An innocent sleepover between three 12-year-old girls turns to the worst when after sneaking out of the house, one is found atrociously injured, another is muted into shock, and the third has fled the scene—an abandoned rail yard.
The book grabbed me from page one, and it worked pretty good with me for the most part, but the ending didn’t live up to my expectations. Plus, it didn’t really make sense to me, even after I’d reread the first chapter. That aspect of the character hadn’t been brought up before. Overall I found some characters’ parts and actions hardly believable, and some aspects of the story were left unexplained—the painted message on the house, the anonymous phone calls to the grandpa, the blood on Jordyn’s jacket. Nevertheless, fans of the genre will devour this book and keep turning the pages to discover the stunning ending—if they want a twist, they’re in for one! I did enjoy reading it.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I am a huge fan of Heather Gudenkauf. And she definitely doesn't disappoint in her latest book, Before She Was Found. Heather introduces you to Cora and her friends Violet and Jordyn. They seem like girls from any normal town. But you quickly learn they are just like all the other girls and the impact of the internet and old dark secrets. You being to feel for Cora, she seems so lonely and in need of a true friend. I found myself wanting to yell at Cora so many times in this book, to walk away from a situation. Overall, Gudenkauf delivers a well planned, plot-twisting book that I couldn't stop thinking about. Just when you think you have it all figured out, guess again. I will definitely recommend this book to others. Special thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. #BeforeSheWasFound #NetGalley

I'm simply stunned at the ending to this 5 star book!! I can't believe it!! I stayed up late to finish it! I could not sleep until I knew how this book ended! This is my first time reading Heather Gudenkauf. Rest assured it will not be my last. She will now have a permanent place on my thriller list!! Unbelievably good thriller!!

An innocent sleepover turns deadly. A dark legend, three 12 year old girls, and the dangers facing our young community today. Told from numerous pov's, journal entries, and police reports I consumed this novel in 2 days. The moment I started the book the Slenderman case flashed in my head. But don't be fooled this story has twist and turns the reader won't see going. Gripping novel I will recommend to others. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC review copy

WOW!!!!!!!! I have read all of Heather Gudenkauf's books and her newest one was awesome!!!!! All I kept thinking was OMG who did it???!! And boy was I surprised at the end. This book is told through the narratives of a couple of characters. Cora, Violet, and Jordyn are all girls in the same grade. Sometimes friends sometimes not. One night Cora gets hurt really bad on a night that the three girls are having a innocent sleepover. What happened to Cora? Who hurt this little girl? Guess you'll have to read the book to find out. Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.
This book was so much fun to read and at the same time my stomach was clenched with anticipation(in a good way) with each new event and detail. It's a now and then book with clear transitions. I was filled with nostalgia during the girls' POV. School age girls can be so cruel while others are constant targets and this story portrays that dynamic with exceptional accuracy. A violent event starts off the book strong. I was drawn in without even knowing the characters yet. As I learned more details about the event and characters, I became invested in everyone's POV. The Moms, Dad and Grandparent that are struggling to raise these kids in the way they deem fit is both endearing and at some points cringeworthy. The emotions felt during this read span the gamut. It is a thrilling roller coaster ride. Until the very end things are happening, changing your guesses and swirling what you thought you knew around in the greatest way.

All of Gudenkauf's books are good, but BEFORE SHE WAS FOUND was particularly compelling. When a young girl is badly injured in the middle of a rail yard in the middle of the night, tensions run high in the small town where she lived. Two other girls were with her and they version of events is quite different. Did Cora's own friends harm her or was it really Joseph, the alleged spirit who haunts the town every seven years? Gudenkauf masterfully build suspense and the ending holds many surprises.

Three 12 year old girls in a small town sneak out of a sleepover to go to an abandoned rail yard to try to find Joseph Wither, a local urban legend who kidnaps girls. What happens that night leaves one girl nearly dead, another traumatized, and the third supposedly left before the attack happened. All signs point to Joseph Wither, but is he even real?

This book was pretty good. I wasn't expecting it to end how it did and enjoyed reading it. This isn't as good as Gudenkauf's other books, but I'd still recommend it.

Late one night, Cora is discovered near the railroad covered in blood and fighting for her life. Supposed to be at a sleepover with two of her closest friends, everyone is in a panic trying to piece together what exactly happened that night. Everyone seems to be hiding something and it takes uncovering all of these secrets to start to piece together what exactly happened that night.
Before She Was Found keeps the readers guessing page after page as they put together what exactly happened to these three young girls. Highly recommended read for anyone.

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

I never miss out on a Heather Gudenkauf novel. She is definitely one of the best!
Three twelve-year-olds have a sleepover. Violet, Cora and Jordyn seem to be friends, but are they really? They have been assigned to work 0n a project at school. Their project leads them to research an old legend in their small town. Legend says that Joseph Wither may have kidnapped and murdered a young woman long ago near the train yard in town. The night of the sleepover, the girls venture out at midnight to the train yard alone to investigate. There, Cora is brutally attacked. Violet is severely traumatized. Jordyn claims to have run home before the attack happened because she was so scared. No one knows what had happened. Could one of the girls have harmed Cora? Has the legend of Joseph Wither returned from the dead? Perhaps the teacher who assigned the projects isn't so innocent after all?
This is a page-turning novel not to be missed!

I finished Heather Gudenkauf's Before She was Found last night. I was consumed by it, read it in 3 days. Interesting, disturbing, thought-provoking...As a mother of 3 son's I understood Mara, Beth, and Thomas' s feelings all too well. As mothers and guardian of the middle school girls, the reader knows all too well about the challenges of being a loving, caring parent yet needing to be concerned about actions, grades, and friends. Jordyn, Violet, and Cora are all 12 years old and living the small town life in Pitch, Iowa. Jordyn the popular, cute and overbearing student with lots of friends and boys who would like to be more than friends. Her father dropped her off as a toddler at his parents house. He didn't want the trouble of caring for her, her mother in prison. Her grandparents, Tess and Thomas took her in, raising her as their own. Now, Thomas is handling Jordyn and all of her problems alone as Tess is staying in re-hab after a hip fracture. The family bar and grill is located next to the house but parenting and running the business are tough when you are alone and ready to retire. Violet has just arrived in Pitch from living in New Mexico. Entering school mid-year is not easy ,as is making new friends and adapting to a new home. Cora is a spindly student who sits to herself most of the time wanting to be amongst Jordyn and all the popular kids. Instead, she has become easy to bully. She is quiet and alone. She is not allowed a cell phone or to visit other students homes, if anyone would ask. Her parents, Mara and JIm are helicopter parents who monitor phone calls, school, all Cora does.
This story finds the three girls working in a class project together. They decide on the topic of Joseph Wither, a man who exists years before be become the town urban legend. A man who supposedly abducted and killed high school girls. If Joseph were alive he would be in his 90s but the girls decided to do research and learn all they could about the man when he was in school.
The storyline is frightening as it is one that could and has happened in different parts of the country. The girls? They are like so many 12 year olds and all that they say and do. I'll not be a spoiler, it is an excellent book that needs to be read. I was fortunate that Park Row Books allowed me to read the book before it is published in April. It is a book that is well written and needs to be read; thank you Heather Gudenkauf.

The power of lies
interesting story, it was a little slower than some of her other books for me and the voices of the characters weren't as distinct as i would have liked. what happens in a community of pain, lies and bullies and where does the thruth even lie

I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. This book was gripping, suspenseful, thrilling, and wonderful!! I am definitely a huge fan of thrillers and I knew Gudenkauf's newest would not disappoint me. The story was told in different POVs, which makes a book so much better in my honest opinion. The characters and details of the plot were well thought out and the storyline flowed smoothly. I never guessed the ending, as I was completely wrong about what I thought had happened. I would highly recommend this book!!

Similar to a Wisconsin news story involving three young girls, Before She Was Found takes a new twist to the story. Told from multiple points of view, police reports, and journal entries, this book is impossible to put down. Ms. Gudenkauf takes the reader on a wild ride - full throttle - and doesn't let up until the last pages. The ending is very satisfying... throughout the book, your heart aches for the girls and their families... and you keep wondering how this situation ever happened. A must read for the new year!

In usual Gudenkauf fashion, Before She Was Found is a story relevant to today's society and cultural identity. With flawed characters trying to figure out life, it's a tale that could too easily happen to many of us.

Before She Was Found was a novel like no other I’ve read. I wasn’t sure if I was reading a supernatural novel, a thriller, a mystery, or a young adult novel. It was actually all of the above (kind of).

I found myself engrossed in this story, told through multiple perspective/mediums/timelines. I always enjoy a story that isn’t just told from one point of view. As the book went on, the clues were there, although you really don’t know what your trying to figure out. It’s hard to explain without giving spoilers, which I refuse to do. The story is just crazy - and you don’t even know what you need to know! 😂

The ending was... weird. I had a feeling it would end that way, and I was a little disappointed. It was still a fantastic thrill ride!

Though the pacing is not as quick as most of Gudenkauf's other novels, it is an intriguing tale that holds the reader's attention. I thought, many times, i had the puzzle solved. But, wow, was i wrong! Quite the ending!
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC. I am a definite fan of Heather Gudenkauf. This book was eerie and creepy - it reminds me of the two middle school girls in my home state who killed their friend because they claimed that Slender Man made them do it. Overall this was a good read, solid writing and a few quick turns. I liked the multiple perspectives that kept the story moving along quickly.

If Mean Girls and Slenderman had a baby, Before She Was Found would be that baby.

An attempted murder scene, three preteen girls, one missing, one covered in blood and one clinging to life. And all three are utterly unreliable narrators. I mean, what's not to love about that?

The best word I can find to describe this book is gripping. I read it in one sitting, though technically I was lying but whatever, tomayto-tomahto.

Having never even heard of Heather Gudenkauf I had no idea what to expect from this book and oh mylanta was I ever unprepared for what a lay ahead. I was completely absorbed from beginning to end with not only the mystery, but with the perfectly fleshed out characters.

It takes a pretty clever resolution for me to not have a mystery figured out before the reveal but this one got me. Hook, line and sinker. Never saw it coming, never even considered it for one tenth of a second. I challenge anybody that figures out the culprit to reveal themselves so I can call them a liar, liar, pants on fire.

4.5 Stars ⭐ rounded up because it was unputdownable.



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

I absolutely loved this book! I was not expecting the plot twist, though. That was awesome! I will be going to find more books by this author. The story unfolds in a way where you will have to read to this end. You won't be able to put it down, or at least I couldn't. I didn't stop reading from the time I picked it up until I reached the end.