Name: Lauren Attaway's review of Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker
Item: Don't Look for Me
Rating: 5
Author: Lauren Attaway

Wendy Walker

The greatest risk isn’t running away. It’s running out of time. The car abandoned miles from home. The note found at a nearby hotel. The shattered family that couldn’t be put back together. They called it a “walk away.” It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over. But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke? Don’t Look For Me is: “GRIPPING...WITH UNEXPECTED TWISTS... You’ve got a cracking mystery on your hands.” —Adrian McKinty, author of The Chain “A NAILBITER . . . SO MUCH MORE THAN A TWISTY THRILLER. It’s a heartbreaking portrait of a family coping with grief and an insightful study of guilt and blame, gaslighting and agency. If you love fast-paced page-turners with relatable, flawed characters, look no further!” —Angie Kim, author of Miracle Creek “SHARP, NUANCED, UTTERLY REAL, and ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING, this beautifully written and emotionally powerful novel is Walker at her best!” —Karen Dionne, author of The Marsh King’s Daughter “UNSETTLING IN THE VERY BEST WAY and TRULY RIVETING.” —Samantha Downing, author of My Lovely Wife “A PULSE-POUNDING, THRILL RIDE OF A NOVEL WITH HEART.” —Kathleen Barber, author of Truth Be Told “A MASTER CLASS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE.” —Cristina Alger, author of Girls Like Us

Don't Look for Me

Lauren Attaway

there was kind of a lot and also nothing going on here

Ralie Sutton

Sara Uribe

This is my second book by Wendy Walker and I am really loving her books. Don't Look For Me is such a different thriller for me. I mean I’ve read a fair share of thrillers but this one was truly unique, original and kept me guessing every second of the way. I didn't know where this book was going and I LOVED it! I loved everything about this book, the story, characters, setting, plot. I was captivated. It had a great pace and I loved how it went back and forth between Molly and Nichole (Nic), our two main characters who are also mother and daughter. If you go in blind, with an open mind and if you like thrillers, I think you’d like this book. It’s different and twisty and a great read for the spooky season! If you are looking for a book that keeps you on your toes and guessing the entire time, this is a great book to pick up.

A must read for any reader of thrillers who is looking for something different and new!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was wild! Suspenseful and always kept you guessing!!! A quick and consuming read! 

Brittany Peterson

sophia n

damn that was good, solidly entertaining and engaging. loved the pacing and the way things unfolded, there were so many interesting layers. and the reveal at the end literally made me stop what i was doing and go "oh my goooodddddd" out loud lmao

Flew through this one. Definitely more of a scary mystery book than average, but it was very visual and I found it to be a page turner. The only reason I am subtracting a star is that there were a lot of people to remember and plot points/red herrings to keep track of that made me flip back and re-read a couple of pages to keep track

I liked the element of having a scary child as a lead character, but I also hated it, ya know?

Lottie Brooks

Flew through this one. Definitely more of a scary mystery book than average, but it was very visual and I found it to be a page turner. The only reason I am subtracting a star is that there were a lot of people to remember and plot points/red herrings to keep track of that made me flip back and re-read a couple of pages to keep track

(Slight spoiler below)

I liked the element of having a scary child as a lead character, but I also hated it, ya know?

Cindy Lieberman

A creepy whodunnit about a mother, devastated by the accidental death of her youngest daughter, who disappears and her eldest daughter’s quest to find her.

Mariam Mohsen

One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life. Or at least, that's the story. The car abandoned miles from home. The note found at a nearby hotel. The shattered family that couldn't be put back together. It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over. But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke? 'Gripping ... with unexpected twists ... a cracking mystery' Adrian McKinty 'If you love fast-paced page-turners with relatable, flawed characters, look no further!' Angie Kim

Don't Look For Me

Jeff Brown 

3.5

I've never read Wendy Walker before, but it is worth reading.

A woman with a tragic past puts herself in a position that -- did she get kidnapped, did she just have car trouble, or did she run off?

Will any of her children, who still hold her responsible for the tragedy, come look for her?

One does, but does she find what she is looking for? Anyone she talks to lies to her. So who does she trust?

A solid, not earthshattering book. Worth reading if you need an escape.

I have so many books that I'm reading or in the process of reading or waiting to read that I occasionally will pick one up and just sort of skim through the beginning. Read the first few pages, just to get excited for when I finally get to read it. Every now and then I'll do this with a book and I can't put it down. I have to stop all other books and finish that book. Don't Look for Me joins that club. In one sense, Don't Look for Me is a meditation on grief. It's a grieving woman and her grieving daughter going through an unbelievable situation. Molly and her daughter Nicole are still grieving for the daughter and sister they lost five years ago when Molly goes missing. The police call off the search after they receive the titular note. Nicole can't stop searching for her mother and answers. I won't give you anymore than that. This book was unputdownable and one of the better drama/thrillers I have read this summer. Don't miss it! 

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC!

In Wendy Walker's thrilling novel Don't Look for Me, the greatest risk isn’t running away. It’s running out of time. One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life. She doesn't want to be found. Or at least, that's the story. The car abandoned miles from home. The note found at a nearby hotel. The shattered family that couldn’t be put back together. They called it a “walk away.” It happens all the time. Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over. But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke? Don’t Look For Me is: "ADDICTIVE." —A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window “GRIPPING...WITH UNEXPECTED TWISTS... You’ve got a cracking mystery on your hands.” —Adrian McKinty, author of The Chain “A NAILBITER . . . SO MUCH MORE THAN A TWISTY THRILLER. It’s a heartbreaking portrait of a family coping with grief and an insightful study of guilt and blame, gaslighting and agency. If you love fast-paced page-turners with relatable, flawed characters, look no further!” —Angie Kim, author of Miracle Creek

A Novel

Leah | @LeahsLittlePleasures

OH. MY. GOSH. This was the thriller I did not know I needed! Holy moly. It will give you the ultimate low key creeps where you’ll be rereading that one-liner again like WHAT 👀 

This is a gripping and mysterious tale of a mother and wife who goes missing. Set in a small town along the Connecticut and Massachusetts border, Molly Clarke, wife and mother of 3 goes missing during a bad storm without a trace. Told through a dual timeline that eventually meets in the middle, we are taken on a journey as seen through the eyes of Molly and her eldest daughter, Nic, between the day of Molly's disappearance and the aftermath as her family searches for her. 

Every word, every sentence in this story will leave you hooked. I could not put it down nor could I completely figure out what really was going on at any point. Beware: As soon as you think you know how the story is going to turn out, think again! I loved it, and will read anything Wendy Walker writes! It's the perfect cozy thriller that will leave you stunned and fully creeped out.

Potential Content Warnings: traumatic death of a child, abduction, grief, suicidal ideation, insinuations of heavy drinking & drinking dependency, murder, child endangerment 

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced ecopy!

Nash

I am extremely happy that I was not disappointed by this book. I have been looking forward to read it since it came out. I did not read ahead other people’s reviews on it because I wanted to go in without any knowledge about what I was going to find in this new adventure. Boy I am glad I did that. Wendy Walker… can you please write more book like this??? Pretty please with cherry on top. I absolutely love this thriller that had me in suspense and at the edge of my seat the whole time. I freaking love when I am lost in a book and cannot figure out who the culprit is. When I cannot predict anything, is when I am enjoying a thriller even more. That feeling of not knowing what’s going to happen it’s amazing. Only in books, of course. I was even bitting my nails while reading it and I haven’t done that since I was in elementary school. This family has gone through terrible terrible things. Things that would destroy any human being. I was amazed by how strong Nicole was the whole book, how she didn’t gave up looking for her mom, even when the whole town seemed to be lying to her face and there was no one to trust. She was terribly sorry for all the bad things she said to her mom, she loved her and wanted her back. Her resilience is admirable. I recommend this book to my thriller-loving-followers 10/10.

Megan Leprich

Kelsey Holtaway

Read for April’s Lost Weekender Book Club! Review to come

Kayla | @chapterobsessed

Don’t Look For Me by Wendy Walker.

> Holy cow Batman!

Don’t Look For Me is about a woman named Molly Clarke, who lost her 9 year old daughter in a tragic accident brought on by herself, who is still grieving and trying her best to be a good mother to her other two children, who are not quite children anymore.

Molly goes missing and the police think she has walked away from her life from the pain and the guilt. Molly’s oldest daughter Nicole, thinks her mother would never leave them. Soon after the search party ends, she receives a mysterious phone call from a woman who has information about the night her mother disappeared.

What happens next is truly riveting, exciting, an on the edge of your seat suspense ride that left me dumbfounded. This novel is a page turner of epic proportions! I honestly couldn’t put it down! The audiobook is just as amazing and made this story really come to life!

The chapter transitions are flawless and I loved that they switched between past and present time. When I thought I knew what was going on, I was soon mistaken and taken on another wild ride. The whodunnit aspect is truly brilliant and kept me interested! In the last four or so chapters, I was literally on the edge of my seat, mind fully blown! 🤯

I’ve officially found my auto-buy thriller author! I can’t wait to checkout more from Wendy Walker. I highly recommend that you do too!

A HUGE Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Wendy Walker for the wonderful opportunity to read and review this book!

Kathy

Creeptastic! LOVE IT!!!!
Don’t Look for Me is a suspenseful psychological thriller about a woman who seems to have abandoned her family during a dark and stormy night.

Molly Clarke's family was destroyed by a terrible accident. Years have passed, and her children can’t forgive her. Her husband is distant and no longer seems to love her. While driving home one night during a terrible storm, Molly contemplates running away from her family. Shortly after, she goes missing. The police believe Molly abandoned her family, but her daughter Nicole won't give up hope that her mother didn't simply walk away and continues to investigate her mother's disappearance in the small and strange town of Hastings.

The narrative is split between Molly and Nicole. Both characters hold their own and develop throughout. Both are dealing with the trauma of loss in different ways, and the events of this book highlight their emotions. The transitions between Molly and Nicole were smooth and I was equally interested in both of their stories.

This book sucked me in from the very beginning and kept me distracted, which is much needed right now! It’s packed with tension, suspense, drama, and some sick and twisted characters. It also kept me guessing and had me suspicious of almost every character. There are some unexpected twists and turns, but none are over-the-top. Parts are a little unbelievable, but not ridiculously so. A couple of moments had my heart jumping out of my chest, and the final scene gave me the chills--little Alice is one creepy child!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Lauren Attaway &
Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker

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