Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Another great thriller from Miranda. I loved the lake atmosphere of this book and the constant wondering of what exactly was currently going on and what had happened many years ago.
I did not expect the ending at all. I had a few ideas of what had happened but none were correct. Several surprises in the end.
Miranda is becoming one of my favorite writers and I enjoy all of her books. This was another great one.

This was so good!!! I couldn’t stop reading. Love the characters and the plot. Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Megan Miranda’s thrillers just keep getting better and better.

There was a creepy local incident while I was growing up — the wife of a famous Major League baseball player just disappeared with her car suddenly and unexpectedly. Lots of unfounded rumors persisted until five years later, a neighborhood pond was drained and the car was discovered with its driver. But how and why the car was there was never solved. I wonder if Megan Miranda ever heard of that chilling real life story — her thriller, however, does try to solve the full mystery of two submerged cars.

Gage, Caden and Hazel (all 21st century baby names) reunite at their detective father’s memorial service in Mirror Lake. Gage and Caden followed their dad into the local police force; Hazel, who has an antagonistic relationship with the younger Caden, had moved two hours away. Mom took off with cash and jewelry 13 years ago. For some reason, Perry Holt willed his lakeside house to Hazel instead of the boys. A drought has lowered the level of the lake and as the three siblings are cleaning out the house, Caden’s 6 year old daughter spies “a shipwreck” under the diving platform. Except it’s a car with no license plates, much like a similar car retrieved a week earlier.

Hazel isn’t certain why she inherited the house and not her brothers, but the inheritance and the muddy (familiar) car sets in motion a series of disturbing events in Mirror Lake. But getting answers is difficult when both of your brothers are in law enforcement and do not want you meddling. There are so many surprises and tension that just keeps ratcheting up. Ms. Miranda has really perfected the art of the layered thriller. I loved her last book “Last to Vanish,” but this one is even better! You won’t be disappointed! 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Only the Holt boys blue eyes are mentioned.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The drought is a major character in this novel and all the landscape is suffering.

Thank you to Simon Element/MarySue Rucci Books/ Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

In the newest Megan Miranda novel, Daughter of Mine, a drought has settled in Mirror Lake and it is uncovering all kinds of long-hidden town secrets.
When Hazel comes home after her father’s sudden death, she begins to question everything she ever knew about her family and the small town police department who were her second family.
As someone who comes from a small town I definitely felt a strong pull from the dynamics. So many people with lives overlapping and intertwining……keeping secrets even without knowing why.
The first part of the story definitely was spent crafting the world. So some readers may feel that it drags a bit. The second half of the book felt like it literally flew by in a heartbeat. It was overall a quick and fun read for me which I finished in a day.
I would definitely recommend it for fans of Megan Miranda and for those who like to keep guessing up until the end!!

Well-developed characters, an eery lake setting, and a tightly-crafted mystery made this my favorite Megan Miranda book yet! Hazel Sharp returns to her hometown of Mirror Lake after the death of her father. As a drought lowers the lake water level and brings up long-sunken secrets, Hazel's father's will and house have Hazel questioning what she thought to be true as a teenager. Every character is a suspect, even though we readers aren't even sure what the crime(s) are! Megan Miranda weaves in backstories and flashbacks seamlessly while moving the present day mysteries forward. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a mystery/suspense novel that you will want to finish in one sitting!
Thank you Marysue Rucci Books and Simon and Schuster for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This talented author has written a page turner. Secrets and red herrings add to the mystery. Realistic characters keep the story moving quickly. Even the title is intriguing. The story is mysterious and guessing what will happen is not easy. I like this author. The story moves along and then a little snippet of information that made me go, “Aww…really?” I like that in a book. Not giving away all up front. I look forward to more. Thanks Netgalley.

Another absolute home run from an author who seems to only hit home runs. This one may be my favorite of them all. This one has all of the hallmarks of a great Miranda story - a compelling mystery wrapped up in a lot of family drama and painful history.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This was my first book this author and I am officially hooked. I could not put this book down once I got started. The imagery is amazing and the story keeps you guessing until the very end. You can vividly picture each scene as it unfolds thanks to the top notch storytelling. The plot kept my interest and the character building was excellent. My heart was literally racing as I finished the last chapters. 5/5

I so wanted to like Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda. The synopsis sounded suspenseful, but the story dragged some for me. When her police detective father dies suddenly, Hazel Sharp returns to her North Carolina town. She learns he left the house to her alone and not her two brothers. Then, a submerged car is discovered in the lake behind the family’s home that may have belonged to their mother, who abandoned them.

The story did have a few good plot twists, but overall, the story was so-so for me. This was not my favorite of Megan Miranda.

I would still recommend this book and this author.

#NetGalley @_simonelement

Megan Miranda never disappoints and this book pulled he in from page 1! Small twins rarely give up their secrets but as the waters of Mirror Lake recede they may not have a choice but to deal with what is under the surface. Hazel fees untethered as she comes home to deal with the aftermath of her fathers death and her brothers anger doesn’t make it easier. The more time she spends in her childhood home the more she realizes that what we see on the surface often hides what lies beneath. This was fast paced and had me guessing, wrongly, until the end!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am a long time Megan Miranda fan. Her most recent novel doesn’t fail. It did seem to take a bit to get into the meat of the story. Once the first third was over, I couldn’t read fast enough. Hazel is back home after her father’s death and finds that she alone is his beneficiary. The story covers past and present intertwined. The ending wrapped up a bit quicker than expected. All in all quite an enjoyable mystery.

Where do I even begin.

I am a thriller girly. I’ve read over 50 thrillers this year and I’ve been usually mildly disappointed. Either the ending is predictable, or the characters all completely unlikable where you don’t even care to predict, or a mix of both.

This WAS NOT THAT. wow. I couldn’t put it down, it’s my new fav Megan Miranda book out there. Amazing from start to finish. Kept me on my toes and I did not expect the ending.

Absolutely wild ride with impeccable pacing and likable characters. No plot holes and a satisfying ending. What more could you ask for?

After the unexpected passing of her father, Hazel is back in Mirror Lake, the town she grew up in and never wanted to come back to. Although not everyone is happy to see her, especially when it's revealed that her father left her everything in his will - and nothing to her brothers. While dealing with the family drama and backlash that her father's will has caused, Hazel is bound and determined to finally uncover the truth about her mom's mysterious disappearance from her childhood.

Old secrets that were long ago buried come to the surface in this small town mystery. In Mirror Lake, everyone knows everyone's business, and when you have secrets worth killing to protect - everyone is a suspect!

Although, some of the story ended up feeling a bit drawn out, it did allow for exceptional character development. If you're the type of reader who enjoys a mystery, but also a solid storyline - this book is definitely the one for you. It's not twists and turns around every corner, but Megan Miranda did a great job of bringing clarity to all the aching questions I had as a reader. I was convinced I had the villain figured out about halfway through, but WOW was I wrong!

Solid 4.5 ⭐️! Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element, S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Upon returning to her hometown for her father's funeral, Hazel finds out that he left the house for her, igniting tension from her brother Caleb, who never accepted her as his sister growing up. Soon, a car is found submerged in the lake behind her father's house, bringing upon an investigation and dredging up the family and town's past. Hazel finds herself in the middle of it all, searching for a truth that may be better off left alone.

This is by far my favorite book from this author to date. It was detailed, atmospheric, and well thought out. It is a solid mystery with a well written story about family bonds and small town relations and how a person's past can shape them into the person they become. It was well paced, taking its time weaving the story together for the reader to become fully invested in the protagonist's life. There are secrets upon secrets being uncovered throughout the entire story, making this quite the addictive read. Four Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon Element for this ARC.

This was one of my favorite Megan Miranda books that I’ve read in a long time! I felt like the premise was very unique and I was super excited to get through it. I will definitely be recommending!

My favorite Megan Miranda book so far! Her books overall tend be to a slow start and then really take off. This one isn't as slow to begin with and I was so engrossed in the atmospheric setting that the pages just flew by. I thought the premise of finding objects once underwater but coming to surface due to a drought was creative and intriguing. I've read about the real life scenarios of this happening and the finding of bodies from the 70s and 80s and I really enjoyed reading a fiction version of this. The way the storied unraveled had me guessing until the end. Do not miss this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon Element, S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As one of the biggest Megan Miranda fans, I was absolutely drawn into this dark mystery, with so many unknowns lurking around the main execution and perfectly intercepted at the end like a masterful puzzle. All the pieces are perfectly positioned in place, with slow-building pressure that perfectly reaches into the climax, making you scream. Everyone is a suspect! No one is innocent because they all keep dirty secrets that come out!

Are you a fan of small-town mysteries where everybody not only knows your name but also knows what you ate last night, what secret debauchery you had, and can come so close to reading your mind? But also, in this town, people don’t dare to ask some questions, preferring to sweep secrets under the rug and act like this is the most natural thing that everybody should do.

Hazel Sharp returns to her hometown, the only place she’s lived longer and became part of a family, and the same place she left behind without a second thought to leave the traces of the family’s dark past behind.

Her mother left her when she was only 14 with a prideful, trustworthy man she may call dad and two boys around her age to call brothers, even though one of them is so adamant not to accept her as a part of the family. Interestingly, she was always her father Perry Holt's daughter even though they are not blood-related. He always saw her as his real daughter, raising her with his boys. Gage, the two-years-older brother, is her hero and her best friend Nico is her biggest crush whom she shared her biggest secrets with, including a letter her mother left behind. Unfortunately, Caden has no intention to connect with her, burying his resentment and grudge for years, marrying Hazel’s best friend Jamie, which created a big estrangement between the two girlfriends who grew up as sisters.

Now, Perry Holt is dead, and he left the family house to Hazel as a final flipping of the bird to his boys. Hazel has no idea why her father wanted her to come back. But as soon as she takes her first step to the hometown Miracle Lake, she finds herself in the middle of a police investigation where the water level in the lake outside their house drops, emerging cars with no plates hiding inside, which brings up questions about the mysterious disappearance of her mother. She was always a con woman, but wouldn’t she have connected with her daughter for years as a sign she’s still breathing? Could something tragic have happened to her mother related to other disappearances in the town? Could home invasions be more sinister than pranks of teenagers? What if someone more dangerous is targeting the family, and by returning, Hazel might be triggering something lethal that puts everyone’s life in danger!

This book is a quick, high-tension read, a well-executed mystery that I highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon Element/S&S/Marysue Rucci Books for sharing this heart-throbbing book’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I have read most of Megan Miranda’s books and given them 4 stars, except this one and 2023’s The Only Survivors. Both of these two most recent books felt a bit too contrived for me. The plot was OK, could have been more interesting, but I did not guess the final twist! I didn’t feel particularly connected to the main character and thought the other characters lacked development as well. It wasn’t bad, but was missing some important pieces to make it a standout!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Simon Element, S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a big fan of Megan Miranda, but this particular one just wasn't for me. I'm sure it will work for others, but this particular one was a bit too sinister for me.

I much preferred: "The Last House Guest" and "Such a Quiet Place."

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the book and there were lots of twists and turns. It just didn't resonate with me.

This is hands down my favorite book by Megan Miranda. It was easy to get consumed by the creepy and dark atmosphere setting with a gripping, twisty tale about a terrifying childhood and a town filled with secrets. Hazel inherited her father’s house after his passing, but her two brothers, Caleb and Gage, are upset that she is now the sole owner of their father’s house. While Hazel is in town, two cars submerged from Mirror Lake, and Hazel is now determined to discover what happened to her mother.

The writing of this book was incredible and well-constructed. It took me only the first few pages to get hooked, and I was compelled by the story the entire time. Miranda’s atmospheric description of Mirror Lake, combined with unraveling dark family secrets and shocking twists, made for a book that is hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Simon Element for giving me a copy of this book.