The Disappearance of Vanessa Shaw

The Disappearance of Vanessa Shaw was such a joy to read. The mystery aspect is expertly done, and I feel like rereading it just to see all of the foreshadowing in action.

In this novel, a group of friends come back together a year after the disappearance of one of their friends. With some of them just trying to come to terms with what has happened and others still actively trying to piece together what happened, there are tensions and secrets galore.
It is a mix of first-person perspectives of pretty much everybody involved (including Vanessa) and epistolary chapters where podcasts, police interviews, and text messages between characters are provided. It really helps the pacing and makes sure that all the characters are shown both the way they want to be perceived, and how complicated they really are.

The ending is a bit abrupt and includes a trope the ‘villain' monologue that I am not the biggest fan of. Is it unavoidable? Yes, but only to a certain degree, so I don't think it really retracts much from the quality of the story. It's a good twist and in general the misdirection is done really well throughout.

Can only recommend, even if you no longer fall within the YA demographic, to give this book a try :)