Another read listen to save my TBR, the narrator had THE perfect voice for this fast-paced sapphic thriller. A short quick read/listen that I really enjoyed!

This was a fantastic read! It's hard to classify, because the opening happens in the future, then it flashes back, and we get to see these girls form their connection. They have secrets that are revealed, but it's not fully a mystery. And the beginning and end are a thriller, but not the bulk of this story. Though the synopsis on Goodreads for the Kindle version must've been an early copy, because that wasn't the story at all. But regardless of what genre it is, it was a fantastic read!

There is that misleading synopsis out there that makes it seem like the majority of the book will take place after the bloody picture of Madison is texted, when that happens in the last 50 or so pages. The rest of the story is getting to know these two and the secrets that they were keeping, leading to the opening, which is why I have the above synopsis, since it's more accurate to the story.

Honestly, a big fear of mine, with the beginning itching my brain, is that Madison is playing Tillie, that she's behind the picture and the mass message. On the other hand, I thought it could be possible that Tillie and Madison were working together to take down Elliot.

But that ending? I wish it had been longer. The whole bit with the picture of Madison's body, almost nothing happened, because the ending happened right away. And then there was that final message, and while I like where it went with what Tillie decided to do, I'm wondering who sent it?

Loved reading this book and I can't wait to read more by Sara Walters!

I think this one was kind of boring for a thriller book. I also didn't like the homophobia and some of the other triggers in this book.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
This book follows Tillie after she moves to the suburb of Willow Creek from Philadelphia. The opening chapter shows her being accused of murdering Madison Frank. The rest of the book is about how she came to know and fall in love with Madison, then come to the position so that she could be accused of murder.
Overall the book was ok, but it was not what was in the summary. It is about how girls can fall into obsessive love with each other to the exclusion of the rest of the world. There really is no mystery. If you are interested in reading about a love story to the extreme, then this is a book for you.

This. book was not for me. It's just two teen girls who fall in love and become consumed with each other to disturbing levels. Did not like the flippant handling of them technically murdering people and getting away with it just to plan to technically murder/get revenge on more people all why getting hot and heavy every 10 pages... There were also some editorial mistakes that were distracting: missing words, wrong tenses. Overall this one was not for me or my library.

Missing Dead Girls written by Sara Walters was a bit of a miss for me, at times it could've been a hit, but with insta love and the repetitiveness it just kind of fell short for me. Let me just clear some things up, this book is NOT a thriller in anyway, at certain times it was a mystery, but there was nothing thrilling about this book. I feel so guilty for rating this book so low, because it does deal with sexual assault victims and the aftermath that happens after coming out about the experience, but it was just too repetitive for me. One of the main characters had the same exact thoughts throughout the entire book, but each time it was worded differently, like I wanted to know what the characters were thinking after everything they did, I don't know if this makes any sense, at all. I think i'm one of the many outliers for this book, which is a bummer because the synopsis sounded so good. Missing Dead Girls was definitely fast paced, but it just wasn't my thing. If sexual assault is a trigger for you, then this is NOT a book you should be reading. The characters were seventeen years old, so I feel like this being a YA book kind of lost my interest. I don't know about y'all, but I feel like after a certain age you don't resonate with the characters and book anymore. Maybe I have grown out of my YA phase, I truly don't know.

TW'S: sexual assault and violence.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND SOURCEBOOKS FIRE FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!

Here's some questions I want y'all to truly think about, opinions are more than welcome.
What is friendship without a few secrets?
Would you ever keep a secret from your friend?
Is a secret worth risking your friendship over?


It wasn't Tillie's choice to leave Philadelphia behind, she didn't want to leave some of those memories behind. But after everything that happened her junior year of high school, Tillie's mom insisted the quiet suburb of Willow Creek, Pennsylvania was the perfect place for a fresh start, to turn Tillie's life around, to put the trauma and rumors from Philadelphia behind them for good, even though Tillie moved away from everything that happened back in Philadelphia thoughts keep racing back to her mind. In Willow Creek, Tillie will start her senior year of high school, she has a new job as a lifeguard at the pool in their community. Madison Frank is the perfect distraction for Tillie, the two of them meet when Tillie gets off the clock of her duty as a lifeguard, when her bike gets stuck in the bike rack and Madison offers Tillie a ride home. Everyone who works at the pool tells Tillie that Madison isn't who she really is, but that doesn't change Tillie's mind. Madison is beautiful, fun, and from the wealthy side of town. Madison is the type of person who has a pull stronger than gravity. Madison commands attention from everyone around her, she's even inspired by obsession.

By the end of summer and the start of their senior year, Tillie has forgotten everything and everyone she left behind in Philadelphia, well almost. Tillie and Madison hangout almost every single day during the summer, they even start falling in love with each other, but decide to keep their love for each other a secret. As they spend their summer days with each other, Tillie learns about Madison's past, and Madison learns about Tillie's past before she moved to Willow Creek. Tillie's mom doesn't want her falling back into her old life like how she did in Philadelphia, so she's kind of hesitant who Tillie hangs out with, but she's not a helicopter mom, she gives her daughter space, but asks the questions every mom should ask their daughter. When pranks start going wrong for Tillie and Madison and they start playing with the wrong people, on the first day of their senior year Tillie was supposed to catch a ride to school with Madison, but she never showed up. Once Tillie is at school, Madison goes missing, a photo of her bloody body is texted to the entire school, but here's the catch, the text message is from an account with Tillie's name on it.

Missing Dead Girls is a sapphic psychological thriller that leaves you guessing through every twist. Highly recommend!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t really like this one. I guess it’s one of those YA books that is geared just for teens and not adults. I didn’t connect with the characters and the story just moved too slow.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the E-ARC. I found this book to lag, I could not finish it. I had higher expectations for this book.

This is a bit of a slow-burn about Tillie, a queer girl moving to a new town and keeping everything on the downlow. She's secretly crushing on her friend, Madison, the wealthy mean girl in her new hometown. They connect, each with their own problems and secrets.

I loved Walters The Violent Season so my expectations were high for this one. I found this to be more of a slow burn. Also, I think the younger of the YA audience will enjoy this!

I think there's a lot of potential and I was curious about the plot as the blurb promised an exciting story.
It's an ok book but it didn't surprise me and I didn't care for the characters
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

"Missing Dead Girls" is a well-crafted and thought-provoking novel that sheds light on a serious issue in society. While the subject matter is dark, the story is ultimately one of hope and redemption. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thrilling mystery with a heart.

**Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader's copy of Missing Dead Girls by Sara Walters through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

Missing Dead Girls by Sara Walters is a young adult coming of age thriller novel about a girl named Tillie who is forced to move after dubious events at her old school.  In her new town, she makes friends and more with a girl named Madison and things spiral from there.  The novel was published on February 28th, 2023.  I rated it four stars on Goodreads.

Here's the summary from Goodreads:

What is friendship without a few secrets?
It wasn't Tillie's choice to leave Philadelphia. But after everything that happened junior year, her mom insisted the quiet suburb of Willow Creek was the perfect place to get a fresh start, to put the trauma and rumors behind them.
Madison Frank is the perfect distraction. Beautiful, fun, and from the wealthy side of town, Madison is the kind of girl who has a pull stronger than gravity. She commands attention, even inspires obsession. And by the end of summer, Tillie's forgotten everything—everyone—she left in Philadelphia. Almost.
Then Madison goes missing. A photo of her bloody body is texted to the whole student body...from an account with Tillie's name on it. Tillie's caught in a tangled web of secrets that will destroy her if they surface...and will destroy everyone she loves if they don't.

This was a really interesting read.  It was definitely the summary for this book that drew me in.  I've been on a bit of a mystery kick lately, so this really hit the bill.  I ended up really enjoying it, but it definitely wasn't what I expected going into it.

The book opens with a prologue that sets up the events described in the book's blurb, but those events don't come into play in the novel until much later in the book.  Way later than I expected.  It made for an interesting sense of pacing.  The author spends a lot of time developing the relationship between Madison and Tillie, which I felt was valid but felt strange based on what the book was sold as.

I found the dynamic between Tillie and Madison fascinating in a sort you can't look away from the trainwreck kind of way.  They're well suited for each other, but they definitely have a bit of a toxic dynamic and I can't see things playing out well for them long term after the conclusion of the story.  It would be interesting to see a sequel and what might happen to them, especially based on certain things that were revealed at the end of the book.

The book was well written, and I really enjoyed the way that the author revealed details about the characters.  It kept me in suspense until just the right moment.  

Overall, the book was a fun, fast paced read, and I highly recommend that you check it out.

i read the whole story. Written well, but not my kind of story. Hopefully teens are not truly like this. Revenge does come at a cost and like people seem to find each other. A high school read. Drama, and more drama.

Missing Dead Girls is a YA thriller following Tillie. She decided to leave her hometown after everything that happened in her Junior year. When she moves she find someone new to focus on, Madison. Only the honeymoon phase doesn’t last long, because Madison goes missing and strangely Tillie is right in the center of the investigation.

This book sounded good, the promise of it seemed right up my alley, but unfortunately this was very average and bordered on boring too. I think that it would hit better for someone who has not read many thriller/mystery books and it felt geared towards a younger audience.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-arc!

I liked the concept behind the book, but the drugs were triggering to me. Usually I don't get triggered if it's like just a few times, but I think trying to read it right after The Headmaster's List that also had some drugs in it and I just couldn't do it. It's not that it was a bad book, it just wasn't for me.

Missing Dead Girls is an outstanding twisty YA thriller with an unpredictable ending sure to keep readers guessing from start to finish. The writing is atmospheric creating this creepy feeling throughout. The characters are well-developed. Highly recommended! If you enjoy YA thrillers, don't miss out on Missing Dead Girls.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Missing Dead Girls is the epitome of what I expect when I pick up a psychological thriller: messed up characters (but make them sapphic!), deadly secrets, and a bucketload of twists and turns. It takes the common high school tropes, like dysfunctional friendships with mean girls, and turns the dial up to 11 with delightful fashion.
Tillie is a somewhat unreliable narrator, but she’s nonetheless sympathetic, as she has been through a lot, even if her entire history isn’t exactly clear right away. As the narrative continues, we learn more about her, her past, and how that informs the toxic, codependent dynamic she has formed with the popular Madison, who has some secrets of her own.
This book is simultaneously a slow burn, yet it’s also on the shorter side. There’s a lot of setup of the dynamic between Tillie and Madison, with the last third being where the big bombshells really come into play. And even the end leaves things somewhat ambiguous, which works, given how untrustworthy these characters have been up to this point, and there not being a real satisfactory form of closure for them.
This is an exciting, nail-biting read, and one I’d recommend if you’re looking for a sapphic take on the young adult thriller genre.

Perfectly weaved psychological thriller. Almost a E2L trope - Mid class new girl (Tillie) with a mysterious history, meets closeted, rich, mean girl with a history everyone thinks they know(Madison)... they fall hard and fast for each other, but is it real? That is the question Tillie keeps asking. This is all too good to be true. She has been here before, only that ended with someone missing.

I'm a little sad I didn't like this more than I did. I loved Sara Walters's first book and thought it was such an interesting take on intimate partner violence in teens. This book, unfortunately, did not have the same depth that her first one did.

I did still enjoy this book, and there is still good commentary on sexual violence committed against women, but it gets lost in the narrative.

I did like the relationship between the MCs (always love unhinged teenage girls), but overall just hoped for a little more.