Review: Out of Reach

How do you find someone who doesn’t want to be found? A girl searches for her missing addict brother while confronting her own secrets in this darkly lyrical novel.

Rachel has always idolized her older brother Micah. He struggles with addiction, but she tells herself that he’s in control. And she almost believes it. Until the night that Micah doesn’t come home.

Rachel’s terrified—and she can’t help but feel responsible. She should have listened when Micah tried to confide in her. And she only feels more guilt when she receives an anonymous note telling her that Micah is nearby and in danger.

With nothing more to go on than hope and a slim lead, Rachel and Micah’s best friend, Tyler, begin the search. Along the way, Rachel will be forced to confront her own dark secrets, her growing attraction to Tyler…and the possibility that Micah may never come home.

I saw this book and the cover and title was the first thing that captured my attention. I felt like this would be a good book that after reading the synopsis would have a good ending. The book came through with a good ending but not one most people would hope for.

I felt like I could connect with the story on a personal level only because I know people who have dealt with drugs and who have gone through the different stages, who have gone to rehab, and some who have even died. I felt the connection through the story. The simplicity of it all made the book so much more than I think people will be expecting or at least hoping for.

Rachael and Micha I feel were the siblings that had a strong bond and even though secrets were kept from each other, they were still there for each other, until Micha goes missing. Micha is the type of character that personifies what most kids under the influence might be experiencing in one way or another of similar sorts. As a teenager that is the stage where they experiment with different things and yes some go further than others but I think that is reality that some parents have to deal with. Rachael on the other hand is the sister willing to lie to her parents to protect her brother but realizes that all the lies actually hurt him instead. I feel that on this journey she realized some things of her brother that she didn’t know and she came to the fact that some people don’t want to be found. She is strong girl that questioned God and his doings, a strong girl that in the end has to say goodbye.

There isn’t much romance but towards the end, Rachael and Trevor start to create a bond that shows that something in the future might happen and all the readers can do is hope for the best. I feel that the connection between these two is different compared to other fictional relationships and the difference is what makes it even more special.

Carrie Arcos writes a realistic book that most all teenagers could relate to. The idea of doing drugs and being around people who deal with them is all around us and most of the times we choose to ignore it. This simple but beautiful book tells a story that all will surely come to love.

I give it 5 bites!