This book was hard to put down, but unfortunately gave me my fair share of nightmares.  If you love thrillers and suspense and can avoid it in your sleep then this book is for you.

A horrifying story that feels too true to be fiction- fair since the book is based on a series of murders in the 70s and 80s. I love that this is a common element in Jess Lourey's books, she writes books that seem like they are true crime and not just fiction.  

After stumbling too far into a mess of kidnappings, death, drugs, child predators, and corruption, Heather sets off to uncover the truth that her small town is seemingly okay with covering up. One by one her friends go missing and later show up dead. The police are convinced it's a suicide pact but Heather knows something terrible has gone down.

With a slew of possible suspects, I was never certain of who I thought was the bad guy. The entire time I could feel the weight that our main character felt on her shoulders. Jess Lourey does a wonderful job of engulfing you with feelings and putting you right in the shoes of Heather. I felt every emotion, worry, fear, and devastation. I will be reading more of Lourey's work.

I loved this book! This story follows Heather and her 2 best friends through a 1970s summer - the story was crafted incredibly and at times, I felt like I could truly see the story based on the descriptions in the book. There are 2 parallel story lines that the reader knows are connected but I did feel like they could have been connected earlier in the book rather than so close to the end. I also felt that for as strong as the story and descriptions were, the ending was a little predictable. I would recommend this book to others though - it's a quick, easy read!

I typically love this authors books but this one was just ok for me. The mystery wasn’t totally there i feel like. It seemed a tad scattered and i feel like there were too many things going on in the end. It took me awhile to get into it. I liked the middle and it and lost interest again towards the end. I was also confused on the mom. And that whole situation

3,5 stars.
I wish the characters were older. I liked the "historical" setting. I appreciated the commentary and discussions.

I loved that this historical fiction setting was based on a real crime. I’ve read two other books with this premise, and they were all quite enjoyable. The story line was good, but it took a little to get to the point.

The Quarry Girls is based on or inspired by true crime events/serial killers in Minnesota during the late 1970’s. As I grew up in that time period, I was really looking forward to this book. I can honestly say it was just okay. There was just not very much of a mystery throughout the book. It was mostly sad, not thrilling at all. As usual, Lourey writes well but that's just not enough to warrant more than 3 stars.

In small town Minnesota in 1977, summertime for best friends Heather and Brenda means fun activities like going to the county fair, night swimming parties in the quarry and adventuring in the tunnels beneath the city.  If this is shocking to you, you are not a child of the 70's.  This is all accurate to my experience and more - there was no Life360 and our parents really didn't care that much.  There were literally PSA commercials on tv at night to remind parents to check and see if we had made it home that night - It's 10 PM, do you know where your children are? It was a very different time.  Anyway, Heather and Brenda saw something very scary in one of their tunnel adventures under the city and swore to keep it a secret.  But when a friend disappears, the 2nd girl to vanish in a week, they start to worry the missing are related to what they saw. The authorities seem reluctant to investigate, so the girls look for answers on their own - what could possibly go wrong?

I really enjoyed reading this book.  It held a real nostalgia for growing up in the 70's and captured the atmosphere of a very different time quite well.  The author creates so much tension that it was almost unbearable at times - the tunnels were so creepy and reminded me of similar very stupid things that I did with my friends as a youth.  We all think we're invincible until we rudely find out that we're not.  This is captured with heart breaking accuracy in the characters.  It's very dark, very twisty and I really couldn't put it down. Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I just finished reading 'The Quarry Girls' by Jess Lowrey and can't stop raving about it! This captivating novel follows the lives of three women working in a quarry in small town England. Lowrey skillfully examines themes of love, loss, and family dynamics in this page-turning story. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a compelling read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
In this book, Heather and her friends are transitioning from childhood to adulthood and figuring out what that means. Unfortunately, sometimes when we are growing up things aren’t always bright and sunny. The truth can be shocking, cruel, and deadly. Heather must figure out what is happening in her small town, why young girls going missing, her friends? The answers may be just as hard or harder to deal with as the disappearances. Heather will find her true strength and live with values and integrity even when it hurts. This book is phenomenal. A harrowing coming of age story that can teach us to do what is right even if it goes against everything we know to be true.                                          #bookreview #bookreviewer #thrillerbooks

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey.

This is a great read for true crime fanatics, especially if your interest is serial killers.  This highlights some of the big ones while diving into it's own case of girls gone missing.  Overall it was enjoyable, but I would say it was also forgettable, in that I read it not too long ago and already can't remember it at all.  I've read MANY mysteries that smack exactly the same.  BUT, sometimes what matters is just being entertained in the moment, especially in a well written gritty mystery.

Really enjoyed this novel. Story was very interesting and engaging. Looking forward to reading more by this author. Highly recommend!

I had thrills all the time I was reading this book. The Quarry Girls is a fascinating thriller and it truly felt like I was reading a true crime documentary from the point of view of two teenagers, not a work of fiction. The details were on point!

The Quarry Girls is the first book I have read by Jess Lourey.   It won't be the last!   I finished this last week and it has really stayed with me because it is actually based on true events.   Taking place in 1977 it's about a group of high school students who have so many hopes and dreams for the future but also a time when they make some very bad choices.   These choices have consequences!   I could not stop reading this book and I can't wait to read more by this author!

Set in 1977 in a small town in Minnesota, three best friends Heather, Maureen and Brenda are enjoying their teenage years forming a girl band, swimming in the quarries and just enjoying life. Unfortunately, their simple existence is about to change when a series of young women go missing and fear creeps into their town. Heather is dealing with her mothers mental issues as well as her father’s absence due to his job as the DA, leaving her in charge of her younger sister Junie. She begins to doubt everything and everyone around her, the local boys, a drifter in town, her friends, the police and even her own father. When nothing seems to be done to find the missing girls, Heather begins to investigate on her own and soon finds herself immersed in this dangerous situation, uncovering secrets and lies that will change everything for her and all of those around her.

A fast paced thriller set in a small town. At first it the girls in this small town are disappearing, but then a body is found, secrets are discovered, and the dirty truth is unveiled. Are any of the girls in this small Minnesota town safe? The MC, a teenager, has to take matters into her own hands to find out who killed her friends, and reunite her family.

A dark, disturbing, and twisted novel that was hard to read at times due to the nature of the secrets. This novel gives of the same vibes as The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel.

I want to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this book.

The Quarry Girls was a nonstop page turner and I couldn’t put it down. It’s a story about a small town in St. Cloud, Minnesota that is harboring a lot of dark secrets.  It has creepy underground tunnels that connect all the houses.  When young girls go missing and found dead Brenda is determined to find answers.

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Jess Lourey for the ARC for my review.

Overall, I did enjoy this one. It was a bit slow going at first but the second half really picked up and I flew through it. I thought I had things figured out but then another twist was thrown in and caught me off guard. I would have enjoyed a bit more character development but overall, this was a good, quick read.

5 stars all the way!

‘My home, my neighbourhood, whirling like a tuned-up clock as poison rotted it from the inside. Had it always been like this? Bright and happy on the surface, dark and decaying beneath? Was this how every neighbourhood was, or was it the tunnels that cursed Pantown, weakening our foundation from the start?’ 

I knew it was only a matter of time until Jess Lourey wrote something equally as memorable and unputdownable as Unspeakable Things. I read The Quarry Girls over two days – couldn’t put it down, had to finish, had to know how it ended. Loved the eerie apprehension of this one, and I was in a constant state of foreboding, fearful for the safety of teenage narrator Heather, her younger sister, her two female best friends, and all the girls of the small Minnesota town of Saint Cloud in the Summer of 1977. This town sure had a dark underbelly lurking everywhere, permeating everything.

Given the graphic content, and because it involved underage teenage girls being taken advantage of in pretty much every way possible, it was dark, distressing, disturbing, and often bleak. But, it was also suspenseful, tense, atmospheric, emotional, compelling, and the characters and setting were vivid and unique, and there was justice and hope for the future to be found by the end. The notion of a maze of tunnels running beneath the residential neighbourhood of Pantown on the outskirts of Saint Cloud, accessed via the basements of every house further connecting to an abandoned, derelict factory really creeped me out. Adored all the 70’s pop culture references peppered throughout.

I’m very excited for whatever Jess Lourey writes next. She totally nailed everything correctly with The Quarry Girls.

I’d like to thank Netgalley US, Thomas & Mercer, and Jess Lourey for the e-ARC.

This is a new author to me, and I enjoyed The Quarry Girls very much, so will be keen to read more. Vividly described, the prose is evocative of the era and I felt that I really routed for the main character, caring about the outcome for her. With lots of plot twists it is page-turning and I highly recommend it. Couldn't put it down!