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.

I thought this book was really well written and I kept my interest throughout. It kept me in suspense and I didn't see the ending coming. I must say i wasn't thrilled with the ending, but more in the way that I wished things had turned out differently, rather than that I thought it wasn't well done, because it was. Many thanks to Random House Publishing/Ballantine and to NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.

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.

This was an interesting fast paced thriller. Ten years ago Kasey’s sister mysteriously disappears. She and the police believe her to be dead. Present day, Kasey meets Jenna, a girl whose sister also disappeared ten years ago. Could the two cases be connected? Kasey and Jenna work together to find out.

Hope and desperation are a powerful motivator. Author Ashley Flowers uses both of those seamlessly to create a compelling fast paced story. There was a lot of build up for an okay ending. I enjoyed this book but was hoping for a bit more at the big reveal in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the advance digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest review.

I was really excited to get an arc of this book from Netgalley and I loved Ashley Flowers first book. This book was really fast flowing at first and then I just felt like it kind of dragged on a bit near the middle/end of the book. Overall, I do recommend this book because it did keep me guessing up till the end.

Two sisters are brought together by the disappearance of their sisters 7 years earlier . The girls are working together to try to solve a the case that the cops haven’t been able to solve.

Nic is just drifting through life. She’s had a troubled life, especially after her sister Kasey went missing 7 years ago. Nic and Jenna discover some secrets but the secrets might cause more trouble for them about they go confront people they think might be involved anyways.

Overall, if you’re a true crime junkie like I am I think you’ll enjoy this book. It definitely kept my interest.

Thanks netgalley and publisher for a chance to read this for free in return for my honest opinion.
Pub date: 5/6/25

So, after feeling very conflicted about All Good People Here (I stand firm in that the ending ruined what could have been a pretty good book) I wanted to give The Missing Half a chance.
I enjoyed the beginning of the book and was engaged with the mystery for the majority of it. The biggest issues I had were once again with the ending: a big bowl of nothing that made ZERO sense, and the fact that there was no character development - the MMC was flat and did not change in a dynamic way whatsoever by the end of the book. This was too much for my suspension of disbelief and I was honestly kind of surprised with the all of holes since there was a collaborator and the connections to true crime. Full of red herrings and not much else, this had potential but failed to reach it in my opinion. 2.5 stars.

An incredible follow up novel for Ashley Flowers. Definitely enjoyed the ride with this one, fast paced and twisty.

I enjoyed The Missing Half and moved through it very quickly. It was definitely a good book to break a slight reading slump. I thought the ending was a bit rushed and I didn't love it - it made me dislike Nic and Kasey both, in fact - but it definitely took me by surprise. I appreciated that I could never quite predict how the story would turn out. I'll look forward to Ashley's next book for sure.

Leave it to Ashley Flowers to write a classic murder mystery with an unseen twist at the end. The storyline mostly kept my attention but dragged in the middle. There was a little too much filler at some points for me. I didn't enjoy this plot as much as All Good People Here, but I was glad the ending came full circle. I hate open endings! Like, just tell me what happened! And this time, she finally did.

Nic's life has been on a downward spiral since her sister disappeared from a lonely road in the middle of the night. Her family split apart under the strain, and now she works the same job she had back then, cleaning up after kids at a pizza arcade, while struggling to deal with the repercussions of a DWI charge. When the sister of a woman who disappeared under similar circumstances shows up at her work, Nic has to decide whether joining forces to try to solve the disappearances will help or hurt her recovery. The relationships that unfold afterwards dig deep into family trauma, sisterhood, buried secrets among family and friends, and the overwhelming question of just how far you'd go for your family.

The characters of Nic and Jules were well-drawn, rich and complex. I was surprised by the depth in these characters: the complicated choices and growth they show throughout the book. While I picked up this book because of Ashley Flowers--I've listened to her podcasts and enjoy her storytelling approach there--I wasn't quite expecting this book to be quite so well-written. Paired with Alex Kister as a co-author, they made an excellent story together. The pacing is perfect: I never felt it was going too slow, even when they ran into blocks in their investigation. There were surprising plot elements throughout, but they always felt like they made sense for these characters and their world. And the overarching themes of sisterhood and sacrifice wove throughout every part of this book but were still restrained and refined.

Overall, this was a book I thoroughly enjoyed reading, and which sat with me for several days after I'd finished it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and to PRH Audio for the alc.

Ashley Flowers has done it again!! I should probably start this review by saying that I read All Good People Here a couple of years ago and the ending made me want to literally vomit, it creeped me out so bad..especially the ending! With that being said, I still thought the ending of THIS book was unbelievable!!

I am happy to report that this book was much less creepy, but still managed to be a fantastic thriller. So this is one of those times where if you have certain feelings about one book by an author, it doesn't mean that you can't read and enjoy more by that author!

I also had the pleasure of reading the audiobook and I loved how Saskia Maarvelad narrated this book. If you are thinking of reading this book, I definitely recommend you check out the audiobook.

Overall, I really enjoyed this fast-paced thriller from Ashley Flowers and I am looking forward to her next book!

I really enjoyed Ashley Flowers' first book and was excited to check out this new one. It's another thoughtful and well-written story that incorporates Flowers' extensive work in the true crime genre but wrapped in a story that is unique with a twist that left me shocked. The characters felt real and messy but the grief was palatable. Flowers' also writes such beautiful prose! I definitely would recommend this book and I'm excited for her next book!

I really liked this book! There were a couple twists I didn’t expect, which I thought was impressive. I read a lot of this genre so it’s easier to pick up on patterns and clues and see the turns coming, but I didn’t with this one.

I did find some parts slow, but the ending moved quickly. I would have liked a more steady, even pace throughout, but it read nicely overall.

I’d recommend this for fans of Gillian Flynn and baby thrillers. It’s a 4/5 from me. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

there’s something about solving a cold case that always gets me going - and I’m usually super invested in sleuthing along with the MCs!! and this one, combining two cold cases in one, was so addicting!

ashley flowers knows how to write mysteries so well, but more importantly, she knows how to write human stories and well-fleshed-out characters. the desperation that jenna and nic felt as they raced against the clock to discover new clues about their missing sisters was so well written!!!

I thought I pegged the whodunnit from the beginning, and was validated for a bit when it started to look to go in that direction - but I never would have suspected the ending!! I gasped so loud when I got to the finale!

what didn’t quite work for me was the way the story wrapped up itself. when the initial shock wore off, I found myself questioning the decisions of jenna and nic and how they handled the conclusion very differently than their characters in the beginning. it does drive home the emotion of desperation, but at the same time, jenna and nic were two sides of the same coin and it felt a little too abrupt and neat for the tragedy of the book…

a huge thank you to bantam and netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! may’s gonna be a good month!

rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: finger lakes cabernet franc