Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture Audio and Kathryn Croft for the Audio Arc of Sophie Was Here.
Narrated by Naomi Frederick

I have been a long term fan of Kathryn's writing style, her character development and her twisty plot lines so I was delighted to be accepted for the audio of Sophie was here.

This was one twisty narrative in which it was very hard to trust anyone! Told in first person, we have our MFC Emmie ,who with her partner Charlie, are moving into Charlie's old family home. This farmhouse is massive and has been gifted to them both but has been empty for 20 yrs while his parents were in Dubai. On exploring the house, Emmie finds 2 messages engraved in the banister and the old door of the cellar. " Sophie Was Here " This sets Emmie on the path of detective as she wants to find out who was Sophie and why was these messages left.

This narrative is told on two timelines from the POV of Emmie in the present and the past leading up to what happened with Sophie. In the present we get introduced to Charlies family and a few friends and it's clear that while most are happy to see him back in his hometown, there is a few that are not. You will form theories and they may be right, or they maybe wrong. One thing is for certain, this book is such an engaging, speculative read in which I binged in a morning!

Naomi Fredrick who narrated this book did a brilliant job in keeping all the characters separate with her male and female voices. I did listen to this book at 1.5 x speed which is a personal preference to me. Naomi's voice is such a pleasure to listen to and ill be looking out for more books from Kathryn Croft and narrations from Naomi Fredrick.

4.5 stars for Storygraph. 4 stars for other review sites

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. Ooh, a former girlfriend disappeared! That immediately made me want to read this one. A great summer thriller, you won't be able to put down because you will HAVE to know what is going to happen! Lots of twists!

Sophie Was Here is a jaw-dropping thriller that will keep you guessing til the very end. With lots of red herrings and surprises throughout, you won’t want to put it down until you turn the last page. The story follows Emmie who, along with her boyfriend, moves into his childhood home gifted to them by his rich parents. But is her new family a happily ever after? From the first day in the home, Emmie is finding things that don’t make sense. She discovers a message in the basement, but later that message has disappeared. Is she crazy or did some nefarious being not want her to see it? It isn’t the only thing that doesn’t add up.. Relationships, neighbors, and the truth are all at risk of being revealed. Will she uncover that truth and answer the questions she has? Be prepared for your jaw to be on the floor when the biggest bombshell in the story drops. Sophie Was Here will be released on July 1, 2025.

I received this as an advanced reading copy in exchange for my fair and honest review of it. Thank you to the author and the publisher.

Kathryn Croft is one of the authors whose books I never want to miss. The writing is incredible, the twists are always surprising and this book was no different.

I did have some suspicions, but it turned out that I was only about 50% right on them. The book is part psychological thriller and part a view on how far people will go to protect each other and themselves.

Who is gaslighting who here?

A well written domestic thriller which I both read as an ARC and listened to as audio. Both scored an easy 4☆.

The plot line is quite convoluted (perhaps a little too much so at times) but on the whole this is engrossing with many thoroughly unlikeable characters.

The setting is atmospheric, more so, for me in the written version as you visualise your own interpretation rather that the narrators.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC which was very much appreciated.

Why would Emmie move with her partner to a junkie moldy old house, even if it was free?
I’m not proficient in math but the numbers were not adding up for me.
Everyone has a secret in the book and I was knocked sideways about some of the biggest secrets.
Unraveling the story took considerable time as the drama and murder escalated.
I think Emmie made the correct choice!

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Sophie Was Here’ written by Kathryn Croft in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

As Emmie has been made redundant from her job in London and her neighbour is harassing her, she persuades her boyfriend Charlie to move back to Peaslake and his family home that his parents have gifted him. As she explores she finds the cellar and a message ‘Please Help Me’ that’s been scratched into the wood but when she tells Charlie later on the message has disappeared and he tells her she imagined it. She continues searching the cellar and finds another message ‘Sophie Was Here’ and after speaking to people in the village discovers that Sophie lived in Peaslake until she disappeared sixteen years ago.

‘Sophie Was Here’ is a thriller with a dual timeline of the present time and 2008 when Sophie disappeared, and tells of the complicated relationship between Charlie and his family the Hollingers, Liam and Khalid. The story is slow to get going but the deeper Emmie digs into Sophie’s background the more tense it becomes making it difficult to know who’s telling the truth. Although not my favourite by this author, it’s been an enjoyable read that’s kept me involved.

Kathryn Croft excels at writing thrillers that are fast-paced and riveting! She does not disappoint with Sophie Was Here, her newest release. In this book, we are transplanted to a village outside of London where our main characters have been given the family home. They anticipate having to put their own stamp on it through renovations, but did not anticipate finding mysterious messages scrawled in the basement from a teen girl who went missing several years prior. This book draws you right in with the mystery of who Sophie is and how she's connected not only to the house but also to the family. You feel Sophie's tension as she realizes not all is as it appears in her boyfriend's family. You feel for her mom, who only wants the return of Sophie. You can just picture this estate setting and the forest that surrounds it. The atmosphere is that of a dark and dreary remote location, and that's is so conducive for a great mystery. Read and enjoy!

Sophie Was Here is another Kathryn Croft's latest psychological thriller which will be released on 3rd July.

Emmie is dating Charlie Hollinger who comes from a prestigious family from Peaslake. Charlie inherits his family's farmhouse which is located in the Peaslake. As Emmie and Charlie move in to start new life, Emmie comes across some wordings in the basement. She realizes that whoever locked up in the basement, her name was Sophie asking for help. When Emmie confronts Charlie about this, Charlie brushes her off, but the next day, those wordings have disappeared. Emmie then sets off to find more answers, only to find that Sophie was a girl who disappeared in 2009 and that she and Charlie used to date. And Emmie is wondering if her life is also in danger.

This was a fast paced thriller and with some twists and turns. It was a page turning thriller that will keep you hooked into the story until the end. I really enjoy reading Kathryn Croft's works and this book was no exception to one of her best. The story divides into Emmie's POV which is present day to the past in Sophie's third person POV in 2009, describing about what led her to the ultimate disappearance. Although I kind or predicted what the ending was going out to be, it was an interesting ending. The book was enjoyable to read and I couldn't put the book down.

Overall this book is worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Emmie moves to a small village in the countryside to live in her boyfriend Charlie’s family home, a luxury farmhouse. She thinks her life is perfect until she is met with whispers from the locals. She soon discovers the tragic history of the village, where a local teenager disappeared, who happened to be Charlie’s girlfriend. When Sophie sees a message in the basement from Sophie, she wonders if there is more to this story than she first thought.

I read my first book by this author recently and really enjoyed it so was excited to try another. This was another great story and has cemented this author as a must read now. The story ended up being fast paced which definitely kept me guessing. I had no idea where it was heading and enjoyed the ending when it all ramped up and started coming together.

I liked Emmie as a main character and found myself rooting for her. There were plenty of characters who I constantly suspected and I never really knew who to trust. There were also lots of twists and turns to keep the story engaging and exciting. This was another entertaining thriller overall and a clever, well written story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Remarkably well written, we join Emmie who moves to a small town with her partner and starts to uncover the villages secrets.

I thought at points I knew where this was taking me, but it uses established tropes to subvert what you’re expecting!

Some readers may find it a little tricky, keeping the timeline in mind, but it was an amazing read that I couldn’t put down!

I did not see this one coming. This book is unputdownable. The characters bring it to life. The mystery keeps you guessing until the bitter end. Absolutely amazing read. I had to read this in one sitting because I had to know what happened to Sophie… and boy did I not see that coming.
A veritable rollercoaster of suspense and mystery.
An amazing read!

You just might think this will be a predictable thriller based on the description but it's not!

Emmie meets Charlie and they end up moving into his childhood home together. But Emmie soon hears about a girl named Sophie that disappeared when Charlie was a teen himself. She starts doing her own research and learns that Sophie was definitely a bigger part of Charlie's past than he's led her to believe.

The truths just keep coming and this book had me on the edge of my seat. So, so good!!

This is a slow-burn psychological thriller that turns a dream home into a waking nightmare. It’s a tense, atmospheric read overall.

Gripping, thrilling, shocking and twist filled! Sophie Was Here: A totally addictive and absolutely gripping psychological thriller is another captivating book by Kathryn Croft. This story builds slowly and normally I have issues with slow building books but I was invested in the mystery surrounding the house, the disappearance of a young woman, and the family that I just cruised along with this drama filled ride and before I knew it, things picked up and I couldn't put Sophie Was Here down!

Emmie and her boyfriend, Charlie have moved into Forest Farm, Charlie's family home which has sat empty for years. When Emmie discovers writing on the wall ("Sophie was here”) in the basement her interest is piqued! Emmie soon learns that Sophie, Charlie's high school girlfriend went missing years ago. I love a good cold case and apparently so does Emmie's and she begins asking questions around the village about Sophie....

This book is told in two timelines using multiple POV's. This was a nice touch and provided insight into many of the characters' lives from when they are teenagers and into adulthood. I always enjoying trying to determine whodunit and was shocked when the reveal occurred.

Families can be complex, and this family is no exception. There are secrets, lies, and gaslighting galore in this book. At times I wondered who could be trusted, who was telling the truth, and how much danger was Emmie getting herself into by asking questions that made certain characters uncomfortable.

As I mentioned, this book begins slowly as the author builds the plot and introduces readers to members of the family and village. I enjoyed when things began to get tense and individuals began getting uncomfortable. This book has a nice amount to twist which kept me on my toes and changing my list of suspects. There were a few reveals that I did not see coming and I always love it when that happens.

I had both the book and audiobook versions of Sophie Was Here, which made for a full immersive reading experience.

Wonderfully written, well thought out, clever, and full of secrets!

Emmie and her partner Charlie are leaving London and moving to his childhood family farmhouse in Peaslake, gifted to them by Charlie's parents, who have just returned from living in Dubai and have bought a house close by. The farmhouse needs a lot of renovations but they are happy to get started and are looking forward to living there, even though Charlie was quite reluctant at first. Emmie is happy to be a part of the Hollinger family and Heather and Edwin, Charlie's parents, seem to be held in high regard in the village. Then Emmie discovers something carved into the basement wall and questions Charlie about it, he immediately shuts her down so she decides to do some investigating herself, especially when she spots 'Sophie was here' carved into the basement door and she soon finds out that Sophie was Charlie's girlfriend who disappeared when she was seventeen. Does Emmie really know him at all, how much can she trust him and his family, and could she be putting herself in danger?

Sophie Was Here is the latest domestic thriller by Croft and once again she weaves her magic in this multi layered plot that does not disappoint. Told from the perspectives of Emmie in the present day and Sophie in the past, the explosive secrets from all those years ago are uncovered by Emmie but Charlie isn't the only one hiding something and this becomes apparent later in the story. This is a fast paced story that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, with some very unlikeable and untrustworthy characters. I was intrigued as to why Emmie was so hellbent on discovering the truth about Sophie, but this also became apparent later in the story when the pieces of the jigsaw came together and I loved the troubled character of Charlie's sister, Vanessa who had a complex life. This is a tale with some great twists that I did not see coming, from one of my go to authors who delivers every time.

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Definitely a slow start but it picked up and became an enjoyable twisty thriller. I enjoyed it and would definitely read more from this author!

Really enjoyed this book by Kathryn Croft. I was hooked from the beginning So many different twists.
You would never guess the outcome. Highly recommended.

This was a good read, a little slow at the start and I wasn’t sure where it was going but once it took off it was a great thriller. At the heart of the story is a couple who have moved to the small village where he grew up, into the house his wealthy family have bequeathed them. The story of why the family left suddenly and the mistrust of the villagers about his return is the start of the story, including the girl who went missing there who never was found.

Good plot which really ramps up towards the end and I enjoyed the characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It centers on Emmie, who moves to the suburbs with her boyfriend Charlie, only to get caught up in the mystery of a girl named Sophie who disappeared years before and had ties to Charlie’s family. You also get alternating chapters from Sophie’s POV in the earlier timeline.

Both Emmie and Sophie were characterized well, as were the tertiary characters. This was a great mystery that kept me guessing the whole way through. I was happy to figure out one twist but there were so many more that totally floored me. The author did a great job at providing so many surprises while still tying everything together in a way that made sense by the end of the book.

Overall, I thought this was a fast paced and twisty read and I would definitely recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.