IN SEARCH OF THE ROSE NOTES: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

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IN SEARCH OF THE 

ROSE NOTES

BY EMILY ARSENAULT

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Eleven-year-olds Nora and Charlotte were best friends. When their teenage babysitter, Rose, disappeared under mysterious circumstances, the girls decided to “investigate.” But their search—aided by paranormal theories and techniques gleaned from old Time-Life books—went nowhere.

Years later, Nora, now in her late twenties, is drawn back to her old neighborhood—and to her estranged friend—when Rose’s remains are finally discovered. Upset over their earlier failure to solve the possible murder, Charlotte is adamant that they join forces and try again. But Nora was the last known person to see Rose alive, and she’s not ready to revisit her troubled adolescence and the events surrounding the disappearance—or face the disturbing secrets that are already beginning to reemerge.

PRAISE FOR IN SEARCH OF THE ROSE NOTES:

...a compelling psychological mystery, told from the alternating point of view of the 20-something narrator and her confused preteen self. ... Instead of dwelling on fear and pain, Arsenault guides the reader through grief, compassion, and understanding in this emotionally complex and deeply satisfying read.

— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A very clever wordsmith.”
—New York Times Book Review 

“When Emily Arsenault was growing up, a teacher told the fifth-grader she was very good at writing. Give that teacher an A.”
—Hartford Courant

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Emily Arsenault is the critically acclaimed author of The Broken Teaglass, a New York Times 2009 Notable Mystery. She lives in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. To read more and really interesting notes on the life of Emily Arsenault, please check her website HERE.

MY REVIEW:
Emily Arsenault introduces readers to her psychological mystery, IN SEARCH OF THE ROSE NOTES, through her main character, Nora, as she narrates between alternating time periods that cover a 10-12 year span. She tells the story as an 11-year-old and then alternates as a young adult. Nora and her young friend Charlotte lived in a small town in Connecticut and they were fond of their babysitter, Rose Banks. However, Rose goes missing one day after she drops Nora off, and it is a mystery never solved even though the girls tried with all their might to find a way. Interested in a set of Time-Life books about prophecies, they thought perhaps some sort of vision might help but their efforts seem to be to no avail. Their obsession with Rose’s case actually becomes too much for these young girls and their friendship is never the same.

Sixteen years pass and Nora and Charlotte are grown and living their lives elsewhere when Rose’s bones are found in a local pond. Local authorities re-open the case and Charlotte contacts Nora to return to Waverly, Connecticut, since Nora was the last person to see Rose alive. When the two reunite, it is evident that they both still have many secrets about Rose and the story becomes very disturbing and complicated. The emotional and psychological toll this played on Nora’s and Charlotte’s lives is fascinating. They even go back to their old childhood notes they used to take with Rose about dreams and the paranormal surrounding those Time-Life books in hopes of understanding what happened. 

As much as Arsenault does a fine job of keeping the story going and the plot twists coming, IN SEARCH OF THE ROSE NOTES was an OK read but not one I went crazy for. I thought parts of it were too far-fetched for me personally, and I also didn’t care about the characters when they were young girls. I wish they had been written in a different way so I could have felt more empathy for them. But over all, it was a satisfying read and one I think most will enjoy especially if you are into psychological thrillers.   

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