I love psychological thrillers, so I was very intrigued by the premise here. It is a more atmospheric thriller than action-packed, but I think that really works. To me, the most captivating part of the story is the premise that the people who were once as close to us as family have possibly changed into strangers over the course of years. Or, perhaps, that we never really knew them at all. I felt for Kate, trying to make her place in the world. Looking back on your college years with more experience and a fresh perspective changes everything sometimes. Will recommend for psychological thriller fans, particularly those who enjoyed The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll.

The French Girl by Lexie Elliot is a fast paced page turner. This thriller follows Kate, a legal recruiter in London, as she and 4 college friends are drawn back into the disappearance of a French Girl, who was last seen the day before they depart a French holiday. When her body is discovered in a well 10 years later, they are requestioned, which leads them to reevaluate their friendships as well as the final day of the long ago vacation. Interwoven with the case facts, we learn of their relationships and their lives since then. I found the book a very quick read and not that predictable, exactly what I want in a mystery.
Recommended for fans of Tana French, Ruth Ware, and generally of psychological thrillers.
With thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Six college friends spend a week together in a french farmhouse and by the end of the week the girl next door is missing. Fast-forward 10 years when the girls body is found and shows signs of foul play. How well did the friends really know each other? Could one of them be responsible? Will they stick up for each other or is it everyone for themselves? This story kept me guessing till the end!

A body is found in a well bringing suspicion upon the group of friends who had last seen her a decade earlier. This was a so-so read--the writing was fine but it was pretty slow going and rather predictable in the end.

3.5 Stars.

A body is discovered....memories of past betrayals and relationships surface....and old friends come together amidst secrets, lies and a long ago get together that ended badly for some.

Kate narrates the story as she struggles with her new start-up business, a persistent French investigator who searches for truth....AND a ghostly presence that haunts her.

Reminiscent in part of mysteries I've read in the past, but I must admit the writing kept me totally engaged despite early on predictability of the culprit.

THE FRENCH GIRL....Entertaining debut.

Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC coming February, 2018 in return for an honest review.

10 years after a trip to France that ended with the breakup of a relationship and the disappearance of a French girl the police find the body and reopen the case. Kate and her friends lives are turned upside down with the discovery of the body and the questions of the police. What really happened on that long ago trip? was it really as they remembered or did something sinister happen? Their friendship, their businesses, and even their lives may be at risk. A story of friendship and life and truly seeing what is going on. I could not put this down! I needed to know what had happened to the French girl and if Kate would survive the discovery.

I loved this book! Not your typical whodunit... With constant flashbacks to the night of the French Girl's disappearance, as well as current interaction with the main suspects, it kept me guessing right to the end. Highly recommended.

Debut author!!

6 friends share an idyllic week together after finishing university in a French farmhouse.
Then the six of them leave for Britain.

Now, 10 years later, a phone call from an old friend brings it all back
with news that Severinne (neighbor) body has been found.

Flashbacks of that time begin to haunt her.
Memories are talked about, thought over and investigated
Some thoughts even become haunting

This is an intriguing novel.
I was so involved w/characters and story - I could not stop reading.

This stands out as a compelling and engaging story among others in its genre!

I was very pleasantly surprised by this one. While it technically falls into the psychological suspense/thriller territory, but it isn't quite as exciting or action packed as some of the other "Girl" books that have come before it. That being said, Kate was a fantastic protagonist: intelligent, witty, likable, and sharp as a tack. When I first read the description, I was afraid we'd get the POVs of each of the six friends, which I really don't enjoy because it can slow the pacing of the story. So, it was a nice surprise to find that the story was told solely through Kate's narration. It did lose some points on the absence of any major twist; however, I couldn't stop thinking about the characters after I'd finished the book. It is definitely a character- rather than action-driven psychological thriller, and you know what? It really worked! Overall, a fantastic debut from a new author. I look forward to reading Lexie Elliott's future novels!

Thank you to Elisha Katz at Penguin Random House for pre-approving me for this novel on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a nice surprise! Thank you for reaching out with the opportunity to preview this book. I really enjoyed it! Loved the writing style and the plot kept me reading through the night. Finished in one day. Look forward to more from this author!

"The French Girl" was actually a very entertaining read for me. The plot surrounds a group of friends who vacationed in France during their University years, during that vacation a next door neighbor- The French Girl went missing. Fast forward to 10 years later, there is a development in the case and new leads become available, now everyone is a suspect in the case of the "missing French Girl"

The writing really pulled me in and I loved the characters. I cant say it was absolutely mysterious or filled with twists and turns but it did the job of getting your heart racing and thinking which I like.
Overall, I would recommend this book for a great weekend week and I am looking forward to reading more from Lexie Elliott.

What a brilliant story! The character development and pacing are wonderful. I loved the way Kate would be mentally commenting while carrying on conversations. And the way Severine kept popping in. Great job Lexie Elliot. Please bring us another.

There is a lot of gray area in this book because you are never quite sure. There are people you like, some you despise, and others that you are not sure of at all, including the main character. Six university friends spend what should have been the perfect week at a house in France but by the time they leave to go home nothing is ever the same. Relationships are forever fractured, trust is broken and the seductive young mademoiselle next door has gone missing. A decade later the woman’s body is found on the property and a dogged French detective starts digging into their lives. Kate Channing finds herself not just haunted by the memories of that week but by the dead young French woman herself. This has movie script written all over it.

It has been a long time since I read a book late into the night and then got up early to continue reading it, but I could not put The French Girl down. It had just the right mixture of mystery and tension to keep the reader engrossed.

While this book does not arrive on shelves until February 2018, I was drawn to it as I’d recently read The Lying Game by Ruth Ware. After reading The French Girl by Lexie Elliott, dare I say I enjoyed it more so than Ruth Ware’s latest? While the plots remained relatively related: old friends re-unite as a murder investigation from a years old murder ignites, a murder in which they were closely tied, if not guilty of. Author, Lexie Elliott, did a more outstanding job capturing the reader in suspense. Rather than trying to guess “whodunit” I was enjoying the characters unravel.

As I compare this book to Ruth Ware’s The Lying Game, The French Girl provided more underlying love interests and romantic connections between the characters which only served to further capture the reader’s interests. Author, Lexie Elliott, sucks you in and holds on as she navigates the reader eloquently through the twisting connections of each of the book’s characters. In fact, this book allowed me to connect with SEVERAL characters at once, never feeling confused or scrambling to remember who was who.

Ten years ago, a group of friends spent a holiday at a friends house in France... After they left, it was discovered that the girl next door had gone missing. Now, her body has been found and the case has been reopened. No one seems to have a good memory of what happened on the last day. It becomes a story of what do we remember, who can we trust and how well do we really know ourselves and others. Great characters and pacing,I really enjoyed this novel..

A fast paced story of 5 college friends whose past comes back to haunt them. Ten years ago, the friends spent a week in France, marred only by their changing relationships as they prepare to move forward with their adult lives. Now a girl's body has been found and the friends were the last to have seen her alive. This is an interesting whodunnit (and why) that is perfect for a weekend read.

It seems whenever a group of Brits go to France on vacation there is always a murder. Here the storyline is repeated when a French inspector comes back years later when the body of Severine, their victim, is found. So, who is the culprit...of course it's one of the group (I won't spoil with more information).

The heroine, Kate, is nearly murdered by the same baddie who killed Severine. Kate develops new feelings for another group member. The reader is given a short sense of closure when Kate fills us in on her life after this experience and the murder are finally put to rest.

I found the book very predictable and a bit hard to take seriously, but a perfectly readable British mystery.