I love all of Marshall’s book. The way she makes the woods feel like a character in her stories always fascinates me. The back and forth POVs kept me engaged through the read and was happy to get some closure in the epilogue.

Thank you Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This was a dark and engaging story. I liked the alternating POVs and the twist at the end. Some of the writing was a bit overdramatic in my opinion.

Dark, haunting, and emotionally resonant, this gripping novel explores the blurred line between myth and reality as it follows two intertwining narratives of survival and truth. Trapped in darkness with only fading hope and the eerie remnants of those who came before her, Stranger’s desperation is visceral and chilling. Meanwhile, Audrey’s relentless search for her missing ex-best friend pulls readers deep into a forest thick with secrets, old legends, and the quiet terror of girls who vanish without a trace. With lyrical prose and tightly woven suspense, the story unearths buried trauma and generational silence, delivering a powerful and unsettling meditation on the cost of being saved—and the price of being forgotten.

I love K.A.M. Her novels are always a very quick read for me because they flow so nicely. Short-ish chapters that you can breeze through that don't feel like a drag. This book was slightly different from her other offerings but just as good. Read it, you won't be disappointed.

A taut, emotionally charged thriller about friendship, betrayal, and buried secrets. Marshall writes teen suspense with adult-level sophistication.

Kate Alice Marshall does an amazing job keeping you guessing with all of the suspense and the dual POV. If you want eerie woods vibes and long buried secrets, this book is definitely worth reading. No one writes this brand of thriller quite like her. Unsettling, uncomfortable, steeped in mythology and local folklore, featuring lost girls and the woods who promise to keep their secrets. I loved how the story wove together mystery and survival. Kate does an amazing job keeping you guessing with all of the suspense and the dual POV.

I really enjoyed this one! Definitely different than her other mysteries, but I enjoy when authors change their formulas up from time to time. The storyline was engaging. Overall 4 stars

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐢𝐭? 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝.

No one writes this brand of thriller quite like Kate Alice Marshall. Unsettling, uncomfortable, steeped in mythology and local folklore, featuring lost girls and the woods who promise to keep their secrets.

Told in alternative points of view, Above and Below, this is first the story of the girl below, held captive in a basement with the regular sound of the door opening filling her with a mixture of terror and relief. She's only referred to as Stranger, and she bides her time by talking to the dead girls whose scribbles decorate the wall. But the door has stopped opening, and she's nearly out of food and water.

The other half of the story is Audrey, a high school counselor who volunteers as a seasoned search and rescue expert. Her captivity is not as confining as Stranger's, but she too is a prisoner of guilt. Her ex-best friend Janie disappeared when they were teenagers, and Audrey has lingering regrets about Janie's last visit to her.

What makes this story so immersive is the atmosphere the author creates. The local folklore of Jenny Red Hands is created as an almost small-town Medusa. The lore says she's a forest witch who saves girls from bad men, but once you delve deeper into her mythology, she's not as benevolent as she seems. And when Audrey finds out that a missing girl at the high school where she works may have been kidnapped from land belonging to the town’s most eminent family, she will be powerless to say no to the voice that urges her to find out what happened to the girls before.

Tense, atmospheric, and deeply unsettling, this book will have you questioning everything you know about memory, human decency, and the will to survive. Many thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this incredible early read. Look for this one February 24, 2026.

This book was fabulous! I have loved all of Katie Alice Marshall's books and was so excited to get this ARC. The story was wonderfully written with such suspense I could t stop turning the pages. The alternate POV was incredible and kept me wanting more! This book was all about survival with serious creepy woods vibes Highly recommend

The Girls Before was creepy, intense, and addictive! I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I loved how the story wove together mystery and survival. Kate Alice Marshall does an amazing job keeping you guessing with all of the suspense and the dual POV. If you want eerie woods vibes and long buried secrets, this book is definitely worth reading.