A dark, and hauntingly tense psychological thriller, that kept me guessing right to the end.

This story has an interesting premise - told through multiple perspectives, before and today timeframes, as well as clever exploration of a fragmented mindset. The storyline had me questioning everyone's motives and perspectives.

This is the second story I have enjoyed from S.J. King and I am keen to read what she writes next.

This book kept me guessing and kept me questioning every character! I was thoroughly impressed by the twists in this story!

"Lauren is Missing" by S.J. King was a great psychological thriller that makes you want to keep reading.
Lauren lives a happy life with her family, until tragedy strikes and she goes missing. While Lauren is trapped her family never stops looking. Rene keeps looking for her sister even when she thinks no one else is. Enter Jane who finds Rene digging in her garden. As the story unfolds more trauma comes to light.
Highly recommend for those that like to be keep guessing until the very last page.

3.75/5 rounded up! Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the electronic ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book was really confusing at times and kept me guessing throughout, but had such interesting, well-developed characters. There’s not much to say without spoiling it, but I definitely recommend to all mystery and thriller lovers.

WHAT?!!!!! did I just read? I did not see that coming! Edge of my seat from the first page to the last. Could not put this down.

Lauren is Missing is a dark, atmospheric psychological thriller that really puts you in the head/mindset of the characters. A brilliant take on trauma and psychology, I kept flipping the pages until the end, wanting to know the outcome. Was it worth it? Yes! I'm looking forward to reading more by S.J. King.

I really wanted to like this book more. The premise was good, but it felt slightly predictable. I was not a fan of S.J. King's writing style which made it harder for me to get through. There is a lot of choppiness in the writing and I feel it didn't flow as well as it could've.

Overall, definitely not a bad book; I was entertained and wanted to find out what happened!

My favourite genre but I found this book a little slow and lacking in content. I really enjoyed the authors debut 'Where You Belong' but not so much this one with its dark storyline and now and then skips. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

Told from different POVs within different timelines, Lauren is Missing delves into the aftermath of a teenage daughter going missing, as well as what led to the events and how it began to twist and turn the relationships and the people in the family apart.

There is a lot of disorientation in this book, and the alternating POVs can be confusing at times. The pacing of the story works in that it makes you want to read more, to understand and solve the mystery of what happened to this missing girl. However, the change in POV frustrated me at times because it slowed things down. It also felt difficult to follow sometimes because of the order in which we are told about certain events. Arguably though, this adds to the disorientation and mirrors the fragmentation of the character's POV, who is unreliable due to being often confused, losing track of time and struggling with her memory.

It was a slow start at first, but as I read further, I was a lot more gripped by the story. The writing got particularly more dark and disturbing, as well as exploring some themes about familial betrayals and life-shattering miscommunications that ultimately make you feel very sad. There are many twists to this book, some that you can predict and some that will really take you by surprise! The characters in this book were complex and had many layers that were exciting to see peeled back. There is a lot more to this story than a missing teenage girl.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book a lot and was impressed with the shocking developments. If you love a thriller/mystery with lots of twists, then I would highly recommend giving this book a read on July 2nd! Thank you to NetGalley for the early access to this book! 4 stars from me!

this read is my first official ARC from netgalley and it was such a gripping psychological thriller, reminding me of the book “the last house on needless street”.

it has a very dark setting and is told in a “before” and “today” format. i loved the entire build up and the ending was both, shattering and beautiful.

it does have some trigger warnings, so be on the lookout for those.

“lauren is missing” is expected to publish on July 2, 2025 and i want to thank s.j. king and netgalley for allowing me early access to this one, im definitely looking forward to reading more from s.j. king.


rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

I really enjoyed S. J. King’s last book, so I was excited to read this one and it was definitely a solid, fast-paced read that kept me engaged throughout. The writing is strong and the story unfolds in a way that’s easy to follow without ever feeling slow.

That said, I found myself picking up on some of the clues a bit early. While I didn’t predict every detail, I had a pretty good idea of the general twist well before the reveal. For me, that took away a bit of the tension, since I prefer twists that feel more unexpected.

Still, it’s a well-written story with an interesting premise, and I’ll absolutely keep following S. J. King’s work going forward.

Interesting, but a bit slow at times. Certainly has some twists that keep you guessing.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

4 Stars – Gripping and Gutsy!

Lauren is Missing pulls you in fast and keeps you on edge. S.J. King weaves a tense, twisty mystery that had me flipping pages like a detective on too much coffee. A few moments felt a bit rushed, but the suspense? Chef’s kiss. A sharp, satisfying read with just the right amount of chill.

Wow. So well written, I loved how it was written, I’ve never read a book like it.

My one and only dislike was at some places in the book it seemed to go really slow and in some chapters I felt some information wasn’t needed however this didn’t impact the book, just interrupted the flow a little.

I loved how it was written, the different POV’s, the explaining things in real time how it was unfolding, the fact the author kept making subtle sentences so you never really figured out exactly what was going to come.

This author is extremely talented and I can’t wait to read more.

*full disclosure I was given this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley*

I really wanted to like this book but it was slow. It had trouble keeping my attention throughout. The story was good but I need books to be a little faster paced. Decent read, good storyline and twist.

First I want to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.
At first i was confused and wasn’t sure that I wanted to keep reading it but I pushed through and let me tell you I’m so glad I did. This book was amazing. As a mother of a teenager daughter it’s hard. This book brought my fears to life and I could not put it down. I’m was kept thinking from the beginning is this a case of multiple personalities and is David a therapist. I never figured it out fully until you let us know exactly what happened.
I felt Lauren’s pain and how scared she was. I was sad how she thought her family parents didn’t care for her.
I felt how horrible it was for Rene to go on without her sister and traumatizing that could be. I felt the mums pain from her past with her mum and how she needed to make it right. But most of all the end how it all happened.
This was such a great story thank you again for the chance to read this book

Strangely dark and twisted reality told from different perspectives. I found this a bit confusing and disorientating at times and also quite poignant and sad. The premise is that of a missing girl and the strange occurrences that led to her disappearance which unravel slowly as you follow the convoluted paths the book leads you down. I must admit I’m not entirely sure I followed or entirely enjoyed this but some parts were compulsive and pleasingly mysterious.

Gripping and mysterious. Very well written. The attention to details. All had me hooked right through. Definitely an author to consider in future

Lauren is Missing pulled me in from the very first page with its eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere and a protagonist who’s as fragile as she is determined. Rene’s world is quiet, controlled, and unsettling—her days spent in a basement flat surrounded by carefully arranged objects and fading memories of her vibrant, missing sister.

When a letter arrives claiming Lauren is alive, the story shifts from introspective to urgent, and I was hooked. As Rene starts to question everything she remembers—and everything she’s been told—the mystery deepens, revealing buried trauma, unreliable memories, and a past far more tangled than it first appears.

The writing is quietly powerful, building tension through mood and detail rather than cheap thrills. It’s not a fast-paced thriller, but it is a psychological puzzle that keeps you second-guessing everyone, including Rene herself. Some twists I saw coming, others caught me off guard, but all of them were grounded in a strong emotional core.

I docked a star only because a few threads toward the end felt slightly rushed, and I wanted more closure on certain side characters. Still, it’s a haunting, suspenseful read that lingers long after the final page. Fans of psychological thrillers with an emotional edge will find Lauren is Missing well worth their time.

Lauren Is Missing
By: S.J. King

4 Stars

This was a psychological roller coaster ride from start to finish. This book is about a girl lost. Lost. Hurt. Missing. A story told of hurt, pain, loss, forgiveness, love. Lauren Fisher goes missing, and through bits of memories, you slowly uncover her tale of captivity and pain. Slowly, secrets unfold on the page until the very end when the truth is finally revealed.

This was such a twisty story. At first, when I started this book, I got a little confused, but the more I read, the more I was sucked into the story of this young girl, her sister, her family. I loved how it was laid out. Bits and pieces, here and there, until a crazy and shocking end. One that I was not expecting.

This was captivating. It was moving. It was written well. A great read full of psychological suspense, danger, and intrigue. It's definitely one I'll tell my friends about.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews