Trust & Obey

Twenty-one years ago, a young girl disappeared and her family and friends learn to move on without her. Now, Claire has adjusted to her sister’s disappearance and wants to reunite after all those years with those who were there that fateful day. Her father has developed Alzheimer’s, so Claire hopes that everyone coming together at the family’s seaside home will help him in some way. Once everyone comes, a new travesty occurs, dredging up old memories that could lead to the key to finding Claire’s sister.

The Reunion by Samantha Hayes is a thriller published in 2021. I was unsure what to think of it at first but was quickly intrigued by each character’s life, thoughts, and backstory. Hayes doesn’t just create a world but fully envelopes you into it. She does a great job of making the reader feel invested and wanting to know what happens to these characters. Both their separate pasts and the group’s future were lurking in my mind as I ripped through the pages. Hayes also ends each chapter with cliff hangers, making you want more. The chapters were small so I could easily slam ten chapters in a sitting. The added suspense of a cliff hanger is what kept me coming for more.

I did have major issues with some of the themes in this novel. I am going to speak very vaguely to not spoil it, but spoiling to some degree is most likely inevitable. With that said, tread carefully through this section if you have an interest in reading this book. One element I specifically disliked was all of the infidelity. There is a need for drama to make a book fascinating but it happened between characters that were supposed to be morally upstanding. I struggled to like those characters during the book because of it. A woman, who has feelings for another man, becomes judgemental of and angry at her husband for his unfaithfulness. Although she wasn’t adulterous, she clearly is flirting with the idea of being adulterous. In my opinion, that makes her a bit of a hypocrite. Another negative theme is having sex with a minor which is disturbing. The author did not go too deep into detail but we got the message and it wasn’t pretty.

These themes are somewhat unavoidable with books involving crime. I usually read these types of novels and assume that violence is going to be a part of it (because you know, murder). I am all for crazy twists and horrible secrets but anything involving sexual relations with minors disturbs me. I struggle to see the entertainment in it.

Samantha Hayes’ The Reunion is a psychological thriller that brings you deep into a world shattered by a child’s disappearance and the characters that inhabit it. However, despite its intoxicating plot, it is riddled with moral dilemmas and unsettling scenes that might cause the average reader to rethink reading it.