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!

Lauren is Missing is a well-crafted story of a girl who goes missing. I mean, obviously, just look at the title. LOL But this book was not what I expected. S. J. King's crafting of the before and after is stunning. I can't remember ever reading a book like this, and at first I was a bit confused as to who was when. But the story artfully revealed itself, taking me along for an amazing ride. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes psychological mysteries. Warning: there are scenes of domestic violence that may be triggering for some.

The story unfolds in a haze of shifting memories, eerie letters, and creeping dread. Especially as the past cracks open and what spills out is anything but comforting.

3.5 ⭐
This is a well written, psychological thriller that I am sure that lots of readers will love but sadly it didn't really grab me.
This story is written over two timelines, before and after and from several points of view. I did find it a bit confusing at first but I soon got used to the authors style of writing.
Lauren went missing as a fourteen year old and eight years later she is still missing. Rene , her sister, is desperately trying to find what happened to Lauren when she disappeared from the the tow path by the side of the canal.
There are several theories and several suspects, most people think that Lauren is dead...........Rene isn't one of these people, she thinks that Lauren is still alive, even after eight years but no one is interested in helping her search.
This is a good psychological thriller but I must admit that I guessed the outcome about half way through the book, perhaps I read too many psychological stories.
I didn't particularly like any of the characters and I thought the story was way too slow moving, hence the 3.5 stars
Thank you Storm Publishing and Net Gallery for this ARC, my review is totally voluntary.

Oh my! For a long time I couldn’t tell if I loved this book, or hated it. At the beginning I thought I knew what this dark thriller was about. A girl is missing, her family is struggling. Halfway, I had no idea where this book was going. 100 pages left, I started to see what had to be really going on, but I still couldn’t really believe it. And the ending still blew me away! I actually cried! What a crazy, powerful, twisty read! Absolutely 5 ⭐️

old in multiple timelines, Lauren is Missing focuses on the disappearance of Lauren, a troubled fourteen-year-old. Her sister Rene is convinced that Laurean is not dead, but no one seems to believe her. Can she get anyone to help her?

Get ready for a wild ride! S.J. King crafts a tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat—a tense story of unreliable narrators and deception. What seems like a very straightforward thriller will jerk you around when you least expect it.

Advanced reader copy provided by Storm Publishing. All opinions are my own.

This book had me hooked from the start. There were bread crumbs throughout, but I didn’t catch them until later. I was so invested in the story, then I tried piecing it all together, and in the end, I was NOT disappointed. I loved every second of this. Do yourself favor and put it on your TBR. Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

I would like to sincerely thank Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

To begin this review, I want to clarify that this was by no means a bad book; however, I also do not consider it the best book ever. In this narrative, we encounter a story that features multiple perspectives and a dual timeline, which is a creative and unique concept. However, I believe it was not executed well, leading to confusion in the reading experience and a muddled plot. Additionally, I think the plot itself was an intriguing idea, certainly one that could draw in many readers. Moreover, the characters in this narrative were well-developed, but I feel they were also flawed and could have benefited from further fleshing out. In conclusion, while this narrative was interesting, it could use some refinement and editing before its final publication.

I've always loved a good thriller book, however when you combine that with a perfectly suspenseful mystery story it was everything I didn't know I was missing in my life. When Rene's sister Lauren goes missing at fourteen Rene's whole world changes. They tried everything to find her but years later with no leads and no answers the case has just gone cold however Rene doesn't believe that her sister would just leave like that and is determined to find out what happened. This book jumps between Rene and Lauren but then it also switches to our other main character Jane. Rene and Lauren talk about when Lauren was captive and Rene was determined to bring her home (which was my favourite part by far) and Jane's point of view how she now owns Lauren and Rene's old home when she finds a young girl mysteriously in her garden. I loved trying to figure out how both stories would connect in the end. Even though there was multiple switches I found this book very easy to follow and to get lost in. I loved the characters but it was the plot that really stood out for me. This book was extremely well written and I couldn't get enough of our characters Lauren and Rene. Their parts in this story were just captivating and left me transfixed on what was going to happen to them. This was a great read however it was the plot and character development that really pushed this book over the edge for me. As this is a new author to me I was very impressed with the writing style and the character development even though the plot could have been very dark and complex it was anything but. Fantastic job and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next because I will be first in line to check it out. The thing I loved most about this book was we had all first person perspective so the plot with Lauren was great especially since I had a feeling from the beginning she was going to be an unreliable narrator, which I have a love hate relationship with. Check out this book for sure, you will be pleasantly surprised at how mesmerizing it is. The ending was fantastic and left me speechless.

LAUREN IS MISSING BY S. J. KING.
Release date set for the 2nd of July 2025.
This book suprised me big time with my emotions. I felt so sad at times while reading.
Really great and loveable characters.
There's multiple POVs but so easy to follow along.
This is my second book by S.J. KING and I very much look forward to the next one ☺

Wow, I can't believe what I just read 😱! Lauren Is Missing was brilliant, fantastic, and twisty in a grand way, and the shocker was delightful. 💫💫💫💫💫

Lauren has been missing for 8 years, and even though it seems like her parents have given up on her search, her sister Rene hasn't given up. We get Rene and Lauren's point of view, past, present, and future. We are privy to the emotional, physical, and psychological abuse that they both endure. It seems like their experiences are mirror images of each other. Rene is Lauren's saviour. Will she save in her time?

Thank you, Netgalley and Storm Publishing, for this thrilling ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

3.8⭐ I was not expecting the story to be a dark psychological thriller, some of it was hard for me to read, ( I was so upset by the dog scene) so sometimes I was pushing through to get past and other times I was pushing through to see where the story was going to turn. I did like the twists ( I didn't see that coming) and the multiple povs and if you are looking for an eerie and gripping thriller with an end you don't see coming pick this up on 7/2/2025!
thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing and S.J. King for the ARC. This is my second read from King, and I will look forward to her books each time the release

Pretty confusing at first but it all comes together in the end. I mostly enjoyed it, my first read by this author.

I was biased with this one since my name is Lauren , it’s not typically a cover that would draw me in. But I’m so glad I gave it a chance! This was truly thrilling.

Gripping right from the very first page I couldn't put this book down and read it in one short sitting. Full of suspense, atmosphere and twists it kept me guessing until the end which was definitely helped along by the multiple pov within the book.

This is one of the hardest reviews I have ever had to write. Looking at other reviews from various readers everyone seem to have loved this book. I guess I am one of the few who did not. I just could not get into this book. There were different characters going back-and-forth and I got confused. Once that happens, I totally shut it down yet. I did finish it and I have to say the last three or four chapters were the best that has the whole book.

Lauren is missing who could’ve taken her? There are so many people looking for her yet all the police really looking into who could have taken her? Her family life seem to be a mess yet she spoke about her sister Renee as if she was with her. Then there was Jane, who is in the present tense and I just got very confused. I love a great who done it but this book just did not do it for me. I am so sorry.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm publishing forARC. I ONLY WISH I COULD’VE GIVEN IT A BETTER REVIEW. S J King in the future.

This was a page turner book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did guess one of the twists, but the second big twist was a surprise. The book touches on many important aspects that could be linked back to real life occurances so, while it was fiction, it didn't seem unrealistic which I really appreciated about this book.

Lauren Is Missing is an emotional rollercoaster of the human condition.

Following the disappearance of sister Lauren, her family starts to slowly fall apart.

Her sister, Rene, has increasingly vivid visions and dreams about the what could be possibly currently happening in Lauren’s world, confusing the reader alongside her.

Not for the faint of heart, this book uses In Media’s Res to keep the story going at a whiplash speed, and is entirely worth the sleepless night I had, desperately trying to finish it so it wasn’t playing on my mind!

I found this novel rather disjointed, so wouldn't rate it amongst my favorites. It was OK. I didn't like the jumping back and forth in time or the multiple POVs. It was all very confusing

oh my gosh can you give a book more stars!? ive still got tingles and even more tense tingles now talking about this book. wow. what a stellar book and this book needs to be read, applauded and winning awards pronto. because gasping, gripping and brilliant it was. just yes yes yes success in a thriller!
this book goes dark and emotionally deep. we get a dual timeline so it can reveal just what happened then and where we are now.
i loved how Rene never ever gave up on searching for her sister. she was strong, and capable and isn't going to stop until she knows or finds her. the bond there was just so impactful. and of course we get to know just what happened to Lauren in the before timeline. and boy do we get given a tale of hard hard events.
i also really enjoyed the different Pov. so we really do get to see what happens and what did happen through all the different points of view. its gives such a broad and harder hitting view of the events and characters. you feel it so much more. and then how slowly the arcs and POVs come careening together to meet. to stop. to be together and we get revealed it all in the 'now' and just where our woman are and how. and the unveiling of it all really does grab your heart and pinch your emotions tight.
this is going straight to the top of my thriller books for a while. and yes i might say that to something else next week or even tomorrow. but for now, come on , let lets this book have its pride of place because books like this are inspiring in their brilliance. and deserve every second of praise they get.
it feel such an honour when books come across your life like this. we truly are lucky lucky people.
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