Review: What It Seems

What It Seems by Emily Bleeker
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 Stars

Tara's life has been one of isolation and strict control under the foster mother who adopted her as an eight-year-old. This harsh existence leaves her lonely and craving connection with the outside world. Her one solace is the Feely family, an affectionate and famous vlogging clan who provide an online escape for Tara.

When the opportunity to intern with this close-knit family arises, Tara seizes the chance to break free from her sheltered life. Defying her foster mother's strict rules, she runs away and is embraced into the Feely family. But as she becomes closer to them, the image of the perfect family she's admired from afar begins to unravel. Tara discovers that secrets lurk beneath their cheerful facade, and it becomes evident that she may have traded one trap for another.

To regain control of her life and escape the clutches of her foster mother, Tara needs a new plan. As the Feely family's online popularity skyrockets, reaching more viewers, Tara can't shake the unsettling feeling that her foster mother may be lurking among the fans. She's watching. She's waiting. And she'll never release her grip on Tara.

I had such high hopes for this book, but regrettably, I found something missing that prevented me from truly connecting with the story and its characters. While it was relatively entertaining, it didn't offer the suspense I was expecting, and the plot felt somewhat predictable. I'm usually a fan of Emily Bleeker's writing, and her characters often find themselves in intriguing situations. In this case, the main character's story is undeniably tragic and portrayed with the appropriate tone. However, it became rather evident from the start what was truly happening.

As the story deviates from its course, another intriguing piece of information is presented: the Feelys, the YouTube sensation family, aren't as they seem. What this ultimately means is that the author built up the family to be more significant than what was actually unfolding, leaving me somewhat unsatisfied with the story's direction.

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