Missing Persons: A #LoveOzYA Short Story

Every #3.5

by Ellie Marney

A short story from BEGIN, END, A #LOVEOZYA ANTHOLOGY. 'I want to get out of here. But no amount of walking is going to get me back home . . .' Rachel Watts is adrift in the Big Smoke - until an eccentric boy called James Mycroft comes into her orbit.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary, Fiction

25 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 24, 2017

About the author

Ellie Marney is a multi-award-winning, bestselling author of thrillers for teens and adults. Her titles include the New York Times bestseller None Shall Sleep, the Kirkus-starred sequel, Some Shall Break, and the electrifying finale All Shall Mourn. Ellie's other titles include ARA Historical Novel Prize-nominated The Killing Code and Australian library favorite Every Breath. Her debut adult thriller No One Is Safe is arriving 1 March 2026.

Ellie has spent a lifetime researching in mortuaries, talking to autopsy specialists, and asking former spies how to make explosives from household items - now she lives quite sedately in south-eastern Australia with her family. Find sign-ups for her newsletter, The Black Hand, at her website, and catch her @elliemarney or @elliemarneyauthor on socials.

Reviews

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 2 out of 5]

'You just need to find your tribe. The people around you can make a big difference.'

Rachel Watts along with her family has just moved to the city from the countryside. She lived all her life in the countryside and had a distance ed so this makes for her first day at a high school ever. She's nervous but her family is supportive and they try to calm her in their own ways. Rachel meets Mai and Mycroft on her very first day and she becomes friends with them. She has a hard time adjusting in the congested city after the open and wide countryside.

This story started out very strangely like there was something amiss. From the very start I just couldn't feel the connection. I couldn't like any of the characters. The premise was definitely a promising one, new girl moving into the big smoke and trying to adjust and find her place and find her people and at the same time missing the place that she left behind. I can certainly relate to moving to a new place.

I have found out that it is a prequel to a series, may be that's another reason that I couldn't enjoy this as I am not familiar with the series it is prequel to. I really wanted to like it, love it even but I wasn't able to. I definitely liked the set up as I am familiar with all the places mentioned in the story but that was still not enough for me.

2 stars

[Siena · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 7th story in "Begin, End, Begin", y'all! I'm almost done! I think this story was a teeny bit wasted on me since this is a prequel to the "Every" series by Ellie Marney, which I have yet to read (but it's on my summer tbr!!). Still, I really enjoyed the characters here, and I'm looking forward to reading more about them!

[Brigita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two of my favourite characters meet for the first time. Rather than damsel in distress we have genius boy in distress in this one. Very in-character and the perfect prequel to the Every series.

[moira · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘I’m lost in this city,’ I say miserably.
‘It’s okay, Watts. I found you.’ Mycroft puts his arm around me, curls me in. ‘I found you.’

wattscroft are very cute but also i need to be sedated because their adventure is officially ended with this prequel.

cannot help but keep comparing their conversations they'd here versus what they'd in book 3. it's very incredible :,)

[Misti]

Rachel meets Mycroft!! Yes please, and thank you!

[Aimee Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(This review was part of my full review on the Begin End Begin anthology)

Oof I'm not sure about this one. The thing was I liked it, and I liked the characters? Or at least, I liked what I was starting to see, but I felt like I was missing a lot. I've found out now that this is actually a prequel to the Every series by the author, which sounds awesome and I should check out. The problem is that without the backing of the series and knowing these characters, I feel like it wasn't as impactful as it could have been?

Buuuuut that being said, the missing person sentiment was a really lovely one, and I felt the heart ache of leaving a place behind, and trying to start anew.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to reread just this story from Begin, End, Begin: A #LoveOzYA Anthology because I'm also rereading Every Breath and felt the need to start at the very beginning! And I really love this first introduction to Rachel Watts and James Mycroft.

[silene · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

Loved the story. The idea of the plot was simple and common, a girl arrives in a new city and goes to a new school, but the way the author built up the story was original. The characters were unique and unusual, and very interesting. I did not like the smoking part, but overall the short story is one of my favourites :)

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much feels.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

so good!!!

[Chenise · Rating 4 out of 5]

First line: "When you stand out in the front yard of your family's dilapidated white stucco house and look forward, and all you can see if a street view of more dilapidated houses, with a panorama of traffic, and warehouses, and power lines above and beyond that... it's safe to assume that your home is not what it was anymore."

The origin story of Watts and Mycroft! Loved it and I miss them so muchhhh.