Member Reviews
Such a good read! I love Megan Miranda writing style and I’m always excited when she publishes a new book, The Girl from Widow Hills is a great thriller that kept me wanting to know what happens. I loved the end!
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada and Net Galley for this ARC.
I was so happy to be given the opportunity to review this book. I have read all of Megan Miranda’s books and I couldn’t wait to dig into this one. This book starts by introducing us to Olivia who is hiding her “real” name and her past. She was from a small town named Widow Hills and she was in a tragic accident when she was a child. This accident has shaped her entire life. She doesn’t like enclosed spaces, counts the steps to the nearest exit and is always planning her escape. She has moved to another town and changed her name to start over as an adult. This is when the book gets interesting. Strange things start happening that Olivia can’t quite explain. People showing up from her past, random items showing up at her home from her past, hearing what she thinks is her mother’s voice etc. This book takes so many twists and turns it keeps you turning the pages long past bed time. I really loved this book and it kept me guessing from the start to the end! I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for a page turning thriller.
Arden Olivia Maynor was a legend to some degree. Surviving three days after being washed away in a flood, gave her infamy that she doesn't welcome. After graduating from University, she moves back to the area where she grew up with a new identity going by Olivia. She has a good job as an administrator at the local hospital and owns her own home in a rather remote area. Finding out her mother has been dead for over 7 months, triggers her sleepwalking that she had kicked and starts a chain reaction with her finding a dead body, remembering some things from her childhood and being framed at the hospital for missing drugs. What is happening to the Girl from Widow Hills?
This was a very different story from what I was expecting. That does not mean that I didn't enjoy it, because I did. This story was a bit of a mystery, drama, crime story and psychological thriller. The story is told in two timelines, the present and in flashbacks from Olivia/Arden as she begins to remember things. When she was washed away in the storm when she was only six, she doesn't remember much about what happened. With her sleepwalking returning she starts to have memories return as dreams. I liked Olivia's character even though there were times I was frustrated with her. There were a lot of characters that all played a part in this story, but they were well written and developed so you should have no problem following the story. The twist that comes at the end had me sitting up in my seat and saying "WOW" Another good story penned by Megan Miranda. I recommend this one to lovers of psychological thrillers.
The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda is a thriller that will stay with you, long after the end of the book. It is a story that will have you guessing and confused from the first page. Arden Maynor, a six-year-old, disappears from her home on a stormy night. It is believed that, while sleepwalking outdoors, she was swept away by a violent rainstorm. All of Widow Hills begin the search for the child, fearing the worst. After three harrowing days, Arden is found in a storm drain and saved. The child’s life is never the same as word of her ordeal spreads. When she is older, she changes her name to Olivia and fades from the limelight to live her life in anonymity for a change. She finished college, moved to another state and got a job at a local hospital. All is well for a while till she finds out that her estranged mother has passed away and the sleepwalking returns. One night, she stumbles onto a dead body in her yard and the police begin an investigation that threatens to bring back the troubles of her past life. Olivia is no longer able to tell the friends from the foes and the police may be digging up what should be left untouched. This is a rollercoaster ride and the end of the book will shock. Highly recommended. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
At six years old, Arden Olivia Maynor disappears in a raging storm. After three days of searching, she is found alive. From that miraculous moment on, her life becomes a flurry of celebrity-status, media limelight.
Now an adult and using her middle name, Olivia, a hospital administrator, lives a simple, understated life. Amicable, but keeping detached from others, the closest person to her is Rick, the older neighbor who watches out for her.
Learning of her mother’s death triggers something long deep buried in Olivia’s mind and suddenly, she’s filled with anxiety from years of PTSD and fears she may be sleepwalking again.
One night, Olivia finds herself outside, hands covered in blood, tripping over a dead man’s body. Hysterical, having no idea what she’s doing there or what happened, she runs to Rick for help. When the police become involved, the questioning and investigation reveal her identity. Olivia quickly finds the past she kept so tightly under wraps, can’t be stopped from unraveling.
I think Megan Miranda is an exceptional writer and I love her books. But while I found this an interesting read, I didn’t feel invested in the story or experience a connection in Arden/Olivia or any of the characters. Personally, those elements were missing for me in this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the read of Megan Miranda’s, The Girl from Widow Hills.
Opinions expressed are my own.
Twenty years ago, six-year-old Arden Maynor disappeared from her home after sleepwalking. She was found three days later. Now, she has moved away and changed her name to Olivia Meyer, so no one knows she’s “the girl from widow hills.” Her past is brought up again when she starts sleepwalking outside her house. One night, when she wakes up outside of her house, she is standing over the body of a man. Olivia’s past of the sleepwalking girl becomes news again during this murder investigation.
It’s amazing how these media stories affect the people involved. In this story, Olivia was the girl who disappeared but was found days later. The story was brought up again on the five and ten year anniversaries. Something that isn’t always mentioned is how traumatic it is for everyone involved to have to experience the event again. Olivia had to go to great lengths to separate herself from her past, but she still wasn’t able to escape it.
The ending of this book was shocking. I can’t remember the last time I had absolutely no idea how a thriller would end. I couldn’t fit any of the pieces of the puzzle together, but once I learned the final clue, it all made sense. I was so surprised! I loved this ending.
This is a great suspenseful thriller!
Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Another Megan Miranda book, another 5 stars read! I love her writings, I love her stories, I love how totally captivated I am when I read them... And this one has some amazing twists and turns that I absolutely didn't see coming. It's so GOOD!!
Many thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
RATING: 3 STARS
2020; Simon & Schuster Canada
Megan Miranda's novels have all been great premises with sort of meh endings. I keep reading her as I do enjoy her ideas and writing. Also, this genre in general can be annoying with endings. They can be either implausible, rushed or too open-ended. If you need a good beach read, this is a great book for that. You enjoy it while you read, but it doesn't real stick in your head for long.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Unlike other thrillers I read, this one was a bit more of a slow-burn; I really took my time reading it. I liked the way the author paced the story and gave the reader time to connect with the main character. There was no action or behaviour that was illogical – everything was well thought out and I appreciated that. As the story kept continuing, I was intrigued by how things would finally be resolved. There were some elements that I was able to guess but just as many that I had no clue on. I did find the ending to be a bit rushed but I enjoyed the story nevertheless.
I don't quite know how I feel about this book. I enjoyed the story which is why I gave it 3 stars, but found it repetitive which made 2/3 of the book a little boring and I almost put it down several times, making me want to give it 2 stars. It took away from the suspense. The final reveals/conclusions were interesting, but I almost feel like some of that information should have come sooner. Let the readers in a little more into the background story. Arden/Olivia's past ordeal was repeated several times with a tone that more happened, but every time it was mentioned it was the exact same information. In the present, it was the exact same repetitive tone of "it happened back then and now I have a new life and want no one to know my past."
Overall good suspense/mystery, just didn't think it was executed well so wouldn't be quick to recommend.
Thank you @NetGalley for the ARC.
This story grabbed my attention right from the start. I liked the character of Olivia and I found the development of the story to be well paced.
Upon reading a review from a fellow Goodreads user, I moved this book forward on my to-read list. And I'm glad I did, I finished it in two sittings.
As a child, Arden Maynor experienced a traumatic event. She went missing for three days, swept away in a storm while sleepwalking. She was found clinging to a grate in a culvert, with only a scar on her shoulder and PTSD, all memory of the event blocked from her mind by the trauma. Now she leads a quiet life away from the aftermath of the event. But as the 20th anniversary of the event approaches she starts feeling like she needs to look over her shoulder and then the sleepwalking begins again.
My previous and only other read by this author was "The Perfect Stranger", which I enjoyed, so I knew what to expect. As with that book, we get inside the narrator's head and struggle along with her as she tries to piece together the memories of her past and the mystery of what happened while she was sleepwalking, all while not knowing who she can trust and if she can even trust herself.
I did kind of have my suspicions, so when the book came to its resolution I was not surprised. That being said, the author did a great job of weaving everyone's stories together. I appreciate the author's ability to create a good mystery/thriller with an eerie atmosphere without employing a lot of the dark, violent themes other authors sometimes use.
I have another book by this author on my shelf, and I think it's going to get bumped up too!
Thank-you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy.
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½
Mystery: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½, rounded up
Taut, suspenseful read.
Arden mysteriously went missing when she was a young child and was found miraculously clinging to a storm drain. She became a reluctant celebrity for surviving the unsurvivable and decided to change her identity to finally have some privacy and peace. That peace is unraveled when she begins to sleep walk again and awakes to find a dead man at her feet.
I did find the book well written and enthralling. I would have liked a bit more mystery as I was able to guess what or who was the culprit in the book. Aside from that, the writing kept me reading and I really liked Olivia's/Arden's character.
I started this book back in May, paused about 25% of the way through, and then finally picked it up again to finish it. I went back and forth between print and audio (if it wasn't for the audio I don't think I would have finished it).
This one wasn't the book for me. I couldn't get invested in the story and couldn't connect with any of the characters. The reveal at the end was a good shock but didn't change my opinion on the book overall.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Sorry for being brutally honest but I didnt find this book engrossing at all from the very beginning.The pacing of the book is really slow with some unconvincing characters.
I Skipped through most of the pages as I was bored to hell. The plot is pretty lame and the story did not make any sense to me at all.
Thank you @netgally and @simonschusterca for sending me an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange of my honest review.
The Girl from Widow Hills was exactly the quick-read thriller I was looking for! Full of just the round amount of twists and creepiness, Miranda painted a perfect picture and I definitely did not see the ending coming! A Megan Miranda first for me, but I will definitely be looking for All the Missing Girls!
Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for sending me an advance copy of 'A Girl From Widow Hills' by Miranda Megan in exchange for an honest review.
Having not liked Miranda's previous novel, I started this book with low expectations. The book grabbed my attention on the very first page. Thus, I couldn't stop finishing it in a day.
'A Girl From Widow Hills' is a psychological thriller by Megan Miranda and it involves around Arden Maynor who was caught in a storm while sleepwalking and was rescued three days later when she was six. Twenty years after, her past is still hounding her. She wakes up one night finding herself sleepwalking and get tripped on a dead body lying in her yard. Her life takes turn dramatically and she starts doubting her past.
I loved the plot. I mean, who doesn't like the thrill factor in sleepwalking and waking up to a dead body. The storytelling has been consistent and flawless throughout the book. The excerpts from interviews, phone calls, emergency reports etc. added depth and intensity to the events in the story and Megan used them skillfully.
The main character, Arden aka Olivia, has been unreliable since the beginning. I remain unsure if she has been lying or just can't remember anything from her past. It is even more intriguing because the main character is uncertain of the events and personalities around her, keeping the suspense level high. I DID NOT see the end coming the way it did and I loved it.
I'd recommend it to all the suspense lovers and Megan Miranda fans.
A slow burn to begin with but once I was in, I was hooked.
Follow Arden (Olivia) as she navigates her life after childhood trauma, unwanted fame, and attempt at a “normal” life. Paranoia consumes her as the 20th anniversary of her disappearance nears. Will the past repeat itself or will Olivia break free from it all and finally lead the life she’s been so desperately craving?
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the way Megan Miranda was able to weave such an intricate plot while remaining realistic and relatable. As a childhood sleep walker myself, this book gave me the chills and kept me on my toes (and awake) until the very end!
This book is a thriller about girl, Arden Maynor who now goes by Olivia Meyer, who went missing 20 years earlier from sleepwalking and is miraculously found three days later. The media attention she got still follows her on the anniversary of the accident every year. As she begins to sleep walk again, she stumbles on a dead body in her backyard which forces her to revisit her traumatic past no matter how much she tries to run away from it.
This book started off a little slow for me and thought the murderer was so obvious. But the second half of the book really picks up the pace and it was exciting to read. The real killer ends up being a great twist!! I really wasn’t expecting it. As this was my first Megan Miranda book, I’m looking forward to reading more.
I’ll give this book a 3.5/5.
*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review*
This story is about a young woman who had gone through a traumatic childhood event. As an adult, she has changed her name and tried to leave it all behind her. The past, however, is not ready to be forgotten!
It took me a little while to get into the story, but once I did, I was hooked! This was a great thriller that kept me guessing until the very end!