"The Lake of Lost Girls" is a suspenseful thriller that intricately weaves together past and present timelines. The plot revolves around the mysterious disappearances of college students at Southern State University in North Carolina. The story primarily follows Lindsey, whose sister Jessica was one of the missing girls twenty-four years prior. The narrative toggles between Jessica's life leading up to her disappearance in 1998 and Lindsey's present-day quest to uncover the truth.

"The Lake of Lost Girls" is a must-read for fans of atmospheric thrillers and true crime. With its well-crafted characters, compelling plot, and engaging writing style, it offers a haunting exploration of loss, secrets, and the quest for truth. Katherine Greene's novel is a testament to their talent for creating immersive and suspenseful stories that linger with readers long after the last page is turned.

Thank you, Crooked Lane Books, for the e-galley of The Lake of Lost Girls {partner}

Genre: Mystery
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date:  11.5.2024
Pages: 320
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

“I think it’s too easy to cast suspicion on a faceless villain. No one wants to blame the very real evil that may be right there in front of you. Oftentimes, the truth is something you don’t want to admit to yourself.”

I’m always drawn to an entertaining true crime story - I can’t read the real true crime stories, but I’m such a sucker for a fictionalized story. What I enjoyed the most about The Lake of Lost Girls is that all the “suspects” really could’ve done it. They all offered something that made me genuinely doubt their innocence. It wasn’t until the last 20% that it all clicked into place, and I figured it out. 

My biggest hiccup with the book is that I typically love a mystery that includes the mixed media formatting, but for some reason, it all seemed like an afterthought to the book. The photos, transcripts, podcasts, etc didn’t add anything to the unraveling of the mystery itself. I started skimming the podcast transcripts because they never gave me anything substantial to grasp. The mixed media format in books can be done well, but it takes careful planning. 

Truthfully, I would’ve rated the book much higher had the author's writing style not taken on a repetitive, almost juvenile nature. The main character did not seem like an adult but more like a young girl trying to solve a murder. 

Read if you enjoy:
✌🏼 Dual timeline
📈 Escalating suspense 
😅 Chapter cliffhangers

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but not necessarily something I would recommend to my true mystery/thriller book lovers. It would be the perfect book to dip your toe in if you’re more comfortable with the cozy mystery genre.

Wow, buckle up before you read The Lake of Lost Girls because you're in for a bumpy ride! I happily requested an ARC of The Lake of Lost Girls after reading the description. I love a good murder cold case with a podcast plotline. Katherine Greene's writing style truly made this book. I loved the sassy, sharp witted Lindsey and the full-development of characters. This was truly one of my favorites for this year, and I cannot wait to see what Katherine Greene comes up with next!

What a breathtaking thriller! Initially, I thought I had figured out who did it, but as the story revealed more details, everything I believed was turned upside down, leaving us in complete suspense until the very end, which left me speechless.

The story follows a group of young students, including Jess, who disappear during their freshman year. The investigations are poorly conducted, leading to a cold case that remains unsolved for 24 years. That is, until two podcast hosts decide to rally amateur sleuths to help advance the investigation.

I loved the rising tension, the narration alternating between Jess's perspective in the past and her younger sister's in the present, which contributed to an escalating sense of suspense that became almost palpable, giving me goosebumps.

Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Katherine Greene for a chance to read this book for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.

This was good! I am harsher on thrillers than any other genre and I throughly enjoyed this one! I was on the edge of my seat the whole read!

This was my first novel by the duo Katherine Greene and it most definitely won't be my last!

It's 1998, and college freshmen Jessica Fadley has gone missing on her little sister's 6th birthday. She isn't the first girl from Southern State University to go missing- she's actually the 4th. Something sinister is going on on campus and nobody quite knows.

In present day, a podcast called 'Ten Seconds to Vanish' has brought the case to light once more. Jessica's younger sister Lindsey hasn't always felt settled about her sister being a missing person- she needs closure. One day, a body turns up at Doll's Eye Lake- it's one of the missing girls. An investigation occurs and it turns out she was murdered. When a literal deep dive happens, more girls are uncovered along with the secrets buried with them. This was one that I didn't want to put down and devoured in a matter of two days. I highly recommend picking this thriller up if you are looking for something fresh- a premise that I hadn't seen done before!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Wow wow wow. Finished in one day and if you're a true crime junkie. Love podcasts and past and present POVS this book is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“This is Ten Seconds to Vanish: The Unsolved Disappearance of Jessica Fadley. ”
Here are reasons to read the Thriller book:

Sisters - This book is told in 2 different timelines. The Present is where we follow Lindsey
Years Later - and 24 years previous, we follow Jessica’s timeline and see what happened when she vanished
Podcast - A podcast is highlighting this mystery once again, especially when a body has just been found

So I had high hopes for this book due to the subject matter and hype. And while this book isn’t out until later this year, I was reading it for a themed video about books about missing people. And while the first half of the book is pretty interesting, the second half started to become predictable. The problem is that the clues were not hidden enough to be shocking, but that’s just my opinion. The story itself can at times be uncomfortable for the subject matter, so make sure to check triggers.

I loved the podcast and social media aspect of this book, it gave it a very modern feel, which is what I look for in a thriller. Anything to do with podcasts is instantly a hit for me. I also loved the dual timeline in this book, it made me keep going and not want to put the book down.

The Lake of Lost Girls started out quite promising, but there was something about it that just was... off. The plot seemed compelling, but after about 30% in, I started to get really annoyed with the characters. I literally skimmed through the parts where the missing sister narrated, and cursed at the younger sister for being so damn naive... especially as she discovers who people *really* are. With all that said, I do think that others might find this book enjoyable -- it just wasn't a winner for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a great read overall. Now I had my theories of what happened as I was reading, but I’m happy to say, I was wrong! I didn’t pick it! Which means that this is a great book. I liked the mix media of the book too. You’ll find a podcast, newspaper articles and social media posts throughout which give you lots of different information about the disappearance. The chapters have multiple perspectives as well so this also adds to the story. The main story is narrated through Jessica’s sister, Lindsey.
If you’re after a great book that will have you guessing until the very end, this one is for you.

Back in 1998, four girls went missing from the same small North Carolina college. Many years later, a true crime podcast has revived interest in their disappearances. Some of the victim's families are happy for the renewed attention, and others don't want to keep reliving the past. A journalist comes to town determined to solve the mystery once and for all. Things really start to heat up once a body is found.

I really wanted to love this book. It kept feeling as though it was about to get really good, but for me, it never did. I figured out who was behind the disappearances way before I would have liked to. I didn't find any of the characters likable; in fact, I found a few of them incredibly unlikeable, including one of the missing girls, Jess, and her father.

The dual points-of-view were written in voices that were too similar. Lindsay and Jess are sisters, but they were virtually indistinguishable from one another, which I thought detracted from the story. Both sisters falling for the same guy many years apart had me rolling my eyes. He wasn't even worth one of them being interested in him, let alone both.

I gave the book 2.5 stars because, like I already mentioned, I really thought it had a lot of potential to be great, but in the end it fell flat.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Greene, and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

eARC from netgalley for my honest opinion, so here goes:

[High three, rounded to four stars]

An unsolved murder mystery story, with so many twists, turns, suspects, and characters. There are so many smoke and mirror tricks, making you believe you have everything figured out - when you really DO NOT.
It definitely had all the ingredients to be a five-star read. Sadly, it just fell flat in a couple of areas that I'll discuss further on in the review.

First and foremost, I want to discuss the things that I really liked;

• From the start, I had the feeling it would really be an interesting story, it was very Holly Jackson-esque which I absolutely loved: like the love child of A Good Girls Guide to Murder and The Reappearance of Rachel Price.
Told from *mostly* two POVs and times - present day Lindsey, who's sister disappeared more than two decades prior and Jessica, in her freshman year at college, the months leading up to her disappearance in the late 90s.

• I enjoyed the dual timeline, and it really amped up the twist so much more!! I also actually enjoyed the little snippets of other POVs nearer to the end to give a more rounded view of the events surrounding the disappearance.
[I received an eProof copy, so I'm hoping this is why, but I'm hoping the formatting is a little cleaner for these little POVs and for the quick switch between POVs near the end]

• The amount and believability of the suspects: The story involves not only Jessica going missing in the late 90s but three other girls. I found the way they were all linked, and the emergence of the suspects very well done.

• The undercurrent of feminism: bringing to light the systematic abuse of power in education systems, the grooming of young students by older teachers, the way certain types of men feel entitled to young women. Daisy's character really interested me, I wish we could have seen more of her.

• The social media and podcasts between chapters, it gave it a really authentic feel, and they were very well done.

Now, onto the things that held it back from being the next perfect thriller:

• The insta lust/love between Lindsey and Ryan gave me the ick so badly. It felt rushed and a bit cheesy. I'm not sure whether this was to show the slightly sheltered, smothered person Lindsey was or whether it was supposed to be that way, but I felt like their wasn't much chemistry on page between the characters. And then it all seemed a bit fruitless in the end. The first 30% gave me the feel that we were reading a romance book rather than a thriller, and then it suddenly fizzled completely after the first twist in the plot and they just didn't seem to discuss anything ever again, which I felt was a bit strange.

• The ending: not the twist, that was very well done (I had guessed it about 5-10% previously but I'm really good at guessing twists *hello adhd* so I don't think that could be said for everyone) - it was more the lack of any conversation between any of the main characters AFTER that. We just got the last episode of a podcast? It would have been so much better if there was some conversation. We were told the repercussions for all suspects involved on the podcast... in a sentence. I was so invested in everyone's stories. An epilogue with a time jump after that would have been nice. I want to know if Lindsey's okay. Is she at peace now that she knows everything? How is she dealing with things? How's her mum? Does she still speak to anyone?

Anyway, to conclude, I'd definitely say this is a well-done and interesting book that just needs a few minor tweaks to be perfect. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys mystery, suspense, whodunnits, and especially anyone who is a Holly Jackson fan!

Lindsay Fadley has always been known for having a missing sister. Years before her sister and three others students went missing from the same college and none of their bodies have ever been found. A new podcast has reopened the case of the missing girls and sparked an interest in the case. Then a body of one of the girls is discovered in the lake and old suspects and new are being questioned. Then a journalist shows up and offers to help Lindsey find the killer of the missing girls and although she is drawn to him she's not sure she should trust him.
The story had me hooked from the start although I did find it repetitive at times it still kept me reading. There are so many twists and turns you don't know who to trust. I couldn't put it down and it didn't disappoint. Thanks to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author for an advanced copy. It was definitely worth the lost sleep to finish it.

This was such a good book I would rate it a 3/5 stars it kept me on my toes and I really enjoyed it! Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for the copy to read.

This book was an easy read but with many twists and turns. It kept you hooked. The story of a family looking for a missing love one does hit close to home since my sister in law and nephew have been missing since 2017 and we are still looking for their bodies and waiting on justice. So because of that I could relate to the sisters search and frustration. Even though we know who did it in our case

This book has potential, but the storyline seemed to jump at random times with no transition. I was confused at times on where we were in the story. The killer was predictable by about halfway. It was a fast thrilling story but needs a little more depth. Thank you to netgalley for the advance copy.

I received an advanced reader copy of this title from NetGalley. I enjoyed how the story revolved around 4 girls that went missing in the 90s and goes back and forth between perspectives of one of the girls that went missing as well as her younger sister that was the last person to see her before she disappeared. Initially the missing college students were not seen as connected by the police but a renewed interest in the cases from a true crime podcast bringing more information to light provided a spark to reinvestigate where the police didn’t make connections the first time around. The book kept me guessing until the end on how it all would be connected.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6343159294

Told from various points of view and through a crime podcast, this book keeps you guessing. 4 missing girls all from the same college, a fumbled initial investigation, a younger sister living in the shadow of her sister, 2 main suspects, and one huge twist!

I was really invested in this book. I could not tell who the murderer was at all which makes for a great book. I just did not get the twist though. It was a good one, don`t get me wrong. But I feel like it was missing more information or something. There was something wrong with that relationship and I think not all was told. I highly recommend this book though.