claire douglas has done it again!! and by it, I 100% mean keep me up way past my bedtime so I can finish this story!

THE GIRLS WHO DISAPPEARED start with a spooky opening - a car crash with four victims but only one remains in the car at the end… the other three have completely vanished, which had me saying okay whAT 👀

the dual timeline claire douglas wrote to go about the plot really had me for a loop trying to figure out how all of these characters connect!! it was a wonderful choice that kept the reader guessing until the very end!

while I did find the plot to drag on a lot, especially during the middle, I was a super fan of all of the MCs and the struggles in their personal life.

and can we talk about all of the spooky and paranormal elements??? I was actually disappointed in the ending and how a lot of the “theories” didn’t pan out 😅

however, I really enjoyed this one a lot! thank you to netgalley and harper collins for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: niagara escarpment cabernet franc

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a free Ebook copy of The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas.


One night after a night out four friends get into a car crash heading home, three of them vanish out of thin air, no traces of them ever being in the accident. This story hooks you from the very first pages. where are these missing girls, and what happened to them? We’re told the story from 3 POV Jenna a reporter for a BBC podcast investigating the 20 year old unclosed missing girls case, Olivia whose a 1 of the 4 friends and survivor from from the car accident, and Stace who ties into the story towards the end of the book. This was a fast paced mystery one I certainly enjoyed devouring.
Solid 4 star read for me.

For the most part, this book was a fast paced read. You really feel for Olivia as you get a sense that she might be taken advantage of by the people in her life because they see her as weak. Jenna, the podcaster is also very sympathetic as she becomes more involved in the story. I give the twist / reveal a solid 4 out of 5 as it wasn’t totally shocking BUT I also couldn’t predict most of it. I recommend picking this book up if you enjoy a good thriller.

“‘Everyone always tells me what to do… I know it’s because they have my best interests at heart but it’s almost like they think I stayed eighteen after the accident. I’m a grown woman. I have a voice!’ ‘Of course you do,’ I say.”

A horrific car accident.

Three missing girls.

A young podcaster digging up secrets long since buried.

This was a good mystery and it held my interest for part of the story. But, despite the title, there really isn’t that much focus on the missing girls. The writing it atmospheric and creepy and I can vividly picture the cabins deep in the woods. But the storyline was a bit simple and I just didn’t feel that pull to pick it back up.

The audio was good and has dual narrators, one for each of the main characters. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and I love when there is more than one narrator. It really brings the story to life for me and I believe that the audio is actually why I kept going with this one.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Audio, Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Extremely slow paced and the characters were mostly unlikable. Full of repetitive information and I felt like I was almost being talked to as if I was not smart enough to get what was going on.

The atmosphere was creepy and I thought that was the best part of the book.

This is the second of Claire Douglas's books that I have read and man it did not disappoint. The book starts with a car accident involving a group of teenaged girls. Only one of them wakes up to find her friends missing. Twenty years later, a podcaster named Jenna is in town asking questions about the missing girls, trying to find out what happened to them. Meanwhile, Olivia, the girl who was left behind, doesn't want to dredge up old memories-- especially since she's afraid of what she'll find. Told in alternating points of view, this book kept me hooked right from the start. I couldn't put it down! I sort of pieced the ending together, but hadn't gotten it all correct, which is always fun for me. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Douglas's work.

The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A big thank you to @netgalley and @harperperennial for the eARC! This one comes out January 10.

First read of 2023 was this spooky number. The atmosphere the author created with the setting was creepy. Small town vibes with strange happenings with a suggestion of the paranormal. It worked for this story.

Told from multiple POVs, this kept the story moving. The Thailand side-story was a bit confusing at first, but it was easy to guess where it was going to fit in. I liked the confusing aspect because it kept me wondering what the heck. I never really connected with any of the characters. All of them were suspicious and could’ve “done” it. I really struggled with Olivia’s character as she was supposed to be in her 30s but she felt much, much younger.

The ending was mostly predictable but I am questioning one of the revelations. I enjoyed reading this one and figuring out what happened.

If you’re looking for a twisty read in a spooky setting, check this one out!

If you’re looking for a creepy thriller, I recommend The Girls Who Disappeared. Journalist Jenna is investigating a gloomy stretch of road called the Devil’s Corridor where many strange things have happened, the most puzzling being the disappearance of three teenagers 20 years earlier. Four girls were driving home from a night out at a club when their car crashed, and only one girl was discovered at the wreck. What happened to the other girls?
There is a second storyline that occasionally alternates a chapter about a holiday at a villa in Thailand. At first this seemed disjointed, but as I read I predicted how the two would relate.
I devoured this pretty quickly while visiting my parents for the holidays. Even though I’m a scaredy cat, just like my own cat Fat Tire, I enjoyed this one and didn’t have too many creepy dreams while reading it. This is my first read by the author, and I’m excited to read more of her backlist - I’ve heard good things about The Couple at Number 9.

This turned out to be a fast read/page turner for me, because I wanted to know what the HECK was happening. There were multiple POVs and two totally separate story lines that made no sense together, until about 75% of the way through. Overall it was a unique read, but felt really disconnected for the first half. Lots of twists and turns, which I like! A decent new option for my thriller lovers! 3.5 stars

I alternated between print, ebook and audio for this title, and it was an amazing reading experience.

After I closed the last page of this book, I knew Claire Douglas would be the latest addition to my autobuy authors list.

Utterly compelling and so very clever, The Girls Who Disappeared is a must read, my friends.

Brand new in paperback January 10.

My thanks to @netgalley and Harper Perennial for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

This one had such potential, it really started with a bang but it fizzled and I ended up not being able to finish this one, It was fine just nothing spectacular

📚 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰- The Girls Who Dissapeared ⁣
𝘉𝘺 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴 ⁣
⭐⭐⭐⭐️ (4.5/5) ⁣
(𝐏𝐔𝐁 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝟏𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑)⁣
⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐞 "𝐆𝐢𝐬𝐭": One rainy night in 1998 Olivia and her three best friends got into a terrible car accident. But only Olivia was recovered from the crash. The other three girls mysteriously vanished, never to be seen again. Now, twenty years later, Jenna, a journalist, arrives to record a podcast about that fateful night. But her endless digging isn't exactly welcome among the locals who would prefer the truth to stay buried...🤫⁣
⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝗪𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐞👍:⁣
- The characters...each untrustworthy for their own reasons. There are PLENTY of suspects in this one. ⁣
- The quick pacing and cliff-hanger chapters...a must for a well-done thriller.⁣
- Especially loved the characters of Dale and Jenna. ❤️⁣
⁣
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 👎:⁣
- The side-story involving Thailand was strange, until I realized the connection to the main story. Even then, it was my least favorite part of the book.⁣
- The ending felt just a TRIFLE rushed to me, and one of the big reveals seemed a bit out of character for the person/people it involved.⁣
⁣
𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 💭: I absolutely DEVOURED this! The writing was perfectly pacey and easily digestible, making it a BRILLIANT binge read! ⁣
⁣
Just what I needed to end the year with a bang.⁣
⁣
Highly, HIGHLY recommend!⁣
⁣
Thank you @harperperennial and @Netgalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!⁣
⁣
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 📖: You are looking for a quick, twisty thriller as a pallette cleanser! Or if you like horses 🐴 and/or books with supernatural elements. ⁣
⁣
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: PG-13 ⁣
⁣
𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐧 𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐟 📖: Will definitely buy a physical copy of this book! 👍

I loved how this book took me to a small town in England to solve a 20 year old mysterious disappearance. The characters were very well developed and I couldn’t stop reading and sleep until I found out how three girls could vanish.

We meet Jenna, a reporter who plans to write her first podcast. She tackles the story with determination. The town is quite unwelcoming to outsiders and Jenna is no exception. No one really thinks this podcast should be made except Jenna.
That is a good reason to research and interview everyone involved. At least those who will talk to her.

I liked the set up of four young women in the car with some bad weather. A car accident happens but when the driver awakens, trapped in her car, all the passengers have vanished! She is rescued and slowly makes a recovery albeit with a permanently damaged leg. Now that Jenna is investigating will Olivia learn what happened to her friends that night?

A five star book for me ! Great pacing and original story. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

What a start to this book! I was immediately hooked from page one. This story begins with Olivia driving her friends home from a night out when they are involved in a terrible car accident. When Olivia wakes up, she’s in the car alone. What happened to her friends? This remains a mystery for 20 years until a podcaster named Jenna decides to investigate the case.

This story is told between Olivia and Jenna’s points of view. There is also one more story line that takes place in Thailand. Have I confused you? It’s meant to be confusing to the reader, but the Thai storyline was my favorite part, and I was so tempted to skim ahead!

Overall I liked the book and felt satisfied by the ending. It starts off very strong, but lost me a little in the middle. Luckily the end picks up again, so keep reading! I didn’t see it coming, or expect what happened at all! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty years ago, Olivia Rutherford was heading home to her town of Stafferbury, down a road called The Devil’s Corridor (which many local folks believe is haunted). She had her three best friends in the car with her. There was a terrible storm, and she ends ups swearing, losing control of the car and crashing after seeing a man in the middle of the road. She wakes up badly injured, to a stranger trying to help her. She looks around and does not see any of her friends. She soon learns that her friends mysteriously disappeared that night with no trace. It haunts her to this day and many of the local townspeople have their own opinions on what might have happened; some saying Olivia knows more than she is letting on.

Fast forward to present day. Jenna, who is a BBC podcaster, wants to cover the 20th anniversary of the disappearance and comes in town to interview the locals. She is hopeful the people closest to the case, like Olivia, will agree to interviews as well. When she arrives, she is not given a warm welcome to say the least. On top of that, she is staying in a cabin in the middle of the woods and creepy things keep happening. Each day that passes, Jenna quickly comes to realize that not only is she not welcome, but she may also be in danger.

This story is told in dual timelines and from multiple POV’s. IMO, the overall mystery and storyline were well thought out. There are creepy vibes throughout the book, along with many twists. However, the story did drag out in certain parts. Also, I was not a huge fan of most of the characters. On the plausibility spectrum, I had an incredibly hard time believing that Jenna would stay in a secluded cabin in the middle of the woods all alone (especially considering she was there to cover a story of three woman that mysteriously disappeared twenty years ago). Also, while I thought the supernatural aspect would be a clever inclusion, I felt let down by the way it was portrayed and by the lack of it.

Overall, 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a great read and quick! I finished this one quickly and really enjoyed this book. I loved how the author wrote the characters. Well done.

20 years ago there was a car accident and 3 girls went missing. 20 years later and the case has still not been solved.

Jenna heads into town to work on a podcast discussing the girls' disappearance. She is in town for 5 days and each day things start to get crazier for Jenna. She has talked to many people in town and each person is suspicious. She then starts receiving death threats and other incidents begin happening to try and get her to leave town.

This story is a roller coaster ride. It will make you think everyone is a suspect and have you thinking about who is hiding something and why. This is a perfect suspense thriller that ties up all loose ends by the end of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Pub date: 1/10/23
Genre: thriller/mystery
One sentence summary: 20 years ago, Olivia and her friends were in a car crash - but her friends went missing and the case was unsolved - until journalist Jenna arrives to take another look at it.

The journalist/podcast element is one of my favorite mystery tropes because it's a great way to explore a crime in two timelines. I enjoyed both timelines here, and the central mystery of Olivia's friends was intriguing. I also liked the setting of the small English town - so many secrets, so little time!

I just wish more had happened in the story - the buildup got a little slow by the 50% mark, and the ending was a bit underwhelming. I love Claire Douglas' books and will continue to read them - this just wasn't a personal favorite. I think readers who like slow-burn, atmospheric stories might like this one more than I did.

Thank you to Harper Paperbacks for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Great book! So much happening in this one! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, s great who done it and so many crazy twists and turns! The storyline was so very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! the twists and turns had me guessing till the very end! I highly recommend reading this book! Its so worth reading! Don't miss out on this one! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Very good small town village mystery with some suspense, many red herrings and a tiny attempt at a possible supernatural component. I do think they tied the historic story with the mid past and modern day story together a little quick but it all hung together and I would recommend.

I received an advance copy of this from Netgalley and the publisher to review.