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Out of Reach

by Carrie Arcos (Goodreads Author)

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 592 ratings · 133 reviews

How do you find someone who doesn’t want to be found? A girl searches for her missing addict brother while confronting her own secrets in this darkly lyrical novel.Rachel has always idolized her older brother Micah. He struggles with addiction, but she tells herself that he’s in control. And she almost believes it. Until the night that Micah doesn’t come home.

Rachel’s terr...more

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published October 16th 2012 by Simon Pulse

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90th out of 239 books — 1,810 voters

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47th out of 80 books — 260 voters

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Jan 07, 2013 Cara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, realistic-fiction, sibilings

I would first like to point out the cover of this book. Cool right? It has nothing to do with the book, from what I can gather at least. At no point is a girl lying on the street in clothes like that (the book is set in summer and the girl on the cover is wearing fall/winter clothes), but you know what? The cover is one of the reasons I picked up the book. I know shameful but it's the truth. What can I say; I really liked the outfit the girl was wearing.

Rachel has an older brother that is a meth...more I would first like to point out the cover of this book. Cool right? It has nothing to do with the book, from what I can gather at least. At no point is a girl lying on the street in clothes like that (the book is set in summer and the girl on the cover is wearing fall/winter clothes), but you know what? The cover is one of the reasons I picked up the book. I know shameful but it's the truth. What can I say; I really liked the outfit the girl was wearing.

Rachel has an older brother that is a meth addict. A meth addict who has run off before he even graduated high school. There is so much Rachel feels she could have done, but at the same time she's angry at her brother Micah. How could he put her and their parents through so much pain? Waste all his potential? And mostly all the lies that were exchanged to hide an ugly truth, that the Micah they knew was gone. After a couple of months since Micah has left, Rachel receives an email. The email says Micah is in some deep trouble and that he is playing his guitar on the streets of Ocean Beach. At first Rachel doesn't know what to do about it. She decides to call Tyler, a band member and close friend of Micah's, and tells him about the email. They decide to look for him and see if maybe they can find him and... maybe bring him back home.

It took me no time at all to get invested in this story. Rachel is a character I believe a lot of readers will be able to identify with. She is considered the "good" kid of the family, but of course she is more complex than that. Right now she is dealing with a tremendous amount of guilt, and she is worried about her brother. Recently she had a sort of messy break-up with her ex-boyfriend, and can't help but feel like she let herself be trampled on by this guy. I'm glad she wasn't depicted as someone with a tremendous amount of strength and insight from the onset of the story. People work up to be those strong people, and deal with a lot of crap before that happens.

The aspect I enjoyed the most was the gradual change of Rachel's and Tyler's interactions. I do want to emphasis that the book's main focus for most of the story was the search for Micah and Rachel's emotional journey while trying to find him, but there was this nice sub-plot of Rachel's growing attachment to Tyler. They talk about Micah and the memories they have of him before meth basically took him away from them. It's hard to read about Rachel's memories of Micah and see just how different he was before the drug, and how nobody could have imagined this would happen. And as a sibling I loved seeing how much Rachel and Micah care about each other even if they didn't always show or say. It's a different and unique bond, and the author was able to show a little of what that bond is about.

The book does deal with a lot issues so sometimes I felt like not everything was explored enough, but that really is a little quibble. Oh and how much smoking there was. I honestly felt like hacking up a lung, but this is a book about the search for a drug addict so what did I expect?

Out of everything though the ultimate strength of the book for me was how I felt I knew the characters so well in about 250 pages, especially Micah. He was presented as more than just a person with an addiction. He was a son, brother, friend, student, musician, and drugs are the horrible vice that took all those worthy titles away from him. At the same time though you know Micah is responsible for his downward spiral because, like Rachel points out in the book, he makes the conscious decision to keep going after the first hit. This author is one to watch for because she has the realistic young adult feel down pat.(less)

12 likes · like · see review

Jan 14, 2013 Melannie :) marked it as to-read

Shelves: beautiful-cover, coming-up, most-anticipated, need-now

GIMME GIMME!

I want this book so bad.

6 likes · like · see review

Feb 13, 2013 Tabitha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: digital-reads, pulse-it, covers-i-love, young-adult, contemporary

WARNING: This review may contain, foul language, spoilers, general rantiness, and an over use of angry gifs.

I really wanted to like this book. Truly, I did. But it pissed me off and I can’t say that I will be recommending it to anyone. In fact, I have already told several people to steer clear. Let’s do the basics first. Out Of Reach is the story of Rachel’s journey to find her wayward brother. She enlists the help of his bestie, Tyler to assist her and they head out to search in the areas she...more WARNING: This review may contain, foul language, spoilers, general rantiness, and an over use of angry gifs.

I really wanted to like this book. Truly, I did. But it pissed me off and I can’t say that I will be recommending it to anyone. In fact, I have already told several people to steer clear. Let’s do the basics first. Out Of Reach is the story of Rachel’s journey to find her wayward brother. She enlists the help of his bestie, Tyler to assist her and they head out to search in the areas she thinks he might be. A few weeks before, she received an anonymous email stating that her brother was in a lot of trouble and she should come and try to help. Why she thinks she will be able to find her brother by simply looking on street corners in a single day was beyond me, but hey, more fucking power to her misguided hope.

I started off really enjoying this novel. Rachel didn’t seem so bad and I was intrigued by Tyler. There was obvious chemistry between the two though Rachel does her best to deny it. Plus, I was hoping she would find her brother, bond with Tyler over the experience, and things would end more or less happily.

I know, it was a goddamn pipedream, but I try to start every novel from a happy place…..unless I’m reading it because I want to be depressed, but that is a different matter entirely. The further I got into this book, the more irritated I became. The more I read about Rachel, the more my dislike started to creep in. She gives these flashbacks from when they were younger and her and Micah (her brother) were just sssssoooo close. But here is what I don’t get, if you were so bonded and lied to your parents for each other and all this other shit, then why did you wait all goddamn summer to start searching for him?

Micah disappears at the very beginning of summer and you just write it off, knowing his a goddamn drug addict, because your parents assure you he is fine and you don’t think you should waste your time on it?!?!?!

And now you are all of a sudden worried because you got an email? Lady, I just can’t even begin to describe how much this angers me. This bitch ends up being one of the most self-center, egocentric, moronic heroines I have ever read about…and that statement includes Bella fucking Swan. Oh yeah, I went there. Anyway, a whole lot of shit goes down, they ask around drug dealers places and look on the beach and such, then Miss Whiny-pants car gets stolen. Well, geez, you leave a Honda Civic (one of the most stolen cars in the US) parked on the wrong side of town, what the hell did you think was going to happen?

Then there is the ending, which leaves a lot to fucking be desired. Rachel and Tyler end up finding her car and stealing it back, then head home, sans Micah who is still MIA. Then they kinda sorta discuss their feelings and it’s (lightly) implied that they’ll date soon. Rachel writes an email to Micah, which she doesn’t know if he’ll ever get and sends it out into the universe, basically saying that she isn’t going to worry about him anymore, she’s just going to live her life. Cold hearted bitch. You spent ONE DAY searching.

This novel really was just a whole lot of fuck ups. In retrospect, I realize that I guess the author was trying to write a “realistic” portrayal of the impacts drugs have on the lives of family and friends, but she should have picked a heroine who really cared about the drug-addled brother. I was expecting her to search for several days to find her brother and then drag him home or have him tell her to fuck off or SOMETHING. Whether it be dragging his ass back home for rehab or having an epic confrontation that ends in her leaving him to rot on the side of the street, I wanted something to happen. I would call the ending anti-climatic at best.

Despite all the complaints, I did like how much information the author gave us about meth addicts. It did seem like she did her research on that, but that just wasn’t enough. If that was all I wanted, I could have gotten a pamphlet from my local health department. All in all, don’t bother with this unless you want a big letdown. Do I recommend it to anyone at all? I'll let Cas answer that one for you.

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May 15, 2013 Nick R. rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is about Rachel finding her brother that ran away. She felt responsible for his disappearing, so she goes on a hunt for him with her friend Tyler. Throughout their search, their car gets stolen and they lose their cell phone and all their money. They happen to know a person in the town, so they stay with him at night and hunt for Micah during the day. They search for Micah for about a week and there weren't any clues to where Micah would be. The next day they meet a homeless guy that s...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Ali Inzunza rated it 5 of 5 stars

Out Of Reach
By: Ali Inzunza
English period 3

Carrie Arcos, the author of the National Book Award Finalist novel “Out of Reach”, does an outstanding job creating an emotional stress inside the characters that is easily relatable. This novel is as extremely realistic, dealing with young drug addicts and they affect their abuse has on their loved ones. This story reveals a powerful theme, that teaches a lot about accepting change and remaining strong.

Rachel, the narrator, is hardly one year young...more Out Of Reach
By: Ali Inzunza
English period 3

Carrie Arcos, the author of the National Book Award Finalist novel “Out of Reach”, does an outstanding job creating an emotional stress inside the characters that is easily relatable. This novel is as extremely realistic, dealing with young drug addicts and they affect their abuse has on their loved ones. This story reveals a powerful theme, that teaches a lot about accepting change and remaining strong.

Rachel, the narrator, is hardly one year younger than Micah, her brother. Rachel has always idolized her brother, she put him on a throne for so many years and valued their close relationship. But, ever since Micah started abusing drugs, he began to act uncontrollable. Rachel felt the need to look out for her brother just like he had, so she began to cover his tracks to protect him from their protective parents. Rachel is a easy going character, but is put under stress to protect her beloved brother, while Tyler, a supporting character, remains strong and offers a helping hand to Rachel when her whole world got flipped around.

The emotional toll this takes on her is almost too much to handle, but when Micah runs away, Rachel is tortured by guilt and the feeling that she abandoned the person closest to her. Told in flashbacks and memories as Rachel and Micah’s best friend, Tyler, follow the clues provided by a mysterious email which lead them to Ocean Beach along the California coast. Rachel traces Micah’s path of addiction and questions her own feelings about family, loyalty, religion, and personal choice. Along the way, she meets several interesting characters who don’t understand why she trying to find someone who has no interest in being found. As Rachel and Tyler reveal secrets about themselves and find solace in each other, they form an intriguing relationship. Rachel continues the search for her brother, but has a growing fear she will never be reconnected with him.

This novel describes the strength it takes to love someone when they have ventured far from the right path. The theme of this story is to learn to accept tragedies from the past, and focus your energy on moving towards the future. The author conveys the mood through imagery and figurative language, and her tone towards the subject is serious and honest. Overall, this novel was an interesting read that showed me to the reality of drug use. This story reveals a sister’s quest for the life before addiction destroyed the normalcy she knew, which leads to the discovery of inner courage, peace, and the ability to say goodbye.(less)

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Feb 07, 2013 Bobbie rated it 5 of 5 stars

There are books meant to get your heart racing with action, your stomach turning from the gore, and your heart thumping from the romance.

Out of Reach was not any of those books. Carrie Arcos wrote a beautiful, tragic, emotionally and gut-wrenching story that was all too real.

Sarah's older brother is a drug addict and she sets off on a journey with his best friend to find him and bring him home.

Mixed with heartbreaking pieces of back-story and the sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes sweet...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Belinda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bittersweet, cliff-hanger, dealing-with-issues, heartache, heavy-drama, hidden-troubles, saddest-endings

With each new height, I closed my eyes and pictured myself flying away, like I used to as a kid. I wished I could go back, be a kid again, when everything was simple and the bad guys existed only in movies. Where there were no ex-boyfriends, no drugs. Where Micah and I were innocent and pure.

This was a deep, meaningful read that I am really glad I came across. It deals with the issue of how drugs can ruin the life of a person so easily and how easily that can negatively effect those around them....more With each new height, I closed my eyes and pictured myself flying away, like I used to as a kid. I wished I could go back, be a kid again, when everything was simple and the bad guys existed only in movies. Where there were no ex-boyfriends, no drugs. Where Micah and I were innocent and pure.

This was a deep, meaningful read that I am really glad I came across. It deals with the issue of how drugs can ruin the life of a person so easily and how easily that can negatively effect those around them. This book did an amazing job at handling this issue of addiction, and I felt portrayed a very truthful and realistic picture of how easy one try of a drug can lead and make a persons life spiral out of control. It shows just how people around them deal with this.. some with anger, others with acceptance and most with ignorance. The book was narrated by the sister of an addict, Rachel, and showed how she had to learn to deal with the regret, guilt and anger she feels towards her meth addicted brother, Micah. She blames herself for Micah's deterioration, and reflects upon the number of times she had the chance to do something but didn't.

After an anonymous tip of the whereabouts of her brother who had returned from rehab, relapsed and then disappeared, Rachel sets out to find him. Micah's best friend, Tyler, joins on her on this journey. But can she really find someone who doesn't want to be found ?

Throughout the book, we see flash backs from Rachel's life. We see other issues touched upon in this, such as cheating, false marriages, homelessness, abuse, depression, addictions, cancer, disease, alcoholism etc. Each story Rachel tells further enhances the story, and allows us to truly delve into her mind.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although, quite heavy in the content, it is a book I am sure a lot of us can relate to.. Drug addiction is a major issue, that many people witness or experience. The main lesson learnt in this book, is about self-acceptance and most of all that ignorance is not bliss. Instead, if we see something we can do to help another person we should do whatever we can to help them, and not simply just turn a blind eye.

Only tidbit was how the book ended up in the air a bit.. (view spoiler)
I give the book a 3.5/5

“You laugh just like your brother,” Tyler
said. “I know,” I said, and smiled.
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Apr 07, 2013 Sandie, Teen Lit Rocks rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: painful-but-good, read-in-2013

When I first heard this book was about meth, I was expecting something so dark and disturbing that I put off reading it for months and months. But I made a promise to my husband to clear my TBR pile out of our bedroom, so I finally cracked it open last night.
The book was great -- part road trip story, part redemption story, part cautionary tale. Rachel is a vulnerable, intelligent main character who just wants to find her meth addict brother Micah, once a successful garage band frontman with re...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction, read-in-2012

Rachel's brother Micah is a meth addict. He's disappeared, and she carries the weight of knowing of his addiction and the guilt of not telling her parents before it was too late. She's received a message from him, telling her he's not too far away. That he might be in trouble. Rachel waits a couple weeks -- scared and worried about what the message meant -- before she contacts Micah's friend Tyler and asks him to join her in looking for him.

Arcos's book is an exploration of what addiction does t...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Isamlq rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5/5

I know Rachel’s story. I’ve lived bits of it: how you’ve got your anger and your hurt and this inability to comprehend why things so good at first go to shit so fast. Except things don’t actually happen fast, as she so clearly explains. Rather it’s choices that pile up on top of another and it’s knowing things then ignoring some of it when more convenient, when easier. What’s most accurate is her wanting out of things and wanting to wash her hands of the situation; then that feeling of reli...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

As far as contemporary realistic fiction goes, Out of Reach was perhaps the closest depiction to life as it gets. This was probably the main reason why I personally did not enjoy it as much as I wanted to, but it still did not take away from the raw intensity of the story. Arcos tackles the issue of drug addiction in a way that is un-sugar coated – stripped, right down to the emotional and physical affects it could have towards not only the addict, but family and friends.

It was tremendously effo...more

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May 22, 2013 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought this book was very real, and definitely cute. The realationship between Rachel and Tyler developed slowly, but it was actually accurate. In most books when two people go on a trip together and face challenges, they'd already be best friends and making out at the end of day one (totally not realisitc!). Sometimes i wished something big would just happen, so it could be like every other book, and it could be all romance-y, but at the end of the day, i'm actually glad it was different. It...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Adrienne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rachel's brother Micah, who is addicted to meth, has disappeared. After receiving an anonymous email telling her that Micah is in Ocean Beach and is in trouble, Rachel recruits Micah's best friend Tyler to help her try to find him. As they scour Ocean Beach, Rachel has to deal with her new attraction to Tyler (complicated by the fact that her ex cheated on and lied about her) and face the reality of what her brother is dealing with--and the fact that he might not want to be found.

This is an inte...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book felt incredibly unique to me. The plot line revolves around a girl (Rachel) and her older brother’s best friend (Tyler) who go on a journey to find said older brother (Micah), who is a meth addict and has disappeared from his home. The whole story takes place over just 24ish hours. This is a plot I haven’t seen before, and one that was very well executed. Memories of Micah were woven into the current day happenings seemlessly, and the whole book seemed incredibly realistic. Once again,...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Samantha Blake rated it 5 of 5 stars

If i had to choose my absolute favorite book of 2012, it would be this one. Out of Reach was so perfect and amazing i couldn't help but to just marvel in its amazing-ness after i read the last page. i can't totally pinpoint what about this book that made me love it, maybe because i can kinda relate to the situation that Rachel is going through. maybe i love this book because of Micah, God i loved him. No, i didn't love the Micah that came to be i loved the Micah before. With every glimpse back i...more If i had to choose my absolute favorite book of 2012, it would be this one. Out of Reach was so perfect and amazing i couldn't help but to just marvel in its amazing-ness after i read the last page. i can't totally pinpoint what about this book that made me love it, maybe because i can kinda relate to the situation that Rachel is going through. maybe i love this book because of Micah, God i loved him. No, i didn't love the Micah that came to be i loved the Micah before. With every glimpse back i just loved him more and more. you could tell how much he loved his family and his life and it just broke my heart every time i learned more about the new Micah. Maybe because i loved Rachel, i understood her so much and i understood everything she did and why, what it must of felt to go through the pain of watching the person you love spiral out of control. Maybe i loved this book because of Tyler, whether he went there to find Micah or as a way to get closer to Rachel whatever the reason i knew that he loved Micah just as much as Rachel, that he cared about him way more than he ever let on. Maybe i loved this book because of the writing style, even though it was simple it was engaging and fast paced and made me want to read this book over and over again from start to finish, made me want to go back and read every passage of the old Micah to commit him to my memory where he would always be the boy who had dreams of going to LA and play music for anyone who would listen. To remember the boy who defended his sister against the asshole who did her wrong, to remember the boy who carried his sister on his back for over a mile because she was hurt even though he knew he wasn't strong enough. Maybe i love this book because to me the ending was perfect. Even though it wasn't the ending i so hoped for, it was the ending that had to be. When you love someone who is an addict there is never a happy ending. Yes they may come home when they are ready, and they might change but the person you loved before will never come home, their gone. you have to spend time trying to fit this new person into your life, even though you know that they are the same They really aren't. I don't know why i love this book, i just do. It is the most perfect and honest book that i have ever read in my life. While people always tend to look at addiction from the viewpoint of the addict, it was refreshing to look at from the perspective of people the addiction also affects, the family. My favorite quote in this was book was: "Nah, you would have found a way. if you had the chance, you would have saved me" Rachel did have the chance and she did try to save him but she couldn't not yet but when his is ready he will find his way home.(less)

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Dec 13, 2012 Kaitlyn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, read-in-one-day

I thought this book looked like it might be interesting, so I was excited when I won a giveaway here on Goodreads. Sadly, it was quite disappointing.

There's no character growth...at all. The whole storyline takes place in 24 hours, and the rest of the book is filled with flashbacks, which are somewhat important to the plot but rather boring at times. The main character Rachel is quite difficult to relate to. I couldn't feel an emotional connection with her at all. I didn't understand her motivat...more

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Dec 18, 2012 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review

First off, thanks to the author for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book despite it being pretty heavy on the content, about drugs and missing people. I really felt a connection to the main character Rachel, she goes looking for her brother micah who has gone missing and has a drug addiction. She gets the help from tyler, who is micah’s best friend.

Along the way you find out more about Rachel and micah and even tyler. The writing style of this...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Bella rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-have-a-copy, review-for-tour

So first off let me thank Jean Book Nerd for having me no there tour for this awesome book. Then I want to thanks Carrie Arcos for writing and allowing me and all of us to read such a GREAT book!!

The Story of Rachel's journey in finding her self and her brother is a roller-coaster ride for sure. When Micah, Rachel's brother takes off without any word she fears the worst. She has known he has been using drugs for a long time but never said anything. And after all the family went through to try t...more So first off let me thank Jean Book Nerd for having me no there tour for this awesome book. Then I want to thanks Carrie Arcos for writing and allowing me and all of us to read such a GREAT book!!

The Story of Rachel's journey in finding her self and her brother is a roller-coaster ride for sure. When Micah, Rachel's brother takes off without any word she fears the worst. She has known he has been using drugs for a long time but never said anything. And after all the family went through to try to help him kick his habit Micah still leave. Rachel and her brother use to be close but things have changed since Micah started using and now she just feel abandoned. How could he leave? Why did he not tell her where he was going? Rachel receives an email from an unknowing person saying Micah is in deep. So she makes a choice to go find Micah and bring him home. But she does not want to go alone so she bring along Tyler, one of Micah's best friends from his band to help her hunt him down. But in finding Micah she find her self and what she wants in life and that maybe Micah does not want to be found. Maybe there are things best left alone, or are they? This is an amazing story and journey of finding ones self with a little romance mixed in and how the act of others can affect those around them.

I really enjoyed reading about Rachel’s journey through her brother’s addiction and how it affected her. It was an amazingly written book and the flow was page turning. I liked that I got to see how substance abuse could affect someone on the other side when being able to connect with her was very intense for me. Rachel was a strong girl yet had so much love for her brother she would do anything to try to help him, even if that was putting her self in harms way. When she got Tyler to come along with her on the journey to find Micah it got even more interesting, because she found out much more about her brother then she thought she knew. She also learns so much about her self during the time she is looking for him that the story keeps you on the edge of your seat!

I felt like a part of this story and I was sucked in on the first page. I really think this is a great book for all to read and really connect with Rachel to see how things affect others and what they go through. You will feel for Rachel and Micah in this story and the rest of the people that this affects and you wont want to put it down!!!
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Nov 25, 2012 Marissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Out of Reach was a great book, but it was so tough for me to read it. The narrator of this story is Rachel. And the book begins with Rachel setting out to find her older brother, Micah. Micah who's a drug addict and left home months before he was suppose to graduate high school. Rachel was close to her brother, they protected each other, like siblings usually do, looked out for the other and such. And Rachel kind of feels responsible for Micah running away because she had wished him aways, feel...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012, r2r-complete

(Source: I borrowed a copy of this book.)
Rachel’s brother Micah has been missing for weeks. He started taking crystal meth when he was younger, and it’s ruined his life. He’s been to rehab, but is still in addictions vice-like grip, and now he’s missing.

Rachel has received an anonymous email from someone claiming that they have seen Micah in a coastal town an hours drive away in San Diego, so along with one of Micah’s friends, she heads over there to investigate.
Can Rachel find Micah? Does Micah...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Kenya Liggons rated it 4 of 5 stars

(UNFINISHED) Oh my goodness, I loved this book!!! I actually want to own this book, I loved it so much! It all starts off with Rachel trying to figure out why her brother does drugs.. she is really confused, because he's a drug addict that has gone and escaped,now Rachel is going with his best friend for the longest amount of time to go find him, because she feels like he would do so much better with her rather than being in a place she doesn't even know about. Micah is her brother's name.. Sara...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Crystal rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book rells the story of Rachel's journey in finding her brother Micah, who suddenly and mysteriously left home. One day, his sister, Rachel, the main character, receives an anonymous email telling her that her brother, a crystal meth addict, is in serious need of help, and is located in Ocean Beach. Together, Rachel and Micah's best friend Tyler embark on a road trip journey to find him. This book was pretty interesting to me, but I ended up with the kind of feeling that is was just okay. C...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Jeanbooknerd rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews

Carrie Arcos’ Out of Reach is an incredible story of understanding, clemency, and finding romance along the way. It gives detailed accounts of how substance abuse can have dangerous lasting effects not just on the user, but also the people around them. When Rachel’s brother Micah goes missing, she feels she’s responsible for his disappearance. Micah, who she idolizes, has been besieged with addiction but Rachel is convinced that his life is unaffected by it. Rachel and Micah’s best friend, Tyler...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Maddie rated it 3 of 5 stars

When Rachel's brother Micah disappears, she feels awful. She wishes she could have said something; to him, to her parents. Something that would have stopped his endless progressing addiction. When she gets an email from anonymous saying that her brother is in deep trouble, she grabs her brother's friend Tyler and goes on a mission to find him. Asking everyone she possibly can if they've seen her brother, she begins to lose hope when no one knows where he is. Every step, every turn is a dead end....more When Rachel's brother Micah disappears, she feels awful. She wishes she could have said something; to him, to her parents. Something that would have stopped his endless progressing addiction. When she gets an email from anonymous saying that her brother is in deep trouble, she grabs her brother's friend Tyler and goes on a mission to find him. Asking everyone she possibly can if they've seen her brother, she begins to lose hope when no one knows where he is. Every step, every turn is a dead end. She has to decide to either hold on to her hope, or come to the realization that her brother is gone, and may be gone for good.

Out of Reach dealt with a hardcore issue, addiction. It showed not only what happens to the user of the drug, but the effects it has on the people close to them. I enjoyed this book, after reading it I am a huge fan of Carrie Arcos writing. Because of this there wasn't one boring moment, which is uncommon for me.

The book had a powerful story line. Watching someone you love and care about, something you've grown up with change from your best friend, into someone you don't know. Rachel had a huge internal struggle of wanting to get help for her brother, but not wanting to betray him. I have a lot in common with Rachel, so I connected with her character. I think a lot of teens these days will be able to connect with Rachel in some way.

There was a lot of flashbacks that helped build the story. It would flashback to happy and nostalgic times she had with Micah before he was addicted, and sad and angry times after. It really helped create emotion with Rachel and her feelings about her brother.

The ending was the one con for me. It's hard to write about without giving away any spoilers... What a cliffhanger. I don't think there is a sequel, at least I looked and there's nothing on goodreads or her site about a sequel, which disappoints me so much because I want to know what happened! I know authors do that so you can imagine your own ending, but personally I like to have the ending written for me. But what can ya do

Like I said, i loved the descriptions in this writing. It made reading the book a lot more engaging. I hope I see more books from Carrie Arcos, but i'm sure this won't be her last (at least I hope.)(less)

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Mar 05, 2013 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 24, 2013 Lora marked it as skimmed-and-lost-interest

I appreciated the way Arcos handled the subject of drug addiction — that is, giving highly descriptive, informative, and appropriately gruesome details of what happens to drug addicts — physically and otherwise — if they continue on their path. Even I, a person who doesn't enjoy the subject of drug addiction very much, found these details interesting on a certain level. Still, the characters didn't do anything for me emotionally, and after skimming to the back and seeing how it ends, I don't thi...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Jodi Papazian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-reads

Rachel has watched her brother Micah's downward spiral with drugs for years. When her brother Micah disappears she fears her attitude towards him was the cause. When she receives a mysterious email saying that her brother is in trouble, Rachel and Micah's friend Tyler set out to find him. Tyler and Rachel spend the day looking through the city and streets for Micah or anyone who might know him. Their likeliness of finding him become slimmer throughout the day and Rachel begins to believe that t...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Vaile Adams-Fujikawa rated it 4 of 5 stars

A bittersweet novel about a little sister looking for her lost brother. Struck a chord with me on many levels.
Unlike many of the drug novels and bios I've read over the past year this one wasn't grossly over graphic or didactic, but instead gently conveyed the myriad of emotions and frustrations losing a loved one to drug addiction brings up.
Indeed, on many levels this book is just about siblings growing apart, and even if you ignore the meth part, it's a great book about self discovery and gr...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book for its ordinariness. The family is ordinary, loving, not particularly screwed up. They go on vacation to the Grand Canyon and play games in the care and the parents take their kids interests into account and try their best to promote them. And the boy gets addicted to meth and disappears after a return from rehab. His sister feels guilty about not telling her parents everything she knew about his using and looks for him. It happens like I know it happens in way too many ordina...more

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Mar 31, 2013 BAYA Librarian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rachel is only one year younger than her brother Micah and has always counted on him to be there as her courageous older brother, but since Micah started getting high, it’s as if he’s gone, on another planet. Covering for him and trying to protect their parents from further heartbreak is more than she can bear, and Rachel secretly wishes Micah really would just disappear and alleviate their burden. But when Micah does run away, Rachel is tortured by guilt and the feeling that she abandoned the p...more

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About Carrie Arcos

Carrie Arcos is a National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature for OUT OF REACH, her debut YA novel. She lives in Los Angeles with her family. She is currently at work on another book, available summer 2014. You can find more about her at carriearcos.com

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Quotes from Out of Reach

“The funny thing about a lie is that once it has been said and believed, it lives and becomes. It can't be taken back. It sucks all the air from you until you give up and it takes over and you forget how to breathe on your own. It is like those parasitic relationships, but not like the shark and the little remora that politely cleans the shark's skin and sometimes attaches itself to its underbelly. No, it is more like a tapeworm eating someone from the inside out.” — 14 people liked it

“The first time my mom told me liars didn't go to heaven was when she tried to get me to confess to hitting my eight-year-old brother. I was seven.” — 5 people liked it

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