This is a slow burner, but well worth sticking with. This is a book that has stayed with me for a few days, always a sign that the characters have become important. I’m not a huge fan of multiple POV’s as they have become too commonplace and often add nothing to the story, but this is done well and certainly adds to the suspense.

Another good book by Lisa although truth be told I got a bit lost on who saw what and where and when but it all gels well at the end so it becomes clear then. Apart from that and it's probably me, it's quite good and will be liked by the Jewell-ettes (yeah, I just made that up!)

4.5 stars (I do wish we could give .5!)
Another great novel from Lisa Jewell.
Lots of issues looked at, some great characters and several twists and turns along the way.

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy.

I adore Lisa Jewell's work. I always have done. From the first page of Ralph's Party which I read all those years ago (and still have my original copy), to her latest thriller, Invisible Girl, I adore every word she's written.

There's an authenticity about her characters that makes them accessible and believable... They could be me and my friends, people I know, and that makes connecting with her plots so much easier. Dark, gripping, and compelling, it is a must read for all thriller fans.

Once again, Lisa Jewell has blown me away with another twisted, brilliant, and compelling read.

As the blurb tells us, Saffyre is a young girl with a lot going on but who no one really sees. When she goes missing, all eyes fall on another invisible person, Owen. Owen is one of life's down and outs. He has lived a sheltered and quiet life. He just plods along in the same routine all day, every day. He lives with his aunt, who doesn't actually like him, his teaching career is over, and when he finally finds a friend, it is nothing like he thought it would be. And now, the whole world is looking at him as the main suspect in Saffyre's disappearance.

Jewell is utterly brilliant.

The Invisible Girl took me on a journey through so many thrilling sensations I was up all night and read it in two sittings (purely because I had to adult and feed the kids).

I could give this book loads of the usual accolades but what I found the most enthralling is that way she's handled this topic of invisibility in society. And the snap and crass judgements people make based on nothing but what we are led to believe we should, or shouldn't, be.

We look at someone and make assumptions based on arbitrary information. Got a great job so they must be a nice and good person. 'Wrong' outfit so they must be bad. Got children so they must be kind. Married so they must be trustworthy. We makes judgements about people every day, rightly or wrongly, and those judgements can have a devastating affect. We live in a horrible world and Jewell showed how those judgements can create situations I would be horrified to find myself in but which are so easily made.

She made me care so much about the characters she's created. Indivisible Girl is raw with emotion which gripped my heart and didn't let go.

Each of the main characters is completely unreliable. I didn't know who to trust, and that really threw me. Psychological thrillers are known for narrators who make us question everything but my god, Jewell really is the master when it comes to writing these.

Invisible Girl is disturbing, devious, and delicious... A pure joy to read and a testament to the writing skill Jewell has.

I seriously hope Netflix or Reece Witherspoon get theirs hands on this one, it would make such a brilliant series!

What a belter!

I have read quite a few of Lisa's books now and although I did enjoy this I didn't find it heart thumpingly gripping.
This is about Saffyre, a seventeen year old who goes missing and her story of what happened to her when she was ten. She sees a psychologist Roan and after three years discharges her. She starts to follow him and discovers he is not who he seems. The story is also told from the pov of Roan's wife Cate. There is also the creepy guy Owen from across the street.
Overall it's a great read and you definitely want to read till the end for the conclusion.
Thanks to Netgalley and hhe publishers for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Lisa Jewell can surely write a book that will keep you on the edge till the last page and this one is no exception.
It's a roller-coaster of emotions, gripping and fast paced.
I loved the plot, the great cast of characters and the plot kept me guessing till the end.
The author is an excellent storyteller and I strongly recommend this book.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I love Lisa Jewell's writing and this did not disappoint! Really fast paced and great storytelling - I was gripped from the first chapter. I can't wait to recommend this to everyone when it's published in a few weeks time. Thanks for sharing this review copy.

What a brilliant story! This is a book about normal people who maybe have a few issues. A woman who doesn't completely trust her husband, a girl who was sexually assaulted as a child and is still struggling to deal with it, a shy man who struggles with relating to women. And then, the girl goes missing.........
Who has hurt her????? The story is told from different character perspectives and slowly it all becomes clear. This story kept me on the edge of my seat and desperate to find out exactly what had happened. At times heart rending, at others thoroughly chilling- a brilliant, brilliant read!

Gripping, unexpected and a really good read. This was a cleverly plotted story with complex but likeable characters who all have a backstory. Kept me guessing and held me enthralled till the end. A real roller-coaster of a read!

It's always difficult to anticipate a 'next' book when you rated the 'last' book by the author so highly. I loved the Family Upstairs, particularly the ending, and loved the dynamics and some of the individual traits of the characters.

I jumped when I saw Invisible Girl on Netgalley and high-fived myself when I was approved. It ticked all the boxes for me in a thriller : intrigue and mystery, an unknown villain, a little dark literally and figuratively.

The premise : Roan is a psychologist with seemingly blurred boundaries and questionable ethics. He's temporarily living in a neighbourhood where there is a surge in violent crimes and sexual assaults against young women.

Owen lives diagonally across the road. He lives with his aunt and has never had a girlfriend. He's never really had a date. And he just got fired from the school he works at for alleged inappropriate behaviour.

Saffyre Maddox lives in the neighbourhood and is missing after being seen in Roan and Owen's street on Valentine's night. Where can she be?

Ok, so most of the characters in this book were unusual. The one who was the least unusual was Saffyre and she was purported to have all the issues! I think Jewell's portrayal of her was fantastic.

But Roan takes the cake on the unusual even when compared with Owen. I seem to have read ALOT of books lately with the psychologist is a strong lead character - Michael Robotham's books, Val McDermid's books and a couple of others off Netgalley. Roan fell flat for me because there were elements of his character that were inconsistent - it's just that people weren't looking closely enough.

I'm still not sure how this book sits with me. I know I didn't love it in the myriad of ways I loved The Family Upstairs. I know it didn't make me feel like I wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery. Were there multiple ways it could have gone - yes! I'm just not sure the ending was that big of a bang and I felt a little disappointed.

What was clear in Invisible Girl is the message that sometimes monsters hide in plain sight. True that!

Rating to three stars because I've read some good books lately and rated them a 4 for various reasons - this one is missing some of the elements that would put it in the same league, as much as it pains me.

Rest assured, I'll line up for the next one though.

Lisa Jewel has hit the nail on the head again! “Invisible Girl” is a gripping psychological thriller that is rooted deeply in our suburban fears. It takes hold and doesn’t let go until the final page is turned...

When Saffyre Maddox, a quiet but popular 17 year old girl, goes missing a few miles from her home the investigation brings police to the door of Owen Pick. He’s a socially challenged, unpopular loner, who has recently left his teaching job amid a swirl of accusations from young girls. He’s an obvious choice for someone guilty of harming Saffyre, right? But not all is what it seems here, as Saffyre was outside the house of her childhood psychologist when she went missing. Do him or his family know anything about Saffyre? And is the case related to the string of sex attacks that have been happening in the local area? Lives will be forever changed as the truth of what has happened to Saffyre is discovered...

“Invisible Girl” is so much more than a taut suburban thriller, it’s a fantastically constructed social critique too. Owen’s treatment and the suspicion around him is so immediate and certain primarily because he doesn’t fit into societal norms. He looks odd as unkempt, he is a virgin and simply doesn’t know how to talk to women, he has no real friends and at 33 years old he lives with his Aunt still - to all intensive purposes he’s socially invisible. That is, until the police come knocking on his door and he immediately comes into view as a depraved, child-abusing, sex offender. The media paint him as such and suddenly this unassuming, awkward man is at the centre of a witch-hunt - mainly because he doesn’t fit the media’s depiction of normality or beauty, which immediately assumes he’s guilty. Owen is a complex character, as it is clear he’s not entirely innocent, but equally he does not seem guilty of the heinous crime he is so easily charged with. Jewell brilliantly constructs a tension between readers’ conflicting feelings about Owen. At times I was convinced he had played some part in Saffyre’s disappearance and at others I thought it was all unfair prejudice that wrongly convicted him. It made me question my own opinions in the past, where I’ve so easily judged someone basked on their appearance and apparent social awkwardness. Reading from Owen’s perspective has made me re-evaluate myself. I found this aspect of the novel to be completely refreshing and made for a reading experience I’ve not come across before.

I also really enjoyed the style of the novel, which is written from different characters’ viewpoints or perspectives. This propelled the mystery forward, by revealing things from multiple angles. It helped to plant seeds of ideas to who an alternative perpetrator may be, which as the narrative progresses could be any number of characters - there are plenty of plausible individuals who could be guilty. There are multiple layers to the story, which keeps readers turning pages and from guessing what exactly is going on and how proceedings will conclude. The climax is surprising, but when revealed, has been expertly built to only possibly conclude the way it does. Upon reflection, there are plenty of clues scattered through events that have hinted at the conclusion, including the final twist, which leaves a very unsettled feeling in the pit of your stomach! Jewell is very definitely at the top of her game when it comes to writing engaging, provocative and chilling thrillers. Her astute observations on society here give “Invisible Girl” a much deeper meaning, which makes it a genuinely fantastic read.

I highly recommend this novel for anyone looking for a thought-provoking thriller with a gripping suburban mystery at its core.

Saffyre is only young when she is exposed to a psychological and physical trauma which she carries through her life. She sees a psychologist Roan who signs her off after a few years but she still hasn't told him the real heart of the problem. She begins to have an obsession with him, following in the shadows finding out secrets which could destroy his cosy family life forever.

Owen lives across the street and is socially awkward especially with women, so when sexual assaults begin happening around the towns Saffyre goes missing the blame gets put on Owen, after all he is 'the creepy guy'.

Is everything as it seems or will everything come crashing down around them all?

Thank you net galley for letting g me read this book.and to Lisa Jewell for writing it. Thoroughly enjoyable read- it makes you think about who you should trust!

A really fast paced thriller which kept me reading well into the night. I found the writing atmospheric and I always like a book which switches chapters looking at different characters.
The chapters in first person all centre on Saffyre, a girl with a fierce demeanour and strong character who you learn has had struggles in the past she has overcome, well maybe not quite...
The other chapters are all third person which really help to build each character separately but keep the main narrative centred on Saffyre as it should be.
This book leads you down rabbit holes, up, out and down again to keep you guessing which was great fun,

I've now read quite a few books by this author so I had high hopes for this one going in. And I'm pleased to say that, once again, she didn't disappoint. It sucked me in from the first page, held me captive throughout, spitting me out at the end, exhausted but satisfied.
We meet 17 year old Saffyr Maddox who suffered something horrible when she was 10 and has been living with the trauma ever since despite seeing therapist Roan Fours. She sparks a series of events when she goes missing on Valentine's night, the finger immediately pointing to teacher Owen Pick who, coincidentally lives opposite the Fours. But, is the easy solution the right one? Saffyr is still missing, no body has been found, but with the evidence mounting against Pick, have the cops really got their man or is there something much more heinous going on?
This book had me spinning around like a very fast top. I got quite dizzy trying to work it all out ahead of the game so, about half way, I gave up trying so hard and let the book just take me on its journey. And what a journey that turned out to be. Secrets, lies & duplicitous behaviour ain't the half of what happens along the way in this book. There are also quite a few sensitive and hard hitting topic to be found herein, some of which broke my heart a little and really made me feel for what certain characters were going through. Yes, OK, so despite giving up guessing, there were a few things that were a bit obvious to me but these were relatively minor in the whole, and I never quite got hold of the full picture ahead of the reveals. So, yeah, well done for that!
Pacing is good, there is enough description to enhance and complement the narrative but not too much to overshadow. Characterisation is interesting and I mean that as a compliment! Not all likeable but I was well able to connect to them all in one way - good or bad.
All in all, another winner to add to an already impressive back catalogue which I am trying my best to play catchup to get through. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Whilst this book is billed as a thriller, to me it is all about the characters..Some, you don't like early on and some needing sympathy. The main ones in the book being Saffyre Maddox, Owen Pick and Cate Fours. and other interesting characters within their three families. They all live close by in Hampstead and their lives are well woven together.

Thus we have the premise of the whole book and I really enjoyed it, after a slow start.

Ms Jewell describes people brilliantly and the pre-judgements early on were dispelled towards the end. Owen in the police station excellently described.

Invisible girl

This had all the ingredients of a great read yet didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I found it hard to like the characters although I loved the idea of the story being told from their perspective. I loved that the book dealt with our ‘misperceptions of people’ based on their looks/jobs/financial status etc. It very much highlighted how horribly wrong our misjudgements of others can be. A very accessible book dealing with a number of different themes.

Despite loving the author this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The story is about a young woman who goes missing and is told from three points of view; Saffyre’s the missing girl with a troubled childhood, Owen a loner, and Cate the wife of a charismatic child psychologist.

As always I loved the author’s distinctive writing style which makes for easy reading. Likewise I enjoy the way she brings lots of seemingly unrelated different strands and characters together quite spectacularly by the end. And, this one had a great cast of interesting and troubled characters with some complex mental health issues that were well-handled by the author, and provided a fascinating sub-context.

Essentially the underlying concept was societal norms where misfits try to be invisible so as not to be noticed whilst truly vile characters simply mask their true nature to walk among us in plain sight. It really got me thinking, especially in these current times, about how easy it is to misjudge someone who’s different. For example, the “odd” loner who happens to be walking the same way as a young woman is creepy but the attractive runner brushing past somebody is overlooked. Although fiction it also depicts a shocking reality where people are shamed by public opinion, the names and life stories of suspects are widely reported and if they later turn out to be innocent well so what.

What I didn’t like, however, was the plot which contained themes that some readers (myself included) may find uncomfortable including rape and sexual assault. I also like a story where things are wrapped up neatly and the ‘bad’ people get what’s coming to them but without wanting to give anything away this one didn’t quite turn out like that. I also thought the epilogue should have been a bit later in time, as having handled the character’s mental health issues so sensitively this was kind of undone by the speed at which they seemed to easily overcome their issues at the end.

This book really grew on me. At first It seemed slightly disjointed by the accounts from different characters and the different timelines but once they began to mesh together I was hooked.
I enjoy books where there is no clear cut suspect from the beginning but the finger of suspicion goes one way then another.
A well written book that takes you on a journey and shows you how the events are seen from the point of view of the three main characters Saffyre, Owen and Cate. The reader gets a good insight into their thoughts and feelings.
A good read.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

A really good read. This story has three different families who all have many secrets and lead complicated lives and when a young girl goes missing they are all drawn into the plot, there are many twists and turns and all of them could have something to do with it but will the right person be caught. A thrilling read that keeps you guessing right till the end.

This was such a compelling read, told from a mix of viewpoints it really considers the judgements we make and how we view our own lives. The characters are a very interesting mix - the troubled seventeen year old, the wary and weary wife and the thirty-something guy who just can’t understand why women can’t relate to him. All offer an interesting insight into the events leading up to and following Valentine’s Day and how easy it is for random events to accumulate to build a whole different picture. This was very original but also thought provoking and I can’t believe how quickly I flew through it!