Felt a bit far-fetched and dragged out as a concept, also the 90 years difference between the two women and their stories made their connection, despite familial, feel weaker.

Thank you for providing a copy of this book for review however I was unable to open the file for this document unfortunately! Apologies.

Keren David just isn't for me, I've decided. This is the second of hers I've read, and the second I've disliked. I find her writing to be too sparse. I ordinarily love short chapters, but these are too short and too empty. The characters felt flat and I just didn't enjoy it.

I read Stranger by Keren David. Told by two characters, 90 years apart, it is a little bit heartbreaking but not too much. Deals with family break up, grief, abortion, young carers, abuse...without being either too heavy handed or too light hearted.

Keren David has such a beautiful way of story telling. I was hooked from the first chapter and I couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed the dual narrative and I thought that the contemporary side was reallly sweet and enjoyable, and the more historical side was really cool and twisted.

I really enjoy novels where the narrative is split between a linked contemporary and historical story where at first the link isn't fully clear and over the course of the novel the linked are unveiled so I was incredibly excited to read this book.

The contemporary story is really lovely. It follows Megan who has arrived in Canada to celebrate a special family occasion and spend time with her father who she lives hundreds of miles away from. While it is supposed to be a happy time for her she has a broken heart and a secret which is meaning, whilst she is putting on a brave face underneath it all she s really suffering. I really enjoyed she the family dynamic, uncovering her secret and seeing her time in Canada.

The historical story is Emmie's story as she discovers a wild boy in the forest and, along with her mother, welcomes into her home despite the reaction it gets from her neighbours . I thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspects of the story and also getting into the mystery of who the boy was and why he had ended up as he had and it kept me guessing right through.

As the stories develop it is clear that there is a family link between the two and I really loved seeing how that all fit together.

Two stories. One concerning a young boy who is found in the woods in 1904, and the other about a young English girl who goes to visit her grandmother at a particularly turbulent time in her life.
The stories of Tom and Megan are, of course, linked but we don’t establish how until quite late on.
Initially the story felt a little slow, but as we start to piece together events and identify links between the two timeframes I found it an absorbing story. Both stories explore themes of loss, motherhood and identity but in quite different ways.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in advance of publication.

This book was told from two different perspectives and i enjoyed both stories and the characters in them however the plot was a little predictable.

Sensitive forward flash historical fiction that examines social mores and first love.

Switching between 1904 and 1994 in Astor, Ontario, Stranger follows the story of two girls who's lives combine through more than just blood.
1904: When a filthy and naked boy comes out of the woods, Emmy strongly believes he's no threat while everyone else thinks his lack of memory means he's danger. What will happen to him, and how far will Emmy go to protect him?
1994: Megan has come to Astor for her great grandmas 105th birthday, she soon begins exploring Astors well hidden and mysterious past while hiding something herself..
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Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I got to read this joy of a book early. Ever since I read the synopsis however long ago, I knew it was a must read. I went into Stranger with high hopes, but it absolutely blew me away, surpassing all of my expectations. I've been trying to think of how to best describe my feelings for this wonderful creation but it's just impossible. I cannot think of any faults, the writing was beautiful and Keren weaved the plot and every description flawlessly.
I can't believe how well this book flowed and how perfectly all of the events came together. This book started out by gripping me like no other, every scene was vivid in my mind and the further I read, the more intricate the plot got while still being really easy to follow. I was amazed at how Keren developed this story to result in no questions left unanswered. There was just enough detail that it didn't drag or feel heavy to read, which is something that's important to me when tucking into a book as I don't have the best attention span. I didn't get through Stranger as quickly as I'd have wanted to as I was very busy, however each time I picked it up I knew exactly what was going on without having to go back a few pages to remind myself. I loved the historical element, which is something I feel is lacking in YA so I'm always happy to dig in to one.
Of course I have to mention the beautiful cover! I think it is stunning and fits so well with the books contents. The setting of Stranger is ideal for the events that take place.
Stranger is a book I will be highly encouraging everyone to read. It's a book that I will very likely re-read, which is something I rarely do - I already have too many unread books to get through! It's a book that will stick with me for a long time and I will no doubt be checking out the authors other books. Stranger is a masterpiece. This is one you do not want to miss out on. One of the easiest 5 star ratings I will give.

dnf at 14%. Found that the two main characters had exactly the same voice, and it didn't feel like a period piece. I was also surprised at the abortion plotline, and how Megan was annoyed and regretful. I also felt that knowing Emmy survived up to the modern day took away the thrill of her POV, as I knew nothing /that/ bad happened to her.

Wow, what a book. I’d only read Keren David’s CUCKOO before I requested this on NetGalley, and this was a completely different novel that gripped me as soon as I read the blurb. It’s historical and contemporary, with mystery and romance thrown in – I was kind of mad when I got halfway through and had to stop reading because I needed to get off the train and go into work.

I haven’t read many YA books set in Canada, but it felt like the perfect location for the novel – Astor is a small town that in 1904 is surrounded by forest, and as such feels isolated: an excellent setting for the mysteries that unravel.

STRANGER is split between two narrators – Emmy, a girl in early 1900s Canada, and Megan, Emmy’s great-granddaughter from England in the 1990s. Emmy’s story concerns her meeting a mysterious boy who has stumbled out of the forest, bloody and naked and suffering from memory loss, and Megan is visiting her family in Canada while trying to get over her ex-boyfriend and hiding something deep inside her. Pretty different plots, right? They seem that way to start with, but soon it becomes apparent just how much Emmy and Megan are alike, and how their stories relate to each other. Everything eventually ties together in a satisfying, cathartic way.

Emmy and Megan are great characters – sometimes split narratives annoy me when I can’t connect to one of the voices, but I didn’t have that issue with this book. I was quickly sucked into their stories, eager to find out what secrets they hid.

Slight tangent here: the guys in this are super cute. The mysterious boy, Tom, is like a lost puppy. And I have a weakness for lost puppies. Especially lost puppies with something to hide, and lost puppies with dark pasts…OK, this isn’t really working any more – but he’s adorable, in a sad way. And Sam, a boy Megan meets while in Astor, is like, the exact kind of cute grungy arty boy that I like.

Puppies and grunge, guys. To put it simply, I like the guys in this book. Yes, I am shallow.

I’M NOT SORRY.

There’s a sweet love story at the heart of STRANGER – so sweet, in fact, that it made me want to cry. This book made me want to cry a LOT. Basically, it just made me really emotional. There’s a lot of stuff about family, and about first loves, and about secrets, and about truth. If this all sound quite vague, it’s because I don’t want to spoil it – little reveals are peppered throughout the story like a trail of breadcrumbs, and it’s best to go in as blind as possible to get the best experience.

If you enjoy twisting historical mystery novels with sweet, emotional hearts, then STRANGER is for you. Perfect for curling up with – try and read this in one sitting, as wanting to know the answers will drive you up the wall if you have to stop in the middle of it (as I did).