Unmissing by Minka Kent

Read Dates: March 15, 2022 – March 16, 2022
Publication Date: February 15, 2022
Source: Owned paperback

Goodreads — Amazon

Merritt Coletto and her husband, Luca, have the life they dreamed of: a coastal home, a promising future, and a growing family. That dream ends with a late-night knock on the door.

Weak, broken, and emaciated, it’s Luca’s first wife, Lydia. Missing for ten years, presumed dead, and very much alive, she has quite a story. Her kidnapping. A torturous confinement that should’ve ended with her dead. And finally, escape. Racked with guilt over the beautiful life they’ve built, Merritt and Luca agree to help get Lydia back on her feet—it’s the least they can do.

But the more enmeshed Lydia becomes in Merritt’s family, the more questions Merritt has. What is it about Lydia that’s especially unnerving? Why hasn’t she gone to the police with her harrowing tale? What does she really want of them? The answers, when they come, are terrifying.

Because Lydia isn’t the only one with secrets.

Buckle in. This book made me want to rip all my hair out and I’m about to tell you allllllll about it.

Let me start with this: these are my opinions and takeaways from what I read. You might pick this book up and think I’m a complete psycho in need of brain therapy because this book may be a 5-star homerun hitter for you. I never like writing a review that’s going to be negative because I don’t want someone to avoid a book just because I didn’t like it and I have nothing too terribly nice to say about it. I’ve seen plenty of 4 and 5-star reviews for this one.

That being said…

I feel like every passive-aggressive comment comes after those three words… “That being said…”

Anyway. I have many issues with this book. Let’s break them down.

1. NONE of the characters were likable and I did not connect with anyone.
2. There were a few inconsistencies that I couldn’t ignore.
3. The plot was boring. A little bit of drama but eh. Not interesting enough to hold my attention.
4. It’s a Minka Kent book! I’ve never met one I didn’t like until right now! And this makes me sad…

So. I guess let’s start from the beginning. None of the characters were likable. Legit not a single one. Not even the crazy old lady who takes in Lydia. I didn’t give two craps about a single character. I didn’t have a chance to. Maybe that was the point? None of the characters were supposed to be likable? I don’t know. But this point alone made it incredibly hard for me to trudge through this book.

There were multiple inconsistencies. The biggest, of which, was the characters. Mainly Luca and Merritt. I don’t want to spoil anything here but there’s a moment in the book where their roles TOTALLY swap. Which would have been fine except for the fact that the Merritt I was being sold by the end of the book did not match up in any way with the Merritt from the beginning and middle parts who wouldn’t have been acting the way she was or saying the things she was or doing the things she was. It. Didn’t. Make. Sense. Neither did Luca. I’m supposed to believe that he was able to act as the decision-maker? The guy in charge? The guy whose words were law throughout the first three-quarters of the book? Because the guy at the end was an absolute pansy who didn’t know how to do anything without being told. I’m sorry, but you cannot tell me this same guy was the one actually calling the shots and making people believe it in the beginning. (This one was the most annoying inconsistency for me, can you tell?) I was actually rolling my eyes at the end of the book. That’s how utterly unbelievable the entire thing was.

The plot was boring. I’m pretty sure this exact story was on the news the other night. Classic case of “missing person comes back after everyone they knew has already moved on”. It’s the same old song and dance. This is only the second book I can think of that I’ve read with the same basic plotline. And yet… this one did nothing extra to hold my attention. The first chapter was very interesting. From there I was lost until I got to the end… and then I was just annoyed.

THIS IS A MINKA KENT BOOK. For heaven’s sake, there’s never been a book by Kent that I haven’t liked! The Stillwater Girls was one of the best books I have EVER read. So when I saw this one, I immediately bought a physical copy because that’s how much I trusted her. I read this book in a day and for once it wasn’t because I was loving the Minka Kent book in my hands. It was because I wanted to get it over and done with so I could move on to something else.

It’s literally making me sick to my stomach saying all these negative things about this book but *sigh* this is my honest review. I will, however, stay loyal to Minka and I will continue to read her books as I always have. One bad apple isn’t enough to chop down the whole tree. Or something along those lines.

And for the eight hours that follow, we lie in bed – a married couple pretending to sleep, pretending our life isn’t falling apart or changing in ways we never could’ve anticipated. Feigning, in deafening silence, that everything is going to be perfectly fine come what may.”

As always, I IMPLORE you to read this for yourself if you’re even the slightest bit interested in the synopsis. You never know! What was my least favorite of her books might be your most favorite. You. Just. Never. Know.

✌💛