I closed the book thinking she was real, and I didn't like that. I think her being real took all the magic away, and raised more questions in my mind about how a small child could've survived all those years in such harsh conditions. As long as I believed she wasn't real, those questions didn't matter, but once the neighbors saw her and Garrett fell in love with her, she was real. I didn't mind her disappearing at the end, but I would've liked for her to disappear without me the reader knowing whether she was real or not. Maybe part of the problem for me was that the book went on too long, so Ivey felt compelled to resolve the mystery? IDK. I think I would have preferred a shorter book that kept the mystery alive. :D