Such an enjoyable storyplot. I loved the story setting with great characters in the book. The author was successfully created the suspenseful vibe and twisty ending.

This book was bonkers! The main character irritated me so much in the beginning but by the end, I understood why she was acting the way she was. But I’ll be honest, I was thinking, “damn girl, chill” for most of the book. The whole story was a bit over the top with a lot happening and coming at you in all directions, but I still found it to be a fun read and listen.

Thank you bookouture and bookouture audio for my advanced copies in exchange for an honest review.

3.5*...This book offered good twists and turns in true psychological thriller style. I read a lot of these and this did not disappoint in the genre. I definitely did not have it all figured out!
Waiting to find out who was actually to blame for many of the bizarre occurrences in the story kept me riveted. I thought the audio version was done well and added to the building story arc without taking anything away.
Recommended for fans of the genre!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARL. All opinions are mine!

Sophie Was Here is a psychological thriller about a perfect family and the terrible secret they're hiding after a girl goes missing. From the very beginning, the book's premise had me completely intrigued. I was fully invested in finding out who Sophie was and what had happened to her.

The author does an excellent job of building suspense. There was a great deal of tension and a sense of foreboding throughout the entire book that made it impossible to put down. The twists kept coming, and I was constantly trying to piece together the truth behind the family's secrets. The pacing was good,keeping the story moving forward well.

The characters were well-developed, and the overall experience of this story was a thrilling one. The mystery at the heart of the story and the constant tension made it a very enjoyable read. Naomi Frederick added to the tense story with her spot-on narration. Another great story by Kathryn Croft.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ALC in exchange for my review.

4.5/5 ⭐️ Stars (rounded up) - Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for the ALC of ‘Sophie Was Here’ by Kathryn Croft. Wow, wow, wow—what an utterly compelling and gripping read! This psychological thriller was exactly what I needed to shake off vacation mode. I couldn’t put it down, and when I wasn’t listening, I was thinking about it!

The story follows Emmy, who moves in with her boyfriend Charlie to the home where he grew up. While exploring the basement, she discovers a chilling message scratched into the wall: Sophie was here. She soon learns that Sophie was Charlie’s ex-girlfriend—someone who mysteriously vanished ten years ago.

Determined to uncover the truth, Emmy starts digging for clues, navigating a maze of secrets, lies, and betrayals. Told through dual POVs and a dual timeline, the narrative delivers twist after twist until the final reveal—one that left me absolutely gutted.

The description compared this to the works of Lisa Jewell and Freida McFadden, and I can 100% attest to that. A haunting, addictive story I’ll be thinking about for a while… or at least until I pick up my next book. 😉

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me. I made it about halfway through and really tried to give it a fair chance, but ultimately decided not to finish. I usually enjoy a fast-paced story, but this one felt too slow and, at times, a bit far-fetched. That said, I know I’m in the minority here—there are so many glowing reviews from readers who loved it!

This was such a good audio. It had me absolutely hooked and on the edge of my seat. I just could not stop listening to this one. Loved the alternating chapters and the creepiness of it all. Very good.

Amy and Charlie move into their new house. Their quiet life changes when Amy finds the basement in which she discovers 'Sophie was here' scratched into the banister and doors. The secrets from the past begin to unravel. However, one leads to another and then to the next, until the readers are hooked in completely. Who was Sophie? Where is she now? Is Amy in danger? Or is everyone telling lies and keeping secrets hidden?

+ twists and turns
+ gripping

The story is told through two main characters perspectives - Amy and Sophie. At first I found it confusing as I listened to the audiobook, however, each chapter became clear very early on in the book and I knew exactly who was telling each part of the book. The secrets that kept surfacing are extremely engrossing. The further you listen/read, the deeper it hooks you in and doesn't want to let you go until you find out every answer to your growing list of questions. I honestly wasn't expecting the ending and I will recommend this book to every psychological thriller addict. It's totally worth the read and it can be devoured within a day.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Sophie was Here by Kathryn Croft.

I don't know what it was about this suspense novel, but it hit in the best way. It had just the right amount of spook factor, with nice unexpected twists, and a perfect cast of characters. It wasn't overdone, and it was easy to follow. This would be a perfect read on a dark October night.

I enjoyed this narrative and was really intrigued by the premise and various dodgy characters. The ending felt a little rushed for me.

Emmie has moved with her boyfriend Charlie to his family home. The house belongs to Charlie's parents and he grew up in the area. Soon Emmie begins to find odd things in the basement that Charlie denies any knowledge of but his denials don't fit the evidence. This audiobook is narrated by Naomi Frederick. Naomi does an excellent job helping Emmie's character feel relatable and enhances the shock value of the reveals.

This has an interesting back story and eerie plot elements that increase the 'WTF is going on here' atmosphere exponentially. Unfortunately this suffers from pacing issues and Emmie's behavior feels illogical in places. The reveals really are the best part of this and while they are shocking it's not enough to save this story.

Thank you to Kathryn Croft, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

Emmie’s boyfriend Charlie comes from the perfect family. They’re finally moving into their perfect new home, which belongs to Charlie’s family. Everything in Emmie’s life is going so well, until she finds out about the missing girl, the one who wrote Sophie was here in the basement of her new house. Sophie was Charlie’s missing ex-girlfriend no one ever talks about.

This book starts off slow but soon builds to having so many suspects in Sophie’s disappearance you can’t decide who did it. The story was told in the present day as well as in the past before Sophie’s disappearance and they come full circle at the end when you find out what really happened. The story had a lot of twists and kept me guessing, it was just lacking the suspense I like in a good thriller. I also wasn’t able to relate to most of the characters, I don’t feel we really got to know them.

I enjoyed the narration of this audiobook, Naomi was very engaging and made it easy to distinguish each character.

Sophie vanished without a trace and the case went cold now years later there are signs that Sophie may still be alive or that someone knows more than they are saying.

This was another solid read by Kathryn Croft I was hooked from the start. A brilliant quick read thriller with lots of tension and some great twists.

I listened to this on audio and the story was really well read and kept me engaged though out the story.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Kathryn Croft for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An engaging audiobook with twists that had me guessing — and guessing wrong! Kathryn Croft's "Sophie Was Here" managed to draw me in right away and was the perfect palette cleansing thriller between heavier reads. Naomi Frederick did a good job at juggling different timelines and POVs, and I found it easy to follow even on audio. Recommended for fans of character-driven domestic mysteries that lean towards the darker side without being too gritty. 3.75 stars rounding up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and Kathryn Croft for an advance copy for honest review.

This is an enjoyable audiobook from Kathryn Croft, an authors whose name is synonymous with an excellent psychological thriller. The audiobook version of this story works well. The narrator doing a good job in differentiating between characters.

In this story, Emmy and Charlie relocate to the village Charlie grew up in. His family live in the village and have gifted Charlie and Emmy his childhood home. Emmy learns that in 2008, a girl, Sophie, went missing from the village. Emmy finds it strange that Charlie has never mentioned this, even more so given that Sophie and Charlie were in a relationship at the time. As this story plays out we learn a lot an about Charlie's family and indeed what happened to Sophie. As might be expected there are distinct timelines relating to past and present. Also with the clever use of smoke and mirrors, we discover that all is definitely not what it seems!

Another great story, well told. by this esteemed author.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

This book totally surprised me in the best way. Sophie Was Here had such a mix of heart, mystery, and charm. I went in expecting something light, and ended up really loving the emotional depth and the way the story unfolded. Sophie as a character was bold, messy, and real which made her feel so relatable. There were moments that made me laugh, a few that made me pause, and by the end, I didn’t want it to end. Definitely recommend if you’re in the mood for something that balances heart and humor with a touch of mystery.

Emmie moves to her partner Charlie's childhood home which his parents gift, but all trouble starts when she discovers a secret message "Sophie was here" in the basement, and it's covered in dried blood!! When she shows it to Charlie he asks her to ignore it and move on, saying it's some childish writing.
When she starts inquiring around her, the message mysteriously disappears - making her wonder if it was really there in the first place.

As she comes across more and more mysterious things she gets to a point where she wants to uncover what happened in the past as everyone seems to be talking about Sophie!

The drama just unfolds further making every character unreliable - this book is a must read/ listen to all thriller lovers and Kathryn Croft has done an amazing job weaving the whole story together and bringing a conclusive ending to the book!

Thanks to Netgalley, Kathryn Croft and Bookouture Audio for the ALC in exchange for a completely unbiased review



Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This was a good book. It was quite twisty at times and things happen that you never see coming. Sometimes it seemed like things were jumped into a little too quickly or accusations seem a bit premature but all in all this book was fun.
This book is about a girl who went missing many years ago, a family of secrets, and a woman who finds herself mixed up in it all. I don't want to tell you more than that because the story unravels one step at a time and I don't want to risk giving up any spoilers.
The writing in this is very good. The story has a nice flow to it. The characters are well written and well thought out. The plot is a bit hard to swallow at times but really it doesn't matter because it all works in the end.
I had the chance to listen to the audio version of this book and it was great. It really brought the story and characters to life. The narrator is excellent and easy to listen to.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

This was really good. I thought i had figured it out multiple times, but the twists kept coming. The writing was good, and the details were very thorough.

It's crazy how twisted a family can be when they want to keep a secret, or like 4 secrets.

First I would like to thank the Author and NetGalley for the opportunity to experience this book. I truly appreciate it.

A fast-paced thriller about a woman who “falls” for a rich, charming guy, only to discover his ex-girlfriend mysteriously disappeared a long time ago. As she digs deeper into his family's secrets, she realizes danger might be closer than she thought. Twisty, tense, and addictive, this one keeps you guessing until the very end.
Rating: 4/5 – Perfect for fans of dark domestic thrillers with a strong female lead.