Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy of Missing Half!

There’s something undeniably compelling about two women bonded by loss, trauma, and a splash of obsession. Add in a few Indiana backroads, a handful of red herrings, and a true crime podcast host behind the pen, and you’ve got a recipe that should have kept me turning pages like a woman possessed. Missing Half absolutely delivers on atmosphere and emotion—but for me, the plot stalled in a few too many places.

Nic Monroe is the quintessential small-town mess with a tragic backstory and a chip on her shoulder. Her sister Kasey vanished without a trace seven years ago, and Nic’s been spiraling ever since. Enter Jenna Connor, whose sister Jules disappeared under eerily similar circumstances. When the two join forces to unravel what happened to their “missing halves,” the story should take off—but instead, it jogs, backtracks, and occasionally meanders down some predictable side roads.

Let’s talk prose: Ashley Flowers has a solid grip on tone—this book feels like a dark Midwest autumn. Grief, guilt, and long-standing wounds are front and center, which gave the narrative some emotional heft. I loved the premise of two broken women becoming reluctant detectives—it’s got all the makings of a twisty thriller, and it sets the perfect stage for moral gray areas.

But here’s the rub: the pacing felt uneven, and the final twist—while a doozy—relied a bit too heavily on shock value instead of satisfying breadcrumbs. Some of the emotional beats didn’t land as deeply as I’d hoped, and there were moments where I wanted to scream, “Nic, girl, you cannot be serious.”

That said, if you enjoy mysteries with a strong emotional core, sibling dynamics, and a bit of podcast-y intrigue, this is worth the read. Just be prepared to suspend disbelief more than once, and keep your expectations for a tightly plotted thriller in check.

Fun, emotional, and eerie—but not quite as unforgettable as I hoped.

THE MISSING HALF BY ASHLEY FLOWERS

When a psychological thriller rushes to end, to give us a closing to what we have invested six hours or so caring about the propagandist, the victim, the victims friends, families and lovers…this is probably my biggest pet peeve. WELL NO WORRIES HERE! Ashley Flowers slides easily into her ending explanation along with an incredibly huge twist. She took just the right amount of time to wind up her story.

This storyline was so much different than her premier novel All Good People Here. That novel had so many twists and turns then turns and twists! This I felt likened itself to two strangers coming together to solve their sisters disappearances morphing themselves into amateur private Invesigators. But not in a slapstick sort of way. It felt deeper, darker and more sophisticated than that. It took its time telling the background of the two young women who had disappeared quite some time before. The two protagonists often bumped heads while trying to agree on how to go about their investigation. It felt like two rough grades of sandpaper being rubbed against each other. They were determined to solve a mystery it seemed no one other than the two of them had an interest in.

Strong character devIopment is something I always appreciate in a book. The author did an incredible job especially with the lead protagonist Nic. She allowed us to see what ugliness is left behind when you loose a loved one just disappearing and perhaps imagining they experienced a brutal end.

This should have nothing to do with my review but I spent my first 25 years in South Bend, Indiana also known as a blending of several towns called Michiana. So it was exciting that the novel was set in Michiana. I recognized road names and a few landmarks in the book. I understand the author still lives in South Bend.

If you appreciate a thriller with strong character development,
protagonist banter including a rough relationship and a very twisted ending I recommend reading The Missing Half.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bantam Books and Ashley Flowers for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

This was a spectacular thriller. I literally can not imagine having this happen to me and one of my sisters. Nightmare scenario. I definitely wished that Nic would stop behaving in so many destructive behaviors. I never saw that twist coming!

I am such a Crime Junkie fan so I was really excited to read Ashley Flower's new book. Overall, it was a good book. I think my real big gripe with this one was that I think it was just 20 percent too long. I think we could have wrapped up the story a little before it was actually wrapped up. I really do love a thriller with an unreliable narrator because I do think that really keeps you on the edge of your seat. The audio for this was fantastic and def a lot of the reason I was able to move through it so quick. A quick paced and bingeable thriller.

No one knows true crime quite like Ashley Flowers. In The Missing Half she draws you in early, setting the scene and getting you on the edge of your seat. With new twists and turns at every corner, just when you think you have the answers she pulls the rug out from under you and you’re back at square one! Ashley’s skills as a narrator have translated seamlessly to her writing and her books keep me hooked every time!

I have this theory that Flowers comes up with the last scene in her books and then writes to that moment. Which was very successful here. I liked this book well enough - the mystery was decent, the main character was compelling, the tension was high - but it wasn’t wowing me until I got to the twist. And then it became, holy shit this BOOK! That twist is bomb.

Anyway definitely a solid thriller. I like Flowers writing and, as I said, I was enjoying this even before my mind was blown, and then the ending solidified it into a must-read recommendation for me. I suspect this will be on a lot of summer reading lists!

Thank you to Bantam Books and Netgalley for this ARC. The Missing Half is out 5/6!

Two women united in their tragedy - the ones who are left behind when their sisters separately go missing. Jenna and Nic, haunted by unanswered questions, determine to dig for resolution despite both cases growing cold years ago.

Flowers shows some growth with this novel. This story feels more creative than her last one, and there are some turns readers will have a hard time guessing.

3.5 stars

Thank you Bantam and NetGalley.

A popcorn book good for the plane, your beach bag or a lazy day. Nic and Jenna both lost sisters and they team up to find them. These two characters are well developed but the missing Jules and Kacey are not. Flowers does a good job with grief, trauma and frustration. There are some twists which I saw coming but I did keep reading. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

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.