Review: THE SURVIVING GIRLS by Katee Robert

Describing a thriller or suspense mystery as gripping, unputdownable, won't let you sleep, twist you couldn't predict, is not uncommon. Sometimes it's all true. With THE SURVIVING GIRLS (HIDDEN SINS Book 3), all of these are true. Immediately thus novel wrapped me in, stopped breath, made the outside world fall away, then shocked with an immense unpredictable twist that blew me away. Wow! What a roller coaster! Leavened with deeply held emotions, friendships, romance, a couple of kicking "take no prisoners" female characters, and dogs (!), THE SURVIVING GIRLS is truly a "I never saw that coming but I'm so glad I read it" suspense thriller.

***5 Stars***

Can we say that my anxiety level was raised a few notches while reading this one?

I mean, I’m good at being aware of my surroundings and all that, but the need to ensure that everything was on lockdown in my home and considering taking some self defense classes and possibly buying a taser were all things that were on a loop in my head with this one because the creeped out feelings were oh so real.

Lei was a pretty kickass woman. I had to admire her determination to live, even as she set her own parameters for what her definition of living was. But what I found that I really liked about her was her honesty, not only with others but also herself. Yes, there were somethings that she chose to push to the side, and for good reason, but in the end she came clean in one way or another.

And then there is Dante. He’s all kinds of gentlemanly goodness, which I kind of swooned over, and though his protective alpha instincts push at him, he is able to set them aside and recognize a person’s strengths and weaknesses.

While this book falls under the romantic suspense category, it really is more mystery/suspense with a dash of romance. What Dante and Lei have is more of a simmer. They are attracted to each other, they have that pull towards each other and through this crazy situation find that they like each other, but there isn’t much hot and heavy and I actually love that things didn’t progress beyond that. The situation they are in and the speed at which things happen would have made it...weird, well, weird than they were. But they do connect and I loved them together and where they ended up when everything was said and done was perfect.

Now for the whole mystery/suspense crazyness. This one definitely got to me on a lot of levels, one of which was the setting ~ I live in Western Washington and quite a few places mentioned are ones that I am frequently in, so, Hello to being a little more aware than normal. But that uneasy feeling only goes to show how well written this book was. I did try to figure things out on my own and I hit at least one on the head, but there were some great twists tossed in that made it a lot of fun to watch as all the pieces fell into place. Clarke, Emma and Tucker were great characters and I’m crossing my toes that we’ll see a couple of them in the future, but Britton is still my fav character. He’s an enigma that I want to know more about, but I don’t want to actually crack into just yet. One day. But until then, I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review - thank you NetGalley!
This is the first book that I have read by Katie Robert. I have recently become interested in crime books so the description of this one intrigued me. I noticed that this was book #3 in this series but I realized quickly that it didn't matter that I hadn't read the first two. I will say that I have now added the other two to my "to read" list though!
I really enjoyed this book and this author's writing. I enjoyed the mesh of romance and crime and I liked all of the characters. This one kept me guessing right up until the moment we find out what is going on. Some crime books are too predictable and I am pleased that this one wasn't. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes crime with a twist of romance. Can't wait to read the other two in this series now!

The Surviving Girls refers to Lei and Emma, the sole survivors of a mass murder by a sociopath who happened to be Lei's boyfriend at the time. Ten years later, someone is committing murders that bear uncanny resemblance to the deaths perpetrated by the man who is still in prison. As the new murders continue, the killer makes his interest in Lei and Emma more obvious and they know beyond a doubt that they are being targeted.

Those three sentences in the synopsis above don't even begin to show the horror in the story so skillfully written by Katee Robert. Lei and Emma know that they may never overcome the trauma they suffered at the hands of someone they trusted, but FBI Agent Dante Young and his partner have no choice but to ask them to delve back into the mind of the killer and relive their experiences.  I think this may be one of the first stories I've read that shows the impact on the victims. I empathized with the two women; one who had become a virtual recluse and another who chose a career directly related to murders. I hurt for them as they demonstrated the inability to trust other people, the estrangement from their families, and the steps that they took to be safe in their daily lives.

This riveting book will make the hair stand up on your arms and if you hear a noise in the house while you're reading, you will be seriously jumpy. The tension stays taut throughout the story, as does the suspense, and the relationship between Lei and Dante develops almost as a secondary part of the story. This felt like a murder mystery more than a romance, but I have no objections. Every page is needed to tell the story of these two women and how the case comes to a resolution. I can't wait for the next one and hope that it will feature Emma; I want to know what happens to each of these characters. Kudos to Katee Robert for making me care so much about the characters while keeping me hooked on the mystery.

I read this book very quickly which basically says I couldn't put it down! I loved the plot of the book not just another boring serial killer/ FBI type of book . Starting from the first chapters learning about Lei and Emma surviving Lei's ex killing her sorority sisters and how they are trying to learn to cope with survivors guilt . Just when they thought they could adjust to life here comes a twist! Who is now killing sorority girls and why!? Does Lei's ex who is in jail have a copycat or is there something much more sinister going on ? Lei has been invited to play a cat and mouse game with this copycat. This book had a nice flow to it, just enough budding romance and a perfect amount of thrills. Loved it! Look forward to reading any future book by the author!

Edge of your seat thriller! Imagine yourself and your BFF are survivors of a killing spree. Twelve years later, after you feel safe and strong, you feel threatened again. These two ladies went to hell and back, both incredibly strong, trying to cope with the horrific event they survived. Their story went through many twists but one in particular set the ball rolling quickly and I could stop reading. As part of the Hidden Sins series each book is a standalone and has no connection to the others. Robert is an exciting author more known to me for her romances but I prefer this style from her. My copy was given by Netgalley and my review given voluntarily.

This book! I finished reading The Surviving Girls last night, and my heart is still racing.

Lei and Emma's story is one that will have you looking over your shoulder, wondering at every bump in the night and give you hyper-alert senses.

Their story is not a fun one - the past decade has been a world of horrors, but as a reader you can't help but cheer that they are finally starting to move on in life - as much as they can.

But boy, Ms Robert really has ratcheted up the evil that is the killer in The Surviving Girls. He is a sick f^*k , a complete psychopath.

Every turn of the page I had my heart in my throat. Who is this killer? Who can you trust? Is everyone who they say they are.

I won't lie, I had a couple of people I thought were the killer as I read, however nothing was revealed until Ms Robert really had me worked up.

Even writing this review I am getting all anxious for the characters again - well played Ms Robert!

I don't want to give anything away, but boy this one had me on the edge of my seat.

Can't wait t see what Ms Robert brings us next.

This was a fantastic murder mystery, with a splash of romance thrown in. I LOVED it! It's book 3 in the series, but they are complete standalones, so jump in!

Lei Zhang and Emma Nilsson lived through the worst thing you can imagine. A massacre in their sorority house 12 years earlier. But the worst part of all for Lei? The killer was her boyfriend, and she's the one who let him in the house. They've both moved on as best they can, to a different state, but they still live together. They're quite co-dependent, but as far as they're concerned, if it helps them to function semi-normally, they are all for it. They also started a business, training cadaver dogs, and using them in searches to help law enforcement, and private clients. Lei does the searches with her dog, Saul, and Emma runs the computer end of things, as she's now agoraphobic and never leaves the house. They are maintaining for the most part, and keeping a low profile, but when a copycat starts killing girls again, they get dragged back into the fray.

Dante Young is an FBI agent with the Behavioral Analysis Unit. He and his partner, Clarke, are the ones you call in when there's something the local PD can't handle, or doesn't want to. Like serial killings, or mass murders. So, in that vein, usually they are called in after there have already been a few crimes, and the cops are at a dead end. When they get called to a live crime scene in Seattle, Washington, they know it's going to be a doozy. When the murders strongly resemble the old Sorority Row killings, they know they're in trouble. Because the killer is still in jail. So, who's killing girls now? When they go to interview the 2 living victims from the original crime, Dante is shocked at his strong attraction to Lei. But, he's never let personal feelings compromise his work on any other case, and he's not about to start now.

Lei and Dante had very strong chemistry, and even though the book wasn't really about that, I enjoyed watching it develop. The murder mystery was scary, exciting, and kept me on the edge of my seat trying to guess who the killer was. I loved Lei and Emma, and it was interesting to see the ways they learned to cope with their lives, knowing they'd never be the same as they had been Before. They were really all each other had for the last 12 years. No one else could possibly understand what they lived through. Their families no longer knew how to deal with them and so they clung to each other, and tried to carve out a life for themselves that somewhat resembled normalcy. I enjoyed watching their interactions and how they relied on each other.

The FBI agents were all great characters as well, and I would love to get to know some more of them better in future books. I'm not sure if more books are in the works or not, but I hope so! I've really enjoyed each book in this series, but this one is, by far, my favorite! I am a bit surprised at that, as I feel it had less of a traditional romance in the story than the other 2, but it was still so great! I highly recommend it to any lovers of mystery/thrillers, or even romantic suspense. It's only probably 5% romance with the rest being straight murder mystery, where I'd say the other books are about 15% romance, but I loved it. I truly hope we get more in this series!

This was an enjoyable story. That had suspense, tension and a big twist; that left me on the edge of my seat. Not to mention a killer who was seriously twisted and clever, and one who really gave the FBI and the two survivors Lei and Emma a run for their money.

Yet, I did feel the romance in this story got forgotten and seemed more of an afterthought than anything. But as suspense stories go, this had lots to like. And I would definitely read more from this series in the future. I would also happily recommend The Surviving Girls to others.

HOLY COW!!!!! This book is just amazing! Absolutely amazing!

For starters, it makes you think about what happens to survivors of mass tragedies. Especially in light of all the school shootings and attacks going on in the world today. This book gives us a look at what happens to those who do survive. How do you move past watching 21 of your sorority sisters die? How do you move past the guilt that you were the one who let the killer into the house that night.

Lei and Emma are....broken after surviving what they did. They survived and adapted to life in their own separate but dependent ways. But they're living their life...until a blast from the past shows up on their doorstep targeting them.

While reading the book, you think you know what's going on and what the end is going to be but just like that you realize you have no idea what's going on afterall. It takes an amazing author to do that.

My only complaint (if you can even call it that) is that I really wanted something for Emma. I was certain we were going to see sparks fly between Emma and Tucker. I wanted her to have a little happiness after everything just like Lei had.

LOVED LOVED LOVED this book though and highly recommend it!

A excellent thriller that kept me on the edge. My review is based on what little I know about the thriller genre. I’ve read some but not a lot.

I found the plot interesting and the storyline is good because it had a pace that was easy enough to follow but with a twist. That twist made it a 5 star read for me.

Characters building was good and they all felt familiar in the end.

There’s no unnecessary descriptions of surroundings and the dialogues is making the story move forward without rushing it.

This was a book I had trouble putting down. Katee Robert shows that she’s not only capable of writing romances, she can also master the thriller genre.

I am a huge fan of Katee Robert’s Hidden Sins Series! Her ability to write amazing crime drama seriously makes her one of my favorites writers.

The Surviving Girls was amazing! I was seriously glued to my kindle.... if I couldn’t read I would listen and when I could listen I would read.... that was my life until I finally figured EVERYTHING out!

Firstly, this cover is beautiful, but it's missing something very, very important. I'm choosing to believe there's sexy, topless FBI agent in that house. ;)

I might have a bad track record with men but my goodness, reading about poor Lei and her ex-boyfriend made me feel like my mistakes weren't so bad.

This was a good story. There was drama and action and angst. At the beginning of the book, we're introduced to Lei and Emma who survived a massacre. 12 years ago Lei's boyfriend murdered 21 of their sorority sisters. Surviving something like that is bound to leave scars. The two of them keep people at a distance and realize they can't count on anyone but each other.

There were a lot of little things I appreciated about this book:

Emma is agoraphobic, she refuses to leave her home choosing instead to experience the world through her computer. Although this was a small part of the story, I think this is the first book I've read that dealt with the disorder. I don't know enough about it to say whether it was realistic or not but it was unique and I appreciated that.

At one point an FBI agent suggests the serial killer may be female. This made me super happy because women are often depicted as delicate little flowers who aren't capable of hurting anyone. I thought it was neat to even offer it as a possibility.

Lei has a cadaver dog, Saul. The dog is a consistent presence in the book. As an animal lover, this made me very happy.

And now for one of my biggest pet peeves EVER! The reason I so rarely read these so-called "romantic thriller" titles.
This wasn't a romance. I didn't fall in love with Dalton, I didn't see him as my book-boyfriend. He felt more like an overprotective cousin. We have a couple chapters of annoying insta-obsession (it's worse than insta-love), one or two kisses, some intense hand-holding, and a scene where they declare their interest in each other. But, nothing that screamed romance or even a relationship.

It felt almost like a bait and switch. Would I have even looked at this book without the promise of a love story? No, of course not and I'm sure I'm not alone in that. However, I'm sure there are just as many people who avoided this book because they didn't want a love story.

Overall, The Surviving Girls was a good thriller. If I was in the market for a thriller, I'd be giving it 5 stars. However, I was promised a romantic thriller. Since I only got half of what I was promised I had to take away half the stars. Now, I absolutely adore when animals are prominent characters in the book, so I gave this book an extra star for so consistently including Saul.

Lei and Emma are the two survivors of a horrific mass murder. They've somewhat moved on with their lives, only to discover the original killer is back - or is he?

This one kept me turning pages and staying up late to read. I was completely engaged with the story and wanted MORE! This entire series has been so good, and the latest installment is no different. New characters, same murder-mystery/romantic suspense theme.

I am a fan of Katee Robert's versatility and ability to write crime drama that keeps you guessing "who done it" until the end.

3.25 Stars

Well. It was quite a ride and like many rides it had the ups and downs. There’s part of the book that worked for me yet there’s also moments that bugged me no end.

The book gripped me from the first chapter that introduced the protagonist with their macabre past as well as the unusual duo FBI agents and their repartees. Mind you, with the combination of that intriguing blurb and evocative cover, surely “The Surviving Girls” bound to be a knockout read? The feeling stayed on the early pages; the tough girls who bounced back from horrifying experience of their life, the notorious and seemingly invisible villain, the unruffled FBI agents, each put forward their own ingredient to the story and put together a pretty intriguing thriller.

As it progress though, “The Surviving Girls” started to feel dragging to me. See, I have no problem with clever villain who always seem to a step ahead from the protagonist. But of course I wish the LEOs and co also gave as good they got, which sadly I didn’t find here. Considering the crumbs thrown their way, I really really wish the good people (compiled of Feds, police department, local sheriff and civilians) were a bit more cautious and vigilant as not (easily) fallen under the trap again. And again. And again.

The touch of romance was to my liking if a bit too instant. Despite their chemistry at least the leading man and lady didn’t let lust ruled their decisions - there was a serial killer on the loose and they focus on that! As for the villain, much I like them to be stopped, I was rather disappointed after the merry chase they led us through that they were nothing more than brash and cocksure lowlife. Nothing exceptional [from what I gathered in the book] that triggered the whole nightmare, really. In fact, quite a number of details left unexplained here, too many baits left dangling like “fill in the blank as you see fit” section.

That said, overall this multiple POVs book is a tempting suspense. It is the third entry to Katee Robert’s “Hidden Sins” can be read as a standalone. No connection whatsoever to the previous books other than it involved serial killers and FBI BAU team being called up to [help] investigate the case. However, with how the case left a couple of the agents, I’m kinda hoping the next installment in the series would feature them.


Advanced copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t realize until I was halfway through that this book was published by a romance publication company. Luckily the romance took a back seat to suspense which is why I requested it in the first place. Two young women survive the night their sorority sister are murdered. Twelve years later - a copy cat killer is targeting them. This is a fast paced thriller and I really enjoyed it.

It's a novel that is a thrilling novel with a plot that sounds like something that you would read in the news paper.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

It tells the story of Lei and Emma who were the only survivors of the spree killing of their sorority sisters in college 12 years before. Now someone is copying those murders and is after them and have breached their defences in the home they've made. But the original killer is in prison............isn't he?

Will definitely read more by this author.

What happens if.....
THE security you've created around you is really just appearance?
THAT what you believed was in truth quite different?
SOMEONE is so obsessed with you, that he leaves a bloody trail?
- A nightmare begins for the one and a game for the other. And in the end... there is death.

An extremely exciting thriller from the first to the last page.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very exciting and entertaining. The romance was a little hamfisted -- I don't object to romance in a mystery or thriller so long as it arises organically from the story and this one really didn't. Still, it was a cracking good read. I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel.