Review : Still Mine by Amy Stuart
Still Mine by Amy Stuart
Pages : 320
Genre : Thriller
Stand alone
My Rating : 4/5
About the Book :
From her past, from her ex, and from her own secrets. When she turns up alone in the remote mining town of Blackmore asking about Shayna Fowles, the local girl who disappeared, everyone wants to know who Clare really is and what she’s hiding. As it turns out, she’s hiding a lot, including what ties her to Shayna in the first place. But everyone in this place is hiding something, from Jared, Shayna’s golden-haired ex-husband, to Charlie, the charming small-town drug pusher, to Derek, Shayna’s overly involved family doctor, to Louise and Wilfred, her distraught parents.
Did Shayna flee? Was she killed? Is it possible she’s still alive?
As Clare uncovers the mysteries around Shayna’s disappearance, she must confront her own demons, moving us deeper and deeper into the labyrinth of lies and making us question what it is she’s really running from.
My Thoughts :
I hadn’t heard much about Still Mine before I got interested in reading it, meaning for once, I went in with no expectations, good or bad. I’m happy to report Still Mine pleasantly surprised me, both for its story and its writing.
First of all, I love “on the run” characters. I love finding out about their motivations and their secrets, and try to understand why they chose to flee rather than confront their life. On that front, I thought Clare was a very interesting and very well constructed character. I immediately empathized with her and wanted to find more, both about her own mystery and the one she was investigating.
From the very start, I found the town of Blackmore to be such a compelling setting. It was intimidating like only small towns can be, with an intriguing set of unfriendly characters. The place felt real. It was a character in itself, creating a very eerie atmosphere that I really appreciated. With the writing, this was probably my favorite part of the book : how Blackmore came to life, its past enfolding every character and place, a constant presence around Clare.
Side note : the cover, to me, is a perfect representation of the book’s atmosphere. Love it.
The story itself was good, and I found Clare to be an okay character to follow around. She wasn’t perfect, which is always a plus for me, though at times I wished she’d been a little stronger in her decisions. But, to give credit to the author, her decisions were realistic considering who she was, and where she was from. So that worked well.
Still Mine is a book that surprised me greatly, and made me wish I could read more from Amy Stuart right away. The third person/present tense narration won’t be for everyone, I know, but I personally welcomed it. I also appreciated that the story focused on the town and the characters rather than on a constant train of twists. In this post-Gone-Girl era, it was refreshing. With good suspense and an ending that left me thinking, Still Mine is a mystery I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.
I’ve SO been in the Mystery/Thriller mood recently. I’m glad you said that this wasn’t trying to do the Gone Girl SHOCKING thing. I kind of hate that all mysteries are trying to mess with reader’s heads… because I have yet to read one that really has since I read that. I love the cover of this book!! Good to know the cover reflects the book 🙂
I agree! I loved Gone Girl and I enjoy a good twist; but a thriller can still be amazing and well crafted without trying to mess with my mind constantly.
I found this one to be much more straightforward. Sure, it’s still a mystery so there are a lot of hidden things, but I didn’t feel like the author was trying to shock just for shock value!
I love going into a book with no expectations. I’m glad this was a winner for you!
It’s a refreshing feeling for sure, especially when the result is good! 🙂
I don’t think I’ve come across this one before, but I do love a good mystery! And agree that the book cover is a winner. I’ll keep an eye out for this one!
I think it didn’t get a huge marketing on the blogosphere, I hadn’t heard much about it either on blogs, Goodreads and youtube. I first saw it in stores here, where it’s been featured on the “hot & new” shelves. I’m really happy I gave it a try, it worked for me!
Lot of smarts in that ponitsg!