What a brilliant book! Gripping thriller that tells the story of Emmi who has moved to her boyfriend Charlie’s childhood home but beneath the surface lie many secrets. Emmi discovers a hidden message carved in the basement - written by a girl named Sophie, who, many years prior, went missing from the village and was never seen again. Was Charlie involved? And what secrets is Emmi hiding herself? A fantastically plotted book that kept me hooked all the way through. Highly recommend. Thanks to the author & publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I thought this was a good book. I liked the mystery. Charlies parents have given the family home to him and his girlfriend Émmie. So the two of them move from London to Peaslake. There Emmie discovers the house and Charlie are hiding secrets about Charlies ex girlfriends, Sophies disappearance 16 years ago. So Emmie sets off on a quest to find out what really happened to Sophie all those years ago. The story kept me guessing all the way through.

This books was actually incredibly thrilling… I had that pit you get in your stomach when you know the twists are going to be dark and insane. This book features our FMC Emmie and the MMC Charlie. It’s about this couple moving from London to a small town where Emmie is hoping to get to the bottom of a 15 year old case on a girl who went missing when she was 17. Little does she know the more she digs the more trouble she is getting herself in. I honestly never would have expected this book to end how it did and although I kind of guessed who did it I never would have guessed how it all went down and I love a thriller that is actually suspenseful and has a good plot twist - or even better multiple. Would highly recommend this to any crime/thriller fanatics!!

Kathryn Croft is one of my go-to authors, So I was excited to receive a copy of her new novel Sophie was here.
Emmie and Charlie live in London when Charlie’s parents gift them their old family home. Emmie is excited at first to live in the big house, but when she finds writing on the wall in the basement saying that Sophie was here. Emmie is determined to find out what happened to her when her boyfriend Charlie gets angry and dismissed her question. But when she starts digging, she finds out that Sophie was Charlie’s girlfriend who went missing 17 years ago. She soon wonders what kind of man that she has moved in with.
When Emmie goes around the small village investigating Sophies disappearance she finds out that the Hollinger family are not what they appear to be. But everyone that she meets have their own secrets that they are hiding.
Sophie was here is a great thriller with a tense and complex plot, set in two timelines and several POV’s, and a lot of red herrings along the way. It will keep you guessing throughout. I didn’t really warm to the characters, but it didn’t really matter as I enjoyed the story anyway. 4 stars from me.

emmie and her boyfriend charlie receive a huge farmhouse from his parents and move from london to the quiet town of peaslake. but from the moment they arrive to his family home, emmie senses something isn't right. when she discovers the words 'sophie was here' scratched into the walls of their basement, along with the mysterious disappearance of a girl named sophie - and charlie's unsettling connection to the missing teen - emmie becomes determined to uncover the truth about what really happened.

well, that was a fun ride! so far, i've liked everything i've read by kathryn croft, and this one didn't disappoint either.
i was curious about what happened to sophie and who was responsible for her disappearance, and it was an enjoyable book to get through.

the story was told from alternating timelines, one set in the present and the other about 17 years ago.

the characters, charlie in particular, were quite unlikeable.
when emmie found the words scratched in the basement and he tried to make her seem kinda crazy by claiming he didn't see anything.
also, he was really manipulative and tried to blackmail sophie back then.
emmie seemed kinda obsessed with solving the case but as the story unfolded, everything started to make sense.

there was a long list of suspects, and i kept guessing who it could be. i liked the twists and the ending was kinda emotional but was really satisfying.

this was a fast-paced domestic thriller with a few twists and a mix of characters that constantly make you question their reliability.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing this book

Emmie and Charlie are moving to a small village after his parents gifted them an old farmhouse, they’re going through a rough patch in their relationship and hope that the move will fix things. Bad idea obviously, but at least they didn’t try to fix it by having a kid, so good choice. Charlie and his family are walking red flags, Charlie is the definition of gaslighting partner ; whenever Emmie has concerns about something weird he has the perfect dismissive answer. Things are weird to say the least. There’s a message from a girl named Sophie in the basement, everyone treats Vanessa - Charlie’s sister - as if she’s a fragile teenager and not a grown woman in her thirties, and Charlie’s parents are just way too nice (in a suspicious way). We get to know Sophie through flashbacks, she was Vanessa’s best friend and Charlie’s girlfriend and she disappeared 17 years ago but everyone seems to be very hush hush about it, especially Charlie.

Obviously the family has something to do with Sophie’s disappearance, the interesting thing is you don’t really know who did what because they’re all very good suspects. Honestly if I was Emmie I would have run as soon as I met them. There’s one twist that I didn’t like and that I feel wasn’t actually useful to the story, everything would have worked without this twist.That being said this was a really fun thriller, I always enjoy a domestic thriller with insanely creepy families.

This book was everything I look for in a book. It was so exciting. The plot was fantastic. It really had me on the edge of my seat, and my heart racing. It was very well written and flowed well.

What starts as a dream come true quickly spirals into something far more chilling in this taut, twisty psychological thriller. The premise is simple but gripping Emmie inherits a sprawling farmhouse from her boyfriend’s family, only to find herself caught in a web of whispers, secrets, and unresolved tragedy and it doesn’t help as her boyfriend Charlie didn’t want to have it.

Forest Farm has so much character as the people in the story. At first Emmie loves it but it soon curdles into isolation and dread. The tension builds slowly, as odd glances and village gossip point to a dark mystery which involves the disappearance of Sophie, Charlie’s ex-girlfriend, who was never found and Charlie won’t talk about it She finds something very suspicious in the cellar so she’s going to do everything possible to get to the truth.

It’s a brilliant read and a great twist.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookoutre for an ARC

A mysterious title…a couple moving into a house given to them by his parents…a dark and scary basements…red herrings and so many secrets…friends and family…the recipe for a quick suspenseful read.
Do not try to guess the ending too soon. It is not easy. Surprise…thanks Netgalley

This was an engaging thriller with lots of twists and turns. Several times I thought I knew where the story was going and I was so wrong. The main character could be annoying at times, I was glad to read why she was obsessed with finding out what happened to Sophie. The back and forth between present time and Sophie's story really helped with the storytelling. An enjoyable story!

i love how the title to this book is a key moment in the book. its those little details that make a book already so much better for me. its all in the detail.
the book gives us Emmie. she feels on top of the world when she sees a bright future with her boyfriend. not least because hes been given a big house no questions asked. Emmie thinks this is their chance. but her boyfriend Charlie seems far less convinced and she cant understand it.
from the off you get a sense something feels off. your gut and spidy sensors are already beginning to tingle.
and i was already finding myself looking into things. but was i being deceived by the characters? or by the author herself(in the best way of course)
because Kathryn knows how to write her books. and she knows how to bring all the drama, all the plot whoppers and all the emotions to her book. she is by far up there with one of my faves.
and this is how she lends her hand to what Emmie does next. because she makes her dig deeper into whats going on. and she is a determined thing i give her that. and a few times i was thinking "no, just leave, just go. STOP" because Emmie gets to know about a woman that disappeared a long time ago. and that young girl happened to be attached to Charlie. so just what happened to Sophie. and just who is behind the secrets that are clealry being kept and whispered about in this small town. is Charlie the bad guy here? and what about his parents?
slowly but surely we get to see the unravelling of just whats going on here and what went on in the past.
a corker of a read. loved it.

This book had me hooked right from the start and kept me up late. It's told from alternate timelines but easy to follow. I really connected with Sophie and wanted to find out what happened all those years ago. It was a suspenseful ride with a twist. The ending was very emotional. A huge thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC!

This book was very fast paced and the thrill began quite literally in the first few chapters. It is engaging and will have you in the edge of your seat throughout.

I almost gave it 5 🌟 but I hated the MMC. He has no redeeming qualities outside of his looks and I’m sure that is a purposeful part of the book but I just wanted to lock him away the whole book for many reasons. Also, there is one story line that didn’t get resolved at all and that’s frustrating.

Read if you like:
🏡 domestic thrillers
🏡 small town UK mysteries
🏡 plenty of twists
🏡 books where everyone is a suspect

Thank you Bookouture, Kathryn Croft and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was amazing. Picked it up and just couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the characters especially Emmie
This was full of the most surprising twists
I felt so many emotions while reading which is definitely my favourite thing about a book. I have the on pre order as a trophy for my book shelf
Loved ot

First, thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC!

The plotline itself of 'Sophie Was Here' is surely not a new one. In fact, it reminded me a little of 'Your Husband's Fault' by Kerry Wilkinson, which I've read earlier this year.

However, it was still a great book, gripping from page one, the story both told in past and present POVs. The twists just kept coming, I felt very entertained, and I surely could not have guesseed *this* ending in any way! Very well done! This was my second Kathryn Croft book, but it will surely not be my last!

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie and Charlie have been together for about a year when they decide to make a move from London to the small town where he grew up. His parents had moved to Dubai for several years but are now back and want to give Charlie and Ellie his childhood home as a gift. Once they arrive, Ellie becomes aware of a girl named Sophie, who disappeared 17 years ago and appears to have been Charlie's girlfriend. But Charlie won't talk about it and even seems to be gaslighting Ellie when she asks questions about the disappearance.

4.5 stars.

I usually like everything I read by this author but I thought this was one of her better novels. I think what I really liked about it is that literally anyone could have been guilty. All of the characters appeared shady at different points in the book so that really kept me guessing as to what had actually happened to Sophie. I look forward to this author's next novel.

Sophie Was Here by Kathryn Croft is another unputdownable thriller from an author who is always an automatic read for me.

Emmie and her partner Charlie have been gifted a farmhouse compliments of Charlie's wealthy parents. It is an adjustment for Emmie to move to sleepy Peaslake from bustling London, but she is hoping that it will be the fresh start that she and Charlie need to heal their troubled relationship. But a shocking discovery during renovations will propel Emmie into an all-consuming attempt to solve the mystery of a young local girl who went missing years before.

This is a novel that you will not want to put down as you evaluate a host of suspects who are numerous and varied. The twists keep coming, and I was still searching for the truth while devouring the final pages. This might be Ms Crofts best to date.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

Emmie’s life is going much better. She is in a serious relationship with Charlie and they have been gifted the family farmhouse. His parents are living nearby and the house is the perfect place to start anew. Emmie is much more excited than Charlie.
We soon learn that there was a missing girl named Sophie.
The chapters alternate between Sophie and Emmie. Get ready for all the creepy vibes and be careful who you trust or believe. Croft is an auto-read for me.

I loved this book by Kathryn Croft, it kept me up way past my bed time as I couldn't stop reading it. Some really good characters, I especially liked Emmi. A great story with plenty of twists. I highly recommend this book, another thrilling read from Kathryn Croft.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. Having enjoyed an earlier book by Croft, I was keen to read this. The story was well-paced and engaging, and I was kept guessing throughout.