Long Bright River Review - Becca In A Book

Summary

Two sisters in a Philadelphia neighborhood have very different lives. One lives on the streets suffering from addiction. The other is a cop that patrols the streets her sister lives on. They don’t speak, but that all changes when one sister goes missing.

My Thoughts

WOW OH WOW OH WOW!!! This book was such a great read from start to finish. I was shocked, horrified, godsmacked, heartbroken, and generally grossed out by this read. It was such a mind and cluster f**k that I could not put it down! I stayed up until 1 AM! However, I would not recommend reading this book after a depressing time, it left me in a funk for a while!!!

Let’s talk about the environment of the book first. HOLY SHIT THIS PLACE SOUNDS AWFUL. I mean I know every town has a seedy and generally unpleasant area, but gosh this place sounds so depressing. Everywhere you looked it was just suffering and hardship. I wanted to give everyone a hug and tell them it was okay. Everyone also was addicted to something and it made me want to cry. Opioids are no joke and the fact that they’re prescribed to people makes me so angry. How can you become better when everyone around you is addicted to something?

Addiction was everywhere in this book! EVERYONE WAS ADDICTED. It just broke my heart because they could not control themselves because a chemical destroyed their choices. It was just so sad. The author not only discussed the addiction itself, but all the ways it affects people. Every scenario that you could possibly think of that could happen to an addict was in here and it was just so heart wrenching to read. It also showed just how normal addiction could be. Everyone was just so blase about being addicted. Basically everyone in Mickey’s family was on something and it was just totally normal.

All the characters in this book were extremely flawed, but it gave the plot a more realistic and dynamic feel because of it. Mickey is the sister that did everything right. She rose above her circumstances and made something of herself. However, she has a lot to work out. She is basically who she is because someone told her to and it was just awful! I had the most sympathy for her because she only wants to do the right thing and everyone is so judgy of her for it.

I wish we had gotten to know Kacy’s perspective just a little because maybe it would’ve given her more depth because she is terrible in my opinion. She is a taker even when she is sober. Mickey worked so hard for so long to help her and to be better and Kacy just makes her feel bad for it. MICKEY’S FAMILY SUPPORTS KACY OVER MICKEY?!?! In what universe is that okay!?! That part made me so fricken angry!! I felt bad for Kacy, but it was so hard for me to show sympathy for her when she screwed Mickey over time and time again. It’s not Mickey’s fault that Kacy ended up that way.

The mystery in this book was honestly on the backburner for me in this book. Yes, I wanted to find out whodunit; however, I was more interested in Mickey and Kacy’s relationship and just about their general life. Their upbringing was anything, but pleasant and I was yearning to know more. There were also just so many plot twists about their general life that it was hard not to disregard the overall mystery of the plot. Don’t get me wrong the mystery was excellent and kept me on the edge of my seat, but it wasn’t my favorite part of the book.

The writing style of this book was also extremely unique and added a fast paced feel to the plot. The chapters were short and the sentences were choppy so it almost felt that you were reading a police report or a transcript. The book did have details, but the writing only allowed for the most important information and I really liked it. Because the main character was a cop, I felt like the writing gave the reader more of an impression that the character was the one telling the story. It was really interesting!

Overall, this book was an AMAZING read with so many plot twists and seedy characters, that you were always questioning anything and everything that happened. If you are looking for a read with a very dysfunctional family, dirty cops, the reality of addiction, and multiple plot twists, make sure to pick up this book!