As a Crime Junkie- this author is already on my auto-buy list- but this book sealed the deal. The contemporary writing and relatable characters makes this a page turner. Just when you think you have the twist nailed down, Flowers throws you for a loop with an ending you never saw coming.

Nic Monroe’s life has been a bit of a mess, since her sister disappeared 7 years ago. She drinks heavily, recently lost her license because of a DWI, goes to work at her job cooking pizzas and waiting on children’s birthday parties (a job she only has because of a family friend), dwells on her broken relationships with her family, and her only social interaction comes from her AA group and mandatory volunteering at the local animal shelter. Until Jenna shows up at her door. Like Nic, Jenna’s sister disappeared 7 years prior, just 2 weeks before Nic’s sister. Jenna and Nic know their sisters’ disappearances are connected…but how? And can they connect the dots in order to bring the person responsible to justice?

This book was a slow burn. I wasn’t super engaged in the first 2/3, but I was hoping for a good plot twist! I thought I had predicted the twist, and was pleasantly surprised by the end! I didn’t see all of it coming! I enjoyed All Good People Here a bit better than this Ashley Flowers novel, but I will keep reading her books!

Read if you enjoy:
🧐 whodunnit mystery
👮🏼‍♂️ true crime
❓ unsolved cold cases
☝🏼 single POV

I read this book via Kindle format, courtesy of @NetGalley!

4.5⭐️
when nic's sister disappears one august day- her life is turned upside down. attempting to go through the motions of life she is struggling. she just got a DUI and works a boring job just to get by. when jenna appears at her work one day they have something in common. jennas sister also went missing and she wants to work with nic to see if they can uncover what happened to their sisters and whew it's a wild ride.

Thank you Bantam for the gifted digital ARC!

3.5 stars rounded up.

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was well-done and while the female MC was hard to root for at times, I could understand why she made her decisions. It was super easy to binge this one, and that's a testament to how well it's written.

The final reveal is where it did lose me a little. I didn't totally love how everything wrapped up, for me it left something to be desired. That's all I really feel comfortable saying without spoiling anything!

The Missing Half pub date is May 6.

This was a fast-paced read that kept me on my toes while I was reading it.

It was an interesting concept for two girls from the same area to have gone missing and years later have their sisters begin working together to see if there were clues the investigators on the cases missed that could have connected them. Nic was a bit of a mess in her life (a bit might be being generous) since her sister’s disappearance. Her family basically fell apart and the preferred coping method was to ignore anything related to the loss. Jenna showed up in Nic’s life in a way that no longer made that an option. There were a lot of secrets the two of them uncovered all leading up to an ending I didn’t see coming.

I have to say though, much like Ashley Flowers’ first book, I was completely all in on this story until the end actually came. I have struggled with both of her book endings now, for different reasons but the struggle was there. That said, I didn’t feel like this one let the overall book down. It did very much surprise me even if I wasn’t fully on board with it.

Thank you Bantam via NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Missing Half is a deeply affecting psychological suspense novel that explores the emotional aftermath of unresolved trauma and the enduring power of sisterhood. At its core, the story follows two women—Nic Monroe and Jenna Connor—whose sisters disappeared within weeks of each other in 2012. Though their siblings’ bodies were never found, the emotional toll on both families has been devastating. What unfolds is not only a gripping mystery but also a poignant portrait of grief, addiction, and resilience.

Nic Monroe is a mess—personally, professionally, and emotionally—Her life mirrors the unresolved nature of her sister’s disappearance. Her character arc is a raw and honest depiction of someone trapped by loss and alcoholism, yet still possessing a flicker of determination that propels her forward when Jenna appears with new evidence. Their evolving partnership, built on shared pain and hard-earned trust, forms the emotional backbone of the narrative.

The narrative structure is carefully constructed, with each chapter ending in a subtle cliffhanger, keeping readers engaged while allowing space for reflection. Particularly compelling is how the author handles difficult themes—addiction, grief, family dysfunction—with sensitivity and emotional intelligence. The plot steadily builds toward a climax that is both unexpected and deeply affecting, even if some readers may find the final twist more emotionally resonant than shocking.

That said, the novel is not without its challenges. The pacing in the first half felt very slow and the suspense doesn’t fully ignite until later in the book. Additionally, while the misdirection is ambitious, it occasionally feels overdone, which may distract from the story’s emotional nuance. However, these elements do not diminish the overall impact of the novel.

What truly elevates The Missing Half is its thematic richness. It is not merely a thriller, but a story about the cost of unresolved trauma, the quiet strength of survivors, and the unbreakable ties that bind siblings—even across absence. It prompts reflection on how we grieve, how we cope, and how, sometimes, confronting the truth—no matter how painful—is the only path toward healing.

In summary:
The Missing Half is a masterful blend of literary emotion and psychological suspense. While the pacing may not appeal to all readers, the emotional payoff is profound. This novel will resonate with those who appreciate complex characters, layered storytelling, and mysteries that linger long after the final page. 4-4.25 stars.

Thank you Netgalley, Bantam/Random House for this uncorrected ebook copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was fantastic!! I totally thought I knew where this story was heading and I DID NOT….which is rare for me. I love the style of Ashley Flowers’ writing…her true crime background really comes through in how she crafts her stories and this one was sooo good! And while it does end without tying everything up into a bow, she does answer all the important questions about the mystery, which I appreciated, and the ending isn’t as abrupt as All Good People Here. I absolutely loved it!

Our library pre-purchased this book but i am very glad that it became available on NetGalley first. Although i read books in online and hardback form and usually have several going at the same time, i found myself opting to read this one above the others.

Thank you for this opportunity. I enjoyed it very much. Now, when our book comes in i can recommend it and hand it to an eager reader!!

Thanks netgalley and publisher for the ARC!

This is the second book I’ve read by this author. I wish there was more in the ending, like a fast forward to a year later to show what happened after because I still had some questions unanswered, but overall 4 starts for this one!

The ending of this book shook me! I did not see it coming at all! Although there were slow points, I finished it in a day.

Two girls in small town Indiana go missing two weeks apart. Seven years later, Nic has done all she can to ignore the memories of Kasey and has become numb to it all. When the other missing girl’s sister, Jenna, shows up and begs her to help her look into the case, old wounds open up. The things Nic finds out, not only about Kasey, but about herself are shocking. What the girls uncover is not what either of them expected.

I loved it! Fast paced and kept you interested! I couldn’t put it down! The ending is not what I expected! Definitely a great twist at the end! This thriller is every I look for in a book!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review on my Goodreads page. This book is out May 6, 2025.

The premise of this thriller had real potential: years after one sister goes missing, another woman with a similar story steps forward, and together they begin to unravel the mystery of their long-lost siblings. It’s a setup that promises suspense and likely twists.

Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite live up to the hype. The beginning felt rushed, making it hard to settle into the story or connect with the characters. As the plot progressed, I found myself hoping for surprising turns or jaw-dropping reveals (and admittedly, some readers may find them), but the narrative played out in a fairly predictable way in my opinion. The dialogue and overall writing style felt a bit flat, and the character development didn’t do enough to make me fully invested in the outcome.

While the concept was intriguing, this one just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. That said, readers who enjoy straightforward thrillers may find this one a great read I am sure.

This was a great who dunnit thriller! I didn’t see the ending coming! I really enjoyed the amateur sleuthing and the secrets uncovered. Thank you for the chance to read early!

This story centers around two sisters, Jenna and Nic, who come together to investigate the missing persons of their respective sisters after Jenna comes to believe that the disappearances are connected. This story is a bit muddy at first but it really starts to come together when Jenna and Nic dig in to their investigation and we are given several options of what could have happened to the sisters.

The ending comes quickly and in a twist that was a bit wild, almost too wild to the point of disbelief, but the author sold it well enough that with a bit of willing suspension of disbelief it was enjoyable.

The story starts simply enough with two women teaming up to identify the killer (killers?) or their sisters. This is only the outer-most layer of the onion and as more details are revealed multiple suspects are held under the spotlight.

First off I will say I’m a Crime Junkie that didn’t enjoys Flowers’ first book BUT LOVED THIS ONE!!! 5 beautiful stars that kept me guessing! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for a honest review.

A thriller needs to be interesting and it needs to have a twist that makes sense, and it needs to leave you satisfied. I would say this book was a little slow early on, but it made up for it with the twist and leaving me satisfied. Great writing and interesting story of a girl living in the aftermath of her sister's kidnapping 7 years earlier, and the havoc it wreaked on her family, and frankly her motivation to go on, as she stagnates in life. Enjoyable, a thriller done well.

Thank you NetGalley and Bantam for this ARC! This was another great book by Ashley Flowers! I was riveted all the way through. Love the fact that she has short chapters, so it's easy to zip through. This wasn't quite as gripping as her first book, but it was a fantastic read nevertheless. I highly recommend it!

The missing half review
The missing half is a murder mystery featuring two families struggling with the sudden disappearance of their young daughters and the fallout of their such in a small Midwest community. As the sisters of the missing girls attempt to uncover the parallels of their sisters’ cases they uncover an even more complex story.

The missing half takes place seven years after the disappearance of Kasey and Jules disappeared seemingly into thin air in August 2012. Jules’ sister Jenna seeks out Kasey’s sister Nicole to help uncover any new details into the cold cases surrounding their sisters’ disappearances.

The miss half moves through its plot and a wonderful pace as we work with the sisters to dredge up any old leads that could point the cases in a new direction. The story remains compelling and the twists are plentiful that made the book hard to put down. The growth and development of the characters felt authentic and you could genuinely feel the grief of the story members. The author also did a great job of setting up the location, as a native of the Michiana region I could vividly picture the locations described throughout. My only complains would be that the first half felt very generic until the story opened up a little more and the characters on the periphery of the story were given more time to breath. Additionally, one major talking point (the reveal of the rape of Jules) felt so sudden and unresolved that it took a few minutes after I finished the book to remember. Overall, Ashely flowers has a knack for writing cold case mystery novels, her ability to paint a vivid picture of small town life and the twists make the novels a great read.

4/5

This book held me in a vise grip!

Nic Monroe is a hot mess. She and her older sister, Kasey, were inseparable while growing up in a dysfunctional family. So when Kasey goes missing without a trace, Nic has lost her lifeline. She spends seven years trying to ignore the pain, she mutes it with alcohol until she can’t after a DWI. Still working at her dead end job, one night a mysterious woman approaches her with an important proposition. You see this woman is Jenna, the sister of another girl named Jules who went missing around the same time as Kasey. No one has ever cracked the case of the missing girls that summer. Jenna and Nic join forces to figure out what happened to their ‘missing halves’. But their investigation is going to dig up dark secrets neither woman could have predicted.

This story was a slow burn and I was never bored. Every chapter is filled with dread and suspense and kept me glued to the pages. I never could have guessed how this would end, it literally knocked my fuzzy socks off! I can’t wait for this one to get into thriller readers hands, it’s going to be an instant best seller.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on May 6, 2025