This young adult thriller novel was great! It was extremely well written, entertaining and incredibly engaging! It is dark, tense, atmospheric haunting and has mystery to it! This novel was easy to read, outrageous at times, came with emotional depth and had a great storyline! I enjoyed the characters in the novel and the plot. I found that the plot was well executed! Even though this is a young adult novel, I felt like it definitely had strong horror elements in it. It was definitely giving me the show “Yellowjackets” vibes! I think this is the perfect read for around Halloween season, or anytime you’re in the mood for a good thriller! Overall, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars!

Content warnings include psychological horror, gore and graphic violence. I think people that liked the movie “The Ritual” and the book “Five Survive” by Holly Jackson would really enjoy this book! As I mentioned above, this book does completely give off Yellowjackets vibes as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Rebekah Faubion and Random House Children's Books | Delacorte Press for this eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on January 27, 2026!

* Thank you NetGalley & Delacorte Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

Lost Girls of Hollow Lake is a creeping mystery about a group of teens who visit a dangerous island where three are left behind, and the surviving girls must return to confront the sinister force hunting them.

This was a fun read. It was creepy and downright chilling at times - and I kind of guessed the mystery a little early on - but I enjoyed the atmospheric storytelling. Despite guessing the whodunnit, I still hurried through it hoping to see all the pieces come together.

This one is touted as perfect for fans of Yellowjacket, and I agree. It's good for anyone who loves a good mystery about angry teenage girls, which is something I am a fan of.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

LOST GIRLS OF HOLLOW LAKE by Rebekah Faubion (Jan 27, 2026)

Thank you Netgalley, RHC (Delacorte), and GetUnderlined for the earc

When a group of girls goes missing on a school trip, only five return. They try to make peace with they're lives, but the mysterious island haunts them---and everything has changed. Now, someone is picking off those involved one by one. As the bodies and threats pile up, Evie and the other lost girls must figure out how to stop it---confront their secrets---before it's too late.
LOST GIRLS OF HOLLOW LAKE is a YA mystery/thriller with missing girls, a lot of drama, and a lake where secrets run deep. This dual-timeline read gripped me from the first chapter and held me there until I had read the whole thing.
This book is a genre-blend, and the author does it in a way that is seamless mystery, thriller, horror, sci-fy/paranormal esque).
These characters. Oh my goodness, some of these adults were harsh. Like, the girls went through something---yes, because it is dual-timeline we don't actually know what they went through---but to be treated so cruel when you survived something so terrible is, just, wrong.
I think my favorite part was the way the author used dual-timeline as I mentioned above. That coupled with the chapters imbedded with the k*ller, att*cks, and other pov's helped make the story feel more in-depth. Plus, seeing the other characters when they weren't with Evie was a nice touch because I was rooting for everyone---and seeing how they were coping, and what was happening to them added another layer to the book. And then, of course, that reveal at the end shocked me.
LOST GIRLS OF HOLLOW LAKE gave KILL CREATURES (Rory Powers) vibes, and I am here for it. Missing girls, urban legends, creepy island, and a whodunit that left me stunned...if these are what you're looking for, this book is for you.

Thank you Delacorte Press and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. This was a very interesting read! In the spring Evie and her classmates went on a trip to Hollow Lake National Park. The park is known for its paranormal phenomena especially the island on Hollow Lake. That some can see and others can’t. Some see it sometimes and not others. Some believe the island exists while others don’t. Evie and her seven cabin mates are drawn to the island. Their search leads them to disappearing for forty six days. And when they return only five of them come back. There’s a story that the returned girls tell, the story is a lie. Now months later Evie is just trying to survive her last few months in her small town before she goes off to college. The girls don’t interact, still haunted by what they saw. But someone knows what really happened and is determined to make the girls pay. They aren’t the only targets though, anyone who had anything to do with their disappearance is also a target for the killer. Can Evie and the others find the killer before the killer gets them? Or tells their secrets? And what if the only way to solve everything is to return to the island that haunts them? A thrilling horror that is filled with tension! The island is a looming dark presence that leaves you guessing as to what is going on! The mystery of their time on the island and who is now hunting them kept me hooked and turning the pages! Rebekah Faubion’s Lost Girls of Hollow Lake is going to be a hit with queer mystery/horror lovers!

I thought this worked well as a thriller novel and was hooked from the first page and enjoyed the overall concept. It had that tension that I was looking for and enjoyed in a dangerous island setting. I was invested in what was happening to the characters and how the found characters worked. Rebekah Faubion was able to create a tension that I was looking for and was engaged in what was happening in this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rebekah Faubion’s debut “Lost Girls of Hollow Lake” is an eerie, atmospheric combination of supernatural horror and twisty thriller that lingers like a nightmare you can’t quite shake. Equal parts survival story, murder mystery, and exploration of trauma, it’s a book that keeps you guessing while burrowing deep under your skin.

The story follows Evie, a hardened, haunted survivor of a disastrous school trip to Hollow Lake National Park. Three months ago, eight girls went missing during a camping trip to a mysterious island. After over a month in the wilderness, only five returned, and the town suspects they know more than they’re saying. Many believe the survivors, especially Evie, were responsible for the three girls’ deaths. The truth is far more unsettling: the island itself seemed alive, demanding sacrifice for survival, and Evie carries both the scars and the secrets of what happened there.

Now, one by one, people connected to the disappearances are being murdered. As secondary characters begin to fall victim, Faubion intersperses the main story with chilling point-of-view chapters from the victims, vividly describing each death in graphic detail (not for squeamish readers). When Evie receives a disturbing message, she realizes the only way to stop the killings is to confront her past and return to the island that nearly destroyed her.

Faubion excels at crafting atmosphere. The island is more than a backdrop; it’s a sentient, sinister presence, a forested labyrinth of whispers, shadows, and hunger. Flashback chapters gradually reveal the horrifying events that unfolded three months earlier, offering glimpses of the girls’ descent into survival-driven madness. The tension is heightened by the emotional complexity of the group: the “Lost Girls” may not have been close before, but their shared ordeal has bound them in an unbreakable, if uneasy, bond.

Evie herself is a standout protagonist. She is toughened by trauma yet deeply vulnerable, with her loyal dog, Tiger, serving as her emotional anchor and occasional savior. (Dog lovers can rest easy: Tiger survives, though there are tense moments.) The book also features a tender queer romance between Evie and Sunny. Though I did find it a bit odd they got together under dire circumstances on the island, but this romance is handled with restraint and doesn’t overwhelm the plot.

The pacing is sharp for most of the story, building a mounting sense of dread as the body count rises. However, it does take awhile for the final revelations about what truly happened to the missing girls to take place, leaving the climax slightly less explosive than the setup promised. Still, the ending is emotionally satisfying, with the survivors finding ways to move forward and lean on one another, highlighting the power of friendship, love, and resilience.

Overall, “Lost Girls of Hollow Lake” is a haunting, slightly unhinged thriller that will appeal to fans of supernatural survival horror. With its unforgettable setting, moments of heartwarming connection, and a satisfying balance of gore and emotional depth, it’s a strong debut that promises great things from Faubion. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy atmospheric thrillers, survival horror, sapphic romance, and stories where the setting feels just as dangerous and alive as the characters.

Thank you for the ARC!!
I devoured this book in two days! It had all the feels of Yellowjackets with a different twist. I loved all the characters and how each played a part. Especially Tiger and his chapters. Was not expecting the ending at all.
This goes at the top of my best books of 2025 list and I look forward to reading more.

Lost Girls of Hollow Lake to me felt like a perfect blend of thriller and horror. The writing is really good, the atmosphere got me checking if I wasn't possibly on a magical island in the middle of a lake fighting for my life. I loved the characters and the ending was very satisfactory, something that is very important to me when it comes to thrillers.
I can't believe this is a debut.
If you are looking for a creepy, slightly unhinged read with a cute dog and a bit of sapphic romance, this is perfect for you.

Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte for the ARC.

I want to first thank NetGalley and Random House Children’s Book for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Now to be honest…. I wanted to love this book, I really did but for some reason it just fell short for me. The story line was great but I didn’t feel the urge that I wanted to keep reading and couldn’t put it down. I felt as though it wasn’t as climatic as it could have been. Around 70% of the way through I kept questioning “is anything interesting and serious about what truly happened to the girls on the island going to happen?” I felt that the last few pages only go into detail about what happened to the girls that the book built up the whole time. Even then the details were quick and sparse.

One aspect of the book I really liked were the characters. I like how each had their own way of dealing with things and while the Lost Girls never really got along, even before the incident, they were still always there for each other. Trauma bonded in a way.

If you are like me and like short chapters, this book has some short and medium length chapters where I liked.

#LostGirlsofHollowLake #NetGalley

Lost Girls of Hollow Lake is the kind of haunting thriller that doesn’t just keep you on edge—it gets under your skin and lingers long after the final page. From the eerie whispers of the Island to the fractured memories of the survivors, Rebekah Faubion crafts a chilling tale about what it means to survive... and what surviving actually costs.

Evie, our brave and haunted narrator, is still reeling from a school trip that ended in tragedy and silence. Three girls were left behind on a mysterious, cursed island—and the five who made it home didn’t return whole. Now, one by one, someone—or something—is coming for them. When Evie receives a terrifying message, she realizes there’s only one way to stop the cycle of death: return to the place that broke them.

What follows is a dark, immersive journey that blends supernatural horror with emotional depth. The Island is more than just a setting—it’s a force, a character, a mirror of the trauma these girls carry. Faubion explores the weight of guilt, the resilience of sisterhood, and the idea that sometimes, confronting the past is scarier than any monster.

With sharp pacing, eerie imagery, and heart-pounding twists, Lost Girls of Hollow Lake is a wild ride through grief, mystery, and survival. Fans of Yellowjackets, The Forest, and I Know What You Did Last Summer will find themselves obsessed.

A very huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books | Delacorte Press for sharing this unforgettable, darkly emotional YA thriller’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts!

"Lost Girls of Hollow Lake" is a horror thriller by Rebekah Faubion. Last year a group of teens traveled to a mysterious island in the middle of the night and were stranded. Only some of them escaped. When a body shows up and mysterious murders start, the survivors decide to go back. A weird and dark supernatural thriller that doesn't always make sense. A suggested purchase for YA thriller collections.

A great young adult read. The storyline was definitely giving "Yellow Jackets" vibes, but I really enjoyed it.