Rating: 
Summary: This book ensnared me into it's web...
Review: "Losing Gemma" is magically written. It got me so interested I honestly couldn't put it down. Even now, after a few days of finishing it, I still think about the story and how certain events changed the lives of 2 people so dramatically. I love how Katy Gardner has written the story in such a real way - where people's little idiosyncratic quirks are included in a way that makes you feel part of the picture. Also, I was able to learn a bit more about India and it's culture - that's always a good thing! I would recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: spellbinding tale of loss and personal renewal
Review: As I was reading this book, I kept stopping to write down words that described the experience for me. I look over my list now - words like mysterious, edgy, exotic, tense, gripping. And in capitals: NIGHTMARE. Truly, that's what this experience is. Though it loses a little steam after the climax (in which narrator Esther finds out that Gemma, her best friend and travel partner, is dead), it's still an amazing read. I stayed up all night to finish it, and it still reverberates within it.
Rating:
Summary: spellbinding tale of loss and personal renewal
Review: As I was reading this book, I kept stopping to write down words that described the experience for me. I look over my list now - words like mysterious, edgy, exotic, tense, gripping. And in capitals: NIGHTMARE. Truly, that's what this experience is. Though it loses a little steam after the climax (in which narrator Esther finds out that Gemma, her best friend and travel partner, is dead), it's still an amazing read. I stayed up all night to finish it, and it still reverberates within it.
Rating: 
Summary: Truthful and suspenseful
Review: Gardner has written a roller-coaster-ride of a book following two best friends as they set out to explore India, but instead find out more about themselves. Esther's youthful naiveness is captured perfectly in her gung-ho, cocky attitude. Gemma captures pefectly the other side of youth, as she is dragged along and seemingly willing to follow anything her beautiful friend wishes.This is the haunting tale of the unravelling of a 20-year-long friendship, and trying to find one's identity away from what you've known all of your life. Like any real person, Garnder's characters alternately make you dislike them, pity them, and then want to reassure them that everything will work out fine. Garner also paints a suspenseful setting by vividly portraying India through the eyes of a traveller. The legend of a man's firey death is woven throughout the pages, leaving the characters fearing the unknown in the strange country they find themselves in. This book was a fascinating look at the darker sides of female friendships, as well as a highly suspenseful look at the mysteries of travelling to the unknown.
Rating: 
Summary: Creepy Good but something's missing
Review: I agree with everyone else - the book was interesting. I couldn't put it down and couldn't wait to find out what happened to Gemma. But in the end, I felt a little cheated. Somehow, the ending just didn't seem realistic, but that's just my review...
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read
Review: I never expected to enjoy this book as much as I did--from start to finish when Esther tells the story of how she lost her friend, Gemma in India. It is a gripping mystery, though the ending is not quite a surprise, it does not take away from the story, the characters, and the sharply written prose. Two girls go to India, meet up with a third, and one of the original two does not come back. With India as background, the anxiety of travel without tourism, the coming of age, the secrets, mystery, and guilt, this is a fabulous book. You can read this book in a day, simply because you will not want to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping, emotional story!
Review: I picked up this book first seeing the title and thinking "Oh, another tear-jerker book about someone dying." But this was so much more. It doesnt really dtart as a story of loss, but as a story of two best friends, and how easy it is to go from friends to enemies and then maybe back again, and how close you can truly be to them. I dont want to give away any of the book, but it was really awesome and beautifully written
Rating:
Summary: Really Powerful Read
Review: I read about this book in Ellegirl magazine and decided to give it a shot. All in all, it was pretty good. If you are a fan of mysteries, you'll like this one. It really keeps you guessing. It is the tiniest bit gruesome and it really gets your heart pounding, but if you can live through that you'll see it's not that bad.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice start, great middle...ridiculous ending
Review: I was instantly drawn to "Losing Gemma," as I love stories about travel to exotic lands. The writing is excellent, and the story starts off wonderfully. However, this book is ultimately very flawed. I honestly can't understand all the rave reviews here. Did you people read the same novel as me? Sure, the language is very descriptive/poetic. But Gemma - the title character, for goodness sake - is never fully developed. We only get sketches of her personality and, as a result, never wind up caring that much about her. I mean, the author's characterization of Coral is more effective. Also, the ending is appallingly bad and completely unrealistic. The author relies heavily on unbelievable coincidences to further her story... My advice is, if you want a good travel novel try the "The Beach" "Losing Gemma" is beautifully written in the first two thirds, but in the end the story falls apart.
Rating:
Summary: Descriptive but lacking
Review: I'm still trying to figure out how this was translated from 12 languages. Yes, the scenes in this book were wonderfully descriptive but the story as a whole was, "eh, so so" at best. I would have liked to see more of Gemma's character before the end and then maybe I would have understood her need to do that. As far as I am concerned, there were a lot of story holes and complteley unbelievable incidents particularly surrounding the "death." I won't spoil it for anyone who wants to read it but YIKES!
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