ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"This was another thing I learned back then: A story about you doesn't necessarily belong to you. It belongs to the writer. To the witness. To the teller."

And no one knows what it’s like to become a story than Arden Maynor. Known as the girl from Widow Hills, Arden became a story on the public stage when she disappeared for three days at the age of 6. Prone to sleepwalking, Arden was swept away in the night by a terrible storm without a trace. For days, the town looked high and low without a clue as to where she went. When hope was all but lost, Arden was found alive three days later clinging to a storm drain.

On the heels of her miraculous recovery came notoriety as she was first recognized from the media, and then from her mother’s book. With the fame came fan mail, stalkers, and wild conspiracy theorists. Desperate to escape the lime light and tired of having her story written by others, when Arden turned 18 she changed her name to Olivia and disappeared from the media altogether.

Avoidance has worked well for Olivia, right up until she starts sleepwalking again. And it’s just as dramatic before – she wakes up standing over a dead body. And not just any body – this is a body she recognizes from a lifetime ago, when she went by Arden.

As Olivia’s past and current life start to collide, things she’d rather not remember and memories she’s hidden away come rushing to the surface. Catapulted once again into the center of the media’s spotlight, this time Olivia is determined to write her own story, and discover what happened all those years ago once and for all.

"You become the stories you tell-I'd learned that much from my mother. The truest type of story is the kind you tell all alone, to yourself."

This book definitely had its ups and downs for me. The beginning was a little slow, and I didn’t connect all that well to the characters. About halfway through it picks up quite a bit, and I enjoyed the twists and turns that came along with the faster plot. I love when I get plot twists that are shocking but still in the realm of possibility, and this book delivered in spades. And the last 25% of the book? I was all set to give this a comfortable three stars, but those last 50 or so pages bumped it up an entire star for me! So far I’ve really enjoyed Megan Miranda’s books, and this one was no exception. I don’t want to say more here because spoilers are RUDE, but I can’t wait to see where this author goes next.

*All quotations are taken from an ARC and are subject to change prior to publication.
The Girl From Widow Hills released on June 23, 2020.

In this book, you learn about the girl from widow hills and some secrets that she's been keeping. There is also a murder that happens, so I was trying to figure out who the murderer was the entire time. I did not guess correctly, and loved all the twists and turns. Parts of the book are also told from past interview transcripts and 9-1-1 calls, which I found very entertaining.

Olivia (Arden Maynor) suffered a traumatic event when she was only six years of age – believed to have been sleepwalking and then swept away during a rainstorm for three days before she was found and rescued. In the years since, she's changed her name to removed herself from the surrounding drama of the incident and create a new life. When a man’s body is found on the border of her property she fears she will be found all these years later. A great read with twists and suspicions around almost every character. Recommended for any lover of a good thriller.

I had a hard time getting into this one but once I did I was intrigued for the remainder of the story. There were a lot of puzzle pieces that I enjoyed trying to put together. I love Megan Miranda's books and thought this was a good addition to her list of books.

I absolutely loved this thriller. Megan Miranda kept me guessing right until the very end. I cannot wait to dive into her other books!

Arden Maynor was the miracle child, the one who sleepwalked into a torrential flood one night and was found alive three days later holding onto a storm drain. Fast forward 20 years and Arden, now living as Olivia in order to escape her sensational past, receives word that her mother has died. And begins sleepwalking again. And finds a man murdered outside her house. Are all of these things connected? Did Olivia herself kill the man? And what really happened during those three days so many years ago when little Arden was missing??

I love Megan Miranda's books so I was extremely eager to read this. It did NOT disappoint. I didn't want to put it down because I was drawn into Olivia's life and wanted to know how everything fit together. Lots of red herrings and questions about the reliability of characters made for a fantastic read.

This was a good thriller and I did not figure it out. This was the second or third one by Megan Miranda I have read and really enjoy her writing!

A new Megan Miranda novel? I don't care what it's about, sign me up, I'm there Day One! However, having now read "...Widow Hills", I feel like maybe I would have enjoyed it more had I not been familiar with the author and had such high expectations. For me this was about 2.5 stars. I felt that the atmosphere just lacked the typical Miranda-woven tension, intrigue, and unreliable narrators. The setup is wonderful as is the idea that these stories we see in the media (Baby Jessica, Amanda Knox, Elizabeth Knox) are real people who have to find a way to live their life while struggling with a media and public who want a piece of their story. But where did it turn from "wonderful" to "just ok"? Olivia herself just felt boring to me. Now how could someone who had been trapped underground for three days when she was six, has a sleepwalking problem, and discovers a dead body at her feet after one such sleepwalking event be boring? I just read her as someone who wasn't necessarily an active member in her own story. There were a few hints that she might not be who she seemed, but I didn't feel like anything truly came of that. The pacing felt slower than it should have been and then all of a sudden it was a high speed ending that just kept going--trying not to give much away, by the final pages I was ready to be done with the story as it crossed over into ridiculous.
But am I still a Megan Miranda fan? Oh you better believe it, but this one is going to the back of the bookshelf, never to be heard from again.

I’ll admit that I struggled a little bit at the beginning with this novel. The story seemed a little disjointed and, quite frankly, I didn’t really understand how an event that happened when a child was six would be so newsworthy decades later, especially nowadays when we are flooded with news that quickly fades when a new story appears. But I am glad that I stuck with it because the novel really gained momentum and reached a point where I had a hard time putting it down. The twists in the story really caught me off guard.

I did not enjoy this book as I have other Megan Miranda books. When Arden was telling about being in a water drain when younger, that seemed more interesting than these later years. Too much thinking and wondering and waiting for things to happen. The ending was flat.

3.5 stars for me rounded up to 4 stars because I didn’t see the twists coming. There were a couple of good twists after the halfway point, and I didn’t see the end coming at all. I found it harder to get passed the description of Arden/Olivia’s job and where she was in the hospital. As a nurse, the hospital setting, med room, and patient room setups in conjunction to Olivia’s office didn’t add up for me. I also wanted to connect more with characters like Elyse and Bennett. They just felt too far away and didn’t feel real enough.

Overall, I’d recommend for the suspense and twists. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC! This book is now available to purchase.

The Girl for Widow Hills was a great suspense novel about a child who survived a trip through a storm drain to be rescued several days later by a passerby. The media were all over the event, and eventually the girl and her mom had to move to get away from the crush of press coverage. 20 years later, the young girl is a hospital administrator, college paid for from the 'go fund me'-type fundraising that was done at the time of her brush with death, which also left her a small nest egg. Her mom had died on from an overdose, according to the police in the small town where she last lived. But noises and broken glass, plus strange shadows on the lawn and even a dead ex-boyfriend in the hedges next to her home are scaring her. And she's been sleepwalking, something she hadn't experienced in years! Her best friend at work notices some odd behaviors, but she is uncomfortable sharing with anyone except her elderly neighbor, who has his own secrets. Megan Miranda, once again brings a great psychological thriller to a surprising climax - and yes there is more than one twist.

I just love Megan Miranda books. The Girl from Widow Hills is about Olivia, a young woman who is trying to move forward from her tumultuous past and the fame of being a child survivor. Can the past ever really be left behind? Olivia, with a new identity, finds that the events from her childhood still linger in her mind and keep her on edge. Or is the past still following her because she got away? Megan Miranda writes in a way that keeps you guessing and leaves you with a uneasy feeling with the turn of every page. Very well done!

My first Megan Miranda book was her last one, The Last House Guest, which was a fabulous read! When I saw she had a new book coming out this summer I was so excited & couldn't wait to read it. The Girl from Widow Hills was a fast-paced read with lots of plot twists & turns. While it hooked me, I honestly felt it lacked the enveloping story element of her last book--definitely more of a traditional thriller. I'm sure her fans & thriller-readers will genuinely enjoy her newest book which will keep them reading & guessing! With sincere thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this advance reading copy!

I requested this ARC because I greatly enjoyed Megan Miranda's other novels, especially her character development. This novel was the best of those that I have read and I enjoyed the mix of psychological thriller, family drama and unreliable narrator. Arden/Olivia wants nothing more then to forget she was center of a rescue that captured the nation's attention when she was 6 years old. She doesn't have clear memories of the events and resents her mother for capitalizing on her trauma. She has relocated to a small town and is a hospital administrator. On the 20th anniversary of her dramatic rescue, she starts sleep walking, the same behavior that contributed to her being lost during a storm and getting stuck in a storm drain when she was 6. The murder of the man that rescued her leads her down a rabbit hole to discover what really happened 20 years ago. The character development of Arden/Olivia was spot on, I felt her self-doubt and paranoia clearly as the plot developed. The secondary characters were also well developed, especially her neighbor. The novel is tense and the pacing keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end. The best part was the surprise ending, which was well developed and left the reader thinking "why didn't I see that coming"! I highly recommend this book for readers of suspense.

This book was a great summer read and the type of book I have really been loving lately, mystery/suspense/psychological thriller. I liked that I was not able to guess the ending, but with that being said, I did not like the ending. It felt abrupt and was disappointing to me (in the subject of the ending). This was my first read by Megan Miranda and I would read her again because it was engaging and did keep me guessing.
3.5 stars

I can't believe how fast I flew through this one!

I had issues with Megan Miranda's last book - I just didn't think it was good - so I was a bit hesitant to pick this one up. I am happy to report I really enjoyed it!

I loved the media reports from the original girl from Widow Hills story sprinkled throughout the current timeline. I really liked Bennett as a character and also enjoyed Olivia/Arden.

Definitely pick this one up!

I'm having a bit of a hard time reviewing this book because my thoughts about it in the first half vs the second half are very different. This is definitely a slow slow slow slow burn, which I usually enjoy, however this started maybe even too slow for me. Olivia is keeping so many secrets that even her narration really leaves the reader in the dark and the novel starts with few details, lots of blank spaces, and a bit of confusion.
_
As the story picked up, I definitely became more invested in it and in Olivia herself. At first she seemed cold and distant, before realizing why she was this way due to her past and the secrets she is desperate to keep. And she kept surprising me - she was definitely not the character I had her pegged as in the beginning. Instead of being continuously cold, calculating and secretive, you could see how she longed to connect to others, to open up, to have someone else understand. However, the way she was treated in her past has taught her a hard lesson about this and she struggles to know who to trust, who to reveal things.
_
There were a few twists and some were more surprising than others. I think the secrets revealed about the past were a little obvious, but those involved were the real shock. I don't want to say anymore, but I do think things were a bit slow getting to the twists and then the end was BAM BAM so many things coming at you at once.
_
Overall, I did enjoy the book once I got further into it, and it was a nice summer read that keeps you on your toes.

There are no bad Megan Miranda books, though this one (along with All the Missing Girls) stands out as one of her best. It’s definitely the most fun of any of her offerings and delivers the best twist at the end.

Arden Maynor (now Olivia) is living with a secret. She was essentially a fictionalized version of Baby Jessica, famous in childhood for surviving 3 days trapped in the storm drains after being swept in by the water.

Now an adult, Olivia tells no one of her past, scared off by the type of negative attention that always seems to blow back on those previously deemed some sort of “miracle.”

But her past won’t stay buried, rearing its ugly head in the form of a dead body left in her yard. Whose body? You’ll have to read it to find that out, as well as how it connects to her past.

The solve/twist at the end is a little improbable for a number of reasons, but it’s a good one nonetheless, and it does add up with the clues Miranda doles out along the way.

I’m not sure this is quite her best work quality wise, but it’s her most entertaining novel to date.

This is my first book by author Megan Miranda, "The Girl from Widow Hills". I found it to be a thriller ride, similar to Hitchcock! Lots of twists and turn of events, I enjoyed Megan's book and plan on reading more in the future.