Where She Went
A Novel
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4.0 • 11 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Women's fiction with a wrenching twist, Where She Went follows one mother desperate to know which secrets took her daughter away from what should have been a normal college experience.
What happens when your worst fear comes true?
Her only daughter has just gone away to college, and Maggie O'Farrell knows she's turning into one of those anxious empty-nesters she used to mock. Worrying constantly, texting more than she should, even occasionally dropping by the campus "just to say hi." But Maggie can't shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen to Emma.
And then, just as Maggie starts to relax, her daughter disappears.
The clues are disturbing. An empty dorm room where Emma was supposedly living. A mysterious boy described as Future Husband in her phone. Dormmates who seem more sinister than friendly. As Maggie combs over the campus looking for signs of her daughter, she learns more about Emma's life than she ever thought possible.
Kelly Simmons delivers another gripping novel in Where She Went, a conversation-starting story of letting go and the secrets that surface when the person hiding them is gone.
Also by Kelly Simmons:
One More Day
The Fifth of July
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Maggie O'Farrell, the heroine of this uneven psychological thriller from Simmons (One More Day), has always been close to her only child, Emma, and her worries about her college-age daughter have ramped up since drug dealers murdered her police officer husband. When Emma began attending Semper University in North Philadelphia, Maggie became one of those helicopter parents she used to deride and she bombarded Emma with so many texts and face-time sessions that Emma finally asked her mother to limit their communication. Maggie's anxieties may now be well-founded when the police show up to tell her that Emma is missing. On a visit to the campus, Maggie is stunned to find out that Emma's dorm room has none of her possessions and her phone is stashed in a roommate's drawer. Chapters alternate between Maggie's search and the events leading up to Emma's disappearance, including her efforts to fit in with her mean-girl roommates. Simmons does a good job depicting Maggie's distress and Emma's self-discovery process, but empathy for mother and daughter diminishes as the plot becomes tedious and repetitive. Hopefully, Simmons will return to form next time.
Customer Reviews
Liked!!!!!
My Review:
This was my first read by this author and she sure did not disappoint. I would definitely read more of her books.
Ok, let’s get into the book. When I read the blurb I knew immediately I had to read this book. A college student gone missing is my cup of tea. I had to know what happened to her and what the reason was that she went missing. So we have the plot, next up now is the characters. I love how the author alternates the chapters between each main character. I love getting different points of view and it seems like a lot of authors are doing this in their books now. So my thoughts on both of the main characters go back and forth as each chapter passed. In one chapter I would really like that character but in the next chapter I would not. Next up is that ending. The ending was good but It wasn’t wrapped up neatly in a bow which I would have preferred. I still had many questions that were left unanswered. Overall though I thought the book was good and well written. I look forward to reading more of this authors books.
Between the plot, characters and all the twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 4 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️.
A duplicate?
This seems to be exactly like the book ‘The Empty Nest’ by Sue Watkins. Exactly... that i had to go back and look at the cover.
Suspense
When I saw helicopter parent---I knew I had to read this book. I may have been a bit guilty of that when my daughter was growing up! This is a parents worst nightmare---Maggie's daughter Emma goes missing from college! I love a good thriller, but would consider this more suspense. Being a mom obviously could identify with Maggie's anxiety to find her daughter. Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC!