Very good book! Very captivating from start to finish! With each page you're turning faster to find out what's going to happen next! It's also emotional! Your heart goes out to the characters in the situation as it plays out. The author did a phenomenal job... there's great foundation, easy flow from one page to the next, great world building, and relatability! I definitely recommend this book!

THE GIRLS IN THE BASEMENT BY STEENA HOLMES.
Release date set for the 190th of April 2025.
This is my first book by this author.
I was drawn to the cover instantly. I love it.
Mutiple POVs and really easy to follow along.
I thought this was a tense thriller.

The Girls in the Basement by Steena Holmes, published by Joffe Books, is a gripping, literally unputdowable thriller of its finest.
Complex, complicated with characters I could easily connect with, twisty and full of very unexpected turns that book had me in suspense from start till the last page.
I recommend the book, 4,5 stars.

A fast paced thriller that kept me up all night reading one more chapter till the end. Lillian and her family move to Montana but bodies are found and why is her husband so secretive? Plenty of twists in this well plotted novel that will keep you guessing till the end. Thanks to Joffe books and Netgalley for this review ARC.

Is her husband a monster? Does she know him?

Phew- this is a wild ride but so fun! I enjoyed the story, how it flowed and the ups & downs throughout. The twists twisted and I found myself excited to know more and unable to out it down!

Worth the read!

Absolutely loved this book, it is well written and such a great story which awful things happen in but the ending is good. I won't tell to much.

Thank you Joffe Books and Netgalley for this ARC! Another truly gripping story by Steena Holmes! When Jillian and her family move to Montana, her hopes to put down roots are tested once again. How did they get such a deal on her dream home? What is keeping her husband Tucker away from home and from explaining what’s going on. Why does Jillian think she sees her long lost friend that went missing 20 years ago? This page turner of a book will keep invested even when you put it down!

This was very intense, full of suspense and it had me unable to sleep. It’s a fast paced thriller full of twists and turns . Will there be a sequel. .? I hope so. So many unanswered questions

Reading a book set in Montana was a great experience, though it took me some time to get fully immersed in the story. The plot felt slow at first, only picking up pace significantly after the halfway mark. However, the ending more than made up for it—I was completely hooked by the final chapters. I really liked the main character and found the antagonists thoroughly despicable. The story itself is harrowing, portraying a world where girls are treated as commodities, and justice feels frustratingly out of reach. Despite its dark themes, the book left a strong impression on me, and I look forward to reading more from Steena Holmes!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. I love the premise of this book and it was definitely fast paced. I did think the ending was pretty abrupt and left alot open to interpretation on the closing. Would have liked more in ending. It was high stress, then boom the end. Overall, I love this author's books and will continue to read more.

Jillian's friend was abducted and trafficked when she was a teenager.
Jillian and Tucker were in WITSEC, but left and are living on a massive farm in Montana. Jillian doesn't want to uproot her family again.
Agent Meri Amber's sister was abducted - she is looking for the monster who took her.
Tucker's family have their own secrets, and all of these things are connected.

A dark, but enthralling novel dealing with sex traffickers. Normal people, who could be family and neighbours could be involved in this heinous activity.
How could Jillian not know her husband after all those years?

I cannot spoil the book for readers by asking direct questions. But who killed the girls and women that were found on Tucker's land? Why were they killed?
What about Becky?
The ending was unsatisfactory, in my opinion.
There were far too many questions unanswered. Too many loose ends.

At least there was a trigger warning at the beginning of the book.

Rating: 4.5 stars

I usually stay away from titles like this because I can at least guess what it generally covers. This sounds like some of the episodes featuring a pretty recurring theme on Criminal Minds and I was not in the mood to be triggered. (TW: sexual violence, human trafficking) But my curiosity got the better of me and I was thankful that I went along with it.

When Jillian Harper, her husband Tucker and their son uprooted their lives to move to their dream estate in Montana, she hoped the neighbourhood would be her ‘greener pasture’. Settling into a new job, seeing her son to his baseball practice and enjoying their new huge backyard made her grateful for this new life. But luck didn’t stay with Jillian long, because it was soon after when piles of dead bodies were found on her compound, opened a can of worms she was not ready to face.

This was my first time reading a book by this author and I was amazed by her writing. Her book read like a movie and it was not hard to imagine a life adaptation of this story. Every word was inviting, I found it hard to stop – I needed to know what was going to happen! I was not surprised at all discovering that this was her fourth book. Her writing was so seasoned, I found each chapter evenly-paced and her words captivating (something I’m not really picky about when it comes to thriller but highly appreciate nonetheless).

The story was rather predictable but the suspense whether the characters I was rooting for would survive kept me hooked. I was also glad that though the story revolved around sex trafficking, it did not go into unnecessary revolting details that might be (too) triggering. Would definitely look out for other titles by Steena Holmes. Recommended!

The Girls in the Basement will be published on 10 Apr 2025! Be sure to check it out :)

Shoutout to Joffe Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy! #TheGirlsintheBasement #Netgalley #Joffebooks

Have you ever imagined you’d know someone for a long time and then realize you truly never did know them at all? That’s how Jillian feels when secrets are revealed about the property she and her husband, Tucker, recently purchased. Horrifying details emerge and Jillian is forced to attempt to carry on her daily life as usual. With the sheriff and a determined FBI agent on the case, every horrific clue will lead to answers. This was a very good and tense psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages!

This is the first novel I’ve read from Steena Holmes and having enjoyed this books so much, I’m eager to read more. The Girls in the Basement is a fast paced psychological thriller. Jillian through she knew her husband Tucker, they’ve been married for twenty years, but it seems she doesn’t know him at all. They’ve moved to Montana with their son Ethan for a fresh start. The house is perfect, the town quiet and the neighbours friendly. It was perfect, until the bodies were found. Buried by on their land. And now Tucker is acting strange, disappearing for hours and won’t tell Jill where he’s been. This book had me hooked from the start. The plot unfolds at pace and it’s impossible to put down. Thank you to NetGalley, Joffe Books and the author for the chance to review.

⭐️: 3.5/5

Jillian Harper and her husband, Tucker, just moved to Montana with their son. They’re settling in nicely and hoping for a fresh start; that is until someone gives law enforcement a tip that there are two trailers full of bodies on the Harper’s property.
Tucker claims that even though the house was bought at an unbelievable price, quickly with cash, and in his name alone, he had no idea about the bodies.
While picking up snacks before her son’s baseball game, Jillian swears she sees her best friend, who went missing when they were younger. Then again at the games, she’s adamant that it has to be her; they look so much alike. At the same time, Jillian is noticing unusual behaviors with her husband since they’ve moved. She’s worried he could be up to something, which is what caused them to move in the first place.
Does Jillian really know her husband of twenty years, the father of her son, as well as she thinks? Is the mystery lady at the baseball games her missing best friend? Was there more to this move than her husband let on?

I did really like this book, but the ending, ugh! 🤯 It’s hard to give this book a proper rating without giving an explanation that will involve spoilers.

The ending left me with so many unanswered questions. There definitely could be a sequel if the author wanted to tie up all the loose ends.

I have so many questions about the town, the sheriff, what happens after, what happened to the family, where did the bodies actually come from, and who should be held accountable!?!? SO MANY QUESTIONS‼️

I definitely will read more by this author. I only rated this book so low because of the way the ending lacked details and explanations.


✨Thank you @netgalley for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

A great book! I Couldn't put it down. The mystery of what's going on will keep you guessing until the end.

This book had me gripped from the beginning! The changes in POV definitely through me off until I got further into the book. I did kinda see where it was going but still enjoyed the journey never the less

It was fast paced and intriguing. I read a lot of suspense/thriller books and liked how it was a different take on sex trafficking, and kidnapping.

Please check your trigger warnings!

Thank you net galley for this ARC!

I love a spooky book! When bodies are found things get crazy. I loved the mom and the way the supports and stands with her family. This book is dark, brutal, and it leaves you uneasy alot. It's perfect!

This book is absolutely filled with suspense that will leave you on the edge of your seat, making your toes curl! This had me hooked from the moment I read the blurb until the last page! The story's secrets and suspense kept me turning every page quickly. It was an exciting read, filled with anticipation and an intriguing storyline. It's a domestic thriller novel about a family's dark secrets and mysteries and the lengths one will go in order to keep your family safe—even if it means keeping them in the dark.

I don't think I have a favourite character here, but I definitely like Jillian's mum and Agent Meri. I admired Kathy's unwavering support for her daughter and her daughter's friend and how relentless Agent Meri was in finding her lost sister. Despite loving the book, I must admit that the ending left me unsatisfied. I seemed rushed and left quite a few questions hanging. For example— what happened to Becky? Because her character deserves some closure and justice, she deserves so much more after all those years! In addition, Tucker's backstory and family secrets also lack explanation and elaboration, especially in the end. It overshadowed the brilliant start of the book. Nevertheless, the novel kept me engaged, and I would definitely recommend it.

Jillian Harper thought moving to the quiet little town in Montana would be the fresh start her family needed. A charming farmhouse, friendly neighbors, and endless open fields – it was supposed to be perfect. 

Until one day bodies are discovered in old trailers on their property, opening a web of lies and mystery.

I had loved the premise of this book based on the description and the title, however I do feel slightly disappointed. The title for starters I think is a bit misleading, as although the story does tie back to the girls in the basement, I think their perspective/storyline along with the trafficking side of the story could have been touched on more. We did hear a little bit from the perspective of Lola, a girl in the trafficking house, but I did find it rather lacking and had hoped to hear more from her.

Same goes for Becky, another character tied in to the mystery -I felt her story ended rather abruptly and I had hoped we would have had more of a conclusion for her.

I did enjoy the multiple povs and it did have some good twists.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for approving me to read this!