I'm sad to say that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would. I am a massive thriller/suspense fan and I also do love books or movies that are told in reverse, but this book was difficult to follow. I found a large portion of the novel to be pretty lackluster. It just fell flat for me. 

I didn't feel any sort of attachment to the characters. I will admit that the ending did certainly surprise me, but I found it difficult to want to continue the book when after several chapters I still wasn't interested. I do feel that her writing has potential and will look towards reading her future works, but this book just wasn't for me.

I didn't get a chance to read this book before it expired.

This book truly lives up to the reviews.  Great read, could not put it down!

The premise of this book is what had me from the start. However, the chronology was too much for me to wrap my head around. From reading other reviews, there are a lot of others who "got" this book, but I wasn't one of them. This one was a DNF for me.

All the Missing Girls is a thriller through and through. Being written in reverse really added an unusual twist. I found myself unable to put the book down, needing to find how new clues fit into the big picture of the story. I highly recommend digging into All the Missing Girls, especially if you find yourself being able to predict endings in thrillers. The backwards storytelling made it very difficult to predict how things were going to come together, which added a new element of suspense for me.

What are the elements an author uses to create suspense? One dramatic devise is to slowly release "clues" throughout the narrative leading up to  a "big reveal" at the optimal climatic moment. The ultimate success of any thriller is when the reader is kept confused and clueless right up to the proper "ah ha" moment with a surprised "I didn't see that one coming". Failure results when the plot is either too obvious (I figured the ending out in the first couple of chapters of the book) or too erroneous (What the ???? This doesn't make sense.) In the mix is the author's artistry in creating the perfect "gimmick" as a means of imparting the necessary details.

In All the Missing Girls, the author, Megan Miranda, uses reverse chronology. Along with both an introduction and epilogue, the story counts backwards from day fifteen to day one of events with each chapter adding a bit of background about the details surrounding the disappearance of two girls, ten years apart.  The story is told from Nicolette Farrell's point of view as she revisits her hometown of Cooley Ridge in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina to help her brother Daniel in the care of their aging father who is at a facility. With his apparent encroaching demensia, it is time to repair and sell their no-longer-needed family home. Yet the process brings back old memories of the disappearance of her best friend Corinne after their celebration at the local fair following their high school graduation. The resulting accusations and recriminations from the local community led to Nic's flight from home and relocation to Pennsylvania. Yet her brother Daniel and pregnant wife Laura, along with her Dad, remained a link for her to touch base from time to time allowing an occasional reconnection with her high school sweetheart Tyler. Now, ten years later, she's engaged to Everett, a high end Philadelphia lawyer, and Tyler is dating Annaleise Carter. It isn't long though before Nic's world turns upside down when Annaleise turns up missing, rekindling all the horrors associated with the loss of Corrine. As the tale "progresses", Nic reveals specifics about both mysteries through her analysis of past events as she revisits the sites containing the ghosts of her past. 

There were various problems inherent in this type of format. It was harder to keep track of events necessitating repetitions and calling for a quick read to keep the various particulars front and center. The opportunity for in depth character development was also hindered, since too much information would take away from the end result, especially since Miranda wanted to maintain a sense of mystery as we tried to figure out the guilty party. There were also a lot of dead ends left dangling as Nic's thoughts rotated from present to far past to recent past. 

For me the results were muddled. None of the characters were particularly likable, especially the two victims, and even the townspeople were petty and judgmental. Outsider Everett was the only one who had my sympathy as he tried to do the right thing and ended up getting kicked where it hurts.  The conclusion, while acceptable, didn't blow me away, but overall, a worthwhile read.

Three and a half stars and a thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book kept me turning pages and staying up way too late!

Thank you for sending me a copy of your book, All the Missing Girls. I really enjoyed this book. I found it a little difficult having to read it backwards, since this is never the norm, but it eventually became easier and easier as the book went on. I did have to go back a few times just to wrap my head around some things, but it was never too much of an issue.
This book really kept me in suspense. I really wanted to know what had happened to Corrinne. Once I found out, I was surprised that the main character couldn't remember what had happened, but I was still satisfied with the ending of the book. The storyline and the mystery of what happened made it so that I never wanted to put the book down until I found out what happened. Those are the type of books that I love.
I am giving 3 stars just due to some improbable things that I found hard to get past. I didn't like that Nic just left her current life behind so easily. It seemed like she didn't even like her current life which made it convenient for her to go back home, which just seemed to be written to fit the storyline. Also her rekindled romance with Tyler was just too easy. If they had such unresolved feelings, I feel like it would have been an issue in the past, not just something to also conveniently fill the storyline.
Besides some of those things though, I did really enjoy the suspense of this book and would recommend it to my friends.

It's not a bad book I just didn't get hooked the way I usually do.

This review is only for the audiobook. Told in reverse just does not work for me in audio. I have no idea at any given time where we are in the timeline. If I'm doing something else while listening (walking the dog, cross stitching - nothing particularly mentally consuming, but minor distractions) and miss the chapter break where it says what day we're on, I'm completely lost as to the chain of events. This could be a great book in print, but unfortunately it shouldn't be done in audio. Couldn't follow well enough to make any connection with characters beyond general frustration, nor could I follow the mystery because I didn't know where we were in the timeline.
FTC disclosure - I received an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley for review consideration. I checked out the audiobook from my library through Overdrive.

It’s been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared from Cooley Ridge without a trace. She comes back to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father, Nic is soon plunged into a shocking drama that reawakens Corinne’s case and breaks open old wounds long since stitched.

The decade-old investigation is focused on Nic, her brother Daniel, boyfriend Tyler, and Corinne’s boyfriend Jackson. Since then, only Nic has left Cooley Ridge. Daniel (Nic's brother) and his wife, Laura are expecting a baby; Jackson now works at the town bar; and Tyler is dating Annaleise Carter, Nic’s current neighbor in Cooley Ridge and she is the group’s only alibi the night Corinne disappeared. Then out of the blue within days of Nic’s return, Annaleise goes missing.

This story is told backwards, Day 15 to Day 1—from the time Annaleise goes missing, Nic tries to unravel the truth about her neighbor’s disappearance, revealing shocking truths about her friends, her family, and finally learns what really happened to Corinne that night ten years ago.

Though I enjoyed the book, this was too slow for me and I had to put it down and read something else more exciting!
it also go pretty confusing sometimes!

I got lost a few times in the timeline but it was still a compelling read. Teenagers. Star crossed lovers. South Carolina and New York. Juxtaposition of city and country. Guilt, ambition, drive, self discovery. Some enjoy time hops, and it works to some degree with this plot.

This book was highly enjoyable! The suspense kept me turning the pages, I could not stop reading it! When this book came out I purchased a copy in London, England because I loved it so much. I would recommend this to anyone who loves mystery and suspense. I have already told a few of my friends they should buy it, and I will continue to spread the word!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this free readers edition. In exchange I am providing an honest review.

Whoa. A story written backwards. It seems like that shouldn't be a new idea or an unusual idea but it is. And until the book was 2/3 read I didn't think the idea of writing the story backwards was working until all of a sudden it was. 
Nic gets a call to come home late one night - perhaps it was actually early one morning. She reluctantly makes plans to go back home and help her brother take care of their Dad and the house. She's been back home a few times since she graduated but only for the quickest of visits. Too many memories linger, ones she's been trying to forget. But now she's back in her hometown for two months. And as much as she wants to shut the past out, the past wants to become present. A decade ago her best friend disappeared one night, never to be found. On her second night home in the present another girl disappears and nobody can find her. Whispers and rumors circulate the town and Nic feels she is at the center of all those whisperings. But you can't know what you don't know. Or can you?
Did Megan Miranda write the story backwards or did she write it forwards and then reorder the chapters to be backwards? Either way it was an engaging thriller. It was really interesting to read a story backwards because the chapters you are reading keep you kind of in the dark about certain behaviors, or things said - it's like it is all out of context, except not really. And then when you get to the chapters where all the threads start getting tied together everything falls into place - almost suddenly. Well done Megan Miranda, well done.

Excellent book. It was a real page turner. Kept me reading into the night.

This had such a unique way of telling the story--in reverse. However, I just couldn't get into it.

After being gone for years, Nicolette is going back to her hometown to help her brother deal with the growing responsibilities of caring for an aging father, a home in need of serious repairs and the daunting debts that are piling up. She needs to help him shoulder the burdens but going back to her hometown also means confronting the past.

When Nic left Cooley Ridge the disappearance of her best friend was still very much on everyone’s minds. There were suspects, Nic, her brother and high school boyfriend included, but despite the searches and interrogations Corrine was never found.

Once Nic arrives home and it’s as if she’s never left and the recent disappearance of a new girl will once again cast everyone in doubt and it’s as if the past is playing out all over again. Will Nic be able to deal with the suspicions and can she still trust those she has always loved?

Be prepared to pay attention in this book. The story is told chronologically backwards from Day 15 to 1 and then sometimes returning back to the present, this was clever but for someone like me who reads several books at once and/or puts aside books for a few days to read others, it wasn’t a smooth read. I liked the story and found myself very interested in finding out what happened to the girls but the style in which it was told wasn’t for me.

I'm surprised by how much I really enjoyed this book!  I had expected it to be pretty good based on the reviews, but it was REALLY good. It's one of those books that I was upset when life got in the way and I wasn't able to keep reading. I honestly did not want to put it down. It's style is very interesting because it is written in a backwards timeline. She starts with the end and recaps the days in reverse order. I was hesitant and thought that it might be poorly done. However, it worked and was amazing! It might be easy for some to figure out what the "end" would be, and I started out trying to do just that - figure it out. But as I kept reading, I didn't care anymore. I just wanted to keep reading. The characters were interesting and I really liked them all. They had depth and I began to care for them all and their stories. Really good book. Quick read, but super enjoyable. It's the perfect "beach" read.

I read this as a possibility for my high school library.  I don't think that teens will care about a 30 year old who has family issues.  But--if they read Gone Girl and other thrillers like that, this one will satisfy.

Nicolette (Nic) returns home to Cooley Ridge, North Carolina to help her brother Daniel, clean out, repair and sell the family home. Their father is suffering dementia and now in a nursing home and they need to sell the house in order to continue to pay for him to stay in the nursing home. Nic sublets her apartment in Philadephia, kisses her fiance good-bye and heads home. She left town 10 years earlier, when her best friend Corrine disappeared without a trace. There were many suspicions and many lies surrounding that disappearance. Shortly after Nic returns, another girl, Annaleise Carter goes missing, swallowed up by the woods without a trace. As the police start investigating the disappearance of Annaleise, Nic is sure that this is related to the disappearance of Corrine 10 years earlier. She reveals details leading up to the event where personalities are laid bare and long held secrets finally divulged.

Nic is the narrator of this story. It is written in reverse chronological order from day 15 down to day 1 you really need to be paying attention with this twisty, breath-holding mystery which will have you second guessing all the way through. It took me awhile to get accustomed to this as I kept thinking, "but this already happened". Nic is the typical unreliable narator. She only shares parts of the story. We always wonder what she is keeping secret. 

This was a story where twists and turns kept you on the edge of your seat. You thought you had it figured out, then another plot twist. It kept me guessing right to the end. All the Missing Girls is a compelling story written around the eerie backdrop of the woods of Cooley Ridge in the shadow of the Smokey Mountains. A great read for lovers of suspense and mystery.