Book Review: The Stranger Game by Cylin Busby

Title: The Stranger Game
Author: Cylin Busby
Series/ Standalone: Stand Alone
Genre: Mystery, Young Adult, Thriller
Pages: 288
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year Published: 2016
Format Read: Audiobook

"The Stranger Game is a dark, suspenseful, and twisty young adult novel- perfect for fans of Lauren Oliver and E. Lockhart- about fifteen-year-old Nico Walker, whose sister returns home after a four-year disappearance.

When Nico Walker's older sister mysteriously disappears, her parents, family and friends are devastated. But Nico can never admit what she herself feels: relief at finally being free of Sarah's daily cruelties.

Then the best and worst thing happens: four years later, after dozens of false leads, Sarah is found.

But this girl is much changed from the one Nico knew. She's thin and drawn, where Sarah had been golden and athletic; timid and unsure, instead of brash and competitive; and strangest of all, sweet and kind, when she had once been mean and abusive. Sarah's retrograde amnesia has caused her to forget almost everything about her life, from small things like the plots of her favorite books and her tennis game to the more critical- where she's been for the last four years, and what happened at the park on the fateful day she vanished. Despite the happy ending, the dark details of that day continue to haunt Nico, and it becomes clear that more than one person knows the true story of what happened to Sarah."


My Rating: 4/5

So after getting a new phone, I finally got around to getting my OverDrive app back and found some awesome newer releases that I'd been hearing some buzz about and wanted to get too. This was one of the first that I took out from the OverDrive library and one that I'd seen given in a book box or too in the last year. And can I say that I was glad to try this one out first. I listened to it more than I read physical books this past week. It's nice to listen to a book while driving or going to the gym. 
And this story was very thrilling. If you are a fan of We Were Liars I think that you would really like this. This story has multiple perspectives that follow both Sarah and Nico throughout the story. I thought that the author did a great job of building suspense and overall I enjoyed this book. That being said, I did dock it one star as some of the twists I was able to almost call and I found that to be frustrating and a bit of a letdown. As for the audiobook itself, I think that reading the story physically might be more enjoyable as it's a short read and I found myself getting frustrated with how slowly the narrator was reading. 

Thanks for reading, 
Sidny

Spoiler: The Stranger Game by Cylin Busby

So I got this book on audio from OverDrive from my library after I released how much time I could be listening to a book rather than just staring out the window while I drive, workout or do dishes. So this audiobook was just over 6 hours and I was able to finish it in about five days. It definitely made my commute more interesting. I really enjoyed this book overall the plot was something interesting and I thought that the multiple perspectives really added to the book and helped readers to understand where each character was coming from. I also thought that the thrilling aspects were good, not the best but really freaking good.

Characters:
Nico: The fact that she mentions all the abusive things that Sarah did to her before her disappearance gives us a pretty good idea of how she feels about her sister, and allows us to make our own opinions about Sarah. I did guess that she might know more than she was letting on especially after hearing so many miserable things about Sarah. I do feel for Nico though, Sarah affected her with life and in the disappearance and in the end with death. I did think that it was strange how fast she felt for the new Sarah even though we later find out she's not Sarah at all, but I guess it makes sense to want a better family life.

Old Sarah: Let's be real she was a flaming bitch. I have no idea how she got to be such an ass hole but she seriously was one. She kind of deserved to go how she did... is that evil? Maybe, but I doubt she would have gotten better over time.

New Sarah: I did feel bad for Liberty, but by the end, I was a little upset with her. To put a family through that is heart-wrenching and I hope that they never find Sarah's body. I did think that her point of view was important it shows how your early years of life can shape who you are, but there are ways that that can change.

Tessa: I think that she might remind Nico of Sarah before the disappearance to an extent. Without the abuse.

Mom: I think that she knows that this isn't really Sarah but her heart just won't let her believe it. Hope is a powerful thing.

Dad: I think he is blind to whether it is Sarah or not, similar to Nico and Sarah's mom. Blind with hope and gratefulness.


Thanks for reading,
Sidny