As a card-carrying Crime Junkie, I really wanted to love Ashley Flowers' new book, The Missing Half. I enjoyed the investigation aspect of the book, but I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. This might be due to the fact that Nic, the main character, is essentially a walking unreliable narrator trope. She's a mixture of the main characters from Sharp Objects, The Woman in the Window, The Woman on the Train, and a dozen other female-centric thrillers from the past 15 years or so. It makes sense that Flowers would do a great job of crafting a plot, since she also hosts The Deck, a podcast about unsolved murders, but ultimately, the lack of dynamic characters made it hard for me to love The Missing Half as much as I expected to. Thanks to Random House-Ballantine and NetGalley for my eARC!

'THE MISSING HALF' by Ashley Flowers is a compelling psychological mystery/suspense novel about two young women—Nic Monroe and Jenna Connor - two girls who are bonded by the unsolved disappearances of their sisters. A decade later, new evidence resurfaces, forcing them to recount their past and work together to find the answers they re searching for

The book starts off slow, which is easy to get over with the short chapthers, and once you really start getting into it it just keeps flowing. As far as story telling, concept and writing are concerned this was top tier.
However, for me personally the ending fell flat. It was not the conclusion I wanted or felt gave the story justice. Overall I still think it is a great read, and would be a great introduction book for someone just dipping their feet into the genre. Rounded up to 4 stars from my 3.5 raiting.

Nicole Monroe has been stuck in limbo ever since her sister Kasey vanished without a trace seven years ago. She punches in at the same dead-end job nights drag into days and hopes that grief will ease even though it never does. Then Jenna Connor shows up, carrying her own pain: her sister Jules disappeared in the same eerie way that Kasey did. The puzzle pieces look disturbingly similar and for the first time Nic wonders if finding the truth is possible.

Ashley Flowers writes with tension that tightens gradually. The setting of Mishawaka, Indiana feels lived in small town yet haunted by unseen losses and secrets whispered behind closed doors. Nic is flawed, weighted by bad choices and guilt and that makes her one of the most compelling narrators in recent thrillers. Jenna is less vivid but the two together bring the mystery into sharper focus.

The plot moves fast enough to keep your pulse up while also allowing space for grief, regret and the ways people protect themselves when everything feels fragile. There are surprising twists in the final act that feel earned not forced. The emotional stakes rise as loyalties shift, memories falter and danger becomes personal.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out a little slow but the last 20%, oh my goodness! It did not disappoint! I enjoyed her writing style and will be looking forward to her next book.

This one just wasn’t for me. The story dragged for me until the last few chapters and then it felt rushed. Nic was not a very likeable character and I felt sorry for Jenn in the end. The local setting was interesting and how they try to solve what happened to their sisters but their sleuthing just didn’t seem plausible at times.

The Missing Half is the newest suspense novel by true crime podcaster Ashley Flowers.

Nic Monroe is stuck working at the same job at Funland since she was a teen. You see, her sister Kasey went missing seven years ago without a trace and Nic is dealing with that tragedy in some not-so-great ways. She's required to attend AA, she's required to volunteer at an animal shelter, and she's required to use her bike or public transport to get around. Things couldn't get worse for Nic. But one day at her shift at Funland, Nic notices a stranger seeming out of place at the family spot. The stranger isn't waiting on her family at Funland - her name is Jenna Conner and she's waiting for Nic. Jenna also has a sister who disappeared seven years ago. Two weeks before Kasey, under strikingly similar conditions. So as they get to know one another, Jenna convinces Nic to help out and find their sisters. Nic doesn't really want to get involved, but when she finds some info that the police don't even have, a fire is lit in her. As the two sisters work together, we get to see into their lives and motivations behind finding the answers.

I think I might have liked this second novel by Flowers a bit more than her first (All Good People Here). I found this one to be a quick read that pulled me in from the beginning and didn't stop or slow down. There were some twists that you may see coming and some that will hopefully surprise the reader. The only thing was the very ending seemed so absurd that it kept my rating from going up to a five star.

Two sets of sisters, two missing girls, two weeks apart - how far will you go to find out what happened to your missing half.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A well layered emotional, twisty and captivating read. Well-developed characters and an overall thrilling read that leaves you needing to sit and process when you're done. Well done!

Ashley Flowers’s The Missing Half pulled me in right from the start and kept me turning pages until the end. The story follows Nicole “Nic” Monroe, a woman still haunted by the disappearance of her sister Kasey seven years ago. Nic’s life feels stuck—she’s working a dead-end job, dealing with the consequences of a DWI, and drifting without direction—until Jenna Connor shows up. Jenna’s sister also vanished under circumstances strikingly similar to Kasey’s, and the two women decide to search for the truth that no one else ever managed to uncover.

What stood out to me most was Nic’s character arc. Flowers writes her with such vulnerability and complexity that I couldn’t help but root for her. She’s messy, full of regret, but also fiercely loyal, and her slow transformation from passive observer to active investigator felt believable and deeply human. I also appreciated how the novel explored the bonds of sisterhood, not just as a source of comfort and strength but also as something complicated, fractured, and sometimes destructive. It gave the mystery a strong emotional core.

The pacing kept me hooked, with short, sharp chapters that always seemed to end on a note that demanded I read just one more. By the time I got to the ending, I was floored. The final twist was dark, shocking, and perfectly fitting for the story Flowers built. It wasn’t just a surprise—it lingered, leaving me questioning the choices the characters made and, like Nic herself, wondering about the “right” outcome.

That said, there were moments where I felt the book stumbled. Jenna, for instance, didn’t feel nearly as fleshed out as Nic. Her character lacked the same emotional depth, and I sometimes forgot about her when she wasn’t on the page. I also thought the mystery leaned too heavily on red herrings in the beginning, which made certain turns feel predictable. At times, the focus on delivering big twists risked tipping into the unbelievable, and I caught myself weighing plausibility against entertainment value.

Even with those quibbles, I loved the ride. The atmosphere, the themes of loss and sisterhood, and the sheer tension Flowers built more than made up for the flaws. It’s the kind of book that sticks with you after you finish—not just because of the shocking ending, but because of the emotions it stirs up along the way.

This was a good psychological thriller. I didn't enjoy it as much as I anticipated; I felt like parts were too slow and then the ending was extremely rushed.

Yes yes yes this book was everything!
We meet Nicole (Nic) Monroe, she’s down on her luck and working at the same jobs she’s been at since she was a teenager the local Funland. One day while at work she spots a strange woman staring at her, enter Jenna Connor. After talking to each other Jenna and Nic both have sisters who disappeared in 2012, without a trace under strange circumstances . It is now 2019, and there is still no word on their sisters cases now cold. Looking for answers they decide to team up and do their own investigation. We get a peek into each of the woman’s lives in the past. We watch as both woman work together and give eachother the hope they have been without for so long. What follows is a gripping tale of two sisters who will do anything to find their missing halves, even if it means destroying everything they’ve ever known.

Definitely kept me on my toes trying to guess what would happen next. I would say this is even better the All Good People Here and I hope Ashley continues because these are gooooood. Perfect amount of dark, thriller, crime and bone chilling spookiness.

Nice twist for a murder mystery. Two sisters mysteriously disappear. The remaining sisters are haunted by their disappearance.Nic has totally messed up her life since her sister Kasey was possibly murdered. Now Jenna wants to join up with Nic to find what happened to her sister, Jules., and is willing to do anything.

This book sucked me in from the jump and I could not put it down. I needed to know what was going on and what happened. As information slowly tricked in I needed to know more. Then bam the twist comes and I felt like I had been slapped in the face. I did not see that coming. Maybe I am a little biased as I am a major Crime Junkie but I loved this book and breezed through it because I needed to know all the answers!

I usually love thrillers and novels that focus on family and sisters, but this one I found hard to connect with any of the characters. Parts of this story seemed to drag on, and I wish it was a little more fast-paced at times. I will say the ending had a twist that I did not see coming and made me enjoy the story more. If you are looking for a shorter book that you will read quickly and be entertained by, then this is the novel for you.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine and the author for this advance copy of Ashley Flowers’ new work - currently available to pick up!

I really liked how the author’s first book felt almost like a true crime podcast, so I was hoping for some of that pacing in this one, but I think this one struggled a little bit with pacing - I found myself really thinking the first 70ish percent dragging, and then all of a sudden we’re hitting the ground running with speeding through the story. I’m glad I stuck with it, but I almost didn’t.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance copy in exchange for this honest review!

This suspenseful story definitely kept me on my toes as I tried to weave through the pages and figure out what happened to Casey when she disappeared years ago. As the chapters continued, more secrets are revealed in Casey’s disappearance and the suspect list increases. Readers began to doubt themselves right along with the FMC in this story. Nic has felt something missing ever since her sister disappeared, but when she teams up with Jenna, who’s sister also disappeared around the same time, this duo uncovers a lot and takes us on an emotional ride.

With both searching for missing siblings, this story couldn’t help but dive into the complexities of family dynamics. Jenna and Nic also have their own obstacles to tackle as well as dealing with the aftermath of their parent’s feelings after losing a child. It also shines light on how media coverage intensifies for people of a certain social class.

This story was very well written, and I simply could not have guessed how it would turn out. Very unpredictable and built tension leaving you want to continue to turn the pages. Recommend for those seeking a page turner, that will keep you guessing until the very end and possibly stay on your mind way past the final chapter. Thank you Ballantine and NetGalley for a reader copy.

This book was WILD. As someone who has a sister, I kept finding myself thinking about how my sister and I would have been the MCs in the story and all the way up to the very end, I was fully gagged. This was absolutely insane. 10/10 recommend.

I was disappointed with all the main characters in this book.
They were selfish, self serving, duplicitous, and just evil.
I was shocked at what Nicole did at the end.
I felt sorry for Jenna because she was the only really genuine character.

Two women haunted by their sisters’ unsolved disappearances band together in this captivating mystery. Nic wants nothing more than to move on from her sister’s disappearance and the state it’s left her in - which is unbelievably messy. But then one day, Jules’s sister, Jenna Connor, walks into Nic’s life and offers her something she hasn’t felt in a long time: hope. What follows is a gripping tale of two sisters who will do anything to find their missing halves, even if it means destroying everything they’ve ever known.

What. A. Story. Man, did I love this one. I could absolutely resonate with Jenna and Nic, losing a brother, I’ll be at knowing what happened, but the driving forces and passion, behind understanding what happens, and in their cases, finding out what happened. I thought that Ashley flowers did a phenomenal job of illustrating grief, betrayal, and putting it together in a very compelling way. Nic was messy, even more messy, but the same way she was captivating to follow. I do have to say, I guessed some of the ending, definitely not all of it, definitely love the twists and overall really really liked this one. Read it up for 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam and Ashley Flowers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub Date was May 06 2025.

A compelling, binge-worthy thriller that hooks you from the start. If you love emotionally charged mysteries with intense pacing and shocking conclusions, The Missing Half delivers plenty of suspense and feels though the finale might feel over-the-top to some.