This book was definitely a page turner, but the ending was a let down.
When Lucy was nine, she (and her imaginary friend Eliza) snuck her 3-year-old baby brother out of the house in the middle of the night. And while she returned home, Teddy never did. Now, Lucy’s all grown up and married and has become a best-selling crime writer with her lead detective based on her imaginary friend (who she still sees and talks to… creepy much?) Her husband — who has his own failed writing career — suddenly disappears, too, and while one disappearance around Lucy might be random, are two disappearances more than just a coincidence?
I really liked the unreliable narrator device in this book. And while I didn’t really like Lucy, she was interesting and seemingly complicated. The idea that she never outgrew her imaginary friend was definitely strange, and I liked how it built the suspense. However, it also didn’t really go far enough, which was disappointing.
I also couldn’t figure out why she was with her husband. He was a creep from the first page, and it seemed like she could have done better. (Lucy hiring a real assistant and losing the husband would have been better.) When he disappeared, I thought it was the best thing that could have happened to her, (which wasn’t necessarily the author’s intention.)
And without giving away the end — Dan’s disappearance was fine with how it ended. But the disappearance of Teddy didn’t wrap up in a way that I found satisfying.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the Book Club Girls with William Morrow Publishing in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.