This book was right up my street. Podcast/murder mystery vibes. I love a duel perspective and on top of that it has dark twisted humour which I love. Brilliant.

The Lake of Lost Girls is following a book trend of Armchair Detective Podcast, including cold cases. If you're enjoying this theme, this is a great addition to the list! If you really loved it, highly recommend learning more about Lake Lanier.

This was a twisty, turny kind of thriller and honestly those are the best ones! The change of pace with the Instagram and the podcasts makes it feel more real. It keeps the reader from getting in a rut while reading - though, I think with this one they would be fine anyway.

The characters came off the page easily. The personalities worked so well in the story and I can definitely see myself rereading this one in the future!

Book Review: The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene

Rating" 4 Stars

When I picked up The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene, I was expecting a typical thriller. What I got, however, was a gripping story that pulled me into its depths with its haunting narrative and unexpected twists. This book is a must-read for fans of suspenseful tales like All Good People Here and We Are All the Same in the Dark.

The novel is set in dual timelines, which adds a layer of complexity that I found both intriguing and immersive. In 1998, we meet Jessica Fadley, a freshman at Southern State University in North Carolina, who suddenly vanishes amidst a wave of disappearances among female students. Flash forward twenty-four years, and we follow Jessica's sister, Lindsey, who is determined to uncover the truth behind her sister’s disappearance. Lindsey's investigation is fueled by a popular true crime podcast that brings renewed attention to the cold case, driving her into a labyrinth of shocking revelations.

Greene cleverly uses podcast clips to keep the suspense taut and the reader on edge. Just when you think you have a handle on where the story is heading, she throws in a twist that completely caught me off guard. That twist alone was enough to elevate my rating from a solid three stars to an enthusiastic four.

What really stood out for me was how the author explores the bond of sisterhood against the dark backdrop of mystery and true crime culture. Her portrayal of Lindsey’s relentless search for answers is both poignant and compelling. As the bodies of the long-missing women begin to surface in a nearby lake, Lindsey’s journey becomes all the more chilling and intense.

The Lake of Lost Girls is more than just a mystery; it's an exploration of human emotions and relationships under extreme circumstances. Katherine Greene knows how to weave a tale that holds your attention from beginning to end. It was a fun read that kept me entertained throughout, and I have to give kudos to Greene for crafting such a memorable twist that pushed this book from good to great.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

I love going into books blind so I really didn’t know what this was going to be about aside from thriller (subject genre) and I thought the cover was pretty lol. This was a new to me author but won’t be my last read by them

This is the first book I’ve read from this author and at first I wasn’t sure if I was going to end up loving it or not. I LOVED it. From 40% until 100% I couldn’t put the book down. I had to know what happened to Jess and why.

Four girls go missing and a podcast is discussing what happened to them, especially Jessica Farley who went missing out of thin air and whose body was never actually found where the other girls were found. All the girls go to the same college and they are all connected one way or another.

I loved the podcast part of this, I love crime podcasts and I really enjoyed trying to guess who was involved with the girls murders.

Thanks netgalley and publisher for the chance to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

I needed a good distraction during the U.S election season and it just so happened that The Lake Of Lost Girls by Katherine Green, with it’s intriguing title and alluring cover, released on election day. The Lake of Lost Girls is a propulsive page-turner about young women who go missing from a small-town college in North Carolina. The cases having gone cold, are newly awakened 24 years later, partly due to a pair of inquisitive of podcast hosts. The sister of one of the missing young women, hearing the true crime podcast, which is stirring up the pot on these cold cases, takes matters into her own hands, as she attempts to uncover what happened to her sister many years before.

This twisty thriller was exactly what I need to block out all of the election news flooding the airways in November. The Lake of Lost Girls had so much of what I love in a thriller – a chilling and unsettling mystery; a dark, southern campus setting; alternating timelines, and an ending I didn’t see coming.

Although I couldn’t stop turning the pages, I felt the podcast narrative did not do much to advance the intrigue or plot of this compelling story. Nevertheless, The Lake of Lost Girls will be a perfect read for fans of true crime fiction and page-turning, twisty thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Green, in exchange for my honest opinion.

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑜 𝐿𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝐺𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑠 is a well-written, suspenseful thriller that surprised me with its ending.
The unsolved disappearance of college student Jessica Faddley casts a shadow over the entire life of her younger sister Lindsey, who disappears from her family under a heavy blanket of mourning, she is still alive, but her life becomes less important, invisible to those around her in the face of tragedy. Lindsey is also overwhelmed by a huge sense of guilt because her sister disappeared when she went to the car to get her birthday present. Lindsey watched her through the window, but she looked away for 10 seconds, and her sister evaporated. That is why the woman is so determined to find out what happened to her sister when the news suddenly shows that the remains of a student who disappeared 24 years ago have been found at a local lake. Lindsey's desperation will lead her to discover many secrets hidden by both her mother and father, which will lead to a place where the woman, following in the footsteps of her missing sister, meets her friends and discovers shocking facts from the found diary, will realize that she has started living her life. Suddenly, her present begins to disturbingly resemble her sister's past, and the allies she met may be her greatest enemies. Lindsey thought that her life was finally starting to fall into place, but nothing and no one in this story is who it seemed. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐿𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝐺𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑠 is one of the most exciting thrillers I've read in 2024.

As someone who enjoys well-executed mystery and crime thrillers, The Lake of Lost Girls fell flat for me. The twists were glaringly obvious early on, which took away much of the suspense. The characters felt one-dimensional, and the handling of sensitive themes was both uncomfortable and lacking nuance. While the premise had potential, the story didn’t deliver the depth or surprises I was hoping for. A tough 3 stars from me.
My thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eARC

This is one of the best books I remember reading in years. The twist at the end was shocking - did not see it coming at all. The mix of narrators as well as the insertion of podcast transcripts made it a really interesting read / listen. At soon as I hit the twist, I sent it to so many friends frantically recommending it!

I love a good thriller with a podcast element and this one was no exception. The suspense kept me engaged and I was not expecting the ending. Great character development made it easy for me to connect with the characters.

You will not put this book down. It will be one that you carry with you. Take with you everywhere for any open moment you have you have to read what happens next and in my opinion those are the best kind of books.

I was so excited to get a copy of this one, and then was so late on reading. I loved seeing this one everywhere as it was published and was so excited when i finally got to read and be a part of they hype for this one!

Thanks for the digital copy!

This dark academia meets psychological thriller was a chilling, unsettling read. You know when a thriller completely blindsides you? That was this book for me. I truly thought I had everything figured out, but I was way off with my predictions. Thinking back, I realize that the answer was right in front of me — it just didn’t click until the big reveal at the end!! I always love a good mixed media moment, especially when it's a thriller, and this one was no different. I can’t talk about this book without mentioning the characters. They were flawed and almost all of them were suspects in my mind at some point during my reading journey. The ending is one that I think people will love or hate, but it’s one you won’t be able to forget either way.

This one was just a really solid thriller for me. I was so engaged in the cold case and loved the commentary on true crime podcasts where the hosts very casually talk about the murders by engaging with those podcasts through a family member of one of the victims. I was able to figure out who was responsible before the end, but it didn’t really ruin it for me as I really enjoyed the explanation and the flashbacks leading up to it. I think the author did a great job of pacing the story and doling out clues to lead you to the conclusion. If you like thrillers set on college campuses and trying to solve cold cases, I can’t recommend this one enough!

I loved that we get dual timelines so we can read things how would happen in real time and after. I love how we thought things happen one way, but in the end the truth threw me for a loop. The story centers on missing girls and how they attended the same university. Could the professor be the length or something else? When the two things out you will be as shocked as I was.

Katherine Greene is new to me, but I have added the woods are waiting to my TBR.

I felt captivated from the beginning knowing something tragic had unfolded -but finding out the details is waiting to unfold. I found this a quick paced, page turner eager to find out what happened.

For those in their true crime era this book is for you!!

First of all, The Lake of Lost Girls was written by two people?!?! I had no idea that Katherine Greene was the pen name for writers A. Meredith Walters and Claire C. Riley, and the book certainly doesn't read like it was written by two people either. Everything was entirely seamless and now I am definitely keen to get to their debut together, The Woods are Waiting. The podcast element in here was top notch and integrated perfectly into the rest of the storyline. I love anything with a podcast, and this was probably one of my favorites to date! I also highly enjoyed the viewpoint shifts between Lindsey in the present and Jessica in the past before she went missing blended with the podcast.

The audiobook for The Lake of Lost Girls was pure perfection and definitely the route I would recommend for reading. Helen Laser, Frankie Corzo, Sara Young, Haley Taylor & David Bendena checked all the boxes with their narration and I was completely drawn in by the writing and narration alike. I also loved how the podcast was presented in the audio, and it’s the little things like that, that create a perfect audiobook experience. I was completely blown away by the ending, and while I do think you need to suspend disbelief to some extent, it was certainly explosive, and I didn’t see it coming. Read this if you are looking for an immersive whodunnit, characters who exude bad behavior, and twisty cold cases!

4.4 🎧
I’m SO glad this book didn’t go where I was afraid it was going to go…boy did it have me dreading the big reveal.

A string of disappearances from the 90’s start to unfold as bodies start popping up 2 decades later. A popular podcast sinks its teeth into the thrill, grabbing nationwide attention, as one of the victim’s sister’s is determined to finally solve this once and for all.

This was an easy binge that kept me engaged. From the addictive nature of True Crime Podcast style, to the alternate POV’s and the fear of who dunnit once you’ve developed your theory…but don’t want to be right 🥹 This was a ride!

In the end, I was slightly surprised as I did not guess the culprit. There were other parts that were easy to put together early-on, but it didn’t take away from the overall storyline. I was left with mixed emotions, begging the question, what would you have done? 🤔

I listened to the audio version and enjoyed everything except for the one of the podcaster’s voice that was a bit hard to understand at a faster speed. (I’m a 2X girl - too many books, too little time!) I love a good audio thriller when tasking around the house. 👏🏼

Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Katherine Greene for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!

I loved this book. It had just enough suspense and intrigue that it kept me guessing. It is hard for me not to guess the ending to most thrillers but this was not the case with this book.