Wow, is The Girl from Widow Hills an intense read--it has been a while since a thriller kept me on my toes the way this one did, and I loved that! Megan Miranda takes a typical thriller plot--missing child-- and put a fresh spin on it. What happens to the adult who was that missing child, that media curiosity? After the outpouring of relief, after you grow up, after you realize that maybe being defined by something you can't remember isn't how you want to live?

The Girl from Widow Hills takes an unflinching look at survival, about the parent/child bond, and about what and why we as as society are so fascinated by the awful, yet don't want it to linger. I genuinely thought I had figured out who the "bad guy" was and yes, there was one (or two) but what I loved the most about this book was its recognition of the good and bad in everyone, including ourselves. You may have enemies, etc. may be in danger, but who are you? What are you capable of? Very highly recommended.

Arden Mayor was just a child when she was swept away while sleepwalking during a terrifying rainstorm and went missing for days. Then she became the miracle of her small town of Widow Hills, Kentucky when she was found clinging for life to a storm drain. Her mother, Laurel, wrote a book. The family received money, fan letters, and, yes, stalkers. Soon it became too much and when she was old enough, Arden changed her name. She became Olivia. Now, as the twentieth anniversary of the incident nears, she has her own life. No one in her new world knows about her past. But when she receives word via phone call about her mother's death, something jolts loose in Olivia. She starts sleepwalking again, waking outside her house. And then one night she awakens, outside yet again, the body of a corpse at her feet. Even worse, the man is someone she knew from her previous life as Arden. Suddenly, Olivia's right back where she started: under scrutiny and media attention. And this time, she isn't the media darling, but a murder suspect.

"I was the girl who survived. The girl who held on. The girl you prayed for, or at least pretended to pray for--thankful most of all that it wasn't your own child down there, in the dark. And after: I was the miracle. The sensation. The story."

I don't have a lot of notes from reading this, but I think it's because I was too caught up in the story. This was a twisty thriller, and I simply wanted to know what happens. You can't ask for much more in a good mystery, can you? I've read a few books lately that cast a strong shadow of doubt on the protagonist (Heather Gudenkauf's This Is How I Lied being a great example)--and Miranda does great work of it here. Olivia sleepwalks, and we have a hard time fully trusting her throughout the novel. Heck, she has a hard time trusting herself.

Of course, there are plenty of other suspects and lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. I enjoyed the story of a girl escaping her past, only to find it catching up with her, no matter how hard she tried. We see how the media and attention can unravel even the happiest of tales, how Olivia's mother couldn't handle the pressure, how Olivia had to become a different person to survive. Why, we wonder, does society have to take a happy thing and ruin it.

"The case made all of us, and then it unmade us."

Overall, this was a fast-paced and intriguing read. Olivia is an interesting character, oddly sympathetic despite her possibility of being a murderess. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4 here.

Megan Miranda’s latest thriller, The Girl from Widow Hills delivers yet another fast-paced, twisty ride. Olivia has a past that she is desperate to forget but it all catches up to her when she stumbles over a dead body in her front yard after sleepwalking one night. The plot is fast paced and the ending was a surprise. I just wish the storylines with two of the characters (Olivia’s neighbor and her nurse friend Bennett) had a more satisfying resolution. Other than that, it was a fun read that I devoured in one day!

This is by far my favorite book from with author so far. I love how unique this storyline is. There are so many twist and turns and I loved it. I was never bored. In the end she ties everything together perfectly.

Olivia has been trying to put her past behind her, only the past never stays truly buried. Olivia stumbles upon a dead body on her and her neighbor's property line. It's a man from her past, but who murdered him? With many different suspects Olivia doesn't know who to trust, or if she can even trust herself. The plot line is great with an even better twist.

This book was all over the place for me. I really wasn't sure what was happening throughout most of it. Suspense was lacked,

This is my second Megan Miranda read. I disliked both books so I am starting to think this author isn't for me :(

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this eARC

This was a very entertaining read. I enjoyed the way the tension was ramped up throughout the story and I found the ending completely unexpected.

Megan Miranda is always consistent. I find she always has plots with lots of pieces that can be difficult to sort out until the end. But in the end, the pieces fit together well and make sense. The characters are relatable and generally not frustrating.

I definitely count Miranda as one of my go-tos for fun thrillers. Can’t wait for the next one.

I always look forward to a new Megan Miranda book and I found The Girl from Widow Hills an addicting read with an intriguing premise.

When Olivia was a child, she went missing for several days and the search to find her caught national attention. Twenty years later, she’s moved away, changed her name, and wants to forget everything that happened. Her carefully cultivated new life is threatened, though, when she discovers the dead body of someone from her past on her property. Throw in some intense sleepwalking incidents and gaps in her memory and we’re not really sure if Olivia is guilty of more than she knows. The mystery was a bit of a slow burn, but the addictive writing made that ok. I liked the characters, especially Olivia’s neighbor, Rick, and her friend/co-worker/possible love interest, Bennett. I would have liked a little more resolution when it came to those characters, though.

Overall, I enjoyed The Girl from Widow Hills. Even though the mystery was a bit of a slow burn, I felt invested in Olivia and everything that was happening. I didn’t 100% guess the ending, which is always a win for me these days. I did find the ending a little underwhelming, though. I would have liked an epilogue. While this wasn’t my favorite Miranda book, it was still enjoyable and I’m looking forward to her next book.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars

I was beyond excited to be approved for a suspense/thriller by Megan Miranda. The Girl from Widow Hills kept me reading from the beginning. A little girl sleepwalking in a rainstorm and whisked away by a flood to be found miraculously in 3 days. Olivia Meyer, formerly Arden Olivia Maynor, wants nothing to do with her past celebrity life, that was brought on by her mother and the book she wrote. She remembers nothing from the horrible experience as a child, but was left with anxiety for closed in spaces. She has a new life in North Carolina far from Widow Hills, Kentucky. At least she thinks so, until she is awakened one night outside by her neighbor, Rick, and realizes she is sleepwalking again and she hasn’t since she was that small little girl. A tragic event occurs that leaves Olivia wondering who she can trust including herself. What really happened to her in Widow Hills, Kentucky and why is her past coming back to haunt her in ways she had never imagined? You will loooove Miranda’s new book. This to me is her best yet! I went back and forth wondering who was the “bad guy” and Miranda had me fooled!!! Definitely a twist you will not see coming!!! Thank you, NetGalley for the free ARC!!!!

Twenty years ago, young Arden Maynor disappeared from her house in Widow Hills. She was known to sleepwalk, and after a highly publicized few day search, the six year old is found clinging to a storm grate.

Although she survives her ordeal, Arden can’t escape the scrutiny, especially after her mother writes her memoir. Twenty years later, Arden has reinvented herself as Olivia and lives hundreds of miles away in a town where she thinks nobody knows her past. But as the anniversary approaches, she begins sleepwalking again. One night she wakes up outside her house, with a corpse at her feet.

As the murder is investigated, Olivia is unsure who she can trust...and even if she can trust herself.

Completely unputdownable psychological suspense that will surprise the reader until the very last page. #NetGalley #TheGirlFromWidowHills

Megan Miranda stands alone as one of the only current thriller authors who can consistently weave a story that is both engaging and surprising. The Girl from Widow Hills takes a little while to get going, especially compared to Miranda's previous novels, but staying with the story past the 20% mark or so pays off in a big way.

In The Girl from Widow Hills, Olivia Meyer is trying to live her life in a quiet North Carolina town where nobody knows who she really is - Arden Maynor, who at six years old was swept off the street in the middle of a rainstorm and survived for three days in a drainage system before being rescued. She and her mother became overnight (literally) sensations, and this had benefits and drawbacks. Olivia's relationship with her mother deteriorated, and the aftermath of the events that transpired has ensured that she is always watching to make sure that no one knows who she is. She has friends in her new life who know nothing about her past, but all of that changes when she wakes up in the middle of the night standing over a dead man in her front yard. What happened to him? How did she get to his body? Did she kill him?

Miranda gives just enough details as the book progresses that the reader never feels like important information is being withheld just to have an "aha!" moment. The story feels organic, and the reader makes discoveries just as Olivia does, rather than seeing everything coming a hundred pages before the protagonist finds out. It's refreshing and enjoyable, as readers have grown to expect from Megan Miranda.

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers or mysteries that keep you guessing but don't overly rely on gimmicks to keep the reader in the dark.

I am a huge fan of Megan Miranda and was excited to get my hands on a copy of her new book. As expected, she has once again created an unexpected and very intriguing storyline.

I was hesitant to start The Girl from Widow Hills since I wasn't really a fan of her last book that I read.

I'm not sure but this probably should have been a DNF for me but I always have a hard time putting books down and think that the ending will come back with a bam. But, this unfortunately didn't do it for me. I found myself not caring about the plot, storyline, or any of the characters. The mystery/thriller aspect was very light as you can see and fell flat for me.
Although, I felt that the ending was wrapped up nicely and feel that fans of Megan Miranda would enjoy this one.

For me, I have read way to many mysteries and thrillers and this is just another one that was nothing special to me.

2 stars

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this! I loved the unreliable narrator, the creative way of how the story was told through newspaper reports, voice mails, etc. and even though this was a slow build story, it kept interested the whole time! An awesome read. Thank you NetGalley!

I am a fan of this author, so I requested this one based on my previous knowledge of her books and the blurb of this new one.

What I Liked:
There were no characters in this book who felt like "good" people. I love how Miranda makes all of her characters ambiguously moral. Even the ones who seem like they are going to be the good guys have details that make them questionable, which I think is very true to life.
The twist ending doesn't feel guessable, at least not to me. There is a certain appeal that comes from reading a book and not knowing where it's going until you get there.
Each chapter rounds out with information about what happened to Olivia in Widow Hills. There are excerpts from 911 calls, the book her mother wrote, and newspaper articles. This adds some development and also breaks up the formatting a bit, which I really liked.

What I Didn't Like:
The ending wasn't guessable. While I think it's great to have something that's not too predictable, I did feel like this twist came out of left field. I wonder if there would have been a way to structure the narrative so that there were more hints, without it being completely obvious what was going on.
I spent the first 10-15% feeling like I didn't really know what the story was about. Once the plot picked up, I was sucked in, but the first little bit left me feeling like I had no idea what I was about to read. I had to push through that to get to the good stuff.

I did enjoy this book, will continue to pick up Miranda's books, and would recommend!

I loved the girl from widow hills!!!!!! Megan Miranda has another bestseller out in the world!!!!! It has her signaturestyle of keeping you guessing from the first page and wondering who done it.

Sometimes I scroll through my list of books read at Goodreads and see a book I absolutely loved but haven't read anything else by that author. That is how I discovered Megan Miranda's newest novel The Girl from Widow Hills. I saw All the Missing Girls on my shelf and remembering what a thrill that book was (it reminded me of another favorite author, Chevy Stevens), I went to Netgalley to see if Miranda had anything new coming out.

Have you ever been presented with two characters, characters you know little about but quickly decide if one has to the killer you hope it is one over the other? I did with Olivia and Rick. It is early on in the book, where we are still learning who these characters are. However, I had an instant connection with Olivia, and while I liked her next door elderly neighbor, I would prefer if the killer was Rick. However, it is a few agonizing (in a good way) chapters later before the reader can be fairly certain it wasn't Olivia (though there are still hints that she could still be the killer - she's a sleepwalker so who knows for sure!).

There is a lot of delicious tension as other characters and suspicious information are introduced to the story. Olivia's paranoia keeps the reader on edge. "She's just paranoid, right? Or could she be right about that person?" kept running through my head.

For all the tension I felt throughout the novel, I found the ending to be a bit anti-climatic. Sometime about it just felt flat and I felt deflated. There was no Oh my! moment. It was more of an "oh *shrug*" moment. It was the ending that kept me from giving the book 5 stars. It gets a solid 4 stars because the journey was well worth the read.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Tuesday, June 16 - http://www.girl-who-reads.com/2020/06/the-girl-from-widow-hills-by-megan.html

Megan Miranda does it again!

This book was awesome and thrilling. It wasn't high-octane, heart-pounding, it was a slow burn of thrill and it keeps the reader guessing until the last chapter.

I can't say anything else about the novel without giving away major plot spoilers. I can just recommend that you read it!

I really enjoyed two of Megan Miranda's previous novels so I was really excited when I received an ARC of The Girl from Widow Hills. But as I began reading, I was quickly disappointed. I found her latest effort to be slow and at some points, boring. It honestly felt like the author rushed to complete this story as there wasn't the same level of care in the crafting of both the characters and plot that I have seen in her previous novels. For me, 3/4 of the book felt like they had been written by someone else. It was only the last quarter of the book that I enjoyed as Miranda tied all of the pieces of the story together in a satisfying ending.

I wanted to love this one but it didn't work for me. I do think that many readers will enjoy it so don't let my review dissuade you. I am still a Megan Miranda fan and I look forward to her next book. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.