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!

Wowww such a thriller! I flew through the pages. I bet this one ends up popular! Highly recommend for someone looking for a quick, intriguing read.

Multiple timelines, a podcast, and missing students are right up my alley and this book had all of those. The podcast element had me hooked from the beginning. I had my suspicions about the mystery in the book, and while I predicted parts of it correctly and I didn't guess all of it and was blown away by some the twists. This is an easy book to just sit and binge in a few sittings if you have the time. It has lots of suspense, twists, and the multiple timelines and podcast really add to the book.

I liked this one. I kept picking it up and would put it down for a bit. So it took longer to read ( great book- just super busy). Wish I could go back and reread when not so distracted. Great storyline and loved the characters.

I really, really wanted to like this more than I did. The plot sounded really interesting, but the varying timelines and multitude of characters between them muddied everything. The twist was spotted a mile away, too.

Wow! This was great one for me. In addition to the alternating chapters of timeline/character perspectives, I love the dynamic of podcast episode chapters being weaved through. It keeps me engaged.

While I did make a prediction, I wasn’t entirely fully correct, which makes it all very satisfying! Not everything was too obvious. The characters were teed up to get you thinking. You can see the setting. You are there with them all seeing it.

It’s twisted. You’ll get a gasp moment or two. It’s dark. It’s very realistic. The pace was on point. I binged within a day. Well done!

Loved this book! The only think that I would have changed was I would have liked more of the podcast part throughout the book. Other than that this was perfect. I thought I had it figured out multiple times and I was wrong!

This book is perfect for anyone who loves true crime and solving cold cases years old. In 1998 a few female college students go missing without any answers. There are never any arrests or suspects, 20 years after the case is still cold and one of the families is still searching for answers. A popular true crime podcast is highlighting this cold case hoping to bring some answers to the families.
This is a quick read that will keep you guessing

It is 1998 at a small university in North Caroliina. Girls are mysteriously disappearing, and our narrator Jessica is the next to disappear. The whole atmosphere is eerie and feels fraught with danger. Is it the mysterious professor who seems to have a pull over some of the girls? Or the handsome but pushy frat boy?

Fast forward twenty years and Jessica's little sister, Lindsey, is intrigued when a popular podcast begins airing about Jessica's disappearance. Lindsey decides she must discover what happened to her sister all those years ago.

I really liked the various angles we approached the story. We are in the past with Jessica, in the present with Lindsey, then the podcast adds a modern spin on the telling.

I did see the end coming before it was revealed, but it was deep into the story so not a big disappointment. Overall I found this to be an enthralling mystery and I liked the writing and the format.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katheriine Greene, and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This was a fun and twisty thriller with dual timelines and true crime podcast scripts, which I always love. We're following Lindsey in the present, as her older sister Jessica's missing persons case is re-opened after a podcast starts to cover it and new evidence surfaces. We also get flashbacks to 1998, when Jessica is starting her freshman year at college, her first time away from home, and girls start to disappear from campus.

I figured out who killed Jessica at around 6% into the book, and the other big twist around 30% in. This was kind of disappointing, but I ended up convincing myself it couldn't be that obvious and they must be red herrings. Alas. I did have fun reading and binged the book in a few hours, but the characters and their choices annoyed me. I enjoyed the setting and the premise, but I wanted a little more from the ending. I think if you don't pinpoint the reveals early you'd have a lot of fun with this, but overall it's not a standout thriller for me, despite being a fun read. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley- thank you.

Wow, this was definitely dark and twisted. The twist was unexpected, though I don't know if I can say I appreciated this one. The story itself was intriguing and kept me interested, though I didn't really like the podcast part (and I usually do). 3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

I thought the dual timelines were told very concisely and in a way that kept me questioning what was happening as more information was revealed. I felt like the connection between Jessica and the other girls that went missing flowed very well.

I had issues with the podcast, as honestly it didn’t really fit into this story at all (and I have loved podcast elements in other books). The ending didn’t quite come together like I had hoped either as there were some things missing from the plot. Overall, it was a quick read and is great for the fall season!

Read if you like:
- Dual timelines
- Dysfunctional families
- Whodunnit stories

Thank you @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

✅ Psychological Thriller ✅Dual timelines ✅True Crime Obsessed Podcasts ✅Missing COEDS. This book has been getting a lot of 🐝🐝🐝 and if you like the checkboxes above, you will see why! New buzz surrounding a true crime podcast, brings the cases of some small town missing girls to light again when a body is found in the notorious Doll’s Eye Lake. Lindsay’s older sister is one of these missing girls, throwing the story’s timeline between her perspective in present day life and the perspective of her sister who was a college freshman in 1998 when she disappeared without a trace. Lindsay’s unresolved family trauma bubbles up to the surface as she connects with a reporter working on her sister’s case, who seems to have an unnatural vested interest in this particular case. As Lindsay finds out more and more of her sister’s past, she starts to wonder if she can actual trust her memories of the past and finally put her sister’s legacy to rest. This one had me questioning and guessing right until the end. The characters were well developed and relatable, and the lake seemed to take on a presence of its own. Great imagery throughout really made me feel like I could be in this small town with the characters. Thank you to @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for the e-arc of this title in exchange for my honest review. #katherinegreeneauthor #lakeoflostgirls #thrillerbooks #mysterybooks #suspensebooks #readerlife #thrillerbooksaddict #bookstagram

I love a good true crime story and The Lake of Lost Girls seemed promising. I liked the use of mixed media to tell the story so readers can try to solve the mystery alongside the characters. I enjoyed the dual timeline and the chapter cliffhangers kept me reading.