The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke

For the past 13 years Faith has lived as an only child ever since her older sister Laurel was taken. Living in the shadow of her missing sister, Faith has had a lot to deal with since her disappearance including her parents’ divorce, her father’s new relationship with a man, her first boyfriend and when her mum receives a phone call from the police, she has a lot more to deal with.

With no sightings or leads ever since Laurel disappeared, Faith always had hope that one day she would return and her wish appears to have been answered when her mum receives a phone call one morning from the police informing them that Laurel has been found.

With so many questions and emotions to deal with, Faith and her parents can’t wait to reconnect with Laurel, but understandably she struggles with being back. Now 19 years old Laurel has to learn to live as part of a family again and while Faith does what she can to help her adjust, she eventually begins to resent Laurel’s place in the family.

As the press camp outside their house wanting to know Laurel’s every move now that she has her freedom after being captive for 13 years, Laurel embraces the attention by appearing on a chat show and agreeing to a book deal, but Faith isn’t as keen. Not wanting their family to be the subject of news again she refuses to take part until Laurel tells her how much it would mean to her to do something as a family and soon Laurel is in the spotlight again with all eyes on her.

But when Laurel seems to be spending more time than needed with Faith’s boyfriend Thomas, Faith gets suspicious of her motives and feels Laurel is lying about things. No matter how damaged she is, Faith is determined to find out what’s going on and as much as she thinks she is, she’s not as ready to learn the truth as she thought.

I couldn’t put this book down and was gripped from the start. Although I had my own ideas about how it would end, some of which ended up being correct, I wasn’t prepared for the ending and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys an intriguing read.