The Amateurs, Book 2 Follow Me

Sara Shepard — 2017

It was the perfect night for a party. That is, until twenty-one-year-old Chelsea Dawson disappeared. The social media star was last seen enjoying a beautiful summer night at the Jersey Shore with her friends. But after an explosive fight with her ex-boyfriend, she vanished without a trace. When Seneca, Maddox, Aerin, and Madison hear about the suspected kidnapping, they notice a jarring detail about the victim: she looks exactly like Aerin's sister, Helena, who was killed five years earlier. Seneca is convinced she knows who killed Helena, and she can't shake the feeling that the same person has taken Chelsea. Desperate for answers about the two girls, and the truth behind her mother's murder, Seneca will stop at nothing to find out if the cases are linked. So when Maddox receives an invitation to the Shore from none other than their primary suspect, the Amateurs begin an intense new investigation. Full of disturbing secrets, startling twists, and horrifying revelations, the second book in #1 New York Times best-selling author Sara Shepard's The Amateurs series follows the team down a twisted path-one crafted by a brilliant killer. Praise for The Amateurs * "This is a delicious start to the Amateurs series." -Publishers Weekly, starred review "A twisty and ultimately satisfying romantic whodunit." -Kirkus Reviews "Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series was a smash hit, so this is likely to reach best-seller status." -Booklist "Shepard's fans ready for a new sleuthing series will enjoy this first installment and look forward to the next case." -VOYA "A delicious and suspenseful page-turner. I want more!" -I. Marlene King, Executive Producer, Pretty Little Liars "The Amateurs is Sara Shepard at her best-chilling and romantic and full of surprises." -Cecily von Ziegesar, New York Times best-selling author of the Gossip Girl series "The Amateurs is a dark and twisty thriller which might just fill the Pretty Little Liars shaped hole in my heart!" -Danielle Paige, New York Times best-selling author of Dorothy Must Die "Deceitful and delicious!" -Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times best-selling coauthor of Beautiful Creatures and author of The Lovely Reckless

Reviews

Cath@cupsandthoughts

Aug 29, 2021

I had a few days to think about this book and overall I did enjoy how the mystery unravelled. The thrill and suspense of it all were very solid but the structure and the way the story was told was very messy. A lot happened within 280+ pages of this book and things felt a little forced. The romance aspects of this book also felt unnecessary and the characters lacked their charisma and personality. I was looking forward to reading more about Aerin and Madison but there was just too much focus on the mystery solving and very little was left for the characters to grow. The ‘bomb’ dropped right at the start of the novel and it was a torpedo from there. It was just a little too fast paced for my liking.. Otherwise, it was a fun and enjoyable read. I like the way the mystery sort of twists itself and by the end of it it unravels quite brilliantly. I’d have much preferred if the book was longer though, given the complexity of both the plot and the characters. That way the narrative structure would have been much easier to follow. I expected much more coming from a sequel of a book I adored. I’m afraid the story is just stretching itself too thin. And with that ending, I’m feeling a third book coming up. I’m not sure what to expect from it, but here’s to hoping we get a little bit more of the Amateurs! Thank you SO much to Allen & Unwin and Hot Key Books for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review!