YA ARC Review: No Such Person

No Such Person by Caroline B. Cooney, July 14, 2015. 246 pages. Published by Delacorte Press. Source: ARC from Anya @ On Starships and Dragonwings.

Miranda and Lander Allerdon are sisters. Miranda is younger, a dreamer, and floating her way through life. Lander is older, focused, and determined to succeed. As the girls and their parents begin another summer at their cottage on the Connecticut River, Miranda and Lander’s sibling rivalry is in high gear. Lander plans to start medical school in the fall, and Miranda feels cast in her shadow.

When the Allerdons become entangled in an unimaginable tragedy, the playing field is suddenly leveled. As facts are revealed, the significance of what has happened weighs heavily on all. How can the family prepare for what the future may hold?

First Sentence

At first the police are casual.

I feel terrible that I did not get around to reading No Such Person till last weekend. I accidentally misplaced it in the process of reorganizing my book collection two years ago. I am just so grateful to have been gifted the arc from Anya as Caroline B. Cooney is one of my all-time favorite authors!!

• First off, one of the things I found most enjoyable about No Such Person was how the story was told from a dual perspective; that of the two sisters. It gave the story a deeper perspective to see the events unfold through their eyes. It also gave a really good look into the mind of both characters; which was fascinating because you could see how things weighed on their minds and how the circumstances affected them. I was not expecting the story to be told from both viewpoints, but I really enjoyed it. 

• Usually, I don't like books that are set in the northeast. I just don't, okay. But for maybe the first time ever, it did not bother me. Why, because the Allerdons' bad run of luck began brewing during the very first page. So it was not like there was a lot of time for the story to drag through descriptions of the setting before things actually started. I was so swept up in the story and the setting that I would have read additional two-hundred pages because the mystery was just that well written. 

• What is it about this mystery that I enjoyed so much? Well, it was fascinating for two very different reasons. The first being that both of the Allerdons' girls were forced to learn some hard truths about themselves through the ordeal. They definitely learned some things that forced them to grow, so that in itself was really fascinating. The second part is the mystery itself. Even though I figured it out early on, it was still really creepy as it changed the character's perspective regarding neighbors she had known for years and years. Caroline B. Cooney did such a great job portraying the fear that no one could be trusted as the plot thickened. It was rather riveting even though I had made my guesses early on in the "game". 

Final Verdict: No Such Person- The character development and intense atmosphere made this one irresistible and impossible to put down. Could not be happier to read a "new" book by a beloved author!!!

No Such Person earns

An advanced copy of this book was received as a gift from Anya @ On Starships and Dragonwings. All thoughts are my own.