Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

Rating:
Characters: 17/20
Plot: 18/20
Originality: 20/20
Writing: 19/20
Recommendation: 18/20
Overall: 92/100 or A
Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor's kid, it wan't hard for her to believe in the idea of a perfect family. Sam has be doubting God for a while. Her mom is in rehab after a DUI and her father seems to care more about his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is kidnapped, the local tradegy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already worn thread of faith holding her together begins to slowly unravel.
Once was Lost was an amazing book. Sam is a very relatable character and her probelms are also fairly unique. I think that everyone has a crisis of faith at sometime. The ending is a bit predictable, but at the same time makes you wonder what happened. The plot has a ton of ups and downs, but it is interesting for the whole time. Zarr creates a book that leaves you with the questions of your faith and what it means to you. I don't think that this book would appeal as much to someone that isn't religious. I recommend this book to any teenager that is growing up and making decision about themself.