Arden Maynor grew up in the glare of fame because of an incident as a young child - she went missing while sleepwalking, was washed away by a flash flood in the small town of Widow Hills, Kentucky. It seemed like everyone united to find her safe and sound; friends, neighbors and strangers volunteering and organizing vigils and participating in search and rescue. In a stroke of complete luck she was found clinging for dear life to a storm drain in town. Arden became "the girl from Widow Hills" and a national story of miraculous survival. Following her rescue fame came into play not only from the incident itself but Arden's mother wrote a book about the events that transpired. Hoards of fan mail and fans of every kind forced Arden's mother to relocate as each anniversary of Arden's rescue became worse than the last. Arden could barely wait until she was legally able to change her name to escape her unwanted spotlight.

Arden chose a new identity of Olivia Meyer and this successful young woman lives hundreds of miles from Widow Hills. Olivia has enjoyed being nearly anonymous but as the twentieth anniversary of her rescue encroaches the hounds will start to circle, searching for Arden. Anxiety gets the best of Olivia and she can't shake the feeling of watchful eyes especially since she's started sleepwalking again. After waking suddenly one night on her property she finds a body at her feet. A corpse is the last of her issues because she recognizes the man, she knew him as Arden. Olivia braces herself to be forcibly thrust into the spotlight again - where her life as Olivia merges with "the girl from Widow Hills".

This book is similar to what happened to Arden (Olivia) as a child - slow build but once it takes hold it is just as surprising and unrelenting as a flash flood. I didn't want to put it down. The Girl from Widow Hills took me realistically around 2 days to finish - only because I do need sleep. No sleep with a toddler isn't fun. It was so, so good. Fast paced, action packed and it literally kept me guessing until the last couple chapters. Several truths were revealed that totally blindsided me and others that made sense only once my hindsight kicked in at the end of the book. I obviously don't want to reveal to much and ruin it for anyone but I REALLY enjoyed this book. Megan Miranda did an awesome job with the characters, their interactions and bringing the story to life.

Arden's survivor story struck a note with me when she described how people felt that she "owed" them something. Either by remaining in public spotlight, appearing more grateful or telling people what she used the funds for that were raised for her and the list could go on and on. What many don't realize or stop to think about really is about how much people surviving a traumatic event don't want to relive it - in any shape or form and would rather just be left alone. People are fickle and if she'd remained in the spotlight and done the things they'd wanted most would've turned on her anyway; wondering why she just wouldn't let it go, why keep milking the situation and that list could also go on indefinitely.

I highly, highly recommend this book - it sucked me in and didn't want to let go. It made me want to go read all the other novels that Megan has written - some of them are already in my to read list but this puts them a lot higher up compared to others in this genre. Readers who enjoy psychological suspense, thrillers and murder mysteries would more than likely love this book. A huge thank you for the opportunity to read a digital ARC from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster - all opinions within the review are my own.

The Girl from Widow Hills

Liv has moved on from her past. When she was six years old, she was swept away during a flash flood while she was sleepwalking. She survived for three days underground and was found by a citizen hanging to a grate. Because of the media obsession with her miracle rescue, she has left her old life and what happened to her and started new. When a box of her late mother's things arrive at her house, she starts sleep walking again, and a body is found outside of her house, things start to unravel. The past she worked so hard to keep in the past is catching up with her.

The plot idea was different than many suspenseful books I've read. It was written mostly in a "now" timeframe, with some news articles and interview transcripts that help give details of what happened 20 years ago. The novel definitely highlights the importance of news and media during cases and the part they play in a story. While I though the idea was an interesting one, the book as a whole didn't really hold my attention. I most enjoyed the end- which was fast paced and suspenseful! Otherwise, just feeling a bit indifferent about it.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.75 rounded up. I've enjoyed her last couple of books and this one held up to her others. Miranda is quickly becoming one of my summer go to thriller authors. I found the first half a bit slow but definately picks up in the second half. The story was interesting enough to push me to keep going. Arden Maynor was a young child when she was swept up during a rainstorm while sleep walking and found in a storm drain. As an adult Arden has changed her name trying to escape her infamous past and start a new life. Her past catches up to her when she stumbles across a body while sleep walking and she becomes the main suspect.

This was a well written book (albeit slow in the beginning) but the interesting premise and twists made the reading worthwhile. Unlike some other unreliable narrator stories that i've read the last couple of years, this one really worked for me.

***I received a free e-copy of The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this one. I felt like the characters were interesting and I loved the backstory of her being the subject of a viral story and having to deal with the fallout 20 years later as an adult. I felt like the ending was a little abrupt with regards to Bennett and and wrapped up quickly for what was a fairly long book but it was a fun read.

This is a fast-paced first-person POV thriller with flashbacks scattered in just enough to make you pull your hair out. When Arden Maynor was six years old, she was lost for three days in the town’s storm sewer system, making national news when she was found alive. Now twenty-six, living hundreds of miles away and going by Olivia, she has rebuilt her life and wants the past to stay there. But as the 20th-anniversary approaches, Olivia starts sleepwalking again with some terrible side effects.
She trusts a couple of her co-workers and she trusts the old gent she lives next to, but that’s it. Living every day looking over her shoulder, she knows there’s something more to her sleepwalking and the dead body she woke up next to in her front yard. Yes, that’s right. She absolutely has no clue who the person is, why she’s there, her house is dark, the front door is standing open and she’s in severe pain. As events continue to spin out of control, one of her co-workers disappears as if running from something. And that creepy feeling, like she’s being watched from the dark woods behind her house? And those darned porch light bulbs that keep blowing out, especially when she’s heard a bump in the night.
Megan Miranda loves to string her reader along and I absolutely love the suspense! I try to figure out the plot while she occasionally throws me a bone in the wrong direction. It’s a test of wits and sadly I always lose, but the thrill of the read is so very worth it!
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for making it available.)

I like each Megan Miranda book better than the last. The Girl from Widow Hills tells the story of Arden Maynor, who as a young girl was sleepwalking, swept away by a flood, and found in a drainage pipe 3 days later. The story made national news (think baby Jessica) and Arden was traumatized for life. Flash forward 20 years and Arden has changed her name to Olivia, blocked out most of her past and kept it a secret from everyone in her life, and finds a dead body in her yard. As Olivia is forced to delve into her past, a lot of what she blocked out and kept hidden is uncovered. This was an entertaining book, but I thought the ending was too over the top. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for a review!

This was my first time reading Megan Miranda, but I will definitely be reading more of her books in the future! While I thought the book started out a bit slow, once it picked up, it really took off and I read the last half in one sitting! It was a wild ride with an unreliable narrator and an abundance shady characters - at one point, I suspected every single character. The ending was unexpected and satisifying.

Loved this book, Love Megan Miranda!

Thanks Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the chance to review this early in exchange for review.

Olivia escaped the spotlight of her old life- surviving a childhood accident. But it’s the twentieth anniversary and apparently you can run from the story, but you can’t hide.

I’ve read all of M.M.’s adult books and this is definitely top two! This story was full of twists and turns, characteristic of Miranda’s novels. An unreliable narrator, murder mysteries, sleepwalking, and flashbacks to the prior timeline- what else can you ask for?

In October 2000, six-year-old Arden Maynor left her house sleepwalking in the middle of the night and goes missing for 3 days amidst a horrifying rainstorm. Everyone in the town searches for her, and the nation's spotlight is placed on the small town of Widow Hills, Kentucky. Finally, she is found clinging to a storm drain.

Her mother milked the fame of her daughter's harrowing trauma, writing a book and raising money for her daughter. Arden, on the other hand, did not like the constant attention. She changed her name to Olivia and began to live a quiet, brand new life. At 26, she lives in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, works at a hospital, and tells nobody that she is THE girl from Widow Hills.

She is able to hide her "other life" until she mysteriously begins sleep walking again. This has not happened since she was a child and she is confused about why she is suddenly waking up outside again. One night, she wakes up in a daze only to find that her hands are blood-stained and she's standing next to a man's corpse.

Did she kill the man and forget? If she didn't kill him, who did? Why can't she remember anything about this man's death or about her traumatic childhood experience?

When the truth starts coming out, I was hooked. I read this story in one sitting. I could not stop turning the pages. It was one of those thrillers where you just need to know what happens next. Each time I thought I had it figured out -- and I'm usually really good at guessing the ends of thrillers -- a twist threw a wrench in my guessing game.

The book's pacing and plot were extremely captivating. Each present-day chapter, narrated by Olivia, was interspersed with the media transcripts, newspaper reports, book excerpts, voice mails, and more from the time of the 2000 incident, which helps you slowly piece together Olivia's fragmented past. It's almost like you're discovering what really happened that October along with Olivia as she begins to piece it together as well. I found this to be a really interesting format.

The writing is pretty simple, but it is enough to keep you immersed and engaged. I thought the ending was a tad bit rushed after the big "reveal," and would have liked a bit more of a resolution. If you're looking for a page-turning thriller then look no further. I liked this better than Miranda's The Guest List, which I thoroughly enjoyed as well.

This will be a fun summer thriller for everyone!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy. A full review will be posted on my bookstagram closer to publication day. (https://www.instagram.com/cant.liv.without.books).

This is the best thriller that I have read in a while.

Our main character, Olivia, had a traumatic event in her past that she has tried to separate herself from. Unfortunately, the past refuses to be forgotten.

When Olivia was six, she was missing for three days, and her story became famous.

The twentieth anniversary of Olivia sleepwalking out of her house into a storm is fast approaching.

There are other thrillers about childhood trauma out there, but The Girl From Widow Hills is definitely still worth reading. All the plot twists felt fresh, and the ending had me shocked.

Olivia is a young woman with a traumatic past that she’s worked her whole life to escape and overcome. One evening, she wakes up next to a dead body. She has no recollection of the events of the evening and she has large pieces of her past that she can’t remember. Everyone around her becomes a suspect while she seeks the truth of that night- and her true past.

This was my first Megan Miranda book and I wish I had started with a different one. While there were definitely thrilling moments, it felt really slow for a large portion of the book. I kept wanting to get through sections to seek out the action. When the thrills were present, they were gripping! Those moments were just too few and far between for my taste in a thriller. I also felt like there were some storylines that had loose ends as the book closed.

Even though this was not a 5 star read for me, it did make me really interested in reading Megan Miranda’s other books and see how they compare!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

I enjoyed this book, however it just felt a little far fetched for me. The plot was a good idea, but again, a bit of a stretch. I’d still recommend it to a friend, but it wasn’t a favorite.

Oh, how I wanted to love this. I am a huge fan of the author, but this story just didn’t work for me. I think it may have been the pacing; the first few pages sucked me in, and then I felt like nothing really happened until the 25% mark. From there, chapters are either jam packed or, for lack of a better word, useless. I think some of the tropes are overdone (i.e. unreliable narrator with a bad memory), and the mystery just wasn’t fresh. I look forward to her next book.

Megan Miranda does it again! What can I say? I love all the books she has written and this one is no exception. Not only did this book have a great twist that I was not expecting, it also kept the pace going throughout the book. If you are a fan of mysteries and thrillers, don't pass up this book. I did not stop reading until I finished the book! Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of a book I was anxiously waiting for:)

What I Loved:
This is my first book by Megan Miranda and it WILL NOT be my last! I was blown away by her writing and story-telling. I found myself unable to put this book down!

How I Felt:
Olivia tries to keep her past a secret from everyone around her. As a young child, she was Arden Maynor. She suffered from sleepwalking and was swept away during a rainstorm and trapped for three days in a storm drain. Those three days are locked away in her brain and she cannot remember any of it. The media storm that followed her disappearance and eventual discovery and recovery followed her for years. Finally, she chose to move away and change her name.

Olivia is now an adult. She owns a home, a bit out of the way, but has a friendly neighbor that keeps her company. She’s happy until she receives a box filled with her mother’s belongings and the information that her mother has died. The sleepwalking returns and Olivia wakes one night to find a dead body at her feet.

I really enjoyed the overall plot of this story. I wasn’t sure where the book was headed at first, but once she wakes up with that body under her feet, I was ready to strap in and enjoy the ride!

Olivia’s character was one that I really enjoy in a thriller. I love it when the main character isn’t just hiding in a corner with a woe-is-me attitude. She’s up and moving, trying to protect herself and figure out what is going on. I liked her character and enjoyed her story.

The writing was so good. Even in the beginning when I wasn’t sure what the story was going to be about, I was still so intrigued. I liked the backstory and the pace set by the writing.

Overall, I found this to be an excellent thriller with a strong story, and I cannot wait to get my hands on more Megan Miranda writing!

Content Warnings:
This book discusses child harm, child abuse, sleepwalking, murder, addiction, prescription addiction and abuse, and stalking.

To Read or Not To Read:
I would recommend The Girl from Widow Hills for readers that enjoy a psychological thriller with a lot of secrets to uncover!

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Another fun read from Megan Miranda. Her books keep me up all night and take my “real” fears away. Much needed entertainment for the distracted mind.

While I liked the premise of this book. A young woman who survived a childhood trauma and now the past was catching up with her, I felt that this was drawn out and nothing really happened until the last few chapters. I liked Miranda’s other books but was a bit disappointed in this follow up.

I’m a fan of Megan Miranda and while I wouldn’t say this is my favorite of her books, I definitely enjoyed it! The story is told mostly from the main character Olivia’s POV, but I enjoyed the quick inserts of mixed media dating back to the time of her initial disappearance. I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story at the start, but after the initial hump it picked up and was a quick read. I didn’t guess the twist, which is always a plus when you read a lot of psychological thrillers. Overall I would recommend this book, especially for those who are fans of the genre. Thanks to Simon & Schuster, Megan Miranda and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

After one of those events where a child falls down a well, or gets kidnapped, or is lost in a forest and survives, one of those 24/7 update sagas that everyone follows, it's natural to wonder what ever happened to that child. Years later, how have they adjusted? And many people do feel a sense of ownership over that former child's current personhood: are they a good person now? did they "deserve" all the caring you did? Arden is one such child, and twenty years after her "found in a sewer" moment she's made a life for herself, one that hasn't quite dealt with the trauma but is still stable. Of course you know that's not going to last.

There were moments of "seriously? what are you thinking? just trust someone!" but for the most part it was a good thriller. Even the twist was good, something I rarely say

eARC provided by publisher.

The Girl from Widow Hills is another page turner from Megan Miranda! We follow Olivia following a murder at her home, which, soon enough, seems to have some connection to a tragedy that happened to her as a child. I definitely found this book highly readable and despite some solid foreshadowing, there were definitely some surprises in the last third of the book. In some ways, I think there were some characters that were superfluous and I would have enjoyed a better look at some of the more key characters, as well as a more fulsome ending. In some ways, it seemed like the ending was a bit rushed; not that the book was too short but I would have really enjoyed closing the loop on some of the characters a little more fully. I did really enjoy this book and look forward to more from Megan Miranda! Thanks to Netgallery and the publisher for the ARC; this is my honest review.