Nic Monroe is living on the fringes. Haunted by her older sister, Kasey's, disappearance seven years ago, she works and lives in her dingy apartment. She is doing mandatory community service for a DUI, and is just getting by. She still has not faced the trauma that her sister's disappearance has had on her, and so she cannot move on. One day she is approached by Jenna Conner. Jules sister, who disappeared in almost the exact same way two weeks before Kasey disappeared. Jenna wants Nic to work with her to try to figure out what happened to the girls because she believes they are connected.

Whew! I love Ashley Flowers and Britt's podcast, "Crime Junkies", so was so excited to read this. It did not disappoint! Stayed up way too late reading this! However, fair warning: like the podcast, there are no easy answers or solid conclusions. There are many reveals and twists that I did not see coming, and I found myself thinking about this book and conclusion way after I finished it. This isn't a light read- but a who do I root for?, what does this say about me and my thoughts? I feel like crying and throwing something kind of read.

The characters are so well developed. I felt the anxiety and torn desires coming from Nic, and understood her desire to block out the past, but also trepidation and a little excitement at trying to figure out what happened. She struggles with drinking, relationships, and pretty much everyday things. Her memory of the past is somewhat spotty, and this adds to some of the twists. I was questioning whether is was spotty memory, or was this other person(s) suspect.

Jenna is also very well developed as a character. Her desire to find out what happened stems from her mother dying of cancer, and also the same mother preferred Jules to Jenna. So she is struggling to find her own place and lay rest the ghost of her sister. The two women work very well together, unraveling new information, unthreading what this new info means in the larger picture of the case. AS secrets are revealed, Nic comes to think that Jenna is the only person who she can trust.

This mystery is superbly written, with every piece contributing to the overall conclusion. And the last chapters will leave you spellbound, and utterly speechless. This is a bittersweet, troubling, dark and twisted tale- and honestly, my heart hurt for all the characters. I found the conclusion- although unexpected, to be absolutely perfect in how it relates to the characters. Perfect Crime Junkie read!

I highly recommend this book! However, it is not a light, easy read, and the conclusion might have you re-examining some things!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bantam Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

THE MISSING HALF was an outstanding book. I was hooked from the start! This was a fast-paced story that you'll have a hard time putting down. I actually couldn’t stop thinking about it. The ending was definitely unexpected and blew me away. I love books like this! Do yourself a favor and grab a copy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Many thanks to Random House for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared to my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the future.

Two sets of sisters; one in each pair disappear just 2 weeks apart. Seven years later the remaining two sisters team up to try to figure out what happened. What ensues is a really good story of suspense and twists. The characters are crafted with care and the plot is perfectly detailed with tons of clues and red herrings sprinkled throughout. This is the kind of novel that will have you reading “just one more chapter” well past your bedtime!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam Books for the ARC to read and review.

Ashley promised readers a shocking ending we wouldn’t see coming, and she definitely delivered on that!! What a twisty ride this one was!!! 🙌

I feel like I can’t say much more than that without giving anything away, so just trust me and snag a copy of this one!! You won’t regret it!! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Ashley Flowers for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

Wow! I thought I had this all figured out until the last chapters. This kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I love how all parts of the story came together for the end.

Ashley Flowers delivers another binge-worthy thriller with The Missing Half. From the first chapter, I was hooked by the cold-case mystery and the compelling dynamic between two women bonded by shared trauma. The pacing is tight, the twists hit hard, and the final reveal left me reeling in the best way. I especially appreciated how the story explores grief, addiction, and complicated sisterhood without ever losing momentum. A must-read for fans of gripping, emotionally layered suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I was in the market for a fast-paced thriller so this came at the perfect time. Neither of the MCs are very likeable but you understand why they are the way they are. This one kept me guessing and I was pleasantly surprised by the end. I went between reading and listening and would recommend either format.

This was my first time reading Ashley Flowers, and let’s just say—I now fully understand the hype. The Missing Half is a suspenseful, fast-paced read that sucked me in from page one and didn’t let go until the very end.

Flowers seems to have a knack for making characters feel complex and real, even when they’re making wildly questionable life choices (seriously, why is no one in thrillers ever in therapy?). The pacing is tight, the clues are doled out like breadcrumbs, and while I guessed a few things early on, there were still plenty of “Wait, WHAT?!” moments that caught me off guard.

The ending straight up gave me whiplash with the twists and turns. I'm still not sure how the conclusion sits with me. I'll probably be thinking about this one for a while...

This was a solid introduction to Ashley Flowers’ fiction for me, and I’ll absolutely be checking out her All Good People Here (and keeping an eye out for the next one).

Huge thanks to Ashley Flowers, Random House, and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy! The Missing Half comes out next week!

Average mystery with too many "twists", some of which the reader might figure out well in advance. Definitely a vacation read.

This book kept me engaged and on my toes from the start. I enjoyed most of the twists and turns. The focus on what families and loved ones look like years later, after someone that they love goes missing. I enjoyed that the book was about the two surviving sisters teaming up together to look for their sisters 7 years later. They went missing a week apart, but the cases were similar and thought to be connected. I enjoyed the dynamics between these two women, the support and the strength. Seeing how grief, addiction, and difficulty moving on were woven through the day to day life of these women was incredibly well written. I did not see the end coming and although I did not love it, I liked that I was unable to guess it. I thought this was a fast paced, easy read that kept me on my toes from start to finish.
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

An absolutely mind-blowing and TWISTY cold case missing women mystery that has two surviving sisters coming together years after their sisters' disappearance in order to investigate what really happened. This was excellent on audio narrated by Saskia Maarleveld and had me on the edge of my toes as we get to know Nicole/Nic, a struggling alcoholic who is ambushed by Jenna, the other missing girl's sister and coopted into launching a new private investigation.

This is a story about the lengths sisters will go to in order to protect one another, absentee parents and dysfunctional families and the stigmatization surrounding missing and murdered women and girls. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! I DARE you to guess how this one ends - I didn't see it coming at all. HIGHLY recommended for fans of authors like Ashley Winstead!

Years ago, Nic’s sister, Kasey, went missing from their small town, and now she is just barely getting by working for a family friend. Kasey is the 2nd girl to have gone missing, but can the other missing girl be tied Jenna is the sister of the other missing girl and is determined to find out if they are. She will say anything to get Nic to agree to help her investigate it. As the theories evolve, Nic and Jenna form a sisterhood of their own, with Jenna taking over the big sister role and Nic filling the little sister one. Jenna will now do anything to protect Nic, but Nic is still doubting her ability and everyone around her. The ending does come with a twist.

Ashley Flowers deserves her flowers for this one....

The twist at the end... BRO. It was 100% not expected and in no way went the way I thought it was going. This was a rollercoaster with two sets of sisters that are tied to each other by disappearances and fishy characters. I did find at certain points the FMC was continuing this never ending cycle and it was quite infuriating. Besides that, this one would've been a 5 star for me.

Book Review: The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers
4/5 Stars
Publication Date: May 6, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, and Random House for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Set in the town of Mishawaka, Indiana, The Missing Half follows Nic, a woman struggling to stay afloat years after her sister Kasey mysteriously vanished. Between court-mandated AA meetings, volunteering at the local animal shelter, and a job at a pizza joint held together by a family friend’s compassion, Nic’s life is tinged with grief and stagnation. Everything changes the night a stranger named Jenna approaches her in a dark parking lot, claiming her sister, Jules, also disappeared under similar circumstances—and that she might have new information about both cases.

Initially reluctant, Nic is drawn back into the trauma she’s tried to bury, teaming up with Jenna to uncover what really happened to their sisters. As the two dig deeper into the quiet Midwestern town’s secrets, what unfolds is a story of trust, betrayal, and the haunting realization that even the most familiar faces can hide dangerous truths.

As someone from Indiana, I found Ashley Flowers’ depiction of smallish-town Indiana life particularly vivid and authentic. The summer nights filled with insects’ hums, teenage parties in cornfields, and the deceptive comfort of a close-knit community really grounded the story in a familiar, atmospheric setting.

While I ultimately loved the book, I did find it to be a slow burn—things didn’t fully grip me until about 60% in. However, the payoff was worth the wait. The final act delivered everything I want in a thriller: a twisted, satisfying, and shocking conclusion.

If you enjoy thrillers with strong regional settings and layered mysteries, The Missing Half is well worth the read—just be prepared to let it simmer before it sizzles.

This was fun! I was very surprised as well, which was a nice twist from her first book. This also didn’t have a dull moment, once the momentum started, it didn’t stop!

Thank you Bantam for my gifted copy!

I knew after reading All Good People Here, I had to get my hands on Ashley Flowers’ latest. I am not a true crime podcast listener, but I loved that her first novel read like one. And The Missing Half was no different. It made me feel like I was watching Dateline lol.

I personally loved The Missing Half more than her first. The writing was so much more crisp. The plot was flawless and executed in a way that made this book entirely bingeable. It was a blast. The twist even got me, truly. I kept going over each scenario that could possibly happen, as over thinkers are wont to do, and I was still surprised.

This book cemented Ashley Flowers as an auto buy author for me. And maybe - maaaaybe - I’ll get into her true crime podcast one day.

I haven’t read a book that kept me engaged like this book did in a long time! This was a definite page turner and I just had to get thru it as soon as possible. It was engaging and riveting, the ending was sucking and I think I literally had my mouth wide open due at least the last three chapters. I didn’t see the ending coming from a mile away. Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

3.5 stars, rounded down.

I really liked this one… right up until the end. The story had me hooked, and I didn’t see the twist coming—which is a win in itself—but the direction it took just didn’t sit right with me. It felt a little too far-fetched, and while I’m usually fine with morally gray characters, here it seemed like everyone was a villain. That made the ending more frustrating than satisfying. It also felt a bit rushed, with some plot leaps that weren’t fully explained. That said, it was a fast, engaging read, which I appreciated.

Two women are haunted by their sisters’ unsolved disappearances. They team up to solve the two cases since they seem to be connected.
Ashley Flowers’ first book was a winner, and I knew I had to read this one. A perfect read for the summer. It will keep you turning pages until you find out what happened to these girls.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine | Bantam #TheMissingHalf #NetGalley

3.75 ✨

I love Ashley Flowers because of Crime Junkies and her debut book, which I enjoyed as well, so I was excited to read this book, and while I enjoyed the twists and the suspense of the story, I think I hated the main character, Nic. She is an absolute hot mess, and the way she acted through most of the book just irritated me. I also wish we got to know more about Jenna and Jules, considering they're a major part of the story as well, and I just feel like there were things uncovered and just never brought up again, and I would love to have uncovered more from them.

The story is instantly gripping, and while it did take me a few days to read, it was constantly on my mind until I managed to finally sit down and binge-read the last half of it. I can't wait to see what comes next from both Flowers and Kiester and will be eagerly waiting for the next book release.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.