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Vanishing Girls

Lauren Oliver (Goodreads Author)

3.58 · Rating details · 27,814 ratings · 4,118 reviews

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged.

When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now ...more

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Hardcover, 357 pages

Published March 10th 2015 by HarperCollins

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Average rating 3.58 ·

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· 27,814 ratings · 4,118 reviews

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Mar 23, 2015 Emily May rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, mystery-thriller, 2015

A slow build to a disappointing conclusion.

Vanishing Girls pulls out an ambitious reveal towards the end that would have caused uproar of the very best kind about five to ten years ago. However, I agree with Wendy's summation of the "twist"... in 2015, this just isn't that original or different anymore. A person who's read a bunch of psychological thrillers will see the ending coming from a mile off.

But that's not all. I've steadily developed more and more of a dislike for the way Lauren Oliver ...more

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Sep 17, 2014 Wendy Darling rated it liked it

Shelves: march, unreliable-narrator, major-plot-twist, to-review, read-2015, 2015-publication, harpercollins, thriller-suspense, young-adult, own-dtb-tbr

I don't know. The writing is, because it's Lauren Oliver, very compelling--I read this in one sitting because I wanted to know what would happen next.

But I think the twist is one that we see so often these days that the timing just doesn't make it feel surprising--and when I guessed what it was, I was dismayed because I don't think this conceit holds up at all well under scrutiny. Or at least it demands that you accept what you're told in the reveal despite all the evidence that you've been sho ...more

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Apr 21, 2015 Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it liked it

Shelves: somebody-s-sick, psycho, middle-grade, physically-owned-books, young-adult

Updated review for my friends who I may have confused yesterday.The verdict is now more clearly specified at the last part of this review. The ones in bold letters.^^

I’m so confused! I don’t know if I should throw the book or fondle it.

This is a story about two sisters, Dara and Nick, who used to be the best of friends but whose relationship starts to crack because of jealousy, competition and well, a boy.

The complication intensifies when the accident happens and everything from that point o ...more

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Apr 20, 2015 Kelly (and the Book Boar) rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-in-2015, liburrrrrry-book, girls-girls-girls

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

“The lying is the hardest part.”

I should’ve paid attention to who gave this one kudos. E. Lockhart of We Were Liars fame? Yeah, that could have been a flashing neon sign that I would find Vanishing Girls to be . . .

Ha! Just kidding. My reaction was more like this . . .

According to the blurb Vanishing Girls was supposed to be the story of two teenaged sisters (one of which goes missing on her birthday), another missing you ...more

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Sep 11, 2015 Darth J rated it liked it

Shelves: disappointing

Writing/Style: 5 stars
“Twist” Ending: 1 star

This Sea Salt and Caramel Corn Candle pairs well with this book

Okay, for about 80% of the book, Lauren Oliver had me. The writing was mostly tight and I loved the descriptions. However, there were some things that stood out to me as odd:
1. The Nick/Parker/Dara romance.
No. Just no. I know this is a YA trope where someone has a romance between siblings, but it just feels incestuous. Also, would you honestly want to date someone who has been with one of ...more

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Jul 15, 2014 MischaS_ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: czech, amazing-cover, stand-alone, books-i-own

I was not sure what to expect. Unfortunately, I lost interest just before it started to be really interesting. The ending was amazing - except for the last chapter.
I just did not see the twist coming.

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Oct 12, 2016 Clumsy Storyteller rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2016-reading-assingment, creepy-as-fuck, the-great-shelf-of-meh, wtf, dnf, not-my-cup-of-tea, thriller-suspense

DNF @22%

Let me start by saying: THE BOOK WAS GOOD. THE CHARACTERS WERE NOT!

Vanishing girls by Lauren oliver is an interesting YA Mystery i adored the whole concept of the story, The diary and the journal articles were a bit confusing but the writting was good, what i didn't like were the characters! Dara and Nick, i HATED these girls. Nick is the "Good girl" has friends, pretty but not as pretty as her sister and kind of prude. Dara is the polar opposite of her sister, slut popular hot reckles ...more

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Jul 16, 2014 Sue (Hollywood News Source) rated it really liked it

Shelves: diverse-books, favorite, made-me-cry, books-i-own, must-acquire-asap, depression-suicide

Review also posted at Young Adult Hollywood.

Vanishing Girls is without a doubt my favorite Lauren Oliver book so far.

In this novel, follow the story of sisters, Dara and Nick. They are inseparable until a car accident put a rift between the two of them. After, the disappearance of a nine-year-old girl, Dara vanished. And Nick is convinced, maybe the two disappearances are somehow connected to each other.

There is nothing new about the concept of this book. I’ve read a handful of stories before th ...more

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Oct 18, 2014 Melanie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, 2015-favourites, swoony-guys, young-adult, i-cried, arc, books-i-own, contemporary, mystery, not-bad-at-all

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I have a very rocky relationship with Oliver’s books. While she caught my heart with Before I Fall, Panic and the later books in her Delirium trilogy did not have me impressed. So I went into Vanishing Girls very much cautiously, and I ended up getting exactly what I was hoping for.

Sometimes day and night reverse. Sometimes up goes down and down goes up, and love turns into hate, and things you counted on get was

Sometimes day and night reverse. Sometimes up goes down and down goes up, and love turns into hate, and things you counted on get washed out from under your feet, leaving you pedalling in the air.

While Vanishing Girls might just seem like your generic tale of two sisters at a glance, you can trust Oliver to whip out something that is just so much more underneath the surface. While the central story-line is about the love between two siblings and how it slowly twisted into jealousy and loathing, there's also a nine-year old girl who goes missing in the midst of it all, and soon you discover that these two story-lines have more in common than meets the eye.

Vanishing Girls comes to life at Oliver's writing. No one can deny - Oliver has some real skills when it comes to putting gorgeous words onto the page. They definitely hold a poetic quality, and you can really tell by the quotes I've scattered across this review. Sure, her words a really simple, there's nothing all that fancy to them but there's this thing I like to call "beautiful simplicity" and Oliver's writing is exactly that. Heck, the epitome of that self-made term. If you're unsure of whether you'd like the plot, read the book for it's beautiful words, I promise you'll eat them right up.

Sometimes people stop loving you. And that's the kind of darkness that never gets fixed, no matter how many moons rise again, filling the sky with a weak approximation of light.

This tale is told in a very unique format. Oliver utilizes the 'before' and 'after' trope, as well as telling the story in dual perspective, so us readers can acquaint with both the girls - Dara and Nick. There are also newspaper clippings and other articles slipped in between chapters, as well as diary entries and emails. Basically, Oliver whips in anything that can be whipped in, and turns it into this magnificent tale that is told with so much poignancy and and depth.

Don't ask me how I know. I just do. If you don't understand that, I guess you've never had a sister.

Being an older sister myself, I found myself clicking with this story from the very first page. (Not that if you aren't a sister you won't connect with this story, it's just that I found that I could resonate with this story better.) Immediately, you can feel the tension and competition that is lingering in the air between these two sisters, but at the same time, there is this unconditional love that is always present. It's the differences that set us apart, and Dara and Nick really do prove that exact statement. These two girls, while they do share some of the same genes, are miles and miles apart in terms of their personality and interests. It's basically an invisible barrier between them, and the older they got, the wider that barrier seemed to get. I certainly think that Oliver did an excellent job at pulling of the sisterly dynamic. It felt plausible and just so very real.

In terms of the ending, I definitely didn't see it coming. Oliver brings a nice twist to the table, and makes this thriller a whole lot more thrilling and unique. Unfortunately, at the same time, the ending did lessen the book's credibility for me. I wasn't able to fully accept it, mainly due to how it unravelled. As the first half of this book is considerably slower than the second half, the change in pacing for the second half really threw me off, and consequently made the ending not give the impact that it was hoping to bring.

Beautiful writing, a gripping tale and a thrilling sisterly dynamic, Vanishing Girls is certainly my favourite book by Lauren Oliver.

~Thank you Hachette Australia for sending me this copy!~

...more

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Feb 05, 2015 Natalie Monroe rated it liked it

Shelves: mental-illness, typical, not-as-good-as-i-expected, loved-while-reading-but-forgettable, dysfunctional-relationships, arc, real-problems

"Don't ask me how I know. I just do. If you don't understand that, I guess you've never had a sister."

I have a sister. She's six years younger than me, more popular, cleverer and a far better person than I'll ever be, no lie. We have stupid inside jokes. She calls my boyfriends douches, and I extend her the same favor because a) they are, and b) they don't deserve my sweet baby sis. Last week, she bought me a caramel latte for no reason except she knew my deep abiding love for anything caram ...more

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May 11, 2015 Faye, la Patata rated it really liked it

Shelves: i-cry-nao, family, young-adult, tragedy, complex, suspense, mystery, complex-hero-heroine, lovely-romance-but-not-central, beautiful

THIS BOOK MADE ME CRY.

GOSH DARN IT, ONION-CUTTING NINJAS!

You're probably wondering, "Whoa, is this actually a contemporary drama or something?" Well, it's not, my dear friends - it's a psychological suspense thriller about two sisters who drifted apart after a car accident; a story of regret, bitterness, and ultimately, forgiveness. This is an atmospheric story about how a sister tries to make amends, but ultimately finds herself in a chaotic situation that would change their life foreve ...more

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Jun 22, 2014 Aly (In Wonderland) rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, edelweiss, arc, mystery-and-thriller

The full review is now live on 100% Rock!

How could my Dara, Little Egg, Nosebutton, who used to wrap her arms around my shoulders and stand on my toes so we could pretend to be one person as we staggered around the living room, have turned into someone who used the word fuckable, someone I barely knew, someone I feared, even?

It's a strange relationship the one between sisters. You're the best of friends your entire lives, until suddenly you're not. One of you gets left behind, one day, whils ...more

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Feb 01, 2015 Lotte rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: t-twisted-minds, x-added-star-ending, 2015-release, a-young-adult-fiction, ge-ya-contemporary, 2016-read

3.5/5 stars. Overall this was a good YA contemporary with some psychological thriller elements in the second half of the book.
Some random thoughts about this book:
- The narrative jumped around a lot which got confusing and kind of awkward to read sometimes. We get chapters from Nick's and Dara's point-of-view before and after the accident and there are also journal entries, articles, mails and photographs included. The photographs annoyed me (I'm not a big fan of including pictures of the charac ...more

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Dec 10, 2018 Darinda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-contemporary, goodreads-giveaway

Two sisters, Nicola (Nick) and Dara, were once best friends. As teenagers, their relationship has become strained, and it is forever changed after a terrible car accident.

This story is told using alternating timelines - before the accident ("then") and after the accident ("now"). The story is also told using multiple points of view - Nick's POV, Dara's POV, random news reports, and entries from Dara's diary. I found the hopping around to be a bit jarring. It wasn't hard to follow the story, but ...more

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Jul 23, 2014 Jess rated it really liked it

Shelves: gimme-2015-k

Poignant, touching and terribly messed up. Oliver’s got me as a fan.

Most of y’all know of my shaky relationship with Oliver’s books. Generally, it’s a hit or miss for me. And yet I always crawl back, because when your writing is as beautiful as hers, you’ll always have my attention. You could say I was apprehensive upon diving into Vanishing Girls. On one hand, it has this deliciously dark premise promising twists and turns (and it's blurbed smashingly, if I may say so). On the other hand ...more

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Nov 12, 2017 Dannii Elle rated it really liked it

Shelves: thriven-thrillers

This is my first Lauren Oliver and I was originally hesitant to begin it due to the mixture of opinions this book has received. Thankfully, I was firmly placed in the category of those who love it, although I can see where some of the more negative opinions stem from.

This is a very slow-building novel. Much of the first portion is filled with descriptions of protagonist, Nick's, summer. She has returned to her childhood home after a few months spent recuperating with her father, after to a tragi This is my first Lauren Oliver and I was originally hesitant to begin it due to the mixture of opinions this book has received. Thankfully, I was firmly placed in the category of those who love it, although I can see where some of the more negative opinions stem from.

This is a very slow-building novel. Much of the first portion is filled with descriptions of protagonist, Nick's, summer. She has returned to her childhood home after a few months spent recuperating with her father, after to a tragic car accident that saw her bruised but sister, Dara, with permanent facial scarring. Nick was not only involved but was the driver during this accident and she has returned to a sister who ignores her existence and a mother who oscillates between over-protective parent and mentally and emotionally unavailable due, to her depressive state and possible sleeping pill addiction. Her childhood best friend also seems to be avoiding her and even when they are forced to work together, in the town's small theme park, do they not seem to be able to confront the growing distance between them.

I found this an initially interesting contemporary read but nothing especially gripped me, during this first portion of the book. Events surrounding the crash were hinted at, but little forward progression in solving this mystery was made, until much later. I was enjoying the summer vibes, however, and there was nothing inherently bad about this section.

During the second portion is where my intrigue was really captivated. The focus subtly shifted, over the course of the novel, until the mystery became, again, the central focus. With it the pace was notched higher and so, too, was my investment in this book.

I have read other reviewers state the ultimate grand reveal was an obvious one, but I was taken completely by surprise. I have seen it done, in other thrillers, but that did not hinder the intensity of shock and overwhelmed emotions I experienced when confronted with the device, here. Open-mouthed awe can only begin to cover how I felt when the mystery dogging this plot was revealed.

I found this final twist one that made any slow moments completely worth it, as it had lulled me into a state of presumed knowledge about both the course of recounted events and the steady narrative structure. It made this an ending one I won't forget quickly and also one of the strongest YA thrillers I have had the pleasure of reading. ...more

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Jun 23, 2014 Sarah Elizabeth rated it really liked it

Shelves: love-triangle, mental-health-problem, netgalley-edelweiss, read-2015, r2r-complete, as, death, mystery, contemporary, young-adult

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)

“The truth is this: it doesn’t take any skill to almost-die, or to almost-live either.”

This was an intriguing story about two sisters separated by a dangerous accident, and their relationship before and after it happened.

“Dara is bored to tears alone one Saturday night.
Dara is hopelessly scarred for life.”

I really liked Dara and Nick, and it was so sad the way they w ...more

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Dec 31, 2014 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: youngadult, contemporary

I find it interesting that a quick scan of other reviews shows that many readers didn't like it for the very reason that I give it five stars! There are lots of complaints about, "Oh, blah blah, sisters fighting, and then the ending! Whatever." These people are being silly, and they need to look at this book again.

This is much more like my beloved BEFORE I FALL than her DELIRIUM books. There aren't big fight scenes, nobody's trying to overthrow the government. These are real people having real ...more

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Nov 30, 2015 Lara rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-didn-t-like

“I guess that's the really nice thing about disappearing: the part where people look for you and beg you to come home.”

DNF at %42

I love Lauren Oliver and her writing however, this book made me really uncomfortable and irritated. I just can't continiue reading this. I wonder why Author choose to write something like this. I still can't wait to pick up her next book but this one just wasn't for me...

description

...more

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Jul 06, 2014 Adam Silvera rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2014

Another winner from Lauren Oliver. Dark, suspenseful, and insanely gripping.

...more

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Jun 16, 2017 Nicole rated it liked it

Shelves: 2017, mystery, ya

RTC. I don't know what to make of this book.

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Mar 16, 2020 Kimberly rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult, mysteries, thriller, library-books, fiction, mental-illness

NOT AGAIN!!! Another YA thriller/mystery with the same old cliche, over done reveal. Didn't I read this ending not too long ago? Why, yes I did. In another book by a different author, but with the same results. I feel duped and cheated.

I spent hours reading details that I thought was leading up to a decent mystery, but that's certainly not what I got. What I got was a rushed ending that was forced and confusing.

There is so much more I would like to say but can't because I don't want to ruin it ...more

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Dec 07, 2014 Rose rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-a-z-reading-challenge-2015, grief, contemporary, drama, great-premise-lacking-execution, multi-povs, audiobooks, tough-subjects, mystery, pretty-cover

Initial reaction: It's a compelling narrative in many places, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't happy with how it seemed to drag its heels in places, and then the ending didn't really resonate with me as much I'd have liked, chiefly because not all the pieces set up fit together well.

Full review:

"Vanishing Girls" is the first book from Lauren Oliver that I've read in a while (the Delirium trilogy included, and I still need to read the last book in that series). So as much as I've adored her stori Initial reaction: It's a compelling narrative in many places, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't happy with how it seemed to drag its heels in places, and then the ending didn't really resonate with me as much I'd have liked, chiefly because not all the pieces set up fit together well.

Full review:

"Vanishing Girls" is the first book from Lauren Oliver that I've read in a while (the Delirium trilogy included, and I still need to read the last book in that series). So as much as I've adored her stories, writing, and her eye to intimate details in the past, I'll admit this was a bit of a rough return for me. I checked this book out of the library when I debated between doing that and buying outright. I'm actually glad I did borrow it because I think I would've been disappointed for what the journey provided me.

This is not to say that "Vanishing Girls" was a bad read. It wasn't at all. I actually enjoyed parts of this - a story combining an ongoing mystery with an overarching story of grief (Honestly, I think some people could probably see the end scenario coming, but I'm keeping my references light so I won't spoil it for anyone, because it's one of those stories). The problem is that I'm not sure this book delivered on all of its promises, plus for the way the story builds and builds up to a certain point, the ending was a complete let down. It felt like it wanted to aim for more than it was, and then settled into something that while I could've felt for the scenario, the building towards something more than what it was made me feel burned by the lack of expansion.

The story revolves around the story of two sisters who've had a significant falling out. The primary perspective points of "Vanishing Girls" trade between Dara and Nick (Nicole) as they recover in the aftermath of a terrible car accident, with their family broken as a result of things that have changed since that event. Neither sister's speaking to each other, neither one seems to be willing to face the other with some very bitter grudges held against the other. In the backdrop of this story, a little girl named Madeline is missing and people are undergoing a massive search in order to find out what happened to her.

There's quite a bit going on in this story, to be sure. I listened to the audiobook version of this, and while it was well-narrated by multiple narrators, I did have to pause a few times to try to backtrack to details because of the time jumps (before and after), the multi-perspective points (Nick, Dara, and even Parker), as well as various news clippings, blog articles, and other pieces that provided supplemental details in the backdrop of everything going on in the novel. That being said, so much of the jumps made this a bit cumbersome and sluggish to get through. I took my time with it though (it took me four days to read/listen), and I appreciated Oliver's eye for the girls' emotions and experiences even with parts of the prose and narrative jumps being awkward for transition. I can't fault Oliver for the emotion behind this novel because to date, I haven't read anything from her that didn't have a confident command over the emotional resonance conveyed by her cast of characters.

I followed the story fine, even as the intensity ramped up when Nick realizes her missing sister and the clues that were left for her to follow. It doesn't pull punches on some crude details and the fact that her sister was wrapped up into a scenario that was troubling. But it was the ending the disappointed me the most. All that build-up and exposition and that's what was left? Granted, Dara and Nick's subsequent story could've had more impact for me personally if it didn't feel like there were gaps and plotholes still lingering by the ending of the novel. I like having stuff to think about at the end of the novel, true, but not if it's questions where I'm like "Well, she gave us these details, so you're telling me that wasn't the case? Then how did that exactly come to be? Why did that happen/what really happened?" I understood its intention for being a coming to terms of grief for the sisters, but it just felt like it dumped a bunch of stuff in my lap that ended up not being used at all. What was the point of that? To seem "twisty" and "fresh"? It really wasn't, not with so much of the exposition and detail feeling like it was just filler to march toward a rushed conclusion.

The resolution to the mystery of the disappearing girl (Madeline) was also far too quickly resolved for me, as far as the build-up was concerned. I wanted to feel more for it. As much narrative intimacy as Oliver gave for the relationship between Dara and Nick, why couldn't more of that been provided with the return home for the little girl who was missing? I think that whole scenario felt like it was summed up for resolution in a paragraph, and that didn't sit well for me for a book combining the psychological with mystery aspects.

But for the journey and intimacy this did provide me for Nick and Dara's relationship - I'll give it credit where credit's due, I just wish it'd amounted to more than what it did and not have been so apt to lend to the "twists" that other novels in its category (i.e. "We Were Liars" - and even that had its share of flaws) have done, and arguably have done better.

On a final, and personal, note - I have a twin sister whom I've grown up with and have had a wonderful relationship with for many years. It is true that we probably even have a closer relationshp than even some identical twins are purported to have (we're fraternal, and no - at least no one I know of can mix us up by looks, it's more like our names are super similar and the person says one name and thinks "Oop, I meant the OTHER twin!" Oy vey...). While I can't say I've had nearly as contentious a relationship with my sister as Dara and Nick seem to have in this novel, I could relate to the moments of the novel where they were close and note their overarching relationship as siblings. That and the intiution when you know something is wrong when something happens to someone who's that close to you (that has happened to me many, MANY times.)

Overall score: 2.5/5 stars. ...more

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Oct 17, 2014 C.G. Drews rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, read-2015

This has got to be my favourite Lauren Oliver book EVER! I've read Panic and Rooms and enjoyed the latter a lot, but loathed the first. So I was a bit nervous about starting Vanishing Girls. BUT IT WAS PERFECT. It had everything I love about Lauren Oliver's incredible writing, plus a huge sister/family angle and a gut wrenching ending that left me hiccuping in the corner.

Like Nick, I have a little sister. So this particularly struck home with me. But even if you don't have a sister, pshht, don' ...more

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Feb 11, 2019 rachel ☾ rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-star, rep-dis-nd-ci-mi, mystery-thriller-suspense

you know how it’s not a good joke when the punchline is 'they’re gay'? if your thriller’s plot twist is surprise, they have a mental illness, it’s not good either

➸ Trigger warnings for (view spoiler) ...more

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Aug 08, 2018 Lara (Bookish_turtle) rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018, young-adult, realistic-fiction, ew-love-triangle-blergh, 3-star, i-am-confusion-whaaaaaaa, was-not-for-me

This psychological thriller was okay, but not very thrilling.

Character's were interesting, but development was slow across the book.

The sister relationship was quite unusual? They didn't really feel like sisters to me... IDK

The mystery/thriller vibes were only right at the end which was sad.

Writing was really nice & pacing was good!

The plot seemed to lack direction for most of the novel though...

Ending thoughts: Very clever indeed! (view spoiler) ...more

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Mar 31, 2015 Lala BooksandLala rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, thriller-mystery

2.75
I just want to love a Lauren Oliver book, dammit!! This is the third one to leave me feeling just "meh" about it. It has all the elements I like in a thriller, and it had a good plot, a good ending...but not as successful as other novels, even though I hate to compare.

Her writing is the only thing holding this together, I never get annoyed by her style or word choice or tone...her story telling is just lacking for me. There is no doubt she is a talented author...I just feel like she has so ...more

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Jul 04, 2014 Taylor Knight rated it really liked it

3.5 stars

I've read all of Lauren Oliver's YA books except Requiem and I've always enjoyed her books. She has such a distinct style and vibe to her books. I feel like even if her name wasn't on the cover, once I started reading the book, I could tell for sure that it was a Lauren Oliver book.
I think all her books have mixed reviews and it's kind of a toss up if someone will love or hate her books. I personally like her stand-alones way more then the Delirium series and even though I seen a lot o 3.5 stars

I've read all of Lauren Oliver's YA books except Requiem and I've always enjoyed her books. She has such a distinct style and vibe to her books. I feel like even if her name wasn't on the cover, once I started reading the book, I could tell for sure that it was a Lauren Oliver book.
I think all her books have mixed reviews and it's kind of a toss up if someone will love or hate her books. I personally like her stand-alones way more then the Delirium series and even though I seen a lot of mixed her reviews for Vanishing Girls, I knew that I'd want to it no matter what. Lauren is definitely an auto buy author for me.
I definitely think Vanishing Girls was exactly what I thought it was going to be and I liked it exactly how much I thought that I would.

It's hard to explain how I feel about Vanishing Girls because it's very Young Adult in a way that I didn't find to have a whole of anything.
I felt like the plot was all over the place and disorganized. So insanely messy. It bounced from Dara's POV to Nick's. From website posts to personal messages to diary entries. From "before" to "after". Just a whole lot of mess. I had a hard time keeping things in order in my head and towards the last half of the book, I felt really frustrated because I couldn't remember what was going on and I just really wanted to know what was happening. Every time I picked this book up, it felt like starting a tv show in the middle of season 5.

The writing style was so Lauren Oliver. On one hand, it was nice to feel already comfortable with the writing style but on the other hand, I wanted something new and different. If you've read Lauren's books in the past and didn't like the writing style, you won't like Vanishing Girls.

The characters are fairly good. I liked Nick a lot more over Dara, just because I couldn't stand Dara's attitude and I felt like she was written with the sole purpose to be disliked by the reader. I couldn't understand her reasoning for the things she did and I was frustrated with her 100% of the time.

The pace was really quick. I was able to buzz though this book fairly fast. There wasn't a whole lot of boring parts but I felt like the first half was kind of slow.

Overall, Vanishing Girls was a pretty good read. I enjoyed it for most part. It's not my favorite book by Lauren but I still liked it. The plot was pretty empty of substance and it was confusing at times. It actually reminded me a lot of Pretty Little Liars. Entertaining but not the most intricate.
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Nov 15, 2014 Carlie K rated it liked it

3.8 stars.
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This review is originally posted on The Bookish Girl
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I have to admit this is the first Lauren Oliver book I could finish; I read Before I Fall a couple of years ago and I couldn't finish it. I have to say, I'm impressed by this book.

This book revolves around two sisters, Nick and Dara, who used to be each o ...more

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Aug 26, 2014 Lauren ✨ (TheBookishTwins) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of We Were Liars

Shelves: contemporary, highly-anticipated-2015, fav-2015-reads, mystery, edelweiss, favorites, owned

I received a free copy via Edelweiss for review purposes.

First Impression: Damn, this book was something else.

I love books with unreliable narrators, intentional or not. And, as someone with two sisters (one of them being my twin), I really loved Dara and Nicks relationship, despite the dysfunctionality.

A fantastic book for those who like suspenseful, darker and character driven novels.

Review: I'm not an 'avid' fan of Lauren Oliver. I enjoyed her book Delirium, but have never really got aroun ...more

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Hey, can someone explain the ending a bit better? I was following along, but I sort of don't understand what happened once she goes to the bar.	5	288	Jun 24, 2020 07:25PM
Vanishing Girls	1	1	Apr 03, 2020 02:48PM
Why is this such a heart breaking book?	5	73	Dec 03, 2019 08:39PM
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About Lauren Oliver

Lauren Oliver

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Lauren Oliver is the cofounder of media and content development company Glasstown Entertainment, where she serves as the president of production. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of the YA novels Replica, Vanishing Girls, Panic, and the Delirium trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem, which have been translated into more than thirty languages. The film rights to both Replica ...more

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Interview with Lauren Oliver

The young adult author grants a mean girl a chance to redeem herself in Before I Fall, a poignant look at the complex inner lives of teen bullies...

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Quotes from Vanishing Girls

“Sometimes people stop loving you. And that's the kind of darkness that never gets fixed, no matter how many moons rise again, filling the sky with a weak approximation of light.” — 106 likes

“That's what life is, pretty much: full of holes and tangles and ways to get stuck. Uncomfortable and itchy. A present you never asked for, never wanted, never chose. A present you're supposed to be excited to wear, day after day, even when you'd rather stay in bed and do nothing.” — 63 likes

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