ARC Review: Losing Leah by Tiffany King

Losing Leah
Author: Tiffany King
Publication: Feiwel & Friends (March 20, 2018)

Description: Some bonds can’t be broken.

Ten years after the tragic disappearance of her twin sister Leah, sixteen-year-old Mia Klein still struggles to exist within a family that has never fully recovered. Deep in the dark recesses of her mind lies an overwhelming shadow, taunting Mia with mind-splitting headaches that she tries to hide in an effort to appear okay.

Leah Klein's life as she knew it ended the day she was taken, thrust into a world of abuse and fear by a disturbed captor―"Mother," as she insists on being called. Ten years later, any recollections of her former life are nothing more than fleeting memories, except for those about her twin sister, Mia.
As Leah tries to gain the courage to escape, Mia's headaches grow worse. Soon, both sisters will discover that their fates are linked in ways they never realized.

My Thoughts: LOSING LEAH wasn't at all the book I was expecting. It is filled with twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Ten years after it happened, Mia Klein is still struggling with the disappearance of her twin sister Leah. Her family is broken and she suffers from devastating headaches. Still she tries to pretend that everything is okay to her best friend Amber and her boyfriend Luke. She is keeping up her A average and dating a football star. Everything should be great.

Meanwhile, Leah is living in a dark basement under the control of a woman she has been taught to call Mother. Mother is volatile. Leah never knows what she can do to keep from experiencing brutal punishments. While Mother might be nice and give her treats and books to read, other times she can't be pleased and Leah is punished. Mother keeps Leah on the edge of starvation and deliberately weak. When Leah secretly begins exercising to gain strength and possibly escape, she knows that the punishments will be brutal if Mother finds out. Leah manages to escape but things are not at all what they appear to be.

There are twists after twists in this well-written and engaging thriller. Mia and Leah are both fascinating characters dealing with an unimaginable situation as best they can. I couldn't put this book down. The writing was engaging. The characters were compelling. And the twists and turns kept me going to the startling conclusion.

Favorite Quote:

The darkness wasn't gone the next day, or the day after that, or all the days that came later. It remained. Always there. In every shadow I passed. Lurking anyplace with the smallest absence of light. Haunting only me. The fact that no one else could see it made me question whether it was real. Deep down I suspected I was unraveling. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Macmillan. You can buy your copy here.