Let me start off by saying that I broke the number one book rule (read the book before watching the movie) and I watched Gone Girl a couple of years ago, before I was as big of a reader as I am now. Luckily, I couldn’t remember every detail about the movie because my memory sucks and it was a while ago. Unluckily, I remembered the big twist, because it’s so iconic. It took me way too long to get around to reading this book. The first of Gillian Flynn’s novels that I read was Sharp Objects because I wouldn’t allow myself to make the same mistake twice by watching the show first. I really enjoyed Sharp Objects (the book and series) and Flynn’s writing, so I went out and bought Dark Places which I recently started.

Ever since Gone Girl was first published, it seems as though thrillers have been trying to live up to the same iconic twist but often fall flat in comparison. Gone Girl was known as having a crazy, unpredictable plot twist, leaving readers stunned and wanting more. I think Gone Girl sensationalized the “unreliable female narrator” along with Girl On the Train, which was the sort of start of many unreliable female narrators with a drinking problem. I think this trope works when done right, but it has been a tad overplayed as of late, at least seen throughout the books I’m picking up and reading.

When Amy goes missing on her and Nick’s wedding anniversary, Nick doesn’t know what to think. The police also don’t know what to think…about Nick. Gone Girl will take you on an emotional rollercoaster, with mystery, intrigue, and deception lurking behind every corner, just when you think you have it all figured out.

This book is very loved, but also disliked by many. I was glancing through some of the Goodreads reviews and was surprised to see so many 1-2 stars. A lot of the comments I read mentioned how they hated the characters so much that they could barely get through the book. I agree that Amy and Nick ~sucked~ as human beings, but I think that was kinda the point. You’re not supposed to like them, or even sympathize with either side. They are both so screwed up and they do such evil things, the reader is unable to really root for the husband or wife. I personally liked this aspect of the book. To not know what either person was truly capable of was both exciting and refreshing.

It took me a couple days to really get into this book, but once I did, I couldnt put it down. I was gone, girl! Gone from society and the rest of my adult responsibilities.