“Hey! I have just read an amazing book by Ashley Flowers called the Missing Half and you might be familiar with Ashley.
She is a famous podcaster for Crime Junkie.
It’s her second book and I was really excited to get my hands on it because her first one really threw me for a loop.
I really thought I could, you know, do what I usually do and predict what was coming next in a thriller based on the little hints they leave behind.
But she’s really good at surprises.
That stems from how much true crime is just rattling around in her brain.

The Missing Half is about two women who basically become friends simply because they both lost their sister.
And one of the women thinks that the cases are connected.
And so they begin to work together to try to find out what happened to their missing sisters.
One was recognized by the media and one wasn’t really.
And so they do a lot of connecting and re interviewing people and the stories start to come together.
And ultimately I found it to be a good suspenseful thriller, but also just kind of a wow factor for how far a, you know, a person would go for their sibling needing to finally get closure on what happened to their missing sisters.
And it gave those two women a bond because they really could understand each other’s pain in a way that the rest of us couldn’t if we hadn’t mysteriously lost a sister.
And then ultimately, as per usual, you know, the end is kind of an explosive, holy cow kind of a feeling.
And again, it really just tests the love and support of sisters.

The Missing Half by Ashley flowers is out May 6, and I cannot recommend it enough.
It is absolutely a must read suspense thriller.”

Ashley Flowers has proved herself as an author! After reading All Good People Here and really loving it, I knew I wanted to read her newest novel, The Missing Half. Flowers introduces us to Nic, who has been living in her hometown despite her sister Kasey going missing seven years ago. Nic is working a dead-end job and struggling with alcoholism. Soon after we meet Nic, she is contacted by Jenna, the sister of another missing girl, Jules. Nic and Jenna find themselves to be fast friends and begin working together in trying to piece together the similarities in their sisters' disappearances and who the killer is.
This book served as a good distraction while I was in the NICU. I did not want to read anything related to reality and this fit the bill. Unfortunately, I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but I did stay engaged enough to want to know what happens. I think that many readers will feel intrigued enough by the mystery of the story to enjoy the ride!
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam, and the author Ashley Flowers for an ARC of The Missing Half in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so suspenseful, and I didn’t expect the story to go the way that it did. I was questioning everyone in the book! I love when I can’t guess where the story is headed or who the killer is, and this book was that kind of story!

I loved Ashley Flowers’ previous book, so was so excited for the opportunity to read this, and it absolutely didn’t disappoint. The story was so thought provoking and the ending left me thinking for days. I found the protagonist very messy, but in a way that felt appropriate considering her past trauma. I thought I had the twist all worked out, until it went in an unexpected direction.

Nic Monroe lives in a small town, works in a dead end job for a family friend, and, because of the disappearance of her sister, has been struggling with drinking. She doesn’t want to face the loss of her sister, when Jenna Connor, sister of a different girl who went missing under similar circumstances, asks her for help.

4.5 stars rounded up.

It would be horrible to have your sister go missing, no body found, and no closure to the case. I can understand how easy it would be to kind of self destruct the way Nic has since Kasey disappeared seven years ago. You get that balance with Jenna, whose sister also went missing with no answers a few days before Casey because she won't give up. I also like how Jenna lost her little sister and Nic lost her older sister so they naturally fall into those roles again with each other. And boy do they need each other to delve into the secrets people have kept all those years, or even just points of view that had been disregarded by the police. It does get dangerous in the search, with threats and broken ties with those thought to be good friends. Lots of twists, heartbreak over choices made and not shared between sisters like what usually happened between Nic and Casey. This book really does a number on what people would do for their sisters and whether blood is thicker than water in the case of Nic and Jenna finding out the dark truth about their sisters. I truly was blown away by that ending and it really had me thinking about all that and whether it was best to dig deep and find the truth for that cost.

It was a fast paced suspenseful story that made it hard to put down. I do feel like the poem mentioned a few times really sums up the book.

Two branches of the same tree,
Two pieces of a soul.
Where one sister goes, the other will be
For she is but half of the whole.

No matter the cost, Nic could not be without her sister in the end, even at the destruction of everything.

We this book wasn’t as quick a read as I’d hoped, I enjoyed the many twists, and it was nice to read a book that I couldn’t predict!

I was definitely completely wrong by the time I finished this book, complete different ending then what I was thinking! A great read, needs to be done in one sitting because it’s gonna leave you wondering what in the heck is happening next!!! A GREAT Read!!!

Since her sister, Kasey, went missing several years earlier, Nic has been having a rough time, stuck in a dead-end job and fighting alcoholism. But then Jenna walks into her life, offering a new sense of purpose. Jenna's sister, Jules, disappeared not long before Kasey did, and Jenna is convinced that she and Nic can do what the police were unable to accomplish and find their sisters. However, as they go further and further down the rabbit hole of investigation, Nic becomes even more unstable and unpredictable, making questionable choices and taking untold risks in her quest to find Kasey.

This was a twisty thriller with a very unexpected ending. It's a solid tale, with a few credibility-stretching moments (I had trouble believing that Nic and Jenna could find obvious clues that the authorities overlooked years earlier), though it doesn't really stand out from the crowd of thrillers that come out every year.

I enjoyed Ashley Flowers first book, so I was excited to read her second. I have to say I struggled to dive into the book until about 1/3 of the way in & it slowly picked up pace. There was never really any wow moments like some thrillers until the very end which did catch me off guard with surprise. I listened on audio and did enjoy the narration! I think going into the book blind might help because i got my hopes up too high. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy to enjoy!

I read and enjoyed Ashley Flowers' first novel, All Good People Here, but I will say that I thought the twist in that book was just a little more believable than the twist in this one. That said, I still liked this book a lot. I understand what many reviewers have said about the twist being unbelievable, but I think its purpose is to show how twistED some of the characters in the book are. Overall, I thought the pacing was good, the story was engaging, and I will read whatever Flowers writes next.

“Secrets always find their way to the surface.”

Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers.
This twisty psychological thriller with a dual timeline and buried family secrets kept me completely hooked. It explores sisterhood, grief, and the legacy of trauma with sharp pacing and an atmosphere thick with suspense. Perfect for fans of Megan Miranda and Lisa Jewell.
I’ll be sharing this review on Goodreads, Instagram, StoryGraph, B&N, and Amazon.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Ashley Flowers for the ARC of The Missing Half post-release date!

I have been wanting to read an Ashley Flowers book since I'm a big Crime Junkie fan and she did NOT let me down! I already enjoy her story telling during her podcast so I had a feeling I was going to enjoy this one.

First, I like that this story is very believable and life-like. One thing I don't like about certain mystery/thriller books is that the twist can be so off-the-wall ridiculous that it's unbelievable and unlikely to happen. You can tell Ashley's love for true crime and all the research she's done over the years have really cultivated such a great story about 2 pairs of sisters who each had a sister who went missing.

The main character, Nic, you can really empathize with since she has undergone significant trauma over the years since her sister went missing. And while I don't agree with a lot of her choices, you can definitely understand why someone in her situation may make some of the choices she does.

The ending of this book while I did suspect a portion of it, it had a major twist at the end which I would have never expected! The way the story ended was so poetic and has its own sort of happy ending. Overall, I highly recommend this book. It was a quick easy read and a nice switch up from my normal romance/fantasy read.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of the Missing Half by Ashley Flowers.
The Missing Half is the story of two sisters looking trying to solve the mysteries surrounding their sister's disappearances. Nic, the main character struggles with alcoholism following the disappearance of her sister years prior. When Jules enters her life and connects the dots between the two girls, Nic begins to face things she previously pushed away. Although the story contains unexpected plot twists, I was not a fan of the ending and felt disappointed in the events.

Compelling read until the twist…didn’t love that or the abrupt ending. Had to go back and re-read the Prologue.

This was a good thriller! I did not see the ending coming which is always fun. I do feel like the pacing was a little slow for me personally and the big twist for some reason fell a little flat but I’m not exactly sure why. I think sometimes when the lead up is so engaging the reveal just doesn’t hit as hard. I loved the sister dynamics and the storyline of figuring it all out was a good attention grabber. Definitely was a good read and I’d recommend it.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the privilege of reading the ARC of The Missing Half! And to Ashley Flowers for writing it.

I devoured this book in a single day—Ashley Flowers does it again with another gripping, emotionally charged thriller that I couldn’t put down. The Missing Half follows the intertwining stories of Jules and Jenna Connor, and Kasey and Nic Monroe—two families forever altered when their sisters vanished seven years ago.

Jenna and Nic form a deep, sister-like bond rooted in shared trauma, but as the mystery unravels, their friendship is tested in ways they never could have imagined. The tension builds with each page as the question looms: will they finally uncover what happened to their sisters—and who, if anyone, will come out alive?

Flowers masterfully weaves suspense, heartbreak, and hope into a story that kept me guessing until the very end. The character dynamics felt raw and real, and the twists were perfectly timed. If you love psychological thrillers with a strong emotional core, The Missing Half belongs on your radar.

I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to read more from Ashley Flowers in the future.

There were some twists in this book that I did not see coming at all, especially the ending. With that being said, I did find the ending a bit implausible, and I think that’s what took my rating down a bit. All in all, still a fun, fast-paced read that I would recommend.

Could not finish. I didn't find it engrossing at all and the writing style wasn't for me. I quit rather than slogging through the rest.

5 stars. This book grabbed me from the start and didn’t let go. I was fully invested in Nic and Jenna’s story two broken women trying to piece together not only what happened to their sisters, but who they are without them. It’s emotional, gritty, and full of twists that had my jaw on the floor. The mystery was solid, but it was the raw emotion and sisterhood that made this unforgettable. Easily one of my favorite reads this year.

It’s surreal that one of my favorite podcasters would write a book, even more surreal to have TWO books!

Nic’s life is a mess, a literal absolute mess. She’s in trouble with the law via a DWI charge so getting around town she’s forced to use her bike and public transportation. And then someone walks into her life to see if she wants to combine forces to look for both of their missing sisters. Their sisters are known as the “Mishawaka Girls” and disappeared under the same circumstances..or did they? Up until this point she’s wanted nothing to do with it and now, she’s becoming obsessed.

This story was a great follow up to Ashley’s previous book. It had suspense, fear, and lots of mysterious details that aligned perfectly for a believable story. A story that could even be featured on the famous Crime Junkie podcast. I enjoyed this, while it wasn’t one that I “couldn’t put down”, it was a story that felt real life and for that I give it mad props! 4️⃣⭐️❗️