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Zoe Rutherford #1
The Girl Who Stayed
Zoe Rutherford wasn't sure what she was expecting when she returned to Sullivan's Island. The house on Sullivan's hadn't represented home to her in decades. It was the place where she endured her father's cruelty. It was the place where her mother closed herself off from the world. It was the place where her sister disappeared. But now that her parents are gone, Zoe needs to return to the house, to close it down and prepare it for sale. She intends to get this done as quickly as possible and get on with her life, even though that life seems clouded by her past, both distant and recent. But what she discovers when she gets there is far beyond her imagining and will change her in profound ways.
THE GIRL WHO STAYED is a remarkable exploration of the soul by a writer with a rare talent for reaching into the hearts of her characters and her readers, a novel of transformation that will leave you moved and breathless.
THE GIRL WHO STAYED is a remarkable exploration of the soul by a writer with a rare talent for reaching into the hearts of her characters and her readers, a novel of transformation that will leave you moved and breathless.
292 pages, Hardcover
First published April 19, 2016
303 people are currently reading
1257 people want to read
About the author
Tanya Anne Crosby
153 books1,148 followersTanya Anne Crosby is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirty novels. She has been featured in magazines, such as People, Romantic Times and Publisher’s Weekly, and her books have been translated into eight languages. Her first novel was published in 1992 by Avon Books, where Tanya was hailed as “one of Avon’s fastest rising stars.” Her fourth book was chosen to launch the company’s Avon Romantic Treasure imprint.
Known for stories charged with emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters Tanya is an award-winning author, journalist, and editor, and her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She and her writer husband split their time between Charleston, SC, where she was raised, and northern Michigan, where the couple make their home.
Known for stories charged with emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters Tanya is an award-winning author, journalist, and editor, and her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She and her writer husband split their time between Charleston, SC, where she was raised, and northern Michigan, where the couple make their home.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
April 13, 2016
The Girl Who Stayed by Tanya Anne Crosby is a 2016 Story Plant publication. I was provided a copy of the book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you are familiar with Tanya Anne Crosby, then it’s probably because you enjoy the wonderful historical romance novels she is known for. But, this book is nothing at all like what you are accustomed to reading from this author. This work of contemporary fiction has a personal feel to it, and showcases the author’s talent for weaving a very absorbing and intimate tale.
Zoe has returned home to Sullivan’s Island, fleeing from an abusive relationship, and ready to fix up her family home in order to sell it, so she can move on with her life with a fresh start. But, once she steps foot in the house, she is flooded with painful childhood memories which all seem to center around the disappearance of her younger sister, Hannah. As the story unfolds, we learn about Zoe’s childhood, her family dynamics, her bad marriage, and her best friends, her guilt, remorse, and sorrow.
While Zoe begins work on the house, she reacquaints herself with some of the residents of Sullivan’s Island, and worries over a current missing persons case, fears her ex-husband will find her, all while coping with the torrent of emotions, memories, and nightmares that have loosened within her. But, at the same time, she is beginning to think this place is calling to her, that maybe this is home after all, and above all, it may be time to fight the demons warring for her soul.
This story is hard to categorize in some ways because it has all the elements of a women’s contemporary novel, but is also a mystery with a slow, steady drumming of suspense building in the background. A few characters are hard to read and of course I couldn’t trust them, and neither did Zoe.
The author relies on psychological elements in relaying the events concerning the past and the present day spate of missing persons, the mystery, and the unsettling resolution.
Zoe is a troubled person who has come to a crossroads in her life, and realizes she has settled for a life she shouldn’t have. Leaving her abusive relationship is only the beginning though. Zoe must find a way to put her sister’s disappearance to rest once and for all, which means she needs to find out what really happened to Hannah.
It’s a slow, bitter, harrowing journey that Zoe embarks upon, but it is apparently long overdue. I watched her heartache renewed with each piercing memory that surfaces, watched as she realizes to what depths she has sunk, and saw her began to confront her past, face her fears and take charge of her emotions, actions and her future.
As in real life, the answers are not always pat, but in the end, Zoe will emerge with a new strength, an affirmation of her self-worth, and will know how to let go, to allow herself to experience real peace and love.
While the story is fraught with an underlying edginess, and a crime is solved, the thing I took away from this story was Zoe’s passage from personal recriminations to honesty with herself, at long last, to facing her inner demons, and having the courage to take a stand, to do the right thing for others and for herself.
The story is deep on some levels, but isn’t overly complex. I am sure some will find the pacing a bit frustrating at times, because the story does move erratically. I think the author did an amazing job with the dialect, the scenery, the characterizations, and the insights we are given into Zoe’s personal road to redemption, but she also left some situations open to interpretation, and the reader will simply have to come to terms with that on their own, and I’m not quite sure how some will respond to that challenge.
For me, this is a compelling read, thoroughly engrossing, although very understated at times, with a moody, haunting atmosphere, that led me through a dense fog of moving, intense emotions into a bursting ray of sunshine that left me feeling satisfied with Zoe’s progress and confident in her future happiness.
If you are familiar with Tanya Anne Crosby, then it’s probably because you enjoy the wonderful historical romance novels she is known for. But, this book is nothing at all like what you are accustomed to reading from this author. This work of contemporary fiction has a personal feel to it, and showcases the author’s talent for weaving a very absorbing and intimate tale.
Zoe has returned home to Sullivan’s Island, fleeing from an abusive relationship, and ready to fix up her family home in order to sell it, so she can move on with her life with a fresh start. But, once she steps foot in the house, she is flooded with painful childhood memories which all seem to center around the disappearance of her younger sister, Hannah. As the story unfolds, we learn about Zoe’s childhood, her family dynamics, her bad marriage, and her best friends, her guilt, remorse, and sorrow.
While Zoe begins work on the house, she reacquaints herself with some of the residents of Sullivan’s Island, and worries over a current missing persons case, fears her ex-husband will find her, all while coping with the torrent of emotions, memories, and nightmares that have loosened within her. But, at the same time, she is beginning to think this place is calling to her, that maybe this is home after all, and above all, it may be time to fight the demons warring for her soul.
This story is hard to categorize in some ways because it has all the elements of a women’s contemporary novel, but is also a mystery with a slow, steady drumming of suspense building in the background. A few characters are hard to read and of course I couldn’t trust them, and neither did Zoe.
The author relies on psychological elements in relaying the events concerning the past and the present day spate of missing persons, the mystery, and the unsettling resolution.
Zoe is a troubled person who has come to a crossroads in her life, and realizes she has settled for a life she shouldn’t have. Leaving her abusive relationship is only the beginning though. Zoe must find a way to put her sister’s disappearance to rest once and for all, which means she needs to find out what really happened to Hannah.
It’s a slow, bitter, harrowing journey that Zoe embarks upon, but it is apparently long overdue. I watched her heartache renewed with each piercing memory that surfaces, watched as she realizes to what depths she has sunk, and saw her began to confront her past, face her fears and take charge of her emotions, actions and her future.
As in real life, the answers are not always pat, but in the end, Zoe will emerge with a new strength, an affirmation of her self-worth, and will know how to let go, to allow herself to experience real peace and love.
While the story is fraught with an underlying edginess, and a crime is solved, the thing I took away from this story was Zoe’s passage from personal recriminations to honesty with herself, at long last, to facing her inner demons, and having the courage to take a stand, to do the right thing for others and for herself.
The story is deep on some levels, but isn’t overly complex. I am sure some will find the pacing a bit frustrating at times, because the story does move erratically. I think the author did an amazing job with the dialect, the scenery, the characterizations, and the insights we are given into Zoe’s personal road to redemption, but she also left some situations open to interpretation, and the reader will simply have to come to terms with that on their own, and I’m not quite sure how some will respond to that challenge.
For me, this is a compelling read, thoroughly engrossing, although very understated at times, with a moody, haunting atmosphere, that led me through a dense fog of moving, intense emotions into a bursting ray of sunshine that left me feeling satisfied with Zoe’s progress and confident in her future happiness.
May 11, 2016
The Girl Who Stayed is a pretty quick read that started out strong. Zoe has finally returned home to get her childhood home ready for sale. She is also finally ready to face the demons of her past and move on with her life. Her sister disappeared without a trace when they were children and it tore her family apart.
As I said, I thought the book started out strong. I liked Zoe and was fully invested her working through the memories of the past. As she clears out her family home, she also clears out her feelings about her abusive father, her emotionally absent mother and her missing sister. She also begins to reconcile how she ended up in an 8 year abusive relationship that ended badly.
What I didn't end up liking about the book was the unanswered questions and a very unsatisfying ending. I am not a fan of endings like this one as I feel like I need a reward for going through everything with the main character. The fact that the character doesn't want to know doesn't mean that I, as the reader, don't want to know. Because I do! The reveal of what happened to the missing girls in the present and how it related to Zoe's sister's disappearance came out of complete nowhere for me. Not that it really answered any questions that I had.
The Girl Who Stayed isn't a bad book, I did like the writing style. I just think it would have worked better for me had there been a more satisfying ending. Had I gone into the book not expecting a mystery, I think I would have liked it more.
As I said, I thought the book started out strong. I liked Zoe and was fully invested her working through the memories of the past. As she clears out her family home, she also clears out her feelings about her abusive father, her emotionally absent mother and her missing sister. She also begins to reconcile how she ended up in an 8 year abusive relationship that ended badly.
What I didn't end up liking about the book was the unanswered questions and a very unsatisfying ending. I am not a fan of endings like this one as I feel like I need a reward for going through everything with the main character. The fact that the character doesn't want to know doesn't mean that I, as the reader, don't want to know. Because I do! The reveal of what happened to the missing girls in the present and how it related to Zoe's sister's disappearance came out of complete nowhere for me. Not that it really answered any questions that I had.
The Girl Who Stayed isn't a bad book, I did like the writing style. I just think it would have worked better for me had there been a more satisfying ending. Had I gone into the book not expecting a mystery, I think I would have liked it more.
April 28, 2016
Review originally posted at
All Books Considered: 3.5 STARS
First, I have to tell you that I hate this title -- I truly feel like it has "girl" in the title as a marketing ploy, to link it to those famed other current novels with unreliable female narrators. Putting that aside, Zoe isn't really unreliable in this book. We don't know the entire history of her sister disappearing/her life since from the beginning but she is pretty sure of her own memory. It had moments when Zoe feels like she is cracking up a bit but nothing like a classic unreliable narrator. I liked the setting of this one -- an Island off Charleston, SC and some references to the native and mystical of that place (only in that charming Southern way that's just a bit superstitious). Zoe was a bit hard to figure out and just when you thought the book was about one thing, it turned into something else. Despite a hint of schizophrenia, this worked for me and I rather liked the prose.
If you're a fan of the thriller/mystery genre, this one is pretty good. I wouldn't compare it to the stream of current unreliable narrator/female thriller releases because it felt a bit unique -- it had almost a Rear Window/The Lovely Bones feeling.
First, I have to tell you that I hate this title -- I truly feel like it has "girl" in the title as a marketing ploy, to link it to those famed other current novels with unreliable female narrators. Putting that aside, Zoe isn't really unreliable in this book. We don't know the entire history of her sister disappearing/her life since from the beginning but she is pretty sure of her own memory. It had moments when Zoe feels like she is cracking up a bit but nothing like a classic unreliable narrator. I liked the setting of this one -- an Island off Charleston, SC and some references to the native and mystical of that place (only in that charming Southern way that's just a bit superstitious). Zoe was a bit hard to figure out and just when you thought the book was about one thing, it turned into something else. Despite a hint of schizophrenia, this worked for me and I rather liked the prose.
If you're a fan of the thriller/mystery genre, this one is pretty good. I wouldn't compare it to the stream of current unreliable narrator/female thriller releases because it felt a bit unique -- it had almost a Rear Window/The Lovely Bones feeling.
For years after, until the fast fact on a milk carton was printed and tossed into the trash, Zoe had found herself standing in the dairy section of the grocery store, lifting up random cartons, just to see if she could find Hannah's face.
How many people remembered the name of the first kid to appear on one of those cartons? Zoe did. It was Etan Patz, a six-year-old from New York with golden hair and a crooked smile. He vanished one day in 1979, walking to his bus stop, two blocks from his house. Like Hannah, his body had never been found.
July 2, 2016
A fantastic suspenseful mystery! Zoe goes back to her childhood home after 30 years to get the closure she needs about her sisters disappearance. absolutely loved this book! ❤ I never saw the end coming!
March 17, 2016
This was a suspense novel from the very first page. Zoe is returning to Sullivan's Island to sell the family home which is in desperate need of repair. She hasn't been back in years and doesn't plan on staying long. She carries bad memories of this home, A cruel father, a remote mother and an eight year old sister that disappeared when she was 10. Now working with Ethan on repairing the house, the police are finding bodies of young girls and Zoe is hoping to get answers about her sister's disappearance. Wonderfully written, this story puts a different light on Sullivan's Island where most of the book you read set here are romances and lighter reads. Zoe has some problems in her life that make her harder to relate to but she grows and changes within the book. This is a fast read because you can't lay it down.
June 25, 2017
It was a long journey, longer than it needed to be--and after investing myself in the book, there's never clear resolution. When it starts to wrap up, things come out of left field very quickly, almost rushed. In fact, I flipped back to see if I skipped a chapter, or if there were pages missing, but no. Soooo much time is spent on minute details throughout the book, then the conclusion--what the reader has been waiting for--is rushed in seconds and very muddled. I never bonded much with the main character, Zoe. And yet, Zoe went through so much misery, I was literally exhausted and sad for everyone when I finished it. It was the feel-bad book of the year. I guess it's just not for me. Every few sentences transitions from present to past to present, so be aware of that too. But book reviews are so hard--you won't know until you read a little of it for yourself. You may love it.
March 6, 2016
I felt slight trepidation before beginning this book as it is another thriller with "Girl" in the title which immediately- and I'm sure deliberately - creates a certain expectation about style, content and genre. However after reading the opening line where it says that Zoe, the main character, sometimes gets a feeling as though something were about to happen and it had come again, "clinging to this day like cold sweat," I was hooked. What a great use simile to evoke fear, uncertainty and suspense! It continues to build tension with the description of her finding her sister's bike lying in the sand in "twisted death throes " like it needed its "body outlined in white chalk except they didn't do that for bikes." Intriguing!
The reader is thrown straight into the action and confronted with a character and a family trying to deal with the impact of losing a sibling when children. Zoe was ten when Hannah, then eight, disappeared. Her younger brother Nicky was only six. After Hannah's disappearance - which has never been solved nor any body ever found - the family "unraveled like a tapestry." The story flits between modern day where Zoe has eventually returned to the family house on the Sullivan's Island following the death of her parents. She needs to sort out the home in order to sell it after it's been rented out for years. Neither Zoe or Nick wanted to live there following the devastating sadness and bad memories of their childhood. The house is beautifully described and it is used by Crosby to imply heartache, trouble, hurt and anger. It incites suspicion, mystery and drama. To complicate things, Zoe has also run away from an unhappy relationship and her fear of being discovered and the clues about the type of relationship it was exaggerate the sense of grief and pain which will permeate this tale. She also has a rather broken relationship with her brother who is now her only living relative. Zoe finds these bad feelings "cling to her nerves like the yellow film on the curtains."
The second thread of the narrative takes us back to 1986, the year of Hannah's disappearance where we see events from ten year old Zoe's point of view. Zoe was blamed for Hannah's disappearance and held responsible for it. The whole town blamed her and most devastatingly, her own father blamed her and subjected her to much cruelty as a result of his inability to deal with the loss of his second daughter. Thirty years after the event, Zoe remains deeply traumatised by the whole experience, unable to move on and deeply buried beneath the burden of this accusation. The lack of closure and explanations are "like splinters buried in her skin festering every day of her life" and she needed to "root out the septic truths that were poisoning her day by day." Zoe is an unhappy person, in an unhappy relationship with an unhappy past. Worse still, she has no memory of what actually happened during Hannah's disappearance.
Zoe's tormented character isn't easily likeable. She's prickly, bitter, reclusive and difficult. She is disturbed. She is jealous. She is hurt. She is uneasy, overly obsessed with Hannah's disappearance -in fact she's haunted by her, puzzled by her feelings towards her. Did she love her or did she hate her? Zoe has no sense of self worth and she loathes herself. As one of the other character's observes, "Ain't nothing worse than an unloved child." But as the story from 1986 develops and the reader learns more about the family it is easy to understand why she is this way and it does encourage empathy and sympathy towards her.
She is a trapped women. Trapped by the past, trapped by the town's gossip and also trapped by her boyfriend. There is a foreboding sense of violence created from the shadowy threat of her boyfriend Chris, which is then heightened by the malevolent presence of Hannah's ghost.
There is also a question of Zoe's reliability as a narrator which adds depth to the plot and is such an effective way of complicating the reader's ability to figure out the mystery and the truth about what actually happened. Zoe is so confused and troubled that it is difficult to believe that any of her memories, recounts of events or observations about people, are accurate.
The ending was brilliant. The dramatic tension soared in the last section, building to a completely unguessable and unforeseen twist which grips the reader and completely holds your attention until the very very last page.
This story does deserve to be compared with the contemporary psychological thrillers currently in the best seller list and will certainly join them there. It is a good "grip lit" read. Crosby successfully examines how childhood trauma affects decisions we make as an adult through one person's emotional journey of discovery, acceptance and desperate attempts to move on.
Thank you very much to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel and the opportunity to read it before publication in return for a fair and honest review.
The reader is thrown straight into the action and confronted with a character and a family trying to deal with the impact of losing a sibling when children. Zoe was ten when Hannah, then eight, disappeared. Her younger brother Nicky was only six. After Hannah's disappearance - which has never been solved nor any body ever found - the family "unraveled like a tapestry." The story flits between modern day where Zoe has eventually returned to the family house on the Sullivan's Island following the death of her parents. She needs to sort out the home in order to sell it after it's been rented out for years. Neither Zoe or Nick wanted to live there following the devastating sadness and bad memories of their childhood. The house is beautifully described and it is used by Crosby to imply heartache, trouble, hurt and anger. It incites suspicion, mystery and drama. To complicate things, Zoe has also run away from an unhappy relationship and her fear of being discovered and the clues about the type of relationship it was exaggerate the sense of grief and pain which will permeate this tale. She also has a rather broken relationship with her brother who is now her only living relative. Zoe finds these bad feelings "cling to her nerves like the yellow film on the curtains."
The second thread of the narrative takes us back to 1986, the year of Hannah's disappearance where we see events from ten year old Zoe's point of view. Zoe was blamed for Hannah's disappearance and held responsible for it. The whole town blamed her and most devastatingly, her own father blamed her and subjected her to much cruelty as a result of his inability to deal with the loss of his second daughter. Thirty years after the event, Zoe remains deeply traumatised by the whole experience, unable to move on and deeply buried beneath the burden of this accusation. The lack of closure and explanations are "like splinters buried in her skin festering every day of her life" and she needed to "root out the septic truths that were poisoning her day by day." Zoe is an unhappy person, in an unhappy relationship with an unhappy past. Worse still, she has no memory of what actually happened during Hannah's disappearance.
Zoe's tormented character isn't easily likeable. She's prickly, bitter, reclusive and difficult. She is disturbed. She is jealous. She is hurt. She is uneasy, overly obsessed with Hannah's disappearance -in fact she's haunted by her, puzzled by her feelings towards her. Did she love her or did she hate her? Zoe has no sense of self worth and she loathes herself. As one of the other character's observes, "Ain't nothing worse than an unloved child." But as the story from 1986 develops and the reader learns more about the family it is easy to understand why she is this way and it does encourage empathy and sympathy towards her.
She is a trapped women. Trapped by the past, trapped by the town's gossip and also trapped by her boyfriend. There is a foreboding sense of violence created from the shadowy threat of her boyfriend Chris, which is then heightened by the malevolent presence of Hannah's ghost.
There is also a question of Zoe's reliability as a narrator which adds depth to the plot and is such an effective way of complicating the reader's ability to figure out the mystery and the truth about what actually happened. Zoe is so confused and troubled that it is difficult to believe that any of her memories, recounts of events or observations about people, are accurate.
The ending was brilliant. The dramatic tension soared in the last section, building to a completely unguessable and unforeseen twist which grips the reader and completely holds your attention until the very very last page.
This story does deserve to be compared with the contemporary psychological thrillers currently in the best seller list and will certainly join them there. It is a good "grip lit" read. Crosby successfully examines how childhood trauma affects decisions we make as an adult through one person's emotional journey of discovery, acceptance and desperate attempts to move on.
Thank you very much to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel and the opportunity to read it before publication in return for a fair and honest review.
February 29, 2016
Zoe Rutherford lives at "Kingdom by the Sea", a sea side cottage on Sullivan's Island, named by her grandmother in admiration of Poe's famous story, "Annabel Lee." Her childhood is sad. An abusive father, a mother who lives in her own world, her sister Hannah, at 8, who can do no wrong, and her brother, Nick, who she practically raises and protects always. One day Hannah walks out of her home and is never seen again. The police investigate, bupointing to what happened to Hannah.
As soon as Zoe is 18 she leaves the island, returning only once to bury her mother. Now 39 she returns with one goal. Sell the house, share the profits with Nick and move on. She has just run away from an eight year abusive relationship with Craig and their last argument and assault gave her to courage to move out and on. During an argument he threw a terra cotta pot and hit her in the forehead causing a serious bruise and lasting scar. Packing her car she heads to Sullivan Island hoping she will be safe from him.
The cottage belongs to Zoe and her brother. He wants nothing to do with it. He is happily married to Beth, has two cherished daughters and lives in Charleston. The house is unrentable in it's present condition and needs extensive repairs to be able to sell it. When Zoe finds a broken window, she reports it to the Police Chief McWhorter. He shrugs it off to teens partying there and tells her, "a week's worth of cleaning and a bit of paint will do the place wonders." He suggests she call his son, Ethan McWhorter, for a free estimate to fix it.
Ethan is a nice guy and a nice relationship begins between Ethan and Zoe.
Tanya Anne Crosby is a sterling story teller. THE GIRL WHO STAYED is packed with emotions, and a colorful cast of characters. She takes us on an intense journey to find answers and closure. She wonders if one can ever go home again and perhaps stay? I was left with several unanswered questions in the end, but Zoe is set for new beginnings. I wonder if Ms. Crosby is planning a sequel where my answers will be resolved. A thoughtful novel that I recommend
to everyone that enjoys a lovely locale, and a story that will tug at your heart long after the last page.
As soon as Zoe is 18 she leaves the island, returning only once to bury her mother. Now 39 she returns with one goal. Sell the house, share the profits with Nick and move on. She has just run away from an eight year abusive relationship with Craig and their last argument and assault gave her to courage to move out and on. During an argument he threw a terra cotta pot and hit her in the forehead causing a serious bruise and lasting scar. Packing her car she heads to Sullivan Island hoping she will be safe from him.
The cottage belongs to Zoe and her brother. He wants nothing to do with it. He is happily married to Beth, has two cherished daughters and lives in Charleston. The house is unrentable in it's present condition and needs extensive repairs to be able to sell it. When Zoe finds a broken window, she reports it to the Police Chief McWhorter. He shrugs it off to teens partying there and tells her, "a week's worth of cleaning and a bit of paint will do the place wonders." He suggests she call his son, Ethan McWhorter, for a free estimate to fix it.
Ethan is a nice guy and a nice relationship begins between Ethan and Zoe.
Tanya Anne Crosby is a sterling story teller. THE GIRL WHO STAYED is packed with emotions, and a colorful cast of characters. She takes us on an intense journey to find answers and closure. She wonders if one can ever go home again and perhaps stay? I was left with several unanswered questions in the end, but Zoe is set for new beginnings. I wonder if Ms. Crosby is planning a sequel where my answers will be resolved. A thoughtful novel that I recommend
to everyone that enjoys a lovely locale, and a story that will tug at your heart long after the last page.
July 27, 2020
1.5 stars
Apparently, this writer works in various genres.
This is the first contemporary one by this writer that i've read and i prefer her historical romance stuff.
Thanks to the writer for providing me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, i didn't like it.
Zoe's sister Hannah disappeared when they were children. It's an unsolved case. She returns to fix up her family home in her 30's. Her childhood was unhappy & the family was dysfunctional.
Therefore, Zoe is not a happy person. I get that it was a traumatic/turning point event in her life, but she just kept harping on & on about it.
This book was depressing & dark. I didn't like her character. The narrative was repetitive w/her internal thoughts of her gloom. She just left an unhealthy relationship so there was alot of that. The narrative alternates b/w her introspection of her current life/future and remembrances of her childhood.
I would of been ok if say the character was going to investigate what really happened to her sister but she didn't. Also, there was a subplot of girls who've currently gone missing. Was there a connection? No idea b/c it wasn't really explored. That resolution was sort of just thrown out there and not any big surprise.There were alot of loose threads mentioned but then never really picked up on & dropped all of a sudden. (ie. retribution from her ex)
I also didn't get the ending. I tried & reread it but honestly, it went over my head. I didn't like it nor did i feel it provided good closure.
Apparently, this writer works in various genres.
This is the first contemporary one by this writer that i've read and i prefer her historical romance stuff.
Thanks to the writer for providing me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, i didn't like it.
Zoe's sister Hannah disappeared when they were children. It's an unsolved case. She returns to fix up her family home in her 30's. Her childhood was unhappy & the family was dysfunctional.
Therefore, Zoe is not a happy person. I get that it was a traumatic/turning point event in her life, but she just kept harping on & on about it.
This book was depressing & dark. I didn't like her character. The narrative was repetitive w/her internal thoughts of her gloom. She just left an unhealthy relationship so there was alot of that. The narrative alternates b/w her introspection of her current life/future and remembrances of her childhood.
I would of been ok if say the character was going to investigate what really happened to her sister but she didn't. Also, there was a subplot of girls who've currently gone missing. Was there a connection? No idea b/c it wasn't really explored. That resolution was sort of just thrown out there and not any big surprise.There were alot of loose threads mentioned but then never really picked up on & dropped all of a sudden. (ie. retribution from her ex)
I also didn't get the ending. I tried & reread it but honestly, it went over my head. I didn't like it nor did i feel it provided good closure.
May 10, 2016
I first read the prequel short story, The Things We Leave Behind, which introduces us to Zoe. After reading that, I just knew I had to read this book.
The setting is Sullivan's Island and the author describes it so well, you will feel as if you are at the beach. Her way with words make the story come alive with pictures in your mind of the house, the town, and the people.
Knowing the reason why Zoe returned to her old home made me feel various emotions. You are anxious, sad, happy, worried, and hoping that she can move beyond her past situations and memories.
At times, I have to say the story seemed to drag a bit. Yet you could still feel the suspense building. And the ending, although it came as a surprise, seemed to be hurried. I went back to read the last couple of chapters. Since it was such a emotionally haunting story, maybe the author left it up to us to ponder. I would like to see another book about Zoe and how her life has changed since the ending of this story.
This was a compelling, suspense that I thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely recommend!
* I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The setting is Sullivan's Island and the author describes it so well, you will feel as if you are at the beach. Her way with words make the story come alive with pictures in your mind of the house, the town, and the people.
Knowing the reason why Zoe returned to her old home made me feel various emotions. You are anxious, sad, happy, worried, and hoping that she can move beyond her past situations and memories.
At times, I have to say the story seemed to drag a bit. Yet you could still feel the suspense building. And the ending, although it came as a surprise, seemed to be hurried. I went back to read the last couple of chapters. Since it was such a emotionally haunting story, maybe the author left it up to us to ponder. I would like to see another book about Zoe and how her life has changed since the ending of this story.
This was a compelling, suspense that I thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely recommend!
* I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 10, 2016
If you’re looking for a sweet read, tied up with a pretty pink bow, this book is not for you.
Tanya Anne Crosby has outdone herself with The Girl Who Stayed. It is my fervent belief that this is her best book to date. Don’t get me wrong; I love her historical romance novels. But this book? It surpasses all her others not only with the writing style, but also with a unique voice that draws you in and doesn’t let you go until the very last sentence.
It’s gritty, honest, kick-you-in-the-gut kind of writing. It defies genre or type even though it’s packed with suspense and intrigue. TGWS is about closure and what a person is willing to accept when something bad happens to someone they love. Is the not knowing worse than knowing? Would you rather know every single, sordid, ugly detail? Or would you simply be content knowing that in the end, the bad guy got what he deserved?
Whether or not you prefer stories with a happily ever after ending and neat and tidy bows, you cannot deny that this book is beyond well written. Masterfully woven, gripping, and intense. It has everything I want in a great fiction novel.
Tanya Anne Crosby has outdone herself with The Girl Who Stayed. It is my fervent belief that this is her best book to date. Don’t get me wrong; I love her historical romance novels. But this book? It surpasses all her others not only with the writing style, but also with a unique voice that draws you in and doesn’t let you go until the very last sentence.
It’s gritty, honest, kick-you-in-the-gut kind of writing. It defies genre or type even though it’s packed with suspense and intrigue. TGWS is about closure and what a person is willing to accept when something bad happens to someone they love. Is the not knowing worse than knowing? Would you rather know every single, sordid, ugly detail? Or would you simply be content knowing that in the end, the bad guy got what he deserved?
Whether or not you prefer stories with a happily ever after ending and neat and tidy bows, you cannot deny that this book is beyond well written. Masterfully woven, gripping, and intense. It has everything I want in a great fiction novel.
July 4, 2016
This story brings Sullivan’s Island to life with the lush descriptions of the beaches, colorful sunsets and quaint small town life. Crosby writes in a way that requires you to read between the lines, she doesn’t tell you what to think with each sentence. The main character, Zoe finds herself staying literally and figuratively throughout the story, told in flashbacks interspersed with the present day. There is the mystery of Zoe’s sister’s disappearance that features prominently and Crosby ups the ante with additional missing girls. Reader’s of mystery and women’s fiction will be drawn to the story. You will find yourself rooting for Zoe as she comes to various decisions in her troubled life. The Girl Who Stayed is a girl who will stay with you.
Copy provided by TLC Book Tours and the Publisher
Copy provided by TLC Book Tours and the Publisher
April 18, 2016
I could not stop reading this book and I don't exactly know why! It's amazingly good, but that's not it. There's an overwhelming amount of suspense, but I don't think that's it. It is compulsive. The story has so many levels that I believe I was afraid to stop reading. I know it sounds crazy, but this book had me trapped in the story. I felt like I was there. The book is immensely readable and hooks you from the first paragraph. It is psychological suspense at it's finest! Highly recommended.
I received this book from NetGalley and The Story Planet in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book from NetGalley and The Story Planet in exchange for an honest review.
June 6, 2016
Conclusion was not the best. After all that Zoe had been through, she didn't read the note? Love a flawed character, but this had several underdeveloped characters. More info regarding the other characters, aside from the protagonist, would have been nice.
August 21, 2018
I wasn't super happy with the way this book ended...it was incredibly rushed, after long drawn out chapters with lots of details leading up to it. I was surprised by how everything was just sort of hurried and finished quickly. I'm not sure if I'll read this author or series again.
June 3, 2023
Hate it when books end with way more questions than answers. Thank you for spending almost 3 pages on a memory of a swimsuit faux pas in high school than actually any real conclusion. Waste.
August 13, 2020
Sullivan's Island should be a place to relax and let its history fill your imagination, but to Zoe this is where she lost her sister and where her family disintegrated. She never recovered from Hannah's disappearance. When her father blamed her, she accepted his cruelty. That pattern continued in all her relationships. It was upsetting that she had such a low opinion of herself. Now she's back and staying in the family cottage. Will she be able to come to terms with the past? It was easy to be pulled into this tragic story. I felt Zoe's pain. I understood her relationship with her younger sister. Her father was a disturbed individual who hated his eldest for the tragedy. He needed someone to blame. Was it guilt? It was unexpected to see Zoe settle in and deal with her memories. The atmosphere was dark and oppressive but it was wonderful to see Zoe fight her past and gain prospective. Tanya Ann Crosby wrote a story filled with suspense and unexpected twists. The characters grabbed hold of me. I felt as if I were there in the middle of the action. The setting and the mystery haunted me. The ending left me emotionally drained.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.
February 18, 2022
I read this last year but just noticed I missed reviewing it. This is a FANTASTIC book! Well, it spoke to me at least. Tonya Anne gives a heart and a soul to her characters. Her attention to even the smallest details in the story make it so much easier to visualize and live through the story as an invisible observer! I don’t want to give the story away, but I’ll tell you it’s contemporary genre. ( PS. If you haven’t read her “Oyster Point Thrillers“, you are REALLY missing out!!! They are more contemporary also. Set in the South. Love, love, love this one as well as the others! 😍😍😍
February 10, 2019
More like a 3.5. The ending turned into a bit of a psychological thriller, but was rushed and the very last page confused me.
Read
January 13, 2018Read in honor of Shanaenae.
May 16, 2016
As seen on my blog:
I drove home from work today with this book lingering on my mind. I've come to the conclusion that I don't know how to completely appreciate it, nor can I completely disregard the quiet storm it created at my core. The best I can describe The Girl Who Stayed is this: it was a subtle psychological thriller masquerading as a cozy mystery.
The cozy elements were all there: the small town, the southern hospitality, the home cooked comfort food attached to friendly neighbours. The air of danger lingered, but was not imminent. There were no mind-numbing twists, or heart-stopping revelations, at least no bluntly stated ones. The story began and ended with Zoe Rutherford. We followed her shape-shifting storyline along a jagged mental state. Her sister's disappearance 31 years ago was the catalyst, her 8-year long abusive relationship, intermingled with flashbacks of an abusive father, played the role of the sand between the rocks . Zoe has come back home, with the intention of fixing up her family home to be sold, or to find out what really happened to her sister? We were pulled slowly along as she attempted to figure it out.
To say this book moved at a glacial pace would be a little harsh, but it wouldn't be completely untrue. The first 3/4 of it was spent in a haze, as Zoe spends time reminiscing on her past, describing every last detail of her present (I now have an overwhelmingly thorough understanding of stair construction), and questioning her future. It was such a frustrating state of mind to be in, the most odd state of limbo. I KNEW with all of the knowing in me that something grim and grisly and all-around uncomfortable would rear it's head at the end, but the road to that reveal was just so....calm. So soul-searchy, and normal. But it wasn't the kind that when the huge BOO! was revealed, you jumped 5 feet out of your seat. It was dark, but the most dull shade.
I feel as though I should end this review by telling you that the descriptions I used to explain The Girl Who Stayed is not a direct reflection of how I felt about the book. Because I enjoyed it for the most part, and was surprisingly satisfied with it's vague conclusion. It's just that I experienced such odd feelings of uncertainty while reading this narrative, like I was being kept in front of the veil, unable to peek behind it to see the gruesome, horrifying truths.
With that said, I obviously enjoyed being kept partially in the dark, because Miss Crosby will definitely be getting my business again.
Recommended for Fans of: Mind of Winter Laura Kasischke, The Starter House by Sonja Condit, A Line of Blood by Ben McPherson, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Mystery
I drove home from work today with this book lingering on my mind. I've come to the conclusion that I don't know how to completely appreciate it, nor can I completely disregard the quiet storm it created at my core. The best I can describe The Girl Who Stayed is this: it was a subtle psychological thriller masquerading as a cozy mystery.
The cozy elements were all there: the small town, the southern hospitality, the home cooked comfort food attached to friendly neighbours. The air of danger lingered, but was not imminent. There were no mind-numbing twists, or heart-stopping revelations, at least no bluntly stated ones. The story began and ended with Zoe Rutherford. We followed her shape-shifting storyline along a jagged mental state. Her sister's disappearance 31 years ago was the catalyst, her 8-year long abusive relationship, intermingled with flashbacks of an abusive father, played the role of the sand between the rocks . Zoe has come back home, with the intention of fixing up her family home to be sold, or to find out what really happened to her sister? We were pulled slowly along as she attempted to figure it out.
To say this book moved at a glacial pace would be a little harsh, but it wouldn't be completely untrue. The first 3/4 of it was spent in a haze, as Zoe spends time reminiscing on her past, describing every last detail of her present (I now have an overwhelmingly thorough understanding of stair construction), and questioning her future. It was such a frustrating state of mind to be in, the most odd state of limbo. I KNEW with all of the knowing in me that something grim and grisly and all-around uncomfortable would rear it's head at the end, but the road to that reveal was just so....calm. So soul-searchy, and normal. But it wasn't the kind that when the huge BOO! was revealed, you jumped 5 feet out of your seat. It was dark, but the most dull shade.
I feel as though I should end this review by telling you that the descriptions I used to explain The Girl Who Stayed is not a direct reflection of how I felt about the book. Because I enjoyed it for the most part, and was surprisingly satisfied with it's vague conclusion. It's just that I experienced such odd feelings of uncertainty while reading this narrative, like I was being kept in front of the veil, unable to peek behind it to see the gruesome, horrifying truths.
With that said, I obviously enjoyed being kept partially in the dark, because Miss Crosby will definitely be getting my business again.
Recommended for Fans of: Mind of Winter Laura Kasischke, The Starter House by Sonja Condit, A Line of Blood by Ben McPherson, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Mystery
April 18, 2016
The Girl Who Stayed by Tanya Anne Crosby is a recommended contemporary novel of suspense.
Zoe Rutherford may ostensibly be on Sullivan's Island to clean and fix up her parents' house, which has been rented out for years, in order to sell it. She, along with her younger brother Nick, has stayed away from the house for years. But in reality she has been running away from the house and all it represents for years. It is where her family was living when her younger sister, Hannah, disappeared without a trace. It is where she endured her father's verbal and emotional abuse. It is where she witnesses her mother's withdrawal into herself. Zoe's latest- and last - violent fight with her boyfriend/abuser Chris gave her the impetus to leave him and finally do something about the house.
While there she has to face a plethora of emotions related to her father's cruelty, Hannah's disappearance, and her rocky unhealthy relationship with Chris. These are the three things that keep swirling around Zoe's head, repeatedly, obsessively, occasionally with added details. Her father never liked her. let alone loved her. His abuse became more pronounced when Zoe was 10 and Hannah 8. That is when Hannah went missing. Nick, who was 6 at the time, seems to have been immune to the abuse. Zoe still obsesses over her missing sister, an event that occurred thirty years ago, and the lack of closure.
Zoe's relationship with Chris is related to her poor self-esteem and search for love and acceptance no matter the cost, all traits that started being developed when she lived on Sullivan's Island. Now Zoe has a scar/wound on her forehead that was inflicted by Chris as she was leaving. She worries about people seeing it and wondering what caused it. A lot. She has a difficult time connecting to people. She has traumatic memories that haunt her still and some she may be suppressing.
Crosby does a wonderful job with the setting and creating the character of Zoe. I did find some of the repeated obsessing (over the scar, Hannah, Chris, her father) to be tiresome after so much reiteration. I also wondered why Zoe had such a hard time after therapy for years coming to terms with at least a few of her issues. On the other hand Crosby slowly has Zoe provide more information about bits and pieces of her childhood and her current relationship with Chris throughout the whole novel. It is also understandable that going to the island after being gone for so many years would bring back memories you thought you had banished or handled years before.
When the end comes it is startling and surprising enough to overcome some of the problems I had with The Girl Who Stayed. Up until the end there were really no startling surprises; however, the pacing was even and there were enough new facts disclosed along the way that it kept my interest. This would be a good airport or vacation book. It will keep your attention and entertain you
Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher and TLC for review purposes.
http://tlcbooktours.com
Zoe Rutherford may ostensibly be on Sullivan's Island to clean and fix up her parents' house, which has been rented out for years, in order to sell it. She, along with her younger brother Nick, has stayed away from the house for years. But in reality she has been running away from the house and all it represents for years. It is where her family was living when her younger sister, Hannah, disappeared without a trace. It is where she endured her father's verbal and emotional abuse. It is where she witnesses her mother's withdrawal into herself. Zoe's latest- and last - violent fight with her boyfriend/abuser Chris gave her the impetus to leave him and finally do something about the house.
While there she has to face a plethora of emotions related to her father's cruelty, Hannah's disappearance, and her rocky unhealthy relationship with Chris. These are the three things that keep swirling around Zoe's head, repeatedly, obsessively, occasionally with added details. Her father never liked her. let alone loved her. His abuse became more pronounced when Zoe was 10 and Hannah 8. That is when Hannah went missing. Nick, who was 6 at the time, seems to have been immune to the abuse. Zoe still obsesses over her missing sister, an event that occurred thirty years ago, and the lack of closure.
Zoe's relationship with Chris is related to her poor self-esteem and search for love and acceptance no matter the cost, all traits that started being developed when she lived on Sullivan's Island. Now Zoe has a scar/wound on her forehead that was inflicted by Chris as she was leaving. She worries about people seeing it and wondering what caused it. A lot. She has a difficult time connecting to people. She has traumatic memories that haunt her still and some she may be suppressing.
Crosby does a wonderful job with the setting and creating the character of Zoe. I did find some of the repeated obsessing (over the scar, Hannah, Chris, her father) to be tiresome after so much reiteration. I also wondered why Zoe had such a hard time after therapy for years coming to terms with at least a few of her issues. On the other hand Crosby slowly has Zoe provide more information about bits and pieces of her childhood and her current relationship with Chris throughout the whole novel. It is also understandable that going to the island after being gone for so many years would bring back memories you thought you had banished or handled years before.
When the end comes it is startling and surprising enough to overcome some of the problems I had with The Girl Who Stayed. Up until the end there were really no startling surprises; however, the pacing was even and there were enough new facts disclosed along the way that it kept my interest. This would be a good airport or vacation book. It will keep your attention and entertain you
Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher and TLC for review purposes.
http://tlcbooktours.com
May 10, 2016
Zoe Rutherford’s sister Hannah disappeared almost three decades ago when Hannah was eight and Zoe was ten. Throughout her life, Zoe has been haunted by Hannah’s disappearance. She was jealous of her parents’ love for Hannah and that Hannah had found a new friend in Gabi their next door neighbor. After Gabi accuses Zoe of murdering her sister, Zoe’s family is never right again with her father always distrustful and sure she did it and her mother existing in a drugged out state. Zoe was sure she would never return to the family home on Sullivan’s Island, but after she is hospitalized when her vindictive boyfriend throws a pot at her head, she returns to clean the house up after a decade of rentals have left it in tatters.
On the island, Zoe feels at home but also as a stranger. She finds herself consumed with the mystery of her sister’s disappearance. What happened to her sister? Did Zoe herself have something to do with it? She also has a mysterious cranky neighbor, Walter, who was Gabi’s Uncle and a war hero. Does he know something that can help Zoe? Zoe works on the house, but also works on herself, her complicated family history, and moving on from her abusive boyfriend.
I enjoyed The Girl Who Stayed. The plot was a slow burn thriller, but I enjoyed so many other aspects of it as well. I really love the details of Zoe restoring her family’s cottage on Sullivan’s Island, as well as details about the history of the island outside of Charleston, South Carolina. It made me want to visit the island myself. I also loved Zoe’s complicated family history and her childhood. How things were mostly good, but then teetered off into bad after Hannah’s disappearance. Many things she didn’t understand as a child, she comes to terms with after taking a longer look back at as an adult. She also reconnects with her brother and begins to value herself and her family more. I cringed at the details of her abusive relationship with her boyfriend, but it made sense after her childhood and own feelings of self-worth. The thriller part of the story kept me guessing, and it surprised me at the end – which is something I love in a thriller.
Overall, The Girl Who Stayed is a gripping, multi-layered story that I enjoyed. I feel it would make a good book to discuss at a book club as well. I would also vastly enjoy a movie version of this book.
Two of my favorite quotes from the novel:
“For years after, until the last face on a milk carton was printed and tossed into the trash, Zoe had found herself standing in the dairy section of the grocery story, lifting up random cartons, just to see if she could see Hannah’s face.”
“Some endings, she realized, were not neat. Maybe closure happened the instant you put a hand over the rearview mirror. It wasn’t some gift bestowed upon you by somebody else; it was a decision you made.”
Book Source: Review Copy for being a part of the TLC Book Tours
This review was originally posted on my blog at: http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2016/...
On the island, Zoe feels at home but also as a stranger. She finds herself consumed with the mystery of her sister’s disappearance. What happened to her sister? Did Zoe herself have something to do with it? She also has a mysterious cranky neighbor, Walter, who was Gabi’s Uncle and a war hero. Does he know something that can help Zoe? Zoe works on the house, but also works on herself, her complicated family history, and moving on from her abusive boyfriend.
I enjoyed The Girl Who Stayed. The plot was a slow burn thriller, but I enjoyed so many other aspects of it as well. I really love the details of Zoe restoring her family’s cottage on Sullivan’s Island, as well as details about the history of the island outside of Charleston, South Carolina. It made me want to visit the island myself. I also loved Zoe’s complicated family history and her childhood. How things were mostly good, but then teetered off into bad after Hannah’s disappearance. Many things she didn’t understand as a child, she comes to terms with after taking a longer look back at as an adult. She also reconnects with her brother and begins to value herself and her family more. I cringed at the details of her abusive relationship with her boyfriend, but it made sense after her childhood and own feelings of self-worth. The thriller part of the story kept me guessing, and it surprised me at the end – which is something I love in a thriller.
Overall, The Girl Who Stayed is a gripping, multi-layered story that I enjoyed. I feel it would make a good book to discuss at a book club as well. I would also vastly enjoy a movie version of this book.
Two of my favorite quotes from the novel:
“For years after, until the last face on a milk carton was printed and tossed into the trash, Zoe had found herself standing in the dairy section of the grocery story, lifting up random cartons, just to see if she could see Hannah’s face.”
“Some endings, she realized, were not neat. Maybe closure happened the instant you put a hand over the rearview mirror. It wasn’t some gift bestowed upon you by somebody else; it was a decision you made.”
Book Source: Review Copy for being a part of the TLC Book Tours
This review was originally posted on my blog at: http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2016/...
August 24, 2016
Book Review: A Soulful Story! Haunting and Redeeming!
The Girl Who Stayed
By Tanya Anne Crosby
Zoe Rutherford's return to her childhood home on Sullivan's Island stirs up more than childhood memories. It's more akin to nightmares even an adult wouldn't handle. Her younger sister disappeared without a trace which subsequently cast the family into a living hell. After her parents pass away, she and her brother are left to deal with the house they grew up in. The house she left behind when she buried the oppression of those memories, when she left the island to begin her adulthood.
Returning, Zoe finds herself renovating the house in hopes of getting a top price, only to find the renovations mirror the healing of her fragmented soul.
The guilt that she carried over her sister's disappearance and possible death unburies itself from deep within her consciousness and demands that she finally relinquish the facade she built around herself. She finally realizes it didn't help her because her life that far was tinged by the stain of that guilt in every aspect. She hadn't buried it as deep as she believed.
When she forgives her father for his abuse and her mother for her emotional abandonment, she comes to grips that her life is worth living. The past can stay in the past and she can live a life worth living without survivors guilt.
The Girl Who Stayed is emotionally gripping, pulling on heartstrings from a tormented soul. Can she blame her missing sister for her carelessness? Can she blame herself when her sister rebuffed her presence? Can she stop asking herself If she had stayed then would her sister still be alive today? Can she finally understand none of it was her fault, none of the circumstances were under her control?
Author Tanya Anne Crosby doesn't waste time pandering to flowery descriptions, she throws you into the deep end of the emotional pool, rife with turmoil and conflict. The reader will instantly sympathize with Zoe Rutherford and the tormented family.
This is a grown up novel, alive with the grittiness of real life problems; Crosby doesn't use kid gloves. She lays it all out and once you read that first page you are the fish on the line, hook and sinker.
All of the descriptions of heart wrenching, emotional, thought provoking, psychological, soul revealing apply to this story. It is a story of sisterly love lost, innocence lost, abuse, guilt and blame. It is a story of a journey into hell and the road of recovery back out into the light of life.
In one word, exceptional!
I highly recommend this novel!
Tanya Anne Crosby has written over thirty novels and novellas combined, please visit her website to see the complete list at /tanyaannecrosby.com and download the free prequel novella The Things We Leave Behind http://tanyaannecrosby.com/#!/finally...
FTC Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this title by Net Galley and The Story Plant Publishing for review purposes only; no other compensation was awarded.
The Girl Who Stayed
By Tanya Anne Crosby
Zoe Rutherford's return to her childhood home on Sullivan's Island stirs up more than childhood memories. It's more akin to nightmares even an adult wouldn't handle. Her younger sister disappeared without a trace which subsequently cast the family into a living hell. After her parents pass away, she and her brother are left to deal with the house they grew up in. The house she left behind when she buried the oppression of those memories, when she left the island to begin her adulthood.
Returning, Zoe finds herself renovating the house in hopes of getting a top price, only to find the renovations mirror the healing of her fragmented soul.
The guilt that she carried over her sister's disappearance and possible death unburies itself from deep within her consciousness and demands that she finally relinquish the facade she built around herself. She finally realizes it didn't help her because her life that far was tinged by the stain of that guilt in every aspect. She hadn't buried it as deep as she believed.
When she forgives her father for his abuse and her mother for her emotional abandonment, she comes to grips that her life is worth living. The past can stay in the past and she can live a life worth living without survivors guilt.
The Girl Who Stayed is emotionally gripping, pulling on heartstrings from a tormented soul. Can she blame her missing sister for her carelessness? Can she blame herself when her sister rebuffed her presence? Can she stop asking herself If she had stayed then would her sister still be alive today? Can she finally understand none of it was her fault, none of the circumstances were under her control?
Author Tanya Anne Crosby doesn't waste time pandering to flowery descriptions, she throws you into the deep end of the emotional pool, rife with turmoil and conflict. The reader will instantly sympathize with Zoe Rutherford and the tormented family.
This is a grown up novel, alive with the grittiness of real life problems; Crosby doesn't use kid gloves. She lays it all out and once you read that first page you are the fish on the line, hook and sinker.
All of the descriptions of heart wrenching, emotional, thought provoking, psychological, soul revealing apply to this story. It is a story of sisterly love lost, innocence lost, abuse, guilt and blame. It is a story of a journey into hell and the road of recovery back out into the light of life.
In one word, exceptional!
I highly recommend this novel!
Tanya Anne Crosby has written over thirty novels and novellas combined, please visit her website to see the complete list at /tanyaannecrosby.com and download the free prequel novella The Things We Leave Behind http://tanyaannecrosby.com/#!/finally...
FTC Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this title by Net Galley and The Story Plant Publishing for review purposes only; no other compensation was awarded.
March 2, 2016
Zoe returns to her hometown of Sullivan's Island with one goal in mind: repair her childhood home and sell it, so she never has to come back. Her parents are dead, her brother doesn't want it, and her little sister, Hannah, disappeared from the Island when Hannah was eight and Zoe was ten. At the time, Hannah's friend, Gabi, insinuated that Zoe was responsible for Hannah's disappearance and while she knows it isn't true, Zoe has always felt confused and remorseful about her behavior during the time period when Hannah vanished. Even worse, she grew up under the doubt of her parents, especially her angry father, who seemed to believe Gabi, and with whom Zoe had a rough and rocky relationship as she aged.
This was an interesting book and I confess it had the misfortune of being read during a crazy time for me of illness and work: not its fault. Zoe is a tough character to crack at first, but she's also a victim of abuse, and her slowness to reveal herself--in the book and to others--makes sense. Crosby does a good job of displaying (versus telling) how Zoe's relationship with her parents has formed her into the adult she is today. What I enjoyed is that Zoe is a complicated individual with many layers. I've read too many books lately where a character had a bad childhood or suffered some form of abuse and that seems to be a reason to make them have only one character trait, which they must act upon, with no sign of reason. Zoe is nuanced, even if she takes some time to warm up to.
There are several scenes in the book that are nearly heartbreaking as you read. For instance, when Zoe finds a projector and a bunch of film belonging to her grandfather and manages to splice together enough film to capture a few moments of her late sister as a kid. As she describes the moment, it's powerful, and you can completely picture it. In another scene, she reminisces about how her mother "helped" her fix up Zoe's bathing suit before a first date--an event that ended poorly. This moment is not only formed so clearly, but says so much about how Zoe continued to relate to her Mom. It's very well-done.
The book spends most of its time focusing on Zoe's late second coming of age story (at nearly 40), with a few characters from Sullivan's Island thrown in, but there is a subplot to Hannah's disappearance that picks up pace near the end. The very end of the story felt a little rushed (though exciting). I'm still a bit torn about the actual ending--it sort of pissed me off--but I understand Crosby's choices.
In writing this review, I'd probably push my rating up to a 3.75 stars. It's a different book, and I enjoyed Zoe. I almost wish I could encounter her again.
I received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss - thank you! It is available for publication on 4/19/16. You can find a review this novel and many more at my blog.
This was an interesting book and I confess it had the misfortune of being read during a crazy time for me of illness and work: not its fault. Zoe is a tough character to crack at first, but she's also a victim of abuse, and her slowness to reveal herself--in the book and to others--makes sense. Crosby does a good job of displaying (versus telling) how Zoe's relationship with her parents has formed her into the adult she is today. What I enjoyed is that Zoe is a complicated individual with many layers. I've read too many books lately where a character had a bad childhood or suffered some form of abuse and that seems to be a reason to make them have only one character trait, which they must act upon, with no sign of reason. Zoe is nuanced, even if she takes some time to warm up to.
There are several scenes in the book that are nearly heartbreaking as you read. For instance, when Zoe finds a projector and a bunch of film belonging to her grandfather and manages to splice together enough film to capture a few moments of her late sister as a kid. As she describes the moment, it's powerful, and you can completely picture it. In another scene, she reminisces about how her mother "helped" her fix up Zoe's bathing suit before a first date--an event that ended poorly. This moment is not only formed so clearly, but says so much about how Zoe continued to relate to her Mom. It's very well-done.
The book spends most of its time focusing on Zoe's late second coming of age story (at nearly 40), with a few characters from Sullivan's Island thrown in, but there is a subplot to Hannah's disappearance that picks up pace near the end. The very end of the story felt a little rushed (though exciting). I'm still a bit torn about the actual ending--it sort of pissed me off--but I understand Crosby's choices.
In writing this review, I'd probably push my rating up to a 3.75 stars. It's a different book, and I enjoyed Zoe. I almost wish I could encounter her again.
I received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss - thank you! It is available for publication on 4/19/16. You can find a review this novel and many more at my blog.
April 26, 2016
The Girl Who Stayed, is written by Tanya Anne Crosby. This is the first book that I have read by this author, and it exceeded my expectations. I will definitely be reading more by this author.
Zoe Rutherford is returning to the house she grew up in on Sullivan Island, a house that holds bad memories for Zoe. It is the place in which her family fell apart after her sister Hannah disappeared. Her parents are deceased now, and Zoe needs to return to prepare the house so it can be put up for sale. She knew that returning home would not be easy, but she had no idea just how hard it would be. She is immediately flooded with childhood memories, memories she wishes would have never returned. As she begins fixing up her family home, she reconnects with some of the townsfolk of Sullivan's Island. Some people she knows and trusts, and then there are others that just give her a bad feeling for some reason. There is a missing persons case that brings up old memories, as well as the constant fear of her abusive ex-husband finding her. As time passes, she begins to feel like this place is home once again, but she is unsure if she will be able to put the past behind her and finally be able to move forward with her life. In order to finally move on, she has to solve the disappearance of Hannah so many years ago.
This is a well written novel, with an interesting plot. The characters are complex and believable. The story kept me engaged throughout, and read at a great pace. There are some surprises that I didn't see coming, but that only added to the overall suspense of the story. The journey Zoe takes is long overdue, despite the pain it is causing her. She learns to confront her demons, and in the end, comes out even stronger. Overall, this was a great book, and one that I would recommend reading.
I was given a digital copy of this book from The Story Plant and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Zoe Rutherford is returning to the house she grew up in on Sullivan Island, a house that holds bad memories for Zoe. It is the place in which her family fell apart after her sister Hannah disappeared. Her parents are deceased now, and Zoe needs to return to prepare the house so it can be put up for sale. She knew that returning home would not be easy, but she had no idea just how hard it would be. She is immediately flooded with childhood memories, memories she wishes would have never returned. As she begins fixing up her family home, she reconnects with some of the townsfolk of Sullivan's Island. Some people she knows and trusts, and then there are others that just give her a bad feeling for some reason. There is a missing persons case that brings up old memories, as well as the constant fear of her abusive ex-husband finding her. As time passes, she begins to feel like this place is home once again, but she is unsure if she will be able to put the past behind her and finally be able to move forward with her life. In order to finally move on, she has to solve the disappearance of Hannah so many years ago.
This is a well written novel, with an interesting plot. The characters are complex and believable. The story kept me engaged throughout, and read at a great pace. There are some surprises that I didn't see coming, but that only added to the overall suspense of the story. The journey Zoe takes is long overdue, despite the pain it is causing her. She learns to confront her demons, and in the end, comes out even stronger. Overall, this was a great book, and one that I would recommend reading.
I was given a digital copy of this book from The Story Plant and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 1, 2016
My Rating: 5
Synopsis:
Zoe Rutherford wasn't sure what she was expecting when she returned to Sullivan's Island. The house on Sullivan's hadn't represented home to her in decades. It was the place where she endured her father's cruelty. It was the place where her mother closed herself off from the world. It was the place where her sister disappeared. But now that her parents are gone, Zoe needs to return to the house, to close it down and prepare it for sale. She intends to get this done as quickly as possible and get on with her life, even though that life seems clouded by her past, both distant and recent. But what she discovers when she gets there is far beyond her imagining and will change her in profound ways.
THE GIRL WHO STAYED is a remarkable exploration of the soul by a writer with a rare talent for reaching into the hearts of her characters and her readers, a novel of transformation that will leave you moved and breathless.
My Thoughts and Opinion:
Zoe, trying to escape her present situation of domestic abuse, returns to her childhood home, which she left many years ago at the age of 18 due to dysfunction, to clean it out, update and get it ready to sell. However, what she returns is more than she ever wanted to face.
THE GIRL WHO STAYED is a raw, sometimes gut wrenching, emotional read. Powerful and compelling. A story of what true "closure" really means, which the author sums up as "Maybe closure happened the instant you put a hand over the rearview mirror".
This book will tug at your heart strings and have the reader exploring their own memories of previous days.
I would recommend this book to all, especially if you have, are or will be having the chore of breaking down their childhood home. I also think this book would be a good choice for a Book Club having many issues to discuss.
A phenomenal read!! And another winner from The Story Plant!
Synopsis:
Zoe Rutherford wasn't sure what she was expecting when she returned to Sullivan's Island. The house on Sullivan's hadn't represented home to her in decades. It was the place where she endured her father's cruelty. It was the place where her mother closed herself off from the world. It was the place where her sister disappeared. But now that her parents are gone, Zoe needs to return to the house, to close it down and prepare it for sale. She intends to get this done as quickly as possible and get on with her life, even though that life seems clouded by her past, both distant and recent. But what she discovers when she gets there is far beyond her imagining and will change her in profound ways.
THE GIRL WHO STAYED is a remarkable exploration of the soul by a writer with a rare talent for reaching into the hearts of her characters and her readers, a novel of transformation that will leave you moved and breathless.
My Thoughts and Opinion:
Zoe, trying to escape her present situation of domestic abuse, returns to her childhood home, which she left many years ago at the age of 18 due to dysfunction, to clean it out, update and get it ready to sell. However, what she returns is more than she ever wanted to face.
THE GIRL WHO STAYED is a raw, sometimes gut wrenching, emotional read. Powerful and compelling. A story of what true "closure" really means, which the author sums up as "Maybe closure happened the instant you put a hand over the rearview mirror".
This book will tug at your heart strings and have the reader exploring their own memories of previous days.
I would recommend this book to all, especially if you have, are or will be having the chore of breaking down their childhood home. I also think this book would be a good choice for a Book Club having many issues to discuss.
A phenomenal read!! And another winner from The Story Plant!
April 26, 2016
What would you do if your childhood home held nothing but bad memories? Zoe Rutherford returns to her childhood home on Sullivan’s Island, SC. The story begins with her remembering her little sister, Hannah. Hannah had disappeared in 1986 and was never found. Zoe felt guilty. Yes, she was only ten years old, but she’d not been particularly close to her eight year old sister. In fact, she often wondered if she loved her at all. Zoe was closer to her brother, Nicky. She became more like a mother to him since their mother had closed herself off to the world and from them. Hannah was their father’s favorite. After she disappeared, he was often emotionally cruel to Zoe … openly blaming her.
She tries to focus on why she’s there. She’s not there to relive the past; she’s there to make the home saleable after the death of her parents and the more recent abandonment of the renters. Even after she’d left home decades before, she’d been involved in a disastrous relationship that she wouldn’t give up on until now.
One of the best components of this novel is one of contradiction. Old, neglected, and full of grim memories, the house contrasts dramatically with the beautiful and restful coastal scenery of Sullivan’s Island. Relying on flashbacks, the author pieces together the lives of this dysfunctional family and the mystery anchored to Hannah’s disappearance. It had a rather slow beginning; it evolved into an emotional drama, yet a grim one. Rating: 3 out of 5.
She tries to focus on why she’s there. She’s not there to relive the past; she’s there to make the home saleable after the death of her parents and the more recent abandonment of the renters. Even after she’d left home decades before, she’d been involved in a disastrous relationship that she wouldn’t give up on until now.
One of the best components of this novel is one of contradiction. Old, neglected, and full of grim memories, the house contrasts dramatically with the beautiful and restful coastal scenery of Sullivan’s Island. Relying on flashbacks, the author pieces together the lives of this dysfunctional family and the mystery anchored to Hannah’s disappearance. It had a rather slow beginning; it evolved into an emotional drama, yet a grim one. Rating: 3 out of 5.
June 21, 2016
This was definitely an interesting read; but all the way through I was continually conflicted between whether I was reading a contemporary literary novel or a suspense. Less than halfway through I decided to just enjoy it for an interesting composite of the two.
The island setting for this novel could easily be considered another character in this "returning home" contemporary suspense novel. Though the story moved more slowly than I was expecting or had hoped, the writing itself was strong and compelled me forward and wanting to stay with Zoe, even when elements of her character frustrated me when it seemed like she was just sitting around and purposelessly rifling through her past.
Where the "suspense" aspects at times seemed a bit too subtle for my own tastes, the writing certainly kept me hooked. Crosby paints a vivid and realistic portrait of the setting, the characters and the grief that Zoe experiences in the early loss of her younger sister, and those elements were my reward.
I think that this is the type of book I might recommend for someone who normally reads literary fiction and is interested in giving a suspense or thriller novel a try, but wants to start with something that doesn't stray too far into "edge of the seat" territory . . . and as a reader, I'd be intrigued with checking out the author's romantic suspense novels to see how much further they take those elements.
The island setting for this novel could easily be considered another character in this "returning home" contemporary suspense novel. Though the story moved more slowly than I was expecting or had hoped, the writing itself was strong and compelled me forward and wanting to stay with Zoe, even when elements of her character frustrated me when it seemed like she was just sitting around and purposelessly rifling through her past.
Where the "suspense" aspects at times seemed a bit too subtle for my own tastes, the writing certainly kept me hooked. Crosby paints a vivid and realistic portrait of the setting, the characters and the grief that Zoe experiences in the early loss of her younger sister, and those elements were my reward.
I think that this is the type of book I might recommend for someone who normally reads literary fiction and is interested in giving a suspense or thriller novel a try, but wants to start with something that doesn't stray too far into "edge of the seat" territory . . . and as a reader, I'd be intrigued with checking out the author's romantic suspense novels to see how much further they take those elements.
February 23, 2016
Zoe Rutherford’s life was a mess and had been since the day her little sister, Hannah, went missing 29 years ago. This was a pivotal point in her life. To compound matters, for reasons known only to Gabi Donovan, the last person to see Hannah alive, Zoe is accused of killing her sister. Although the investigation proves otherwise, doubts have been cast, in her parents’ minds and even in her own mind. Her mother withdrawals and her father takes out his anger on Zoe, both verbally and physically. Now, this is all in the past. She runs from an abusive relationship that she has endured for eight years and comes back to her family home to sell it. She is forced to take a good hard look at her life and her relationships to determine what path life will follow.
The story is told in the third person with flash backs to explain Zoe’s reactions to her present circumstances. It helps the reader to understand why Zoe would settle for the life that she has for so long and her fear of beginning again. It poignantly examines how emotional trauma can affect the decisions that are made as an adult. Throw in some unexpected twists along the way and you have a novel that keeps you reading to the end.
Be sure to read this wonderful novel when it is available. It caught my interest from the first page for both the personal conflicts and the mystery.
The story is told in the third person with flash backs to explain Zoe’s reactions to her present circumstances. It helps the reader to understand why Zoe would settle for the life that she has for so long and her fear of beginning again. It poignantly examines how emotional trauma can affect the decisions that are made as an adult. Throw in some unexpected twists along the way and you have a novel that keeps you reading to the end.
Be sure to read this wonderful novel when it is available. It caught my interest from the first page for both the personal conflicts and the mystery.
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