the face in the photo, into her slightly smudged features, and I can't bring myself to move. Olivia Shaw could be my mirror image, rewound to thirteen years ago.

If you have any knowledge of Olivia Shaw's whereabouts or any relevant information, please contact...

I've spent a long time peering into the faces of girls on missing posters, wondering which one replaced me in that basement. But they were never quite the right age, the right look, the right circumstances. Until Olivia Shaw, missing for one week tomorrow.

Whoever stole me was never found. But since I was taken, there hasn't been another girl.

And now there is.

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"I've barely been able to leave a mark on my own life."

Girl Last Seen had a great blurb and I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately, I was unable to connect with the main character Ella Santos. She spent most of the story being high on drugs or coming down from them. I have no idea how she was able to piece anything together when she was never really lucid. Don't get me wrong, I like characters with flaws. I need characters who are imperfect to be able to root for them but in my mind, Ella was just dull. She made hasty decisions and then she was surprised by the outcome of her choices. 

Saying that the story had a good premise. Ella was kidnapped when she was ten years old. She was kept by a monster for three years. She was able to escape and was found by cops who recognized her and took her to get the medical attention she needed. Ten years later and now Ella has changed her name to Laine and she's working as a bartender.

When Oliva Shaw goes missing, Ella can feel it in her bones, her kidnapper and rapist is back. She's positive he has Olivia and when Sean Ortiz, a cop from her past, comes calling, she knows she has to help Olivia. Too bad Ella can't remember anything about her captor.

As I said before, the story had good components. I liked the plot, I just couldn't connect with Ella. Also, the end left me unsatisfied. I was expecting a different closure.

Cliffhanger: No

2/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Grand Central Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.