I rate Throwaway Girls a 4.5 as I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting because I had to know what happens to Madison. The book had the right amount of suspense, and the author did a great job of giving out clues the entire time, but also making you suspicious of everyone. At one point I had guessed who it could be but then more information was given and I changed my mind, so I wasn't entirely sure until 90% through the book. I love books where you're learning information along with the character, so I didn't know who was involved until Caroline did. Caroline was an amazing protagonist as I felt her struggles and emotions were real ranging from her anxiety to her fixation on her failed relationship. Her being a flawed, imperfect character made her more likable and also more interesting because you never knew what she was going to do next. Her fierceness in fighting for the people she loves or feels indebted to propels this story to its climax. I really enjoyed the romantic tidbits we would get throughout the book between Caroline and several people helping her, but was also happy that the author did not make them the focus of Caroline's story.

The only thing that confused me was the sections at the end of some chapters where the POV changed, and I didn't realize until halfway through that it was a different POV. I think it would have been easier to follow if they had been their own chapters, but it also could have just been me missing the mention of alternating POV in the synopsis. Some of the writing from the alternate POV was beautiful and captivating, and I think they really completed the story.

Overall, I recommend this book as it was an intriguing thriller that keeps you on your toes and calls into question the issues that we ignore as we go about our daily lives. It felt like a fitting tribute to all the girls that are missing. This isn't a book where you're left completely happy. It's one that sits with you because it's real and thought-provoking. It's slightly hopeful but also not meant to coddle you as the aftermath is a reality for the people who have been through these situations. The social message throughout was the strongest feature of this book and made all the work Caroline did seem necessary and important.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing with me with the free ARC.

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Andrea Contos' Throwaway Girls is a stunning mystery thriller surrounding one missing girl who everyone wants home, and the other missing girls who were forgotten. The reader follows Caroline, a queer teenager who is just trying to make it to her eighteenth birthday and graduation so that she can live her truth away from her stifling family. When her girlfriend leaves and her best friend, Madison, goes missing, Caroline knows finding Madison is up to her.

This novel kept dropping clues and twists and reveals. The pacing was beautifully done, and I was pleased with how the author developed the story being told. I would hate to accidentally give anything away, as I'm of the opinion that thrillers should mostly be gone into blind.

I was more impressed by this thriller than any other I have read in recent memory, and I look forward to future works from Contos.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kids Can press for providing me with this book.
Actual rating : 3,5
"I'd spent so many years surviving, I'd forgotten to dream"
Don't get me wrong I liked it. However, thrillers are one of my favorites and I love the feeling they can provide me when I can't stop reading and I'm on the edge of my seat and I lacked that. It is nicely done (even if I was sometime confused) and entertaining but nothing shocked me.
The messages conveyed are very important : how the society decide what girls they should look for or not, I also found message of friendship and self-acceptance ! And I loved Caroline, she is bold, fierce, flawed and relatable in her own way.

"Everything started with the body at the edge of the lake. I know that now"
Throwaway Girls is a debut novel by Andrea Contos coming out in September 2020. The story follows a teenager named Caroline who's best friend has been kidnapped. Nobody has answers as to where she went or who took her so Caroline decides to find out the answers for herself.

This was a solidly written debut novel. I will admit that the plot felt very slow for the first third of the book. It picks up around the half way point which is where we start learning things about the mystery. I really enjoyed how the author made us think about how each clue fit into the overarching story. I also enjoyed how the book shines light on social inequality and how economic disparity plays a part in high crime rates that go unchallenged by the public. It really makes you take a step back and question why people care more about crimes that happen to people with money or high social standing over crimes that happen to people of colour or in impoverish neighbourhoods.

The one major thing that I disliked about the novel is the main character. This is disappointing to me since this wasn't a novel where you are supposed to dislike the main character. Caroline is very angsty and self absorbed in her problems. Which arguably is true for a lot of teenagers both in real life and in fiction. So in that aspect Andrea Contros really nails the teenager mindset. However, I would have liked to spend less time reading about how sad she is over her break up and how she feels about her parents. The first time gives context and you feel insight into who Caroline is as a person. After the second or third time of bringing it up it almost feels melodramatic. Which again is a teenage trait so maybe that was the point. I personally would have liked a little bit less focus on those things and more focus on the mystery itself. I wanted to see Caroline as a person who is described as "an ocean" or as "someone who can move mountains" by the other characters in the book. I wish those traits took more of a front row seat ahead of the angst.

I did appreciate the LGBTQ+ representation in this novel. Especially since it can from a female prospective which I personally think is lacking in all genres but especially in young adult. I liked that it wasn't sensationalize like it often is in film or literature. It's just two people who are in love and I appreciate that.

All in all I enjoyed what this novel tried to do. I liked the commentary and representation. I also enjoyed the mystery and finding out what happened. It's a solidly written novel and outside of my personal feelings on the main character I can see how other people could really enjoy it. I give it 3.5 stars with a recommendation to check it out for yourself. I look forward to reading whatever else Andrea Contos writes in the future.

***Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Kids Can Press for providing me with an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review ***

Now that a kindle file format has been added, I was able to download it. I’m excited about getting to read it since I wasn’t able to due to the other file format. I’ll leave updated feedback soon when I’m able to read and finish it. Thank you very, very much for adding the kindle download,

Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos is one of my favorite kinds of thrillers. Sure, thrillers that coast giving small details and end in a huge amount of excitement are great, but this one was better. This is one of those thrillers that starts out exciting and builds until the end. It's the kind that had me up reading way later than I should have been.

It's about a girl named Caroline who is in her last three months of high school. She craves the day when she will graduate and be able to run away from her current life. Her world is rocked when her friend Madison disappears. When the police seem to be no help, Caroline takes it upon herself to find her friend. What she finds is that Madison is not the only girl to disappear. To make matters worse, finding her friend is hard when everyone seems to have secrets to hid. Even her own.

This book isn't just a great thriller though. Without diving into spoilers I want to say this book does bring up some topics you may not hear about too often or may not realize are current issues. I love that the author really brings some truth to light about things that I'm ashamed to say I never thought about.

This is a very well-written thriller that will leave you thinking about all night, even if you have already finished it. I highly recommend it.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book for my honest review. Unfortunately I am having the same issues as other reviewers have stated I am unable to download to my Kindle or as a PDF if or when the issue fixed I will be happy to edit this post.

I am now able to read it on my Kindle so I will read and edit my review.
Thank you

Honestly it was a good book! But unfortunately it wasn’t too much of a thriller or a suspense novel like I would’ve liked it to be. Still a nice novel

Wouldn't download so can't give a review just like most of the other reviewers have stated. Would love to read the book so if the issue gets fixed would try to download again.

Cannot read I’m afraid. Downloaded but pages are not showing up. Would be willing to read if you can send me a working file or a kindle version?

just downloaded it to read and i can't read it , all I'm getting is white plan pages and I even downloaded it to the app i always use for this kind of files.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THROWAWAY GIRLS by Andrea Contos in exchange for my honest review.***

5 EXPLODING STARS

Warning: this review contains a high degree of gushing

THROWAWAY GIRLS was near the top of my 2020 release list so I felt like I won the ARC lottery with the opportunity to review. As far as debuts go, Andrea Contos set the bar extremely high for subsequent works. Her gorgeous writing caused me to frequently pause to take in the beauty of her word building; her phrasing, through Caroline’s voice, often so profound that I exhaled breaths I didn’t realize I was holding.

Caroline personified badass. Additionally she often acted both bad and like an ass, but her genuine passion had me rooting for her success. Often myopic in pursuit of her goal, to find her missing BFF, Caroline stepped on toes, treated friends insensitively and manipulated the truth for the greater good. She’s also reeling from a recent breakup with Willa, who’s moved to California without her.

Beneath the story of Madison’s disappearance, Caroline learns others teens have gone missing, not wealthy, privileged, white girls like her best friend, but THROWAWAY GIRLS, girls whose faces never graced missing posters, girls without loving families to fight for their returns, girls assumed to be runaways, girls who Caroline believes may be victims of a serial killer.

The subplot of Caroline’s ex girlfriend distracts her from seeing that both the boy and the girl helping her amateur investigation may have crushes on her. Caroline needs to find Madison, the worry about Willa and her move across country.

THROWAWAY GIRLS is a must read for anyone who appreciates writing as spine-tingling in beauty and context, mystery/thriller lovers, LGBT heroes, strong narrators and great writing.

This was one of the most amazing YA mystery thrillers I have ever read!! I absolutely loved the plot twists and turns......the suspense and the tension.......the characters and the plot was very well-crafted. I couldn't put it down and it kept me turning the pages and coming back for more. I was able to easily myself in the writing. It will feature in my blog's "YA Mystery Thrillers to Look out for in 2020" list, alongside A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Karen McManus.
(Can't wait to read more of Andrea Contos..........she's awesome!!)

There is no option to send to my kindle. I was looking forward to reading this book. I was not able to view download so unable to read it unfortunately. If this gets fixed will read and review.