The Return of Ellie Black

"Really good and well written. Kept my interest the entire time."

"Overall I enjoyed and would recommend. Very much enjoyed one of the big twists at the end. It was an interesting book but it wasn’t that shocking."

"Disclaimer: I won this book during a Goodreads giveaway, and this is my honest review. "The Return of Ellie Black" by Emiko Jean is an utterly fascinating and gripping novel!!! I loved listening to the audiobook since each of the different perspectives had their own unique voice actor to narrate their respective chapters!!! It was incredible to see the story play out through the multiple different perspectives of all the main characters, which were interwoven together to paint the bigger picture. Being able to slip into the shoes of the different characters helped to paint an even deeper connection to the plot and made the story even more engaging. All in all, I could barely put this book down!!! It was awe-inspiring and kept me hooked from page one!!! This story will forever live in my heart now, and I will treasure it!!! It was like watching a heart-racing thriller movie, but it is way more intense and expansive. All in all, if you love thriller and mystery books focused around crime and survival, then this is a must-read for you!!! "

"This was my May BOTM pick and there was a lot that I really liked about this story. I loved that we were given two perspectives throughout- one from the detective and one from the victim- but one main timeline of events. BOTM marketed this as a mystery instead of a thriller which I think might have been part of the reason I enjoyed it more than some other readers. If I went into it expecting a thriller, I think I would have been more disappointed by the ending. I love a good police procedural mystery, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea which is why I think we get the second POV from Ellie. Overall I enjoyed this novel, 4.5⭐️ rounded up to 5."

"The kidnapping tropes that are strung through this tale had me thinking I knew what was coming next. The horrific familiarity from true crime events used as plot points was striking. The sense that "I've seen this before" set expectations for equally recognizable resolutions (or lack there of) but whiplash turns had this reader stuck to the page. Loved it!"

"This was a well-written fiction book about girls being abducted and groomed to serve cult-like leaders/survivalists. Ellie Black was the central character who experienced this life for 2 years, and the other main character was the female police detective who looked into her case. A few twists at the end were startling and made everything come together. Good read but horrible topic."

"This book had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Excellent plot and shocking ending. Written in such an intriguing style it kept me interested through and through. Definitely recommend!"

"Trigger warning: SA. Overall a really good book — maybe I’ve been reading too many creepy books, so this completely resolved ending was out of the norm for me, but it had good character development and a good pace!"

""A lot can happen in that time. Cells divide millions of times over, and it's a miracle, a baby. Another cell divides abnormally, turning a person's inside black, robbing them of life, like Chelsey's father. In seven hundred and forty-six days, the Earth does two complete rotations around the sun, and Ellie Black disappears and reappears like a magic trick. Now you see her, now you don't."<br/><br/>We rarely hear incidences where a girl gone missing reappears after 48 hours, let alone 2 years, which makes Elizabeth Black's return such an interesting case. People begin to approach her cautiously - she's no longer the Ellie they once knew and loved. Chelsey is equally elated by her reappearance, ready to dive back into the details of the case, but Ellie has put up a wall. She wants nothing to do with releasing any details to anyone, including her own therapist. Soon, DNA results return showing another missing girl's blood on the hoodie Ellie was wearing when they found her, and Ellie secretly digs up a mysterious item when she asks Danny (her boyfriend) to drive her back to the spot where she was found. Things are not adding up, and to Chelsey, she is growing very suspicious. Desperate to help locate the other girls - dead or alive - and stop the person at the center once and for all, she needs Ellie's help more than ever. But first, she has to crack the case on what is keeping Ellie from sharing critical details that can help save other girls like her and help find the ones that might still be alive."

"I expected to like this more than I did. The subject matter was dark, but having just read a much better abduction storyline, this fell very flat. And all the “twists” at the end were not at all satisfying."