Overall I would classify this as a good read albeit a bit formulaic and cliched.
Lane is summoned back the farm where she spent one memorable summer during her childhood. Her cousin is missing and a mystery surrounds the circumstances.
Lane does not want to go back to that place but is drawn by unfinished business. As the search for Allegra ensues the tale is told in flashbacks and even further flashbacks and as we find out the secret of the Roanoke Girls and its devastating effects.
To be honest I had guessed the secret fairly early on and the flashbacks were illuminating if a tad redundant. The true criminal was a surprise as I had assumed it was someone else but it made sense.
I wouldn't class it as a gripping read but fairly enjoyable way to spend an evening.

This was everything I would want from a thriller. It was knee deep drenched in mystery and intrigue. Really enjoyable plot that kept me guessing the whole way through. Awesome title and cover to match. You couldn't ask for much more.

Wow wow wow
Right from the first page I knew this book was going to pull me in and have me hooked. A dark, uncomfortable yet utterly absorbing story of a young girl who returns to her mum's daily home after her death. A home she can't stand to be in yet for some strange reason is unable to make herself leave. A huge stars from me and i cant waot to see what the author has to offer next

Took me a while to get comfortable with this book but once I stared reading it I didn't want to stop
Atmospheric and disturbing but undeniably a great read

I was so excited to read this book after hearing so much about it and I wasn't disappointed. The story alternates between the past and present and due to the subject of sexual abuse at times made for very uncomfortable reading. However I read it in one sitting, it's gripping and very well written. People may struggle with the subject matter however Amy Engel is definitely one to look out for in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy in return for an honest review.

I liked this, even though it was really disturbing and claustrophobic. I liked Lane as a character and Allegra, even though she was quite annoying. The setting is really good for a novel like this. Good, but terrifying.

This book kept me gripped and I couldn't put it down!
The story is bout 16 year old Lane who moves to Kansas to live with her grandparents after the death of her mother, There she meets her cousin Allegra and discovers the secrets of the girls of their Roanoke family.
Though the book is about a taboo subject it s been written in a beautiful way. I easily invested into the characters of Lane and Allegra and although having worked out quite early on what the family secrets were I was still gripped by the book to the very end. Very well written - I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was excited to read this book after a lot of hype ..... Although a good read which I enjoyed I guessed early in the big plot twist! Set in rural small town America we see the story of The Roanoke Girls who captivate the locals.... Tragedy and family secrets unfold. I was a little disappointed but still a good read

Urgh, this book, When I started reading I was going to stop after the first few chapters it was such an uncomfortable read and I really didn't like it, but Engel captivates with her atmospheric writing and I continued to the end!

After Lane's mother dies she is sent to Roanoke, the place her mother escaped and warned her to never to go, while there Lane meets her "cousin" Allegra and becomes best friends, and Lane seemingly becomes another of the "Roanoke girls"

Despite all of the creepy stuff there is an actual "normal" love story with Lane and I really enjoyed that part,

An atmospheric, dark, twisted, intense, shocking, disgusting yet utterly compelling to read story.

This was a very interesting book, well written and thought provoking.
I wasn't sure what was going on in this book until the very end, which is always good in a book. I liked the way that it added bits from the past as the story went along, which added to the feel of the story.
I would definitely recommend this book.

A love story. A dark, twisted, evil and sad love story. The Roanoke girls are rich and beautiful but their lives both past and present are revealed to be anything but glamorous. When Lane's mother dies she is welcomed to Roanoke by her grandparents who she had never met. Here she has freedom like never before and a ready made friend in her cousin Allegra. Soon, however disturbing family secrets reveal themselves and life becomes increasingly complex. A story told by alternating from the past and present gradually reveals the awful, ugly truth of The Roanoke girls. At times it makes uncomfortable reading but always gripping and well told.

I have read quite a few reviews of this book where the readers have been shocked and appalled by the subject matter, and while yes child abuse within the family is shocking and dreadful here it almost seemed to lose it's horror. I don't know if that's because that's the experience of living within such a family you lose perspective on what is normal? But the fact the 'secret' of the Girls is revealed so early on and then sort of not referred to very often other than the long term effects it had the horror/shock/tension was kind of lost on me.
In fact I almost felt at times I was reading a family saga - I almost forgot what the 'secret' was at times!

And the 'THEN' narrative was far too distracting from the 'NOW' narrative which was the most interesting. I felt the THEN storyline of the younger Lane could have been outlined in one or two of the flashback chapters which were used for the other family girls.

Also I really wanted to hear more from the Gran and Grandad (I mean what was his motive, it would have been good to read he really was just an abuser or was there other stuff going on?) - the really key characters to what was going on and ignored largely until the end.

But that aside I certainly enjoyed reading and looked forward to opening the book each evening to discover what had happened - happily I had no idea who the murderer was! .

A dark disturbing tale of the Roanoke girls, the story follows Lane switching from past to present, with all the other Roanoke girls having one chapter each. The book is dark and disturbing but draws you in from the first page. A really fantastic read.

Thanks to Net Galley & Hodder& Stoughton for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. What a brilliant read.
The Roanoke girls look like they have everything. A large old family home. grandparents who love them, access to their granddads credit cards for whatever they need or want.
The old house has many hidden dark secrets. The Roanoke girls all seem to die young, what happened to them?, why did Lane's mother & then Lane herself both leave ? What secrets did Allegra & Lane have from the summer they spent together ?
Lane only returns to Roanoke after she receives a phone call from her grandad telling her her cousin Allegra is missing. Lane searches endlessly for clues as to what happened to Allegra and why did she leave her beloved Roanoke, she gets help from her old childhood sweetheart Cooper and Tommy who is a policeman and always loved Allegra.
Granmother loves Grandad so much she looks the other way regarding the many secrets at Roanoke and with the Roanoke girls.
Brilliant read. 5 stars.

I'm not at all sure how to review this novel. The subject matter is unsettling and disturbing, though handles sensitively. The book was well-written. I didn't feel on the edge of my seat and was only surprised with one plot twist. The harrowing nature wasn't particularly shocking given that I'd just finished My Absolute Darling, which I'm assuming is what this book is being pitted against given the subject matter and time of publication; I wonder if I'd have enjoyed this more if I hadn't read that more rounded story. I think the relationship between Lane and Cooper was fascinating and could be a book all of its own.

Although all the plot threads were satisfactorily tied up by the end, for me, the book threw up a number of unanswered questions.

Lane returns to the wealthy Roanoke family home after her mother, Camilla, dies. It's where she spends a summer and where she discovers that beneath the have-it-all façade there lies a seriously dysfunctional family…one she has no desire to be part of. But when her closest ally, her cousin Allegra, goes missing eleven years later, Lane is forced to return.

The book is disturbing and aims to shock…the topic (sexual abuse and incest) is extremely unpleasant…but I became more irritated than shocked by the fact that not one of abusees…and let’s face it, charismatic Grandad ‘has’ just about every female member of the family whatever their ages or generation…reports it or tells anyone else…because Grandad loves them all, they’re all so special. That just didn’t wash with me.

However, despite the chilling and uneasy subject, it is without doubt compelling, riveting and extremely well written. I’ve never read any books by Engel, but her writing is powerful and emotional, and I really enjoyed her style.

Dark, unsettling, a little haunting, sad, twisted, but despite my few niggles, an intense page turner.

I'm not really sure how to review this book. The subject matter was disturbing but maybe I've watched too many episodes of SVU as I didn't find it that shocking. I thought the author handled it sensitively and I found the characters intriguing and engaging but I didn't rush to pick it up when I had time to read.

Not really sure how I feel about this book . So well written with a graphic , difficult subject which made my very uncomfortable at times , this being a testament to the author and her writing skills .. Not sure if I'd say I enjoyed it per say but I certainly discovered a skilful writer and couldn't put the book down

This will be a difficult read for any reader, but especially those who have experienced anything of this nature.

Lane is called back to Kansas when her cousin goes missing. Returning to the place her mother ran from, that Lane ran away from and quite a few other Roanoke girls have run from. There seems to be some reason the women in the family try to escape from the seemingly idyllic ancestral home.

What Engel captures well is the co-dependent relationships in these scenarios. The people and relatives who remain silent, condone and often even facilitate the abuse. She also hits the nail on the head when it comes to the insidious nature of sexual abuse.

In this case it’s grooming in the form of family loyalty, devotion and love.

The reactions of both Lane and Allegra may seem a contradiction at times, however they are a true representation of the complex emotions victims of abuse go through.

To know it’s wrong on a base level and at the same time to crave the love and attention of the abuser, it’s all part of the spider-web of incestuous relationships. In a scenario with multiple children or teens there is also the question of why her/him and not me? Feelings of guilt are mixed with fear, confusion and disgust.

Yates is charming, enigmatic and has all the power in each relationship he has. There is no ugly monster lurking in the shadows or a stranger trying to persuade them into a dark corner. Instead the real monster is a handsome loving father and grandfather. Of course he believes it is just a meeting of the minds and soul-mates. They are simply made for him.

Yes, it is that creepy. At the same time it draws you in, despite the subject matter and the sheer horror of the scenario. The fact that this happens all the time, and isn’t just an outlandish fictional idea, is what makes the plot even more compelling.

The Ranoake Girls is a gripping story about an American family in crisis. The reason for the crisis becomes apparent early on but the circumstances of a cover up over the generations, when one person could have stopped it at source, is truly shocking.

Lane Roanoke returns to her grandparents home when her cousin Allegra goes missing. Has she left of her own accord, has she committed suicide after learning she is pregnant or is there a more sinister reason for Allegra's disappearance? Lane sets out to find out and the narrative is interspersed with flashbacks of the previous time she lived with her grandparents after her own mother's death.

The book is well written and compelling. But some people may find the content of this particular family secret too difficult to deal with. Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review The Roanoke Girls.