If you like books where tension grows little by little and where you have no idea where and how far the writer can go... this book is for you!! I loved it and can only warmly recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller!

Would I Recommend It?
Yes! If you like books about secrets, missing people, and family drama with a mystery twist, this is a great read.
The story was full of mystery and kept me guessing.

Steena Holmes delivers a chilling and suspenseful ride in The Girls in the Basement, a psychological thriller that grips you from the very first page. With a masterful unraveling of secrets and tension that builds steadily, Holmes pulls readers deep into a web of intrigue, trauma, and hidden truths.

The pacing is sharp and deliberate, keeping you constantly on edge as each revelation peels back another disturbing layer. Holmes excels at crafting complex characters and emotionally charged scenarios, making the suspense feel personal and intense. The twists are not only unexpected but skillfully executed, leading to a climax that is both shocking and deeply satisfying.

What stands out most is Holmes’ ability to balance fast-paced plotting with emotional depth. Her writing draws you into the minds of her characters, making their fears and discoveries feel incredibly real. By the time the final twist lands, you’re left reeling in the best way possible.

The Girls in the Basement is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers who crave a story that keeps them guessing until the very end. Steena Holmes proves once again that she knows exactly how to keep her readers on the edge of their seats.

The way my anxiety skyrocketed? Unreal. Sweat. Panic. Heart pounding like a drum in my chest. Y’all—you don’t understand. I was on edge, silently begging that boy to stay put, praying the bad guys would just go away. And B? It felt like our hearts were beating in perfect sync—every thud echoing in my ears like a countdown.

This book had me in a chokehold.

10/10 do not recommend reading it in public or listening while driving unless you want to scare strangers or miss your exit—because you will be gasping out loud.

But…

100/10 recommend it to a friend who lives for twisty, psychological thrillers that grip you from the first page and don’t let go.

The Girls in the Basement by @authorsteenaholmes is out today (grab it on Kindle Unlimited or paperback), I’m still recovering.

Yes, it deals with dark themes—human trafficking is part of the plot—but it doesn’t get graphic. If you love Criminal Minds, SVU, or true crime stories with a pulse, this one’s for you.

I was lucky enough to read and listen to the advance copy—and let me tell you, the audiobook is stellar. The narrator had me hanging on every word.



Huge thanks to @joffebooks—y’all are on fire with these releases.

rounding up from 4.5 stars

When I received the chance to read this as an ARC I jumped on it. I had read it's predecessor, The Sister Under the Stairs, when it was originally published as Lies We Tell Ourselves. That being said, this book reads really well as a standalone so no worries if you haven't had the opportunity to read it.

I actually enjoyed this one even more! I found it more engaging. It continues the search for Andrew Rawlings but that's more of a backstory. This book focuses more on a young family with secrets of their own that have you questioning whether they are victims or perpetrators. As well as the motives of the local sheriff and townspeople.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Girls in the Basement by Steena Holmes is a chilling domestic thriller that explores the question " What if the evil you fear isn't on the outside.. but already inside your house?"

For Jillian Harper the move to a farmhouse in Montana was supposed to be a fresh start for her family. But when a tip off to the local police states that there are bodies buried on the Harper's property, Jillian's world quickly spirals into chaos. Jillian's husband Tucker was the one who bought the property for a great price in cash, but says he had no idea about it's past or the bodies. Soon Jillian notices Tucker acting strangely, having hushed conversations, periods of time when he is just gone, etc. Does Jillian truly know her husband and what he is capable of?

This is definitely a dark and emotionally layered novel so check out the trigger warnings because some topics are traumatic. This was such a solid thriller layered with an ominous sense of tension and dread. The suspense is well placed even though this is a slow burn type of thriller. There are a lot of characters but as you read on everything comes together. I would have liked a little more resolution at the end but still I enjoyed this novel. I will definitely check out more work by Steena Holmes!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Steena Holmes, and Joffe Books for this ARC!! Publication date is April 10th 2025.

Steena Holmes crafts a chilling domestic thriller in The Girls in the Basement—a story that digs beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect life to unearth secrets darker than anyone could imagine.

Jillian Harper thought she knew her husband, Tucker. After twenty years of marriage, a quiet move to a farmhouse in Montana was supposed to be the fresh start their family needed. But that illusion quickly crumbles when bodies are discovered buried deep in their land—bodies that have been hidden for years. As the small town buzzes with suspicion and law enforcement closes in, Jillian begins to notice her husband’s odd behavior: unaccounted time, evasive eyes, and a phone conveniently turned off during the chaos. The more questions she asks, the more terrifying the answers become.

Holmes masterfully ratchets up the tension, weaving in psychological unease and the dread of betrayal from within. Jillian’s slow unraveling, her emotional turmoil, and the suffocating suspicion that the man she loves may be capable of unspeakable horrors, keep readers glued to the page. The rural setting adds a haunting atmosphere—isolated and idyllic, yet hiding nightmares beneath its soil.

What makes this book especially gripping is its emotional core. Holmes doesn’t just deliver plot twists; she explores the devastation that comes from realizing the person you trusted most might be a monster. The suspense is well-paced, the characters deeply flawed yet relatable, and the final revelations leave a lasting chill.

The Girls in the Basement is perfect for fans of domestic thrillers like The Couple Next Door or Behind Closed Doors. It’s a haunting tale of secrets, trust, and the terrifying idea that sometimes the darkest evil isn’t outside your door—it’s already inside.

It was my first time reading something by this author and it enjoyed it right until the end! It has been a solid thriller, I was engaged, wanted to know more and hem it ended!! A few things were answered but lots weren’t, the ones that were weren’t answered satisfactorily and had there been a few more chapters laying it all out, this would have been 5 stars!

Leaving huge chunks out means 3

Dark Tale Well Told From An Interesting Perspective. First, I gotta give props to Holmes for the way she handled the trigger warning in this book. I personally prefer them to be on the author's website so those (like me) who prefer not to have any spoilers at all going into the book can have that experience, yet those who need/ want trigger warnings can still find that information as well. (Also, to be clear, Kindles automatically begin just after the table of contents in a book, so if a trigger warning is included at that spot, it *cannot* be easily skipped.) This noted, if you as an author are going to put one at the front of the book... maybe use a version of the one Holmes used here. ;)

As to the actual story here, it is one of those slower psychological thrillers where you *know* some *dark* stuff is going on largely behind the scenes... and even get the occassional glimpse of it from other characters... yet getting our main character to the point of seeing that which she has spent a lifetime not seeing.... takes some time.

One good thing that Holmes chooses here that keeps the book from going even more into the darkness is that while *some* aspects of the behind-the-pages darkness make it onto the page - enough to get a glimpse of all that is happening - that particular element isn't shown as much as perhaps some readers may want. Instead, Holmes focuses much more on the views of the wife who thinks her family is finally safe and can live a normal life... except that she keeps catching her husband having hushed conversations about... something. This, to me, is the far stronger storyline as it is one of the *less explored* stories in the genre generally.

There are a lot of characters here, absolutely, and while it can get a touch tough to track them all in the beginning, as the story plays out it does become much more clear who is doing what and when, particularly in the rather explosive climax.

For those who prefer their stories ended in nice little bows that wrap up every single thread... yeah, this aint that. And is actually a stronger tale because of it... and, perhaps, one that means that Holmes intends to come back to this world. Time will tell. ;)

Very much recommended.

The Girls in the Basement isn’t the first book I’ve read by Steena Holmes—and I already have another one waiting patiently on my Kindle TBR queue, which says a lot!

Once again, the author delivers a solid, dark, and twisty suspenseful read that I genuinely recommend to all fans of the genre. I’m not sure if it’s her engaging writing style, the vivid and insightful descriptions, or the powerful, haunting theme she explores—but I could clearly picture each scene playing out in my head.

That said, we don’t get all the answers. There are events from the past that I wish had been explored more deeply, and a few characters who definitely deserved better closure. Were these gaps intentional? If so, all those dark, intriguing backstories would make for a fantastic sequel—and I’d absolutely be on board to read it.

A gripping, dark and twisty thriller. 4 shiny stars!

This book was creepy and weird, and I could not get into it. It seemed really dark and just not my kind of thing.

3.5
This was my first time reading this author and overall I liked the story. I found this to be a slower paced thriller/mystery that was a good palate cleanser between bigger fantasy books.

From the title of the book I expected there to be a big dramatic scene in a basement but I don't think there ever was a basement - there are big scenes in other places though so it wasn't lacking in drama.
I often felt led to believe that a side character might have something more going on/I was suspicious of them but I think maybe this is supposed to be smoke and mirrors to keep you guessing - but I did find it a little disappointing that they were just who they said they were. Side characters that do have an underlying story however, I found their resolution a bit too easy/convenient.
I also felt the ending was a little lacking/kind of not satisfying - resolution could have been better/more I think.
Overall this wasn't a bad story but it also wasn't the best thriller I've ever read.

A haunting and well written thriller dealing with the seedy underworld of sec trafficking rings.
This book was steady paced and set in the quiet backdrop of a small town which was at odds with the premises it dealt with.
There were a few loose ends that I’d have liked to have known more about, like what happened to Becky and River plus more explanation about the hiding girl.
Well worth a read though.

The Girls in the Basement by Steena Holmes is a haunting psychological thriller that explores the deep emotional scars left by trauma, secrecy, and betrayal. It’s not a fast-paced, twist-every-page kind of thriller—but rather a slow-burning, emotionally layered story that pulls you in with a quiet intensity. While I didn’t find it completely immersive in every moment, I was deeply compelled by the themes, the atmosphere, and the painful truths it uncovered. For that reason, it earns a solid four stars from me.

What Holmes does especially well is build tension that doesn’t necessarily come from shocking reveals, but from an unrelenting sense of dread. From the opening chapters, there’s this gnawing feeling that something is very wrong—and she sustains that unease throughout the book. I appreciated how the story unfolds through multiple perspectives, each adding a new layer to the central mystery. Every character has their own secrets, and the slow unraveling of those secrets is what kept me invested, even during quieter moments.

Jillian, in particular, is a character I wanted to fully connect with—and while I didn’t always feel as emotionally close to her as I wanted, I did care about her story. Her emotional journey, especially in the face of betrayal and manipulation, felt raw and painfully real. There’s a certain distance in the way the story is told that occasionally made it hard for me to fully step into her shoes, but at the same time, that distance may reflect the emotional numbness and disorientation Jillian herself is experiencing. In a strange way, it worked—just not always in the most immersive sense.

What really impressed me was Holmes’s handling of heavy subject matter. This book doesn’t just hint at trauma—it dives headfirst into the psychological damage inflicted by abuse, gaslighting, and long-term manipulation. And yet, it does so with a level of care and thoughtfulness that doesn’t feel gratuitous. It’s uncomfortable at times, but that discomfort felt necessary and honest. Some of the twists, while not entirely unpredictable, still packed a punch, especially as the full scope of what was happening came into focus.

I’ll admit that parts of the story were emotionally difficult to read. There’s a darkness here that lingers, and I think that’s part of what makes the book effective. It may not have hit me on every emotional beat, but the overall impact was undeniable. It made me reflect on how trauma reshapes identity, and how people cope in the aftermath of profound betrayal and loss. That’s not something every thriller attempts, let alone pulls off.

In the end, The Girls in the Basement is a slow-burning, emotionally charged thriller that doesn't rely on flashy reveals but instead digs deep into the psychological damage hidden beneath the surface. While I didn’t feel completely immersed the entire time, I was absolutely drawn in by the story’s weight and complexity. For readers who appreciate darker, emotionally driven suspense with a strong psychological undercurrent, this book will stay with you. It certainly stayed with me.

Solid thriller! There was a lot of characters so it was a little hard to follow at times and I wish the ending game more but overall a good read!

This book kept me constantly on my toes, and when I got to the end, I felt like it fell short in many ways, and that even so, I would have read another 100 pages because the author truly knows what she's doing and how to draw us into the plot.

In this story, we meet a woman who thinks she knows her husband, but she doesn't. Several characters, several intertwining stories, and endings that are completely open in many ways, leaving you wondering why the author decided to end (or not) the way they did.

I think that was my main problem with the story. Because I wanted to keep turning the pages, and there weren't any more. THERE WERE NO MORE PAGES!

I need the extended version by tomorrow (?)

Thank you, Joffe Books, for the ARC I received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a gripping read, right away I was drawn into the danger and the growing suspense that kept the pace flowing, great twists too.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I absolutely love this author's books but I did not like the last one and decided to try another one. Sadly, I was very disappointed. This was just too dark for me and too many characters at once. I can normally keep up with this if the author is clear about them but this was a hot mess to me. I sure miss the old writings of this author.

Great book and full of suspense. This is the second book I have read from this author and she never fails to keep me interested. I will be going to find more of her work

A book you will not put down, from start to finish I was on the edge of my seat! This is a must read! I will definitely be reading more from this author!