Everything We Lost by Valerie Geary

Good morning, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Valerie Geary's latest, Everything We Lost.

On December 5, 1999, Lucy's brother, Nolan, disappeared. Lucy was just fourteen at the time. Now, ten years later, she can't forget Nolan. And she can't move on with her life. So she returns to the place Nolan disappeared, reuniting with her estranged mother, and facing the secrets her family has hidden for so long. 

So Nolan headed off into the desert in search of UFOs, or at least that's what Lucy thinks happened. The story alternates between her present day story and Nolan's story leading up to his disappearance, giving readers the chance to see things from both sides. Which is helpful when your narrator isn't completely dependable - no one would be recalling things from when they were a kid!

My expectations were mixed with this one - I was intrigued by the promise of UFOs and such, but suspected it really wouldn't quite be the X-File kind. And I was right. Instead, the book is about mental illness and coming of age and such. Which was fine, but maybe not what I was exactly in the mood for. The book was also billed as a psychological thriller and I'm not sure that's completely accurate in setting up expectations either.

Nonetheless, Everything We Lost was an intriguing read and the mystery behind Nolan's fate had me fully engaged. Which is fortunate because this is a bit of a long one! Everything We Lost is a bit of a genre mash up, which I love, and the perfect read for a book club looking for a meaty story with lots of discussion points!

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Valerie Geary and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram.

Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble