Reconstructing Amelia

This book was recommended to my again by my mum, read the blurb on Amazon and thought it sounded an interesting idea for a plot. A high flying lawyer and single mother Kate receives a phone call from her daughters exclusive school saying she's being suspended for cheating. By the time she reaches the school to collect her daughter she finds that Amelia has thrown herself off the school roof. What follow's is Kate's journey to discover what happened, did her daughter commit suicide or did something more sinister happen?

People have compared this book to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, personally I didn't see the connection. The storyline's are vastly different. Whereas Flynn wrote a quite twisted storyline in Reconstructing Amelia it's much more realistic and there is more about the intricate social changes in the lives of teenagers today thanks to social media.

I really loved Reconstructing Amelia, it built beautifully as a story. From the moment Kate begins to suspect that her daughter didn't jump we are drawn along as she delves into the mind of her teen. Written through chapters that flit between being told through the eyes of Kate, Amelia, Social Networking snippets and flashbacks it makes for compelling reading. Amelia is a character who you truly like and root for, she's pulled into a difficult situation and makes some questionable choices but you never give up wanting to change the outcome you know is inevitable.

Kate's character is also written incredibly well, a workaholic who's daughter is a troubled teen can sometimes be a hard sell like ability wise but Kate know's her shortcomings and therefore you forgive her and learn to sympathise with her, you can feel her pain at having to learn about her teenage daughter only after she is gone.

If asked to choose which book out of Gone Girl and Reconstructing Amelia I'd recommend I wouldn't hesitate in saying this is the better read. It falls a little more into the teen fiction genre than Gone Girl and again I'd reiterate that subject matter wise they are quite different but this for me was the more satisfying read. it reached a conclusion that was believable and tragic though it was it made sense. It was a gripping and well written read and well worth a try.