"the night she disappeared" by april henry

About the book (from the back cover): Gabie drives a Mini Cooper. She also delivers pizzas part time. One night Kayla, another delivery girl at Pete's Pizza, goes out with an order and never comes back. To Gabie's horror, she learns that the man who called in the fake pizza order had asked if the girl in the Mini Cooper was working that night. Was Kayla's fate really meant for Gabie? Obsessed with finding Kayla, Gabie teams up with Drew, who also works at Pete's. Together they set out to prove that Kayla isn't dead—and to find her before she is.

My take: The Night She Disappeared is incredibly engaging and suspenseful. I picked it up on a day off work and didn't put it down until I finished it a few hours later. April Henry does a great job of slowly building the suspense until the climax, and I could definitely see this as a movie (Lifetime, are you listening?).

Written in first person from the perspectives of all four main characters (Gabie, Drew, Kayla, and the abductor), the book sucks you into each person's thoughts. The only place the narrative falters is when Henry goes into third person to give information the main characters wouldn't have. Those passages just don't have the same impact as the ones written in first person. Also, a few threads aren't wrapped up to my liking (a clearly-faking "psychic" and borderline abusive cop never get their comeuppance), but it doesn't really detract from the story—I just wondered what would happen to them.

I expect teens—as well as adults—will greatly enjoy this book. I know I did! 4 stars.

Note: This book contains a few mild curse words, teen alcohol use, and a few discussions about drug use.

About the author: April Henry is the author of many acclaimed mysteries for adults and young adults, including Girl, Stolen, a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adult book and a YALSA Quick Pick. She also co-wrote the New York Times bestseller Face of Betrayal with Lis Wiehl. She lives in Oregon. For more information, visit aprilhenrymysteries.com.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product free for review from Amazon.com through its Vine reviewer program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.