Thanks to @netgalley and @simonandschuster

This is probably my favorite out of the 3 books I've read by Megan Miranda.

It has you suspecting everyone at some point and the end is a huge twist.

One of the twist is laid out and I didn't catch it.

I feel like reviewing thrillers is hard because I don't want to spoil it. So, I will not say much else just that it was original and kept me turning pages!!

This story kept my interest from the beginning. Olivia has survived a traumatic past and her past comes to haunt her when she makes a gruesome discovery while sleepwalking. Olivia is just trying to live a quiet life under a new identity she had to obtain in order to flee a media circus to live a normal life. Now, a murder in her front yard threatens to destroy her privacy and learns that some people in her inner circle can't be trusted. This was a very enjoyable mystery.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance read this ARC.

Trigger Warning | Child Abuse

Thank you so much @SimonandSchuster & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 23 June 2020)

SYNOPSIS | Everyone knows the story of Arden Maynor who was swept away in a thunderstorm whilst sleepwalking and found clinging to a storm drain 3 days later. The twentieth anniversary of her rescue is approaching and she wakes up in her back garden over a body of a man she knew from her previous life.

WHAT I LIKED:
- This was my first Megan Miranda and while I didn't love this story, I am intrigued to read some of her other more popular books like All the Missing Girls or The Last House Guest.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- If i was trying to reinvent myself then I would change my name a little bit more drastically. I do not understand why her original name was Arden Olivia Maynor which she then changed to Olivia Meyer. They are just ridiculously similar.
- I normally love a mixed media format, but I don't think the interviews & transcripts at the end of each chapter actually drove the story forward.
- The friendships & romantic relationships were weak at best

I requested The Girl from Widow Hills because I enjoyed Megan Miranda's The Last Houseguest, but I liked this one even more! It's faster paced, and I read it in a day. The twist partway through was chilling, which is exactly what you want in a thriller!

A solid novel by Megan Miranda. While not my favorite of hers, it was an interesting storyline. When Arden/Olivia was a child she went missing during a bad storm and was found 3 days later, 20 years later she is still processing the trauma that she experienced. Then a man turns up dead on her property line and the events of the past start coming back.

I wouldn't call this a thriller, or really even all that suspenseful. The storyline was convenient but I felt that it was a stretch at times. It was a slow read for a suspense book and I never really felt hooked by it. At the same time, there were a few aspects that I did not figure out ahead of time which I appreciated. I never reached a point where I felt connected to the characters, but again it was a solid book. Good but not great.

All in all I love Megan Miranda's work and look forward to what she writes next.

I would like to thank Megan Miranda and NetGalley for the preview of The Girl from Widow Hills. The book provided a thought provoking and suspenseful look at what a person thinks they remember. The movement from past to present day kept me engaged and looking for the resolution which was totally unexpected and and surprise twist. I enjoyed the book but would have liked further character development, several felt unconnected.

The Girl From Widow Hills is darker than some of Miranda’s more recent work. This novel was hard to put down and I wouldn’t suggest starting right before going to bed. Olivia is trying to escape her past as "The Girl From Widow Hills" swept into a storm drain as a child whilst sleepwalking, miraculously survived who then became a story. One her own mother was all to keen to cash in on. Now with her name changed, living a fairly anonymous and normal life, her random sleepwalking reemerges. She doesnt know why, but one night there is a dead body there in front of her...

Miranda takes us an immersive ride to figure out what has changed and why the sleepwalking has returned. Most importantly though, whobis the man and why is there?

Thank you Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and Megan Miranda for an advanced copy!

3.5 ⭐️‘s

While this mystery was quite predictable and the storyline unbelievable, Miranda still kept me entertained and isn’t that ultimately what a book should do? There are times that I just like reading something that’s a bit of a no-brainer and this book hit the spot. Not something I’ll remember for long, but in the moment it was a nice, diverting read.

An interesting story about Olivia who was known as the Arden, the girl in the underground pipe who was rescued by Sean Coleman twenty years ago. Olivia received her fair share of media attention from the event and changed her name and location to move on with her life. Olivia sleepwalks at night and one night she wakes up when she trips over a dead man's body. She runs to her neighbor's house for help and calls the police. This was a page-turner for sure and one I enjoyed even with a slow start. I did not see the twist coming at the ending and will recommend this one who likes a good mystery and suspense read. Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for my advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Really enjoyed this book. The plot was twisted and kept me guessing right up until the end. I thought everyone was a suspect. Loved the writing style and the use of articles and interviews to tell the past, which is linked to the future. Will be looking to read other books by this author.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my review. I wish to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book.

This book was not for me. The start was very slow and seemed completely unrealistic. The thought that someone in current days could keep their identity a secret was just, well, dumb. Unbelievable. Had the book been set in the 1970's or 1980's - yeah, it might work. But once I realized what the time frame was, I found myself annoyed by the story line. Then I found myself skimming the book, then finally gave up. I didn't finish this book. I may go back later and try it again, but even though this was an ARC offered to me in exchange for my review, I just couldn't read this one. I know this author is very popular and well liked, but I haven't really been a fan of her books overall. Should have skipped this one.

This is one of those books that I read for a while, let myself ponder what was happening in it, and then read again. Arden Maynor was a young girl when she went sleepwalking and ended up being swept away into a storm drain, missing for three days. She has no memory of those three days, but her mother capitalizes on the notoriety and uses the money from writing a book to feed her own drug habit. Now an adult, Arden wants to escape her past, so she moves to a small cottage in the middle of nowhere and changes her name to Olivia. Unfortunately, her past catches up to her and when she sleepwalks one night, she stumbles across a corpse in her yard, and she knows the dead man. The female detective was an excellent source of clues for me as to what was going on and what to expect next. Another important character was Olivia’s elderly neighbor and landlord Rick, a man who seems to have taken a vow to protect her. This is a thriller that will enthrall and then compel you to read more. Although I didn’t think the premise was very believable, I was quickly drawn into the dilemma of Olivia who needs to remember her past in order to have a present. The ending was a surprise, so that was good for me as a mystery fan, too. Fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy this book, but be prepared for a slow burn and then a fast conclusion.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

First, let me say that books by Megan Miranda bring me such joy.

Second, The Girl from Widow Hills is no exception. From the first few pages, you'll know something is up, and it only gets crazier after that. Our main character is trying to figure out a mystery and while this is going on, we have plenty of characters introduced who may, nor may not, hinder her in her search. It's hard not to say anything that might spoil the story. Brace yourself, because you might not know if you're crazy....or if the main character is.

Third, read this one!

The Girl from Widow Hills publishes 6.23.2020.

5/5 Stars

This is a new thriller that has a VERY unique story line. It is unlike any thriller I have read before. The story revolves around blocked childhood memories. It is great. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Having enjoyed the earlier entry, All The Missing Girls, I settled down during the Covid Quarantine to catch up on my to-be-read shelf and wished I had picked this one up earlier so that I could have given it an early five star review! All my favorite components are here, different timelines, different narratives, newspaper reports and a fascinating story about a young missing girl, now grown, with with a different name and a different recollection of her trauma being forced to confront the past and the truth when a new tragedy hits her. The writing is strong and gave us a glimpse of how it is to live in constant fear and always watching and dreading an always possible next catastrophic event.

Megan Miranda is the queen of the Missing Girl novel. I have read and loved her previous books, especially “All the Missing Girls,” so I was super excited to get a sneak preview of this one.

This is a missing girl novel with an interesting twist. Here, Arden (missing at age six) is a sleepwalker....and is found three days later, clinging to a storm grate, and is rescued from the sewer a la baby Jessica in the well. A happy ending to an unfortunate sleepwalking accident. Or was it?

Twenty years later, Arden has changed her name to Olivia. No one knows what happened to her — including herself, as she has no memory of the incident — until a dead body linked to her past turns up.

This book gives the reader a really interesting look at survivors of national tragedies and the public’s obsession with them. It’s a mystery but also more of a character study. There are murders and twists and a satisfying ending in which both the recent murders and Arden’s story are resolved in a satisfying way. Megan Miranda always writes a thoughtful, suspenseful thriller and this one was no exception. Four stars!

Thanks to Simon and Schuster, NetGalley and Megan Miranda for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

I’d like to thank Net Galley for the digital advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Megan Miranda kept me reading quickly to learn more about the past of her characters. She engages the reader and draws them in with mysterious pasts of so many in this book. The Girl from Widow Hills is an excellent fast read for any fans of psychological thrillers. While, I did see the spin at the end coming, it was written as a plausible and believable explanation to the 20 years of confusion the main character lives through. 5 stars.

This one came to me from Simon & Schuster, and once I started it, I didn’t want to put it down. I requested to review this one because, I too am a sleepwalker, and I loved the idea of things going so fantastically awry for Arden. Miranda wrote her suffering so well. The combo of the lifetime fear of enclosed spaces and the fear of being found is a perfect storm to keep her PTSD alive.

I can’t even imagine how hard it was for her dealing with the fallout from her disappearance. To suddenly start sleepwalking again and then wake up to a dead body would have you questioning yourself and those around you. The storyline has you constantly guessing what is going on and who Olivia should trust. I was not prepared for the secrets that came out or the big reveal. The closer I got to the ending, the faster I read. This was a super fun read from start to finish.

This book stopped me from being able to get to sleep if I read it before bed. I rarely experience this with thrillers. This goes to show how it really gets under the reader's skin. I haven't been this immersed in a thriller since The Flower Girls by Alice Clark-platts so if you liked that, you'll like this.

It started quite slowly, but it didn't take long for me to be turning the pages like my sanity depended on it. Humans love to feel in control of their own lives. This book is all about control and lack thereof. The build-up of tension was masterfully done. This is my first time reading Miranda's work. But I had only heard good things from friends. Because of this book, I will read anything she writes.

I had a lot of theories about how this book would end. My second-hand paranoia made me question everything. Yet, I still did not see that plot twist coming. This is very rare. I usually see it coming in thrillers at least by the time we reach the climax of the plot. Not this time.

I cannot recommend this book enough.

Be prepared for a turbulence journey when you pick up “The Girl From Widow Hill” by Megan Miranda.

I became a fan of Megan Miranda when I came across “All of the Missing Girls,” which I read over the span of a weekend. Megan Miranda excels at creating fast-paced stories with plenty of unexpected twists and turns without sacrificing character development; the author maintains status quo in her latest effort.

Twenty years ago, in Widow Hill, Kentucky, six-year-old Arden Maynor, while sleepwalking, is swept away during a bad storm. Three days later, she was foundinjured but alive underground and clinging to a drain cover. The public and media respond and Arden’s mother benefits from the attention both financially and otherwise, the former of which feeds into her drug addiction.

In the present, Arden, now Olivia Meyer, is estranged from her mother and trying to build a new life as a hospital administer in a sleepy town in Central Valley, North Carolina. She lives in a cottage, has a few friends, including neighbor, Rick, and coworker, Bennett, and hopes her recognition as the “girl from widow hill” is in the past. But as the twentieth anniversary approaches, Olivia finds herself sleeping walking again. Her mother had just passed away (well, Olivia finds out nine months after the fact) and as the next of kin, Olivia receives a box other mother’s possessions, which have the possibility of triggering her recollection of what happened the three days she clung to life in a storm drain. But is what she remembers what really happened or are her memories really a reflection of the media's spin on events? Hoping medication can put a halt to the nightmares, she seeks assistance from a sleep specialist. Instead, that night she wakes up next to a dead body with blood all over her hands.

Who was this man and why was she found next to him? Did she cause his death and if so, why? If you think the answers to these questions are obvious, think again. Megan Miranda is a master at leading you down one pathway and the moment you start to feel comfortable, she jerks you into another direction all together. Yet, while this novel is heavy on plot, the author has a strong sense of her characters, even as the reader starts to doubt whether Olivia is a reliable narrator.

Fans of Megan Miranda’s page-turning, captivating stories will not be disappointed. Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for the chance to review this novel.