Rounding up to 4 ⭐

Oh Emily... could you not just take a nice quiet vacation with your dad?
Did you have to get caught up with a murder?

I mean, obviously I'm glad she did.
Second book, and I enjoyed it as much as the first.
There's a very sinister side to this small town, and I particularly enjoyed that side of it.
The abuse of power, the surprise at how far things can go.
Really good pacing, and just a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Hayley Hope is Gone by Michelle Dominguez Greene due to be published July 10, 2025.

I had read the first book in this series, My Name is Emily Ray, so I was looking forward to the second book.

The small town of Lake Arrowhead has secrets, and Emily Ray wants to find out what they are and who is keeping them. She uncovers a web of lies and corruption from many in the town where girls have been disappearing. Will Emily find out what she needs to know and stay out of danger?

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time – even though parts of it were hard to read. I couldn’t wait to see what Emily uncovered about her former “friends” and their evil actions. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

#NetGalley #MichelleDominguezGreene #HayleyHopeIsGone #StormPublishing

5* Great book, though the slightly fractured family dynamics bothered me - I wasn't too shocked at the end reveal, sadly.

I picked up book 1 based on the blurb, and it turned out to be one of my best reads of this year. I loved the tale, the background, the relationship between Emily and her father, and with her husband, kids and their nanny-great aunt.

This was no different, with an excellent continuation of Emily's approach to her work, but it did come at a bit of an unexpected price. I couldn't fault the storyline, which was scary and creepy and once again made me thankfully that I don't live in the US. It has shades of the Mercy Kilpatrick series in that aspect, which I mean as a compliment.

Did I love the ending? No, but I admired Emily's response and actions. I'd have done the same. I can't wait to read the next book. I suspect she will have family loyalty on her side, and could turn into a bit of an Eve Dallas character, sadly without the Roarke sidekick.

ARC courtesy of Storm Publishing and NetGalley for my reading pleasure.