Damage Done by Amanda Panitch – ARC Review

Publication Date:

July 21st 2015

Publisher:

Random House Books for Young Readers

22 minutes separate Julia Vann’s before and after.

Before: Julia had a twin brother, a boyfriend, and a best friend.

After: She has a new identity, a new hometown, and memories of those twenty-two minutes that refuse to come into focus. At least, that’s what she tells the police.

Now that she’s Lucy Black, she’s able to begin again. And her fresh start has attracted the attention of one of the hottest guys in school, a boy who will do anything to protect her. But when someone much more dangerous also takes notice, Lucy’s forced to confront the dark secrets she thought were safely left behind.

One thing is clear: The damage done can never be erased. It’s only just beginning. . . .

In this deliciously twisted contemporary thriller, family can be a real killer. For fans of We Were Liars and readers who love unique multiple perspectives that leave clues like breadcrumbs until they reach the stunning conclusion.

Review:

*I received an eARC of this book from Random House Children’s Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book intrigued me since the moment I read the blurb. The mystery that is described really interested me. The plot was good but I think that in the beginning was a little bit slow. I took 3 days to read 30% of the book and 3 hours to read the rest. So yeah, it was slow but when the action started I just couldn’t drop the book. Lucy seems like a normal teenage girl to everyone but she’s not. She had to run away and change her name because of something that happened with her brother.
I liked how we could learn the present and the past of the main character, Julia/Lucy, and how we could see her relationship with her brother Ryan before the tragedy. Lucy is just trying to have a normal life again when she starts to be followed by someone from her past. I really liked the mystery of this book but I actually figured out what had happened in that 22 minutes so it was a surprise to know that I was actually right (I had a lot of different theories, it was good to know that I was right with one of them =) ). I also liked Michael and Alana who were always there to help Lucy (even thought that Michael was a little bit too perfect). My big problem with this book was Julia’s parents. They don’t care about their kids even after the tragedy, they don’t care. My biggest shock was when Julia told her mom something and her mom didn’t care and wanted Julia to stop talking about that. Any normal mom would be worried.
The author, Amanda Panitch, did a great job for a debut novel. I loved her writing style and the plot that she created. I’m excited to read her next book.
Overall, this was a good book with a lot of mystery that makes you think about the different case scenarios that could have happened. If you like to read thriller/mystery books mixed with contemporary you should read this one.

Rating: