Wendy Walker | Don’t Look For Me

don't look for me wendy walker

The Book: 

Don’t Look For Me by Wendy Walker
Published September 15th 2020 by St. Martin’s Press
Date read: May 9, 2021

The Characters: 

Molly, her daughter Nicole

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon


The Plot (from Goodreads):

One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life. 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. She doesn’t want to be found. Or at least, that’s the story. But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke?

The night Molly disappeared began with a storm, running out of gas, and a man in a truck offering her a ride to town. With him is a little girl who reminds her of the daughter she lost years ago. It feels like a sign. And Molly is overcome with the desire to be home, with her family—no matter how broken it is. She accepts the ride. But when the doors are locked shut, Molly begins to suspect she has made a terrible mistake.

When a new lead comes in after the search has ended, Molly’s daughter, Nicole, begins to wonder. Nothing about her mother’s disappearance makes sense.

Nicole returns to the small, desolate town where her mother was last seen to find the truth. The locals are kind and eager to help. The innkeeper. The bartender. Even the police. Until secrets begin to reveal themselves and she comes closer to the truth about that night—and the danger surrounding her.

Click here for book spoilers for Don't Look For Me
Book spoilers ahead–if you haven’t yet read Don’t Look For Me, I suggest you turn back now.

The Twist:

Mick was the police officer Jared Rayes. He had met Alice’s mother Daisy when she went to her camp for gifted girls, followed her back to her hometown, and seduced her. He was trying to seduce Nicole since she looked so much like Daisy, but kidnapped Molly instead.

The Ending:

Molly wins Alice over and is able to escape by poisoning Mick’s coffee with apple seeds. While he got sick, Alice brought Molly the key to her cell and they both escaped. Nicole happened to figure out where her mom was at the exact same time, and was coming through the woods to rescue her. There was a standoff in the woods, and Daisy showed up, not dead. She had become a grifter and was running scams with her new boyfriend and wanted nothing to do with Jared or Alice.

The Review: 

To continue my reviews of #21booksin2021 reads that I read back in May and never reviewed:

This book was one of those books that I was so excited to get my hands on, and then it sat on my shelf for way too long for no reason (because, you know, ARCs have due dates so they always come first). And then I started to have “will I hate it because all of Bookstagram loved it so much and it’s too overhyped” doubts. I shouldn’t have waited! I devoured it in just a day, and really enjoyed the story.

Don’t Look For Me had all the hallmarks of a good thriller. The pacing was perfect, and the plot and twists were satisfying. The descriptions of the creepy, run-down town where Nicole is searching for her mother are perfect, as is Molly’s creepy young jailer.

My heart broke for the overwhelming guilt Molly was carrying. She was an extremely compelling character and very easy to root for.

This book was a very quick read, certainly interesting and I can see why it is so well-loved. I don’t know what took me so long to get a review out! I must’ve just been busy at the time.

QOTD: What’s a book you read but never reviewed?

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