Cover Story: Well, I’m Not Sleeping
Drinking Buddy: Yes…But Let Me Open It
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (violence, literary jump scares)
Talky Talk: This isn’t Part of a Series?
Bonus Factors: Evil Artifact, Brother Vs. Brother
Bromance Status: Until We Meet Again
Cover Story: Well, I’m Not Sleeping
While I read this book as an e-ARC with no cover, that image would have made me yank the book right off the shelf. Maybe to burn it, but it’s certainly eye-catching. Yeesh.
The Deal:
Mae’s older sister Inez vanished months ago. No sign of foul play, no hints of being involved in something unseemly, no mysterious clues. Inez just texted Mae that she ‘needed to show her something’. That was the last time anyone saw her. Now, it’s months later. Mae’s parents are on the verge of splitting up. They didn’t like Inez’s Bohemian life in Boston, and they’re sure not going to let Mae make that same mistake. And now they’re going to empty out Inez’s apartment. Let’s face it, she’s gone. Probably for good.
Mae begs permission to be the one to clean out the apartment. This is ostensibly to say goodbye to her sister. But in reality, she’s looking for a clue. Any clue. Some sort of hint as to what happened to Inez.
She finds two things. One is a mysterious young man named Dev who has let himself into Inez’s apartment ‘to water the plants.’ The other thing is a canvas in a very old frame, hidden in the closet. The canvas is just a lot of white paint, a picture of nothing. But Inez’s notes imply this painting may be the gateway to finding out what happened to her…and perhaps a gateway of another sort.
Drinking Buddy: Yes…But Let Me Pour It
Mae was a badass who was not going to let the police file Inez away in the missing persons drawer. Someone out there knows something and Mae is going to find out. Aside from all that, her parents aren’t going to like the idea of her taking a gap year after high school, nor will they approve of her running around the eastern seaboard looking for Inez.
Dev was another story. There’s something he’s not telling Mae (he’s a POV character, and the reader knows more than she does). He and his brother Ravi have a history with both Inez and the painting, and they want to get both of them back…but for different reasons.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (violence, literary jump scares)
It becomes immediately clear that this painting isn’t just an example of modern art that Mae isn’t hip enough to get. There are shady art dealers, wealthy socialites, and other disreputable characters with a strange interest in the work. And why does Dev freak out every time Mae tries to look behind the peeling corner of the paint?
At first, I thought Dev was going to be cast as the romantic interest BECAUSE HE HAS A DIMPLE, JUST LIKE EVERY YA GUY IN THE PAST TEN YEARS. But when we get into his head, we realize he’s actually gay. And isn’t sharing everything he knows about Inez.
Talky Talk: This isn’t Part of a Series?
This was an interesting book, but some things seemed off. It was short, and left us on such a cliffhanger that I assumed this was the first of a series, but I can’t find any evidence that this isn’t a standalone book. There were scenes, such as flashbacks to Mae once dating the brother of the guy who liked her, that didn’t advance the plot and just seemed like padding.
Also, Dev was a weird character. He was born in India and immigrated to the US when his wealthy father’s business failed and they were forced to start over in a new country. But even in flashbacks to the time immediately after he came to the US, he speaks perfect English and doesn’t seem to have any trouble with American customs. He even orders beef stew, which struck me as inauthentic for an Indian person. Mae, who is Tunisian like the author, was much more ‘real.’
Bonus Factor: Evil Artifact
So Inez has traced the ownership of this painting back a long time, but not nearly as long as it’s been in existence. And it seems that all the previous owners have mysteriously vanished. Did Inez suffer the same fate?
Bonus Factor: Brother Vs. Brother
Mae and Dev are being pursued by his brother Ravi, who is determined to gain possession of the painting. After their first meeting, Ravi beats Dev unconscious and steals Mae’s car, along with all their possessions. So he’s the evil brother, right? That’s the only explanation, right?
Bromance Status: Until We Meet Again
I hope I was wrong about this not being part of a series or the author changes her mind. Otherwise, I’ll just have to pick up the next thing she writes.
Literary Matchmaking
Well, there’s this book with a similar premise…
This book had a nice H.P. Lovecraft vibe.
One girl, two brothers, one mystery: try While You Were Dreaming, by Alisha Rai.
FTC Full disclosure: I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher, but no money or forbidden knowledge.
