This book took me quite awhile to read, which is never a good sign.

Right off the bat, I'm just going to say it...this book was classified incorrectly. It is not a suspense, thriller, or mystery...and it MOST DEFINITELY isn't a psychological thriller. This is women's fiction. And not overly interesting women's fiction at that. As a reader, I find these bogus classifications so frustrating. It's hard not to feel cheated.

Anyway, moving on.

Told from two points of view, those of the mother, Maggie, and the daughter, Emma, Where She Went is a decently written novel. Emma's sections take place prior to her going missing, while Maggie's take place after. The timeline was fine...I was never confused, but the story itself is just humdrum.

Maggie's chapters, especially, were nothing but completely irrelevant internal dialogue. For instance, in one section, during a walk to the police station, she pondered a variety of things (pages worth), none of which had any relation to the actual story. Emma's chapters were a bit more dynamic, but I'd say mildly implausible...and filled with a bit too much Catholic church trivia for my liking. When I finally, FINALLY got to the conclusion, I literally said to myself, "You've got to be kidding." It was rushed, a cop-out, and, like the rest of the story, pretty damn dull.

Again, had I not been expecting the classic psychological revelations and twists, I may have enjoyed it more. THIS IS THE REASON BOOKS NEED TO BE CLASSIFIED CORRECTLY!

Final thoughts...
If you're looking for a slow-burning, character driven, mother/daughter story...give this a chance. If you're looking for a psychological thriller...venture far, far away.

**Many thanks to the publisher for my advanced copy.

Where She Went tells the tale of Maggie O'Farrell, owner of a hair-salon and recent widow of a police lieutenant killed while on duty, and her daughter Emma, a freshman at Semper University in Philadelphia, PA. The story advances in chapters which alternate between Maggie's and Emma's POV.

Maggie is a helicopter parent who has been part of and kept track of everything and everyone in her daughter's life. Having Emma move "away" (in reality, to the campus of a near-by university) puts her in a bit of a tail-spin. She is having trouble adjusting to the change, and is dismayed by Emma's attempts to gain some independence, telling Maggie "no one else's mom calls three times a day or bakes cookies. Please stop.".

As a result of her mother's past hovering, Emma is more immature and naïve than the average college freshman. She looks forward to getting a fresh start in college, making new friends, and coming into her own. To her, college is a new beginning, with a level playing-field for everyone. To her dismay, she finds it very difficult to make friends and worse, she is basically ignored by her more worldly suite-mates (Fiona, Taylor, Annie and Morgan) at the dorm. Emma becomes more resentful towards and angry with them as time goes on. She attempts to get a job writing for the student newspaper, but is told be the editor to come up with a finished story and then they'll talk. Frustrated all the way around, Emma is determined to turn in a good story, and begins investigating and fact-gathering.

Maggie is horrified when her husband's ex-partner stops by for a "wellness check". Her daughter hasn't been seen or heard from for a few days and the police want to know if she's been in contact with Emma lately. Convinced that harm has befallen her daughter, Maggie goes into mama-bear mode in OVERDRIVE and starts to steamroll the investigation as to what happened to Emma.

This novel was a "meh" read for me. I give it three stars because the story kept my attention, but the book isn't as suspenseful as it's marketed to be. The middle seems to be a bit drawn-out with Maggie's domineering behavior becoming boorish and strident. The ending is wrapped up a bit too quickly and sweetly for my taste. More balance would do the trick.

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review. Publication date is 10/1/19.

This was a quick read. Interesting story line and scary to think about!
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read for an honest review. 3.5 stars

The description of the book was the best part. I wanted to like the characters but Maggie, the mother, is so hard to like. She’s seen too many Dateline programs. Then Emma was trying to hard for people to like her. I gave the book 100 pages before quitting.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy. Interesting that it comes out in October because for me at least, it read like a horror novel. Mostly because it is so similar to a mothers fears for her daughter in college. A mother finds out her daughter has mysteriously vanished from college. The police, the campus, even the girls friends act as though nothing could be wrong and that she is overreacting. But she begins her own investigation. This book alternates from the mother and daughters point of view in a way that adds to the tension. Good read, unless you have a daughter in college that you worry for. If that is the case, wait till after graduation!

I couldn't get into this book. The chapters were brief which made for fast reading, but I just couldn't immerse myself in the story. A college girl disappears and her mother is frantic. The dialogue was fine and the synopsis sounded interesting, but when I began reading the story failed to capture my interest. This one is a pass for me.

When Maggie’s freshman daughter goes missing, all of the clues leave her with more questions than answers. The police don’t even know when she went missing or if there was foul play involved. As they retrace her steps, they uncover a twisting story which leaves them questioning everyone.
Great writing and character development. I loved how it jumped between the mother and daughter’s point of view. Highly recommended. I couldn’t put it down!

* Thank You NetGalley for this advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review!

College freshman Emma disappears and her mother, Maggie, is beyond frantic. Maggie’s had a rough few years after losing her police officer husband in the line of duty and then finding out that he was having an affair. Now Maggie must use her detective skills to
uncover the mysterious story her journalism major daughter was working on for the school paper and how it relates to her disappearance.

This was an ok read for me. It was mildly entertaining but did not knock me off my feet. The theme of the story has been explored by other authors of this genre recently, so it wasn’t entirely original. Although suspenseful, there also weren’t any major plot twists or “aha” moments that I so enjoy in psychological thrillers. I did find Maggie to be appealing and captivating and felt that the author portrayed the frantic-mother-who-will-move-heaven-and-earth-to-find-her daughter with success. Overall, not bad, but not my favorite.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Kelly Simmons for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Enjoyed this one. Well written story about a college girls disappearance. Disturbing mean girls. Thoroughly good read. Highly recommend

I felt like this book was pretty uneven. And by the time I reached the ending, I was pretty annoyed. Here's the quick premise: college age daughter is missing, newly widowed mom is convinced that it's foul play. The book goes back and forth between their two perspectives. And while it's really compelling and some of the book is truly cringe-worthy (this author seems to have some intimate experience with mean girls,) I felt cheated by the ending. I won't go into spoilers, but that ending made me knock the stars down. A lot. And like several of the other reviewers, I felt like the mentions of Christianity were super out of place. I'm not sure why the author inserted the random mentions, because it really didn't work.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishing company for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Her only daughter her just gone away to college, and Maggie O’Farrell knows she’s turning into one of those helicopter parents she used to mock. Worrying constantly, texting more than she should, even occasionally dropping by the campus “just to say hi.” But Maggie can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen to Emma. And then, just as Maggie starts to relax, her daughter disappears


Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book. This one had me glued i couldn't put it down

This book is about a widowed mother and her only daughter leaving her for college. What begins innocently enough soon turns into a where is my daughter? We go through all the emotions as a parent and follow along with Emma to see what happened. All isn't as it seems. This book was a quick read but not a favorite for me. It just lacked something. #netgalley #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookreview #whereshewent #kellysimmons #sourcebooks

The story line in Where She Went was interesting: a loner college student, Emma, finding "the story" to solidify her place as a full fledged reporter goes missing. But also there are bullies. And there is the hovering mom, Maggie, who won't let the police do their work, because any mom would do anything to find their missing child, right? I'm not so sure most moms could pull off all the feats that Maggie does (no spoilers). Told from multiple POVs, there are several threads for us to follow in unraveling the mystery, but there is enough foreshadowing that much of the ending is predictable. But not all - and that's what kept me interested!

A big thanks to Source Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a story about a young girl in her first year of college who disappears. It’s told from her and her mother’s points of view. I found this to be a relatively quick read and it felt relatable to my own college years and how you can feel lonely and scared.

I wish there had been more development and perhaps explanations on some parts of the story and with some of the characters. Maybe some back in time sequences.

Overall this was an interesting and believable story, especially with the culture of college campuses these days.

Where She Went was a great, can’t-put-it down story. With a child living on a college campus this one spoke to me. The characters were well written and it had a great commentary on the culture of the times. The alternating voice of the book, Maggie and Emma, was well thought out and easy to follow. It wasn’t much of a mystery though as I anticipated the storyline but I still enjoyed it.

This for me was a "read in one afternoon " book. I couldn't put it down. The characters were well written and believable. I liked the point of view from both mother and daughter. Not so much of mystery but certainly a commentary on today's cultural scene.

I'm a fan of books that take place on college campuses and this especially as it was set in Philadelphia. So that was a big part of what kept me engaged. It wasn't as much of a mystery as I had anticipated but it was still a good story that kept me up late.

This is what i would call a good page turner. It had all the mystery, action, it was actually a very entertaining read. Thanks to netgalley for giving me the Opportunity to read it. I really enjoyed it and loved the bound between emma and her mom.

What would you do if your child disappeared from her college dorm? Maggie will do whatever it takes to find her daughter, Emma. This is a tense and riveting book that will keep you turning the pages. It is told in the alternating voices of Maggie and Emma and this works very well. The book transitions smoothly from chapter to chapter. Emma is working on a story for the school newspaper when she disappears. All her belongings are gone. Where is Emma? I loved these characters. They are so realistic and believable. I had to know what happened. I could feel the fear and the panic. This is a very quick read because you can't put this book down. Well written with a great storyline. You don't want to miss out on this book. Great read!

It’s a parents worst nightmare. Your only daughter has gone away to college. You spend your day wondering, “Is she ok? Should I text her? Am I worrying to much?” Then a police officer shows up to your place of business to confirm your worst fears. Your child is missing. As the mother of an only child, this book definitely spoke to me. I could completely relate to the unbreakable bound between mother and daughter and the constant worry about letting your baby go free to discover life on their own terms. This book is told from both Maggie’s “present” point of view and as well as Emma’s “past” point of view. The story slowly unfolds until both stories meet in an unusual location. While the mystery in the book was the missing daughter, Emma herself was also chasing a story for her college paper. I would have loved to have had more resolution to this part of the story, only because I was invested and wanted to know how it worked out. Can you please write a second book - I have to know what happens next! If you love a book with a splash of mystery and strong female characters, this is a must read.