www.goodreads.com Open in urlscan Pro
13.32.121.24  Public Scan

Form analysis
1 forms found in the DOM

GET https://www.goodreads.com/search

<form action="https://www.goodreads.com/search" method="get"><input type="text" role="combobox" name="q" class="HeaderSearch__input" aria-label="Search by book title or ISBN" spellcheck="false" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-expanded="false"
    aria-controls="search-listbox" placeholder="Search books" value=""><input type="hidden" name="ref" value="nav_sb_noss_l"><button type="submit" value="" aria-label="Search"
    class="HeaderSearch__button"><i class="Icon SearchIcon"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M10.9942371,4 C14.8570476,4 17.9884742,7.1314266 17.9884742,10.9942371 C17.9884742,12.7320284 17.3547056,14.3217952 16.3056938,15.5450121 L19.6195637,18.858691 C19.8296728,19.0688002 19.8296728,19.4094545 19.6195637,19.6195637 C19.4094545,19.8296728 19.0688002,19.8296728 18.858691,19.6195637 L18.858691,19.6195637 L15.5450121,16.3056938 C14.3217952,17.3547056 12.7320284,17.9884742 10.9942371,17.9884742 C7.1314266,17.9884742 4,14.8570476 4,10.9942371 C4,7.1314266 7.1314266,4 10.9942371,4 Z M10.9942371,5.07603647 C7.72570514,5.07603647 5.07603647,7.72570514 5.07603647,10.9942371 C5.07603647,14.262769 7.72570514,16.9124377 10.9942371,16.9124377 C14.262769,16.9124377 16.9124377,14.262769 16.9124377,10.9942371 C16.9124377,7.72570514 14.262769,5.07603647 10.9942371,5.07603647 Z"></path></svg></i></button>
</form>

Text Content

 * Home
 * My Books
 * Browse ▾
    * Recommendations
    * Choice Awards
    * Genres
    * Giveaways
    * New Releases
    * Lists
    * Explore
    * News & Interviews
   
   Genres
    * Art
    * Biography
    * Business
    * Children's
    * Christian
    * Classics
    * Comics
    * Cookbooks
    * Ebooks
    * Fantasy
    * Fiction
    * Graphic Novels
    * Historical Fiction
    * History
    * Horror
    * Memoir
    * Music
    * Mystery
    * Nonfiction
    * Poetry
    * Psychology
    * Romance
    * Science
    * Science Fiction
    * Self Help
    * Sports
    * Thriller
    * Travel
    * Young Adult
    * More Genres

 * Community ▾
    * Groups
    * Quotes
    * Ask the Author
    * People


 * Sign in
 * Join

Jump to ratings and reviews
Want to read

Kindle $6.99

Rate this book


CHARLIE, PRESUMED DEAD


ANNE HELTZEL

2.98
1,578 ratings383 reviews
Want to read

Kindle $6.99

Rate this book
In Paris, family and friends gather to mourn the tragic passing of Charlie
Price—young, handsome, charming, a world-traveler—who is presumed dead after an
explosion. Authorities find only a bloodied jacket, ID’d as Charlie’s. At the
funeral, two teens who are perfect strangers, Lena Whitney and Aubrey Boroughs,
make another shocking discovery: they have both been dating Charlie, both think
Charlie loved them and them alone, and there is a lot they didn’t know about
their boyfriend. Over the next week, a mind-bending trip unfolds: first in
London—then in Mumbai, Kerala, and Bangkok, the girls go in search of Charlie.
Is he still alive? What did their love for him even mean? The truth is out
there, but soon it becomes clear that the girls are harboring secrets of their
own. 

No one knows whom to trust in this thrilling tale of suspense and deception.



Show more
GenresYoung AdultMysteryThrillerContemporaryFictionMystery ThrillerSuspense

...more

272 pages, Hardcover

First published May 27, 2015

Book details & editions

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

54 people are currently reading
2,917 people want to read

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ANNE HELTZEL

4 books358 followers
Follow
Follow


Anne Heltzel is an author, ghostwriter, and editor. She spends her time in
Brooklyn and the Hudson Valley, and likes dogs, food, wallpaper, and books.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




READERS ALSO ENJOYED



 * With Malice
   Eileen Cook
   3.5
   14.3k
 * None of the Above
   I.W. Gregorio
   3.84
   14.1k
 * My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories
   Stephanie Perkins
   3.66
   41.5k
 * Even When You Lie to Me
   Jessica Alcott
   3.3
   3,807
 * Vanishing Girls
   Lauren Oliver
   3.57
   32.6k
 * The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett
   Chelsea Sedoti
   3.13
   15k
 * Dumplin'
   Julie Murphy
   3.89
   90.2k
 * Beauty Queens
   Libba Bray
   3.62
   54.8k
 * Panic
   Lauren Oliver
   3.55
   62.1k
 * The Wrong Mother
   Sophie Hannah
   3.48
   9,465
 * The Girls Are Never Gone
   Sarah Glenn Marsh
   3.61
   2,485
 * The Lying Woods
   Ashley Elston
   4.09
   4,932
 * Pretty Dead Queens
   Alexa Donne
   3.7
   4,473
 * The Haunting of Velkwood
   Gwendolyn Kiste
   3.6
   4,085
 * Yellow Brick War
   Danielle Paige
   3.8
   22.3k
 * Let the Dead Speak
   Jane Casey
   4.16
   6,343
 * The Last Laugh
   Mindy McGinnis
   4.11
   2,781
 * The Fever
   Megan Abbott
   3.1
   26k
 * Kill the Boy Band
   Goldy Moldavsky
   3.52
   8,291
 * A Certain Slant of Light
   Laura Whitcomb
   3.84
   20.1k


All similar books

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


RATINGS & REVIEWS

What do you think?
Rate this book
Write a Review

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




FRIENDS & FOLLOWING

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!


COMMUNITY REVIEWS

2.98
1,578 ratings383 reviews
5 stars

171 (10%)
4 stars

352 (22%)
3 stars

508 (32%)
2 stars

363 (23%)
1 star

184 (11%)
Search review text

Filters

Displaying 1 - 30 of 383 reviews
Christine PNW
811 reviews213 followers
Follow
Follow

June 4, 2015
Where to begin with this book. Those of you who have been watching my status
updates have probably concluded that I didn't like this book.

I didn't like this book.

Prepare yourself, it's going to get ugly here. If you have any interest in this
book at all, stop reading. First, I will mock it. Then I will spoil it. Then I
will trample on whatever might be left of it.

Let me begin by saying that this is the last book by this author I will read. I
had previously read another book, under a different pen name (The Ruining by
Anna Collomore) and though it had problems (huge problems) there was enough
going on that I was interested in reading her again.

Yeah, that emotion is gone. We are never, ever, ever getting back together.

Also, there are plenty of people who liked this book, so if it interests you,
don't take my word for it. Go read one of the 4 & 5 star reviews on amazon.

Now, the rest of this review is one big spoiler alert.


The book is told in three different voices: Lena (GF#1) and Aubrey (GF#2) which
are first person present, and Charlie, which is first person, where he sometimes
talks about himself in the second person. Which sounds stupid as fuck and is
every bit as irritating as you are thinking it might be.

Basic story: Rich kid Charlie has apparently died in a plane crash. Lena and
Aubrey both go to his funeral and find out that they both believe that they were
his girlfriend. Heavy handed suspense building occurs - is Charlie even dead?
They must find out the truth!

They embark on a poorly-conceived road trip across the globe to find the truth.
Also, as a total aside, but with more heavy-handed attempts at suspense
building, Charlie has stolen Aubrey's diary. Aubrey's diary, which contains a
TERRIBLE SEKRET! And Aubrey is worried that someone will find out her TERRIBLE
SEKRET!

Oh, God, someone shoot me now.

First they go to Mumbai, which Lena insists on calling Bombay 'cause, you know,
that's what rich kids do. Everyone who is anyone still calls it Bombay. Fuck the
actual people of India. And, in a strange coincidence - this book is filled with
strange coincidences, which is apparently what passes for plotting - the boy
that Aubrey cheated on Charlie with lives in Mumbai, I mean, Bombay. Also,
there's a drug dealer, and an incident where they are sort of kidnapped and
rolled, although they do, at least, wake up with all their organs.

By this time, this is my expression as I'm reading:



And then we find out two things: first of all, Aubrey's TERRIBLE SEKRET is, in
fact, pretty terrible. Turns out that adorable Aubrey ran over a homeless guy in
her car and left him to die. And Charlie knows this and has been blackmailing
her. Also, Aubrey cheated on Charlie with Mumbai guy, Adam, who she met once,
and she confessed to Charlie, so he knows. And he left a suicide note - dated
the day he found out!

By now, I'm like:



And, Charlie is pissed.

Oh, Charlie's not actually dead. You got that, right?

No, in a manoevre that would have made James Bond and Jason Bourne proud,
teenaged rich kid manages to - without anyone knowing - get his pilot's license
and learn to skydive and then crash his rich father's plane after parachuting
out of it, after planting bloody evidence to suggest that he died in the crash.

Like, this guy:



No, wait, this guy:



Well, okay, more like this guy:



Uh huh. That's possible. If by "possible", you mean "could never fucking happen
in one million years.

And Charlie is pissed at Aubrey for cheating on him. Because, yeah, a guy who is
literally banging two chicks at once has every right to be mad at one of them
for cheating on him. Also, Charlie has apparently lost his mind, and can't even
tell his two girlfriends apart. He has to keep lists about them or he will
forget which one he is in bed with. Aubrey likes purple, pina coladas, and
getting caught in the rain.

Wait, no, that's some stupid song from the 80's. But you see my point.



OMG, this book is so bad. So, so, so bad.

The characterizations are wafer-fucking-thin. Aubrey is the Indiana girl, from a
normal family, who eats tuna casserole. Hello, 1955 called. It wants it's
cliched middle America family dinner back. And Lena is the globe-trotting trust
fund brat who likes vinyl records. Isn't she just so hip?

And Charlie. Charlie is the eeevil criminal mastermind extraordinaire because he
set this whole thing up:

"They’ll find Anand, and Dane—or is it Dana now?—because you want them to. And
when they do, they’ll know the truth, and they’ll suffer. The truth—your plan
for them—will destroy them."

Cue Snidely Whiplash in the corner, gleefully rubbing his hands together and
cackling.

Honestly, I've met cartoon characters with more depth. Fucking Foghorn Leghorn
is more believable than these people.



Marissa Meyer's series involving mythical fairy tale princesses in outer space
has characters with more depth and resemblance to reality than anything in this
piece of so-called contemporary realistic fiction.

And, adding insult to injury, it is a cliff-hanger ending. There will be a
sequel. Because there was just sooooo much in this book that it requires two -
or maybe even three - books to tell the whole story.



Fuck that.
Show more

40 likes
8 comments
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sarah Elizabeth
4,973 reviews1,375 followers
Follow
Follow

May 5, 2015
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review
basis. Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group, and
NetGalley.)

“Charlie was lying to us,” Aubrey explains. “About more than the fact that there
is an us.”



This was an interesting mystery story, and I really liked the ending (even if it
was a massive cliff-hanger).

Aubrey and Lena were quite different characters, but both had loved Charlie, and
both had secrets. I was pretty shocked when I found out what Charlie was holding
over Aubrey, but I didn’t really understand why Lena was so sure that Charlie
had faked his own death.

“What if he faked his death? What if he’s alive?”



Charlie on the other hand – oh dear me – he was just an ass. Starting a
relationship with a another girl when you have a long-term girlfriend? Making
lists to keep your two girlfriends straight in your head? Crazy! And as the
story went along, he just became an even bigger ass, and his sanity seemed to be
a little missing too.

“You look at her and all you see are her huge blue angel eyes. But you already
have an angel.”



The storyline in this followed Lena and Aubrey as they travelled all over the
world looking for Charlie. The things these girls did were pretty crazy, and
they made some seriously dodgy decisions! In fact even the story of how Aubrey
met Charlie was one huge bad decision. Who on earth gets invited into a
strangers flat and just goes along with it? Is she stupid? He could be a rapist!

“You have nowhere to go?”
“I have nowhere to go. Nowhere to be either.”



The romance in this was one crazy mess of relationships and cheating, I’m not
even going to try to explain it.

“Charlie hates olives more than anything,” I correct her.
“No, no, no,” Lena says, sitting bolt upright in bed. “You’re wrong. You’re
thinking of someone else. He adores them.”



The ending to this was a massive cliff-hanger, but I have to say that I actually
liked it. Everything built up, we got some huge revelations, some more crazy
situations, and one heck of a lot of poop for these two girls to deal will!
Totally nuts, but seriously good.
7 out of 10
Show more
as contemporary death

...more

37 likes
11 comments
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kelly (and the Book Boar)
2,697 reviews9,226 followers
Follow
Follow

March 19, 2015
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

3.5 Stars

“I’m starting to get the terrible feeling that none of this has been
coincidental.”

Lena and Aubrey never met until Charlie’s funeral. It was there the two figured
out they were both dating the recently deceased. In an attempt to piece the
puzzle of Charlie’s relationships together, Lena and Aubrey find themselves
questioning whether this happened . . .



or if he simply . . .



You know how to hook a big ol’ fish like me? Good title and good cover. This one
had both and I was allllllll over it. Imagine my surprise when I found myself
enjoying what was inside as much as I enjoyed what was outside. I’m giving this
one 3.5 Stars (rounded up because it deserves it) for being just a wee bit
repetitive with reminders of all the “secrets” that were going to be divulged
and scenes that were a bit far-fetched at times. That being said, this is a YA
and I am most definitely an OA so these might be “it’s not you, it’s me” issues.

Since the story of Charlie was a mystery, I’m hesitant to give anything away. I
will say that I’m seriously digging how YA has been coming into its own this
Spring. No more simply puking out the same ol' tired tropes of Mary Sues and
instalove. Charlie was a bit Gone Girl, a bit Talented Mr. Ripley and a bit
Brokedown Palace all mixed into a rather delightful little twisted adventure
that had me on the chase for the truth until the very end . . .



ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you,
NetGalley!
Show more
arcs read-in-2015


28 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)
1,776 reviews957 followers
Follow
Follow
Read
June 21, 2015
Sooo.. I finished this. It wasn't really for me, but if you were a big fan of
Dangerous Girls you might want to try it. It has the same sort of "unlikeable
characters behaving badly with a big twist at the end" kind of vibe.

I didn't like either of the two girls in love with Charlie. One was blond and
one was brunette and .. I couldn't keep their names straight or remember which
was which. But the part of the book that really irked me was this: so Charlie
was dating two girls at once and then decides to fake his own death and punish
them because ... one of them cheated on him? But he was cheating on both of
them, so.... yeah. Pot, meet kettle. You're all a dirty bunch of cookware in my
book. I didn't like any of these characters. Maybe I'm not supposed to like
them? But then what's the point of it all?

Edited to add: Either this ends in a weirdly unresolved way or there will be
another book to read. Just so you know.

Show more

10 likes
4 comments
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emily D
615 reviews461 followers
Follow
Follow

June 10, 2015
I went in to Charlie, Presumed Dead expecting to be wowed and amazed. In this
post Gone Girl era of mystery books it feels like each plot is getting more and
more fantastical. Charlie, Presumed Dead fits perfectly in to this genre of
psychological mystery with a heavy dose of crazy.

Charlie, Presumed Dead begins at Charlie’s funeral where Aubrey and Lena realize
that they weren’t the only girl in Charlie’s life. The two set off on an
improbable around the world journey to discover who Charlie truly was and what
secrets he was keeping.

I had a hard time getting to know Lena & Aubrey, Charlie’s girlfriends. I kept
getting them confused and forgetting details about their lives. Honestly, I
understood how Charlie got the two girls confused. Despite repeatedly saying how
different they are, the two girls were very similar. I also didn’t understand
the girl’s motivation. Charlie cheated on them, why would they want to find him?
Why did he matter so much to each of them? I wish this had been better
explained.

Spoiler alert: Charlie isn’t dead. This isn’t really a spoiler though because
Charlie has his own perspective written in 2nd person. Usually, I hate second
person but this was truly second person done right. I really enjoyed the
chapters written from Charlie’s perspective.

My favorite thing about this novel was also my least favorite thing about this
book. It ends on a massive cliffhanger! I’m talking the biggest cliff I’ve seen
in a long time. On top of that as part of the Charlie, Presumed Dead Blog Tour
Anne Heltzel said that she originally hadn’t planned for there to be a sequel.
Hopefully, she can be persuaded to write a sequel because I seriously need to
know what happens next.

Overall, Charlie, Presumed Dead took me on a wild ride and at times I wasn’t
sure I was enjoying it. At other times I couldn’t put the novel down. It
definitely was full or twists and turns that I’m not entirely sure fit together.
Still, that ending surprised me and I definitely want to read whatever Anne
Heltzel writes next.

Show more
netgalley-edelweiss reviewed


8 likes
1 comment
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jaime Leigh
473 reviews48 followers
Follow
Follow

May 22, 2015
I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review
Overview (Non-Spoliery Section)
This book made me confused. It had a lot of potential that I wouldn’t have seen
if I went with my gut and decided not to finish it. I will say, sticking with
this novel was a push. I found myself desperately skimming for redeemable
qualities. You may be saying, “Jaime, if you didn’t want to finish it, then why
did you give it a 2.5 star review?” Well, there will be more info on that in the
Spoliery section below, but to sum it up, the end (though there were still major
problems with the end) was so much better than the beginning that it redeemed it
a little. Being really general with this book is hard but overall, this book is
lacking.

***Spoliers***
Well the beginning was incredibly slow and boring. The tensions between Aubrey
and Lena never seemed to reach their climax and I couldn’t really buy that Lena
would take Aubrey, a girl her boyfriend cheated on her with and who she doesn’t
particularly know or like, on a journey to find out what happened. Audrey's big
secret with the journal was dragged on for so long and was rather anti-climactic
that I didn’t really see much point in it being included. It certainly wasn’t
enough motivation for her to go with Lena.
Charlie is a prick the whole time. At first it seems like he might be dead, but
that doesn’t last for long. Being the smart reader that you are, you figure out
that Charlie isn’t dead pretty close to the beginning. He seemed to me, the
whole time, like he made terrible, douchey life choices and then couldn’t deal
with them. So then he decides that the only way to escape his life and start
over is to kill the people in his “past life.” Ethically, he just blames all of
his shortcomings on his girlfriends and then is like “Well, they are smart
enough to figure out my terrible attempt to fake my death so they need to die so
I can move on (and probably screw some more people over.)” So nothing happens,
nothing happens and then BAMB!
About 130 pages into the work, things start to pick up. This made me sad,
because if Anne Heltzel would have written the second half of the novel as the
whole thing, I would have probably really enjoyed it, considering I really
wasn’t bothered by her writing style itself.
-The Ending-
So I sent Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group’s a note and asked if
this book had a sequel or more books that were going to be added into this
world. The answer, at the moment, is no. Which is sad. Because the book does not
end. It drowns you in potential that wasn’t used in the first 260 pages, makes a
bunch of crazy crap happen that doesn’t particularly make sense and breaks down
all of the logical storyline Heltzel developed.
In the end, the book had so much potential, some of which was attempted to be
recognized at the end, and didn’t flourish. Charlie, Presumed Dead succeeds in
confusing the reader and leaves them desiring the story that could have been
written, rather than the one that was.

Overall
2.5 out of 5
74%

-Jaime
(Charlie, Presumed Dead was confirmed a stand alone as of May 15th, 2015 by
Elora Sullivan of HMH Young Readers)
Show more
books-i-would-throw-at-a-wall


7 likes
1 comment
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny
598 reviews163 followers
Follow
Follow

April 8, 2015
That was such a heart pounding, intriguing and mysterious thriller. The suspense
was masterfully developed and once I reached the last 30% twist were coming that
made my head spin and my heart race!!!

I give it 5* but only if there is a sequel! There MUST be a sequel!


7 likes
2 comments
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mubanga
46 reviews
Follow
Follow

March 13, 2015
Charlie Presumed Dead

It’s a shame to think that I only really saw this book when I was browsing
through arcs on Netgalley because this book should be getting a lot more hype.
Perhaps hype isn’t the right word- recognition, appreciation would be better
options. It’s kind of a masterpiece, a wildcard if you may. Charlie,Presumed
Dead surprised me. I didn’t think it was going to be this dark and twisted. I
thought it would be more coming of age, perhaps I should have paid more
attention to the blurb which announces that this is a “thrilling tale of
suspense and deception”.

Boy oh boy, were they right.

Saying what I enjoyed from the book would be difficult to say without too many
spoilers but the incorporation of travel and the narrative which creates an
immersive reading experience are but small parts of what made this book
brilliant- the plot carried most of the genius. I was terrified but intrigued,
maybe I haven’t read that many thriller books but I know thriller stories from
other mediums and this one was the right kind of devastating. Learning about
Charlie you see both sides of him- the enigmatic, charismatic captivating young
man but also the mysteriously cryptic guy who has a carousel of secrets. Seeing
the cracks in his persona was like looking into a abyss- dark emptiness that is
surely not a good idea to look into, let alone walk into. And that’s from only
the first three chapters. I liked that my guesses of what was going on in the
book were wrong most of the time. I liked that Heltzel gave us answers and then
changed what it meant. She was in control in the novel and it shows by the way
that she has now constructed so many devastating impossible situations.

It’s not even heartbreaking really, it’s heart shattering, mind blowing, thought
provoking and plain bone chilling. It’s horror and disbelief but it’s the fuel
of the story. Careful though, I believe that in books to come we may just get
burned by the fire that Heltzel is building with this storyline. Alas we are a
sadistic bunch, us readers, so you can bet I’m getting my hands on a sequel in
due course, my hands charred but my mind ignited.
Show more

6 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brigid ✩
581 reviews1,847 followers
Follow
Follow

May 6, 2015
Umm please tell me this book is going to have a sequel, because it had the
craziest cliffhanger ever. UGGGHHH. I hate when this happens!

But anyway, this is an entertaining book. Not the most well-written thing ever,
but it's exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat.

Full review coming eventually!
Show more
arcs crime-and-mystery netgalley

...more

6 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Lynda
213 reviews142 followers
Follow
Follow

July 27, 2015
Review to follow

4-stars author-usa young-adult

...more

6 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rachmi
929 reviews76 followers
Follow
Follow

April 22, 2015
ARC was provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest
review.

Before I write my thoughts let me ask you a question: What will you do if a
stranger invites you to come to his/her apartment or gives you drink or asks you
to having fun with him/her?



When I read the blurb it screams mystery-thriller kind of story. That’s my sole
reason why I requested this book in the first place. And after first few
chapters, I was hoping I’ll get a psychological thriller, maybe not as thrilling
as Gone Girl or Delicate Monsters but enough to mess my mind. I got none of it,
except that I’m irritated with the characters. I think they are reckless,
careless, and naïve, if not stupid. Actually I don’t want to call them stupid
because it sounds too harsh. But I don’t find any suitable word at the moment.

I didn’t have problem with the way it’s written, sort of. I think it’s nice and
provide enough description I needed, though in a way there is also unnecessary
info that felt random. It’s told from the main characters, Aubrey and Lena and a
few from Charlie’s.

At first I got to tell easily who Lena is and which one is Aubrey but along the
way it felt like they change their personalities constantly. One chapter Lena is
a tough-fearless girl and next chapter she’s the opposite and vice versa. It
happens so many times I got lost of who is who and have to always reminded
myself who’s chapter I read at the time. It’s unpleasant. I know it’s
understandable if they aren��t like themselves in their situation but I don’t
think they can change their true personalities that easily.

As much as it’s an unpleasant feeling, I can still ignore it and reasoning that
they are under different situations so it’s understandable. It didn’t mean that
I began to enjoy the book, though. What I hoped a psychological thriller, I got
mostly boring slow-pace story. I have to really force myself to keep reading it
because I don’t like to not finish a book that I’ve started, especially an ARC.

However those weren’t the main things that I didn’t quite like. It’s the
characters, Lena and Aubrey, whom I have problem with.

Before Charlie’s funeral in Paris, Lena and Aubrey don’t know each other. They
don’t know that Charlie date both of them at the same time. They are stranger to
each other. But they don’t have problem to fly across the country, even
continent to search Charlie because Lena has a feeling that he’s still alive.
Now I honestly don’t know what I should call them, are they just naïve young
adult? Or do they that easily to trust each other? Or can they be just reckless,
if not stupid? The more they travel, from Paris to London, to Mumbai, India and
then Bangkok, Thailand they seem so easy to trust more strangers. Aubrey, being
the first time traveler to different continent doesn’t have any idea that it’s
dangerous business out there, traveling and spending time with someone whom she
barely know and meet someone that completely stranger to her. While Lena, being
a girl who has travel to many places in the world doesn’t seem have any idea
either.



It’s just so frustrating reading their stupidity moments. How without any second
thoughts they take a cup of tea from stranger Anand in Mumbai.. How easy they
give their passport Dana in Bangkok. How eager they follow a random girl in the
street of a strange country to join her clubbing, Cha-cha in Bangkok and many
other unbelievable moments for me.

I know that those things are needed for the story, because if they aren’t that
reckless-silly girls they won’t travel to India and Bangkok and how can they get
the answer of Charlie’s whereabouts? The thing is I don’t mind reading a story
with reckless characters, if they are needed for the story. But if they made me
feel stupid because of their stupidity, when I know what they do don’t make any
sense or they can do better than that, while they try hard to convince me that
their story is believable, then the answer is I don’t like at all.

If I have to choose, I prefer to read more Charlie’s POV because he’s more
entertaining to read and I want to know more about him. And he is the smart one
here.

So what is your answer to my question above? I love traveling but I know that I
won’t take a drink from someone I don’t know, doesn’t care whether they are from
my own country or from foreign country. You can call me paranoid or prudence or
even uptight. I don’t care. I’m just being precaution.

Show more
bully-abuse-dysfunctional-family ebook mental-illness-issue-disability

...more

5 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stacee
2,896 reviews746 followers
Follow
Follow

May 18, 2015
I don't even know what I just read.

First off, I LOVED the idea of this book. The premise sounded so amazing and I
was quite eager for some mystery and twisty mindfuckery. Sadly, none of that
happened.

Lena and Aubrey are decent enough characters, but they seemed really similar to
me. I didn't get the feeling that they were as opposite as implied. To me, the
secrets that each had didn't fit with the story and came across as added like an
afterthought to tie up loose ends. In fact, none of the puzzle pieces fit.
Everything was jumbled and forced.

The big reveal and ending? I don't have words -- and not in a good way. I was
expecting all of this build up to end in an epic confrontation. What we got was
two separate endings and a 5 sentence final chapter that made absolutely no
sense in the context of the ending.

I can definitely see how some people will love this. For me, it lacked the
suspense and trickery this sort of story requires.

**Huge thanks to HMH and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an
honest review**
Show more
netgalley read-in-2015


5 likes
2 comments
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jessi
192 reviews96 followers
Follow
Follow

January 24, 2016
DNF @ 40%


There is not one likable character in this book. I almost started to like Aubrey
and then she ruined it.


Both Aubrey and Lena were dating Charlie, which they find out at his funeral.
But Lena doesn't think he's actually dead so they team up to try to find him.
Charlie is awful. I could not understand why either girl liked him. Lena admits
that she always thought he was cheating on her. Even beyond the cheating,
Charlie is just weird. He's constantly reinventing himself. For example, the
Charlie that's with one girl doesn't like olives, but the one that's with the
other love them. What is this? Is this supposed to be quirky and cute? Because
it's not. It's just fucking weird.


Lena's annoying - she's the stereotypical rich girl. No depth whatsoever. And
just when I think Aubrey might be tolerable, no - she spent most of her
relationship with Charlie cheating with his friend. WTF?


So I guess I'll never know if Charlie is actually alive or not since I abandoned
this book. But I am totally okay with that. Some things are not worth knowing.
Show more
contemporary


6 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ashley
712 reviews26 followers
Follow
Follow

April 2, 2015
There are some books you just don't click with, some that annoy you, and then
others that make you wish brain bleach was a real thing. For me, this book was
the latter. This went beyond regretting the time I spent reading it, to really
wishing I never let these characters/thoughts/images into my head.

The writing was good, and the story takes off at breakneck speed from the very
beginning. It's easy to get caught up in the drama and intrigue. However, the
further the plot progresses the more we're relying on our protagonists (and
pretty much every other character) to make stupid choices or do ridiculous,
insane things to keep the story going the way it is. The choices Lena and Aubrey
make in the beginning are questionable at best, and by the end they're just
beyond absurd. Under no circumstances can I picture any thinking person doing
what they did. It was bad horror movie-esque. None of the characters' actions or
motives made any sense beyond this was the story the author wanted to tell so
the characters had to do those things.

Although the plot ended up being much flimsier than I'd hoped, that wasn't what
made me really wish I'd never read the book. It was more the tone. I mean
granted there were a lot of things I wish I hadn't read about. But the overall
mood and tone of the book is so gritty, depressing, and hopeless that it just
wasn't an enjoyable reading experience for me. The random moments of bonding
between the girls that were probably supposed to lighten things up and make us
care more about the characters didn't do it for me. By the end I felt like they
were all insane, terrible people and I didn't care what happened to any of them.


*I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest
review.


www.wanderingthepages.tumblr.com
Show more

4 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carol - Reading Writing and Riesling
1,163 reviews125 followers
Follow
Follow

June 23, 2015
My View:
What an intriguing read! The premise is fantastic and the narrative is full of
surprises, nothing is as it seems and just when you reach the final chapters and
think that all will be neatly concluded you find that you have assumed the wrong
thing again. Nothing at all is how it appears. Everyone has secrets they are
holding close to their chest; secrets that will impact on the fate of others.
This narrative asks the question – how well do you really know anybody?

Immersed in this book, and yes you will be, the story races along at full pelt,
dragging you, guessing, assuming and second guessing – incorrectly, to the very
end. But once you reach the end and have time to digest the unravelling of this
plot you will start to notice a few places where a stitch or two has been
dropped – but that really won’t overly concern you – you have bought your
ticket, enjoyed the ride and now the trip is over…or is it?

PS Loved the cover art.

Show more
first-reads own


4 likes
2 comments
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kelly Gunderman
Author 2 books78 followers
Follow
Follow

June 9, 2015
...I had such high hopes for this! What happened?

It was boring, uneventful, and the characters were annoying and whiny. I wish
this had been better!

See my full review at https://herestohappyendings.wordpress...

arc edelweiss wtf


3 likes
5 comments
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dahlia
Author 19 books2,695 followers
Follow
Follow
Read
March 22, 2017
I don't even know. This book makes me wish I was in a book club so I could
discuss the crap out of it.

2015-releases


3 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sarah TheAromaofBooks
845 reviews9 followers
Follow
Follow

March 27, 2016
(updated review below my initial emotional spill)

What. Even.

I legit just finished the book and am so filled with aggravation that the urge
to bash it on the internet is overwhelming.

This book was a 98% waste of time due to a complete lack of actual plot
(apparently masterminding global coincidences from afar makes up for no story),
stupid present-tense first-person voices that sound the same (broken up by an
even worse present-tense SECOND-person voice, ugh), protagonists who make
absolutely nonsensical decisions, the idea that two teenagers who are also
strangers to each other could just start continent-hopping with no hesitations
or issues, an evil villain who is also a teenager who also magically knows how
to hack personal email accounts and skydive and fly a plane and hire an assassin
and set up an elaborate treasure hunt to lure two unsuspecting females to their
demise, random attempts to have serious conversations between two protagonists
despite the fact that the conversations add nothing to the story and make no
real sense, a long scene set in a gay prostitute/bar neighborhood because you
have to have at least one gay and/or transgender character in every book now
even if that means that you have to make them into a prostitute (because
obviously it's better to have a homosexual prostitute in your story than no
homosexual at all), did I mention the coincidences? That the entire book was
literally built on coincidences? Not just one - EVERY STEP OF THE WAY WAS BASED
ON ANOTHER COINCIDENCE - and, finally, the absolutely worst ending to a book
that I have EVER read - a complete and total, unapologetic cop-out that was
unfulfilling, open-ended, vague, stupid, and just plain obnoxious.

The 2% that wasn't a complete waste of time was made up of an intriguing premise
and brief moments in which one protagonist or the other was likable. (Although
even when they were likable, they didn't stop being stupid.)

This was definitely the worst book I've read so far this year, and I wouldn't
touch another book by this author even if you paid me to.

More detailed review coming soon. This isn't as much a review as a gag reflex.
0/5 stars.

Updated review as posted on my book blog...

So yes. Basically, our story starts with Charlie's funeral. Although Charlie's
body wasn't found, the plane he was flying (solo) wrecked and they found his
blood-stained jacket, so they've just decided that obviously he's dead. Our
first narrator, Aubrey, has flown to France (from the US) for the funeral. Even
though she had been dating Charlie for over a year, she had never met any of his
family, and she feels awkward and out of place, especially when Lena (our second
narrator) stands up to give a bit of a eulogy... because she's been dating
Charlie for three years.

Aubrey and Lena get to chatting and conclude that Charlie was apparently not the
guy either of them thought he was, especially since he acted like a completely
different person with both of them. Lena doesn't believe that Charlie is
actually dead. Aubrey is desperate to get back a journal that Charlie stole (?),
and so they decide to travel together to try and piece together what may or may
not have been the last couple of weeks of Charlie's life.

The actual premise of this story is really intriguing and pretty creepy. The
back story of how Charlie works his way into the lives of both girls is
definitely a good weird-out. I didn't dislike either of the girls, although my
respect for their intelligence was somewhere around the nil level.

The first thing that began to bother me is that these girls are like eighteen or
nineteen, so I was weirded out by the fact that they were both in this
super-serious relationship with a guy in a really unhealthy way. Like, does no
one's parents pay attention to their kids any more...??? Also, both girls just
sort of scamper all over Europe and beyond without a whole lot of trouble.
Aubrey's worried about what her parents would say and she's kind of lying to
them about the whole thing, but Lena pretty much acts like this is normal life,
just travel around, get trashed at clubs, chat it up with creepy strangers, get
on a boat with a creeper and drink his tea even though earlier he acted like he
wanted to kill you.

The writing was really fast-paced, and I will say that despite the fact that
Aubrey and Lena were really dumb, I could hardly put this book down. It was
honestly the ending that killed this book for me. If it had actually had a
reasonable, solid, logical ending, I would have comfortably given this book
three stars despite its overall ridiculousness, because it was super engaging
and a wild ride. But the ending was a complete and total cop-out that left me
feeling so aggravated that my husband finally told me that it was just a book
and I needed to let it go. ;-)

The rest of this review will contain spoilers, so if you want to read the book
(and there are plenty of positive reviews, so don't let me harsh your vibe!),
you will not want to read further, as the best part of this book is having no
idea what is really happening with Charlie.


So there is this whole thing about (a) is Charlie alive and if so, (b) is he
manipulating Lena and Aubrey into following him? The (a) question was really
good, and that is where the story should have gone. Turns out Charlie is alive
and the (b) premise then comes into play, and that's where the whole thing falls
apart because really?? Seriously?? I'm supposed to believe that some 20-year-old
kid can stage his death through an elaborate plane wreck, and then create this
ridiculously involved sick kind of treasure hunt halfway around the world where
most of the decisions that the girls make are based on plain luck, and then when
he finally gets them where he wants them, what he actually wants to do is
destroy their lives? This makes sense how? The answer is IT DOES NOT MAKE A LICK
OF SENSE. Charlie's motives were nonexistent. He had no motive. That's why it
made no sense for this whole thing to happen, because Heltzel didn't bother to
give her mastermind-villain an actual reason for all the evil notions he was
concocting. Apparently, we're just supposed to be satisfied with "he's crazy"
except even that seemed weak.

We get this whole thing with Aubrey being a murderer because she killed this
homeless man in a hit-and-run ("I thought he was a deer except I never actually
thought he was a deer and then I read about it in the paper whoops") and I don't
know, this just seemed like a really big deal and it was kind of like, Oh, huh,
Aubrey is a murderer oh well. Guess that explains why she wants to get this
journal back. ?!?!??!?!?

AND THE END. WHAT. EVEN. (Despite my husband's advice, I haven't actually let
this go.)

Just... it stops? Wow, I guess Aubrey is stuck in a foreign jail forever (which
also makes no sense by the way) and Lena is going to die a slow and painful
death? Charlie just kind of wins? (Because his third girlfriend, the evil one,
apparently was able to show up in the same marketplace Lena and Aubrey chose at
random because the third girlfriend is magic?? I guess?? Since once again
Charlie's entire megaplot is dependent on coincidences and happenstance??) And
what does Charlie get out of winning again? Oh wait nothing because he HAS NO
MOTIVE.

To me, it felt like Heltzel had a really engaging premise and a good start to
the book, but then she just went completely off the rails and then didn't really
know how to get herself out of the hole so she just stopped writing. At the end
of the day, I think I can bump this up to 1/5 because I really was completely
drawn into the whole story despite the fact that it was annoying me on multiple
levels, but the lazy plotting and cop-out ending ruined what could have been a
really intriguing story.
Show more

3 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anissa
936 reviews297 followers
Follow
Follow

February 23, 2016
Let me start by saying, I'm pulling for Charlie's plan. I know that I'm supposed
to be rooting for Aubrey and Lena but after listening to them so much in this
story, I'm just not. I'll be that misanthrope. Holy wow that back 25% of the
book! Charlie, Presumed Dead could also be aptly named How Not To Let Your First
World Problems, Privilege, Pique and Arrogance Get You Into Real Third World
Trouble. Charlie's life and social dissonance is a Foreign Service cautionary
tale.

I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm not even sad for Aubrey and Lena. I'm
just not. And seriously, what's befallen them by the end of the book should get
me there because it's messed up. Really messed up. In the beginning, I was on
their side. I mean really who needs to find out at their boyfriend's funeral
that he had another girlfriend. Not cool, Charlie. So it was fascinating to
watch them discuss this and then realize how the Charlie each of them knew
diverged so distinctly and in so many ways.
Then the idea to go find Charlie as Lena doesn't think him dead and Aubrey's on
task to retrieve her incriminating confessional journal that was in Charlie's
possession begins. That's what wore away my sympathy for these two.

But shortly after this is when the descent begins.

To start, they travel from Paris, to Bombay to Bangkok with each locale
descending in order of safety or semblance of sanity all because Charlie lied to
them.


I listened to them go back and forth giving the other props and admiration on
various qualities for the main of this book and felt that neither of them was
terribly on top of, let alone, ahead of anyone, least of all Charlie based on
their own actions. No matter what batshit idea Lena had, Aubrey would protest a
minute and be all in the next with middling or more likely disastrous results to
follow & then one or the other would go on again that the other had these
strengths that current events completely discount. I'm rooting for Charlie's
plan if for no other reason than he seems to be the only one on message. These
chicas are scattered all over the place in mind and trans-continentally. When
either of them would say a characteristic was unusual for the other I laughed
because they've only known each other for about two weeks by story's end & they
start saying these things within days of meeting.

Anyway, the parts of their bonding and navel gazing weren't enough to win me
back to pulling for them because I just couldn't quite get past the fact that
they were all in on this search for Charlie because he played them and hurt
their feelings so they were going to make him pay. I still don't know what the
plan was supposed to be when/if they tracked him down. Finger wagging? Withering
looks? A stream of profanity to shame him? I mean seriously, what the hell could
they do to hurt the guy who did this to them? The guy who set a global cabal in
motion and doled out just enough and played just enough of their egos to keep
them on the trail? I was never convinced they were either of them so formidable
and they kept proving that the further into the story we went. Hopefully what
happens by the end will make them more worthy opponents if they're going to
continue with their plan.



When at the 63% mark Aubrey laments "I'm tired of being on this rollercoaster",
I was totally with her. I didn't care about Lena and Aubrey forming some tenuous
friendship. Aubrey mentioned that she wasn't here for that earlier in the story
& it made me laugh (good moment), I felt that way through the whole book.



I give the writing credit that though I basically stopped rooting for Aubrey and
Lena, I never stopped wanting to know what would happen to them next.

Charlie wound up being the most interesting person (Dana & Adam tie as close
seconds) in the book who isn't quite in it and his POV chapters have me pining
for more (I'm hoping there's a sequel to this). The ending wasn't an ending so
much and is the kind of cliffhanger that sends people into fits. Surprisingly, I
was cool with this one because I'm wanting to see what Charlie has up his sleeve
next.



So here's to youthful cynicism & elaborate revenge schemes, things that never
get old & now I'm going to pull out my The Rules of Attraction dvd & reminisce.
Charlie, wherever you are/if you are & until we meet again (hopefully in the
soon too come sequel) here's to you:



I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest
review.
Show more
2015 arcs-analog-netgalley-edelweiss-etc new-adult

...more

2 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cynthia (Bingeing On Books)
1,661 reviews124 followers
Follow
Follow

August 22, 2015
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

Have you ever read one of those books where the ending made you say OUT LOUD:
What. The. Hell? Yeah, that’s what this book did. This book had an awesome
premise. Yes, there was a crazy love triangle. But since the boyfriend was
presumed dead and the two girls were joining forces for revenge, I could get
behind that. The book told the point of view of the two girls, Lena and Aubrey.
There were also a few chapters from Charlie’s POV thrown in. It took me a while
to get into Lena and Aubrey’s story. First of all, they had way too many
arguments about trust. Lena and Aubrey meet and the VERY NEXT DAY, decide to
band together for answers about Charlie’s life. Both girls had secrets, about
themselves and about their relationship with Charlie. Whenever one girl found
out about a secret the other was keeping, the girl would cry and pout and talk
about betrayal. Ugh. That happened way too many times. And let me repeat this
again: they had only known each other ONE DAY before embarking on this
adventure. Why on earth would you confess all of your secrets to a perfect
stranger, especially when that stranger had been secretly dating your boyfriend?

Despite all of this, I still became very engaged in their story and their
developing friendship. They started getting to know each other and I felt like
they really cared for each other. I loved that they placed their anger where it
belonged: with Charlie. This could have gone in a horrible direction where the
girls were pissed off and bitchy with each other, even though neither girl knew
about the other. The few chapters that had Charlie’s POV were just weird. His
chapters went a little back in time to the point where he started cheating on
Lena with Aubrey. I will try not to give away any spoilers, but this guy seemed
mentally deranged. And because the chapters never went to far in depth with his
character and because I only knew about him from Lena and Aubrey, I just didn’t
get him. His actions were so far out there and I never understood what made him
do all the things he did. He was a spoiled rich kid who was sent all over the
world to different private schools. There was no reason for him to go as far as
he did unless he was mentally ill. But let’s talk about the ending. I can’t even
deal with how messed up that was. I kept reading this story expecting some kind
of closure or some kind of confrontation. WE GOT NOTHING!! Not only that, but
there was a MASSIVE CLIFFHANGER with both Lena and Aubrey. Now I have never been
opposed to open ended books, per se. But this wasn’t just open ended. I mean,
this was straight up “where the hell is the rest of this book because surely
this can’t be the end”. This book does not indicate whether this is a series or
not. Honestly, I am not sure which answer would make me angrier. There is no
reason to turn this book into a series, but then again, if this is the end, I
just can’t deal. I swear, if this book weren’t on my Kindle, I would have thrown
it across the room. My rating for the book went way down because of it.
Show more
arcs


3 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Megan (thebookishtwins)
560 reviews188 followers
Follow
Follow

January 3, 2016
I received this free from the publishers via NetGalley

Actual Rating: 4.5

Two girls, Aubrey and Lena, are attending Charlie's funeral after his supposed
plane accident which left behind a bloodied jacket and is now presumed dead.
Little do these ladies know is that they were both Charlie's girlfriends, but
both dated different versions of Charlie. The girls travel around the world
together to discover the truth and form an unlikely friendship.

I don't know what I expected from Charlie, Presumed Dead, but that ending was
not it, but it thrilled me none the less. I guess I never expected it to be as
dark as it was. Even the first half of the book wasn't that dark, and gave no
indication as to what was to come. I don't really want to spoil anything so I'll
keep things simple - also, I leave it too long to write my reviews and I've
forgotten all my good points I was going to put in here haha!

I liked the aspect of travel as it kept it feeling fast paced and more
captivating because we had change of scenes fairly often, which I think is
important with a thriller.

For me the relationship between Aubrey and Lena was one of the best aspects of
Charlie, Presumed Dead. At the start I felt like it was hard to distinguish
between the two girls as their narratives and voices were fairly similar, but it
wasn't long before they became more distinct and different. I loved their
relationship. It was sort of a love/hate relationship, where they distrusted
each other but wished to protect each other and they bonded over the same
experience of being betrayed. I just really loved the dynamic between the two.

Charlie was a very interesting character. That's all I shall say for fear of
spoiling anything.

Overall, a thrilling read which gives an unexpected ending. I would probably
recommend to fans of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Dangerous Girls by Abigail
Haas. I kind of really want a sequel to know what happens next, or at least a
novella because the ending is sort of one that could just end and it be a
standalone, but there is also potential for it to continue to another book. So I
hope there will be a sequel of some sort so I can actually get some closure.
Show more
contemporary mystery netgalley

...more

3 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

nick (the infinite limits of love)
2,120 reviews1,533 followers
Follow
Follow

June 21, 2015
2.5/5

This was a little "meh" for me. It needed to have a bit more of a tighter to
plot to be more engaging.
Review to come.


3 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karen Barber
2,926 reviews71 followers
Follow
Follow

August 15, 2020
The book opens with Aubrey in Paris about to attend the funeral of her
boyfriend, Charlie, who is missing, presumed dead, after a plane crash. She is
upset...but more so when a young woman called Lena stands at the funeral to talk
about Charlie, her boyfriend.
People in this situation may well run a mile. But Aubrey and Lena are curious,
and they start talking. They discover that each of them was dating Charlie, and
yet they are suspicious that things are not quite as they seem.
What follows is quite absurd. The girls embark on a quite preposterous trip
around places of significance. They try to meet people who knew Charlie as they
work out what happened. Travelling around the world and putting themselves in
increasingly dangerous situations was entertaining to read about, though only if
you completely suspend your disbelief.
Where the book became less successful was in the third narrator’s voice, that of
Charlie. This is a young man who seemed to be in the grips of some mental
breakdown, and definitely not in full control of his faculties. Not quite the
victim we think, Charlie knows details about a number of people he knows and is
quite happy to torment them as part of a bigger plan. Unfortunately we never
quite get to work out the point of it as the focus at the end shifts rather
abruptly and we’re left in a dilemma. It seems this should have more to come,
but there’s no sign that this is the case, which is more than a little
dissatisfying.
Show more
owned-physical-books


2 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sheri
1,288 reviews
Follow
Follow

May 12, 2022
Okay, so I shelved this as fantasy because it is absolutely ridiculous. The
story is a love-triangle with a twist (the two girls meet at his funeral only to
discover that he had been dating both of them for a while--2 years for one and 1
year for the other). The girls suspect that he is not dead and so go on a global
trot to find him; the ridiculous part is that he was 20, one of the girls is 19
and the other is 17. the 19 and 20 year old have super rich parents that finance
their extravagant lifestyles, the 17 year old is "everygirl" from IL.

As if the plot was not absurd enough (it is not clear if Charlie is a supreme
narcissist or if he is supposed to have dissassociative disorder...either way,
he is unstable and yet constructs this elaborate fake death only to lead both
girls to a trap that involves many layers of international travel), the
expectation is that children would do this. I'm not trying to minimize the
capabilities of all 17-20 year olds, but if these were 30-somethings it would
sit a bit better with me (and yet would still be ridiculous given the other
stuff).

The moral is that you can never know anyone, we all have secrets, and we all
need to open up and make friends. All of which I can agree with, but the
delivery of the story was so nonsensical, over the top, and soap-opera-esque
that I found it absurd. Absolutely not recommended.
Show more
coming-of-age fantasy male-female-power-sex-attractivenes

...more

2 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bree T
2,305 reviews99 followers
Follow
Follow

October 2, 2015
American student Aubrey is in Paris to attend the funeral of her boyfriend
Charlie Price, believed dead after a horrible accident. Before the service,
Aubrey notices another woman, the same age as her, watching. When the woman gets
up to speak, Aubrey is stunned to discover that this woman, Lena, is Charlie’s
girlfriend and has been for three years. Aubrey has been with Charlie a year and
although she didn’t suspect him of this, suddenly several weird things begin to
make sense.

Charlie was leading a double life and it seemed that he was almost entirely two
different people with differing personalities, likes and dislikes, depending on
who he was with. Lena begins to suspect that Charlie isn’t dead at all and this
is all just part of his game. She convinces Aubrey to come with her to London,
to investigate Charlie’s hangouts when in that city and although Aubrey, a
conservative girl with worried parents back in America, feels she should be
heading home, she allows Lena to convince her to hop around the world following
a few vague clues, hoping to find Charlie at the other end.

But both girls are keeping secrets of their own and neither can really trust the
other. Jealousy and suspicion at their roles in Charlie’s life as well as the
strangeness of the situation makes for a potent mix. And if it turns out that
Charlie is still alive, as Lena suspects, what is his motivation for doing all
of this?

Charlie, Presumed Dead has all the makings of a good thriller from reading the
blurb. Ignoring the fact that everyone in it is still a teenager and able to
flit around the world at will, thanks to a few healthy trust funds, that is. But
somehow the execution falls flat mostly because I think that for a thriller, an
awful lot doesn’t happen in this book. It’s not an overly long book but the
build up is incredibly slow and one paced and even the travelling to different
countries doesn’t serve to build the suspense as the girls close in on the
answers.

The book starts off promisingly enough, when Aubrey is in Paris for Charlie’s
funeral. She’s not met his parents and only a few friends so she’s alone. When
Lena gets up to speak and Aubrey realises that this is a girlfriend of Charlie’s
that pre-dates her, one that his parents know, one that has the right to get up
and speak at his funeral, she’s stunned. She can’t get out of there quick enough
and Lena is savvy enough to guess why, following Aubrey to demand the truth from
her. The girls are quick to snipe, torn between grief, anger and in Aubrey’s
case, something else. But this story becomes so much bogged down in minor
details that the big picture seems like it’s almost forgotten at times.

Firstly, it’s ridiculously easy for Lena to convince Aubrey to go to London with
her, instead of Aubrey going straight back home to America as she’s supposed to.
Aubrey isn’t wealthy, I think she was in Paris for the funeral alone because her
parents couldn’t afford to go with her. She doesn’t have much money so luckily
it’s an easy trip on the train to England but from there it’s off to India and
then Thailand as they chase clues and leads. Lena is wealthy with money to get
them both around the world and into hotels but even she starts to wear thin the
patience of her wealthy parents far later than is probable. It’s easy to forget
whilst reading that both of them are still very young and to be honest I’m a
little surprised that neither of them thought if they are correct and Charlie is
alive and has staged this dramatic fake death, shouldn’t they be a little
concerned as to the why and if it may pose a danger to them? You don’t fake your
own death for fun, he was never going to jump out from behind a pot plant and go
“Surprise! I thought you two would hit it off if you ignored the fact that I was
playing both of you”. It seems they give little thought to what Charlie’s
motivations could be, and if they might actually be sinister. I’m a chicken, so
even if I’d been convinced to go to London, the way in which things played out
in India would’ve meant that I was on the first flight back home. But nope,
Aubrey continues being dragged around the world by Lena, to far flung places
without really stopping to think about why Charlie might be in that particular
place or why he is doing this. Given the secret Aubrey is hiding, I know why she
wants to know the truth but I’m not sure what they thought the endgame was.
Busting him in some bar somewhere or on some beach, they get their answers,
Aubrey gets the journal she wants so badly and then everyone has a good laugh
and goes home?

This one had a promising start but unfortunately it grew to feel like I was
bogged down with too much detail about Lena and Aubrey’s travelling – what they
were eating and drinking, their hotel room, etc. The trust between them was a
weird thing, established far too quickly and then continued to see-saw back and
forth in a way that became annoying as they became irrationally angry at each
other for both keeping secrets. It was a pity than I feel like when the story
really started to get good, like it could go somewhere and give the author a
chance to explore some really interesting themes (mental illness, manipulation,
incarceration in a foreign country etc) the book was over. I didn’t find the
ending satisfying, in fact it was frustrating bordering on annoying. It felt
like the ending was supposed to provoke a shocking reaction and perhaps extreme
sympathy but I found that I was unable to muster either unfortunately.
Show more
arc new-adult suspense


2 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Claire - The Coffeeholic Bookworm
1,257 reviews111 followers
Follow
Follow

June 8, 2015
Charlie Price was one mysterious man. He seemed to have it all. Girlfriends,
included. On the day of his funeral, we met two ladies, Lena and Aubrey, both
claiming to be his girlfriend. The first one was known to his family, the other
was the questionable invisible other woman.

The two girls got together, discovered the truth about their roles in Charlie's
life, one vowed to do her best to dig for more information, the other was
trusting and decided to go wherever their feet took them. From London, to India,
to Bangkok, Lena and Aubrey found out eerie and strange truths about Charlie.
They relied on each other, they formed a bond, they became friends and plotted
revenge against Charlie. But their plans turned to ashes when the truth about
Charlie was revealed.

I got a little crazy and creeped out after reading this book. Told in different
points of view, this isn't your typical love-triangle thriller read. You will
find yourself hurting, whining, crying and scheming, just like what the major
characters did. Charlie, Presumed Dead, is a menagerie of surprises, twists,
manipulation, betrayals, devious plans and death. The ever-unfolding puzzles
kept me glued to my seat, and the sinister ending got me palpitating. Although I
think this book is as a stand alone thriller, I am left wanting for more. Anne
Heltzel is an imaginative and evocative writer who have hit the jackpot with
Charlie!
Show more

2 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brittany (Brittany's Book Rambles)
225 reviews443 followers
Follow
Follow

November 2, 2015
1.5/5 Stars

Disorientated. That's how I feel after reading this book and I'm pretty sure
that's how Heltzel wanted me to feel. The start of this book was so interesting.
I was hooked into the plot in the first couple of pages. I mean, two girls who
find out that their boyfriend was cheating on them with each other after he's
presumed dead? And now they are piecing together their memories of their
relationship to figure out who Charlie really was? That's already interesting. I
didn't need anything else. If this was a book just centered around Aubrey and
Lena comparing their relationship with Charlie to each other, I would have been
happy. Instead the plot takes a really weird turn and the girls go on this
implausible trip around the world looking for clues about Charlie's death. As
soon as the girls embark on this trip, Heltzel lost me. The mysterious force
that is pulling Lena and Aubrey along on this journey isn't mysterious at all
and doesn't seem to have an actual purpose. The book ends on a cliffhanger but
it didn't make me want to know what happens next. To say that I'm disappointed
is an understatement.

To read my full review, visit my blog HERE. Beware of spoilers.
Show more
2015-releases netgalley not-hopeful

...more

2 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheryl
5,871 reviews218 followers
Follow
Follow

April 19, 2015
I have mixed thoughts about this book. On one hand I did finish this book as
there was something intriguing about it but on the other hand now that I have
finished this book I realize that the characters Aubrey and Lena were neither
that great and the story line was something that I have read before. It was like
it wanted to be sinister but could not quite get all the way there. Plus the
more I got to know about Charlie, the more I hated him and wondered why either
girl liked him or wanted to find out the truth about him. There were times that
as the truth was coming out that I thought if I was in their position I would
have stopped my journey right than and went home. "Screw Charlie".

When the whole truth regarding Charlie and his death was revealed I was a little
upset. I was like I read all of this book for this ending! Which I was upset
about the ending because I did not like who got the upper hand in the end. Not
going to say anything else about it as I don't want to give anything away.
Show more

2 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Abbie
1,984 reviews674 followers
Follow
Follow

June 11, 2015
(I received a copy from Edelweiss, In exchange for an honest review.)

Lena and Aubrey were completely different to each other, but I felt sorry for
them both. The way Charlie betrayed them both, and made them find out the way
they did was awful.
Charlie was a horrible character, and whenever I thought he couldn't get any
worse, he did!

The pacing in this one was a little bit too slow at times, but it was still an
interesting read. I really wanted to know how the Charlie situation was going to
play out.

The ending to this was one massive cliffhanger, but it was really really good.
It was definately the most interesting part of the book.

Overall, A decent read, with a massive cliffhanger that will leave you wanting
more.
Show more
read-to-review


2 likes
Like
Comment


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

KYeager
5 reviews
Follow
Follow

October 26, 2016
Charlie, presumed dead is the kind of book you throw across the room once you
reach the final chapter.
In Paris, family and friends gather to mourn the tragic passing of Charlie
Price, who is presumed dead after an explosion. The police find a single jacket
covered in blood, which is assumed to be Charlie's. At Charlie's funeral, two
girls, Lena Whitney and Aubrey Boroughs, make an astounding discovery: they have
both been dating Charlie. Both of the girls believe that he loved them, and they
discover that there is a lot they didn't know about Charlie. Lena and Aubrey go
on a wild trip across the world in search of Charlie. Is he really dead? Soon
secrets come out that the girls were hiding from one another. If they can't
trust each other, who can they trust?

Show more

2 likes
1 comment
Like
Comment

Displaying 1 - 30 of 383 reviews
More reviews and ratings




JOIN THE DISCUSSION

4
quotes



1
discussion



3
questions




CAN'T FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?

Get help and learn more about the design.
Help center



COMPANY

 * About us
 * Careers
 * Terms
 * Privacy
 * Interest Based Ads
 * Ad Preferences
 * Help


WORK WITH US

 * Authors
 * Advertise
 * Authors & ads blog
 * API


CONNECT

 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

© 2024 Goodreads, Inc.