From the dark and twisty mind of @tarrynfisher we follow the seedy underbelly of society regarding human trafficking.
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When they were fifteen, Iris Walsh saw her twin sister get kidnapped and nobody cared. Iris and her grandmother try everything they can to get the police’s attention, even investigating themselves, but by the time figure out she’s been trafficked, it’s too late. Now years later Iris has made it her life’s mission to track down the man responsible for taking her sister. It leads her to Shoal Island Hospital for the criminally insane where even more secrets lie…
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I can always count on Fisher for a good #thriller and honestly the ending was not at all what I thought it would be so she definitely did a great job of providing that twist that no one but Fisher could have thought of. This showed how easily young teens can get taken before someone even notices or tries to find them. Go into this one blind and enjoy it!
CW: vomit, fire, human trafficking, ped*philia, kidnapping, sexual assault, drug use, addiction, parental neglect & abuse, verbal and physical assault, forced institutionalism, panic attack, grief, hospitalization, stroke, death

*3.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"I am sleeping with a therapist now. That counts as seeing one, doesn't it?"

For all the angst, anger and aggression that Iris feels from the pathetic, almost non investigation into her twin's abduction, there are a few laugh out loud moments of sarcasm, self depreciation and satirical insight from this first person POV, in the twisty twin thriller Good Half Gone by renowned psychological thriller author Tarryn Fisher.

From the first page there's high intensity with Iris screaming at a 911 operator that her 15 year old twin sister, Piper, has been grabbed and shoved into a vehicle. After the frustrating police interview, where they assume Piper's just another runaway, Iris tries to find Piper herself and all she finds are more questions and trouble.

The writer goes back to the past and then the present to give a full, and very upsetting picture, of Iris and Piper's tumultuous young lives. In the present timeline, Iris, now a single Mom, discovers that one of her main suspects is a prisoner and patient on the remote Shoal Island Hospital For The Criminally Insane. She gets an internship at the hospital in hopes of getting the truth out of her suspect. Remote island, criminally insane, and no back up. What could possibly go wrong?!

What goes wrong is wild, a bit far fetched, crazy twisty and makes for a fun popcorn thriller. I screamed at Iris, "this is a bad idea" so much I think she might have actually heard me! The first twist is at the half way mark. The rest, including the most out there one, is at the end of the craziness. I had an inkling about it just before the reveal happened, but how it was pulled off was a bit implausible yet definitely a "gotcha" moment from this thrilling author. It was surely the good half of this twisty twin thriller.

I received a free copy of this book from #harlequintradepublishing via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Man! I really hate to do this but this book was a mess. It just plodded on. Most of the mysteries were obvious early on. I won't go into them, but it's pretty easy to tell what happened to Piper and the truth behind one of the more unusual relationships in the book. Hope that's vague enough.

The rest just didn't make much sense. It was way over the top. Even the timelines didn't quite work. Then all of the weirdness blows up and you are just like...what? So this all happened and the few people who should have noticed just didn't? It was all too much. I don't mind crazy. It just went way too far. I will read Tarryn Fisher again. Absolutely. Don't judge this author by this book.

Iris and her twin sister Piper go to the movies to meet up with some guys when Piper is kidnapped. Police think she was a runaway and the case goes cold. Years later Iris wants answers. She takes it upon herself to research and thinks answers lie inside the Shoal Island Hospital. This isn’t any typical hospital. It’s a hospital for criminals deemed insane to stand trial. Will she find what she’s looking for or end up at a dead end?

The ending was rushed and a little far fetched. I loved a few of Tarryn Fisher’s books, but this didn’t live up to the hype for me.

Thanks to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC! Pub date 3/19/24

Thank you NetGalley fort the ARC. This is an unhinged thriller in the best possible way. It had me sucked right in from the beginning. The backstory was great and the character build up was perfect. The twist made me scream out loud.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I had really high expectations for this one given the Colleen Hoover thriller collab they penned together. I found myself trying to enjoy it and then starting skimming around 40% through until 75%, at which point it really picked up (that or I was almost finished and committed to seeing how it ended). There was a nice little twist at the end that I wasn't expecting and the one I pinged as guilty was not after all, exactly the vibe I trend towards when reading a thriller.

Iris and Piper were twins, Piper always the "good twin" and Iris the rambunctious twin. But when Piper goes missing, and eventually presumed dead, Iris is determined to find her sister. Fast foward several years, Iris has a son, and is finishing school and working. But she has never once forgotten her twin or stopped looking for her. Call in twin-tuition, but she isn't convinced Piper is dead. Through years of investigations, she discovers her supposed killer is in solitary at an island prison hospital. Posing as a nursing student to get the job, Iris begins working there and gets involved in the inner workings of the hospital and patients. But what she finds will devistate her...

This was another great psychological thriller from Tarryn Fisher. In true Fisher fashion, she incorporates religions cult behaviors and a "you don't see it coming" twist at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an advanced copy for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book fell flat for me and I struggled with the pacing. I was expecting a twisty thriller and found the storyline only picked up in the last quarter of the book.

I will still read more from this author but this was not the one for me.

Good Half Gone is Tarryn Fisher's latest release.

Iris was sixteen years old when her twin sister Piper was kidnapped. Iris witnessed the crime, but the police say Piper is a runaway. That was years ago, but Iris has never stopped looking for her. But, there's one name that keeps showing up in her searches ...

I liked the premise of the book and was looking forward to her investigation. The tale is told and a then and now style.

Once Iris got to the location, (I don't want to give that away), my spidey senses perked up. Things at this locale are just not quite right. Iris gets offtrack and I wanted to shout at her! Remember why you're here! The romantic line just didn't work for me. I had started out liking Iris and her determination. But it was like a different character as the book progressed.

The pace picks up and there are some great action and suspense bits in this part of the plot. Fisher introduces more than a few twists and turns on the way to the final pages. Some of these twists ask the reader to suspend belief. And I just couldn't - there was too much that was too far fetched. And just in case, the ending of the book is explained by Iris. And finally - the kidnapping was also detailed.

Sadly this was not a great book for me. There were many readers who quite enjoyed Good Half Gone. I encourage you to read other reviews on Goodreads.

the setup…
Iris and Piper Walsh are 16-year old twins being raised by their grandmother Betty. Piper is the popular, outgoing one; Iris much more introverted and sullen. One night as they are off to a party that Piper insists they attend, Piper changes the plan and agrees to meet a popular and older football player. Nothing goes according to plan and when Iris’s attention is diverted, she sees her sister being taken away against her will. After a call to 911, the two detectives assigned don’t take Iris seriously and nine years later, Piper is still missing. But Iris now has a lead she wants to explore that takes her to Shoal Island Hospital for the criminally insane. She signs on as intern…what could go wrong?

the heart of the story…
Piper’s abduction was chilling but even more maddening was how Iris was treated by the detectives assigned to the case. Despite her harrowing account laden with specific details, they refuse to take her seriously. Much is made of law enforcement moving slowly on missing teen cases but this was beyond the pale. The story then begins the transitions between past and present where it just gets bogged down and loses its traction. I never got a clear picture of Piper and the twins’ relationship was confusing. There are loads of details and events that didn’t add to the plot or characterizations and I just got lost.

the narration…
The narrator sounded so much older than Iris who provides the only point of view. I just couldn’t hear her as the character so it was jarring.

the bottom line…
There are good bones to this story and I was hooked quickly. However, it would have helped if more insight had been given about Piper, well before the last quarter of the book. The ending was exciting but there was nothing to lead you there beforehand. The transitions were awkward and there was just too much information about things that never seemed to matter. The twist at the end was jaw dropping but also a bit over the top. I had high hopes but, coupled with a disappointing audio experience, this just didn’t deliver on my expectations.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Tarryn Fisher for an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
The beginning starts out strong but slows down in the middle. But the ending was fitting for the location - a bit insane.
This book is told in Iris's POV in alternating timelines of past and present. We witness the aftermath of Piper's kidnapping and Iris's struggle with family and life in general.
The story starts with Iris on a 911 call after watching her twin sister being kidnapped. I was intrigued by Iris and her obsession with finding her missing sister. In both timelines, finding out what happened to Piper is Iris's driving force. Iris starts a new job in the hopes of seeing the man she believes is responsible for Piper's disappearance.
As the book went on, you could tell that Iris didn't really have her own life. Everything she has done and is doing revolves around Piper. And the suspense kind of stagnates. Not much happens after 20% until you get to 85% and then the storyline explodes.
I did feel like the "romance" came out of nowhere. It felt unnecessary as it didn't add anything to the overall plot.
I was expecting more thrills and suspense from this thriller. I guessed the twists fairly early on. I'd say it's a solid 3 stars.

I honestly am not sure what to say about this book. It did start off quite good but then it just felt really disjointed and disconnected. In some parts things went way too fast and details were much too sparse. While in other areas it just felt so dragged out with info we just didn't particularly need.

Absolutely great premise just not the best execution.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

So here is the set-up: Iris and Piper are 15-year old twins and Iris witnesses the abduction of her sister. The police are less than helpful and Iris and her grandmother are left trying to figure out what happened to Piper.

The book does jump back and forth between scenes of a now grown up Iris still investigating her sister’s disappearance and the past when the abduction happened. I mention it since I know some people aren’t a fan of past/present flip flops but as I’ve said before that doesn’t bother me at all.

I really liked the whole set-up and intrigue surrounding Iris’ current angle at procuring an internship at an isolated psychiatric hospital on an island in search of answers. You don’t quite know why she’s going there and exact what she’s hoping to find. So that had me hooked trying to get further in the book to find out what exactly was driving her actions specifically.

There were some really great scenes and moments; however, for me personally I just felt like something was missing. I know with a thriller that you don’t get all of the information at once but typically you get information in pieces and then it all puzzles together at the end. I feel like some relevant details weren’t brought up until the very end. As a reader you can’t always figure out the ending of a book but part of the fun is getting to the end, being able to look back and realize all of the pieces that were in play that hinted at the truth. I feel like this book was missing that element of weaving those hints and details throughout in order to have you sitting in that moment of stunned silence. Instead, when I got to the “reveal” it was just kinda like huh where the heck did that come from.

However, that could just be my personal takeaway since I’m very into the details and context clues especially when reading thrillers. I loved The Wives by Tarryn Fisher and I feel like that book did an amazing job of delivering that experience.

Overall, I rated this 3.75 out of 5 stars. It really is an interesting story and kept me guessing, it just wasn’t my favorite thriller.

Note: I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for review.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for approving me for an advanced reader copy of Good Half Gone in exchange for an honest review. Teenager Iris Walsh saw her twin sister, Piper, get kidnapped but no one believes her as they think her sister ran away. Now Iris is an adult and still trying to figure out what happened with her sister. She executes a plan a long time in the making to intern at the isolated Shoal Island Hospital for the criminally insane where she hopes to find answers.
I loved this book as you can see from my 4 star rating. It was a very interesting story line with surprise twists which must occur for me to give any thriller 4 or 5 stars. You feel Iris' frustration when she knows what she saw and no one will listen. I liked the detail provided about her childhood so you really got to know her and her sister. I read a lot of thrillers but I had not read anything by this author before and I will now be looking to read any thriller books by her.

I love Tarryn Fisher, I do. She has a brilliant imagination. But I feel the same way about Good Half Gone as I did The Wives- and that feeling isn’t great.

Actually I think I liked The Wives better, and considering I wanted to throw that book out the window- that’s saying something. Firstly, this book is slow. It sort of starts off with a bang, and you really think you’re getting somewhere- but then you just…don’t? It’s weird. It has its moments that it keeps you engaged, but mostly it’s a lot of filler in between to heart pounding moments.

And the end of the book? It’s just completely unbelievably ridiculous. As someone who worked with the criminally insane in a locked facility- it’s a laughable ending. I just don’t know how I feel about this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

At 15, Irish Walsh saw her twin sister Piper kidnapped. The police don't believe her and Piper's trail is cold by the time they take it seriously. Since then, Iris has never given up searching. Nine years later, with a young son and elderly grandmother to care for, Iris takes an internship at the Shoal Island Hospital for the criminally insane, where she is convinced a patient there knows what happened to her sister.

I loved this book. I did not see the end coming and loved every second of it. Unraveling Piper's kidnapping was a tangled story indeed. As the secrets unfolded, the story got better and better. Be sure to put this one on your TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available March 19, 2024

Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher presents a promising premise that initially captivated me with a gripping 911 call. However, as the story progresses, it fails to maintain the same level of intrigue and ultimately left me underwhelmed.

I appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Good Half Gone in exchange for an honest review. Although it fell short of my expectations, it did have enough intrigue to keep me turning the pages as I wanted to know about Piper and a little more about Cal. . While it may not be a complete miss for some readers, I was personally a bit disappointed in this one.

Overall, Good Half Gone had the potential to be a captivating thriller, but it failed to deliver on its promising premise. While it may appeal to readers who enjoy stories with dual timelines and a hint of mystery, it ultimately left me wanting more shock and thrill that I might normally expect from this author.

I am not going to give too much in my review, but everything in the book matters — no details is too small — and I don’t want to spoil anything. I will say a few things:

1🔹Tarryn Fisher is THE VERY BEST at writing twisted stories.

2🔹I absolutely never ever say the ending coming. Like how the heck did I miss so much? (I’m assuming it’s because of what I said in point #1)

3🔹Go into this one as blind as you can as to not spoil the reading experience.

4🔹Anyone who has left “the church” will get this book on a deep, deep level.

Did you read that book?

Good Half Gone
By Tarryn Fisher

Plot: Iris narrowly escaped her twin sister’s fate as a teen: abducted in broad daylight and long gone before she could convince the cops there was anything to investigate. With Piper presumed a runaway and no evidence to go on but Iris’s scattered memories, the case quickly goes cold.
 
Ever since that terrible day, Iris’ search for Piper has bordered on obsession. Chasing leads across years and following clues that all seem to point to a single name, Iris does everything she can to get close to the only person who might know the answer to the question that still haunts her: where did Piper go? And if the police still won’t help, she’ll just have to find the answer herself--using her criminal psychology degree to intern at the isolated psychiatric hospital on Shoal Island, where secrets lurk in the shadows and are kept under lock and key. But Iris soon realizes that something even more sinister is simmering beneath the surface of the Shoal, and that the patients aren’t the only ones being observed…


Review: I was instantly intrigued by this book just from the plot. Missing sister. Isolated mental hospital. Obsession. The balance of past and present keeps the story fresh. Your head and heart are with Iris as you try and understand if anyone is actually telling the truth. I would love to say more but I feel like most of the information I want to share is considered a spoilers (yes this book is THAT good!) What makes this book such a knock-out, is the writing. Tarryn writes with a mastery akin to Agatha Christie. She gives you just enough information to be hooked, but not too much that you can predict the end. The last 30 pages, each word has you on the edge of your seat. 10/10 recommend! 


Thank you Tarryn Fisher, NetGallery, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.



“Good Half Gone” is out NOW! Get your copy!!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher. I am extremely torn on how to review this title.

The positives: intriguing premise, strong emotional insights, and some really interesting characters.
The negatives: a bit all over the place, too fast paced at some parts and very boring at other parts, some sections not really wrapped up.

I did stay up past my bedtime to finish reading because about the last 1/4 of the book takes an intense turn that made me want to see how everything played out. After reflecting on it this morning, I can't say I loved the book. I can say it kept me reading. I can't say much because I don't want to give it away, but wow, Iris really went through a lot in order to get answers about her sister. Almost too much.