Tara Altebrando

Six were taken. Eleven years later, five come back--with no idea of where they've been. A riveting mystery for fans of We Were Liars.

The Leaving

nina 

Favourite book ever. Have previously read, was a reread in order to annotate to gift to my boyfriend 😊

Lily Parrett

Eleven years ago, six five-year-olds went missing without a trace. After all this time, the people left behind have moved on, or tried to. Until today. Now five of those kids are back. They're sixteen, and they are ...fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a mother she barely recognises, and doesn't really know who she's supposed to be, either. But she remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, but they can't recall where they've been or what happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim, Max. He doesn't come back and everyone wants answers. Addictive and unforgettable, The Leaving seethes with rich characters, tense storytelling and high stakes.

Emelie

The book was good, the build-up was good, the mystery was good, the ending was bad! 

It happened so fast, the mystery dissapeared and one of the kids story was disappointed! 

If the ending was different it would definitely have been a 5owl rate! :)

What I loved most about this book was the way it was formatted differently for each person. I found the plot hard to follow and didn't get that satisfying ending I wanted. It was interesting to uncover different parts of the story from different perspectives though.

Solid book, loved trying to figure out the mystery of everything. It didn't have the wow factor that I usually give to 5 star books which is why I gave it only 4. The characters really drew me in also. I do wish we had more interactions with the other 3 kids who returned instead of only Scarlett and Lucas but that's just nitpicky. I definitely recommend it for a quick read!

sarah 

alia mahmoud

** spoiler alert **
           this book had so, so much potential. the entire mystery thriller aspect and the idea were great. however...it was executed poorly. the twists were great, and while some dislike the broken writing style in some bits, i personally love it. but the characters, man. firstly, avery is SO annoying i literally cannot with her. i am a proud scar and lucas shipper. avery and lucas literally had no chemistry, and why introduce the idea of scar and lucas being together only for a moment before having him end up with avery? additionally, there was a great lack of characterization for all these characters, you couldn't really connect with either of them at all.

Kate B-L

Gripping, creepy, and frustrating at times, but with a plot like this, a story that I can't wait to recommend to anyone who loves the dark suspense genre.

Alora

This book was weird... I really don't know how to explain it... 

6 kindergarteners are kidnapped and then only 5 are returned... eleven years later. But what has happened to their memories, all those years, and that still missing kid. 

I did really like it and I found the writing style to be cool and not something you see too often. There are pages that only have a few words on them some pictures/doodles to help give context and really it's an amazing book.

The cover says something about, "once you'll pick it up you won't want to put it down until you're done," and that's pretty accurate. I read the first big chunk of the book in one sitting and then it quiets down a bit and the second chunk of the book I again read in one sitting. 

I did find it confusing that two of the main characters had s names, Sarah and Scarlett, and I kept having to double check who was mentioned.

Sarah McGrath

Chrissy

The idea of six young children disappearing and five teenagers returning was grabbing enough. The fact that these five children don’t have much memory of anything in there life was even more intriguing. What kept me going and reading was the way memories were represented. Memories are so delicate and complex. You can easily mix up a personal memory with a memory that is given to you, by seeing pictures and a family member sharing the event with you numerous times. I read it to the end because I wanted to see the teens try to piece together the past eleven years. I liked reading how they tried to piece together what little information they had and if things were significant or not. The way it all wrapped up is what made me very disappointed. They mystery element was predictable for me although one small piece of it gave me an “ah okay..”but it still didn’t really conclude the story and in some cases that works but in this one it doesn’t. It just left me feeling like I wasted my time. I got to learn a little about how memories work and how a child’s mine is easily manipulated, which we all know, but it just seemed so unfinished. Unless the author is working on a sequel I do not recommend this book.

Michelle Ghavie

Okay, at best. The plot twist was marketed as bigger than it actually is. It's also quite predictable. Shallow characters, unconvincing plot.

Despite that, the writing style was really good. I liked the multiple points of view, I do have a thing against writing in third person, it didn't affect the story as much in this.

Overall I think its a book you can exist without reading, so not recommending.

Samantha Seeman

You can see my thoughts on this book on my blog: https://modernwitchsbookshelf.wordpre...

Victoria Grace

I kind of wish I never read this book. Mixed feelings.

Zoe Hyde

Such a good book, couldn’t put it down 

Clara hash

3 stars

When I first saw this book on goodreads I was amazed by the synopsis and the story the author had created. I imagined millions of scenario and I have to say... I was a bit dissapointed.

The characters were nice, and I could really feel compassion toward some of them, but overwall, I was sad that some were left out. I wished it was more centered on all of them not just Lucas and Scarlett. Then, it felt like nothing really happens before the last quarter of the book, as if 85% of it was just to set down the bases, and it left 15% to reveal the truth. 
just lacked of action.

But don't get me wrong, I appreciated it, I just need to keep my expectations on the low everytime I read such an amazing synopsis, or when someone tell me about a book he really liked. 

I could recommend it to you if you want to try and read thrillers, just not if you are familiar with the genre:) Then again, I'd like you to recommend me thrillers you like:)

x

Eleven years ago, six kindergartners went missing without a trace. After all that time, the people left behind moved on, or tried to. Until today. Today five of those kids return. They're sixteen, and they are . . . fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a mom she barely recognizes, and doesn't really recognize the person she's supposed to be, either. But she thinks she remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, except they're entirely unable to recall where they've been or what happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim, Max--the only one who hasn't come back. Which leaves Max's sister, Avery, wanting answers. She wants to find her brother--dead or alive--and isn't buying this whole memory-loss story. But as details of the disappearance begin to unfold, no one is prepared for the truth. This unforgettable novel--with its rich characters, high stakes, and plot twists--will leave readers breathless.

Elena Enns

I found the beginning slightly slow, and I didn’t like the writing styles during Scarlett/Lucas chapters, but after getting over those things I found this novel to be quite enjoyable.

Brianna Brown

"I'm going on a trip. To the Leaving."

I actually really liked this one, despite the mixed reviews. Advance warning that it does switch between/follow multiple POVs which i know isn't for everyone but it worked so WELL for this story. The author gave each character their own personality with her unique writing style and design for the book which I LOVED.

Roos Kuijper 

The Leaving was absoluut een spannend boek omdat je moet weten wat er is gebeurd met Max en de andere vijf de afgelopen elf jaar. Toch had ik iets meer spanning verwacht. Het liefdesverhaal was ongeloofwaardig maar voor de rest voelde de personages goed uitgewerkt uit met ieder een eigen stem. Nadat ik de laatste pagina had omgeslagen, bleef ik nog een tijdje over dit boek nadenken!

Voor mijn volledige recensie, zie
http://sterrenboek.wordpress.com/2016...

The Leaving

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