This hooked me from the start. The whole family gave me suspicious vibes.
The plot twist was surprising that the main character had such a deep backstory and put so much effort into avenging her family.
The gaslighting was so strong here and I wanted her to leave her sad excuse of a boyfriend from the first few chapters. Sometimes too much money is a bad thing.
I felt strong sympathy for Charlie’s sister and Sophie’s mum and sister.
The narrator was nice but I did find it hard to hear the male characters voices differentiate from the main characters voice.
Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in return for this review.

Sophie Was Here is a gripping psychological thriller that follows Emmie, a young woman who moves into her boyfriend Charlie’s family farmhouse. But does this house hold a dark secret from Charlie's past. It doesn't take long for Emmie's new life to unravel when she finds “Sophie was here.” inscibribed in the basement.

For some reason she becomes totally obssesed. To the point where her character comes across as incredibly annoying and felt a tad out of kilter. She soon learns that Sophie was Charlie’s high school girlfriend and mysteriously vanished years ago.

Told through dual timelines and multiple perspectives, the novel slowly reveals a web of lies, manipulation, and long-buried trauma.

I got over Emmie annoying me in the early chapters. The pace of the book was good and kept you tied into seeing how the mystery would unfold. The book for me definitely improved as it went on.

I give this a solid 3.5/5 rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so twisted and full of so many secrets. I really enjoyed the premise of this book and how the events unfolded throughout. I could not wait to find out what happened to Sophie and how had harmed her. I felt so bad for that poor girl and could not believe the twists in this book and did not see that ending coming! This was a great thriller that was full of intrigue.

This was ok for me. It was a solid thriller with lots of twists and turns. It started off well for me but I found that parts of it just dragged. I really wanted to like this, but had a hard time staying in it.

I loved this book. It had unexpected twists and turns and kept me listening without interruption.
Emmie and Charlie made a nice couple, until they didn't and you start to question everyone and everything.
Emmie is a good investigator and and it was endearing how she risks it all for a purpose she dedicates herself to.
Small towns are always full of secrets;)

This is 2.5 rounded up. Narrator was good. The start was very strong. Held my attention until about 40% it just dragged on and on and on. So much of this could have been cut out. Didn’t expect the plot twist so that’s a plus.

This was my first experience of a Kathryn Croft book, and it won't be my last! It took a while to get into the book, but then I couldn't stop listening!

This brilliant plotted story will have you guessing all the way to the end what happened to Sophie. So many times you thought you had worked it out, and then you were taken in a whole different direction!

I really enjoyed the main character, Emmie, who moved with her boyfriend back to his hometown to find out that his school girlfriend just disappeared. She makes it her mission to find out what happened. You instantly connect with Emmie, which takes you on an emotional roller coaster.

Great book, and I definitely recommend it for people who love a dark psychological thriller!

Thank you, @Netgallery and @Bookoutre for this ARC.

Sophie was here is a fun thriller with a bunch of twists. This mystery goes back to the disappearance of Sophie. Nobody in the small town knows what happened to her. When a couple move out onto an old home that was given to them by his wealthy parents they start finding strange things. With this the mystery continues. A great read.

Oh….. really delayed as I usually love this author but this one did not hit the mark at all. Yes, there are twists and turns along the way but it moves SO Slowly that it did not hold my interest. Shame as I can see the potential for a great read but the very slow pace really put me off.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Adding this author to my list of authors to look for. It was a slow start, but soon got into this storyline. Naomi Frederick’s narration was excellent although I did to increase the speed. This book did an amazing job weaving the past and the present giving you moments where you are left racing through the story to find out what happens. This also was such a quick enjoyable read

🥹 WoW 🥹Sophie Was Here by Kathryn Croft and narrated by Naomi Frederick was a excellent psychological thriller and so addictive. I was hooked from the very beginning, I was lucky to have the audiobook and book to review and i loved it. The narrator Naomi Frederick was super and bought the audiobook alive. Sophie Was Here was a twisty throughout which made it a roller coaster read. Best of all, at had some great red herrings within it - which as very clever!
The ending was Superb. .. . . . .This audiobook was one of the best I have listened to this year and its a great holiday read especially if you are on a long flight.

I Highly recommend this to any mystery/thriller fan, it does not disappoint! 5 ⭐️ audiobook/book.

Big Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Bookouture Audio for my ARC's.

I found this story to be a suspenseful domestic thriller. I’m an avid reader of thrillers, so I am quite used to twists and tropes- but this story felt different and new. The narration was great and I found the story to carry a feeling of suspense throughout.

I would definitely read more books from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook ARC opportunity!

Kathryn Croft crafts an absorbing psychological thriller that pulls readers into its unsettling world from the first chapter. The story follows a woman who believes she's found stability in her boyfriend's family home, only to discover disturbing secrets about his past and a missing ex-girlfriend named Sophie. The gradual unraveling of truth creates gripping tension, from the suspicious silences in the village pub to the chilling message discovered in the basement.

Croft excels at building an atmosphere of creeping dread, transforming what should be an idyllic farmhouse into a place of growing paranoia. The pacing maintains excellent momentum, with well-plotted twists that feel organic to the story. While some elements follow familiar domestic thriller tropes, the execution remains fresh and compelling throughout.

The audiobook narration enhances the experience, with skilled voice work that captures the protagonist's escalating fear and confusion. This is the kind of story that demands to be consumed in one sitting, with reveals that satisfy without feeling contrived.

For readers who enjoy psychological suspense with strong atmosphere and believable tension, Sophie Was Here delivers an engaging, well-crafted experience. The satisfying conclusion provides resolution while leaving just enough lingering questions to haunt readers after the final page.

4/5 stars - a thoroughly entertaining thriller that showcases Croft's skill with suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ALC.

Emmie and Charlie are gifted the gorgeous farmhouse where he grew up, and moving to this idyllic little village sounds like the perfect fresh start. Except, surprise, surprise, the village has secrets lurking beneath all that quaint charm.

This one’s a slow burn, which didn’t bother me because I was into the story and hooked on both timelines. I didn’t see the big truth coming, which was a nice shock.

That said, I did manage to piece a few things together early, which stole a bit of the suspense thunder. But hey, I still enjoyed the ride. I listened to the audio version and enjoyed the narration; it kept me engaged from start to finish.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the free audio copy.

This was so good and twisty and I was really feeling it. I love the ending. What a wild ride. You cannot trust anyone. I love the narration too.

This was one of those books where I thought I had it all figured out in the first few chapters. I was wrong and I'll bet you will be too.



The story alternates viewpoints of Sophie, a girl who went missing, and Emmie, who moved to the town where Sophie lived. Emmie finds writing on the banister in the basement and begins to investigate, learning about Sophie, who was her current boyfriend's ex.

Without spoiling too much, as she uncovers more details, she starts to question everything about her current relationship. The story weaves in details from Sophie's perspective, which I really liked. It gives the reader a chance to feel connected and invested in the outcome.

The narrator was fantastic and I thought a perfect choice for this story. Her voice was lovely to listen to and she did a great job with tone and pacing.

My only criticism is a few story lines felt rushed at the end, and I would have liked to see more of the aftermath. I thought the initial story of Emmie's dad's murder would have had more weight but it just kind of was dropped with no tie in, so it felt unnecessary.

Overall though, I enjoyed the book and characters and would read it again and would read from this author again.

Kathryn Croft knows how to deliver the creepy domestic thriller and Sophie Was Here is no exception. Sophie was Charlie’s former girlfriend who disappeared and the gossip mill started. Emmy and Charlie are offered a farmhouse home by Charlie’s parents and move in to start a new life together. Things aren’t quite as they appear and the chilling words of the title are found scratched on a wall when Emmy investigates the basement.
This is a mix of slow burn tension which builds and there are numerous twists which keep the reader guessing. Why are the villagers suspicious and us Emmy at risk? I listened to the audio version, very well narrated throughout and enjoyed it over a couple of sittings. Hooked from the start and it becomes quite sinister at times. Enjoyed this as a well plotted domestic noir and didn’t guess the outcome.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

Sophie Was Here is a tense and fast paced read that reeled me in right from the very beginning. It’s a tense and fast paced read that didn’t slow down at any time. That’s something I love in a thriller as sometimes this genre can slow down a bit in the middle of the story, this most certainly wasn’t the case with this one. Kathryn Croft has again written a brilliant psychological thriller which contains everything I love in this genre, brilliant well developed characters , plenty of twists and turns and a couple of red herrings thrown in that threw me off track at times. I had the pleasure of listening to this via Netgalley Audio narrated by Naomi Frederick. She really brought the book to life with her wonderful narration.

Supremely suspenseful and so many twists, right up to the satisfying conclusion.

The audio production and brilliant narration by Naomi Frederick made for an enjoyable audiobook experience.

With thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this thrilling audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

Emmy and Charlie are going to move to Charlie's family farm house. Emmy has last her job and feels like this can be a new start for her. What she does not know is that Charlie's girlfriend sixteen years ago went missing and was never found. She can tell that even the people in town know about this. The pace of this book was fast in some parts and a little slow in others. There were so many twists in this book and I could not stop listening during the last few chapters because I just had to know what was going on. Narration was spot on. Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Definitely a psychological thriller.