What happened to Zoe won't stay buried...
When Anna Cicconi arrives to the small Hamptons village of Herron Mills for a summer nanny gig, she has high hopes for a fresh start. What she finds instead is a community on edge after the disappearance of Zoe Spanos, a local girl who has been missing since New Year's Eve. Anna bears an eerie resemblance to Zoe, and her mere presence in town stirs up still-raw feelings about the unsolved case. As Anna delves deeper into the mystery, stepping further and further into Zoe's life, she becomes increasingly convinced that she and Zoe are connected--and that she knows what happened to her.
Two months later, Zoe's body is found in a nearby lake, and Anna is charged with manslaughter. But Anna's confession is riddled with holes, and Martina Green, teen host of the Missing Zoe podcast, isn't satisfied. Did Anna really kill Zoe? And if not, can Martina's podcast uncover the truth?
“First time in the Hamptons?” Tom asks. I turn my head toward him, tearing my eyes from the hedgerows and entrance gates that obscure what promise to be jaw-dropping houses from public view. “Yeah. Yes. I think so, anyway.”
Anna would frequently lose time, forget important details, and had an alarming number of gaps in her memory. At first, I thought she might have a mental health issue that caused her to struggle with facts and retention, but even that aspect of the story lost some of its steam towards the end. Some of her memories were explained, while others were left untouched. I wanted to know more about all of Anna's dreams and hallucinations, not just the ones that were relevant at the end. If you've read this, I'm mostly referring to the one she had about Paisley. It seemed to be the only major one not addressed.
Additionally, I felt like the adults in this book were at the root of everyone's problems, and wish that had also been elaborated on a little more. Unfortunately, we only get a few breadcrumbs regarding their involvement in Anna's life. The secondary characters were interesting, if also somewhat one-dimensional. I understood the need for secrecy, and know the lack of details only made me more suspicious of everyone. I kept wondering what they were hiding, and if this or that reaction had anything to do with Zoe.
What I didn't understand was why anyone would be attracted to Caden. He was unlikable from the start, and clearly only cared about himself. However, I thought the podcast element was very interesting, and reminded me of Courtney Summers' Sadie. We get to learn details about the past without the characters having flashbacks, and I thought it really complemented the Then and Now format.
I can't really say too much more without giving something away, but if you like unreliable narrators, suspenseful thrillers, and small beach towns, then definitely give this book a shot. I Killed Zoe Spanos held my interest and kept me on my toes, but I wanted something more from its conclusion. (★★★★☆)
