This book had a good plot to it and loved the idea behind it but it wasn’t what I expected. It was slow and I got confused several times reading it. Some what predictable also. No major “no way” moments

Thank you to NetGalley,  Jacqueline Bublitz, and Atria Books for an ARC copy of "Leave the Girls Behind ".

Leave the Girls Behind is an absolute page-turner that had me hooked from the first chapter. The story follows Ruth-Ann Baker, a college dropout, who is haunted by the unsolved murder of her childhood friend at the hands of suspected serial killer Ethan Oswald. Nineteen years later, when another girl goes missing from the same town, Ruth is drawn back into the mystery that has consumed her for years.

The global investigation and Ruth’s interactions with three very different women add layers to the plot, making the twists and turns all the more compelling. Jacqueline Bublitz's ability to push the boundaries of crime fiction shines through in this spine-chilling novel, leaving readers with a story that lingers long after the last page is turned.

If you’re a fan of suspense novels that keep you guessing and leave you wanting more, Leave the Girls Behind is a must-read. Highly recommended!

Thank you, Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the copy of Leave The Girls Behind by Jacqueline Bublitz. I loved the idea of this book, but didn’t expect literal ghosts! The basics of the story were great, but the writing was uninspired and wordy; some judicious editing would have helped. There were too many characters, and having names that start with the same letters got confusing. I liked how there were lots of reveals, but I’m not sure the BIG reveal was surprising to me. This book was not really for me, because I am not a fan of the extra words that didn’t add anything to the story, but if that doesn’t bother you, you might love it! 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I'd give it a 3.5. It is full of potential but at times was a bit confusing. There's characters with similar names and a lot of names to keep track of at first. The ending was a bit unsatisfying as well. If you like an unreliable narrator this is the book for you! Despite feeling like it was a bit long at times, it was still a very intriguing story.

Thank you so much to the publisher & NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a free review. Wow, this book blew me away for sure! The plot twists and characters were all so intriguing!

This is the perfect way to write a paranormal thriller, and make it work instead of being a flimsy ghost story. I appreciated the pacing and majority of the plot although I feel like the ending was a bit out of nowhere and difficult to follow. Overall the premise was good and it was a fun read!
Having ghosts with her was a cool thing way to put a spin on the usual tropes, and the first twist was very impressive. I look forward to reading more by this author! Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ePub!

If I’m going to read paranormal (my absolute least favorite thriller trope), this is definitely how it needs to be done.

I was NOT prepared for that last chapter at all. Such a surprising reveal. Bravo!

Leave the Girls Behind by Jacqueline Bublitz is a gripping novel that combines suspense with deep emotional insights. The story follows Ruth-Ann Baker, a bartender and amateur detective, as she revisits a haunting case from her past involving a suspected serial killer. When a new disappearance mirrors the old case, Ruth is compelled to uncover the truth, leading her on a global quest. Bublitz’s writing is engaging, with well-drawn characters and a compelling plot that keeps the reader invested. While some parts may drag slightly, the overall narrative is powerful and thought-provoking, making it a rewarding read for fans of psychological thrillers

I received an ARC of this book from Atria via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. I was prepared to give this 5 stars until about 2/3 of the way through, when it suddenly veered into unbelievable territory. I read this book eagerly, always looking forward to picking it up again. Though I am not normally a fan of supernatural elements, the idea of the ghost girls didn't really bother me. I saw them as a kind of imaginary friend. I enjoyed Ruth's relationship with her uncles and her boss; her boss in particular provided comic relief. I could 100% imagine the bar where they worked.

I was pretty shocked at the what I would call the "main" twist. It makes you rethink a lot of what you have read. However, as I noted above, shortly thereafter it really becomes a suspension of belief.

Small spoiler:

Small spoiler:

Small spoiler:



Who flies around the world at the drop of a hat staying in the homes of perfect strangers?

But the end is what really took stars off for me. As I saw from other reviewers, I don't really understand what happened! The end did not answer all the questions, and I think it was insinuating a villain is not who we thought. I don't like endings like this where I am kept wondering.

Nineteen years ago, 7 year old Ruth’s best friend was killed by a suspected serial killer. Present day, another girl goes missing from the same town, and Ruth, who can’t let go of the past, is sure there’s a connection to her friend’s murder, even though the killer has long since died. Leave The Girls Behind is a melancholy journey that delves deep into Ruth’s psyche as she tracks down three women who she believes can prove that her friend’s killer had an accomplice who is still active, all while struggling with her own demons. The writing is mellifluous, but the pace is a little slow, as the book is long on musing but short on any sustained drama. The roles of certain characters is a little confusing and the ending felt sufficiently unexplained, but overall it’s a quality read, 3.5 stars. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great crime book - no doubt about it. But at 60 percent it changes from a great book to an AMAZING book with some pull the rug out from under you sort of twists!

Ruth-Ann is a bartender. About 20 years ago, her childhood friend was murdered by a serial killer. The death has tainted her life and she is still suffering as well as obsessed with what happened even though the killer is behind bars. When another young girl goes missing from her town, Ruth Ann's obsession take over her life. Following loose threads and clues related to event, she travels internationally to meet with three very different women about their connection to the original killer. It's sharp and new and thrilling!
#atria #atriabooks #leavethegirlsbehind #jacquelinebublitz

I really liked Jacqueline Bublitz's first novel so I was excited to read this. Ruth-Ann Baker wants to find out what happened to a missing girl which may be tied to her childhood friend who was murdered. Sign me up. But I am not one for ghosts so the book lost me on that. So yes there were plenty of twists overall and I did enjoy this book because it was a thriller. I just did not know what I was signing up for.

"Leave The Girls Behind” initially presents itself as a straightforward mystery or thriller but unfolds as a deep dive into a young woman’s quest to uncover the truth about her traumatic abduction at seven. The narrative explores how such heinous acts affect families and communities, and how people can be misled and manipulated by predators.

Ruth-Ann, the protagonist, is courageous in her search for answers, but her unreliability as a narrator due to her childhood trauma makes it hard to connect with her. The supernatural element of deceased victims visiting her adds an intriguing layer, but its purpose—whether it’s survivor's guilt or seeking justice—remains unclear.

Tracking the numerous characters and their connections can be confusing, and the addition of another name, Julie Jordan, complicates things further. The ending leaves much to be desired in terms of clarity.

Despite these issues, the writing is solid, and Ruth-Ann’s relationship with her uncle Joe and his partner Gideon is a highlight of the story.

OOOo y'all this book could have been amazing and tbh it had all makings of a cult classic. I think what lost me was that i didn't feel super positive about the MC and her search for her friends killer. I really wanted to root for her but I think it just didn't capture my attention like I thought it would. I do feel like with a few tweaks it could be even better maybe a bit more redeeming character traits but other than that I didn't hate this book at all. It just didn't grab me either.

A good idea but boy did it drag! It’s hard to put my finger on how it went wrong but the pacing was off and the “reveals” were not super satisfying.

I’m puzzled why it took place in 2015. That seemed strange to me since there is nothing special about that year plot-wise and it didn’t even give the author the bonus plot device of having characters be unreachable via cell phone or internet.

It was also tricky to remember the timeline for all of the characters.

Ruth Ann Baker is 26 years old. What we know about Ruth is that she is originally from Hoben, CT and is now living in New York City working as a bartender. She dropped out of college where she had been studying Forensics with the aspiration of becoming a Criminal Profiler after what she refers to as an “episode.” We also know that Ruth’s best friend was killed 19 years ago by Ethan Oswald and that Ruth has not been able to let her death rest, believing that Beth had not been Oswald’s only victim. When Ruth receives an Amber Alert regarding a missing young girl in her hometown of Hoben, Ct, she puts her criminal profiling skills to task as she Nancy Drew’s her way to finding evidence to support her claim that Oswald had other victims and to also prove that he may not have acted alone.

The book started off very slow and I did put it down a couple of times, actually completing two other thrillers in between reading this one. Not only was the pace slow, but it was challenging trying to understand exactly why the MC was making the choices she was making. Case in point, we keep hearing about this “episode” that Ruth experienced when she was 21, but it is unclear as to what actually happened to her. A lot is explained later in the book, but it would have helped to understand her better had we known her story at an earlier point in the book. I honestly had to go back and reread the book to gain a better insight into the character and the seemingly illogical choices she seemed to be making. What I discovered was a traumatized young girl with mental issues who had been seeing a therapist, which said therapist was temporarily unavailable to her. All of a sudden, the fact that Ruth was seeing and interacting with her best friend, who’d been dead for 19 years, along with other deceased girls, made more sense. Understanding the traumatic events that Ruth herself had experienced made it clear why a young woman would go traipsing across the world on a wild goose chase on nothing but circumstantial information and hearsay. Ruth was obsessed with finding closure for Beth, herself, and the other girls and that meant figuring out Ethan Oswald’s connection to this new missing girl.

I didn’t find the story nor the characters to be plausible. Although she had obvious mental issues, it just didn’t make sense for her to travel solo across the globe to meet people she knew nothing about and without anyone knowing where she was going and why. If you’re trying to find out about a serial killer and you believe they did not work alone, why would you meet up with people in their circle without finding out all that you could about the individuals, let people know where you’re going, take someone with you, or even hire a private investigator (she had the money to do so). Additionally, all the information that Ruth had uncovered seemed to come from online true crime communities that she belonged to or from the deceased girls. Having had some education into criminal profiling, she should have known that she didn’t have anything factual to connect Oswald, nor anything of substance to help solve the new case. But, understanding trauma and the drive behind Ruth’s search, it makes sense that she would persist until the ghosts of those girls are finally laid to rest.

I wasn’t a fan of the ending, as it leaves the reader with many unanswered questions and a feeling of having gone on a journey in vain.

I thank NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book and provide this review strictly voluntarily.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the advanced reader copy.

I enjoyed the first half of this book--it was compelling and the twist mid-way through was unexpected but satisfying. The second half of the book started to fall apart for me, especially as the details of the mystery unfolded. The connections between characters felt stretched at times (not quite believable that they would've been connected at all) and the last chapter left me confused rather than satisfied with how things turned out.

You couldn't have asked for a better book—I had never read anything like this that wasn't non-fiction. I hope this book catches on with social media and they blow it all the way up. A good suspense read for the fall and it could be read in a single sitting or weekend. Thanks NetGalley and Atria Books for the early copy of the book.

Leave the girls behind was beautifully written and an interesting take on an unreliable narrator. I loved how I was discovering the past along with the main character and the twists for both the character arcs and the plot were nicely done and set up well. Eloquently written thriller.

enjoyed this for the most part. I liked the storyline and Ruby’s quirky character. However, the story started to get confusing once the climax came to a head. I’m still not sure it felt resolved and I still don’t know if I understand what happened fully at the end. I don’t know. I’m still mulling it over in my mind.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria books for this advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion.