Too convoluted…full of pointless details that either weren’t narratively important or didn’t add up. I love Thomas’ YA novels but her adult fiction just hasn’t landed for me.

Specific annoyances:
-having a character be a “dumpster baby” for no purpose
-having a character receive a copy of her mother’s 911 call, for no reason
-including details about other cases she’d been a part of with gratuitous violence, that didn’t serve the story
-the random timeline at the end: September is four months post-resolution, making the crime solved in May, a month after the incident took place. She is 6.5 months pregnant on April 2, making her 7.5 months pregnant on May 2. Baby declared viable two weeks later, so roughly May 15, she’s 8 months pregnant. But she doesn’t give birth until July 8. None of those random details were necessary and just pulled me out of the story as I tried to line things up.
-the 30-something woman still pining FIVE YEARS LATER for a man she had kissed one time and had never dated. We are never given any indication on her feelings toward this man, not in any meaningful way.

OMG! This is the book I've been waiting for. Beautifully written with the protagonist and victim's POV almost answering the questions raised but leaves enough room for the ending.
Usually a HEA reader, it was good to be taken on a ride where you have no freaking idea if the heroine gets one.

This is my first adult novel by Thomas, and I really enjoyed it. I loved Lee's character as well as how her relationships develop with other main characters, particularly Chase and Nelson. The plot kept me guessing, and the twists all felt pretty believable to me. I will definitely be checking out more books by Thomas soon!

Natalee (Lee) was a reporter who is now working as private investigator, she was fired in 2019 from her journalism job while reporting and trying to help solve a case of a missing girl named Jenna. Jennas body was found a year later on Dune Road.
It’s now been five years and another girl named Amanda is pregnant and in a coma, The police say she attempted suicide, but the details don’t add up. Where is the father? Who was paying for Amanda’s Manhattan penthouse? when Amanda’s mother contacts Lee and informs her that Lee’s information was found written on a piece of paper in Amandas backpack. Lee is confused she doesn’t know her- but Amanda’s mother wants to hires her to find out answers on what really happened to Amanda and who the father of Amanda’s baby is.
Lee begins to investigate Amanda’s life, she begins to find connections to the years-old case that landed her in hot water and led her to being fired the infamous case of Dune Road. But finding a killer and unearthing Amanda’s secrets sends her down a darker path than she has ever walked before and someone is determined to keep the past in the past.
Please Check trigger warnings before reading. Some TWs include statutory rape, violence, abortion, and sexual assault.

I couldn't put this book down and after a good night's sleep I'm not really sure why. Something about Kara's writing is addictive and you don't even realize you are hooked until it's over. I wasn't super interested about the storyline at first but somehow it was 3AM and I was finished the book. I liked Lee but I found there was a little too much going on with too many minor characters. I enjoyed the duel perspective but I would have liked too see more from Amanda. I feel like for every positive I had, there is a negative and yet I couldn't stop reading.

this book has so. many. characters.

I had to keep searching names to be like wait did I miss something or was this name only mentioned ONCE before??

Not entirely sure how Lee figured out the mystery, because it seems like some hints were found out and then bam everything unraveled

Interesting enough, not bad by any means, but felt way too convoluted. Bogged down with too many characters, and repetitive scenes, this was just okay.