I’m such a sucker for a good cover, lemme tell ya! 😍 Many thanks to @NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the gifted eARC to read and review this new-to-me-author.

This one started off pretty well; I liked the multiple POVs and was really intrigued by the storyline. The multiple POVs alternate between a wide mix of characters—all done in third-person—but then the victim, Ellie’s POV is done in first-person. I’m seeing this a lot in thrillers lately and unfortunately, can’t say I’m a fan of it. Pick a POV? 🤷🏼‍♀️ That said, Ellie’s was definitely the strongest and most engaging, but I’m a sucker for first-person POVs, so…

Overall, a solid 3 stars. I enjoyed this one for the most part, but the word repetition throughout (flicker/flicked/flick/flicked) drove me crazy and the ending was a bit too outlandish for my taste.

This was a twisty and tense read, focused on the disappearance and subsequent return of a teenager named Ellie and the detective (Chelsey) who is trying to figure out what happened. The author did a great job in telling the story from their different POVs.

While we know Ellie has returned, the book takes the reader back though the happenings while she was missing, and weaves that story in with the current timeline. Ellie is a believable character, as were her family and friends. Chelsey is also believable and her flashback chapters give great characterization into understanding her current decisions. There were a couple great twists in the book, though without giving anything away, I kind of felt that the author tricked us with one of them. The ending wasn’t as memorable as the rest of the book but I thought it was ok.

Overall, this was engaging read that I had trouble putting down. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow - this was a great, spooky, quick thriller! The storyline is exactly what it sounds like...Ellie Black returns after years of being missing. I was expecting a typical "who done it" type of YA thriller, but this one dove into much deeper topics regarding trauma, mental health, and relationships. I liked the alternating POV and felt that it really added to the suspense and horror-like mood of this story! The ending of this one caught me off guard, and I know my students will love this one (I'd recommend it for more of my older/mature readers due to some of the topics). Thanks so much for this arc!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Return of Ellie Black is about exactly that— the mysterious return of Ellie Black, who had been missing for several years, and who has sparked a great many questions by Detective Chelsey Calhoun, who was initially assigned to her case. There are many things that are odd about Ellie’s return and slowly, we come to see how several different storylines twist together to help us understand what happened to her.

This was an excellent, propulsive thriller! I usually struggle with this genre, as I often find it difficult to move past the trite cliches and the drama. But, this one had a human element to it, with the author exploring many of the real, tough emotions and trauma that both Ellie and Chelsey have experienced. I’d definitely recommend looking into trigger warnings before diving into this one; I did find the subject matter difficult to read at times. However, even with that said, I’m glad I pushed through and enjoyed the fresh, unique twist that the story took on. The book was very well paced and didn’t drag on— I was engrossed enough in the book to read in a sitting, very glad to have found a thriller here that worked for me!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this story to thriller lovers and contemporary fiction fans!

I flew this book in less than a day. Emiko Jean knows how to pull you in until you are so immeshed in the story it's almost a part of you. I wouldn't call this a thriller, more literary suspense. The writing style is sharp, poetic, and captivating. The mystery is fascinating. And that twist in the last twenty pages? WHOA. Didnt see that coming. Bring a sharpie and don't start this one at bedtime! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for my ARC

Chelsey Calhoun has been haunted by her younger sister's disappearance for over two decades. Following in her father's footsteps, she enters into the police force in her hometown with hopes of helping other's escape danger.

Two hikers come across a girl while hiking in the Washington State woods. The girl? Ellie Black has been missing for two years. Chelsey spearheads the investigation determined to find justice for Ellie, yet Ellie remains quiet and refuses to participate in the investigation. As Chelsey digs deeper into the evidence, she discovers Ellie still remains quiet. The clock is ticking and Chelsey desperately needs Ellie's help to save the other girls.

This gripping story alternates between third person and Ellie's POV, which was brilliant. Seeing the world through Ellie's eyes really allows you to feel and see how fragile she is and how determined she is to do what needs to be done. This story gets darker and darker as more of what Ellie went through is discovered. However, throughout the high drama, high intensity chapters are softer, quieter scenes that give us a glimmer of hope that Ellie's life could be normal again, despite all that she gone through.

The twists and turns in this book are jaw dropping, but provide closure for not only the Chelsey and Ellie, but also the readers. This was so well written, I look forward to reading more from Emiko Jean.

Thank you to Emiko Jean, Netgalley, and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchance for an honest review!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Review: wow, this was one fascinating read. As some of you know, I love books that have some sort of captive part to it (think The Quiet Tenant or Room). The unique setting of this book is that Ellie Black was held captive and we can see her story unfold in the present and past.

What I found so interesting was the POV of Chelsey the detective. I loved her story and her determination to figure out what happened to Ellie. I felt she was so well developed. The author did an amazing job weaving the past and present together and really had me stumped multiple times. There were so many plot twists, with the book ending with a phenomenal twist that I didn’t see coming and wish it was flushed out a little more.

Ellie’s story was hard to read at times. I ant fathom what she went through. Despite that, I enjoyed reading about her time at the camp and all the connecting parts. I stayed up until 2am reading this. It was an excellent thriller that left me in disbelief!

A big thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review.


Pub date: May 7, 2024

It's been a lot of fun watching Emiko Jean explore different genres as an author. Going from her YA duology to her adult romance and now this thriller. I always enjoyed her previous works because of the joy and fun personality infused in her writing and main female characters. So to suddenly read something so bleak and dark was a little disappointing. I was hoping she'd put her own spin on thrillers by still maintaining her buoyant prose, but the style she went for is a lot more stilted.

Even though a lot of this story is high intensity, high drama (sometimes bordering on melodrama), my favorite parts were the quieter scenes. Ellie and her boyfriend having a tender moment when they first see each other again or Chelsey and her husband Noah sharing in a bit of lightheartedness. That's where Emiko Jean shines in my opinion and we just didn't get enough of it.

Great missing person mystery and police procedural!
A missing teenage girl is found after being gone for two years and Detective Chelsey Calhoun is charged with leading the investigation. Not only is Calhoun leading the investigation but she is extra invested because years ago her older sister was missing from the same town and was later found dead. There seem to be ties to Ellie Black, the found missing girl, and possibly other missing teenage girls from Washington state.
The author, Emiko Jean, very clearly gets both into Ellie’s mind as well as detective Calhoon’s. The reader gets good details on the two main characters’ backgrounds and emotions and there are quite a few surprises along the way with a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this upcoming thriller!

I’m going to make a prediction, this will be. Reese’s book club pick. The story unfolded cinematically and kept me entertained.

This story was so good! The author did an amazing job with character development and bringing the characters voice to life. I highly recommend.

4.5 stars rounded up

A teen is discovered in the woods by hikers and says she's Ellie Black, a girl who went missing two years ago. Chelsey is the detective that worked on her case and is now trying to find who abducted Ellie. This also dredges up what happened to Chelsey's sister when they were teenagers, when her sister, Lydia, went missing.

I've read Emiko's other books, but this is her debut thriller and I could not put it down. I absolutely devoured it and needed to know what was happening. In terms of content, be mindful that you get narrative voices that involve violence against women.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the ARC on NetGalley.

A quick-paced, procedural type thriller that kept me interested! I NEVER saw the twist coming and I loved the narrative surrounding women and how men are treated differently in life.

Strong thriller with good fast-paced writing that kept me locked in from the start. I try to be pretty self aware while walking around town or riding the metro but I shamelessly admit carrying my kindle around for all of the one day it took me to read this book. This is definitely a novel where the twist(s) at the end feel pretty wildly out of left field, which is why this book gets 4 stars instead of 5 (would be a 3.7 if Goodreads did decimals but I am generously rounding up) - it’s easy to imagine the writer looking at herself in the mirror and whispering “hell yeah” when she came up with the ending. I didn’t hate the ending but it was definitely a little forced, which took away from what was otherwise an excellent thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author for the ARC. This book will sell!

The Return of Ellie Black had so many aspects I absolutely love in a thriller- a fast pace, short chapters, alternate timelines and alternating POV. It’s hard to believe this is the author’s first thriller- it was done so well!

From the first page I was drawn in and had a hard time putting this one down! I felt so invested and was curious where it was going and what had happened. It did end up feeling a little far fetched but that can be fairly typical for a thriller!

I loved how the end tied everything up and you got to see what happened to each character. I would definitely recommend this one to any thriller lover. I can’t wait to see what the author writes next!

Thank you Netgalley for the arc

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Return of Ellie Black.

I love police procedurals featuring a female protagonist so I was excited my request was approved. I was eager to read this!

The premise was intriguing; a girl missing for two years suddenly returns, unable and unwilling to aid in her investigation, the lead detective Chelsey Calhoun soon discovers the clues to the perpetrators lead close to home.

What I did like:

1. Detective Chelsey Calhoun is a decent main character, the adopted daughter of the former police chief, a Japanese woman in a sea of white faces in her small town.

The loss of her older sister, whom she shared a fierce and loyal relationship with, destroyed her family and led her into a career of law enforcement.

2. Ellie Black's former boyfriend, Danny, is supportive, kind, and understanding. Most men, including fathers and husbands in these types of genres are scumbags and/or prone to gaslighting the main characters. Danny is a good guy.

3. The mystery wasn't bad; I was interested in Ellie's POV and how she endured and survived in captivity.

What I didn't like:

The identity of the perps was difficult to suspend disbelief in, as was the reveal of what happened to Chelsey's sister, though I accurately guessed she wasn't deceased.

Recently, it feels as if more and more mystery/thriller writers are throwing in twist after twist to 'shock' readers even if the 'twists' are hard to believe in.

The writing is fine, but the ending was just plain silly.

One more thing, I get understand this is an ARC so there are bound to be errors.

For example, The Goonies is referenced in one chapter but as Goonies. I hope that gets fixed in the final edit.

Young Elizabeth Black returns home after having been missing for two years. You’d think that is the end of it, but it’s not. She’s uncooperative during the investigation, and it’s up to Detective Chelsey Calhoun to find the answers.

TW: kidnapping, rape, murder, suicide, manipulation (gaslighting)

Emiko Jean has become one of my favorite authors, and thriller is one of my favorite genres, so I was more than excited to see that she was in the process of writing one.
Many mystery-thrillers are written about people who go missing and are either never found or are found dead. But this time, the missing person returns. But what really makes this case an interesting one is that it doesn’t stop there.
I loved Chelsey as a main character. This case was very close to her, and it was clear that she was set on cracking it as a way to cope with the regrets of her past. She couldn’t save her sister Lydia, so maybe she could save Ellie and the other girls.
Ellie was definitely a strange and complex character. I knew if the case was going to continue even after she returned home, something had to be up with her. I studied psychology in college, so I was able to see many signs of trauma in Ellie.
What I especially love about thrillers in general are the twists. The events of this book were definitely unexpected, that’s for sure. This book made me wonder if I can really trust certain people.
Like other books I’ve read by this author, she likes to throw out questions to make us think. It was also sad, thinking of those missing girls. What could’ve been.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

The Return of Ellie Black is a uniquely refreshing mystery in that is starts after the teenage girl who disappeared two years ago (when she was only 17) and works its way backwards from there, as the intricate mystery is unwoven, later by delicate layer.

This is one of the most outstanding mysteries I have read in years, with wonderful character development, an evolved plot, and it is extremely well-written. I enjoyed ever minute, and I definitely hope that this is the first in a long series with the primary female investigator in this novel!

Kudos to the author, for her excellent work, and an enthusiastic 5 star rating from this reader.

First of all, this cover is stunning. I would buy this in the store for that alone. What’s inside the cover is fantastic too! The twist blew my mind. Definitely recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC.

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. This story had lots of twists and I enjoyed reading it. I would recommend for anyone who likes a good thriller.