Después de una ruptura y con la sensación de haber fracasado en su vida adulta, Ofelia regresa al hogar de su infancia, una casa rodeada por un bosque denso y lleno de memorias. Lo que comienza como una pausa temporal se transforma en algo más inquietante cuando una adolescente desaparece en circunstancias extrañas, justo como ha ocurrido otras veces en ese mismo bosque.

A medida que los días pasan y las sospechas crecen, Ofelia comienza a cuestionarse todo: la perfección impecable de su madre, los silencios de su hermana, y los recuerdos que creía enterrados. El bosque parece tener vida propia, y lo que esconde en sus sombras puede estar más cerca de lo que Ofelia imagina.

...

Esas señoras no aprendieron nada. El final me dejó sorprendida, porque después de todo lo que pasó, no podía creer lo que hicieron.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ARC Review – The Forest of Missing Girls by Nichelle Giraldes

Dark, atmospheric, and emotionally gripping, The Forest of Missing Girls follows Lia Gregg as she returns to her hometown—and her fear of the forest—to investigate the disappearance of two girls. The setting is eerie, the writing beautifully tense, and Lia’s personal journey adds real depth. While the ending felt a little rushed, the mystery kept me hooked, and the emotional payoff hit hard.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This isn’t just a forest thriller—it’s a slow-burning descent into paranoia, grief, and the darkness that runs through family roots. If The Hollow Girls met The Before and After, you’d get this: moody, layered, and deeply satisfying.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was an edgy thriller novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

A big thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC of The Forest of Missing Girls!! This book was horrifyingly delightful!! I loved every minute of it!! It was very creepy and disturbing!! I figured out what happened in a part of it too!! The characters were fun to get to know and I loved how long and sometimes short the chapters were!! This book almost made me sleep with the lights on, it creeped me out so bad. I’ve been wanting to read something as creepy as this book was and I won’t forget it when I sleep. It was very well done!! I hated one of the characters though. Mother was pure evil but I also loved her character too!! She was scary at times and loving at times too. But more terrifying. This book will stay with me for a while. That is how much I loved it. It had my pulse racing at times and I felt likeI couldn't get through the pages fast enough!! I look forward to reading more creepy reads!!

First off thank you Poisoned press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book coming out November 2025!!

I wandered into the forest… and kind of got lost. 3 stars for me on this one!

This one had such a strong start: eerie woods, missing girls, and that creeping dread that something is definitely off. I was in! But somewhere along the way, the story took a turn I didn’t expect—and not in a mind-blown kind of way. It felt like a genre change and I wasn’t loving that! But it still was a decent read!

The atmosphere? Spooky and tense. The writing? Haunting in parts. But the twist felt like it came from a different book altogether, and it pulled me out of the story more than it pulled me deeper in.

I wanted to love it. The cover alone intrigued me. But in the end, I was left wanting something else!

📚 Would I still recommend it? Sure—for readers who like their thrillers weird and winding with a dash of the unexpected. Just go in knowing it’s not your typical missing-girls mystery.

Are you a thriller fan? Check out The Forest of Missing Girls by Nichelle Giraldes. It’s out this fall and is one you’ll want to pick up.

An absolutely phenomenal read. I was hooked from the first page (which is REALLY hard for me to accomplish) and I finished it within 48 hours (again, really hard for me to accomplish.) I loved the mix of the magic within the forest that we got towards the middle/end, it really gave something extra to the horror of the missing girls. I am not a big “scary reads” fan and this didn’t feel like anything g too crazy for me. It was spooky/creepy and definitely made me close my windows at night though 😍😍

The prose and storytelling was so impactful, I’m obsessed with the writing and the way the author painted the detail. 10/10 would absolutely recommend to everyone ❤️

I enjoyed this gothic feminist body horror, the pacing was great and the writing was fantastic. The plot felt a little basic. Knowing ‘the secret’ as the reader, made the last half of the book feel a little bit like it dragged, but all in all I enjoyed it.

A very interesting read. Lia returns home after leaving her life and ex boyfriend in Los Angeles. When she moves back in with her younger sister and perfectionist mother, her sister’s best friend goes missing. She is just one in a line of missing girls spanning decades. This book alternates between Lia, and the perspective of “the missing girls”.

I liked the pacing of this book overall and the perspective shifting. Exploring the motivations of these characters and understanding the reason why they were who they were was also interesting. Ultimately, this book was entertaining but the concepts could have been deeper explored, such as the mysterious forest, Mother’s history, and the lives of the women in the book club. I also wish I got more about Evie as her own character. She was a major player but felt kind of “there”. We only get a brief peek of what her life is like when Lia is gone. Good overall but thought it could have benefitted from some deeper dives.

2.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC of The Forest of Missing Girls!

While I love the thriller genre, it is also a difficult genre to write, and I appreciate the time and effort that went into crafting this book. The concept is intriguing, but it feels as though the author struggled to execute their ideas. For one, the writing of this book was lyrical and descriptive. In my opinion, this kind of writing doesn’t fit the thriller genre. It slows the pace of the book, and makes it less “thrilling.” Specifically, the author spent a LOT of time describing the forest, which, yes, is important to the book, but I would have appreciated if she described it only once or twice rather than every time the forest came into play.

Additionally, the main character, Ophelia, was not my favorite protagonist. She was often bland and her only character trait was that she was a chameleon that blended in with the people surrounding her. I wish that we had gotten to know her a little bit more and that she had more distinctive character traits.

The end of the book, however, had me invested and I enjoyed the last 10%! It was “thrilling” and had my eyes racing across the page to see what would happen. In the end, though, I thought “that’s it?” There were a lot of loose ends that did’t get tied up and even more events in the book that didn’t make sense to me. I would have liked for the author to spend some more time explaining the ending that she envisioned. I would have also appreciated an explanation for certain logistics that didn’t make sense to me.

While I have many mixed feelings about this book, when asked if I would recommend it to others my answer is “maybe.” Some people may enjoy this book a lot! I don’t think it was for me, but I am glad that I read it!

Thank you so much to Nichelle Giraldes and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the chance to read this book. I have to say, I LOVED it. I expected it to be your run of the mill missing person case...police and what not. It was not that AT ALL. This was something completely in a category of its own. There is a sort of old school very famous book feel to it, but if I say anymore about which book I mean, it will give away too much. I loved the original premise of this one. I went in expecting something completely different, but was very pleasantly surprised!! I loved the sisterhood, the scare of it all, the love of a mom for her daughters, the bond between sisters of all diff ages and bonds. The forest had me totally scared. The magic and terror of it all had me stuck in this book until I finished it. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this. I completely recommend it if you love something different from the norm.

This book was so creepy and not the standard mystery/thriller I was expecting. This was my first time reading anything by this author, but wow, what a strong, immersive writing style. This book was spooky, ethereal and captivating with a dash of sci-fi which normally I do not care for but I enjoyed it in this book. This book was great and also okay for someone who is looking for a bit of horror/ fantasy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

Creepy woods. Family secrets. A girl gone missing right outside your window. This is a haunting, slow-burn thriller where the forest feels alive and nobody—not even your mom—is above suspicion.

It’s eerie, emotional, and just grounded enough to make you double-check your locks. Perfect for fans of dark folklore and messy mother-daughter drama with a sinister twist.

This books was so good it’s dark witty can’t put down type of read I love it thank you so much for this read I will recommend upon release date

Well hello Baddie 👀👀
This is just what I needed in my life right now. A good old thrilling horror story set in an enchanted Forrest; but this Forrest takes just as much as it gives. Definitely gives off the “avoid bright light, don't get them wet, and don't feed them after midnight” vibes 🤭

The Forrest of Missing Girls had me hooked from the first page. I loved the bond between Lia and Evie, I don’t have a sister but if I did I’d hope my relationship would be like theirs.

Thank you so much for my review copy

I’m back with review of an ARC of The Forest of Missing Girls by Nichelle Giraldes.
And let me tell you, I’m not giving it five stars just because it’s an ARC…nope. It truly earned it. This book was eerily, chillingly, and brilliantly written with a haunting beauty that stayed with me long after I turned the last page.📑

The story revolves around a series of disappearances in a forest and our protagonist Ophelia, who finds herself tangled in the mystery when Maddie,her sister Evie’s best friend goes missing. What unfolds is a gripping, edge of your seat journey filled with twists and a truly atmospheric setting that made me feel like I was right there, wandering through that dense, haunting forest.🌳🥶

It’s definitely horror, but also so refreshing compared to the usual thrillers I’ve been reading lately. The writing was immersive, the characters compelling, and the creepy vibes? Absolutely on point.
If you’re in the mood for a chilling thriller with a fresh take, mark your calendars, this one hits shelves on November 11, 2025.

3.5 ⭐️

On paper, this falls into one of my favourite sub-genres of literature of girlies trauma bonded in a wilderness setting. However, I can’t help but feel like something is missing from this book. The writing style is really pretty, the dual-pov narration was great, the setting is fantastic— the woods are haunting and magical— and it’s all very well done. I just personally struggle to connect to it. I don’t know if I’m just in a reading slump, but the protagonist fell a bit flat for me. I almost wish the story was told from Evie’s perspective instead of Lia’s because I feel like her narration would’ve been more compelling and emotionally charged. The story itself was really interesting though and even though some parts of the story felt a little unfinished, I really liked the ending! It felt very symbolic & full-circle in a way! Thank you to NetGalley for access to this arc!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Nichelle Giraldes for the advanced copy of this book. I give it a solid 4.5/5.

If you're looking for something with an eerie vibe, this book is for you. I read a few chapters every night with a forest ambiance video playing in the background, it was the perfect pairing.

I would describe the book as fantasy-horror.

The forest felt both enchanting and suffocating, almost like a character in itself. I was never sure if it was protecting the girls or luring them into a trap.

I wasn’t sure about Lia at first, but I really appreciated how she evolved throughout the story. Her journey was beautiful.

Mother was terrifying, she was parts nurturing and menacing. I completely understood why her daughters both loved and feared her.

Overall, the book was chilling and beautifully written.

This was creepy as hell. I always said I was in Chicago. Then I felt more safe than when I lived in the woods growing up. In the city, you can see things, but in the country in the forest in the trees, trees hide things. The force of missing girls does just that scares you with the most simplest things and leaves you unsettled because what if?