Gone saga by Stacy Claflin --> Starting September 6th, 2020

[Aly, Head of Solo Quarterly & Maker of BR Threads]

Macy Mercer only wants a little independence. Eager to prove herself grown up, she goes to a dark, secluded park. She’s supposed to meet the boy of her dreams who she met online. But the cute fifteen year old was a fantasy, his pictures fake. She finds herself face to face with Chester Woodran, a man capable of murder.

Distraught over his own missing daughter, Chester insists that Macy replace his lost girl. He withholds food, locks Macy up, and roughs her up, demanding that she call him dad. Under duress from his constant threats and mind games, her hold on reality starts to slip. Clinging to her memories is the only way of holding onto her true identity, not believing that she is Chester’s daughter. Otherwise she may never see her family again.

[Celia]

25% (view spoiler)[I guess I probably should have read this before I read Girl in Trouble, but now I'm not sure if I like this. It is almost too similar to Girl in Trouble in terms of Ariana's and Macy's experiences, and the whole supposed family relation thing with the kidnapper. I don't know how I would have felt if I read these in order. It is also interesting to get Macy and Alex's mom's POV, which again is a lot like Alex's in Girl in Trouble. It is cute to see Alex and Zoey as kids though, and watch their relationship develop since I already know what happens eventually. (hide spoiler)]

50% (view spoiler)[IDK, this novel just seems so formulaic. I'm kind of glad I read Girl in Trouble first, because that deals with a different set of characters and time period, and I feel like if Macy had been the first MC I read, I wouldn't have liked this as much. Again, it just seems so formulaic. (hide spoiler)]

80% (view spoiler)[Try as hard as I can, I can't see Zoey and Alex as the same characters they are in Girl in Trouble. In other ways, this book is too similar. In terms of the kidnapping, and the kidnapper coming to Zoey specifically in the middle of the night...again, it's too formulaic. But as for Zoey and Alex, I just can't see them sa the same characters. (hide spoiler)]

100% (view spoiler)[On the one hand, I didn't like it that much. On the other, I once again care enough about the characters to have already purchased Held. So idk. (hide spoiler)]

[Deanie]

25%
(view spoiler)[ So, this is the prequel where Macy gets kidnapped. It does have a lot of similarities to Girl in Trouble, but right know the thing that gets me is how much of an ass Macy and Alex's dad is. He didn't seem like that in the other book... (hide spoiler)]

[Deanie]

50%
(view spoiler)[So Macy's dad is getting to be less of an ass. That's good. But how do her fake grandparents not realize she's not Heather? And what is her fake dad going to say about how she's injured? (hide spoiler)]

75%
(view spoiler)[Still wondering how 'Heather's' grandparents are so clueless... but in talking to Zoey, Chet let a clue slip about Heather, so maybe it will help? Although there are three books in the series, so does Macy remain kidnapped for all 3? If so, the happy ending is a long way off. (hide spoiler)]

100%
(view spoiler)[So, since this is a trilogy, I knew Macy wasn't going to get rescued. But who could her new mom be? A clueless woman who's going to be her stepmom? Or is he going to kidnap a woman and force her to be Karla? (hide spoiler)]

[Deanie]

☮️❤️Celia❤️☮️ wrote: "
(view spoiler)[I agree that Zoey and Alex (and their parents, too) don't seem similar to the people in Girl in Trouble. I'm reserving judgement until further along in the series, since a lot of years pass and the families go through a lot in the meantime. (hide spoiler)]

[Celia]

Deanie wrote: "☮️❤️Celia❤️☮️ wrote: "
[spoilers removed]"

Agree

[Deanie]

Book two of the Alex Mercer thrillers seems to revolve around the events in the prequel series, so I'm reading next.

25% (view spoiler)[ So, Macy-as-Heather and her faux dad have joined a cult. They seem creepy, but maybe a bigger group will let Macy escape. We know that she eventually gets home to her family. Plus, Zoey is pregnant! (hide spoiler)]

50% (view spoiler)[ A body. Their dentist office burns down the same day the police find a body. We know it's not Macy, but could it be someone else from town that goes to the dentist? Or is it just a red herring? (hide spoiler)]

75% (view spoiler)[ Planning an escape? Since there's another book in this series, I think that's going to go horribly wrong. (hide spoiler)]]

100% (view spoiler)[ They escaped. At least temporarily. Book 2 was much better than book one in the series, and now I have to find out what happens in book 3. (hide spoiler)]

[Deanie]

25% (view spoiler)[ Poor Macy. At least I know that she'll be rescued by the end of the book. Her mom wanting to declare her dead after less than a year missing? That's awful. Doesn't someone have to be dead for seven years before they can be declared legally dead? (hide spoiler)]

50% (view spoiler)[ I didn't think that Chester was smart enough to come up with a plan that includes fake mom phone calls for Heather. This makes no sense. Shouldn't the people at the mental institution have figured out that there are two "Heathers" when the nurse brought Macy in? (hide spoiler)]

75% (view spoiler)[Yes! Macy has been (tentatively) identified and is almost home. (hide spoiler)]

100% (view spoiler)[ That's a great ending. Heather is with people who love her, Macy is back home with her family, and Luke and his mom are starting over. I'm glad I stuck with this series, because books 2 and 3 were so much better than book 1 (hide spoiler)]

[Celia]

I plan to pick this back up in November