Reading in the Mountains

You don’t even wanna know how many times I’ve DNF’ed this book.
I just wasn’t feeling it. But I’ve realized something about myself lately: I know I actually want to read a book when I find myself thinking about it while I’m not reading it. When I start wondering what happens next. When that little curiosity refuses to leave me alone.
So here we are. Attempt number… honestly, I’ve lost count.

And you might ask why I kept trying when lately I’ve become VERY proud of my ability to DNF without guilt. Well. TikTok.
I kept seeing videos of people reacting to this apparently insane twist, and unfortunately I am weak and extremely nosy. I needed to know what everyone was losing their minds over.

The story follows Detective Chelsey Calhoun after Ellie Black, a teenager who disappeared two years ago, suddenly walks out of the Washington woods alive. But Ellie isn’t exactly eager to explain what happened to her. She won’t say where she’s been, who took her, or why she seems determined to protect certain secrets.
And slowly, the case becomes much bigger than one missing girl.

Once I finally got into it, I understood why I kept coming back. This isn’t really a fast, nonstop thriller. It’s darker and more character-driven, and the story slowly pulls you deeper into what happened to Ellie and why Chelsey is so determined to uncover the truth.
And yes. There is a twist.
Did my jaw physically detach from my face and fall onto the floor? Maybe not 😂 But I genuinely didn’t see it coming, and suddenly so many little things clicked into place. It’s the kind of reveal that makes you mentally go back through the book and reconsider what you’ve been reading.
I’m actually really glad I gave this one another chance. Sometimes a book isn’t bad—you just meet it at the wrong time. And apparently The Return of Ellie Black and I needed several introductions before we finally became friends.
Moral of the story: sometimes DNF means not right now.
And sometimes TikTok peer pressure actually works.