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.

Wow! One of my top reads of 2024. I LOVED this story, and as a fan of thrillers, I enjoyed every second of this book. The Lake of Lost Girls is perfect for any fan of true crime and is sure to leave you blindsided by its twists and turns.

In 1998 girls are going missing from Southern State University in North Carolina. The police and college have done little to nothing to find the girls. Jessica Fadley is a freshman in 1998 and has a connection to the missing girls. She has always been a bright young scholar, but starts to unravel in college. Something isn’t quite right in her life. When Jessica herself, goes missing the town is in an uproar, but the case becomes cold. Twenty four years later, the case takes on new life when it becomes a podcast. Greene does a great job of serving up the red herring, but this reader figured out where she was going long before she got there. That being said, it didn’t take anything away from the story. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. I enjoyed this book and the twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end.

Lindsay Fadley's life has been lived in the shadow of her older sister Jess's tragic disappearance from North Carolina's Southern State University twenty four years ago. Sadly three other coeds also went missing during the same time frame and were never found. When a dog walker finds a skeleton at Doll's Eye Lake interest revives and a popular true crime podcast arrives in town to roil the waters. . As more bodies are found in the lake Lindsay determines to find answers and her investigation takes her on a dark and disturbing journey into the past and her own family's dynamics. This chilling narrative was told from two points of view across two timelines and was suspenseful and compelling. The plot was suspenseful and complex giving the reader the sense that something unexpected was coming and boy did the author deliver.. This was not your typical run of the mill cold case investigation as everything the reader thinks they have figured out turned into turmoil. Featuring multiple suspicious persons of interest, dark academia and atmospheric small town skeletons in the closet this was definitely a memorable read. I have not read anything by the author before but based on the plotting and character devleopment of this entry I would definitely pick up anotht ine of her works.

Thank you for the advance copy! I enjoyed this so much! I have being loving the trope of crime journalist and someone closed to the victims solve the unsolved murders.. anyone who has liked Listen for the Lie, what lies in the wood would love this book.

This arc was amazing. I was hooked from the start and obsessed with the characters. It was such a great read, I'd definitely recommend reading it and I would rate this a 5 stars.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑳𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔

| Thank you to @crookedlanebooks for the #free listening access! |

📖 (𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥):
𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 • 𝙢𝙞𝙭𝙚𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖 • 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮 • 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 • 𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 • 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙭 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙮𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙨 • 𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙙 • 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 • 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩-𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙙 • 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙚 • 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙑𝙨 • 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙩 • 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧 • 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 •

🎧:
I really liked this one on audio, it kept me interested throughout. I found that the pacing of the story was perfect.

📖:
I didn’t predict the exact twist at the end, but I wasn’t too far off, so the shock value was minimal.

The story is told with alternating timelines and multiple characters which allows the author to keep the reader guessing throughout.

Meh 🫤:
I wasn’t too fond of the “insta-love” aspect of the story.

For example, the likelihood of the MC Lindsey falling head over heels (almost immediately) over a man that she meets in the most SUS way is just a bit cringe. 😬 Especially learning about his character in the book.

I won’t say much more about this to avoid any spoilers, but I will end by saying if it weren’t for the cringe nature of the relationships between these characters, I’d have rated the book a bit higher.

🎵: I enjoyed the narrators and the dialogue!