Cover Image: Have You Seen Her

Have You Seen Her

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Member Reviews

Each of the characters seem to be running from something and this was a very good plot. The writing was atmospheric and I relished that.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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I have enjoyed a few other books by Catherine McKenzie, but Have You Seen Her was not the one for me. There were so many twists and turns, which I loved, but it felt more like a slow burn, which slowed me down. If you have read other Catherine McKenzie works before, definitely give this one a try. I thought the plot of this book was so well written, but there were reveals where I thought I was missing something.

THANK YOU TO ATRIA BOOKS FOR ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!!

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I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

Cassie needs to get away from her life in NYC, so she packs a backpack and a burner phone and heads to her home town of Mammoth Lakes, CA. She has gotten her old job back working with Yosemite Search and Rescue, where she worked a summer 10 years earlier. Nothing much has changed. She hangs out with her fellow SAR workers and gets to know the travelers who have come to spend their summer at Yosemite. Then a couple goes missing, and the parallels are way too similar to another couple who went missing when Cassie was working with SAR a decade ago.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a quick read, and it will keep you guessing. I had to suspend disbelief quite a bit, which is bothersome, but it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of this novel very much at all. I have a few other Catherine McKenzie books on my TBR, and I’m looking forward to reading them.

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This book was a great mystery with suspense and twists throughout. A fast paced read that kept me interested throughout as we saw multiple stories interconnect from 10 years in the past and the present.

The main character Cassie fled an abusive marriage and returned to the life she had fled 10 years ago due to a tragedy. She becomes a part of the Search and Rescue team, (SAR) that she was a part of 10 years prior, she left that team because she found her best friend dead after a climbing accident. Now she is reliving the past, trying to escape the present, and find herself again.

Jada and Petal are other women whose stories are told throughout the book and it keeps the story moving and you guessing at what will be next.

I didn’t see the twists coming and overall really enjoyed the book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Have You Seen Her
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Catherine McKenzie

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Equipped with a burner phone and a new job, Cassie Peters has left her hectic and secretive life in New York City for the refuge of her hometown of Mammoth Lakes, California. There, she begins working again with Yosemite Search and Rescue, where a case she worked a decade ago continues to haunt her.

She quickly falls into old patterns, joining a group of fellow seasonal workers and young adventurers who have made Yosemite their home during the summer. There, she meets Petal, a young woman living in a trailer with her much older wife, keeping a detailed diary of the goings on of the park, and Jada, a recent college graduate on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, documenting their journey on Instagram.

My Thoughts: This story is about two deaths decades apart. Cassie is armed with a burner phone and is rejoining the search and rescue team after ten years away, you know that she is running from something, as it appears that most of the residents from Yosemite National Park, which is delivered slowly throughout the novel. A definite compelling atmospheric thriller that will keep you guessing.

The story is told in an alternating past and present deadline, there is sprinkled diary entries of Petal, which gives a true feel of the inside of her mind, and also sprinkled in are social media posts/videos. The vibe is a true crime novel. The author does an amazing job at detailing the location, you really felt like you were there at Yosemite National Park, you can tell the author spent a lot of time researching this for the novel. The characters were well developed with depth, mystery, were secretive, and were intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, twisty, and creative. The author did a stellar job with the flow and pace of the story, delivering the plot in twisty layers, and that ending was great, leaving open the possibility for another novel, or is it the end?

I was hoping more for the ending, but it may have been that way for a reason. A little more into Cassie’s background would have been helpful to get her where she is today, as well. This was an enjoyable read with suspenseful tension that kept me on my toes. I would recommend this book to other readers.

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Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

I have enjoyed Catherine McKenzie's books in the past but this one just felt okay for me. It was quite the slow burn; I felt like it took a long before you begin to find anything pertinent about the main character or care about her at all. The execution of the final reveal felt too far out of left field and I was very confused thinking I had missed something until more information was revealed. Clever but not the best execution. I definitely like McKenzie's writing style though and will continue to read her books.

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Good story of a woman escaping her husband for fear of abuse back to her old job and life as a search and rescue person. Some suspense, some unexpected twists.

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Eh. This wasn’t a favorite of mine. While I did enjoy all the SAR shenanigans, wilderness details, and the fight for SMOKEY I was bored most of the book.

“Please Join Us” was one of my favorite reads last year and I was excited to start this book - but they are drastically different - which is fine, but it just felt different this time.

Debating between a 2-3 star so 2.5 it is.

Will be waiting for the next book by her.

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Started off pretty good but then in mid book there was a dip.
Running away from the people you love to end up being in a trapped marriage is what Cassie found.
The husband always finds you and makes trouble for your surroundings..
People go missing at the campsite to wind up dead .
Whose the killer?
You'll just have to read this book.
Lots of drama. Secrets. And love affairs.
Gives you an insight what people will do anything to get what they want.
In some cases, there's always a happy ending for some

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Such an amazing book and author! I love the writing style and can't wait for more by this author! I definitely was not expecting the twist

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Cassie Peters leaves her life and husband behind in NYC and returns to Yosemite where she worked as Search and Rescue a decade before.  Looking to stay low profile to hide from her husband, Cassie keeps to herself and avoids social media at all costs.  The summer seems simple until a social media couple come to town and Cassie is caught on tape.  Jada and her boyfriend documented their trip cross country and stay at Yosemite for rock climbing and soul searching.  Petal and her girlfriend are also nomads who decide to stay at Yosemite.  Cassie is on edge and keeps her eye on these two women and their seemingly troubled relationships.  In true Catherine McKenzie fashion, there are several twists you don't see coming. 

This book gave me vibes of the Gabby Petito and Brian Laudrie story from 2021.  

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Wow this book was a ride!! I was throughly invested from start to finish. Definitely a big fan of this author and will be reading her future books.

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I really wanted to like this book! It sounded intriguing and full of mystery and suspense. Unfortunately, it fell flat. Catherine McKenzie's style of writing is really good, but I was very disappointed with how we kept being told things instead of shown them. Like the many rescues that Cassie goes on.

It was mostly just filler until the very last few pages when the action really started. But the ending was stuffed full of information and happened so quickly that it kind of threw me off since the rest of the book was so slow.

However, I did really enjoy the dual timeline. Jumping from the past to the present kept me invested in the book because I wanted to know all the details.

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Ohhh this was good! The story was filled with constant suspense and towards the end, the twists and turns kept coming! The story mainly focuses on three vulnerable women whose lives intertwine. I really loved the setting of Yosemite National Park and slowly learning about Cassie’s complicated past. After finishing the story, I thought back to all the clues I missed along the way! Lastly, I loved the mixed media at the end of the chapters which consisted of blog posts, YouTube transcripts newspaper articles and diary entries. Overall, this was an exciting and satisfying thriller that kept me hooked!

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I would say it took me about halfway through Have You Seen Her to be completely invested in what was going on, but I'm really glad I stuck it out until the end because boy was that a doozy! I have not read a Catherine McKenzie novel that I have not liked, and I loved the way she weaved Yosemite National Park and Cassie's work as a SAR there into the mystery of her past. The format was also done in a clever way with not only past and present Cassie, but news articles, journal entries, and YouTube transcripts as well. I was also a big fan of the chapter titles and how they would tie into what was going on in the corresponding chapter. McKenzie did a great job fully developing each character and making them diverse as well. I could easily picture each person, and by the time I got to the end, I was fully absorbed in the story and them.

I decided to listen to the audiobook, and I loved that it had a full cast! There was a narrator for each of the viewpoints plus the mixed media, and that made it really fun to listen to. I really enjoyed each of them and thought they did a wonderful job on their parts. The only thing I will say is that the speaking cadence was pretty different for each person, and I did think there were some issues with sound. Some parts would be a lot quieter than others and I ended up having to adjust my volume and speed in each viewpoint. Other than that, it was executed perfectly, and I would recommend listening. The climax was not something I saw coming, and the wait was worth the way everything ended up tying together. This could totally have a sequel if McKenzie wanted to write one, and I feel that way about so many of her books. Have You Seen Her would be great if you are in the mood for a slow-burn mystery with a unique setting and MC occupation!

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This book starts with Cassie Peters being rescued and a body being found with her.

Told from the timeline of NOW and THEN leading up to the events of the rescue.

Cassie goes back home to Mammoth Lakes, California with a burner phone and not much else. She gets a job with a Yosemite Search and Resue where she worked years ago before she left. There she meets Petal with her older wife and Jada with her boyfriend Jim. Cassie suspects Petal is abused, and Petal suspects Jada is being abused. Then one day, Jada and Jim go missing and the SARS search for them.

Finding out why Cassie came back to Yosemite after all these years, and why she had to be rescued by the helicopter with a body being found with her, was very suspenseful and kept me wanting to read.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and I really enjoyed it. Look forward to reading more of her books.


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I always enjoy the author’s books and this was no exception. Set in Yosemite National Park as the characters are working part of a search and rescue team. I have read a few books with this in them and I like the dynamics this offers.

When we meet Cassie, we know she is running away from her husband but are in the dark as to why. We learn about her in the present and as she meets and falls in love with what we presume is her husband.

This is multilayered with multiple mysteries and I never knew how reliable Cassie’s views are. Another thing I liked in this one is one of the POVs is from a diary. I am always such a fan of epistolary books. When done well, it adds a twist on a way to include another account of things.

I was kept guessing and wanting to know how it would all play out. That’s really all I ask of a thriller.

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I was SO excited to read a book set in a national park. I spent a summer working in a national forest, and am familiar with the outdoor lifestyle. It was such an interesting setting. I will say, I liked this book but didn't love it. Cassie is clearly on the run from a lot of things, and it just never quite settled into my soul the way other books do. It was a good, fast read though, with plenty of twists and turns.

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I'm speechless! From the second I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down. The way the author weaved the timelines throughout the story was perfect. It was a fast-paced thriller with a reveal that I never saw coming! Five huge stars!!

Thank you, Catherine Mckenzie, Atria Books, and NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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I liked a lot about this thriller. I really liked how in the dark I was for awhile, trying to figure out how the now timeline and then timeline would converge and how all the characters ended up where they were. I also really liked the episotolary format within the book with the diary, Instagram posts, and newspaper articles. And I loved the atmospheric setting!

The ending did feel rushed to me, and I’m not sure it really makes sense. But the journey there was fun and full of questions. It gave me a lot of what I look for in thrillers, and I recommend giving it a try.

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