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Book Summary and Reviews of Girl in the Rearview Mirror by Kelsey Rae Dimberg

Girl in the Rearview Mirror by Kelsey Rae Dimberg

Girl in the Rearview Mirror

by Kelsey Rae Dimberg

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  • Jun 2019, 384 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

They are Phoenix's First Family: handsome Philip Martin, son of the sitting Senator, an ex-football player who carries himself with an easy grace and appears destined to step into his father's seat when the time is right; his wife Marina, the stylish and elegant director of Phoenix's fine arts museum; and their four-year-old daughter Amabel, beautiful and precocious and beloved.

Finn Hunt is working a dull office job to pay off her college debt when she meets Philip and charms Amabel. She eagerly agrees to nanny, thinking she's lucked into the job of a lifetime. Though the glamour of the Martins' lifestyle undeniably dazzles Finn, her real pleasure comes from being part of the family: sharing quick jokes with Philip in the kitchen before he leaves for work; staying late when Marina needs a last-minute sitter; and spending long days with Amabel, who is often treated more like a photo op than a child.

But behind every façade lurks a less attractive truth. When a young woman approaches Finn, claiming a connection with Philip and asking Finn to pass on a message, Finn becomes caught up in a web of deceit with the senate seat at its center. And Finn isn't exactly innocent herself: she too has a background she has kept hidden, and under the hot Phoenix sun, everything is about to be laid bare...

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"With a few wobbles, the plot speeds to the bombshell final betrayal. Dimberg's evocative prose and affecting characters flag her as a writer to watch." - Publishers Weekly

"With hairpin twists and immense psychological acuity, Kelsey Rae Dimberg's Girl in the Rearview Mirror is as seductive as the glamorous, privileged family at its center—and as cunning. An exciting, intoxicating debut, it will hold you until its startling final pages." - Megan Abbott, author of Dare Me

"Utterly compelling, this story reveals its secrets slowly and mysteriously under the sweltering sun of Arizona. A gripping story that expertly weaves domestic and political intrigue." - Rosamund Lupton, bestselling author of Sister

"I tore through Girl in the Rearview Mirror; it really is a truly accomplished debut. Kelsey Rae Dimberg has that rare ability to blend breakneck pace with razor-sharp characterization and shimmering, immersive prose. A charged, tense, highly emotional story that will stay with you." - Caz Frear, author of Sweet Little Lies

This information about Girl in the Rearview Mirror was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews
The title intrigued me from the start. Does it mean not looking back? Does it mean looking the other way? Does it mean keeping your secrets and your past hidden?

We meet Finn whose real name is Natalie, but she doesn't tell anyone because she wants to hide her past.

Finn left her home and moved to Arizona, worked in the office of a Senator's son, and then became the nanny for his four-year-old daughter.

Everyone seemed to have secrets, told lies, were manipulative, and users. Some of the characters were also odd but most were selfish.

GIRL IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR dragged a bit at first, and the story line was difficult to get straight, but the writing and the underlying hints about what was really going on kept me reading as the author has us mingling with the upper crust.

The chapters will keep your interest because of the author's skill of inserting subtle facts throughout the chapters and as the chapters end.

The story line increased in intensity and twists and kept me rapidly turning the pages to find out what really was going on, what really was happening, who could be trusted, and who was lying.

If you enjoy personal and family drama, seeing how the upper crust lives, and what lengths people go to in order to keep something hidden, GIRL IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR, will be something to add to your reading list.

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Author Information

Kelsey Rae Dimberg

Kelsey Rae Dimberg received an MFA from the University of San Francisco and studied at Barrett Honors College of Arizona State University, where she was editor-in-chief of the literary magazine, Lux, and received the Swarthout Award in Fiction. Girl in the Rearview Mirror is her first novel. Born in Seattle, Kelsey has lived in eight states, and currently resides in Milwaukee.

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