The Lost and the Found

by Cat Clarke

Fans of Lucy Christopher’s Stolen, Caroline B. Cooney’s The Face on the Milk Carton, and Natasha Preston’s The Cellar will be captivated by this twisty psychological thriller about an abducted girl who finally returns home to her family—but is she really who she claims to be?
 
THE LOST
When six-year-old Laurel Logan was abducted, the only witness was her younger sister, Faith. Since then, Faith’s childhood has revolved around her sister’s disappearance—from her parents’ broken marriage and the constant media attention, to dealing with so-called friends who only ever want to talk about her missing sister.
 
THE FOUND
Now, thirteen years later, a young woman is found in the front yard of the Logans’ old house, disoriented and clutching the teddy bear Laurel was last seen with. Can her sister finally be back? Faith always dreamed of her sister coming home; she just never believed it would happen. But soon a disturbing series of events leaves Faith increasingly isolated from her family and paranoid about her sister’s motives. Before long, Faith begins to wonder if it’s the abduction that’s changed her sister, or if it’s something else. . . .

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Realistic Fiction, Fiction

368 pages, Library Binding

First published April 23, 2015

About the author

Cat was born in Zambia and brought up in Edinburgh and Yorkshire, which has given her an accent that tends to confuse people.

Cat has written non-fiction books about exciting things like cowboys, sharks and pirates, and now writes YA novels. She lives in Edinburgh with a couple of cats, Jem and Scout, who spend their days plotting to spit up furballs at the most inconvenient times. She likes cheese A LOT, especially baked camembert.

Reviews

[April (Aprilius Maximus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Quercus Books for sending my workplace a copy for review!
What a rollercoaster! I didn't go into this book with many expectations so I was extremely surprised to come out of the reading experience gushing about how good this book was. I'll start of by saying that my biggest fear is being kidnapped so I probably shouldn't read books like this, but for some reason I find them so fascinating. I loved that this book followed what happens after Laurel is found and how she and her family copes with the adjustment and also with the police trying to track down the man who took her. It was so interesting to see how Laurel coped with being put back into the real world.
At about the half way mark, I honestly couldn't stop flipping those pages because I just HAD to know what happened. The mystery aspect was fantastic and gripping and was super intriguing the whole way through. I did guess the twist at the end though which was a bit disappointing, but I love how the author did it (if you've read it, you'll know what I mean).
I really wanted an epilogue tho. LIKE, JUST A COUPLE MORE PAGES PLEASEEEEE THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
I loved the rawness of the emotions from the family members and all in all I just feel like this book was really well done. I highly recommend it!

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time, but for whatever reason I kept putting it off. Boy I'm glad I finally did!

"The Lost And The Found" is the story of Faith, when she was 4 she witnessed the kidnapping of her 6 year old sister Laurel. After 13 years Laurel is found wondering around her old child home clutching her favorite teddy bear.

This story had me captivated with its twists and turns and even though I kinda figured out some things I wanted to see how it played out. Something's did surprise me. To tell the truth I don't know if I was happy or not with the ending. I'm still thinking about even hours after finishing reading this book.

Even though this story is told from Faith's POV I tried to get in everybody's head and I did sympathize with all of them. As a parent imagining losing my child for so long clinging to the hope every single day to finding her. As a sister seeing how she was taken away and not really having a chance to truly have a sister. Then having that person back, familiar, but a stranger at the same time.

Everything Faith did and felt I understood it made me think how when something like this happens every single member of the family becomes a victim. Did she do the right thing? I'm not sure part of me thinks yes and another part of me says no.

A great first read by this author, filled with mystery and drama. That ending though, it was WOW! Does the "end justifies the means"? Yes. No. Maybe? Who knows it's one of those situations where you can only have the right answer if you been in that situation yourself. I'm definitely gonna be thinking about this book for a while and I'll always wonder what if?.......🤔

[Sandysbookaday is (reluctantly) on hiatus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever wanted something so badly that your whole life is centred around it?

Faith is sure that if only her older sister Laurel could come back from wherever it is she has been taken, that all will once again be right in her world. Her life has been dominated by Laurel's disappearance, and Faith feels somehow responsible - why had the abductor taken Laurel and not her?

But when Laurel returns, thirteen years later, all is not as Faith had imagined. Dark and disturbing things happen that leave Faith wondering just who Laurel has become.

3.5 stars for The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke. This is a 'quiet' psychological thriller with a twist I kind of saw coming. I knew something was happening, and was beginning to wonder....

I enjoyed the cat-and-mouse relationship between Faith, her boyfriend Thomas and Laurel. The author has perfectly captured the see-sawing emotions of the teenaged Faith; the joy of Laurel's return; the feelings of disappointment, abandonment and guilt as everyone flocks around her sister; the distrust of a sister she no longer knows.

There were a few things about this book I didn't like - It didn't quite drag, but almost in places. At the times the writing was flat and laboured. But having said that, I couldn't put it down. It was quietly compelling and enjoyable.

I was quite surprised to see this classed as a children's book - I would have thought YA to adult fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Crown Books for Young Readers for providing a digital ARC of The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to resist a good mystery that is filled with twists and dark turns and that leaves you questioning everything and lets face it, who doesn't love a book that makes you frantically flip through the pages until the very end? There aren't many of us that can resist them.

This book is ever mothers nightmare. The possibility, the horror that one of your children could be taken away from you in the blink of an eye with no leads, no suspects, and no where to turn. It is horrifying and chilling and not something anyone wants to think about but something we all want to shield from one another instead and wrap our families up in a neat, nice, tight bubble where nothing bad will ever get in or disturb.

This book brings all those horrors to the surface and puts them out there for all to see, all to fear, and all to sympathize with.

It brings out the emotions of the what ifs, and the survivors guilt, and the anguish of losing someone you love and then finding them again. What a family, what a mother, a sister, and a father go through.

It was completely realistic, completely enthralling, and completely entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

With enough mystery, suspense, and twisted details to keep you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages.

*ARC copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

[Anne Goldschrift · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay über das Ende kann man auf jeden Fall streiten (mein Fall war es jedenfalls nicht) aber alles in allem war das echt ein Top-Buch! Fette Buchempfehlung von mir :)

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really addicted to this story, but I think it was a bit too laboured. The whole premise is that the sister will come back after 13 years and the first 50 or so pages are the build up to that and I hate to say it but it dragged... BUT as soon as Laurel did appear I was engrossed. I wanted to know more about what had happened to her so desperately that I couldn't put the book down.

Faith was such a great character to follow because she had a lot of conflicting emotions. Obviously, she was relieved and happy that her sister returned, but now she has to handle having an older sister who everyone adores. It's a rough and complicated time for her.

I saw the plot twist coming. From about a mile away. I still really liked the explanation and was pretty satisfied with the ending overall. I just wish I'd been more surprised. I think the very last paragraph (before the book excerpt) was the bit that really shocked me. I'll be thinking about it for a LONG time.

If you liked this then I would definitely recommend If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story so much! There was something about it that was unsettling the whole time, but the slow, slice-of-life pace meant that I'd always finish a chapter in a hurry for a big reveal. It was a great feeling, to be kept on edge for over 400 pages, and I absolutely did not see the final twist coming.

I'm an absolute sucker for stories that have sisters at the heart, and the attitudes of both Faith and Laurel were so interesting as they changed throughout the book. Faith was a great narrator, and a huge factor for why I read this book so quickly.

If you're looking for your next thriller read, this should be it!

[Cora Tea Party Princess · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUDIOBOOK

5 Words: Missing, family, lies, resent, love.

Well, that was not at all what I expected. I'm not even sure what I was expecting when I started this book.

But it was definitely a good surprise, and I will absolutely be reading/listening to more Cat Clarke.

I loved how there was this hint that something just wasn't quite right, but because of the situation you didn't want to question it. And I loved the way it ended when everything came to a head, not quite what I expected!

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 5 out of 5]

ETA: I’m just finished listening to the audiobook. It was my first by a narrator with an accent other than American and took a little bit to adjust. The narrator read the story with a more sarcastic tone than I envisioned when I read, which made the Faith less sympathetic than my reading of the story.

After rereading THE LOST AND THE FOUND for the third or fourth time, I’ve upped my rating from 3 to 4 to 5 and for the first time I’m completely rewriting my review for a book. (I must have been grumpy the first time I wrote it).

After thirteen years missing, Faith’s older sister Laurel is finally home. Now seventeen, Faith barely remembers a life before the kidnapping, a life when she wasn’t eclipsed by the disappearance of Little Laurel Logan. She’s glad to have her sister home, but still in Laurel’s shadow.

Faith is so sympathetic, she understands Laurel’s life has been exponentially more difficult than hers, and Faith feels twinges of jealously then guilt. She’s so sensitive to Michel, her dad’s partner, being lost in the shuffle of Laurel’s return, much like Faith herself. Cat Clarke’s characters in THE LOST AND THE FOUND are complex, flawed and relatable.

Clarke gave Faith a believable, engaging and subtly sarcastic voice, kept the plot moving at a steady pace. My heart was invested in Faith’s journey and to a lesser extent, with Laurel.

I enjoy books about kidnapped children coming home and the impact on their families because of the emotional impact on the families and the victim. THE LOST AND THE FOUND is one of the best, that I reread when I need an emotional fix.

[Milena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this was surprisingly good.
3.5 ★

[Brookebook · Rating 2 out of 5]

i thought this would be interesting because i like books about abduction but it was more dull than i thought it would be. i was disappointed.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://wandering-world.skyrock.com/32...

Ok. Alors je viens de finir PERDUE ET RETROUVÉE et je ne sais pas, une fois de plus, si je dois détester Cat Clarke parce qu'elle rend l'écriture de mes chroniques vraiment hyper compliquée à chaque roman qu'elle écrit ou alors devenir encore plus fou amoureux d'elle pour cela. Cette lecture est un joli coup de cœur, une histoire à la fois troublante, anxiogène et vraiment, vraiment passionnante. C'est bien la toute première fois de ma vie que je lis un livre en ayant une boule dans l'estomac du début à la fin. Dès que nous entamons ce récit, et comme nous parlons ici de Cat Clarke, nous savons pertinemment que tout peut basculer d'une page à l'autre et qu'un évènement imprévisible risque de se manifester pour faire valser nos convictions. PERDUE ET RETROUVÉE et l'exemple-même de ce don de l'auteure. J'ai vraiment été stressé et paniqué à l'idée de découvrir le fin mot de cette histoire tout en étant ultra curieux et captivé par ce qui se passait. Ce récit nous rend complètement paranoïaque et sadomasochiste : on en veut constamment plus alors qu'on sait que la chute va être horriblement traumatisante. J'avais oublié à quel point c'était jouissif d'être un peu fou. Merci Cat Clarke de me l'avoir rappelé. ♥

PERDUE ET RETROUVÉE, c'est avant tout l'histoire de Faith, une jeune femme particulièrement attachante qui m'a vraiment de plus en plus touché tandis que l'histoire avançait. Au départ, j'ai eu un peu de mal à m'adapter à son comportement trop enfantin ou étrange concernant le retour de Laurel. Je l'ai trouvé égoïste et peut-être trop égocentrique par rapport à tout ce qui se passait dans la vie de sa famille et, plus particulièrement, de ses parents. Cependant, peu à peu, Faith est parvenue à me convaincre de la profondeur et de la logique de ses sentiments. Ce n'est pas moi qui ai brisé mes craintes la concernant mais bien elle qui a réussi à totalement me laisser me prendre au jeu. De plus, et c'est là que l'Effet Cat Clarke s'est de nouveau manifesté, Faith est une héroïne qui est vraiment vraiment vraiment vraiment vraiment humaine et réaliste (même cinq « vraiment » ne suffissent pas, si vous voulez mon opinion). J'avais oublié cette putain de capacité que possède Cat Clarke pour créer des personnages qui sont réels. Qui sont là, avec nous, partout. Vraiment là. A chaque fois, je suis ébloui et complètement ébranlé par la complexité et l'humanité des héros de l'auteure. C'est juste tellement incroyable.

Il en va de même avec Laurel. C'est une héroïne vraiment mystérieuse et secrète, qui a provoqué toute une panoplie de sentiments contradictoires en moi tout au long de ma lecture. Il y a vraiment quelque chose d'étrange et de limite effrayant chez elle, ce qui est à la fois hyper angoissant mais également ultra captivant et époustouflant. J'ai adoré découvrir son récit et voir le fil conducteur se dérouler lentement mais sûrement vers une conclusion qui m'a dévasté et pris aux tripes. Cat Clarke est tellement, tellement redoutable quand elle s'y met. Les protagonistes secondaires sont, eux aussi, maîtrisés à la perfection. Le cocon familial de Faith et Laurel est développé sans aucun faux-pas. L'auteure aborde des thèmes désormais récurrents dans ses romans à travers les parents des deux sœurs, et j'ai trouvé tous ces clins d'œil vraiment passionnants. Je me suis énormément attaché à Michel qui est sans aucun doute le personnage secondaire le plus adorable de ce roman. Néanmoins, j'ai trouvé qu'il était un peu trop mis côté à certains moments de l'histoire, tout comme Martha et Thomas qui auraient certainement pu être plus mis en avant. Cependant, les quelques fois où nous les apercevons sont déjà suffisantes pour leur procurer une vraie profondeur. C'est justement parce qu'ils sont épais si rapidement que j'aurais aimé pouvoir en savoir plus, mais je comprends le choix de l'auteure de ne pas s'arrêter essentiellement sur eux. L'histoire, avant tout, est là pour que nous découvrions ce qui est arrivé à Laurel au cours des treize dernières années.

L'intrigue, justement. Comme dit plus haut, j'ai été littéralement à bout de souffle et anxieux à chaque page que je tournais. Au bout de quatre romans, je commence à connaître Cat Clarke et suis plus ou moins habitué à ses histoires tordues et oppressantes. PERDUE ET RETROUVÉE ne déroge bien évidemment pas à la règle. Je vais aborder un point sensible de l'histoire : sa lenteur. En effet, PERDUE ET RETROUVÉE avance très, très lentement. L'histoire évolue en prenant son temps et ne se livre totalement à nous qu'après énormément de temps. Personnellement, je n'ai pas trouvé ça gênant DU TOUT. Bien au contraire, cela confère au roman une vraie atmosphère à la fois lourde et entêtante. Il y a vraiment quelque chose d'enivrant, de puissant et d'intense dans ce livre, et c'est essentiellement possible grâce à son caractère langoureux, justement. On se retrouve rapidement enfiévré par la lenteur de l'évolution des choses. Cela nous procure vraiment le BESOIN d'en savoir plus. On dépasse le stade de la simple curiosité pour ressentir un vrai manque à combler, sans quoi il serait impossible de se sortir l'histoire de la tête, même pour quelques secondes. Ainsi, j'ai trouvé que la lenteur était nécessaire et totalement justifiée. De plus, le style toujours aussi jouissif, net, clair et parfait de Cat Clarke nous permet d'être complètement ancrés dans le récit.

Fatalement, tout finit par s'accélérer et nous recevons finalement les révélations que nous attentions depuis le début. Je dois bien avouer que si beaucoup de personnes ont considéré cette conclusion comme prévisible, je n'avais absolument rien vu venir (tout mon ressenti est donc peut-être biaisé par cet élément, en fait). Les ultimes chapitres m'ont mis les larmes aux yeux et m'ont énormément ému. La fin de PERDUE ET RETROUVÉE est dévastatrice et nous met à fleur de peau. J'ai frissonné, j'ai eu envie de hurler et j'ai été complètement retourné. Cat Clarke nous délivre ici une fin très ouverte mais également plus que satisfaisante. Le simple fait que j'ai pu adorer cette conclusion alors qu'elle prête à réflexion est une preuve énorme qu'il ne faut pas passer à côté de ce roman. Le final de ce récit est extrêmement perturbant et bouleversant mais aborde également un sujet très sensible avec beaucoup de fragilité et de délicatesse. Cat Clarke est une vraie déesse en ce qui concerne les « et si » et les choses qui auraient pu se passer différemment. Ce sont toutes ces possibilités et impossibilités de la vie et tout ce qui ne s'est pas passé qui rendent cette fin éprouvante, exactement comme avec REVANCHE. J'ai tellement, tellement adoré ça. C'est une conclusion brillante, renversante et poignante à la hauteur de mes attentes.

Pour conclure, je dirai tout simplement qu'au lieu de lire cette chronique et d'attendre la fin de celle-ci pour aller à la librairie, courrez tout de suite vous acheter ce roman. Maintenant. N'attendez pas d'être arrivés au bout de cette phrase. PERDUE ET RETROUVÉE est un excellent thriller psychologique qui prouve, une nouvelle fois, que Cat Clarke a plus d'un tour dans son sac et qu'elle s'en sort extrêmement bien, quel que soit le domaine auquel elle se confronte. J'ai adoré Faith, j'ai adoré voir l'intrigue évoluer, j'ai adoré découvrir l'histoire de Laurel et j'ai adoré l'espèce de chaos malsain qui rôde à chaque page de cette histoire. PERDUE ET RETROUVÉE m'a énormément plu et m'a vraiment beaucoup touché. Si le récit est parvenu à me rendre un peu schizophrène, il a également – et surtout – réussi à m'en mettre plein la vue et à renverser toutes mes convictions. Encore une fois, j'applaudis Cat Clarke, sa plume et son imagination. Un coup de cœur à la fois marquant et enivrant, une histoire solide et entêtante que je vous recommande extrêmement chaudement.

[Norrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love listening to Cat Clarke’s books on audio. They always focus on mainly one character and have quite a simple, and yet complex story. The plot itself is nothing complicated. When Faith was little, her six-year-old sister was kidnapped. Now, thirteen years later, she’s found wandering the streets, clutching her old teddy bear.

What was meant to be a happy reunion, is tainted by suspicion and a tinge of jealousy. Faith’s been dreaming about getting Laurel back, and yet, when it happens, she finds herself all sorts of paranoid. All the attention turning toward the family also makes her uncomfortable. It’s such a difficult situation. The joy of having her sister back, mixed with all the guilt. Because surely she should be just happy. Surely Laurel is just trying to catch up on all the missed years, missed opportunities to have friends, right? Surely she’s not after Faith’s boyfriend? Faith should just be happy her sister is not damaged beyond repair and is able to form bonds with others. No? You see? I told you, it’s complicated.

I loved the exploration into family dynamics, and especially the focus on sibling relationships.

[Tina Morgen [lebe.liebe.lese] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Puuuh. 3 Sterne. Wobei ich eigentlich nur 2 geben wollte. 🤔

[Claire (Book Blog Bird) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Faith Logan’s childhood has been dominated by her sister Lauren’s abduction, so thirteen years later when a girl turns up at the Logans’ old house holding Laurel’s old teddy bear, it’s like a miracle has happened. But things aren’t always as they seem and as Laurel’s behaviour gets more erratic, Faith starts to get paranoid.

I really liked the writing style throughout the book - Faith had a slightly sarcastic narrative that took the edge off a pretty depressing subject matter - but I did find that the first third of the book dragged. It was kind of setting the stage and I liked the background to Faith’s home life and how Laurel’s abduction impacted her family, but not much really happened.

Faith’s best friend was pretty cool, but her boyfriend sucked. He was literally the worst book boyfriend I’ve ever read about. He was physically unattractive, and okay looks aren’t everything, but he had questionable personal hygiene and was a total knob to boot. There’s a plot point that relies on him being a wanker, but honestly it made me respect Faith a whole lot less for being with him. I got that she was attracted to him because he had no interest in Laurel’s abduction, but I’d have respected her a lot more if she’d chosen to stay single.

Things changed in the second half of the book. I started to get the distinct impression that Laurel wasn’t all she seemed. She started to get really creepy and Faith started to get really suspicious and stalkery. The tension ramped up and I started to plough through the remaining chapters. I did guess the plot twist early on, but the explanation and backstory behind the twist were nicely creepy.

The author also had some interesting commentary about how kidnappings are publicised and the role of the press. It felt like the book stemmed from the author wondering what would happen if Madeleine McCann suddenly turned up. The press furore surrounding Laurel’s abduction was remarkably similar to the McCann case: attractive blonde child with parents who know how to play the press card getting all the headlines, while hundreds of other socially disadvantaged missing children barely get a paragraph written about them.

The ending felt a little rushed, but it was a satisfying conclusion. All in all a pretty good read.

3.5 stars

[Jen Ryland]

I have a weird obsession with stories about people who could - or not - be who they seem to be. There's something so creepy about thinking that you know who someone is, but that they could really be someone else.

The Lost and the Found is a story about Faith, whose older sister disappeared when they were both young children. Thirteen years later, Faith is a teenager and her mom receives a call -- Faith's sister has turned up.

I loved the subtlety of this story, which manages to a) describe the terrible impact of Lauren's disappearance on her family b) let the reader watch Lauren try to re-integrate herself into the family, and the family adjust to her presence and c) slowly, slowly raise doubts about Lauren and why she is back.

Yes, this was slow-paced, but I didn't mind that. Enjoyed it!

Read my longer review of The Lost and the Found and more of my thoughts on YA Romantics or follow me on Bloglovin

Thanks to the publisher for providing a free advance copy of this book for me to review.

[Rhiannon Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A family thriller that tackles one of the darkest subjects. The Lost and the Found is a pacey read told through the eyes of Faith, the sister who wasn't taken. Now seventeen, she misses her sister and hates what Laurel's disappearance did to her family, but she's also tired, fed up and cranky. Then Laurel returns. It's the miracle they were always hoping for. They can finally have what Faith has always wanted: a normal, boring family. But the press won't leave them alone, and what's worse, Laurel and her mother are inviting them in.

What makes this story so gripping is that uneasy sense throughout the book of something being Not Quite Right. It could be merely a teenager's resentment and jealousy mixed with her happiness that her beautiful older sister has returned home. Or it could be something more. Despite it's dark subject matter, The Lost and the Found is never oppressive or gloomy. A fantastic read.

[Sara (Freadom Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.5 stars

This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/

I received an e-ARC of this book from Random House Children’s and Crown Books for Young Readers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Critically
Plot – 3.5 out of 5 stars
This book was intense and powerful the entire way through. It’s so emotional and shocking and complicated. There was mystery and suspense. The whole story was complicated and you never really know where you stand with what’s happening. There were some things that were predictable, which I��ve had a tendency to do lately but the ending was mind blowing and unexpected. The only thing that really bothered me about the plot was that I felt like the romance was unnecessary.

Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
I don’t know what it was about the writing style of this book but it was totally addicting. It’s fast paced and easy to read. It’s intense and powerful and every time I sat down to read, I was consumed by the story. I even stayed up to 2 am once. It was full of depth and it was captivating. But at the same time the narrative was jarring and sometimes it was hard to grasp my mind around what the main character was thinking and feeling.

Characters – 3.5 out of 5 stars
I am torn between my feelings on all the characters in this book. I liked some and did not like others. Faith, our main character, is interesting. I had a hard time connecting with her at first. The narrative is really hard to connect with in the beginning. But in general, Faith is really emotional considering everything that is happening in her life. She’s torn on what she’s feeling. She’s angry and vulnerable and annoyed. But at the same time, she’s happy and looking forward to getting to know her sister. She has a sarcastic kind of personality and voice and I liked her a lot more when she was annoyed and bothered by the actions of the people around her so it was frustrating when she was happy because it felt a little fake haha. I was torn with how I felt about the side characters. Some felt complex and interesting. They intrigued me and made me question what was happening in the story. But there were others that I felt were simple and not needed. One in particular I felt was only used for the movement of the plot instead of actually having a meaningful presence in the story. However the relationships between the characters were so intense and complex and I definitely didn’t see that ending coming, it affected everyone in different ways which blew my mind.

Emotionally
To be honest, I have warring feelings on this book. On one hand, it was easy to read but on the other, I never really had any desire to pick it up.

The plot is powerful. We follow Faith, a girl who has lived her whole life behind the shadow of her sister, who was kidnapped when they were kids. Thirteen years later, her sister Laurel is found and everyone has to adjust to this new presence and their new normal. The story was completely addicting and intense when I was reading. It was so fast paced and easy to get lost into that I would fly through it. My heart would beat so fast even when things were calm because I knew not everything was like it seemed. I knew to be suspicious, because it’s a thriller book so obviously don’t trust everything, but I was still caught up in the emotion and the suspense of it. Unfortunately, when I wasn’t reading, I had no desire to pick the book. Some plot points were predictable and I saw them coming a mile away which was really unfortunate because it made me want to skim and read quickly to get to the climax of the story. Some of the relationships between the characters were used only to move the plot along and to bring about the catalyst which pushed for the climax and that kind of bothered me. It felt like unnecessary drama and almost like lazy writing in my opinion. But that ending completely blew my mind. The twist was easy to figure out like I said, but the resolution afterward and the epilogue that almost felt like an open ending were intense. I did not expect that finale whatsoever and it left me grasping at straws and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.

The romance in this book felt unnecessary and forced. I didn’t find anything compatible between the two characters and it was used more as a way to push the plot forward. That could’ve been done in a separate way that still felt genuine and didn’t make the relationship feel cheap.

Faith frustrated me most of the time. While I understand that she’s going through something so huge, after spending her whole life with this invisible presence being more important than she is, suddenly that presence is actually there and there’s a lot of conflicting emotions that come with that. Yet at the same time, I didn’t want her to be happy at all. I wanted her to be angry, to be frustrated, to yell and scream because she wasn’t taken that seriously. Yes, I know how unrealistic that sounds but that’s what I wanted. It obviously makes more sense for her to be conflicted between happiness and anger, and I still enjoyed seeing how she dealt with that though it annoyed me sometimes. Her narrative almost felt unreliable at times, but maybe that’s just the way it was written because she got suspicious real quick and she felt like she couldn’t really trust her instincts.

I wanted to talk a little about the parental units in the family because unlike most YA books, they are extremely prevalent in the novel. Faith and Laurel’s Mom annoyed me a lot. I felt like she was focused on things that didn’t necessarily matter and that she was more conscious of one daughter over the other. It made me angry and I’m still bitter that no one told her that to her face. Dad on the other hand tried his best to keep it civil but he still tended to be neglectful towards Faith. I can’t begin to pretend that I know what they were going through but if I was the kid left behind, I’d be resentful of the way my life was handed out. Michel is my favorite adult in this whole book. I don’t want to explain much of his involvement but he’s the only one who really takes into account how Faith could be feeling and is the only one to approach her to ask what she’s thinking. I loved their relationship.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The plot was fast paced, addicting, intense and powerful. Even though I had a hard time finding the desire to read this book, once I was into it, it was hard to pull me out. I was completely invested in the crazy story. I feel like all the characters could’ve been more developed and fleshed out in general, but I enjoyed Faith’s voice and the way she told her story and her personality. Honest to God, I’m still not over that ending. Serious mind fuck you guys.

[TeoM · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Maeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lost and The Found by Cat Clarke



Writing:

I've been a fan of Cat Clarke for a while, so when I received The Lost and The Found in the mail, I was overjoyed. Obviously, when you dive into a book where the author has written amazing books before, you have high expectations. Cat Clarke's writing is perfect for YA.

She somehow manages to perfectly capture the thoughts and feelings of a teenager, without actually being a teenager herself. She writes to an extent that if the protagonist hates a character, you start to hate a character. With this it makes it surprising when the character does something that you wouldn't do, but that’s what makes the book intriguing.
I do read a lot of YA, but I have to say I'm always excited to see Cat Clarke in the bookshops I go to, because I can imagine other people reading her books and enjoying them just as much as me.

Characters:

The characters were the main focus of the entire book. The main character, Faith, is brilliant. The whole way through the book, Faith would say or do something and I would have to stop myself from nodding furiously, or yelling 'Yessss!' at the book. She's interesting and you never know what she's going to do next. Faith isn’t perfect, so there are some moments when she does something crazy that you wouldn’t even dream of doing, but that makes her seem like a person, rather than 100% fictional and made up.
My personal favourite character was Michel. At the beginning of the book, I was convinced he was her brother, only to be told otherwise later on. Michel is the kind of person everyone needs in his or her life. Someone who asks if someone is okay even if they know EXACTLY the problem and why it's bothering them.
Laurel was a whole other story. I always love a good book where there is a certain character everyone else loves, but you despise. I felt that Laurel was one of those characters I just love to hate. Laurel is one of the most developed characters I've read about, and you never know what to expect with her, whether she'll be angry about something or happy. She's unpredictable in an emotional way, rather than Faith, who's unpredictable in a physical way.



Storyline:

While I was reading this book there wasn't a moment that I wasn't full of suspense. There was the kind of build up so you knew something was going to happen, but you didn't know what or when, so you just had to keep reading to find out.
The beginning was great, because unlike some books, you just jumped straight into the action, without long character introductions.

Whereas in some books you have many tiny plot twists where you're just like 'oh gosh', this book amazingly had a massive build up to one of the most out of this world and crazy and shocking plot twists in the whole of human history.
I promise I'm not being dramatic.
What also shocked me in this book was the romance, or should I say, the lack of it. This is definitely not a contemporary. I love a good romance, but I also love how Cat Clarke knew there wasn't enough room for romance in the story, but she knew that she had to include a tiny problem to do with the romantic side of Faith.





-

Susie :)

[kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lost and The Found was a book I was so excited to read. The synopsis gripped me from the moment I read it and for the most part it didn't disappoint. It was fast paced and I really enjoyed it. The only thing I didn't love me not was the fact that I guessed the plot twist within a few chapters so I kind of lost that suspense. I'm not sure wether the reason I guessed it is because I've read to many thrillers or because the ending was quite obvious? Nevertheless I did really enjoy it and I think this would be a great book to introduce someone into thrillers as a reading genre.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un très bon livre YA, avec une héroïne très attachante et une ambiance qui cloche de plus en plus... Perdue et retrouvée se dévore!

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Stef White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another amazing Cat Clarke book with an ending that both annoys me and makes me happy :)

[Shannon (It Starts At Midnight) · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
I hate being a black sheep, guys. Anyway. I didn't hate this book or anything. But I had read so many great reviews that maybe my expectations were too high? No, I didn't dislike it, I just... felt nothing toward it either way. In fairness, I guessed what was happening really early on, and turned out to be right, so I guess that is pretty anticlimactic.

What I liked:

The family stuff. This story is super family focused, since Laurel's disappearance and such has kind of been the center of their world. I liked that Faith was so close with her stepfather, and I liked that he was there for her, especially when her parents just could not be, emotionally.
Faith was pretty realistic, in my opinion. Like, she was selfish from time to time, but who isn't? And she did try so hard with Laurel and with her parents, but man, this was not an easy situation for anyone, let alone a teenaged girl!
The book did pick up a bit in the second half, so even though I felt sure that I knew how things would end, I still was reading it at a pretty good pace.

What I didn't:

Faith's boyfriend was the actual worst. I don't even know why he was in the story, unless the point was just to make me rage. Which I did. Because go away, dude. And her friends were pretty much crap too. I was glad she had her stepfather, because seriously, none of these other people deserved to be her friend.
I didn't feel a sense of urgency, because everything seemed a bit... obvious to me. Not just the "big" stuff either, but some of the smaller points.
Frankly, it just didn't stick with me very much. When I was done I was satisfied, and then moved on and kind of didn't really think about it again.

Bottom Line: Not a bad story, and I enjoyed the writing, but I felt almost like I'd heard the story before since I felt like I knew what would happen. Faith was a great character though, and I'd definitely consider reading more books from the author, I just think this one maybe wasn't for me.

*Copy provided by publisher for review

[Lucie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retrouver sa sœur après 13 ans est une histoire perturbante. Faith est un personnage très émouvant, elle a toujours vécue dans l'ombre d'une sœur qu'elle n'a jamais connu et apprendre à vivre avec une inconnue peut s'avérer étouffant. J'ai toujours un peu de mal avec Cat Clarke, mais ses romans sont tellement particulier, que je me laisse tenter, malgré un début un peu plat, l'histoire retrouve son souffle vers la fin.

Ma Chronique : https://luxnbooks.wordpress.com/2015/...

[M.J. Mallon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up a signed copy of The Lost and The Found at The Edinburgh Book Festival. Here’s my link to my post if you’d like to see my write up of their talk – The Disappeared and my photo with Cat Clarke and Kat Ellis!!! https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/201...



My Thoughts:

Cover:

This is a very simple cover, and if I’m totally truthful I wasn’t particularly impressed. I must admit this little voice in my head kept on saying, couldn’t you think of something a bit more imaginative Cat ?!!!!!! It’s a bit basic, just words, and yellow tape? But having read the book, the cover seems to match the story inside, this is a novel primarily about relationships, and emotions, there are no fancy shenanigans going on, so a simple cover kind of makes sense. So first impressions are sometimes very, very wrong!!!

I bow down to your superior book cover knowledge Cat.

Snippet:

Cat read the following engaging snippet from The Lost and The Found at her Book Festival talk:

I don’t believe it. I won’t allow myself to believe it. Mum’s trying to stay calm too, but I can see it in her face – something I haven’t seen for years hope. She thinks it’s different this time. They wouldn’t have called her otherwise. They think this is it. After hundreds, maybe even thousands, of crank calls and false sightings and psychics claiming Laurel was living with goat-herds in the mountains of Uzbekistan.

Book Review:

The Lost and The Found manages to engage the reader in very dark subject matter, the return of an abducted girl that has been sexually abused, who now has to readjust to living in a world in which she has had little or no experience. Can you imagine being locked away for years and never been let out of captivity? How horrendous. Cat Clarke doesn’t take the obvious route, telling us Laurel’s story, instead she focuses primarily on Faith’s emotions. Making Faith the main protagonist of the novel instead of the more obvious choice Laurel, gives the story a much different, possibly more light-hearted feel. The novel tackles surface and deeply hidden emotions so well.

Faith, the seventeen year old younger sister, of abducted Laurel, tells us her story through her eyes. Of course she is beyond happy that her elder sister has returned, after thirteen very long years, but little by little we see tiny aspects of sibling resentment, and a ton of guilt creep into her emotions. A shocker, or what, The Lost and The Found doesn’t put a sugar coating on Faith’s response, instead it is an honest, and believable account of how Faith and her family respond to the return of her sister. Things are not the same any more, and Cat Clarke manages to convey this in well crafted plot ideas: the family have moved to a new house, her bi-sexual father is no longer married to her mother, and is now in a relationship with a Frenchman called Michel. Not surprisingly many changes have occurred after such a long time period, so how is Laurel going to adjust? From the mid-point of this novel we start to see hints that Laurel is damaged, she was bound to be. These strange behaviour revelations bring about a new dimension, a revelation, and mysterious aspect to the novel that is most definitely a plus, but no more about that as I don’t want to spoil it for you.

The characters are wonderfully crafted, all of them seem believable and engaging. I particularly had a soft spot for Faith, but Laurel’s step dad Michel deserves a mention too. He seems a bit left out of the loop when Laurel returns. Suddenly the original nuclear family of mum, dad, and the two girls bond together in a tight knit group. Again this is believable, so likely that this would happen when a much loved daughter returns after being abducted. But, Michel remains a rock of support and understanding for Faith. Also the relationship between Faith’s father and Michel allows a modern twist to the conventional nuclear family with the new dynamic of families with gay parents, and generally gives step-parents a better, more positive image.

I didn’t engage as much with Laurel as a character, but this was bound to be inevitable with the story resting firming in Faith’s hands.

The role of the press is an interesting aspect of The Lost and the Found. In Faith’s eyes they are portrayed rather like vultures, and each family member is either repelled, or fascinated by the possibility of public appearances, book deals, etc. Fundamentally we are all different, no two people will behave the same in these horrendous circumstances, and this gives the reader an insight into the characters’ personalities and motivations.

The Ending: (****Some Spoilers Below****)

I’ve been mulling over the conclusion to The Lost and The Found a lot. My initial reaction was, you’ve got to be kidding me, but then it hit me like a sledgehammer!

Certain aspects of the plot twists I suspected, others I didn’t see coming. Such a difficult book to conclude, where do you go with it? Whatever you do someone is bound to suffer, and in the end both families pay an equally dreadful price. The equilibrium of fairness is shared. Is it believable, or sustainable? Maybe not entirely, but I think Cat Clarke wanted to make a heartfelt point, and she succeeds in doing that: In prolonged media campaigns for abducted children it is always the kids from white, clean cut, (by this I mean – no drugs, no time spent in prison,) middle class families that are given the most press, and are cared about more. It seems to me that Cat wanted to add another dimension to the story by making Faith’s family a little different, a little off the run of the mill, by adding her father’s relationship with Michel – fuel for the media campaign, but not a reason for the press to lose interest.

Personally I think Faith’s final decision is fuelled by her understandable desire to keep the shocking revelation a secret, both to protect her family and the girl that has been abducted. Who can blame her? So a thought provoking ending, I’m still thinking about it as I write this review….. That can only be a good thing, books that make you debate certain aspects long after you’ve finished them are by far the best books in my opinion.

So would I recommend The Lost and the Found?

Absolutely, I’m so pleased that I read this! Go get a copy!! Great characters, emotions that you can really relate to, and a fast paced mystery too.

My rating:

It’s got to be 5 stars.

[Lia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was both less chilling and more chilling than I expected.

[unantastbar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insgesamt ein nettes Buch, allerdings sehr langatmig für meinen Geschmack. Eher etwas für junge Erwachsene oder Jugendliche. Das Ende mochte ich trotzdem sehr gerne. Ging unter die Haut.

[Tania (Real-Listen-Feel) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Ce roman n'est définitivement pas une déception, mais ce n'est pas non plus un coup de cœur.

On m'avait prévenue avant même que je commence ce roman. Cat Clarke, on aime ou on déteste. C'est aussi simple que ça. Je savais que c'était une auteure au style bien particulier, et même si je n'ai pas adoré ce roman, je suis fière de pouvoir dire que j'ai enfin lu un Cat Clarke. Franchement, ça manquait à ma culture.

Dans ce roman, on fait la connaissance de Faith qui a 17 ans. Toute sa vie, elle a vécu dans l'ombre de sa sœur, kidnappée sous ses yeux alors qu'elle n'avait que 4 ans. Le pays tout entier a été touché par l'histoire de la petit Laurel Logan, disparue il y a maintenant 13 ans. Selon certains, il n'y avait plus aucun espoir, mais la famille de Faith n'a jamais arrêté d'espérer le retour de Laurel. Et lorsqu'une jeune fille correspondant à sa description est retrouvée, la vie de Faith va totalement être bouleversée. Elle s'est toujours considérée comme une enfant unique et du jour au lendemain, elle se retrouve avec une grande sœur.

Perdue et Retrouvée, c'est ça. C'est l'histoire de Faith. Et je dois dire qu'elle m'a à la fois touchée et énervée. Au départ, je l'ai trouvé un peu égoïste. Même si elle est très heureuse de retrouver Laurel, Faith n'accepte pas très bien le fait que sa sœur soit au centre de l'attention. Tout le monde n'en a que pour Laurel, y compris ses parents. Mais peu à peu, je me suis mise à sa place. Et j'ai compris ce qu'elle ressentait. J'en avais moi-même marre d'entendre parler de Laurel Logan. Je voulais simplement que quelqu'un s'intéresse à Faith parce qu'on semblait totalement l'avoir oublié dans toute cette histoire. J'ai détesté ce sentiment d'impuissance!! DÉTESTÉ! Je l'avoue, j'ai toutefois trouvé un peu agaçant que Faith ne se confie pas plus que ça à ses parent ou à ses amis. Elle est témoin de choses qui n'ont pas de sens. Elle est très observatrice, mais elle n'ose pas en parler. Ce qui fait qu'elle commence sérieusement à angoisser à un certaine moment. Et moi également par la même occasion.

Ce n'est que maintenant, en écrivant ma chronique, que je me rends compte du véritable talent de Cat Clarke. Même si l'histoire qu'elle nous présente peut sembler banale au premier abord, il n'en demeure pas moins qu'elle a parfaitement réussi à ma faire ressentir ce que son personnage principal a ressenti. Tout au long de ma lecture, je me suis mise à la place de Faith. Je ne compte plus le nombre de fois où je me suis dit que telle ou telle chose était bizarre. J'en suis presque devenue parano. Et les quelques petites extraits à la fin auxquels on ne s'attend pas du tout et qui viennent à nouveau brouiller les cartes. Alors que je pensais avoir enfin saisi ce récit, Cat Clarke me sort ça!

Certes, comme je l'ai déjà mentionné, l'histoire n'a rien d'extraordinaire en soi. On suit seulement l'histoire de Faith au jour le jour. Et même si j'ai trouvé ce roman passionnant sur le plan psychologique, il n'en demeure pas moins que ça manquait un peu d'action à mon goût. J'ai également vu venir la révélation de la fin de très très loin. D'où la note que je lui ai accordé.

En somme, il s'agit d'un roman très intéressant, surtout sur le plan psychologique. On ne doit pas s'attendre à une histoire extraordinaire puisqu'il ne faut pas perdre de vue qu'on s'adresse à un public cible assez jeune, mais c'est bien écrit et prenant. Même si dans mon cas ça n'a pas été un coup de cœur, je ne doute pas une seule seconde qu'il plaira aux fans de thriller ou de romans du même genre. Et je retenterai bien évidemment l'expérience Cat Clarke un de ces jours.

Merci encore à la Collection R pour cette lecture!