Book Review: Detour by S. A. Bodeen

Publisher’s description:

Livvy Flynn is a big deal – she’s a New York Times-bestselling author whose YA fiction has sold all over the world. She’s rich, she’s famous, she’s gorgeous, and she’s full of herself. When she’s invited to an A-list writer’s conference, she decides to accept so she can have some time to herself. She’s on a tight deadline for her next book, and she has no intention of socializing with the other industry people at the conference. And then she hits the detour.

Before she knows it, her brand new car is wrecked, she’s hurt, and she’s tied to a bed in a nondescript shack in the middle of nowhere. A woman and her apparently manic daughter have kidnapped her. And they have no intention of letting her go.

Amanda’s thoughts:

I sometimes like to think that I’m not the kind of person who enjoys seeing various bad things happen to insufferable people—but I am totally that kind of person. I didn’t necessarily want to see any actual harm come to Livvy, but I did want to see what would happen when she’s knocked off her high horse and held captive in a basement for a few days. As the description says, she’s kidnapped by a woman and her kid (who, weirdly, is standing on a log playing a flute, seemingly just waiting for Livvy to drive along and have an accident right in front of her–that part’s a little convenient, but I’ll go with it). The woman seems to completely hate Livvy and seems to have some kind of history with her.  She wants Livvy to admit what she did, to figure it out, to remember. Livvy doesn’t know, but has plenty of time to think on it as she is left to rot in the basement. While in the basement, Livvy, who is already in a lot of pain from injuries, is further hurt. She’s attacked by bees, which her captors apparently know she’s allergic to, and goes into shock. She’s hungry, dirty, and in pain. Potential hope arrives in the form of a police officer, but it turns out Peg is having an affair with him and blackmails him into keeping her secret. When Peg’s uber-creepy nephew, Wesley, shows up, he makes it clear that he knows a lot about Livvy. She worries they’ve stolen her very private diary—soon her fans could know all about her past as a friendless, bullied kid with trichotillomania (pulling out her hair).

I’m not going to ruin the eventful last few chapters for you. The plot twits and shocks come fast and furious. Some of them were obvious, but some were not. I’m not sure I ever really found any empathy for Livvy, which is okay, because I’m good with unbearable characters remaining unbearable. I think she ended up seeing some things she didn’t like about herself and those around her by the end, but I didn’t need her to learn a lesson or anything from her ordeal. The obvious comparison here is to Misery, but teen readers might not make that connection. This is a good pick especially for reluctant readers who want a fast-paced story with lots of suspenseful twists and turns. The fact that the story is populated solely with odious people who make questionable choices makes this thriller even more interesting as we wait to see who will get theirs and how. 

Review copy courtesy of the publisher

ISBN-13: 9781250055545

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publication date: 10/06/2015

Filed under: Book Reviews