this was a really good murder-mystery, the characters were great and I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

This story captivated me at the beginning.  It was fast paced and full of secrets.  Intriguing!
Many thanks to BooksGoSocial and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow! I’m not for sure who the killer really is in this one! It’s that spine tingling and every which way....I gave it 4 stars because there were some conduct I didn’t care for and some language, not continuously all the way through though. For interest and thrilling mystery it was a 5. I also didn’t give 5 stars, because the girl, Carol, irritated me terribly at times. She let Frankie by with so much and she kept believing everything he said and still wanted him around even though she KNEW all the things he had done. Nope, that’s not for me.  It was a rough book to read, but you just keep reading it, because you just gotta know what’s happening next. This one was really good! ...Thank you to #NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read #KillingTheGirl and review, with my honest opinion. My views are my own.

What a heart-wrenching, twisted tale!!!! I could not put this one down! 

This story takes place during the 1970's and the present, told by Carol, a recluse that's telling her life story. I won't give away any of the delicious nuggets, but Elizabeth Hill captures the essence of teenage love very well and ages Carol's voice appropriately. 

I was captivated to watch Carol grow up and come to the realizations that she did. I feel that as adults we sometimes need to come to our own epiphany's as Carol did.

I can't wait to see what else Elizabeth Hill comes out with!

A special thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, and Elizabeth Hill for providing me with a reader copy.

Loved the storyline and the twist at the end was so unexpected, this book had me so drawn in from the start.

Good characters and the plot was fantastic. The two time frames do not complicate the story like some books can do.

I literally could not put this down. So invested up in Carol's story, I was compelled to continue.

Hill suckers the reader in from the first page:
"Perry Cutler and I buried Frankie Dewberry in the orchard. He lies not far from the garden wall, under the shade of the apple trees. Over the last forty-odd years I’ve spent many hours sitting on the wooden bench we placed next to his grave. It’s a peaceful spot near the boundary wall running to the south-west of my estate. Sitting near him gives me great comfort. I tell Frankie how restricted my life has been since his death. I tell him how sorry I am that our daughter, Francine, died so young. Although I loved him, I never tell him I’m sorry he’s dead."

Of course we want to know why Frankie lies buried in an orchard for forty odd years - what drove the reclusive and slightly unhinged Carol to such drastic measures. As she mentions, she is not sorry he is dead but instead laments that her crime is about to be discovered:

"My house is to be demolished to make way for a ring road. They will find Frankie’s resting place when they cut into the soil protecting my lover, my darling man. Police will ask questions. Strangers, who know nothing about me or my pain, will look at me in disgust."

Hill takes us back to those early days, forty years ago, as we follow our teenage narrator Carol through the euphoria of an intoxicating first love to the final, toxic ending, before we are brought back into the present to ponder just what Carol's final fate will be.

As I mentioned, I was hooked from the very beginning - I sat and just read. Hill elicits a strange sort of sympathy for Carol whose obsessive naivety over her relationship with Frankie is merely the first ripple of many - ".. we all paid for the emotions Frankie stirred in us ..". But is Carol the reliable narrator that she appears to be? As the past is slowly dredged up and laid bare, Carol reflects: "I have taken the blame for other people's deceitfulness and secrets." Revenge is a dish best served cold and efficiently!

I really don't know how Hill will improve on this - it is one of those stories that is right up there with the likes of M. Night Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense" or AJ Finn's "The Woman in the Window" or Paula Hawkins' "The Girl on the Train" or even "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn. I could almost image Hitchcock rubbing his hands with glee to be able to bring this to the big screen.

A must read for 2020!

This book grabbed me from the get go. I liked the writing, the characters were believable and the story intriguing. I really enjoyed how the story went back and forth through time. If you are looking for a good book, ReAd This!!!! Thank you to #Netgalley,the publishers and the author. I look forward to reading more by this writer.

This is Carol’s story.  

She’s a talented, intelligent high school student when she meets bad boy Frankie several years older.  Her university plans fall to the wayside as he becomes the love of her life.

Does he love her back?  Well, he maybe likes her... as much as a narcissist cares for anyone.

He’s also buried in her backyard.  We learn this in the first few pages of the book, so no spoilers here. We also learn that she and her childhood friend buried him forty years prior and he’s about to be discovered.

Whew, what an introductory prologue. So, what’s left?  

The answer: Plenty! 

There are many twists, discoveries, and secrets uncovered as Carol’s story unfolds while she journals the events of her life.  

I was so entertained by this book. There was an unexpected soulfulness as many of us may be able to relate to an intense but doomed first love.

This was an engrossing fast read and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Elizabeth Hill, the publisher, and Netgalley for my advance copy,

I received a copy of this book from the publisher to honestly review. Thank you. I will have to say that this book was an epic and challenging story. It encompasses most of the life of the protagonist. The entire book was spent with me constantly wondering why her Mother didn’t take better care of her but also how anyone could possibly be this naive?  Her early days were spent “in love” with the wrong man. He was never brought to any type of reckoning either. How could his parents support him knowing how he behaved?
It was just one mess after another. The story was well written but it was really hard for me to get past the constant blame of others (absolutely anyone) for her own very poor decisions. I know that she had serious mental health issues but this was only covered by her hospital admittances with no real depth as to what her issues were. 

Overall, the book was written in a good style but the story lacked some cohesion and context but is still worth reading.

Carol Cage just received an order to vacate her house, and she realizes that as they are digging up her property for a new road, they will discover her long buried secret....

Told from Carols perspective in the present as well as the past, this book tells the tale of a woman with a very difficult past and who is a very bad judge of character. 

The book kept me guessing to the very end. Just when I thought it had come to its logical, though disturbing, conclusion, there was another twist to process. I really like the unique concept of this story and it was a quick and enjoyable read.

Retribution for every wrong! Eye for an Eye! Death for a Death?!
Sizzling is best way to describe this one with Elizabeth Hill riding off into the sunset near the OakTree of Horrorville.
No, seriously folks if that tree could talk ....
Carol Cage is a loner by trade at the OakTree House and was fine until the moment she makes a compulsory purchase which opens up those long tucked away fears.
Skeletal remains are about to be unearthed.
An adult and a child are about to be thrown into the discussion with some cray - cray accusations and charges.
I guess what's left is tremendous bouts of hope, the power of forgiveness, and peace for those newly departed.
Poor Frankie- he may have started it all but sure as shiite Carol ends it!
I suppose being a man of the town didn't sit quite well but it usually never does! Womanizing and more isn't everyone's cup of tea these days of PC and all.
So, the question remains...
What if you could steal someone away for good as a token of appreciation?
Ahhh...Trouble ahead, exit stage right!

This is a truly amazing book that I don't know if I can describe it enough to give it the justice it deserves.
The writing is hauntingly beautiful and I felt like I was there in the mansion alone feeling all the emotions that Carol was feeling.  It was all so dark and emotional but it was written so beautifully that I could feel the pain, the lonliness, isolation, the let down and disappointment of everyone in her life. I honestly wanted to cry.
This was a chilling read that I give 5 stars!
Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for my ARC in exhange for my honest review.
Well done Elizabeth Hill!

Killing The Girl was an intriguing, enjoyable read. It has a lot of twists and turns to keep you reading.

This is Elizabeth Hill’s debut novel and it is outstanding.  Pretty much a book in two halves: the depiction of our protagonist, Carol, as a teenager in the 1960/70s and then her life in 2016.

Written in the first-person in diary form, we learn that Carol at 16 is naïve and somewhat sheltered and pregnant.  She marries Frankie and on one fateful day something horrendous happens and she turns to her neighbour, Perry for help.

In 2016 we find Carol living in the same home which is threatened by planning changes that will result in exposing the secret she has hidden for many years.  Perry, very much in love with her, is there to help her.

This dark, psychological thriller is enthralling.  Slowly events unfold and secrets are revealed and the reader is subjected to an examination of Carol, her choices in life, her mistakes and the sad realisation of a life not well-lived.  

Throughout the book the landscape is lauded, oftentimes dark and brooding.  It is beautifully written, thoughtful and measured.  It slowly sucks the reader into Carol’s captivity and the inevitability of exposure of secrets real and manufactured.

I am sorry Ms Hill, my review goes nowhere near giving enough credit for a beautiful book: it is thoroughly absorbing.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Carol Cage is a recluse. Surrounded by money, her house, her things. There is no one in her life. Her brothers have lives of their own. He mother has remained. The man she loved lies dead under the pear tree. So many years she has stayed away from everything and everyone. 
This is a psychological thriller. It has everything you would want in a great book. It has drama, strong characters, fantastic storyline and a phenomenal twist at the end.
Excellent!

As a teenager, Carol dreamed of going to university. All that changes when she meets Frankie, a smooth talker who changes her life. Soon Carol is pregnant and Frankie abandons her. If only he had stayed away, she might have taken back control of her life, but alas, this is not a happily ever after story.
Carol uses her diary to show us what happened and the many lies and deceptions that have defined her come to light. Her world is about to explode, as her house is slated for demolition. When that happens, it is likely her secret will be revealed and she needs to be prepared.
I had such a hard time empathizing with Carol. Yes, first love can be brutal, but the decisions she made and the things she did had me shaking my head more than once. I never warmed up to this character, but somehow,  I found myself getting pulled into the story. Suddenly, I wanted to know exactly what had happened and to me, this is a sign of an enjoyable read. Kudos to the author for writing characters I loathed and still creating a compelling tale.

Enjoyed this slow-burning thriller.  The first paragraph hooked me and it held my interest.  Some books grab you with the first sentence and then drag, not here!   I wanted to know more sooner, but Ms. Hill timed everything perfectly, doling out information at an ideal pace.

A tense psychological thriller full of deceit and murder. I couldn't put it down until the end. 
Did Carol kill the love of her life, Frankie? 
Set in England it goes through different time periods of Carol's life. 16 and pregnant and Frankie, a much older, worldly Playboy has secrets of his own. 
She becomes a recluse and 40 years later the truth comes out. People are not as they seem. You won't regret picking up this thriller. 

Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for the eARC

This book was a good read although I found it a bit verbose. There was loads of unnecessary information and believe me, I love a good detailed read as much as the next guy! It was like the main character was in la la land a lot of the time but maybe that was done on purpose to show how messed up she was inside. I got through this book quickly because I was interested to see what happened, whodunit, etc. but I think it didn't need to be as long as it was.

The novel took me awhile to become interested in its contents and I do think the writing style of the novel was part of it. It didn’t entice me the way I expected it to.
I do however, enjoy the last half of the novel over the first half. The storyline definitely begins to pick up the pace and the flow of the novel seems more organic.
I would still recommend this novel for people interested in this sort of genre.