Das war einfach unglaublich.
Ich gebe zu, dass ich erst skeptisch war,aber ich bin so froh, dass ich dem Buch doch noch eine Chance gegeben habe.
Ich bin ein Krimi-Mädchen, ich liebe Dokumentarfilme, man denkt immer, man wisse Bescheid, und das tat ich auch, ich war überzeugt. Ich lag so FALSCH. Niemals in einer Million Jahren hätte ich das vermutet, die Enthüllung war absolut brillant, sie hat meine Theorie in den Wind geschossen. Ich habe jede Seite dieses Buches geliebt, die gesteigerten Emotionen, das Grauen in meiner Magengrube, alles davon.

I enjoyed the premise of this a lot, I found the cover and plot really intriguing but I definitely felt the plot felt unfinished.

I thought it had great twists and excellent red herrings and thought it was twisty and kept my interested but I felt the characters and the finer details needed more work.

I did love the social media and podcast elements but I almost wanted more of that to maybe fill out the story. I also would have liked more of an epilouge to get closure especially for Jessie’s family.

Buckle up ladies and gents because we are going on a roller coaster ride.

This book pulled me in right away and kept me guessing but the truth is so much worse than I imagined. This book is told in alternating timelines, which I love in this type of book because it really keeps you guessing. I love that details are revealed a bit at a time, and the suspect list changes frequently with the facts that are unveiled.

I also liked the podcast portion of this book because I'm a sucker for a true crime podcast and I can see this playing out exactly like the book.

I requested access to this ARC a while ago and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to read it. Can't wait for the pub date so I can see everyone else's reviews. I loved this one so much!

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date: 11/5/24

Four young women go missing over a short period of time at a small town university in the USA, including Jessica, one of two narrators in this book, the protagonist being her younger sister, Lindsey, who is investigating the mystery many years later.
I'm not gettting into the plot as don't want to give away any spoilers but this is a very solid and compelling page turner of a thriller. There are times when hardly credible things happen but the quality and pace of the writing is such that it's easy to forget that and keep reading to find out what happens at the end and who did it.
A good read that I didn't want to put down.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance reader copy of this novel.

WOW!! This book was incredible!

The story is centered around a 24-year old cold case about 4 college girls that go missing from Southern State University in North Carolina in 1998/1999. The book begins with a popular true crime podcast discussing this case as new developments have come to light. The plot then flips between present day and the late 90s, alternating POVs from Lindsey, who is desperate to find out what happened to her sister Jessica, and Jessica herself. As the story unfolds it becomes so gripping you wont be able to turn the pages fast enough.

There were so many elements to this book that I loved. I prefer a story with dual/multiple POVs and timelines, and this had both. The Podcast element and the newspaper clippings and pictures in between chapters were unique additions to the book that enhanced the reading experience. I’m also a 90s girl at heart, so I loved that we kept being transported back to that time. Finally, the ending was so, so good! Not only was I completely shocked, but it took me on a mini-roller coaster ride of emotions. And as an added bonus, isn’t the book cover gorgeous?

I don’t give 5-star ratings too often, but hands down this is absolutely a 5-star masterpiece that I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The story revolves around a 24 year old cold case file of a missing college girl in a small town. The case has been revived by the attention from a cold case podcast. What they discovered in their research, was that she wasn't the only missing girl.
    We follow the central character as she grows up, her relationship with her father, the little sister who lives in her shadow, and the constant scrutiny of her mother.  The story is presented in two voices .........a retrospect to the college days and the younger sister in the present .
    It's a driving story that leaves the reader with many options of who was behind these mysterious disappearances. Every time a new piece of evidence appeared, the reader questioned who the real assailant was.
   The author opened several avenues of thought in the book: the questionable relationship of the character with the father, how victims were all caught up in the charms of older men, how  these same older men need their egos boosted and took advantage of needy young women. She demonstrated that institutions of learning would look the other way at indiscretions by their professors rather than come under scrutiny by the public, and how shoddy policework can influence the outcome of a case. 
    All provocative subjects on their own but all blended together in this book to make for an exciting read with a finale you don't expect.

I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover and all but sometimes, five-star books have a certain look, yknow?

I tend to go a little more in-depth with my netgalley reviews since these books are mostly unreleased but I have to say, I am almost speechless over this book. There is simultaneously so much to say and nothing at all.

Firstly, I find that the characters (even the ones I didn't like) grew on me throughout the story for a multitude of reasons. Also, I love interactive books like this where there are transcripts and news clippings between chapters because I feel like it makes for a more immersive reading experience.

Crazy that I finished the book in one sitting, if that doesn't tell you how addictive it is I don't know what will. Also as much as I want to say that I saw the twist coming, I did not.

I literally can't wait for the release of this book to see what everyone else thinks. Personally, I would put this at Riley Sager level thriller.

Gripping and fast read from different viewpoints. I really enjoyed the book until the ending. It was so predictable and a little unbelievable. But if you are into fast thrillers that twist and turn. This one is for you!

Could seriously not put this book down! It hooked me right away and just did not let go. I thought the podcast elements were really well done, especially since none of the podcasters had direct contact with the Lindsey. I also loved the addition of Lindsey hating the podcast but not being able to stop listening. So many people act this way, it gave a sense of realness to the book. There were enough red herrings that I was kept guessing, but not so many that it was annoying or there were obvious holes to the potential of them being the bad guy in the end. And, I did not even come close to guessing the truth until embarrassingly close to the end of the book. Fantastic! Would definitely read more by this author.

I really liked this book! I was sucked in right away, and I loved the dual timeline and differing perspectives! The only thing that I took off a star for was the ending - it felt somewhat unbelievable that the dad had the body in the garage the whole time. That was also pretty predictable when we found out about the smell.

Wow wow wow. This book was amazing.

The constant twist and turns kept me guessing right up until the very end.

I loved how this book switched from present day to past, so that we could see a full scope of what really happened.

I thought the podcast monologue was not really needed, but liked how it linked to modern day where most people listen to podcasts.

Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane for letting me read this advanced copy for an honest review.

Twenty-four years ago 4 girls go missing from the same college in 1998/1999 and no one seems to know what happened to them. Now a true crime podcast is determined to break the case wide open. I love how the author switched POVs between Jessica in 1998/1999 (one of the missing girls) and Lindsey (her sister 24 years later). I also love that there were different mediums such as the podcast and news articles mixed in. The story itself was well written and I kept guessing who the bad guy actually was. I guessed the big twist with only a few chapters to go but I wasn’t positive until it was revealed.

The one thing I did not like is that I felt like Lindsey’s love interest felt forced and it distracted me from the rest of the storyline. Overall I recommend this one for my true crime and mystery readers.

I have posted my review on Goodreads, Instagram and Facebook with links below. I will post an Amazon review closer to pub date.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

This book dives into a cold case mystery of several missing girls from the same college campus. The story is told in alternating timelines podcast episodes and social media posts which kept it interesting! There are plenty of potential suspects to keep you guessing! I felt like the story started off slow, but once you got the premise of the plot and were introduced to the characters, it kept me on the edge of my seat right until the very end. I did feel as though it was a bit predictable, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless.

This was a solid mystery about the disappearances of college girls twenty years prior in a small town. Here, we follow the perspective of two sisters, one who went missing twenty-four years ago and one who has grown up suffering the loss of her sister and one of the last people to see her. This was an emotional, heartfelt tale that kept me hooked until the very end. The atmosphere of the small town vibe was perfect. The anger and sadness so strong that it radiated through the pages. Although the podcast, true crime trope is used so often lately, I really liked this one because it showed the unappealing side and how cold and heartless some of them may seem, not exactly caring that this is people's actual lives and losses being talked about. The ending was done well while leaving the reader just as emotional as the characters involved. Three and a half stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books, for this ARC.

Told in two different timelines between the older sister Jess and the much younger sister Lindsey, interspersed with a transcript of a true crime podcast, The Lake of Lost Girls is about what happened to four college girls in 1998/99. The women go missing from a small college in a small town, and the police at the time did a terrible job, deciding most were just runaways and not missing. When the remains of a body are found 24 years later when the police have a lot more tools available to them (not to mention pressure to actually accomplish something), maybe there will be answers.

Lindsey, who is now 30, is being dogged by the media because she was the last person to see Jess alive. Lindsey turned her head for 10 seconds when Jess when outside to get a birthday cake, and Jess was never seen again.

The writing and dialogue could be stronger. Lindsey would say things like she was feeling “incredibly emotional,” but I want a book to make me feel those things along with the character, which I didn’t. The authors use too many cliches: “deer in the headlights,” “hindsight is twenty/twenty.”

Also, I feel like the term “coed” is really antiquated and sexist, but in this novel it’s used by people in 2023 as if it’s so unusual that females are getting college educations these days. We had to deal with this nonsense back in the ’70s, but more women than men are earning bachelor’s degrees nowadays.

The way the men behaved in this book so it seemed like there were several potential suspects was a little hard to believe. I can’t go into more detail, but it bordered on ridiculous.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES NOVEMBER 5, 2024.

Thank you net galley for giving me this opportunity to read the book, 'The Lake of Lost Girls'.
The story is a dual time frame, 1998 to present.
The story takes place in a small town North Carolina.
Jessica and her younger sister and their parents live in the small university town.
Jessica is a freshman at the university and lives on campus even though her family home is a short distance away.
Lindsey is Jessica's much younger sister.
Three young women from the university go missing, but the police write it off as runaways. Jessica eventually goes missing and the police take a little more interest as she is from the area.
There are three possible suspects, the professor, the boyfriend and Jessica's father. But none of the teads go anywhere. Each of the suspects have been involved with the missing women.
Up to the present now, Lindsey is hell-bent on finding what happened to her beloved older sister.
I found that Ben, Jessica's father had/has an unhealthy relationship with her.
It kept me guessing who the perpetrator was.
These are my own opinions.

Compelling, Immersive..
Compelling and immersive suspense and a haunting tale of darkness. With an effective dual timeline and making excellent use of multi media sources to weave a true crime like narrative to convey the tale of a missing student and a sister desperately seeking answers some twenty four years later. A reflection on bonds, effects of crime on victim whilst putting the true crime culture under a spotlight.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC! "The Lake of Lost Girls" by Katherine Green is a haunting and atmospheric mystery that immerses readers in a chilling tale of loss, secrets, and redemption. Set against the backdrop of a serene lake community, the story unfolds as Sarah Hughes, a grieving mother, searches for answers after her daughter's disappearance. Green's writing is evocative, capturing the beauty of the lake and the palpable grief of a mother's heartache. The characters are deeply layered, each harboring their own secrets and vulnerabilities that add depth to the narrative. The plot is intricately woven with twists and turns that keep the suspense high until the very end. Green masterfully explores themes of guilt, forgiveness, and the resilience of the human spirit, making "The Lake of Lost Girls" a compelling and poignant read for fans of psychological thrillers and atmospheric mysteries.

This was the first time I could guess the ending of a thriller book, so that's a good memory. I actually guessed the plot twist when I reached the 2nd chapter; that was quite an adrenaline rush. The rest of the book was just solidifying my assumption and determining whether I was right or wrong. And yeah, I was right; I guessed everything except the reason for why it happened (don't worry, I'm not gonna spoil the reveal).

The podcast segment was quite interesting, but it didn't add any additional value to the story.

There were so many things left unsaid that were not developed properly. The ending was not that satisfactory, like I wanted the reaction of other people to that reveal.

Overall, it was fast-paced with minimum brain power, which is perfect if you're in a book slump.

I love books that read like true crime. There were so many twists, questionable police work and it just kept you guessing. I will definitely check out more from this author! Thanks for the chance to read this one! I enjoyed it!