In 2003, college freshmen Abby, Bree, and Chelsea are a close-knit trio. When Abby goes missing after a Halloween party, their lives are shattered forever. Abby’s body had never been found, but it’s widely speculated that she was a victim of notorious serial killer Jon Allan Blue. Twelve years later as Blue’s execution date nears, interest is rekindled in his crimes. A well-known true crime podcaster wants to feature Abby’s case during her current season, bringing Bree and Chelsea back together after so many years. Trauma and hurt remain between the two women, but both hope that Abby’s disappearance will finally be solved.

This dual-timeline, multiple POV story is deeper than the average thriller. The author deftly examines the relationships between the three girls in college and how the fallout and guilt from Abby’s disappearance form the women they become. She peels back the emotional layers on these complex women and how their lives continue to be affected by their self-loathing and grief over Abby’s fate. I really enjoyed the 2003 timeline, with the pop culture references bringing back memories of my own college days. My one quibble is the stylistic choice to tell Abby’s sections in second person when the other POVs are in third person; it threw me off every time the POV switched to Abby. Interspersed with the POVs are podcast excerpts, newspaper articles, etc, which lends a really cool almost true crime feeling at times.

Although not quite as fast-paced or thrilling as I expected, the writing and character development are excellent and very impressive for a debut author! I can’t wait to read whatever Rebecca McKanna writes in the future! Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me an advance copy of this book.

It happens all the time! Shows and podcasts are done focusing on the serial killer and ignoring their victims. No one remembers the victims names and the families have to go on living hearing the name of the killer being repeated over and over again. In this version, the victim, Abby's murder preceded the murder of two sorority girls and is never connected to the man convicted of their killings. This leaves her story even further in the dark as his execution looms. I loved how the narration bounced back and forth between the three girls and layers of their friendship were uncovered through the course of the book. For most of the time, I could easily have been persuaded that this was the non-fiction telling of an actual event. The writing really worked!

An intelligent addition to the survivors-vs-true crime podcasters genre, bring in themes of female friendship, queer issues, the Midwest as a site of memory, and Theater Kids. More of a meditation on these themes than a high tension thriller. Not my usual cup of tea, but I enjoyed the writing. 4.5 rounded up

Jon Allen Blue has everyone watching and listening as he heads toward execution. But did he kill Abby who disappeared from University 12 years ago? Told from multiple perspectives and dual time lines, this is Abby's story, as well as the story of her friends Bree and Chelsea, who have never really recovered from the events of that time. Everyone has a secret, secrets which will be probed by a podcast and reporters. Secrets which Bree and Chelsea must face even as they face one another. The underlying plot line of this is a trope to be sure but McKenna has layered in so much more. No spoilers from me on this one. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. An impressive debut.

liked the mystery part. I also liked the venue of Iowa. I was able to figure out some of the plot early on.
What I couldn’t move past was my distaste for Bree. She violates an important boundary and although she tries to revamp herself in the end, it wasn’t enough for me.

"We never forget the dead girls. We never forgot the killers."

Such a powerful and eye striking premise for Don't Forget the Girl.

In a world that devours true crime... I knew this book was for me! Abby, at 18 has been murdered by a killer who's days are numbered being on death row.

Abby's friends Chelsea and Bree are left to investigate and pick up the pieces after this horrible murder. Twelve years later her body shows up and the girls are brought back together living up this trauma to star in the podcast telling the actually story of what happened.

I loved how the story had dual timelines alternating between 2003 to 2015.

Rebecca McKanna does a nice job casting a critical eye on society's obsession with true crime, murder, and serial killers.

Bree and Chelsea are tough to like as characters. Rebecca does a beautiful job peeling the layers of deceit, guilt, trauma, and blame. Brutal to see the way that friends can cut so deep with love and with deceit and hurt.

Overall, not a bad debut from Rebecca.

I look forward to see what her next book is!!

4/5 stars

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Pub date: 6/20/23
Published to GR: 6/11/23

Follow two friends on their journey to find out what happened to their friend 12 years after she was murdered on the weeks leading up to her killer’s execution. Secrets are shared and the past is exposed in this story.

This book is a very slow paced story. Going into the book I thought it was going to be a thriller but I never felt any tension or suspense. I liked the multiple povs and dual timeline. I didn't like that one of the povs is told in second person. Those chapters kinda threw me out of the story. Overall, I don't feel like this is a book for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the e-arc.

Don't Forget the Girl by Rebecca McKanna is a so-so novel dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic incident.

Jon Allan Blue is about to be executed. Blue is the serial killer suspected in the murder of 18-year-old University of Iowa freshman Abby Hartman. Her body was never found. Abby's friends, Bree and Chelsea are still mourning her and upset that the memory of Abby is being overshadowed by the story of Blue's other victims. Now, twelve years after Abby disappeared, Blue's upcoming execution is news and a podcast is planning to focus on the story.

Rather than being a thriller, the narrative is really a deep-dive focus on the personal lives and feelings of Bree, Chelsea, and Abby, with Abby's chapters set in the past. At the beginning with the revelation that Bree was having an affair with a student, I was ready to set the novel aside. I stuck it out but perhaps should have DNF it. Adding to my discordant feelings is the fact that Bree and Chelsea's chapters are written in third person, while Abby's are written in first person. I found this incongruous and it made the flow of the story rough. However, since I was never fully invested in any of these characters and their feeling, it really didn't matter after awhile because I didn't care. This may be more of a new adult novel and I'm simply not the target audience.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Sourcebooks via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and Amazon.

Abby, Bree, and Chelsea were best friends before Abby was murdered by a serial killer their freshman year of college. Now, twelve years later, Chelsea and Bree no longer talk. When a famous podcaster decides to do the next season on the killer around the time the killer is set to be executed, Bree and Chelsea must finally face their past.

Based on the synopsis and the cover, I thought this was going to be much more of a thriller. I wouldn’t even really use thriller to describe this. It was more dealing with trauma and how it affects peoples lives even many years later. I think maybe if it had been more through the perspective of the podcaster, it would’ve had more of that thriller vibe. I also found it a bit slow. Maybe that is partly because I was expecting more of a thriller.

I also think more could’ve been done to dive into society‘s tendency to remember the killer and not the victims. Like in between Bree and Chelsea’s chapters, there could’ve been flashbacks on snippets of the podcast about the other victims.

Overall, I think people should go into this one expecting more of a dealing with trauma as an adult rather than a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It almost seemed like we were going to get some twists on the whodunnit but ultimately, those were also just red herrings.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

We follow a group of 3 friends, Abby, Bree, and Chelsea as we unravel Abby's untimely demise and the effects on Bree and Chelsea in the present. There are so many references to true crime and police efforts, causing it to read closer to a procedural thriller. It ultimately feels like you're watching a documentary of their life, which is fitting given the themes. What's better is that all of the main characters are flawed, be it in the secrets they keep or the wrongs they commit against each other. I enjoyed the dialogue on how the media treats women and the exploitative nature of crime reporting. Overall a solid thriller debut thriller, just with possibly one too many fakeouts,

*Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Don’t Forget the Girl is told from the POVs of 3 friends: Bree & Chelsea in 2015 & Abby in 2003. Abby’s portion of the story is leading up to her death while Bree & Chelsea’s deal with their life and grief leading up to the execution of the man suspected of killing her.

This book is not what I was expecting, but that’s not a bad thing. I loved that I went into it thinking it’s a thriller, but what it turned out to be was an exploration of grief & our obsession with true crime. I also loved that this takes place in Iowa City, I have family there & reading about it felt like I was back there again.

This is a must read & I will be recommending it to everyone I can think of.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a copy in exchange for my review
I enjoyed this book, it did read a bit YA at times, but given that it was going back in time that is to be expected. This story is about friendship and loss. The chapters are told from three different POVs of the friends. It did seem a bit slow at times, but it was more than just a thriller as it trying to weave the 3 POVs together.

This did not read like a debut; & I will be sure to check out more from this author. The one thing lacking, is that I would have liked to know more about the killer.

4 stars

This does not read like a debut novel! This thriller was so much more than a thriller. There was more than figuring out what happened to Abby and why. It was about the friendships of Abby, Chelsea, and Bree. Told from all 3 of their POVs and from the past and present day. Each of the girls had deep issues they dealt with and had to come to terms with.

I really enjoyed how the author delivered the story of the three giving each individual story as well as the story of three together. I also loved how she included the representation and shows how it can affect someone and those around them. You can say this one has multiple layers within the story, but it all came together perfectly!

One thing I would have liked to have known a bit more about was the killer and maybe the girls' family. We get pieces of them, but I think I could have used more even though it did not take away from the story. I can't wait to read more from this author!!

Although I liked the concept, this felt very YA (which would be okay in some circumstances and had it been presented that way). I also think it was unnecessarily long with a lot of filler. The pop culture references felt like they dated the book. I will reference this in my monthly recap but won’t post a review since I only focus on my top reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourebooks for the eARC.

Don't Forget the Girl by Rebecca McKanna at its core is a story about friendship. What friends mean to you, how they shape your lives, and ultimately how they transform your life when they are lost. While I anticipated more of a thriller with a twisty plot, this book still had me thinking after finishing. May not have been my all time favorite, but still was one I enjoyed reading.

I enjoyed this while reading it, but it’s not a book that will stick with me. From the description I thought it would be more of a thriller. Though there were some reveals, I either found them unsurprising or obvious. It’s more about Chelsea’s and Bree’s lives and how they are impacted by Abby’s death than being about a true crime podcast or murder. I thought the writing was great, and I would read another book by the author! I liked the exploration of sexuality and how true crime shows & podcasts talk about murder. I didn’t think the ending was satisfying, and I was hoping for more of a twist. I think this is a good book, but it should be billed as more of a store of friendship and overcoming trauma than a thriller.

3 1/2 stars
Great story of friendship, the stressors of friendships/relationships but also the loss of those friendships and how it can shape a person then and now. This story also speaks to the need for answers and using that to hide behind at times. I loved the back and forth storyline from then and now between the different girls, but wish it had a little more of a twist or oomph. I felt it built up great and then just kind of ended.

This was a beautiful story about friendships, first loves, grief and the importance of not sensationalizing killers. I loved the different POVs from Chelsea, Bree and Abby. I also enjoyed the different timelines between 2003 and 2015. The story has several layers and it was slowly peeled back in a way that made things interesting. I really appreciated all of the pop culture references as I was 17 in 2003 so I was around the same age of the MCs.

I absolutely loved how the focus is on Abby and who she was as a person while the killer was a small character who served as support to the story. It’s a really important discussion about our consumption and enjoyment of violence and murder as entertainment as a society.

I wouldn’t classify this as a thriller and consider it more like women’s fiction but I really enjoyed it. It was a little slow at first but the ending is so well done.

Holy Moly this was one heck of a story! I read “Don’t Forget the Girl” in less than a day and I couldn’t put it down if I tried. This is the story of how three young women in 2003, best friends, come of age and grow up much too fast when Abby disappears, and is presumed dead by a serial killer. In 2015, just weeks before Blue, the serial killer, is set to be executed we meet Bree and Chelsea, now estranged, who narrate their own stories as they come to terms with all that happened and where their lives are at now. Daily they deal with the pain of not knowing what happened to Abby and how she has become mostly forgotten while Blue becomes notorious. Interspersed in these narratives we learn the story of what happened to Abby as she narrates her life in 2003 right up until she disappears.

There is so much going on in this novel and all of it is perfectly paced and relevant to the plot with layer upon layer of plot and character development. A story of friendship, heartache, first loves, hiding part of yourself, grief, jealousy, fear, letting others in and holding yourself apart to preserve your sense of self. It’s about all the ways women are vulnerable with friends and family and strangers and weirdos and those who mean you harm. It’s about belonging and knowing who you are and it’s about overcoming grief and hurt and anger to find redemption and healing.

It’s rare that I’m surprised enough by a novel to gasp out loud, but I did not once, but twice. I’m sure my neighbours thought I was crazy as I was reading outside. Should you read this novel? Absolutely.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advance copy of this eARC. Preorder today so you can get your copy first on its June 20 pub day; you won’t be disappointed! I loved every moment of this psychological thriller.

Warning: Sexual Content.

#dontforgetthegirl #psychologicalthriller #suspensebooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksta #bookgeek #booknerd #rebeccamckanna #debutnovel #debutauthor #authortowatch #femaleauthor #femalewriter #youshouldreadthis #highlyrecommend #bookreview #bookrecommendations #thrillerbooks @bookmarked @netgalley @rebeccamckanna