I quite enjoyed reading The Butterfly Girl. The characters were well-developed, and the storyline was easy to follow. Looking forward to reading more by this author in the future.

Synopsis:
After captivating readers in The Child Finder, Naomi—the investigator with an uncanny ability for finding missing children—returns, trading snow-covered woods for dark, gritty streets on the search for her missing sister in a city where young, homeless girls have been going missing and turning up dead.

From the highly praised author of The Child Finder and The Enchanted comes The Butterfly Girl, a riveting novel that ripples with truth, exploring the depths of love and sacrifice in the face of a past that cannot be left dead and buried. A year ago, Naomi, the investigator with an uncanny ability for finding missing children, made a promise that she would not take another case until she finds the younger sister who has been missing for years. Naomi has no picture, not even a name. All she has is a vague memory of a strawberry field at night, black dirt under her bare feet as she ran for her life.

The Butterfly Girl was a solid police procedural novel. The whole premise is missing children, and a dective who has a knack for finding missing children. It was a slow burn of a novel, and at some parts it felt a little drawn out, but the end made up for the slower parts.

What can I say? I love the way Denfield writes. Her first book was exquisite and this one is no exception; Her writing is just beautiful and I love Naomi. She is a fabulously-written character. Please write more with her!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I should start by saying I had not read the previous books in this series. With that in mind, I came in to the middle of Naomi's story. She was kidnapped as a child, kept in a bunker with her little sister, and escaped by herself as a child with no memories of her previous life or captivity. Now she specializes in finding lost children. She is desperate to find her own sister a couple of decades later. On the way, she runs into a series of bodies; street children no one seems to see or miss. This is where we come to the best part of the book, Celia. She is on the streets and we get to experience what her life was and is like. She is really new most compelling thing about the book. I think I'd read more of the series to see what happens to her.

Thank you @harpercollins for the free digital copy via @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
•
Naomi, also known as the child finder, is really good at what she does. She finds the missing children that no one else can. She refuses to take any more cases though until she finds her sister who has been missing for decades. Celia is a young girl, homeless, and trying to survive on the streets. Life is hard, especially trying to avoid a killer who has been targeting homeless girls in the area.
•
I read the first book in this series, The Child Finder, a couple years ago and really enjoyed the writing. @rdenfeld writes about difficult subjects, but her writing is so beautiful, I can’t stop reading.
•
I liked this one even more than the first book. I was so touched by Celia’s story and her life on the streets. I also think the author did a phenomenal job in weaving together the past and present timelines. I was interested in both mysteries and never felt like I wasn’t invested with either situation.
•
There are a lot of content warnings with this one which I’ll include in the next slide. If you haven’t read this author yet and you like crime fiction/thriller books, then I highly recommend you give these books a try. Just go in knowing that they are heavy books with tough subject matters.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
•
#bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookrecs #netgalley #thebutterflygirl #renedenfeld #ebook #thetipsyreader #igreads #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookphotography #bookphoto #backlist #bookcommunity #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram

If you ever wondered what it would be like to be a preteen girl, homeless, and living day-to-day by what you could scrounge, this book will answer that for you. Celia’s mother is an addict and held under the control of her stepfather, Teddy, a child molester. Having accused Teddy of molesting her, Celia is not believed by anyone, even her mother. She can’t live at home because Teddy is still with her mother and now out for revenge. She is determined to prevent her younger sister from suffering her fate.

Celia sleeps under an overpass with two older boys, Rich and Stoner, who try to look out for her. All three kids are tormented by bullies who roam the streets at night looking for them to assault. Celia’s one escape is to imagine butterflies surrounding her, protecting her from harm. Mental Health professionals call the chronic form of this Dissociative Disorder. Celia calls it safety.

Naomi is a private investigator who specializes in finding missing children. She herself was once abducted with her younger sister as a small child. She alone managed to escape and has gone back to Oregon, where it happened. Now 20 years later, she is looking for traces of the sister she left behind in addition to investigating a case of missing homeless girls. She meets Celia, and they establish a tentative friendship based on need. Celia needs to find someone she can trust, and Naomi is looking for answers.

I didn’t enjoy The Butterfly Girl quite as much as The Child Finder, but I would still recommend this book! Beautifully written although the subject matter was difficult.

The Butterfly Girl is the second in a series and really works best if you've read The Child Finder first. And you know what? I loved that! I get that it's normal for series novels to have that moment (or ten) where the story "so far" is laid out for new readers but The Butterfly Girl has too much going on for that and trusts (for better or worse--I say for better!) that readers will keep up or have a refresher course on their own.

If you liked The Child Finder, this is absolutely worth checking out. And if you enjoy diving in and want to have more to explore when you're done, The Butterfly Girl is worth your time too.

The second in the Naomi Cottle series, this is easily read as a stand-alone novel. This is set in the gritty streets of Portland, Oregon. Naomi is searching for the sister that she left behind while she escaped the bunker that she was held in as a child. In the meantime, there is a parallel story line of three homeless teens, with the focus being on Celia. Celia is the butterfly girl, seeing them all around as signs of hope. As you read this novel, it is difficult not to feel hollowed-out and bleak when you consider the stories told are similar to stories being lived out on the streets right now. Fortunately, there is a satisfying ending to help balance the stark realities.

The second in the Naomi Cottle series, this novel is easily read as a standalone.. The writing is beautiful and the subject matter difficult to digest. Trigger warnings for: abuse, child neglect, sexual assault/abuse, and drugs.

3 stars

You can read all of my reviews at https://www.NerdGirlLovesBooks.com.

I really enjoyed Denfeld's first book, The Child Finder, and was excited to read the next book in the series. Unfortunately, this book wasn't as compelling as the first book. The story dragged in certain parts and the ancillary characters weren't interesting.

A year ago, Naomi decides to stop investigating cases to focus 100% of her time on finding her sister. With no picture or name, and only a vague memory of a strawberry field and black dirt, the search seems hopeless. The search takes her to Portland, Oregon, where she sees scores of homeless children wandering the street. When Naomi discovers that children are going missing, and their bodies are later found months later in dirty water, she can't help but get involved. She takes particular interest in a twelve-year old girl named Celia, who imagines butterflies all around her to help her cope with the abuses she endures.

The author is a beautiful writer and I enjoy reading her books. This isn't a bad book, it just didn't resonate with me like The Child Finder did.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I should.d start by saying I had not read the previous books in this series. With that in mind, I came in to the middle of Naomi's story. She was kidnapped as a child, kept in a bunker with her little sister, and escaped by herself as a child with no memories of her previous life or captivity. Now she specializes in finding lost children. She is desperate to find her own sister a couple of decades later. On the way, she runs into a series of bodies; street children no one seems to see or miss. This is where we come to the best part of the book, Celia. She is on the streets and we get to experience what her life was and is like. She is really new most compelling thing about the book. I think I'd read more of the series to see what happens to her.

I loved Naomi in The Child Finder, so the chance to read another tale featuring her was exciting. This book, The Butterfly Girl, gives us a much deeper view into the back story of Naomi and why she is so uniquely suited to be a finder of lost children. As only an author who has lived and breathed this way of life can, we as the reader get a rare glimpse into another kind of lost child. It's not the much adored and missed children that this book centers around, but the forgotten homeless children who live anyone they can. I loved this book as much as I loved the other. Both are so full of raw human emotion and suspense, that I couldn't help being invested in the futures of these characters. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Rene Denfeld has a way to bring us into a world that many of us would chose to ignore. This time, the world features the young runaways that inhabit the streets of Portland, Oregon. I loved the first book in the Naomi Cottle series (The Child Finder), and could not wait to hear more about Naomi and see if she could locate her long, lost sister.
Naomi has come to Portland, Oregon where young runaways come to the streets to escape abuse, poverty, drug addicted parents, and chase dreams. Here Naomi comes across Celia, a young girl that dreams of butterflies to help herself cope with the harsh realities of her life. While Naomi searches for her lost sister, young girls are turning up dead near the riverside of Portland. As the relationship between Naomi and Cecelia grows, she comes closer to finding the murderer of the girls, and to finding her sister.

3.75 stars for The Butterfly Girl!

I adored The Child Finder, so I was excited to see where things continued next. So many thoughts on this one while reading, but I loved how things came full circle. Rene Denfeld has such an a way to make a beautiful story from a tragic, abused past.

I was so fully invested with Naomi in The Child Finder, but felt like her character changed so much that I had a harder time connecting. This novel, as well as The Child Finder, can each be read as a stand alone, but it definitely helped to have the backstory of Naomi, and now on the search for her sister that was left in captivity.

It’s a race against the captor, while also trying to solve the mystery behind who is killing and dumping women’s bodies in Portland, Oregon.

*Thank you to libro.fm, Harper audio, and Netgalley for the gifted ebook and audiobook. All opinions are my own

Nicely written follow-up to The Child Finder but it was hard to connect to this one. Celia was the only character with enough background to connect to. There really wasn't much "mystery" to the plot and I thought the butterfly aspect was really overdone. I did appreciate the sensitivity shown to the plight of homeless youth who reside in every city, uncared for and unseen.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC to read and review.

The Child Finder’s Naomi Cottle is back, this time looking for her missing sister and trying to stop the killing of homeless girls on the streets of an unnamed Portland. She finds herself drawn to a young girl named Celia, who withdraws into her own world of the imaginary butterflies who help and keep her safe. Celia is worried about her own younger sister, a not coincidental parallel between her and Naomi.

Denfeld has written another lyrical, dreamlike, menacing, hopeful story. I wasn’t sure The Child Finder needed a sequel, but I was relieved and satisfied by this second book.

I absolutely loved The Child Finder and although this is in the Naomi Cottle series you do not have to read The Child Finder first. This can easily be read as a stand-alone. This book was heartbreaking at times but I enjoyed it as much as I did the first one.

Rene Denefeld is a fabulous author and has written another great book. The storyline is interesting and emotional.