Review: Wrong Girl Gone by Audrey Wilson
Thanks so much to the author for this gifted copy.
Publish Date: April 18, 2021
Paperback
273 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Contemporary, Domestic Suspense
It's late in the summer of 1989 and the body of twenty-two year-old Jay Elliot Larson is about to be discovered on the bank of Kawanee River.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
As a young mother living in her small hometown of Jasper, Mississippi, Joy lives paycheck to paycheck with her son, Jerry, and alcoholic husband, Carl. After enduring years of Carl's abuse, Joy reaches her breaking point when she discovers a large stash of money he's been keeping from her. With the encouragement of her twin sister, Joy takes the money, packs up Jerry, and goes on the run, determined to get as far away from Carl as possible. But Joy is not alone. Someone is following her. And it's only a matter of time before Joy will have to fight for her son... and her life.
My Review:
One of the best things about the Bookstagram community is just how much we all tend to support each other, and by virtue, those that we know. Dana @danafraedrich reached out about her friend, Audrey, whose debut novel, WRONG GIRL GONE, is right in the wheel house of books that I read. We all know how much I LOVE a good debut novel!
Wilson's novel speaks greatly on domestic violence and the somersaults of emotions women go through when in a less than desirable situation.... especially when a child is involved. While it may look like an easy decision on the outside, or maybe people just see and believe what they want to, the internal struggle never goes away. Joy is determined and when she finally does go... well, there's secrets other than her own she'll have to grapple with as she trudges along.
This is moderately paced and kept my interest from beginning to end. I do have one small gripe and that is when names are too similar - in this case, the two male adults that are prominent are Carl and Clay. Maybe it's my pea brain but I felt confused for a while in the back and forth on who was who. I know, I know, it's such a small thing but it has always irked me. I also felt that some things felt just a teeny bit amiss and I would've liked a tad more background to really engage with the characters. HOWEVER, as a debut novel, impressive!
I would absolutely pick up Wilson's next release. She's a delightful inspiration and I encourage you to pick this book up and indulge in your domestic suspense needs.
★★★★
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