Since she disappeared, Lauren’s sister has been determined to find her. It’s become more than an obsession and has dictated almost every moment of her life.

The story is also narrated by Jane, who doesn’t know how to react to the young woman who has turned up in her garden, frantically digging a hole and claiming that this is her home.

As the dual timelines and the layers of the story, come together, I was expecting more. I didn’t predict the outcome in its entirety, but I wasn’t far off and I did feel it was quite an anticlimax. Although there was an element of psychological thriller., it focuses primarily on a mother and her daughter’s feelings for each other and how their mental health has shaped their relationship.

Fairly slow and for me, there was too much unnecessary filler, but it was enjoyable enough. This will appeal to those who prefer more of a family drama to a psychological thriller.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, S. J. King and Storm for an ARC of this book.

Every day, in her basement flat in a quiet street, Rene arranges her collection of objects just so. She takes her pills, looks at her photographs and remembers her free-spirited sister, Lauren, before she vanished. But lately the memories are shifting. When a letter arrives out of the blue, the opening words send ice through her veins. Lauren is alive. She’s waiting. And she needs Rene to find her before it’s too late.

This book pulls you in from the beginning and doesn't let go of you. Even after having finished it, it's still living rent-free in my head. That's the highest praise I could give a book. The mystery is compelling, and the thriller side of this is so well done. I highly recommend this one! 5⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Told in multiple time lines this addictive novel will keep you hooked. Lauren is missing a few years before and her sister is tying to remember. Good characters and well paced. Loved it. Thanks to Storm publishing and Netgalley for this review ARC.

Four "my mind is blown" stars to this new release from S.J. King.

Did anyone else get 'Room' vibes from this read? Please tell me I am not alone.

What in the H-E-Double Hockeysticks happened to Lauren? It has been eight years already! Why is she still missing?!

S.J. King gives us the story from two Before POVs and one Today POV. In the past Lauren and Rene provide some strangely coordinated commentary. Lauren is clearly being held captive by a psychopath. Rene is addicated to her little pink pills and delusional about what is happening in her present. In contrast, an empty nester named Jane discovers a girl in her front yard --a girl clearly in need of assistance and calling Jane's house "HOME."

While I was riveted to this story, the Lauren and Rene threads seemed a bit repetitive. Would have liked to see the Jane POV pop up a little more frequently with some additional clues to her place in the timeline.

I did, however, enjoy this one enough to seek out S.J. King's debut title. Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Publication Day as of July 2, 2025!

🥀 Lauren Is Missing; My Book Review‼️ 🥀

Lauren Is Missing,

Written By S.J. King,

Blurb;

November. Wednesday. I think he’s going to kill me.

Every day, in her basement flat in a quiet street, Rene arranges her collection of objects just so. She takes her pills, looks at her photographs and remembers her free-spirited sister, Lauren, before she vanished.

But lately the memories are shifting. When a letter arrives out of the blue, the opening words send ice through her veins.

Lauren is alive. She’s waiting. And she needs Rene to find her before it’s too late.



My Review;

So I've just finished reading this, & to be honest I'm a bit torn over how I feel about this book as a whole. I never include spoilers in my reviews, & due to the way this book is written, & its plot, I can't really comment on specifics without giving it away, so at first I wasn't going to review this book at all, BUT, - from the beginning, it drew me in, '&' it KEPT me reading it through to the very end; despite my mixed feelings about it, - so it has to take credit for that, & i have to concure that it DID keep me hooked; wanting to find out where it was heading, & if my suspicions were right (I kind of guessed right just over half way through), just 'how' it was going to end.

Although the book did keep a good pace throughout, I found it quite 'flitting' / 'jumping' at times; reading the 'before' from Rene, & from Lauren, with intermixed 'today' from Jane, - some of the main characters, - but although I found this, due to its' plot, & how it panned out, I think this was intended in how it was written, - & it did (kindof) work.

I felt it (kindof) came together semi-satisfactorily towards the end, - but I'm still left with mixed feelings & opinions on this book!?!!

Out of a rating of 1-10, where 10 is the highest, personally I would rate this book with a 6. It's a book I'm glad I read, - but would I recommend it??? = sadly, I really dont think I would.

(PLEASE NOTE: This is just my personal opinion on having read this, - I'd be interested to hear from others what their opinion of this is, so please feel free to leave any comments here on my blog!)

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve read SJ King’s previous title and really enjoyed it. King’s storytelling is both engaging and thought-provoking, making it a perfect read for anyone. The pacing is perfect, and the prose is wonderfully crafted, making it impossible to put down.

1⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of Lauren Is Missing.

Renee is determined to find her sister Lauren. She is trying to remember anything that she can to help find her but things are getting mixed up in her mind. She gets a letter saying she is alive and she knows what she has to do.

This book was so confusing. The writing was very disjointed and the jumping back and forth between timelines made it so difficult to follow the story.

Lauren is Missing
by S. J. King
Pub Date: Jul 02 2025

Lauren is Missing is told over three points of view, Lauren's, Rene (her sister) and Jane the lady who now occupies Lauren’s former family home. It is also told in two different timelines which makes it very interesting. Rene's sister, Lauren has been missing for 8 years, ever since she walked out of her family home on her mums birthday and hasn't been seen since.

This book is a mind twisting, page turner, edge of your seat psychological thriller at best unpredictable ending! I highly recommend this 5 star book.

Many thanks to #LaurenisMissing #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for providing me an E-ARC of this fantastic book!

Lauren Is Missing is breathtakingly fast-paced with a multitude of hazy characters that pop in and out of various timelines: Jane, Rene, David, Mum, Dad, Dan, Pete and a handful of others. The story takes place Today, Before and After. Just when you think you have your bearings and know who that character is, when and where they are and what is going on or what actually happened, the chapter and time change as well as the focus to another person. It’s exciting, thrilling and keeps you on edge.

Lauren went missing eight years ago. Troubled teen, fighting with her parents, wanting independence but wanting to be loved and cared for as well. Making bad decisions all teens make at one point or another.

Rene is Lauren’s sister. She’s obviously under a lot of stress and has some mental issues but if there’s one thing she’s clear about it’s that everyone gave up on finding Lauren too quickly and she is the only one now looking for her and determined to bring her home. She’s moved out of home and has a rocky relationship with her parents, blaming them for Lauren’s disappearance and certain they don’t care enough to put any more effort into finding their daughter. Rene’s boss and mentor David is the only one who gives her any support, who seems to understand what she’s saying and be willing to discuss possibilities with her.

As the story goes on questions pile up: is Rene right and Lauren is out there, in danger, waiting for rescue? Did Mum and Dad harm her? Do they just want to forget her? What is David’s story? Does Pete, Lauren’s on- and off-again boyfriend before she disappeared have any role in all this? Is there a kidnapper, who are they, why did they take Lauren? The pace gets more relentless, so many people, so many doubts.

Unfortunately it is at this point that the author seems to be trying too hard to create an elaborate mystery and to also inject some underlying meaning about people and loss and for me the story became a little too frenzied and the actual circumstances of who was who and what was actually happening began to be clear. This book is highly rated so perhaps it’s just me, but I felt compelled to give a lower rating because I was disappointed in how the last quarter or so of the book progressed.

I received an advance copy of Lauren Is Missing from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. It was exciting and interesting. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

Wow, this book had me hooked! The dual pov's, the different timelines, it's all so much, but in the best way possible. I'm a big thriller girly and probably take too much pride in being able to figure out the plots, but S.J King had me guessing and never being right. The end of the book had me so baffled!
I would say this book could be creepy, so be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster you'll embark on.
The premise of the book is that Lauren is missing (obviously), and we are reading the pov of Lauren, Rene which is Lauren's sister and how she is coping with her sisters difference, and then Jane who is the lady living in the family home of the Fishers now.
8 years ago, Lauren left the family home and never returned. Throughout the chapters, we get a look into the life of the Fisher family & how Lauren's leaving transpired. Rene always blamed their parents for not looking enough. Rene is convinced Lauren is alive and waiting for her family to come save her, whereas Lauren is convinced her family wants nothing to do with her and it's just her and this mysterious man for the rest of her days. Jane's chapters are spread out, but she's brought into the story when she discovers a deranged-looking girl/woman digging in her backyard garden. She welcomes her in, trying to talk to her and get her help. I think this book is a good reminder that not everything is as it seems.
This book is right up my alley. It was so psychologically thrilling and mind-twisting that I believe all thriller fans should read! Pick up your copy when it's released July 2, 2025!
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Thank you, NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

I am really struggling with how to rate this book! I found it a bit confusing in some places, a little repetitive in instances, and yet I wanted to know what happened.
The story is told through multiple first person POV's in dual timelines- then and now. There is Rene, Jane, and Lauren. Everything revolves around Lauren who went missing 8 years ago. Rene is her sister, and has agoraphobia due to the abduction of her sister. Rene believes Lauren is still alive, and she must save her- but no one believes her. Jane is a woman that has a strange girl show up at her house one night.
I found when Rene was telling her story, it got very repetitive, and I would skim a lot of these sections- so I may have missed important stuff- but I just could not continue to focus on the lists, memories, etc. that seemed to be hashed over again and again. When Lauren was telling the story, it got very dark. I like dark thrillers and mysteries, but at times this was a little too dark and awful for me. Especially the dog part. The clearest, and most concise narrative seemed to be Jane. I felt that she was the one that actually had the most part in driving the story. Yet, I wanted to see where this was going and exactly what happened- I could not give up!
The twists in the story are surprising, and relevant to the narrative. And the final twist😲- did not see that coming!
This is a difficult, dark, traumatic read. There is loss, family disfunction, abuse, death of an animal, kidnap and containment- so I want to warn about these possible triggers.
Overall, and interesting read, but I felt that there much meandering and repetitiveness in the narratives.
These are only my personal opinions. It has a lot of top reviews, so please check those out!
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I don't really know where to start with this book, it's inappropriate to say I enjoyed it due to the subject matter. It is brilliantly written and at times left me gasping with shock! Totally addictive and bingeworthy. Told from two main POV, Rene struggling to come to terms with the disappearance of her sister. And Lauren whose ordeal is just shocking and brutal. I did guess the twist (which is super clever!) but it didn't take anything away from my experience. This book will leave you questioning your family life and definitely things into perspective. An absolute 5 star from me!

Rene is destined to find her sister Lauren who she thinks everyone else gave up on...but is she too late or is she wrong that her sister is simply missing?

The synopsis of this book had me incredibly excited to read it, but to be completely honest, this book had me incredibly confused almost the entire book. I had absolutely no clue what was going on and found the way it was written to be hard to understand. I think the ending was able to wrap up a lot of my questions and make sense of what I read, but it just wasn't satisfying. I ultimately just felt that it was too confusing and I had to constantly push myself to keep reading it.

The book lives up to its description as a twisty psychological thriller. I was completely blown away by the story line and it had me in the edge of my seat the entire time till the very end.

Lauren Is Missing written by S.J. King was one hell of a crazy thriller that plays with your mind. I have never read a thriller like this one before that played with my head so much, I mean it feels so wrong to have loved this book because of the heavy topics that were involved, but if you read this book, you will understand why I feel this way. Lauren Is Missing is raw, powerful, real, emotional, confusing, heart breaking, and manipulative. This thriller was so dark and intense that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, let me just say, this book would be perfect for spooky season. I didn't know who to cheer for, I didn't know who to root for, I felt like my mind was being played with because the characters and the story itself were so manipulative. Lauren Is Missing is a story of hope, family dynamics, and resilience, it's raw, poetic, abstract, and ultimately confusing. There were just so many shocking truths, twists, and secrets revealed. The ending had me screaming WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED????? The haunting elements were just so surreal, it felt like there were spooky creatures surrounding me just waiting for my heart to fall out of my chest. I applaud S.J. for writing this most dark and twisted mind game thriller. I can't recommend Lauren Is Missing enough, please have this book on your spooky tbr and have your calendars marked for July 2nd, 2025 because this is the type of thriller that you won't want to miss out on. I know this book is extremely dark and creepy, and it does come with a lengthy list of trigger warning's, so please check them out before reading this book, I will also have them listed down below in my review.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND STORM PUBLISHING FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!

TRIGGER WARNING'S
Opioid Addiction
Animal Abuse
Starvation
Alcoholism
Drug Consumption
Child Abuse
Suicide/Suicidal Thoughts
Captivity
Grooming
Violence
Physical Abuse
Emotional Abuse
Manipulation

"You only miss things when they are gone".

"Find what's lost. The truth. The real story. You can free us all".

"The not knowing every day is an endless killer".

"When people know your secrets, they can use them".

On December fourteenth, Lauren Fisher went missing when she was just thirteen years old, mind you that was her mom's birthday as well. The Fisher family isn't normal by any means, they all keep secrets from one another, they start arguments from one another, and they are physically and mentally abusive towards one another. Lauren is kept in The Hole, which is utter black hell, darkness, and underground. Lauren has her ankles and wrists strapped so she can't escape, The Hole is sound proof so no one from the outside world can her screams and whimpers. Lauren has been told by her captor that he's protecting her from freaks that would do terrible things to her, yet he's the one that's the freak, he abuses Lauren, he starves Lauren, he grooms Lauren, he's such a manipulative bastard. After rumors have started swirling around school that Lauren is a whore and she's a troubled child, things go from back to worse within a blink of an eye. Lauren is super naive, she never trusted people who loved her, but she trusted people she shouldn't have trusted in the first place. During Lauren's time in The Hole, we as readers get her point of view of her time and thoughts while she's in captivity, but we also get a backstory of why she was abducted by this sick man who I won't name because you need to read this book to follow all of the secrets. My heart absolutely shattered for this young girl after reading everything she went through. It was so hard not to scream out loud when something unthinkable would happen to Lauren, it's like you were sitting there waiting for something horrific to happen, but you never wanted it to come because it was just foul and heart breaking.

Rene Fisher remembers the day her sister Lauren went missing and never came home. Rene spends everyday taking her pills and looks at photographs to try and remember her free spirited sister Lauren before the day she vanished and never returned. The only thing Rene remembers about the day he sister went missing was the velvety petals of a yellow rose and how this rose looked on a stone step in the snow on the night that Lauren went out and simply never came home. During her grieving process, Rene is told so many lies, so she doesn't dig deeper into what really happened to her sister. Rene doesn't talk to her father because she believes he played a role in the disappearance of her little sister, she occasionally speaks to her mother but hasn't fully cut off contact because Rene still believes there is hope in bringing her sister home. To Rene, a dragonfly is a message to not give up. Rene lives in her basement apartment which consists of a door with four locks, and she writes a list every single morning before getting out of bed. One day out of the ordinary, Rene receives a letter that says "November. Wednesday. Lauren is alive. I think. He's going to kill me. I'm going to die in here". Now, let's enter Jane into the picture. Jane is the woman who lives at a house in Meadow Close when she sees a young girl under her rose bush, covered in bruises, scars, and a patch of skin buckled like melted plastic. This girl has an unknown notebook that she holds close to her chest and never lets it leave her line of vision. You all need to read this book to watch everything unfold and how everything will be revealed in the end after your mind had been played with, because like I said before, Lauren Is Missing is such a mind game of manipulation.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Lauren is Missing by S.J. King.

This story was gripping and kept me interested from the very first page. The author skillfully weaves together multiple narrators and timelines, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty where you’re never quite sure what—or who—to believe. This narrative style adds to the mystery and kept me guessing until the end.

I appreciated how the shifting perspectives deepened the suspense and made each character feel complex and real. The plot moved at a good pace, and the twists were both unexpected and satisfying.

Overall, I thought Lauren is Missing was a compelling read and definitely worth picking up if you enjoy psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators and layered storytelling.

A well written, excellent psychological thriller with a twist. It combines the past and present, taking you on an emotional journey of kidnapping, survival, confusion and revelations. Highly recommended.

.This story is told through multiple POV, in a 'before' and 'today' timeline.
Fourteen year old Lauren went missing 8 years ago, believed by her parents to be dead. Her sister, Rene, is the only one who still believes she is out there. Lauren is left of her own free will, but now she can't leave, and only Rene is still looking.

This was a fabulously dark and twisty psychological read. Every few chapters left me second guessing what I thought I knew and what I expected to happen next. My opinions of different characters varied throughout as my mind stumbled over the many questions the chapters threw out. Was it the parents to blame? Did they not look hard enough? Why is Rene not pushing harder for the truth? Why don't the police take Rene seriously?
We see the difficulties families go through and how age and maturity reveal the truths we thought we knew as children. The big reveal when it came answered all my questions and laid out for me a great twist I hadn't seen coming.
This is my first book by the author, and after reading this brilliantly thought out story, I know it won't be the last.

Lauren is Missing is a whirlwind of a mystery thriller told in dual timelines, before and after, in multiple perspectives. Sisters Rene and Lauren grow up in an uneasy home environment. Eight years ago at the age of 14, Lauren walked out of the house and didn't come back. Many believe her to be dead but her sister thinks differently. Rene lives alone in the haze of medication to cope so the reader is always questioning her lucidity. She needs an outlet for her sorrow and yearns for her mother yet her mother is offhand at best. As the story goes on, layers of secrets are peeled away revealing the hows and whys of decisions and actions. A generational curse has gripped the females in the family, including Nanna.

Jane watches in disbelief as an unkempt and unhealthy-looking young lady dig up a notebook in her garden. When questioned, the troubled young lady tells her this was her home. Jane and her husband discover far more lurks beneath the surface as they help connect the dots.

This is an unusually raw and emotionally arresting psychological thriller and I didn't expect this level of emotional investment in the characters. But they were drawn so realistically it was impossible not to get sucked in. Disturbing darkness is pervasive and the tension is almost unbearable in the best way. I wanted to tear through it yet wanted to savor it. For me the best aspect is the intense and insightful characterization which ripped my heart out. The writing is stellar and evocative. I really enjoyed my time with this novel.

This book was shocking, but in a really good way!

The twists in this book were better than most new thrillers on the market. At some points I thought I had figured a twist out, just to be thrown for another loop! The twists all made perfect sense too, they weren't written or thrown in specifically to trick the audience. The author left breadcrumbs that made me think, and that looking back totally lead up to the twists.

The only thing that I am not a fan of is the way the dialogue is written and the switch from third to first person back and forth between chapters. The issue I had with the dialogue was that it was easily lost in the rest of the paragraph. Instead of using quotation marks the author either used apostrophes or italicized text. I full understand that is a style choice made by the author, but I was not a fan and it did make it hard to read at times. Apostrophes are easily lost in text and I would have to reread sections when I realized I had clearly misinterpreted something that was said. The Italicized text was not difficult to read, but it was an interesting choice to have a single character's dialogue be almost completely in italics.

Overall the story was well written, compelling, and heartbreaking in the right places. Would recommend!