Thank you @netgalley and @ballantinebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a story about two missing girls from northern Indiana! I was very excited to read this as I have heard amazing things about the Crime Junkie podcast and for the fact it was set in my home state. While it did take me awhile to get into it, once it picked up, IT PICKED UP! There were many times where I gasped out loud and had to know what happened next. This is the perfect book for readers who love a good missing persons story. For me, the ending was not at all what I was expecting, which ultimately why it didn't get 4 stars. Overall, this was a solid read and I would recommend it to a friend!

Crime Junkie? YES! Ashley Flowers, SIGN ME UP! I'm here for all of it. The Missing Half was nothing less than I expected from Ashley! Super slow burn mystery of two sisters that had my heart break because I am sister of a sister. I couldn't imagine! The in depth details that are explained and covered are wild and the ending....SHOCKING & FLOORED!

Ashley Flower’s second book shows her growth as an author. The Missing Half follows the life of Nic as she deals with her crumbling life. Seven years ago her older sister went missing, and Nic is still unable to deal with the trauma. Jenna, the older sister of a second missing girl, contacts Nic to solve their sisters’ cases. Twists and turns lead to family secrets and the truth about the cases. Excited to read the next thriller Ashley creates!

Nic and Jenna have only one thing in common: both of their sisters vanished without a trace. The disappearances, just two weeks apart, bear chilling similarities. The police believe the cases are connected—but they can’t figure out who took them, where they went, or even if they're still alive.

Nic is struggling to put her life back together after a recent DWI. Her world is in pieces, and she's read to move on from the past and wants a fresh start. Meanwhile, Jenna is consumed by the need to find out what happened to her sister, Jules. Her search leads her straight to Nic.

What I loved most about this book was the evolving bond between Jenna and Nic. Despite coming from completely different worlds, they find an unexpected friendship and a shared drive for truth. As they dig deeper in the cold cases, they're forced to confront secrets that could destroy everything they know.

The Missing Half is a story of sisterhood, grief, and the lengths we'll go to for those we love. If you enjoyed Ashley Flowers’, All Good People Here, you're in for another page-turner that you won't be able to put down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this book!

The Missing Half was a quick, suspenseful read. I found myself captivated by the idea of Jenna and Nic working together to solve their sisters disappearances. I’m with them, why had they never met before when, as mentioned early on, their sisters cases seemed connected.

Suffice to say, this book did not end up where I thought it would, and the ending was super surprising. It ended so quickly after the mystery was revealed, and I felt like I needed more to conclude the story.

First and foremost; I would like to thank the publisher, author and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC. Thank you so much!

The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers is a haunting mystery that delves into the aftermath of two unsolved disappearances and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

Set in Mishawaka, Indiana, this novel follows 24-year-old Nicole “Nic” Monroe, whose life has been a very shitty downspiral since her sister Kasey vanished seven years prior.

When Jenna Connor, the sister of another missing woman, Jules, enters Nic’s life; the two women decide to work together in a desperate quest for answers. Their journey uncovers long-buried secrets and challenges their perceptions of truth and loyalty not only with themselves but with the world around them.

With crazy twists and a chilling narrative, Flowers creates a story that explores the depths of grief and the lengths one will go to uncover the truth while going back to the one thing that is never unbreakable: sisterhood.

Seven years after their sisters disappeared within two weeks of each other Nic and Jenna come together to discover the truth of what happened.

This book has all the hallmarks of a trashy thriller - flawed and semi-unlikeable main character, fast paced, red herrings and a major twist.

I had a really good time with this book and could not put it down! A great sophomore novel by Ashley Flowers. Some of it could be seen as unrealistic but for this type of novel to work you have to suspend some disbelief (it does only take two women a few weeks to uncover more clues in the case than the police have in almost a decade). However, I thought it was a great entry into the genre with an interesting premise and twist that isn’t overdone - which in itself is an achievement. 4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book pulled me in from the very beginning with its gripping premise: two women go missing within days of each other, and their sisters search to find them years later. You think you know how it’s all going to play out—but you don’t! I loved the twists, and the ending was truly jaw-dropping. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this advanced reader’s copy.

Thank you to NetGaley and Ballantine for the gifted e-ARC.

This was a slow burn mystery about missing persons. Two mid-20's women have lost their sisters and have always wondered where they went with no outcome. Things progress in this story in their effort to find what happened to their "missing half".

This was too slow for me and I didn't care much for how it ended.

When I say that I could not put this book, actually, my Kindle, down, I am serious. 100%. The only reason it took me a whole day is because I have a real life and unfortunately, have to participate in it.

The book circles around two sets of sisters. Nicole (Nic) and Kasey, and Jules and Jenna. Both Kasey and Jules go missing within 2 weeks of each other, and Nic is in a crater 7 years later. Jenna pulls her aside one day after work, and they start to investigate together.

While I did enjoy the book in total, I felt like the ending was a little rushed. I was extremely surprised by it, but I felt like it could have gone another 30 pages. Every time I thought I knew what was happening, my whole world was shook by the next few pages. I just needed a little more of that.

Not sure if this is a spoiler or not, but I cried for 10 minutes over the shelter cat, Banksy, being adopted.

Huge thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read The Missing Half early! I love Crime Junkie and Ashley Flowers SO much, can’t wait for her next book!

The Missing Half completely pulled me in—it read like a true crime podcast, which I loved. As someone who’s always drawn to stories about missing persons and cold cases, this one checked all the boxes. Nic’s grief and obsession with her sister Kasey’s disappearance felt raw and real, and the added layer of Jules’s case kept the tension high throughout.

Ashley Flowers’s writing is emotional and immersive without being overly complicated. I could feel everything Nic was going through, and I flew through the pages, trying to piece it all together.

The only thing that fell a little flat for me was the ending—I was hoping for a bigger twist or a gut-punch moment, but it wrapped up more quietly than expected. Still, it was a gripping read, and I’d absolutely recommend it to fellow true crime lovers or anyone who enjoys a layered, emotional mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC.

This was such an intriguing book that reads like a true crime podcast. I loved the story line and the twists and turns along the way.
Two women are brought together by their sisters' unsolved disappearances years ago. The police have nothing to go on.
Jules disappeared days before Kasey, so the police connected their disappearances.
When Jules' sister Jenna approaches Nic to discuss the connection between their sisters disappearances, Nic starts to think there may be hope. As Nic and Jenna grow closer to the truth, they realize it's so much more than they could imagine.
This story covers so much about Pat trauma and grief as well as how far family will go to find the truth.
The Missing Half is written by Ashley Flowers, host of The Crime Junkie Podcast. Her writing and story telling unfolds as such an intriguing story that will draw you in from the beginning.

As someone who’s obsessed with storylines about missing people and solving cold cases, The Missing Half was exactly the kind of book I gravitate toward. From the start, I was hooked by Nic’s pain and the haunting mystery of her sister Kasey’s disappearance. The parallel with Jules’s case added even more layers, and I found myself flipping pages trying to piece everything together.

Ashley Flowers’s writing is easy to get lost in, simple, emotional, and really pulls you into the story. I felt everything Nic was going through, and I couldn’t stop reading.

That said, the ending didn’t quite land for me. It lacked the punch I was hoping for after such a strong buildup. I wanted to be shocked or at least have that “wow” moment, and instead, it just sort of… settled.

Still, this was a solid read, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a missing persons mystery.

The Missing Half - Ashley Flowers

⭐️⭐️⭐️

“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.”

The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers is a psychological thriller that follows two women—Nic and Jenna—whose sisters vanished under mysterious circumstances years apart. United by grief and suspicion, they embark on an investigation that uncovers dark family secrets and a truth that will change their lives forever.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the ARC copy of this thriller! I remember not loving the first thriller Flowers wrote but I decided to give her writing a second chance. Both Jenna and Nic were very frustrating to follow as they investigated the disappearances. Nic was truly one of the worst thriller main characters I have read in a long time. I also just did not find this an engaging thriller to follow, I wasn’t connected to the story and the steps along the way. The ending twist was almost too out of left field for me to truly feel satisfied.

Just when I know where Ashley Flowers might be going, I'm wrong, and I love it. Her debut, All Good People Here, was one of my top reads of 2022, but I actually think The Missing Half had me more riveted. I was lucky enough to also have an early copy, and Saskia Maarleveld is the absolute perfect choice for a narrator. She nailed every single word and took what it already a five-star read and added her special brand of narrator magic. There isn't a single thing that I would change about The Missing Half. The characters, the plot, the pacing, the ending (mind blown)...perfect.

Shorter than I expected! But filled with a lot to discuss and immerse yourself in. A good mystery that has enough to keep you invested and heartbroken all at the same time

This crime thriller twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat until the end, when you sit with your jaw hanging open.

Ashley Flowers' latest book is about two sisters, each missing a sister under mysterious circumstances.

Nic is in a rut, barely existing and struggling through life since her sister disappeared. Jenna is functioning, but is focused on finding out what happened to her sister.

Jenna seeks Nic out to find connections to the cases and hopefully find some answers. The reader stays with Nic as she struggles to see through the fog of her grief, her alcoholism, and her apathy to life to dig into what happened to her sister.

Flowers' experience in true crime through her podcast lends itself to creating an uneasy atmosphere of people searching for answers and laying enough clues for the reader to follow--- but I know I didn't figure it out until the last chapter.

I enjoyed Ashley Flower's last thriller and am always excited to read a fast-paced thriller -- this one kept me engaged and guessing.

While the characters made some questionable choices, I was still rooting for them as they tried to find out the truth about what happened to their sisters -- and I was invested and wanted to keep reading. I didn't see the twists coming which I always love.

I will definitely read what Ashley Flower's writes next and am excited to check out her podcast as well!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

All I can say is WOW!!! Ashley Flowers has outdone herself once again! I will say I am an outright Ashley Flowers fan from her 1st book “All Good People Here” to her podcast and all live videos. However, if you are not familiar with her or what she does and this is your first impression you will NOT be disappointed! This book was captivating from the first page to the last. I had to remember I was reading a book about a fiction case and not watching a documentary or listening to a podcast about a real life case about these 2 missing girls. The twist with BRAD floored me!! Who actually killed Jenna…..MIND BLOWN!! All the twists were great! There was depth, intent, twists and information and so much captivating writing that I had to pull an all nighter to finish and review this book! Honestly, a great 5 star read for all lovers of true crime and all things Ashley Flowers! "Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the arc! All thoughts and reviews are my own."

Two young women missing on a dark road a short time apart.
Of course - it must be the work of a serial killer!
Two sisters left behind to live the nightmare of a lost lived one and to navigate all the emotions that tear apart families
I really liked this book - until the end! Totally not the way I thought it would go
Good, fast paced thriller.