This was an easy read but I didn't connect with it as much as I would have liked.

The premise of the book was catching and contained quite a mystery, but I think it was let down by the characters a little. I didn't find as much development with each one as I would have hoped for.

The ending was a little predictable and I think it finished up quite quickly.

Overall not a bad book, just wanted some more depth.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in response for an honest review

What Lies Below is the story of Gilly O’Connell and the kidnapping of a young child. Gilly, a waitress in a small town, experiences occasional dreams with premonitions. Gilly is still fairly new to the town of Wyatt, and when a well known resident’s little girl, Zoe, goes missing, Gilly must deal with the dreams she has surrounding Zoe’s disappearance. But doing so also opens the door to Gilly’s own devastating past, and just as Gilly’s trying to get back on her feet, they are knocked out from underneath her once again.

Combining mystery, suspense, psychic phenomena, heartbreak, and relatable characters, What Lies Below is a fast paced, entertaining read. I enjoyed this book and believe it would make a fun, quick beach read this summer!

Solid mystery but the characters were lacking for me. Gilly was a bit frustrating (also, distracting name) as a heroine for me. And I didn’t feel like all of the characters reactions were realistic. Not enough questions asked that I think real people would be asking. The aha moments were pretty good, but not completely unseen. Just an okay book for me.

Unfortunately I didn’t love this one as much as I was hoping to. I liked the idea behind it and the storyline, but it fell flat for me. I can see why some people love this one, but it just wasn’t for me.

What Lies Below was a suspenseful novel that was impossible to put down! Barbara Taylor Sissel takes readers on a wild ride as they try to figure out what has happened to Zoe, a little girl with a loving father and an absentee, drug-addict first a mother. Zoe's dad, Jake, relies on his friend Gilly for help, but her troubled past threatens to stand in the way. Overall, a fantastic read!

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! I highly recommend this book and author to all!

Barbara Taylor Sissel’s latest novel, What Lies Below, is a gripping thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning pages in anticipation, until the very end. The novel’s protagonist, Gilly, leaves behind a traumatic past to start fresh in the small town of Wyatt. Trading in her days as an architect for an apron at a local café, Gilly befriends a single dad, Jake, and his beautiful little girl, Zoe. Just as Gilly begins to get used to life in quiet Wyatt, disaster strikes. Zoe is missing, and everyone is a suspect. The secrets Gilly has fought so hard to keep hidden come to the surface in a startling series of events that leave the reader in shock and heartbreak. Our protagonist must face her own demons in order to help save this little girl, before it’s too late... I read this book for book club and absolutely loved it. Sissel’s writing style reminds me immensely of some of my other faves; Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks. She weaves mystery, loss and love in a beautifully intricate way that draws you in for more. Her characters are relatable, a little quirky, and very real. She shows the reality of addiction for the people involved and their loved ones, something that many of us have experienced at some point in our lives. The strength of her female lead is inspiring in so many ways, and you will find yourself rooting for her until the very end.

This novel is a must-read! I highly recommend it for young adults, as well as women and men who enjoy mystery fiction. #whatliesbelow #winenot

This book was intense. I could not put it down. I really liked the characters - they were sharp, strong characters who knew what they wanted and just got it done. Hard to read at times, but the ending was ultimately satisfying.

Texas writer Barbara Taylor Sissel's new novel, her ninth, is a tense, engrossing tale of abduction. It’s also a story where secrets are held close by key characters as they help search for a missing child.

Well written and suspenseful, with numerous twists.

(A longer review was published in Lone Star Literary Life ( lonestarlit.com).

Phenomenal! I lived the plot of this book. Premonitions that foretell awful events was enough for me to know I would like this. The writing was wonderful and flowed so well. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened. This was fast paced and kept me speeding through until the end. Definitely a stay up all night to finish it type of read.

What Lies Below was by far my favorite read of 2018. Gripping page turner! I literally could not put the book down. Psychic visions and a missing child? Count me in! Totally check this book out!

Gilly O'Connell is trying to forget her past and find a new life after the unthinkable happens which shatters the life she had. Little does she know that her past will come back to haunt her and force her to face not only the day her life changed forever but also the current crisis of a little girl who desperately needs her help.
Three years after her husband was murdered and the culprit managed to get away, Gilly is trying to rebuild her life working as a waitress in a small Texas town hoping that the murderer will never find her since she was the only witness to the crime. The thing about Gilly is that she sometimes has premonitions or dreams that occasionally come true as with the murder of her husband. A little girl who comes often to the restaurant where Gilly now works is abducted and her father is desperate to find her at any cost. It just so happens that Gilly had a vision of this happening but also cannot account for time lost while having the vision. She becomes a suspect and is desperate not only to clear her name but also find the little girl she has become so fond of.
I enjoyed this book for so many reasons. I felt a connection with the characters of Gilly, and especially the father because of the way Barbara Taylor Sissel developed them. They had such a complex and developed past and it was easy to see why the characters acted and thought as they did. I found the book very hard to put down and stayed up late to finish it.
I received a copy of What Lies Below from Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged, as I wanted to see a resolution. I enjoyed that the characters were flawed, and had issues of their own. The female protagonist is portrayed in a way that shows us the personal doubt we all feel in ourselves. The self doubt was very believable, which I appreciated.

I absolutely loved this book. It’s an emotional rollercoaster you go on with main character Gilly who recently moved to a small town for a fresh new start. She’s a recovering addict and she lost her husband and not even her could save him. Gilly has premonitions and at times blacks out not knowing what happened for the last few hours. She tries to live a life that doesn’t bring attention to herself so when a 3 year old little girl goes missing Gilly is racing against time to try to help find this little girl. This was a great read that I couldn’t put down. Thank you NetGalley for giving me a book to read that I absolutely loved.

There’s a paranormal element in What Lies Below, and it’s played to perfection. Gilly hides her precognitive dreams, but they’ve been a part of her life since childhood. It’s hard to get to know her, even though she’s the main character, because she doesn’t let down her guard even around herself. On the other hand, Jake seems like he let loose for years before he finally settled down as a single dad. I loved the town of Wyatt. The population is comprised of the typical small-townies that you might expect, but they also show up for each other like people do in a small town.

There’s some profanity, drug use, alcoholism, and bedroom scene action going on in this book. It’s not excessive, though, and it was easy to overlook since the story was so engaging. I’d love to see a sequel to this, especially one in which Gilly accepts her “gift” and uses it to help others.

A page turner from the very first, to the very last. I just could not put it down.

I picked up the book because of the hint of paranormal that there was to it, but I allowed it to get buried in my TBR pile since I hadn't read this author before. Don't make that mistake!

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2687549417

This was an entertaining read, but it lacked the suspense I was expecting. It was also quite predictable.

My FIRST NetGalley book that I absolutely LOVED! The twists, the edge-of-your-seat kind of story line that brings you so many feelings, fears and gripping revelations! I don't want to give away any details but if you're looking for an incredibly written, next best thriller; then "WHAT LIES BELOW" should be your next read.

What Lies Below by Barbara Taylor Sissel is a mystery novel, a suspense novel, and a romance novel all rolled into one. Gilly O'Connell is a broken woman. She sees things other people can't and it's caused her unending heartbreak her entire life. She's lost friends, family, and even her husband and child. Yet she can't stop her dreams and must deal with the consequences that come with visions of events she is powerless to stop.

I'm a huge fan of Barbara Taylor Sissel so I jumped at the chance to read this one. Also of note, I read mysteries (a lot) and so very little in this book came as a shock to me. There was maybe one "WHOA!" moment in the entire book. However, that didn't ruin it for me. The characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, and there were times that I thought characters could have asked more questions or probed deeper in a particular situation. Some of the chapters didn't flow as smoothly into one another but it didn't detract from the story. Finally, we all know that I hate the tidy bow at the end of a story and this one wrapped up just a little too cleanly for my tastes.

Overall, the book was a good read. It was quick and intriguing and I'd highly recommend it to any fan of mystery/suspense with a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure.

What Lies Below is one of those books you don't want to put down. Gilly has visions about where the missing girl is but struggles to know weather or not believe those visions or if they are because of her past trauma. It was such a fun read!