I always enjoy learning something new, so I was glad this new novel by Catherine McKenzie took a deep dive into Search and Rescue (SAR) within Yosemite National Park. It's clear the author did her research. What I also enjoyed were the social media posts and diary entries that were interspersed between chapters. It broke up the narrative that was in Cassie's voice ("now" and "then"). The "now" and "then" seem rather close together in time, but in many ways it's relieving to know that Cassie survives her stint at Yosemite from the get go.

In this novel, Cassie Peters is starting over after leaving her husband, and she's going back to the Search and Rescue job she had a decade prior. When a couple famous on social media goes missing, it feels like what happened ten years ago is happening all over again.

There aren't TOO many characters, but we do get introduced to 5-6 different characters aside from Cassie. I feel like we are held at arm's length with many of them, and for good reason. I think having the social media posts from Jim and Jada as well as Petal's diary entries do provide some character fodder.

The plot, given how you know that the character Cassie "makes it," brings down the tension some. I see why the author chose to go that route, but it does take out some of the stakes.

The twist? I'm not 100% buying it. There is a word coming to mind that I don't want to write because it would give the twist away. I just don't see the impetus for Cassie. Of course the author gives rationale, but - as I said - I'm not sold on it.

Overall, I immensely enjoyed the Yosemite Search and Rescue setting. I felt like that put it a notch above the standard thriller.
And...this title is begging for a question mark at the end of it. I presume it's too late to add?

Thank you to NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I always like when there's a twist that I hadn't already figured out. This story kept me interested and wanting to see what happened. I saw some reviews that said it was too technical, but I'm not sure what that meant (maybe in reference to the search and rescue procedures)? I personally thought it was pretty easy to follow along with everything SAR did and I just had a basic understanding coming in to reading this.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this. It was absolutely weird and thrilling. The end though! I was not expecting that ending.

I really enjoyed Have You Seen Her by Catherine McKenzie. The premise of the book was unique and I enjoyed reading a thriller set in beautiful Yosemite. There were many twists and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen next.

When your life ends up not as plan, where would you go? Three women find themselves in Yosemite National Park; one running from her previous life, the other two with their lovers. They find themselves mixed in to one tangled story.

I started this book with heavy hesitation. August of 2021 the story of Gabby Petito and her fiancé's cross country road trip that ends in the disappearance of Gabby in Yosemite broke headlines. 2 years later I am reading a book featuring a young couple with a cross country road trip that ends in their disappearance in Yosemite. However, beyond that there were no major similarities in the stories. I'd like to give credit to the author for her craft of this book, it really was original even though I had major hesitation in the beginning.

This book peaked my interest fairly quickly, as the story begins it's not just about the missing pieces/people it's also about the relationships that are made along the way. One major point I did not enjoy was the back and forth of then and now and know essential how the book would end from the beginning. I love the thrill of trying to figure it out and this took that away from me. I also did not love the unnecessary racial political push, it didn't take away from the story but also didn't add anything it was just simply unneeded.

I really took hold of the characters. I wanted the ending that each character deserved, the ones I liked and the ones I didn't. I enjoyed the story and all the twists along the way. This was a NetGalley prerelease read.

Trigger Warnings: Domestic Violence, Spousal abuse, homosexual relationships, murder, missing people.

WOW! I’m practically speechless finishing this book. I was lucky enough to get approved for an ARC through NetGalley after stumbling across it on there and man, I am so glad I requested it.
The twist in this book was INSANE and I literally gasped. I did not see that coming at all! Kudos to Catherine Mckenzie for writing this amazing book. I will most definitely be reading anything else by her that I can get my hands on!!

after 2 duds from this author (for me) I’m so glad she finally has another winner. I really loved the campground setting in this and i realized it’s a trope i’m into! a really well paced mystery and was genuinely surprised by the big reveals and how all the pieces come together in the end.

Pub date: 6/27/23
Genre: thriller/suspense
Quick summary: Cassie lands a job with Yosemite Search and Rescue, where she meets fellow escapees from regular life, Petal and Jada. But the #vanlife is not all it seems, and they may not all make it out alive.

This book felt "ripped from the headlines" given the massive media attention paid to the Gabby Petito case. It started a bit slow for me, but I was interested enough to keep going. Once I got into it, I enjoyed the three women's perspectives, including the diary entries and Instagram posts McKenzie incorporated into the narratives. The Yosemite aspect was also fun - I've never been to the park, so it was nice to experience it through the eyes of these three very different women.

This is one of those books where you think you know exactly how it's going to end, and then it surprises you. McKenzie always seems to be able to pull off a big twist, and this one is no exception. I think thriller lovers will enjoy this one!

Thank you to Atria Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the more unique setting of Yosemite in this book, and the way McKenzie captured a taste of what it's like to be on the SAR, while masterfully sucking the reader in from the first pages. A quick-paced thriller with surprising--even for McKenzie--twistiness, I think this is my new favorite of her mystery-thrillers!

<I> Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion! </I>

As usual, Catherine Mckenzie has created a story that has amazing details and drama!
She had me believing that I was also hiking in Yosemite National Park with Cassie Peters and the Search and Rescue group.
Cassie has decided to return to her job here at the park after ten years to hide out for a time while safely burying and avoiding some past difficulties in her life.
It's busy in the summer, and when people are missing it becomes intense. It goes from rescue to recovery and nobody likes failure.
It had me on the edge of my seat especially as time marched on and secrets began to unfold for Cassie and the people that are in the park.
This novel has many twists and turns and I know I could not stop reading it!
Thank you @NetGalley and @Atria Books for this Arc and allowing me to read and provide my own review.
Well done!

This latest novel by McKenzie is set in Yosimite. It spins a yarn to the past and back to the present and centers around people who are Search and Rescue workers. It is twisty and surprising. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC. Solid four stars. Very relevant to the times. I loved how the author quietly put in text about the state of things today for women and about men. Very will written. Nice mystery. Recommend.

Cassie leaves New York City with nothing more than a burner phone and new muscles after spending months at a climbing gym getting back into the shape she was in when she was 20 and she worked Search and Rescue. She returns to Mammoth, California, to work Search and Rescue again, alongside the same woman that she made a haunting discovery with years earlier.

Cassie also works with hot Ben, another member of SAR, and she befriends Petal, a young woman with a much older girlfriend, and Jada, a social media enthusiast with a knack for getting the kind of attention Cassie came here specifically to avoid.

I liked reading about the life of Search and Rescue workers and the pasts these women are trying to flee. Toward the end, the direction I thought this was going took quite a turn, which is obviously good in a mystery.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES 27, 2023.

Have You Seen Her is a thrilling story of suspense that takes place in Yosemite. Hiking and a thriller? Yes please! I feel like not much can be said or commented on as the twist in this one came out of nowhere for me. I then realized there had been hints all along. Maybe I am naive? It's a satisfying ending and the book touches on a lot of current events and hot topics without being preachy. It feels relevant. I read it very fast and was very surprised at the reveal. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher's for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Ohh I liked this book so much! It is a fresh story, a slow burn, and a hell of an ending!
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, Catherine McKenzie & Atria Books for an arc of Have You Seen Her in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

“Equipped with a burner phone and a new job, Cassie Peters has left her hectic and secretive life in New York City for the refuge of her hometown of Mammoth Lakes, California. There, she begins working again with Yosemite Search and Rescue, where a case she worked a decade ago continues to haunt her.

She quickly falls into old patterns, joining a group of fellow seasonal workers and young adventurers who have made Yosemite their home during the summer. There, she meets Petal, a young woman living in a trailer with her much older wife, keeping a detailed diary of the goings on of the park, and Jada, a recent college graduate on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, documenting their journey on Instagram.

When these three women cross paths, Cassie’s past catches up with her, and the shocking consequences ripple out far beyond what any could have imagined in this unputdownable thriller.”

This fast paced thriller is set to publish June 27, 2023 and you’re going to want to go run to grab a copy!

Set in Yosemite National Park, the twists and turns will leave you breathless and leaving you saying “I did NOT see that coming!” The characters were written perfectly that the quick pace will have you finished up with this novel in no time and leave you dying for McKenzie’s next thriller!

I highly recommend grabbing a copy of this one when it releases!

4/5 Stars

Thank you net galley and Atria books for this ARC. I’ve read every book by Catherine McKenzie and this one was great. This book felt like it was a little slower but still kept me really interested and I wanted to keep reading to see what was going to happen. I didn’t see the twists at the end either.

Cassie is back in California after 10 years, visibly running away from something. In her new job as Search and Rescue in Yosemite, where she worked a case back then that is still haunting her, she meets Petal, who lives in a trailer with Susan, her much older wife, and Jada, an influencer on a cross country road trip with her boyfriend, Jim. She is also starting a relationship with her colleague, Ben. But Cassie's past soon catches up with her...
This domestic psychological thriller is told in dual timeline (now/then) and in multiple POVs, some of which are told in social media formats (posts and comments) and diary entries, which was really fun. Catherine McKenzie is one of my favorite authors, so I made sure to carve time in my day to read this in one sitting, which I easily did. It was a bit long at times (I'm not a fan of the outdoors setting) and I felt sometimes there were too many details about Search and Rescue, but the last 25% are thrilling. I loved the characters (except for the obviously unlikeable ones) and the twist at the end was great.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was such a unique thriller and I really enjoyed it! It kept me on the edge of my seat and I wasnt sure what to expect next. It was also the first thriller where I really found myself invested and intrigues by the writing. I can't wait to read other titles from this author!

I had SUCH a hard time getting into this book. I typically love Catherine's books, unfortunately this one just really bored me. I couldn't relate or connect to any of the characters. And the timeline was so hard for me to keep track of a lot of the time.

I am so forever appreciative of the opportunity to read this in advance!