Once was lost

So, I finished reading Once was Lost, by Sara Zarr, maybe two weeks ago. It was a really easy read thats took me a few days to finish because I was downtown a lot.

The story follows a girl, named Sam, through a period in her life that seems like a complete mess. She lives in a little community and happens to be the pastors kid. Her mother is in rehab, she is suspicious of her dad's actions with the youth group leader, Erin, and a 13 year old girl goes missing.

Sam questions her dad, the people around her, her life, her faith while recognizing the reality of life.

The book raised many questions about the events taking place and the characters. I found it quite interesting while reading it. Was Sam's dad cheating? Would they find the little girl? Would Sam's mom come home from rehab? Would sam get together with Nick? Would Sam think and feel differently of her faith? Would Sam grow as a character and adapt to her new understanding of the world?

The ending, at first, disappointed me a bit. All the questions were answered but I wasn't satisfied. Sam's dad didn't cheat.They found the girl and the man that kept her captive. Sam's mom came home after a few more weeks of rehab. Nick went off to college. Sam still believes strongly in her faith, and is pretty happy with her life.

The more I thought about it the more I began to appreciate the simplicity of the ending because thats what Sam wanted. She wanted a simple, happy, life with her parents in her little town. And at the end that is exactly what she found.

Overall it was a pretty okay book to read and to see how Sam was feeling about her life and dealing with the activity around her. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a few hours of quiet reading and wants to walk away from a book feeling good with a smile on their face.

Caitlyn

p.s. Im sorry I've been gone for a while. I got caught up with a new hobbie. Oops