This book had many twists at turns, I did like how it was a slow burn in the beginning because the author sets it up as if it’s going in one direction and then further down the rabbit hole it leads to another. It was an interesting portrayal of modern technology and social media in society and how it can be used as a progressive tool and an instrument, or to be used at someone’s detriment all at the same time. 

Of course it being a thriller I’m not surprised at the ending being a half somewhat cliffhanger with one major question answered but more to be revealed about the other questions involving the murder case and specifics. 

But I will say I was tuned in reading this and Kellye Garett really did put the reader into the mind of the main character, Breanna Wright. it also had a realistic portrayal of how black people/poc are implicated and received by the public in these large court cases or in general. 

I enjoyed this!

 

Energy: Focused. Restless. Wary. 

Scene: 🇺🇸 Set at an Airbnb and hotels in Jersey City, NJ

Perspective: Our MC is tagging along with their partner who is travelling for work in NYC at a finance firm. 

 

🐕 Howls: Sometimes spinning wheels plotwise. 
🐩 Tail Wags: The pacing. The story and writing style. Bree. Immersive audiobook. 

🤔 Random Thoughts:

I predicted some of the twists but I was invested in Bree and what would happen to her so it never ruined the story for me. 

I love the choice to keep unreliable narrator tropes out of this. It made it much more suspenseful. 

The ending is open and abrupt (I liked it). There wasn’t much more to say, and the epilogue was almost acknowledging what would occur next, and giving us a taste.

 

🤓 Reader Role: Hanging out with our MC. She’s narrating what she’s doing and experiencing, telling us straight up what her motivations are and why. 

🗺️ World-Building: Cinematic and sensory. Can see the reactions and body language of characters. Not overly detailed but easy to imagine. Real locations given so you can follow along on Google Earth and explore! 

🔥 Fuel: Character evolution and escalating stakes. Who killed the woman in the Airbnb? Where is Bree’s partner? Did he do it or is he a victim too? Will the police believe Bree? 

📖 Cred: Realistic

 

Train tracks. PATH announcements. Traffic. YouTube channels. Instagram stories. Phone haptics. Elevator dings. Manhattan skyline. Hotel lobby. 

 

Content Heads-Up: Racism (prejudice, systemic, bias, assumption). Police (incompetence, bias). Murder. Blood. Missing person. Loss of romantic partner. False accusation. Loss of parent (as child). Masking stage of COVID-19 (brief mentions; no lockdowns). Betrayal. Domestic abuse/controlling spouse (recall; off page). 

 

Rep: Black and White Americans. Cisgender. Heterosexual. 

 

📚 Format: Audible

 

Lost points for centering cryptocurrency as a plot device

    When Breanna, a woman of color, goes to an Airbnb in another state, where a white woman is missing, for a vacation with her boyfriend, Ty, she ends up finding a dead body and Ty is nowhere to be found. Internet sleuths are on the case, but that's not always a good thing, especially when you have a Black man suspected of killing a white woman, and a Black woman is the only one left to tell the tale.
 
     I enjoyed the book a lot. It had a great fast pace. But I did figure out one of the mysteries early, though others were harder for me to figure out. The book was much better than if it had been a white couple at the Airbnb, the racial elements added additional tension and a more complex narrative.
    While I'm a consumer of things like true crime books and podcasts, I am disgusted by murder tourism and everyone thinking they can be a detective with zero training. I think civilians can do certain things like going through documents to find things and then bring them to the attention of qualified people. We shouldn't be confronting people we suspect of crimes or bombing their social media with hate before even the police have announced the criminal much less, they are convicted. I think this book tackled those topics well.
 
 Narrator Rating: 4.75 stars
  The narrator did an excellent job! I wish there'd been more tonal shifts for different characters when they talked. 

A romantic getaway gone awry! 

I can't believe I almost missed this book, but I'm so fortunate that a last-minute interviewer need helped place this book in my hands. Bree and her boyfriend, Ty, go on a weekend getaway to Jersey City/Manhattan. Bree thinks Ty has just been distracted with work the whole trip and tries to push the annoyances out of her head when suddenly a body is found in their Airbnb. Missing White Woman will keep you hooked as Bree tries to navigate finding justice while not ending up subject to a police system and media system that is primed to disbelieve her. Kellye Garrett crafts an interesting read that comments on social media's involvement in true crime and public opinion as well as how certain biases make it difficult for individuals of different races or backgrounds to fully rely on the police force and the community. Overall, this is a gripping book that lets you sit with the information, and I loved the inclusion of TikTok and other social media platforms to layer into the work. I wish the ending had a bit more time to settle and go over the events of the crime. Between wrapping up the information regarding the murder's motive and the new findings in the epilogue I was a bit unsure of how everything went down, but I guess not knowing the full events is part of the journey. Bree is left only with the pieces she has at her disposal. 

(As someone who lived in Jersey City and worked in Manhattan, I loved seeing the different names of streets and places. Shoutout to the PATH!)