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Book Review of What Happened to Hannah

What Happened to Hannah
LynniePennie avatar reviewed on + 169 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


This is a great story about Hannah who has a successful insurance office and seems to have it all figured out. That is until one day she gets a call from her old high school sweetheart Grady. Grady has always wondered what happened to the fresh faced yet, mysterious Hannah since the day she disappeared. Grady tells Hannah that her mother has just passed away, her sister passed away a few years ago and that she is the last relative alive to care for her sister Ruth's teenage daughter Anna. Though to care for her Hannah must come back to the "home" she left so many years ago and face her own personal demons.

I loved this book. As a child abuse survivor, who escaped from my situation and moved over a thousand miles away, I could really relate to Hannah's emotions coming back to the town that she escaped from. I love the descriptions the author gives of Hannah's emotions and the rocking physical emotions that Hannah experiences when she comes back into town. For myself, it was very touching and relatable. The author wrote this so well, I wonder if she herself was abused.

Yes, there are a few parts of this story that are predictable. I figured out Hannah's secret before the 33rd page. Yet, I didn't care because, I actually liked the characters and found myself rooting for them even though I knew the outcome.

This story has so many layers, including courage, trust, love, and selflessness. This isn't a mystery and this isn't exactly what I'd call chick-lit. It's just a great story, with a touch of romance, which I think most anyone, especially child abuse survivors would relate to.