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.

I did not enjoy this book at all, sadly. I really wanted to. But I felt like it was formulaic and didn’t really sound like an authentic podcast. The twist was good, it was just that the build up felt rushed.

Grab your rattiest flannel and Kurt Cobain tee, because we’re heading back to the 90s — 1998, to be specific, which is when we meet doomed Southern State University freshman Jessica Fadley in The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene.

Bright, pretty, and responsible, Jess is the last person anyone ever expects to get into trouble, especially her adoring little sister, Lindsay. But, just like the nearby lake Jess spent hours on with her dad every summer growing up, not everything is as calm or as perfect as it appears on the surface. She’s hiding dangerous secrets of her own, and just as she’s about to drown from the pressure of keeping them, she vanishes into thin air. Flash forward two decades: a popular true crime podcast focusing on cold cases turns its exploitative eye on Jess’s disappearance for its new season, and a now-adult Lindsay finds herself drawn into solving the mystery of what really happened to her sister on her birthday 24 years earlier, whether she wants to or not. (Happy birthday, I guess?)

The Lake of Lost Girls uses dual timelines, bouncing from Jess’s experience at school in the late 90s before disappearing in front of her childhood home one afternoon, and then back in present day with Lindsay, who is building a successful career in hospitality. Lindsay has tried to put her family tragedy behind her, and doesn’t exactly relish being tugged back to that headspace. Unfortunately her plans to float above it all go to hell when the bodies of long-missing co-eds from Southern State begin surfacing in the nearby Doll’s Eye lake — could Jessica’s corpse be next? Enter: daddy issues! Old resentments! Perverted teachers! Bad boyfriends! Irritated roommates! Commentaries on the general f*ckery of the true crime industrial complex! (Yes, obviously everyone in this book needs therapy.) (Which, same, tbh.)

If you’re a fan of true crime, this tight thriller due out in November from Katherine Greene — aka writing duo A. Meredith Walters and Claire C. Riley (The Woods Are Waiting) — should absolutely be on your radar, as it incorporates modern-day hallmarks of the genre as we know it today. There are transcripts from the podcast episodes investigating Jess’s case, which serve as a kind of framing device for the novel (I have to note that reading the “banter” between the podcast hosts was unbearable, personally, and doesn’t add any insight to the story). There are also tweets and other bits of media about Jess sprinkled throughout, plenty of unexpected twists, and more. (*Billy Mays voice* So! Much! More!)

As I sank deeper and deeper into the cold, dark depths of this story (OK fine, fine, I’ll stop with the water imagery), I appreciated the strong sense of atmosphere and suspense. Unfortunately the dialogue throughout came off as unrealistic, with stilted conversations that essentially splashed cold lake water all over any building momentum. (I couldn’t resist, but I’m done now! Promise!) I was also turned off by some of the characters, like the cloying, transparent Ryan, who I hated from the jump. And that twist? In theory, loved it — inventive and unexpected. In practice, though, I just don’t think it had enough foundation in the story leading up to it to deliver in the way it should. The big reveal glosses over some pretty major plot holes, landing with all the finesse of a drunken cannonball . . . off a raft . . . in the middle of a lake . . . that might also be hiding the bodies of a few lost girls. (Hahahah. Sorry.)

TL;DR — Although I wasn’t always a fan of some of the creative choices in this one, people who already have a love of true crime-influenced thrillers might find it worth dipping their metaphorical toes in. (Bye!!!!!)

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

Sadly, i could not get into this book. No worries, didn’t books satisfy different people! That’s the beauty of reading.

Readers are plunged deep into the Doll’s Eye Lake that’s tucked away in the small town of Mt. Randall where twenty five year old skeletal remains are finally surfacing and getting the attention they desperately deserve.

Its 1998 and women from Southern State University are disappearing without a trace and detectives never followed up on leads that were clearly right in front of their face. Jessica and her boyfriend had seen one of the professors with each of the woman that disappeared, but the college quickly swept their accusations under the rug. Jessica returns home for her little sister Lindsey’s birthday, but when she goes outside to grab her present from the trunk…she vanishes.

Its present day, a new podcast called Ten Seconds to Vanish: The Unsolved Disappearance of Jessica Fadley gives new light on the case. The podcast, and a friendly stranger have propelled Lindsey to investigate her sister’s disappearance but what she finds is devastating.

This story was unique with its features of social media posts, newspaper clippings, and podcast episodes which gave it a much more realistic perspective and I almost forgot I was reading fiction. I inhaled both of Katherine’s books back to back and have loved how she can build up her characters and keep readers on the edge of their seats. You think the story is going one way, the signs were all there, but the endings have completely blindsided me.

I can’t wait to read Katherine’s next book, I know it’ll be another five star.