This is a sequel. The story is told over a dual timeline. I couldn’t connect with the characters or the story. It all felt a little flat for me.

This is a standalone and also a follow up. Confused? Don’t be. Just buy the first book: The Girl in the Red Coat.
The 3 main characters are great. As I said you CAN read as a standalone but I’m not sure why you would. This a review of 2 books!

I enjoyed this book and found it very intriguing. Kate Hamer is such a great author and I love the way she writes her characters. This had me hooked and I highly recommend it.

I’m preferred the first book but this was still a worthy read. The plot was engaging and I loved the realism of exploring the aftermath of trauma. The characters were believable and I was rooting for them from start to finish.

The Lost Girls unfortunately did not hold my attention. I found the beginning confusing and the characters not really appealing for me. I'm not sure if this is because I did not read the first.book, I am aware this is a sequel.

My thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and share my review.

An enjoyable and moving read that kept me engaged from start to finish!
The writing was beautiful and the characters captivating.
Thank you for the chance to review!

A amazing debut that I read late into the night so I could find out what was the little girls fate. It was a deeply moving read.

Beth is desperate to return to normality. After a years-long ordeal, her daughter is finally home and safe. But Carmel has questions she can't ignore about the cult that kidnapped her, and about the preacher who gave her another girl's name.

Found, she must survive a miracle.

Digging into her past, Carmel uncovers secrets which suggest that she wasn't the only lost girl - and which puts her in danger all over again. While her mother struggles to salvage the safety they've only just found, Carmel tries to come to terms with who she has become. One question, a mystery at the heart of her disappearance as a child, haunts her:

What happened to the other lost girls?

This is a wonderful addition to this thrilling series!
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Such a thrilling read that I couldn't put it down.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

A sequel that wasn’t really necessary. I found the characters lacklustre and the plot disjointed at times, the only POV I enjoyed was Mercy.

This novel is this sequel to the girl in the Red coat and tells the story of the main character from the previous book as she becomes a young adult and comes to terms with her period of captivity as a young child, I think you would struggle to understand this book, if you hadn’t read the previous novel The girl in the Red coat .I had read and enjoyed this novel, but it was some months months ago and I was quite a long way into the new a story before I understood who both girls were. Although it was clear that the main character if the second novel was the same as the main character of the first novel, it took me some time to understand the other girl being mentioned was the girl who’s Passport she had found in the campervan and who turned out to be the previous child taken by the Child kidnapper. I think that the book really is best read after reading the first book, and it probably wouldn’t stand up very well on its own as a standalone novel
I was quickly enthralled by the story of the children, and found the book flowed nicely and was an enjoyable read. The authors writing style is an easy enjoyable read.
The author has the ability to describe people’s characteristics well and that by the end of the story you know both of the young girls and the mother of the kidnapped girl well, they felt like real people to me.
The book was published in the UK on the 16th of February 2023 by Faber and Faber Ltd.
I read a copy of the book on NetGalley UK This review will appear on NetGalley UK Goodreads my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com and on Amazon, UK

Kate Hamer is one of my favourite authors abd this book The Lost Girls is another great read. It was captivating. A strained relationship between a mother and daughter which takes time to rekindle. The daughter abducted as a young girl and returns home at the age of twenty one, a totally different child from the one her mother remebers.
Abducted by a cult and given a new name and the mother realising that her daughter was not the only one. It becomes clear that there are many other "lost girls".
This book is deliciously gripping from start to end. I have not read the prequel "The girl in the red coat" but will definetly get a copy now.

The Lost Girls, although beautifully written, did not hold my attention. The beginning is confusing and the characters not really appealing for me. In light of the many positive reviews, I’d say it’s definitely a case of some books more appealing to some people.

My thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and share my review.

I love Kates books, every one of them is sheer brilliance! This heart-pounding journey immersed me in a world of uncertainty and anxiety, where even the quietest moments had me bracing for something sinister. Fantastic

I absolutely loved the tension that this book built on, page after page, and I was sitting on the edge of my seat more than once! I will admit that I didn't realise this story was a sequel until I had already started reading it, but it's definitely inclusive enough to be read as a standalone novel as well. The characters are intriguing and complicated (which makes them realistic in my books!) and the changes in perspective offered a great insight into each of their own thoughts as well. I'll definitely be recommending this to all of my crime buff friends!

Full of tension and drama, this was a brilliant read. Captivating characters and storyline. Engaging plot, a real page turner. Thank you for sending this to me, I really enjoyed it. I look forward to Kate Hamer's next book.

Complex characters and an original plot that compels you to keep reading, The Lost Girls is some of Kate Hamers finest work to date.

Sequel to the girl in the red coat. This book follows on from the story and I was intrigued to find out what happened to the 2 main characters Carmel and Beth. Although I felt this book did tie up alot of loose ends I still felt it left a lot unanswered.

This is a sequel to ‘The Girl in the Red Coat but could be read on its own.
This is a rather compelling, emotional read all about the difficulties of recovering from a very traumatic experience and how to move on from it. It is a very well written powerful story, disturbing and dark at times and focuses on a mother’s love. How Carmel moves forward is enthralling and Mercy’s story is heartbreaking. A very thought provoking novel.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this copy.

The Lost Girls is a compelling but harrowing story which follows on from the Girl in the Red Coat. Carmel has now returned home to her mother after being abducted aged 8 and held for 5 years by a man running a religious healing cult

Now in her twenties, Carmel feels disconnected and is still not the person she used to be. Although he is in prison, her captor still exerts control over her. Carmel is also haunted by the need to discover what happened to the other girls who were taken.

The narrative switches time periods and perspectives as we follow Carmel's compulsive journey to learn more about Mercy's background and what became of her.

Unfortunately this book was not for me and it was really slow and tricky to stay interested in.
The story is about a girl who was kidnapped by a preacher - it was just a bit hard for me to read and stay with so it was a DNF for me.