3.5 stars.
I had a really hard time deciding on a star rating for this book.
I was OBSESSED with The Lake of Lost Girls- I couldn’t put it down. But at the same time, I was annoyed by it because I didn’t think it was that good. Go figure.
It was a bit messy and predictable for me. A lot of dialogue and scenarios repeat unnecessarily in order to build tension, but all it does it get annoying. As someone who is an avid thriller reader, this definitely didn’t top my list, especially since I figured out all the twists before they happened.
Greene does a good job dropping hints and leading you astray down different yellow brick roads, but if you’re a seasoned reader like me, you’ll see right through it.
There is a rather disturbing aspect to this book, but I actually liked the more mature theme. I’m not sure if a lot of the social issues identified were represented correctly.
I believe this is a great book for someone looking for a thriller with dark themes and not a lot of mystery

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. As soon as I read the synopsis of this book, I knew I had to read it. I was so excited to dive in and bumped all the other books I have on my TBR pile so I could read this asap, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I almost DNF'd it but I did find myself wanting to know how it was all going to come together in the end, so at least the suspense kept me going.

The pacing was slow and boring, and I felt a lot of the story was repetitive. The writing was flat, and all of the characters annoyed and frustrated me. I thought there would be more of the true crime podcast aspect to it but there were only little snippets of it at the end of some of the chapters and even those little parts were underwhelming. There was so much back and forth between who the potential suspect could be that I started to lose interest fast. It needed to get to the point quicker. Towards the end I was just skimming through it just to get to the conclusion. Such a bummer that this wasn't what I thought it would be!

I’m grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of “The Lake of Lost Girls” by Katherine Greene. This novel captivates with its mysterious aura, compelling readers to dive deeper into its unfolding enigma. Greene masterfully crafts suspense, leaving me eagerly turning pages, unable to predict the novel’s direction. The plot twist was genuinely surprising, a testament to Greene’s skill in narrative misdirection.

Despite its strengths, the novel falls short of a full five-star rating due to its superficial exploration of characters. The narrative, while engaging, lacks depth in character development, leaving the cast feeling somewhat ephemeral and disconnected. Although the dual narrative structure, oscillating between past and present, enriches the storytelling, the inclusion of a podcast storyline felt superfluous. This element seemed to detract from, rather than enhance, the main narrative, suggesting that a more focused approach on deepening character interactions and relationships could have benefitted the overall cohesion and impact of the story.

Moreover, while the novel’s climax is impactful, the journey to understanding the characters’ motives and their relational dynamics felt underexplored. A deeper dive into the characters’ backstories and the pivotal relationships that lead to the twist could provide the necessary substance to elevate the narrative.

In conclusion, “The Lake of Lost Girls” by Katherine Greene offers a gripping tale marked by a stunning twist, yet struggles with character depth and narrative focus. I rate this book 3.5 out of 5, recognizing its potential while acknowledging areas ripe for development.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Release date: November 5, 2024

<b>THAT ENDING!</b>

The Lake of Lost Girls is a story about four missing girls whom all attended the same university in 1998/1999.
This is told through dual timeline and dual pov from Jessica (one of the missing girls) while she was at school, and her younger sister, Lindsey, 24 years later.

When human remains are found in a nearby lake, and a podcast gains popularity from discussing the unsolved case of the missing girls, it becomes an active investigation again.
Lindsey is forced to uncover past childhood memories when a journalist and former ex-boyfriend of her sister inserts himself into the investigation process and quickly becomes closely acquainted with Lindsey.

Lots of blurred lines, secrets, and toxic power dynamics — this writing duo had me hooked and I promptly read this in one sitting.

What really fascinated me was how different the roles were of the professor, the journalist, and the father, yet how similar they all were in relation to the four girls. The character study was A+

Another thing that sealed the deal for me was all of the mixed media! I loved the quality of the graphics, how varied they were (podcast transcript, tweets, Instagram + Facebook posts, blog posts, pamphlet, newspaper article, TikTok live), and how they appeared at the end of every chapter.
I can’t wait to see how this looks in its finished physical form.

cw: teacher/student relationship, serial cheating, sexual relationships with minors

Whodunnit INDEED!!!

EVERYONE comes under suspicion: the butcher, the baker - oh, no, not the candlestick maker - but even YOU will be wondering what you were up to on the day that Jessica Fadley disappeared.

Young Lindsey Fadley was the last person to see her sister on that fateful afternoon.

Flash forward 24 years and Lindsey is impatiently waiting for the forensic results on the bodies of several women who had been found at the bottom of the local lake. Her entire life has revolved around her sister's disappearance and her need to dispel the burden of morbid speculation which has clouded her entire life.

Lindsey is guided by a true crime podcast in her attempts to solve the mystery of her sister's disappearance. Did I suspect the actual culprit(s)? Yes, of course. As I said before, everyone comes under suspicion. As the threads in this long-dormant mystery painstakingly unravel, you would be forgiven for beginning to question whether Jessica was ever actually abducted or murdered.

Will the real Jessica Fadley please stand up?

I'm rating this one a 3.8 out of 5 (rounded up to a 4 because GR doesn't allow for fractions.) Parts of this story were loaded with visible red herrings for me and there was a tad too much repetition in the last few chapters, as if to convince the reader - like water dripping on a stone - to accept the final version of the events of that fateful afternoon. Overall great storytelling, but characterization was a tad "canned" or formulaic in some parts.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this thriller in exchange for an honest review.

The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️


The Lake of Lost Girls written Katherine Greene is a mystery thriller centred around the disappearance of several co-eds from a college in the ‘90s.

20 odd years later a podcast is started when the body of a girl is found out by Doll’s Eye Lake. Further to this, the sister of the missing girl finds herself drawn back into the mystery of what happened to her sister.

Now, let me start by saying that this book did let me down and was definitely not what I was expecting when I read the description and requested the ARC. The plot was strong, but I found myself having to pause often and reread or at least think about what I read and try piece together what was happening, the writing overall was not great. Nothing really added up for me. did happen to guess ending of the book quite early on in this book, so there was that too. But that’s just me. However, the suspense was there and that’s at least good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Wow. This book was INTENSE, but in the best kind of way. I love how the story was written in past and present with different POV’s. I loved the little snippets added in of a podcast covering the disappearances, social media posts, and articles. It really made the story seem more real! I have to admit reading about a 30 year old living with her parents and still telling them everywhere she goes and what she does made me cringe, but I guess it’s understandable considering said 30 year olds older sister went missing when she was only 19. But still, CRINGE. I REALLY didn’t expect the ending AT ALL. It really took me by surprise. I feel like justice was served though. I would definitely pick this one up if you love mysteries! It comes out 11/5/2024.

3 stars

The story was great for the most part. However this isn’t the first book that advertises podcast bits and then fails to deliver. I went in expecting more of an epistolary style and left wanting.

Like I said the story is very good, just didn’t live up to what was advertised.

This was an absolutely wild ride of a thriller and I was absolutely picking my jaw off the floor when I got to the last few chapters. Greene introduces so many suspects to this small town murder mystery that I never saw the ending coming. Quick, twisty read with some salient commentary on contemporary true crime culture. Well worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Unfortunately this one was a bit underwhelming for me. I feel that the podcast element was made out to be a big part of the book when in reality I felt the podcast excerpts were far and few between. While there were definitely some intriguing moments and the overall plot was interesting, I did feel the execution wasn’t completely there, and things weren’t at all as tense or creepy as I’d hoped. However I appreciate many of the messages the author was trying to put across and I did overall enjoy the story!

Rating: 3.5 stars. Overall, I mostly liked this book for it's twists. Early on, it was easy to catch onto where the author(s) were going with each of the possible theories as to what happened to the girls who went missing. A solid 3 suspects were identified in the first half of the book and it feels to me, Greene spent too much time honing in on each of them, leaving the second half of the book an irritable read. The positive, obviously, I wanted to finish quickly to see where I stood. The end. Never saw it coming.

The writing perspectives were quite creative. I often enjoy books that are written in different timelines that relate to each other. I found the readers relationship to Jessica hard to navigate. It was all over the place and we never really got the opportunity to know her for the good and the bad. My takeaway, she was obsessed with her Dad. It rocked her negatively. All weird. I enjoyed Lindsay so much more. She was relatable. The author(s) took the opportunity to really allow Lindsay, the overlooked sister of a missing girl, to shine.

Very Riley Sager feeling without the old lady as the killer and a big huge fire. I'd recommend to friends looking for the quick read and an ending they never saw coming.

Thank you #Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I went through so many emotions reading this book: curiosity, frustration, disgust, sadness, and so much more.

This book has dual POVs which I found really worked for this book! It kept me hooked and wanting to continue reading after I finished a chapter! There’s also mixed media such as podcast transcripts, social media posts, etc. which is always a plus!

The writing style was super easy to read and I enjoyed it! However, the chapters were a bit long for my taste, but that’s just my opinion!

The characters developed well, however, I would’ve liked to see more of Jess’ development. I felt like her development just hopped from one version to the next without much explanation.

I didn’t guess the plot twists until right before I read them! The ending wasn’t what I expected and I was definitely shocked!

4/5 star review for me

This was a 5 star read for me! I loved the story and it kept me guessing until the very end. Jess was so relatable. I saw a plot twist coming but never guessed that she was the murderer. I had to reread that page because it took me by surprise. Ryan McKay was a love/hate for me. I was glad he made it right in the end.

In The Lake of Lost Girls, several girls disappear from college in 1998. One of them is Jessica, a student with a bright future who suddenly spirals out of control in her freshman year. One timeline details Jessica’s experiences and behavior. In the current timeline, her sister Lindsey, six years old when her sister disappeared, is determined to learn the truth of what happened. She follows a new true crime podcast about the disappearances when coincidentally some of the bodies of the missing girls turn up at a lake nearby. Lindsey teams up with a journalist who is very intent on solving the mystery. Fans of this particular style of writing will enjoy the snippets of social media posts as well as the text of each podcast. I would have liked Lindsey to be a more developed character with less inconsistent behavior. Despite the serious family dysfunction and many creepy potential killers in the story, I was able to see where the story was going. Still, the author hooks the reader along and the suspense heightens until the stunning conclusion. With thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the dual timeline and the way the media/podcast pieces brought it into modern time.

The plot was thrilling, exciting and did have me wanting to find out what really happened. That said, at the end of the book, I realized I really didn’t like or connect to any of the characters. They were all very flawed and unlikeable. I felt Lindsey deserved more and much better. There were many twists and red herrings but they felt somewhat obvious as such sometimes.

The last and final biggest twist of the plot really didn’t sit well with me. I get that it tied everything together and it was painfully obvious who did it around 70% but it just felt half done. I wanted more back story on the very strange and borderline emotionally incestuous relationship between Jessie and her dad.

Overall, I enjoyed it while reading and it was decent for a murder mystery.

I want to start this off by saying I had gone into this book expecting a 50/50 split of novel and podcast transcripts, and was disappointed that it really was like 95% novel and 5% podcast transcripts, and the podcast added nothing to the story, these snippets could have been left out entirely. My other issue was I found it very predictable, the breadcrumbs left by the author to give you hints at the culprit, seemed super obvious and not camouflaged into the story like other authors tend to manage. I had figured out one major twist within the first chapter of the book. Which bummed me out.
Overall, it was well written but left me wanting more.

Okay... WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK WAS THAT ENDING?!?!?!?!
I did not see that coming and I truly enjoyed the read. There was so much going on all at once, but I was able to follow along just fine. But seriously, I did not see any of that coming.

Possibly one of the best books I’ll read this year! I love it when books include podcasts in the storyline. I also really enjoy multiple points of view which this book had and it was incredible. All the twists and turns and trying to figure out who killed the girls had me hooked from the start.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book before its release.

With that being said, I felt like I had to trudge through this book. It felt mediocre. The characters felt underdeveloped and I was never able to form a bond or interest in any of them. What kept me reading is that I genuinely felt like it could’ve been a good book and that it becoming a good read was always right below the surface. So, I powered through in hopes it would take ahold of me, at some point.

The suspense and desire to have the case solved does keep the reader invested, to a small extent. I wanted there to be some life altering twist that pulled it all together and made it worth the read. And, while there was a twist, it wasn’t impossible to foresee.

As a true crime consumer, I appreciated the perspective it gave into the family of victims and how truly invasive the true crime industry can be.

To put it simply, it was right on the cusp of being a good book. But, I’m glad it’s over.

Fantastic fast paced murder mystery. Jess Fadley is just one of four girls who have gone missing without a trace from Southern State University. The cases have gone cold, but are being reexamined after a true crime podcast is covering the case, showing the complete incompetence of the police and the college to investigate properly. This book is a true page turner that is impossible to put down with an ending that is completely unexpected. Would give 10 stars if possible.