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The book is called Lost Girl, but the protagonist, small-town investigative reporter Shelby Day, is anything but; she has a good job, a goal, a healthy dating life, and a dream. As a journalist, she is relentless, she may act foolishly here and there in pursuit of a story, but at least she knows precisely in which direction she is moving. She is the very opposite of lost. Still, Lost Girl implies halfway through that Shelby is indeed 'lost.' She is away from home, her dad is diagnosed with cancer, and multiple people accuse her of being selfish. It's here that I wish Holly Kammier would have stood up more for her creation. Seeing that this is a Young Adult book, I kept hoping her naysayers would be proven wrong. Instead, Shelby has to rely on her backbone solely; I was rooting for her, but I had the feeling that the writer liked her a lot less than I did.
I didn't see anything wrong with her, other than being bossy and smoking up a storm—what's up with that? Shelby has a terrible mother who plays the blame-game and a potential beau that continuously checks her every move, demands a lot of her time, and accuses her of being too focused on doing her job. I kept thinking he was a bad guy because he seemed disturbing, so possessive; he displayed all the warning signs of an emotional abuser. But no, in the end, he is Mr. Right, and he and Shelby smooth their differences out somehow. Listen, I didn't see anything wrong with Shelby; she was a bit naive, but better open and committed than cynical and stuck. Shelby doesn't want to get cemented in a relationship at her age, and why would she; yes, she put herself in danger but got more results than the police. Let the girl breathe and find her way instead of having to fight not only a bunch of awful men, one that goes around murdering women but also a moralistic worldview that she is trying very hard trying not to internalize. More Kinsey Milhone, or less Bridget Jones, and the next Shelby Day book will be alright.

The gist:

Originally from LA, Shelby Day is a tv journalist in a small town, hoping to fulfill her mission of becoming the best investigative reporter she can be. When two women, roommates, are murdered, Shelby smells the kind of story that can catapult her into big leagues. She also identifies with the unfortunate young women. It seems the killer also has noticed the similarity because he comes knowing on Shelby's door. In going against the wishes of her colleague and possible boyfriend Jack, the police and her annoying mother, Shelby, plunges herself into the investigation. Do or die should be her motto.

I usually cannot resist a good murder mystery, which is why I stuck to reading this book to the end despite the (seemingly not-on-purpose) very unlikeable main character. Unfortunately the ending was not very worth it either. The whole thing doesn't really hold well together and seems to be trying too hard at the shock-factor.

A great murder mystery which had me guessing till the end. A well written story I would lover to read more by his author

This book unfortunately wasn't my cup of tea so I did end up DNF'ing the book. I was attracted to the plot of this book but unfortunately did not meet my expectations.

This is an interesting book, with a twist in the tale with regards to the ending. I wasn't keen on the main character, I found her motivations and actions to require the reader to suspend belief. It was well written though.

Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for the ARC!

“'Why do you put up with me?' I asked.
Jack’s full lips parted. 'Because everywhere I go, I wish you were there.'”

At first, I thought the plot sounded interesting. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but for some reason I just couldn't connect with the characters. Shelby annoyed me a lot. I couldn't tell if Jack was cute or creepy. It definitely has a beautiful cover and I love the meaning behind the title, but I don't think I'll ever read this story again.

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

This was a quick and easy read for me. I blew through it in a couple hours. It definitely kept me guessing. I usually figure out who the killer is around the middle of a book, but this one kept me guessing until the very end.

My only real issue with this book was the pacing.. It didn't feel fluid. It felt forced at times and slow at others. Also some stuff felt very un-researched.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

I was given an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Shelby Day is an Investigative Journalist who thinks the is about to get her big break about a story of two young women who were murdered in their apartment. Shelby becomes very involved in trying to find out who the killer is, and apparently someone thinks she is getting too close because she starts receiving threatening letters advising her to stop searching,

There is also a romantic aspect to the story with Shelby's photographer, Jack.

This story was a good, quick read and I did not figure out the killer until close to the end. It kept my interest, however, I did not find Shelby to be a very likable character. She did have some good points, but seemed mostly spoiled and selfish and a bit promiscuous.

DNF at 48%
I really tried to love this story. The description was very interesting and promising. Plus I really like thrillers and mysteries. Unfortunately from the very beginning, this book was quite boring and nothing was intriguing. The characters were flat, paper and unrealistic.

What happens when the story you are writing for work becomes your life?

Lost Girl by Holly Kammier is an amazing mystery that had me on the edge of my seat at every moment. Shelby the reporter and Jack the cameraman are super spunky and find stories at the first moment. Being a reporter was always Shelby's dream and she finally thinks this story is what's going to push her career over the edge. Jack will never admit his feelings or the fact that he wants to protect Shelby at every moment. Shelby finally gets a story that will push her to a new place but when notes start popping up that are meant to scare Shelby away will she stop or continue on.

Shelby is a great character that truly made me think I could do anything I put my mind to. The work ethic even when she is put in dangers is amazing! Never have I seen a character so determined to make a story work the Shelby does. Working with such a fun co worker like Jack added a great new aspect to the story and the reader just knows he's going to be important. Though Shelby is very self destructive she tries to change through this entire novel even if she doesn't think she can. I think that takes a lot and this novel really shows how a character is allowed to change in such a short time even if they think they can't.

So I really wanted to like this story. The synopsis had me when it said it was a story Veronica Mars fans would enjoy. I can confidently say, being a huge fan of Veronica Mars, that this book is in no way similar. The writing itself wasn't too bad, but so many things about the story felt forced, contradicted itself, or made no sense. All in all, the entire story just fell flat for me.
I have read a great number of detective stories, the full range that's out there, so I know what makes a good detective story, what doesn't, and what is far overdone in this genre. The entirety of the 'mystery' in this story was boring, unoriginal, and I couldn't have cared less. I very rarely dislike a story- or dislike it enough to not have anything good to say about it. I wasn't even able to fully read this one, I ended up skimming because nothing held my interest, the main character was annoying and at times a terrible person, and her love interest was your typical 'save the damsel in distress' personality-less guy. Not to mention the fact that the main character was supposed to be tough and whatnot, and yet she's always saying things about the guys around her who make her feel safe, etc.
I'm just going to put some of the comments I wrote in my Kindle while reading this because I can't really remember much about the story, other than it annoyed me.
Firstly, I'm not a huge fan of prologues, especially prologues such as this one, where it basically tells you where the climax of the story is going to end up. I prefer to discover that through the course of reading the story. That could just be a preference thing though and isn't necessarily bad writing.
Next, I believed this to be a young adult novel, but the main character is in her 20s and is an established reporter. This doesn't seem very likely, what with the schooling needed and working up the chain. Maybe because she's in a small town? I'm not sure, but it doesn't seem plausible to me, and I spent the first part of the story thoroughly confused.
There's a point in the story where the main character is talking about emotions mixing with the job and how you have to "numb our emotions in order to get the job done properly." That isn't at all true and can be very destructive in that type of work. Maybe the author meant compartmentalize, but that's something that needs to be explained. Saying you should numb yourself is extremely dangerous information to be telling people.
Another thing that I found obnoxious was the musing on how the killings could have been the work of a Satanic cult because it occurred on Halloween. I have taken extensive classes on Law Enforcement and Anthropology, including a class dedicated to religions. This is extremely false information. There have never been ritual murders in the name of a Satanic cult. You have things like the Manson family, but every murder comes down to people. Actual Satanists aren't at all what common society thinks, and this type of information just furthers ignorance and fear. Clearly the author did no research for a lot of things in this story because I have more bones to pick later.
The 'romance' in this book is what I would expect from one of those cheap paperback books featuring a half-naked man clutching a woman on them. It's super cheesy, juvenile, and just plain bad. Things like "when Jack smiled at me, the sexy scar that traced from the seam of his lip to the curve of his chin, tilted ever so slightly." Really? Sexy scar. Most of my notes on this book are eye roll emojis. Then you have Jack, who is hell-bent on 'saving' her, not letting her go interview someone herself because she can't go without protection. His protection. The guys a photojournalist. What exactly is it that he thinks he brings to the table that's so tough? Which is made all the more annoying by how tough she's supposed to be, how she takes care of herself.
And Jack may have a sexy scar, but Shelby (I just remembered her name) has a whole freak out over potentially having a scar on her own face from an injury. Coming from someone who does have scars on her face, it doesn't feel very nice when a book sort of looks down on that sort of thing. Especially with a sexist double-standard. Scars are sexy on guys and a travesty on girls got it.
On the note of things not well researched, we have someone leaving threatening notes on Shelby's door, and when the police are made known of it, she's told that it's not illegal and basically that they can't do anything about it. That isn't true. Stalking is a crime, harassment is a crime, threatening someone is a crime. There may not be a whole lot someone can do about those as opposed to crimes that fall into the felony category, but there are restraining orders, protective details, actually trying to find out who's writing the notes (which is never done), trespassing notices, etc. Any amount of research would have given the author that information.
Another note on the law portion of the book that didn't seem to have been actually researched is the fact that Shelby is told she has to pass a felony background check to own a taser. I bought my taser at Sportsman's Warehouse when I was 19. Just like you buy anything else, no check of any kind was done. That may be different depending on where you are and the kind of taser you buy, but my experience has shown me that that is false. So it's just another bone to pick.
The big reveal about the killer was very anticlimactic and held no originality to it.
All in all, this book wasn't for me. I rarely am so harsh on a book, but I couldn't help but be for this one. I strongly urge you to not read it, and if you are looking for a good detective story watch the real Veronica Mars, because nothing quite beats it.

DNF at 25%. I tried so hard to like this book. I wanted to at the very least stick it out but...I just couldn't. In my opinion, it was just awful because I didn't like the main character. I just kept screaming at Shelby every darn time she made a bad decision (which was ALL the time) and her justifications are, to be honest, stupid and ridiculous. I just couldn't like such a selfish and immature character who couldn't accept responsibility for her actions instead choosing to blame others. I'm happy there are people who were able to connect to the book and Shelby, but that wasn't me. I do not recommend this book.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

*Big thanks to Netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange of an honest review*

This book is a YA thriller that keeps you intrigued with each page you read. Also, you can guess who's the assassin. It has a great plot and the chronology of events is well developed.

That said, I found Shelby, the main character, a bit obtuse and inconsistent with her ideas and beliefs. Of course, her priorities towards a successful career as a high level journalist are strong and defines her personality, but on an emotional level... I think she has a lack of emotions, in fact.

All the rest of the characters are great and give a good shot to the story.

A good reading, even for a YA.

Thanks netgalley and acorn publishing for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Small town investigative reporter Shelby Day thinks she’s found the story to really help her break out and become a household name. A double murder of two roommates in their sleepy little town, and Shelby is determined to piece together the clues to find the man responsible. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more threatening notes she receives, telling her to stop digging before it’s too late.

Pros:
-fast paced
-a simple enough mystery that didn’t make me think too hard

Cons:
-very unlikable main character, but not on purpose
-a lot of unneeded background subplots and drama
-very anticlimactic climax and resolution
-forgettable book

I really wanted to like this one but Shelby was a selfish human being that I couldn't connect with - and I tried! I held out hope that she would grow from her mistakes, that she'd mature throughout the story but sadly nope. She kept putting her foot in it and instead of owning up to her crap decisions and hurtful actions, she turned around and played the blame game. I didn't like the way she treated other girls (especially since she seems super concerned with being slutshamed herself), I really didn't like her treatment of Jack (her supposed love interest/best friend) - with friends like Shelby (distructive, spiteful and immature) who needs enemies? Overall her actions when it came to pursuing the murder investigaton (and her journalism career) were just TSTL and frustrating.

The author mentioned she tried to write an accurate portrayal of a 20 something year old and as one myself, I honestly couldn't relate. It was written in 1st person so it's just a lot of rambling, wishy-washy indecision on Shelby's part, where everyone is out to steal her story, distract her or sufficate her with their annoying love and affection! I can honestly say I'll never read this book or any featuring Shelby Day ever again. I need some redeeming qualities in a protaganist and Shelby had none. She wasn't loyal, trustworthy, or compassionate. Everything she did was for selfish reasons and when you start wishing for a tragic end for the Heroine, you know it's time to cut ties.

I read another book about a former investigative reporter just a few days before getting to this one. I usually do not compare books but considering both women have agendas for furthering their career, I had to draw one!

Shelby was not a nice person, whenever I started to feel for her character, she goes and does something completely random. Everything happened too fast for my liking and I did not have enough time to process my emotions in relation to those occurrences. All of this sounds like I did not enjoy the book and that would be about right. I had high hopes after the first chapter but none of the points mentioned was ever substantiated with fact, at least that's how it felt to me. It had a great premise but did not maintain that feel throughout. It is a quick read and for ardent fans of the Cozy Mystery genre, it might actually work out as a decent read. 

The narrative focuses on Shelby and her thoughts and her need to do well on her own without the use of her parent's considerable wealth. She draws parallels between the victims and herself in order to help her find the culprit

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but as you can see, the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

As thrillers go, I can't say this was my favourite. There was nothing inherently dreadful about it, but it didn't stand out to me as anything special. To begin with, I liked our MC, Shelby, but as the story progressed, she became frustrating and seemed to lose all of the values that were emphasised so heavily at the start.

What really disappointed me about this book was the ending. While I didn't predict the reveal at the end, I wasn't all that thrilled/excited by it when we found out. What really lost that extra star, though, was the cheesy, overly cutesy epilogue after the main story was rounded out. I feel that this could have been toned down a little or maybe even removed entirely. It didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the story and it just rubbed me the wrong way.

Overall though, this wasn't a bad book. As much as I had issues with what I've mentioned above, I still had a good time reading and at points didn't want to put it down. Just a little too average for someone that reads so many thrillers.

A massive thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy!

A well told roller coaster of a ride. It's entertaining and engaging. Will keep you riveted from page one until the last page. If you like thrillers with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing pick up this amazing book. Happy reading!

I debated on what to rate this book and I fluctuated between 2.5 and 3 so I guess 3 Stars will have to do because the mystery was interesting enough.
I never could have predicted who the killer was and I liked how there were so many viable suspects so props for the suspense and keeping me guessing.
What I absolutely hated was the main character Shelby. She was an immature, selfish completely unlikable person that made it hard for me to get invested in the story or really care what happened overall. She was the focus of the plot, with the mystery running in the background, and I need to like a character to root for them. She made bad choices all the way through the book, like sleeping with a possible murder suspect that she knew was a suspect all while possibly having a boyfriend. Just little things all the time added up to her being a big mess. I am sure others might enjoy this book, but it was not for me.

I just finished this book and I quite enjoyed it. I didn't quite like the protagonist Shelby Day in the beginning of the story but she got better with time. I honestly couldn't predict who the killer was so that proves the plot and the writing was more or less nice.. The narrative style was not my favourite but it was fine.