Review: The Escape

The Escape
Author: Hannah Jayne
Publication Date: July 7th 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

When two boys walk into the woods, and one comes out covered in blood, what would you believe?
Fletcher and Adam venture into the woods for an afternoon hike, but when day turns into night and neither boy returns, their town is thrown into turmoil. Avery, the detective's daughter, is the one to find Fletcher—dishelved, disoriented, and covered in blood. He has no memory of what happened, but Avery can't shake the feeling that something's off. When Adam's body is finally found, Avery is determined to uncover the truth. But if she stands by her gut, and Fletcher, is she standing by a friend, or a murderer? The answer might cost her her life

I officially think I need to step away from thrillers/psychological thrillers for a while, because I think I'm at the point where I've read so many they all seem to be running on the same formula. That's not to say The Escape wasn't good-because it is-but makes it more predictable-which it was-but I'll go more into that in a minute. 

 The Escape is written in third person and alternates between Avery and Fletcher. I liked Avery, she seems like a realistic teen, she has insecurities, she's a little shy, she doesn't really have friends friends, more acquaintances, though she was friendly with Adam, and she get's friendly with Fletcher after he's found. Which, started off as a way of trying to get him to remember what had happened in the woods, but she quickly got protective of him. So yeah, you can admire her for just wanting to help, even if it comes natural to her, being the police chiefs daughter and all. But, she is judgemental, and I didn't really like that most of the other girls that pop up in the story are portrayed a little...slutty and constantly annoying. And the way one in particular whispered rumors about things, and at a point, even said something to Avery's face didn't seem realistic at all.

So, what happened to Fletcher and who killed Adam? That's a question everyone wants to know, even Fletcher, since he's blocked what happened. Fletcher is hard to grasp, which is obvious, since he's going to be an unreliable narrator. But, it's weird, because I don't know if the reveal of who killed Adam was supposed to be a complete surprise or more of a confirmation,  because it was obvious who it was, and honestly? The whole thing felt a little random, I mean, I get it, but there was so much build up and the reveal was finished and wrapped up, but not even "officially" wrapped up, within the last two chapters. I felt cheated. 

I hate romance in thrillers because they always  play out  creepy, and you're always suspicious of every character, so I don't usually get into it, and things are usually...off. It's a tell tale sign of something not quite right, so I'm glad that romance wasn't really a feature in The Escape. 

Overall, I felt The Escape was your average mystery/thriller, the character's weren't all that likeable, but likeable enough not to hate, it kept you on your toes with the alternate perspectives, but the mystery side of The Escape felt predictable, it didn't keep you guessing, and ultimately, I am disappointed. But, if you don't read that many thrillers/mysteries, then it does its job. 

Rating: 3/5