3.5 stars.

A girl trying to leave her past behind after being in the media's eye years prior finds herself in trouble after tripping over the body of a murdered man on the line between her and her neighbor's property after sleepwalking the night before. Now Olivia is a person of interest and in need of answers.

The beginning of this book was a little slow, though this may be due to me not knowing the what page or percent I was on originally until I moved over onto my kindle app on my tablet, then it began to move much faster. I quite enjoyed the confusion it had me with for the last 10%, leading to an ending I hadn't seen coming. This is the third Megan Miranda book I've read and liked, so I hope to read more by her in the future.

This book had an interesting premise. My fault in it is I never felt connected to the main character and the pace was slow for a suspense book. There was a good twist at the end but that could have been developed better. I liked it enough to read more from this author.

I have loved everything by Megan Miranda that I have read and this book was no exception. It was haunting and thrilling. The characters were flawed but realistic and engrossed me in their story, When Olivia was a child she had a different name a name she shed to avoid the consequences of surviving a tragic incident. Olivia had always struggled with sleep walking and one night she wandered in her sleep during a massive storm. Gone for three days Olivia remembered nothing once she as found. After Olivia was found the media and fame changed her and her mother dramatically. Olivia raced away from the attention while her mother appeared to thrive on it. 20 years later the past comes back and Olivia is frantic to remember what happened so she will survive what’s coming. I couldn’t put this one down once I got started, I highly recommend it!

This was a page turner for sure! I loved how the author kept you guessing from the beginning all the way to the very last chapter. Easily one of my favorite books this year. This was the first book I’ve read from this author and definitely will not be my last!

Great mystery that kept me coming back every time I had to put it down! I loved the sleepwalking perspective and the characters were like able! Instagram review to come.

Thanks so much for allowing me the opportunity to read this one. Thriller....um yes! Took me a few days to really sink my teeth into it. But, it picked up, got me invested and I will tell you this much, check your “know it all attitude at the door”! The end will take you for a loop and at least for me, not where I saw this one going.

Check it out, support the author and allow yourself the time to settle in!

I was only a few pages into this when I thought it might be Miranda's best novel yet, and to the very last page I wasn't disappointed.

Rife with tension and suspense and things that make your heart go thump in the night, I couldn't put it down! Fast-paced and sly, this crafty thriller will keep you guessing because everyone's a suspect!

When Arden was a child she was swept away during a violent rainstorm while she was sleepwalking. Several days later she was miraculously found alive. Arden’s disappearance garnered nationwide attention and it only grew stronger after her rescue. Her mother even wrote a book about the ordeal and Arden became known as the girl from Widow Hills. Not all the attention was welcomed. It also attracted stalkers and unsettling fan mail, while Arden suffered the aftermath of the trauma. As a result, she and her mother were forced to move several times and when Arden reached her 18th birthday she changed her name (to Olivia), graduated from college, and never looked back.

That is, until now. The twentieth anniversary of her rescue is approaching. No one in her new town or at the hospital where she works knows her true identity. But that’s about to change. Olivia has begun to sleepwalk again and one night she stumbles over a body in her yard.

The Girl from Widow Hills is a story that builds slowly, with plenty of suspense and a few twists that caught me by surprise. The writing is excellent and the plot is interesting. The characters are varied and add a lot of depth to the story. I found the pace to be rather slow and it didn’t really seem to pick up until the last quarter of the book. I would give it 3.5 stars and I’m looking forward to reading more by Ms Miranda.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, though I have been interested in reading books by them for a long time. I’m glad that this is the first book I read by them, because it was a really good read that made me want to pick up more books they wrote. I thought the storyline was unique and the twists and turns were just right.

At first I wasn’t the biggest fan Arden as a character. I couldn’t really relate to her in the sense that she questioned a lot of things, but was OK with not knowing the actual answers. I’m sure she was more afraid of the real answers than anything else. Eventually I warmed up to her and I saw with the author was trying to portray through her.

This book was definitely full of a lot of twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat. There were a few parts that were a bit slow but I felt like that was more because the author was building a story that you fully felt a part of. If you are looking for a very unique thriller and don’t mind slower sections I would highly recommend picking up this book.

My first Megan Miranda and I found this to be delightful. I critique the Mystery/Thriller/Suspense genres harder than others because I often can figure out plot twists or feel disappointed by them. This however was a fun read. I look forward to picking up backlist titles from this author.

It’s been quite a while since I stayed up late to finish reading a book, and I had to finish it. Megan Miranda has created a story that keeps the reader guessing and plants enough doubt that you question the motivation of the main character.

Olivia, once famously known as Arden due to a tragic incident of her being missing for three days when she was six after being swept away by floodwaters, tries to live her life under the radar. She never tells anyone that she’s that girl because publicity hounds would track her down as well as those who believe that she owes them something for everything that was done to find her. Coming up to the 20th anniversary, Olivia finds out that her mother has died via a box that arrives with her mother’s soul possessions. Suddenly, Olivia reverts back to a person who sleepwalks and can’t account for time. She enters a frightening world, especially when, during a sleepwalking incident she trips over a man’s dead body.

Frankly, with most mystery/suspense/thriller books, I have a pretty good idea half-way through what’s going on and who done did it. Not here. In The Girl from Widow Hills, I was constantly guessing. Everyone is a suspect. Something happens and you wonder, is that a coincidence or is that tied in?
From the very first chapter, Miranda hooked me in and didn’t let go. Her writing is fluid. My kind of writing since you actually forget that you’re reading a book because you’re so engrossed in the story.
I love the way she handled characterization as well. Olivia is the narrator analyzing the people she knows, most only for a short while. Other characters tell her something about a person and she has to puzzle through whether her own intuition is correct or their interpretation. Everything and everyone is a puzzle.

The ending caught me off-guard, but perhaps it shouldn’t have. I think there might have been groundwork Miranda created that would have pointed me in the right direction, especially now that I know what that direction is.

“The Girl from Widow Hills”—Megan Miranda [4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️] This was my first book that I’ve read by this author, and I really enjoyed this suspenseful thriller. “The Girl from Widow Hills” tells the story of 6-year-old Arden Maynor who went missing for a few days and was miraculously found alive and was returned home. Arden’s mother wrote a book which led to fame, fan letters, stalkers, and nonstop public attention. When Arden was old enough, she moved away and changed her name, hoping to start over and to privately live her life. All of these years later, Arden, now Olivia, has managed to stay off the radar, that is until a body is discovered on her property, who she later found out had ties to her previous life. With this new incident and with the 20th anniversary of her rescue approaching, she’s now the center of media attention once again, and she feels she’ll never be able to escape her past life and being “the girl from widow hills.” This was definitely a page turner and I definitely recommend reading if you’re a fan of a good suspense. 👍🏼 *Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review* 📚

Such a good thriller! The 20th anniversary of Olivia/Arden tragic disappearance as a child is coming up. She has buried her past and trying her best to move forward. But her past is lurking, trying to dig its way out! I finished the book in one day, and had no idea how it was going to end!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

WOW! That is what I literally said with about 10% left to read. So when I read, I usually can make an assessment of how many stars I will be giving a book at about 65%. The last 35% can usually add or take away a star for me. Well Megan really did it with this book. 5 stars!!! This book is now available to to everyone!

Plot- Arden/Olivia is a girl who was lost at the age of 6 after sleepwalking and getting swept away by torrential rains. The way she was found and the media coverage that followed immediately threw her and her mom into fame and fortune. Arden not liking the attention as she got older changed her name to Olivia and never told her story again. The problem is that she doesn't even remember what happened even though every anniversary the media tries to find her and her mom tries to use her and the story as a money maker. Olivia stays under the radar for twenty years until a body was found dead outside her house, She begins to realize that maybe everything is not what it seems that night twenty years ago.

Thoughts- I knew there were going to be suspenseful and twisty turns in this book because that is what Megan Miranda does best. And I have to admit, at first, I didn't think I would love this book but boy was I wrong. I enjoyed her other books The Last House Guest and All the Missing Girls but The Girl from Widow Hills is hands-down my favorite. I love suspense/thrillers that have me second, third, and fourth guessing myself as this book did. When I thought I had something figured out then Miranda would make me doubt myself or throw in another clue. The first few chapters were a tad bit draggy and redundant but the last 50% really pulled me in. Make this book your next TBR and lets discuss!

Thank you @NetGalley, @MeganMiranda and @SimonandSchuster for my advanced copy of this book.
~Nicoles_BOOKCELLAR~.

#thrillers #psychologicalthrillers #suspense #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #bookish #bookworm #booklover #instabooks #bookblogger #bookrecommendation #fivestars #NetGalley #TheGirlFromWidowHills @simonbooks @meganlmiranda

Having read a few other novels by Megan Miranda The Girl from Widow Hills I know to expect a good mystery with some unexpected twists and her latest release does not disappoint! Years ago, Arden Maynor was thrust into the spotlight having survived being caught in a storm drain for days. The subsequent attention became so crushing that she changed her name while attending college and started a new life away from Widow Hills.

Near the mountains North Carolina Olivia has established a quiet life and promising career. With the anniversary of her rescue approaching the stress from her past experiences catches up to her and she begins sleepwalking again-just like that night twenty years ago. Stumbling over a dead man in her yard, Olivia wakes up and finds herself in a new nightmare as her past life as Arden collides with her present existence as Olivia-and she winds up in the spotlight again. In a race for her life and to prove her innocence this is one mystery that will keep you guessing!

What I really loved about this story is the character development as well as the backdrop of Olivia's job at the hospital-the hospital and community really serve as a silent character. The stage is set very well and the character development is detailed. The red herrings throughout throw you off enough to know that there is something more around the corner and Miranda does not disappoint-4.5 stars!

Twenty years ago, Arden Maynor at 6 years old went missing in a freak sleep-walking accident involving a storm. She was found days later, injured but alive, and became a local celebrity and subject of donated funds. People felt that they had a right to know her life, so she denied public appearances and changed her name as she got older to hide from the reporters looking to cover anniversary stories. Now in the present day, she is having sleep-walking episodes again after years of having thought she put that behind her. During one sleep-walking episode, she awakens to a dead body beside her in her yard, and now she isn’t so sure she can trust herself.
I liked this book more than I liked Megan Miranda’s other books. It kept my attention and I looked forward to reading, however I feel like it was just lacking something that would have really set it apart and gave it a bit more of an intensity factor. I think it ended well enough, with a couple twists thrown in for good measure, and was a solid mystery overall.

I had a hard time getting into this book and looking back I’m not sure if it was the book itself or the timing of when I was reading it. Regardless, it definitely started off slow and didn’t pick up until about a quarter, to half of the way through. The main character, Olivia, gained fame when she was 6 years old, was sleepwalking, and was swept away in a flash flood. Another sleepwalking incident in her adulthood led to the action. It was hard to know what direction the book was taking and there were definitely some twists and turns throughout that I did not predict. I would read more books by this author in the future.

Arden Maynor was swept away by flood waters when she was six. Against all odds, she was found 3 days later holding on to the grate in the drainage system. With a history of sleep walking, it was only a matter of time before something tragic or traumatic happened.

Everyone knew her story, or parts of it. Her mother gained fame and fortune by writing a book about the experience. But Arden and her rescuer, Sean Coleman, don’t want any part of the spotlight. Arden refuses to participate in the 10th anniversary interview and moves away from the small town bit by bit, until she finally changes her name completely and tries to start her life over as Olivia.

Arden’s mother runs through the money and never quite has success battling her own demons. She is always wanting a little more from Arden. Olivia realizes that in order to fully move on, it means leaving her mother and Arden and the entire story behind. She isn’t surprised when, close to the 20th anniversary of the event, she receives the news that her mother has died from an overdose 7 months ago and takes the box of her mother’s possessions that were sent to her and sticks them in a closet.

But there is something about that box and those memories that triggers Olivia’s sleepwalking again. Her elderly neighbor finds her outside in the middle of the night. Shortly thereafter, Olivia wakes again, alone, outside, in the middle of the night near a dead body.

And so begins a roller coaster of events that leave Olivia and the reader guessing as to what is really happening now and what really happened 20 years ago. There are so many twists and turns and shadows in this book as to keep the reader guessing and then second and third guessing.
Like All the Missing Girls, this novel by Megan Miranda does not disappoint with an ending that you just couldn’t guess.
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first Megan Miranda book and wow, it was amazing! So many twist and turns and I couldn’t put it down!! Can’t wait for her next book!!

There are so many thrillers these days and so many of them are predictable. Somehow, Megan Miranda does a decent job of taking overused tropes and ideas and creating a story that doesn’t mimic everyone else’s.

The Girl from Widow Hills had the girl who couldn’t remember her past, the idea of a past coming back to haunt her, mysterious circumstances, people in her life she maybe couldn’t trust, the use of alcohol and medication, and gaps in memory both past and present, along with a dead body turning up and a police investigation. These are all aspects of thrillers that keep getting regurgitated, but they all came together well in this book and didn’t seem overly predictable or eye-roll inducing.

I honestly didn’t know what happened, what would happen, and who Olivia could trust. The whole story came together well and I genuinely enjoyed reading it. There’s something about Megan Miranda books that just get it right for me and so far, I’ve enjoyed every one I’ve read