08 July 2019

REVIEW: Follow Me (The Amateurs #2) by Sara Shepard

Follow Me by Sara Shepard
Series: The Amateurs #2
Published by Hot Key Books on 5th October 2017
Pages: 288
Source: *Received from the Publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Everyone knows Chelsea Dawson. Day and night, her tens of thousands of followers on Instagram watch her every move. So when she goes missing from the sunny beachside town of Lafayette, it makes headlines.

The police are searching everywhere for her kidnapper, but when eighteen-year-old Seneca Frazier sees Chelsea's picture, she knows instantly who took her. Chelsea looks exactly like her friend Aerin Kelly's murdered sister - and Seneca's own mother, who was killed five years ago.

Seneca's suspicions are confirmed when the killer contacts her, threatening to hurt Chelsea if Seneca goes to the police with what she knows. Seneca makes the only move she can, reaching out to Aerin and Maddox and Madison Wright, her friends from Case Not Closed, an amateur crime-solving community. Together they go to Lafayette to work the case, to save Chelsea, and to bring the killer to justice.

But the killer has a plan of his own. He wants Seneca and her friends in Lafayette, but he wants them to play by his rules. One wrong step could mean the end for Chelsea - or the Amateurs.
Eerie, thrilling and rather unnerving at times, Follow Me is a brilliantly crafted murder mystery that will make you want to sleep with one eye open.

Brilliantly matched together, the characters all have a distinct and individual voice allowing one to hear from all their perspectives. Shepard differentiates and transitions between all the characters seamlessly, providing individual voices and not like copy-and-pasted people. As characters they are realistic and determined, they have realistic emotions one would expect and as the reader you feel rather connected to them, making you feel like you are on this journey with them.

What I found really put this sequel above the first novel is that we get to read from Brett's perspective, which made for an interesting sequel and having finished the first novel, I was incredibly intrigued as to how Shepard was going to write this; spoiler ahead if you have not read the first book yet, but I was most intrigued by this sequel due to the fact that at the end of the first novel the reader and characters find out that Brett is the killer. He is an incredibly chilling and disturbing character, yet intriguing. You get to see his point of view on everything as this sequel also tackle some serious topics, in particular Brett's intense misogyny. This is a serious talking point in the novel, for Brett believes these women should be punished for the things they have done like cheating, going against societies prejudice expectations, but also the fact that he believes a women should not love nor be confident about themselves and show it to others. Brett believes this is wrong and that women who display these characteristics are simply being self-absorbed, even though male characters throughout also exhibit the same characteristics he hates so much in women. I am really intrigued to see how this is explored and tackled further in the sequel.

The plot was terrifying and chilling. Shepard is one of my favourite writers for mysteries. She writes them perfectly and every time it is something new, she never follows a similar pattern; I am always left shocked, surprised and holding on to the edge of my seat. The plot was fast pace, with never a dull moment. I love how you are sort of reading from all of their perspectives at the same time, as this really amplifies the imagery in this novel making you truly feel like you are right there beside them. Now, having read many horror and thriller novels, I am now not very easily unnerved nor scared when reading this genre anymore. Yet one particular scene in this sequel left a lasting impression. Shepard is just an amazing writer of murder mystery that I was left rather unnerved and disjointed after reading this.

How this sequel was wrapped up, was perfect. I knew from the beginning there was going to be a third novel, and so this did make me nervous as to how Shepard would play out the ending to this, but it really did surpass my exceptions. I never saw the last ten percent coming and was so pleased with this, as I was left shocked and grasping for more! I am incredibly excited for the sequel.

Once again, Shepard has surpassed my expectations and left me itching for more.


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