Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of THE GIRL WHO WASN'T THERE. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

I requested this story because I felt akin to the main character. I wish the writing had been stronger. The mystery was easily figured out before the book ended and the author gave it away. Not bad for a quick read.

Kasia Novak’s life hasn’t been the same since she was diagnosed with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), a chronic fatigue disease that keeps her home and bed bound most days. Then one night she witness a women being abducted and Kasia realizes she was not the only witness and there was a girl watching from the house across the street. Kasia decides she has to know who this girl is and soon learns that her neighborhood holds secrets she could never imagine.

So I liked this book but I didn’t love love it. I liked that the book had chronic illness represented so well in it. It’s something that isn’t very common in most YA books. I really liked the main character Kasia. Her friendship with Mrs. Gayatri and her grandson Nav was very sweet. The author also doesn’t shy away from tougher topics in this book. My only complaint was there was times that the story felt a little disjointed. I wish the thriller storyline was blended a little better with Kasia’s everyday life. Overall I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the digital copy!
*I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I wish this had been a little more thrilling and a bit less predictable but it was an enjoyable read all the same.

A good thriller for teenagers and adults alike. Nothing too scary but a good introduction to trafficking issues as well as ME.

This one wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t memorable either. I would have liked to see more of a thriller aspect since that’s really how this was marketed but I found it to be more a character study.

This was a very strange yet good story. We have a girl who has an exhaustion illness so she sits at her window a lot and one day she sees a girl peeing from a window across the street. Strange thing is those people swear no one else lives there but them and their baby. This story has so many aspects and lives involved and it did take a bit longer than normal to read this very small book but I'm Glas I pushed through. The story stuck in my head and I like when they do that


I gave it 3 stars because I was honestly expecting a thriller and that's not what this was, even though it was still a really good story.

This was ok. I had a really hard time getting swept away in the story. The characters were interesting and I felt connected to Kassia but as far as thrillers go, I just wasn’t sucked in. I read a lot of YA. books so I can recommend them to my students and this was just not one of the best.

3 stars. This was entertaining, but it is definitely not a shocking thriller by any means. However, I think it's a topic that is great to expose younger readers to. Review to come.

Due to being a high school English teacher, I am often behind on writing reviews. Here is a summary of my initial thoughts.

The writing wasn’t good. There was a lot of extra conversation and repeating of parts that weren’t important to the main story line this made the story drag on. Felt younger then it should have dealing with such a complicated and mature topic. It was I am sorry kind of dull. Jumped around and had zero background.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Girl Who Wasn't There, by Penny Joelson.

Kasia has a chronic illness that has kept her home missing her prime teen years. To pass the time she watches out the window, taking stock of the comings and goings of her neighbors.

But one day she notices a girl being forced into a car. Shocked by what she saw, she looks across to the building next door to see another young girl witnessing what took place. But when she goes over to question her, she is nowhere to be found. Did Kasia make her up? Did she even see what she saw?

This is weird commentary, but Joelson's book would be great for a conservative/Christian bookclub looking to discuss hard and modern issues. The writing looks at these issues with a very protective and softened lens, with a good story told while doing it. I would also recommend to the YA crowd as it advocates for, well, advocation.

Hot take: a premise full of potential but a story that reads more like the annotated outline for a book that was never finished. So many opportunities for fully fleshed out descriptions and chances to bring the reader into the action that ended up as single declarative “and then she/he/they...” style sentences.

For me, it lacked the build up and in-the-character action that makes thrillers enjoyable.

This is my first Penny Joelson book and it will not be the last! Originally, I was most intrigued by this book based on the cover... and while it definitely creeps me out and sparks my interest, the story itself holds up SO well! I love when a cover and a book are both equally great in this way! This mystery/thriller about a girl with a chronic illness was so well-thought out and executed, that I can't help but just want more! I think this would make for a great limited series TV adaptation as well. Definitely recommend this one!

3.5 stars

I feel like I chose this book under false pretenses. The cover looked spooky and the summary sounded like this was going to be a mystery/thriller. However, that is not the case. Yes there is a kidnapping that no one believes, but that is where the thrilling activity ends. I do have to say, I did enjoy this book even though it wasn't what I thought it was going to be.

The writing style made me have serious empathy for Kasia's ME condition. I do not have ME, but I struggle to have energy. I completely understand where the character is coming from.

This book is classified as a YA and that makes sense, but at the end, it takes a major left turn into a political piece. The transition made sense, but it was breezed through in a few pages.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

So, I picked this book up one because I really liked the cover and two because the synopsis really caught my attention. I mean really what would you do if you see something happening next door but don't really have the means to really help? That aspect really caught my attention. But I do kind of feel like this book is a bit misleading.
This book follows Kasia who has a disability that leaves her in her room pretty much all day. It's not until she see's a kidnapping next door when she starts to motivate herself to gain some energy. She has to figure out what happened to that woman and why she never sees the other woman in the window come out of the house. So, I thought what happened was going to be the main focus of the book. But that's not the case. In fact the main focus is on Kasia's disability. That's fine but that wasn't really what I was expecting when going into this book. I kind of feel like her disability took over the whole plot rather than it being kind of a side story. Because her disability takes over the plot the story gets a little slow. And I mean pretty slow because something thrilling happens at the beginning of the book and something thrilling happens towards the ending of the book, but not a lot happens in the middle. Another thing that kind of bothered me with the book is that Kasia uses 911 when she lives over in the UK. I get making things understandable for USA readers but I kind of wish that the emergency contact for there stayed the same. I'm not sure if that was really an author thing or an editing thing.
But there are somethings that I actually really enjoyed with this book! I honestly liked that Kasia has a disability. She has a disability that people often discredit and they think that person is just lazy and doesn't want to do anything. I also like that Kasia has a very supporting family that doesn't make her feel bad for what's going on with her. It's also really great that there are other characters who are very supportive of her and actually want to help her. You don't really see that a lot anymore. So, overall I am just happy that she has people surrounding her that actually want to see the best from her.

The premise was interesting but I just couldn't get into it cause the first two chapters were so repetitive and sounded like gossipy girls. Maybe it could better but I couldn't continue.

This was more for the YA crowd than adult fiction. That being said I still loved it. Intriguing premise, interesting characters and great writing. Some twists and turns I didn't see coming and a great ending! Can't wait to mention this in my FB group and can't wait to read more by this author! Thank you so much!

I really enjoyed reading this book! It's not the first that I've read that involves human trafficking, but it is the first that deals with Kasia's illness, which is pretty debilitating at times, and sounds so frustrating to have. But it was inspiring how much she could do from just her bed, her room, her house, her neighborhood block!

Kasia was on the younger side, and so it made sense that shew as a bit immature. But it just means that my reading tastes have moved on a little bit, at least from the younger protagonists of YA. But to be fair, she is in a really frustrating and difficult situation. She had so many ups and downs, and the downs after special moments or a bunch of hard work, yeah, it was hard!

I really enjoyed the little letters almost that were written by the "girl who wasn't there." Her story was more an undercurrent of what was going on in Kasia's life-at least until they meet, and it becomes more important. It is from which that the title draws from, after all!

The way things ended was really great. It was realistic, I felt, that yeah, the girl they rescued can't stay with them, because of the possibility of the group finding her, and her going back because of the way they indoctrinate people like that. And the way that thing ended with the romance was really sweet! Overall a really enjoyable ending!

This was a really great book, and I can't wait to read more by Penny Joelson!

The Girl Who Wasn't There is the perfect introduction to thrillers. Has all the right elements and keeps you hooked and turning the pages. But if you are seasoned thriller aficionado you might find it a little predictable. But overall it's an enjoyable read.

Man do I love a good psychological thriller/mystery. Outside of my normal sci-fi/fantasy comfort-zone, but somehow still a part of it. I've never personally picked up a book like this one, but now I will be. The entire show is one big on-the-edge of a CLIFF (scratch "seat") adrenaline rush. I felt for the character, and the topics were tough, but I connected the book so much, I will be buying copies for all of my friends for our latest book group meeting. Well done!