A book that is one part angsty early 2000’s YA, one part action, and one part Sisterhood of the Traveling Prom Dresses. Hmm.. what did I think of that mix? Check out my review of Girl From Nowhere.

The Girl From Nowhere by Tiffany Rosenhan. Published on July 21, 2002 by Bloomsbury. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Synopsis: Sophia arrives in Montana with the promise of a normal high school experience. But after a turbulent few years abroad with her diplomat parents, forgetting the past is easier said than done. After all, “normal” high schoolers aren’t trained in several forms of combat.
Then Sophia meets Aksel and finds herself opening up in ways she never thought she could. Except Sophia’s past is about to catch up with her, and she must confront who she really is, why she was betrayed, and what she is capable of in the name of love and survival.

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Review of The Girl From Nowhere

The Girl From Nowhere was an interesting mix: half angsty instalove romance, half fast-paced action. At times, the book seemed like two different books and its heroine like two different people.

Sophia and her parents are in hiding in Montana after some unspecified traumatic incident related to the dangerous spy work her parents do. Sophia enrolls in a local school, where she meets Aksel, a mysterious and enigmatic fellow student. She’s mesmerized by his muscles and green eyes. (Of course! This part of the book felt SO much like early 2000s YA that it made me a little nostalgic.)

Sophia is just your average teenager. She speaks 10 or 12 languages, is an expert markswoman, triple black diamond skier, effortlessly smart and oh yeah, when a school dance rolls around she suddenly has trunks full of couture gowns that magically fit all her friends, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-style. (I am unsure how all these gowns got shipped to Montana and by whom and even why. I suspect the massive gown shipping operation might have blown her family’s cover.)

The first part of the book mainly involved Sophia’s adjustment to her new school and was heavy on the romance. The book’s plot kicks more into high gear during the second half, which was one action scene after another and had me pretty confused. I wish the two parts of the story had felt more integrated together and that Sophia had felt a little more like a sixteen year old thrust into a situation in which she’s way over her head.

Finally, what is this book cover? I think this should have had a retro early-2000s cover with Sophia standing on a cliff wearing one of her gowns, holding a gun behind her back.

Though I didn’t find either the romance or the intrigue that believable, I was entertained by The Girl From Nowhere. If you are a fan of political thrillers (and in the mood for some early 2000s YA angst!!!) give this one a try!