What do readers think of In Search of the Rose Notes by Emily Arsenault? Write your own review.

Some snappy dialogue, witty descriptions and very "of the moment" characters will appeal to younger readers, as will the themes of the angst and confusion that accompany entrance into adulthood. But I thought the pacing was far too slow to sustain interest in the ostensible central event--i.e., what the heck HAPPENED to Rose??--for the book to fall into the "mystery" category. The story line simply meandered, and abrupt shifts in the time frame were confusing to me at times. I found the author's earlier book, The Broken Tea Glass, more grounded and appealing.

Mary Chapin Carpenter sings a song that includes the lines, "our future begins with our past" and "step out of the shadow you cast." These lines relate perfectly to IN SEARCH OF THE ROSE NOTES by Emily Arsenault. This is a book , narrated in an alternating present/ past format that addresses the question of the mysterious disappearance of a babysitter years ago. Nora returns years later, to visit her home town where it all happened and, to re-visit the person she once was by connecting with former friends. While the premise was promising, I felt that the style did not truly deliver for me. While it lacked that "glued to the page" factor I treasure, it was interesting enough for a casual take-along to the beach. Those who enjoy a look back as well as a revisiting of those years of early teen angst may wish to take a peek at this book. All in all, not compelling but interesting enough.

I think this book might best be appreciated by a Young Adult/High School audience. The juxtaposition of adult (present day) and young teen (childhood memories) perspectives did not work well for me. The story also will probably appeal to a young audience. Adult readers looking for a literary mystery filled with suspense and well-developed characters will be disappointed.

Life isn't easy especially when you are a pre-teen growing up in a small town. This book has a bit about friendships gone bad and friendships that are lost forever. A bit of intrique is thrown in to keep the reader interested. Definitely not a must read this book would fit into the category of an average beach read.

This book might be appealing to young adult readers, provided they could follow the alternating story from 1990 to 2006. The major characters were rather boring and I cannot understand why the book is considered a psychological mystery. In fact, I had difficulty determining exactly what the ultimate "mystery" was. I would definitely not recommend In Search of the Rose Notes to an adult book club.

I found nothing appealing about this book. The plot development was very slow, the mystery was tepid at best, the characters were not interesting, the writing was lusterless. Touted as a "psychological mystery", it simply portrayed the characters' psyches as self-absorbed and lacking in insight, both as children and as adults.

I've always felt you should give a book at least 100 pages to get the reader wrapped into the plot; sometimes it just takes awhile for the writer to get the pieces of the story in place. Alas, even well after 100 pages of In Search of Rose Notes the book left this reader wondering if the book would ever gain momentum. I did stick it out to the end, but it was only out of the commitment to read and review the book. This mystery simply did not deliver - the plot was slow and the characters lacked much dimension.