Cover Image: Where She Went

Where She Went

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Where's Emma? Maggie already had a very bad case of empty nest syndrome when she's suddenly asked if she's heard from her daughter. The widow of a police officer, she's a smart cookie, even though she's also, understandably, a bit of a helicopter parent so of course she starts to investigate. Emma, who's had it tough the last few years, didn't find college to be what she hoped for so she went looking for a scoop for the college newspaper, in part to impress a guy. Told in their alternate voices and with a shifting timeline, this is a story of a college student who found more than she expected and a determined mother. It's well written and quite topical. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Not a thriller, exactly, but more of a novel about strong female characters.

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I liked this book but honestly can't say that I LOVED it. I was expecting it to be a "psychological thriller/domestic thriller/mystery" and I don't really feel like that is what this book ultimately is, It's well told and an easy read, that I did get through pretty quickly, I just wish it was more thriller and less "women's fiction."

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I struggled with this book. The story seemed to drag on and on. For me, the mother was unlikable. I should have felt compassion for her after losing her husband and then her daughter goes missing. But her personality, as written, just left me cold. I stayed with it hoping for the payoff. But instead of a bang, I got a whimper.

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Where She Went is a book in the wrong genre, it was marketed as a thriller but for me it is more women’s fiction and felt let down by this as I got further into the book.
When in the blurb “helicopter parent” came up I knew I had to read this as my own daughter has just gone to uni and feel I’m maybe doing a bit of that still!! The book is told in alternate chapters of mum and daughter which worked well as you got to know them it’s just a shame they were to me very unlikeable. Maggie the mums chapters were told in present tense and Emma the daughter was from the past, again this worked well. Ultimately this is the story of a mothers love for their baby and the lengths they will go to, to protect them.
This was an ok read it felt like it changed after halfway and was written by someone else or maybe that’s just me, the ending was good and I didn’t guess where this was going, so well done there.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

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College is often the first true experience of freedom young adults have. The first time living on their own, being away from their parents, without rules and restrictions, able to shed the identity they carried up until that time, reinvent themselves if they so desire. College is a chance to meet new people, make new friends, find new loves.
As Emma O'Farrell goes off to Semper University, her mother Maggie can't help but worry for her daughter. The only child of a deceased cop, and now single mother, Emma grew up in a quiet environment. How will she adjust to the business of a dorm floor and having four roommates? On move in day Emma thought nothing would change with her relationship with her mother, but as she began to see how little her roommates spoke to their parents she wondered if that was why she was having difficulty adjusting to college life and making friends like the other girls.
When she joins the school newspaper, she develops a crush on the editor, a senior, Jason Cunningham. In an attempt to both score a permanent spot as a writer, and impress Jason, Emma begins snooping around campus looking for a scoop. When her roommate Taylor reveals that their other roommate, Fiona, is a sugarbaby, Emma realises that her hot story has been in the bed opposite her the whole time. Making it her mission to crack open this sugarbaby/daddy ring, Emma begins to spiral out of control.
Then Maggie gets the knock on her door that is every parent's worst nightmare. A police officer asking if she's spoken to her daughter lately or if she knows where she is. As Maggie becomes increasingly frustrated that the police aren't doing enough, she takes it upon herself to find Emma. She knows that Emma didn't just run away. As Maggie begins to dig into what Emma had been working on for the paper, she hits dead end after dead end.
What happened to Emma O'Farrell? Is this escort ring being run from inside the school? Is this what made Emma disappear?
I was really excited to get approved for Where She Went, I had heard a lot of good things about it, and couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately it got pushed down my TBR list until this week, due to other commitments. Once I started reading it though, it was a really quick read that I enjoyed. The way the story is told alternating between Emma and Maggie's points of view makes the story really come together. The reader is given pieces of information from Emma, and other pieces from what Maggie learns in her search for her daughter, which I always enjoy.
It felt to me that Emma was written to be deliberately naive, and that's really unfortunate. I guess I know there are students like that at university, but it seemed as though it was overly done, making it a little hard to believe (but then, maybe I'm just being cynical that anyone could be that oblivious). My other issue with how Emma was written, as a female character, is that it seemed like everything she did centered around "How will Jason react to this, does Jason know about this, will Jason be proud of me?". That type of character always irks me, because, yes some women are like this, but I really feel that this played up Emma's naivete and how immature she was written to be. There wasn't a lot of growth shown in her character, she never really changed from trying to impress and please Jason, and I think that was a missed opportunity to create a strong female character. Maggie on the other hand, was the strength where Emma's character was weak. She was determined to get things done, even if she had to do them herself and I really appreciated that. Maggie's growth came in a way that a lot of parents experience, as sad as it is. With Emma moving away, Maggie was forced to realise that her only child was growing up, and might not need her as much as she had before. It's a growing pain that made Maggie stronger, and I liked her character much more than I did Emma's.
The ending was a surprising twist, I did not see it coming where Emma is finally found. However I felt that there was a lot left unsaid by the end. I don't want to spoil the story, but when you read Where She Went you'll know what I'm talking about. Overall, I liked the idea, but I think it missed just a little bit. So much more could have been developed, but was left a little as "ehh, good enough" and that was disappointing.

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Where She Went was really a work of Women’s Fiction and totally lacked the suspense it could have easily had. I read another book recently about this same subject that was a much better read. This book had the elements, but lacked the depth needed to carry it out. The story really bogged down in the middle and the ending was abrupt and left me a little disappointed.

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After reading Where She Went, I have added Kelly Simmons to my list of must-read authors. I was immediately captured by the characters and storyline of this page-turner. The issues faced by today's college students were especially relevant. I appreciated the alternating perspectives from the mother and daughter. My only disappointment was that the story seemed to wrap up a bit too quickly, but maybe I was just reluctant to say goodbye to Emma and Maggie. I can envision another book as Emma continues on her path of investigative reporting. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark for introducing me to Kelly Simmons.

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Before I go down my rant of how important it is to properly classify a genre of a book - I'll just say - Where She Went is women's fiction, NOT a thriller. Hopefully this classification will help improve your reading experience of what is a very enjoyable women's fiction novel!

Where She Went is an interesting take on a mother/daughter relationship, following the loss of the father/husband and the daughter's first year away at college. There is a sugar baby aspect involved at the college and a bit of a missing person situation but again, this is all in service of the character aspect - not leading to some gigantic reveal! Simmons writes a compulsively readable story that will hold your attention from start to finish and make you think about your own relationships.

3.5 stars

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When I saw helicopter parent---I knew I had to read this book. I may have been a bit guilty of that when my daughter was growing up! This is a parents worst nightmare---Maggie's daughter Emma goes missing from college! I love a good thriller, but would consider this more suspense. Being a mom obviously could identify with Maggie's anxiety to find her daughter. Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC!

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Where She Went is the sixth novel by Kelly Simmons. The story of a missing co-ed and a desperate mother’s search for answers, it’s a chilling reminder of just how dangerous the world can be for the young and naive.

When her only daughter Emma moved across town to go to college, Maggie O'Farrell found herself turning into the kind of parent that texted three times a day and dropped off cookies on a regular basis. Emma had to gently let her know this was unacceptable and began limiting their texts to just once an evening, usually their favorite shorthand message sent right before bed, NILY (Night, I love you). But when a police officer shows up at Maggie’s Bubbles & Blowouts beauty salon, all the fears that had kept Maggie endlessly texting and just dropping by are realized: Soon after she had stopped hovering over her daughter, the girl vanished.

The former wife of an officer killed in the line of duty Maggie knows the first hours are crucial in locating a missing person. And Emma disappeared a full twenty-four hours before Maggie was aware of the problem. She races to the university, determined to find her precious girl and what she discovers is alarming. The dorm room where Emma was supposed to be living is empty. The dorm mates initially avoid the police and are sullen and uncooperative, almost hostile, when they are finally located. Emma has no boyfriend, but a mysterious boy is identified as Future Husband in the contact list of her phone. And her phone - something no teen is ever without - was left sitting on a dresser in the alarmingly empty room.

Maggie doesn’t want to dig through Emma’s life, disrespecting her daughter’s privacy and possibly destroying the fragile trust between them. But she will do anything to find her, even if it means being awakened to truths about Emma that the girl would never want Maggie to know.

AAR reviewers Maggie and Shannon read Where She Went and are here to share their thoughts on the novel.

Maggie: I have never read a novel by Kelly Simmons before, but I found the back blurb for this one intriguing and decided to give it a chance. What drew you to the book?

Shannon: I was also intrigued by the blurb. I'm always on the lookout for more twisty thrillers, and this looked like something I'd really love.

Maggie: This story is told in alternating narratives between Maggie and Emma. I felt that format was utilized brilliantly here, allowing an issue to come up in Maggie’s perspective and be resolved in Emma’s or vice versa. I really liked the author showing how we could look at something and see it one way but that it would resolve into something different when seen from another’s experience of it. What did you think of the multiple viewpoints?

Shannon: I normally love books that employ this style, but I found it less than effective here. The things we learned from Emma's chapters kind of took away from the suspense of Maggie's portions. It wasn't all that difficult for me to figure out the twists pretty far ahead of Maggie because of the hints dropped by Emma.

Maggie I think that may have been what I actually enjoyed. The switch from suspense to pragmatic answer and back again felt more realistic to me than the endless, creepy evil of many thrillers on the market today.  Another aspect I enjoyed about the story was its examination of the murky line between criminal and unethical. Much of what was happening at the university was, to me, immoral but it wasn’t illegal. It made me think a bit about what society finds prosecutable and what it finds simply distasteful. Would you agree the story examines that ambiguous boundary or did you see things differently?

Shannon: I wholeheartedly agree with you. So much of what was going on at the university fell into that gray area between things that are against the law and those that are just in opposition to most people's moral compasses. I wasn't a big fan of most of what the characters were up to, but that's a far cry from something being illegal. The examination of that thin line set this book apart from a lot of the other thrillers I've read this year.

Maggie: I liked Maggie, who seemed bright, strong and determined, but found myself struggling with just how unsophisticated Emma was. Kids today tend to be savvy and wary, a byproduct of being part of a highly connected, highly technological culture. I was disturbed that Emma never utilized that connection to reach out for help, especially given that her father’s old friends on the police force would have been in a position to be very helpful.  What did you think of our two main characters?

Shannon: Maggie's naïveté got on my nerves from time to time. I mean, Emma was obviously keeping secrets, but Maggie didn't want to acknowledge what was going on. Emma, on the other hand, managed to get herself into a sticky situation, and it didn't always seem like she exercised the best judgement as she went about her business. Of course, both Emma's half-baked style of thinking and Maggie's reluctance to see the truth made the characters feel human, even if I didn't always like them.

Maggie: I agree. There was a realism to the characters that made them understandable even when they weren’t likable. I don’t want to delve too deeply into the mystery but I have to admit I found several aspects of it a bit unbelievable. What was your take on that facet of the tale?

Shannon: There were definitely some far-fetched angles to the mystery. I didn't find anything flat-out implausible, but a few things came close. I also struggled with the ambiguous nature of the ending. I don't expect everything to be wrapped up in a tidy bow, but I would have liked a bit more of a glimpse into life after the dust settled.

Maggie: So what’s your final grade? The book has some taut plotting, and some interesting things to say about wealth and social mores, but I felt the plot could have been easily resolved if one character had just reached out to those who cared about her. It’s a B for me.

Shannon: It's a B for me as well. The story had a lot of potential, but some aspects of the plot didn't gel for me the way I was hoping they would. Add to that the rushed ending and slightly over-the-top nature of some of the twists, and you have something enjoyable, but not spectacular.

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While well written and interesting, the genre was off on this one. It's not a thriller at all. Possibly a mystery, but more women's fiction than anything else.

Maggie's daughter Emma has gone missing after a few months at collage, and Maggie is in prime Mama Bear mode. Told in alternating viewpoints of Maggie trying to find Emma and the months leading up to Emma's disappearance, the writing is quick and easy to read.

I didn't love Maggie's character - she came off as kind of bitter and very black and white. Things were either wrong or right, people were either good or bad, and she relied heavily on religion to make these choices. I was also a bit let down by the ending.

Emma's story was more intriguing - the experience of being at college for the first time, and being 18 and feeling caught between childhood and adulthood was very well done. She had more of an arc than her mother, steadily becoming more self assured but still believably 18.

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would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

not really a thriller

told in two part with mom and daughters version...didnt really keep me focused could walk away and pick it up at a later time...

though the feelings about your children going to uni are all true...just wasnt really for me

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I mostly enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and well-written. It kept me guessing. I enjoyed how what happened to the daughter in the past connected to what was happening with the mother in the present. I honestly couldn't put the book down once I started reading. I was very invested in what happened.

I will say I thought some parts of the book were unrealistic. The mother was a bit over the top -and she talked about hair incessantly. I got that she was a stylist but I don't think it gave her superpowers or anything. I also through it was weird that she called the person her husband had been cheating on her with "Salt." It wasn't explained why she picked that name. Finally, there were way too many plot lines left unresolved. I was left with more questions than I had answered.

Still, it was enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to preview.

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3.5 stars

I had to chuckle when I read the first sentence of the summary ‘Her only daughter has just gone away to college, and Maggie O’Farrell knows she’s turning into one of those helicopter parents she used to mock.’

Having worked in a high school for eleven years in the counseling office, I know a helicopter parent when I see one and the fact that someone used that analogy in their summary felt like this book was written especially for me.

But then things take a dark turn—and you know how I love thrilling disappearance—suddenly this book sounded a lot more interesting that I anticipated. I am fascinated by missing persons cases so when the helicopter mom’s daughter goes missing—-I couldn’t think of passing this one by!

Summary

Her only daughter has just gone away to college, and Maggie O’Farrell knows she’s turning into one of those helicopter parents she used to mock. Worrying constantly, texting more than she should, even occasionally dropping by the campus “just to say hi.” But Maggie can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen to Emma. And then, just as Maggie starts to relax, her daughter disappears.

The clues are disturbing. An empty dorm room where Emma was supposedly living. A mysterious boy described as Future Husband in her phone. Dormmates who seem more sinister than friendly. As Maggie combs over the campus looking for signs of her daughter, she learns more about Emma’s life than she ever thought possible.

Kelly Simmons delivers another gripping novel in Where She Went, an unforgettable story of letting go and the secrets that surface when the person keeping them is gone (summary from Goodreads)

Review

I don’t know that I would outright call this book a thriller—maybe more suspense? Sure there is a mystery to solve (Maggie’s missing daughter) but there is a lot more in the way of mother/daughter relationship to examen and sort through rather than an actual murder to solve if that makes sense.

Don’t get me wrong this was a great story, I felt the pull to keep reading and the anxiety that Maggie must have felt over her daughter pushed me to keep reading as well as all the secrets she uncovered along the way.

This book is well written with characters that I sympathized with. I know that some people didn’t feel that the characters were likable, but I personally felt compassion for them and I also felt a connection with Maggie as a mother. She is living every mothers worst nightmare and that really hit home for me.

One thing that I felt really worked for me in this book was the perspectives of the narrators. This book is told with Maggie narrating the present and Emma narrating the past. I thought this gave the reader a nice balance and helped keep the converging storylines together and moving along in the timeline.

I don’t know that this one set me on fire to blame through the book, but I did savor each chapter trying to piece together what was happening and I felt sad to see the story come to an end. In a way I thought this one was more along the lines of women fiction rather than thriller but I was satisfied with the conclusion and enjoyed Simmons writing very much. As this is my first novel by her, I am left looking forward to reading more by her in the future.

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I re dived this book free from Net Gallery in exchange for an honest review.
Maggie is very concerned about , Emma, her only daughter who went off to college.
She feels something is going to happen when her daughter goes to college.
And it does, when she disappears.
As she goes through Her daughters life, she discovers that she really doesn’t k ow her.
A great read

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Emotional, intriguing, and interesting - a psychological thriller that wasn't fast-paced, but definitely kept you reading. It explores the tenacity of a mother with a child in danger and the lengths she goes to find her.

I will admit that I wasn't sure who "the bad guys" would be and didn't entirely anticipate the final outcome. The topic matter was terrifying (or terrific depending on perspective) and made me glad I'm not the mother of a college-aged girl.

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This is a well written book, although at times some of the dialogue is a little repetitive in places, and not a book that really grabs your attention. It’s quite slow paced.

I’m not even sure I would call it a psychological thriller, it comes across more as women’s fiction.

Emma is a college freshman, looking forward to a fresh start in life away from her mum Maggie who has always known everything and everyone in Emily’s life, she finds it hard to let go and phones three times a day. Maybe because she had recently lost her police officer husband who was killed in the line of duty, and add to the fact she found out he had been having an affair.

Unfortunately for Emma her days in college aren’t as good as she had hoped, she finds it difficult to make friends, and hard to mix, it doesn’t help that she is being ignored by the more worldly girls in her dormitory. She approaches the editor of the college newspaper to see if she can write for them, or work on the paper in some way. But is told if she goes out and finds a good story then they will talk again, this is when she starts investigating and gathering facts.

The story is told from two, points of view, Maggie’s story is set in the present, and Emma’s goes back in time, giving an insight into why she has disappeared. Emma’s story basically starts out at her looking for a decent story for the newspaper, but it changes to a game of cat and mouse, when she stumbles on a story of a sordid practice which involves older rich men and college students.

The ending of the book seems a little rushed and leaves a few loose ends hanging.

This book is available to pre order now and will be released on the 1st October 2019

I would like to thank netgalley and Review publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review

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WHERE SHE WEBT
BY KELLT SIMMONS

WOW just WOW! I went into reading this with no expectations because I peeked at some of the reviews and most of them were luke warm with complaints that this book had been marketed wrongly as a psychological thriller. Most said that this should be classified as women's fiction. I opened my copy and oh how quickly I was captivated and riveted to this excellent storytelling. This is not like any book you have already read on this subject. I applaud this author for her originality and fresh character developments, pacing etc. I waa transfixed at page one and read this from cover to cover in one sitting. It is that great!

I adore stories with strong women protagonists. Both Maggie and Emma are strong eachin their own way. This story uses the device of alternating points of view for each chapter featuring both Maggie and Emma. Imagine if you will if parents of boys are different than parents of girls. Are parents different when they have only one child v more? Imagine if you will, how you would feel hearing the news of your only daughter gone missing after you have just dropped her off at college and she had just settled in.

I thought Maggie was a bit obnoxious at first but it was the chapters told in her perspective that I was most invested in at first. Only at first. As my rapt attention sucked me deeper into the story did I feel just as captivated by Emma. I thought the author's execution of this psychological thriller was stunning! Unlike most in this genre that are paint by number this was fresh and unique. I strongly disagree with most reviewers who felt cheated calling this just a character study and hailing it as women's fiction. Yes, it is a character study but it is brilliant in its pacing and every bit suspenseful. Both Maggie's and Emma's terror was palpable and relatable in their own distinct ways. For me this was a solid Five plus star read and Kelly Simmons hit the ball out of the ballpark with this. Kelly's work kn is new to me and since this is her fifth novel I have a feast of her other books to buy and enjoy. I look forward to what she writes next and it was an absolute pleasure to read and review this gem of a novel.

A Huge Thank you to Net Galley, Kellt Simmons and Source publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

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Where She Went is a thriller/mystery that didn’t end at all as I expected.

The basic set up is that a college student, Emma, has disappeared. Now, her mother will stop at nothing to find her. Along the way, she discovers many things she never knew about her daughter, and some of them are very disturbing. Was Emma, the budding journalist, abducted due to her latest story? Or is something even more sinister going on?

The story is told with viewpoints that alternate between Emma’s (in the past) and her mother’s (in the present).

Anyone who is introverted, neurodivergent, or just a bit different will be able to relate to Emma’s story of never fitting in and having a hard time making friends. Emma’s not a bad person, and would probably make a very good friend to anyone who took the time to see her for who she really is. But, just like every teenager, she also makes mistakes that hurt her cause.

I won’t reveal anything about the ending other than it wasn’t at all what I’d been predicting. I only figured it out a couple of pages before it was confirmed, and that’s always a sign of good writing.

I wasn’t completely satisfied with the ending, which does leave many things unanswered. At the same time, ambiguousness always had its place, and I was just happy to find an author who could surprise me.

Overall, this is a good read that thriller/mystery fans should enjoy. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

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A gripping story about a mother's love and the lengths a mama bear will go to for her cub. I thought I had it figured out, but was totally surprised by the ending. This was my first time reading anything by Kelly Simmons, but I will be checking out her other books.

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