Holly Jackson, the acclaimed author of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, returns with The Reappearance of Rachel Price, a haunting young adult thriller that blurs the line between truth and performance. Known for her fast-paced, twist-laden mysteries, Jackson delivers yet another gripping narrative centered on secrets, lies, and the fragile bonds of family.
The story follows eighteen-year-old Bel Price, who has lived her entire life in the shadow of her mother’s mysterious disappearance sixteen years earlier. Rachel Price vanished without a trace, leaving young Bel as the only witness with no memory of what happened. Now, with a true crime documentary crew digging into the old case, Bel just wants the cameras to stop rolling. But everything changes when Rachel suddenly reappears, alive and with a story that no one quite believes. As the cameras keep filming, Bel must confront a terrifying question: who is her mother really, and what dark truths are being hidden?
From the opening scene, Holly Jackson sets an atmospheric tone that draws readers into the unsettling world of the Price family. The pacing in the first half is deliberate, immersing us in the unease of rediscovered trauma and the invasive nature of true crime media. Through documentary scripts, interviews, and family dynamics, the novel creates an almost cinematic experience. Jackson’s writing style remains as captivating as ever, with sharp dialogue, vivid emotion, and layers of psychological tension.
Bel, the protagonist, is complex and deeply flawed sometimes frustratingly so. She is sarcastic, guarded, and often impulsive, but that imperfection makes her feel authentic. Readers either love or hate her, which is precisely the point: Jackson doesn’t write characters meant to be easy to digest. Bel’s dynamic with Ash, her kindhearted and grounded friend, provides a needed balance, injecting warmth into an otherwise chilling plot.
Where The Reappearance of Rachel Price shines most is in its mystery. The book unfolds like a well-crafted puzzle, revealing piece after piece through clever foreshadowing and hidden clues. Even readers who think they’ve guessed the twist will find themselves surprised by how everything ultimately connects. That said, not every moment lands perfectly. Some readers have found the middle section sluggish and the ending slightly rushed or overly dramatic. Still, the final revelations hit with emotional and psychological force, making the journey well worth it.
The novel also explores deeper themes: the exploitation of trauma by media, the unreliability of memory, and how truth can be both liberating and destructive. Beneath the crime-thriller surface lies a story about identity, forgiveness, and the cost of uncovering the past.
While some may argue that Jackson’s prose feels more fragmented here than in her earlier works, her unique rhythm serves the story’s fragmented reality mirroring Bel’s mental state and the fractured truth behind Rachel’s disappearance.
In short, The Reappearance of Rachel Price is an unsettling yet deeply engaging thriller. It’s not Jackson’s most polished work, but it’s a bold, emotionally charged story that fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will appreciate. Expect to be intrigued, unsettled, and occasionally infuriated but never bored.
Verdict: A tense, addictive read packed with twists, flawed characters, and a deeply emotional core. Perfect for fans of dark family mysteries and true crime fiction.
👉 Grab your copy here: The Reappearance of Rachel Price on Amazon
