I had higher expectations for this book, as the description really hooked me. Unfortunately, the book didn’t meet any of my standards. The biggest issue is that it just didn’t make sense. The story would jump between topics and scenes with absolutely no connection making the reader feel lost. Even worse, the ending made no sense and didn’t really wrap up the story or connect all of the dots.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing this ARC for an honest review.

I want to start out with what I liked about the book. First off the title is very catchy and intriguing. I also loved the cover design. I thought it added to the title and pulled me in. After reading what the book was about I was hooked. An 18 year old girls wakes up in a motel room covered in blood and no memory of how she got there...yep sign me up! The story started strong and kept me guessing about what happened and who done it through out. There were a lot of twists and turns thrown in that kept it exciting and me interested in the book. Where it went downhill would have to be the ending. With all the excitement throughout the ending kind of fizzled out. I was left with unanswered questions and events in the story that didn't make sense. It had a lot of build up that I liked and I feel it should have continued to the ending. I think that those who like mystery and thrillers will gravitate to this book. I would say this would be a great read for middle school but it did have swearing in it but otherwise there was little violence and no sexual scenes.

I was intrigued by the idea of this book, though it didn’t really deliver for me.
Andrea is just eighteen. She wakes up the day after her birthday with no memory of the day before. She is in a cheap motel room, covered in blood and when she turns on the tv she learns her mum and dad have been attacked, her younger brother is missing and she is the prime suspect.
Most people would react as Andrea does and go into a complete spin. She has no reason to mistrust the police, but why would she turn herself in when she has no memory of what happened?
For no obvious reason Nate, the young boy working on reception at the motel she wakes up in, takes Andrea under his wing. He helps her to lie low as she tries to work out how to discover details that will help clear her name.
Her supposed friends are quick to condemn her, and Andrea does so many stupid things I’m unsure how the police didn’t pick her up within hours. That aside, the story rattles along quickly and there’s a couple of theories put out that we see as potentially plausible.
Just as it seems Andrea might be getting somewhere there’s a mighty coincidence too far and Andrea ends up smack bang in the middle of a very messy situation. Everything she has been told is turned upside down…but because we know so little about her it’s quite hard to summon up more than a passing interest in her situation.
There’s a dramatic climax that comes from pretty much nowhere, and though things are explained we never really get the feeling they’re resolved.
I’m grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication, and I’m sure it will have some fans, but it really didn’t work for me.

I couldn't put this book down. I loved the interactions between naive Andie and worldly Nate. I'll definitely read this author's other books.

This book just wasn’t for me. I ended up having to DNF it at 35%. The story was just so repetitive and the main character was just so annoying. I know she just lost her family but she acted so helpless. I also didn’t understand why being a foster child automatically made her a suspect. Her supposed best friend says she doesn’t know her either because she’s a foster child even though they grew up together. The book even asks itself why it matters that she is a foster child. It just felt very improbable that she would be a suspect. I’m sure it explains it by the end of the book but it just wasn’t holding my attention anymore. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review!

As a fan of YA thrillers and mysteries, this book had captured my attention from the get-go and also the fact that I had previously read Twisted by Hannah Jayne and had a couple more of her books on my kindle to read. I didn't know exactly what I was in for but going in blind is often when the best results occur. The Girl in the Headlines starts with a punch when Andrea - our main female character wakes up in a random hotel room and she is covered in blood. She can't remember a single thing except that yesterday was her 18th birthday, after that everything is a blur. Andrea turns on the TV and imagine her shock when she sees her name scrawled along the bottom of the screen with the words "suspected person of interest". It turns out that Andrea's dad is dead, her mother is fighting for her life and her younger brother Josh is missing and all signs are pointing to Andrea committing the crime. Of course, she can't have done it, or did she? As the book goes along, Andrea will pair up with Nate who runs the motel she is staying at to try and clear her name and also find out where her brother Josh is. During the book, we learn that Andrea wasn't her parent's actual daughter and that her parents kept some hidden skeletons from her including some tidbits about her real parents. Overall the book was a bit of a slow-paced mystery and when the ending was revealed it was easy to guess and predictable as I had kind of had an idea of the ending from about the mid-point of the story. However, in saying that if you are needing a new YA thriller author to check out, then add Hannah Jayne to your reading lists.

This book was so good! It kept me on my toes the whole time and I got so invested in the characters. I’m definitely happy with this one.

Waking up in a motel room covered in blood with no memory of what happened? I needed to know this girl’s story.

The hook for this novel is compelling and a perfect setup for an intense, thrilling novel. I felt Andi’s confusion, grief, and strong need to find her little brother. Seeing her home with police tape around it on television and hearing she’s a suspect in the investigation is surreal. Luckily for her she comes across street smart Nate working at the front desk of the motel because she wouldn’t have survived a day without him. He’s a voice of reason and prevents her from making some (a couple at least) questionable decisions. I found it difficult to believe an eighteen-year-old girl could be this naive about the world around her.

A quick read, the story moves at a brisk pace. There’s plenty of action as Andi and Nate gradually piece together what happened that night, and it’s pretty clear from almost the beginning who’s involved. With such a breakneck pace wrapping up the plot, I was surprised when it ended abruptly and left many questions unanswered.

While this book begins with an intriguing mystery, puts the MC in a harrowing situation, and introduces a strong, very likeable supporting character, I was left scratching my head over the ending. I honestly expected an epilogue to wrap up the loose ends.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of The Girl in the Headlines by Hannah Jayne which will be released in July 2021. All opinions are my own.

High school senior, Andi, wakes up the day after her 18th birthday in a hotel room, covered in blood, with no memory of the previous night. When she turns on the TV, she learns that her parents were attacked leaving her father dead and her mother in critical condition. Her younger brother is also missing, and she's the number one suspect. Andi befriends the teenage boy working the front desk of the hotel and together the two try to solve the mystery of her parents' attack, her brother's disappearance, and her missing memories.

The Girl in the Headlines is a solid mystery thriller. I liked the concept of the book, but I felt that it fell a little flat. The plot moved at an okay pace but was predictable. Some elements also seemed to fall into place too easily. Additionally, I was left with questions about Andi, her past, her parents, her friends, etc. that never got resolved. Most of the violence occurs prior to the story beginning and though Andi is covered in blood, she has no recollection of how it got on her. Because of the lack of violence and solid mystery, I was hoping this would be a good book for my middle schoolers who love thrillers. While the plot seems okay, it does use the f-word multiple times.

Hannah Jayne has done an excellent job in opening the book.
She gives just enough information to prick your interest and keep you turning the pages.
Andrea has just turned 18 and awakes in a hotel room with a lot of blood, no memory, and news reports of her brother missing and her parents murdered.

How does a A grade upstanding girls wake up into such a nightmare? Is she capable of really killing someone?
What happened at the birthday celebration and where is her brother?

It is a swift moving story and while the chapters are small, I did not find myself wanting to set this one down.

Well written with enough detail to keep the story both moving and interesting.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced E-book advanced edition in exchange for an honest review

A quick and gripping book. I feel like I have read this plot several times over in the YA thriller genre, but it doesn't mean I didn't like it.

Spoilers below!

The Girl in the Headlines is a gripping novel that's full of tension. I didn't want to put it down as I read it because I was dying to know what was going to happen next. I particularly enjoyed how quickly the action happened, simply because I really, REALLY wanted to know what was next and whether Andi was the actual killer. The ambiguity is nice all throughout, and I liked the theme of belonging the novel embraces. That being said, I predicted the ending, which isn't always a bad thing or a criticism. The ending is also a bit abrupt and wraps up too nicely. Honestly, I wanted to see what happened AFTER Andi is cleared as the killer. There are a lot of unanswered questions that really could have benefited from having some sort of resolution. Like, what happens with her friend Lynelle? Lynelle was so quick to throw Andi under the bus, so what's going to happen? Will she apologize to Andi? Will Andi be done with her? Why was Jerry at the house and why did he lie to the police? What about the dick boyfriend who wasn't really a boyfriend? Did Nate actually call the cops or was that a lie?

Overall, this novel is a quick read and easy to get sucked into, which is great. I just wish there were more answers in the end instead of an abrupt, quick wrap up that doesn't address the greater parts of the novel.

Meet Andi, who has just turned 18. She wakes up to a nightmare - her dad is dead; her mom is critically injured; and her brother is missing. Turning on the TV in her motel room she realises she is ‘The Girl in the Headlines’...and the number one suspect...

3-4 stars. I do think that teens will enjoy this book. But did feel it was a bit lacking for those who read a lot of thrillers. Characters were done okay, but I felt that if they were done a bit differently it may have been a bit more gripping. Had a few fun twisty turns, thrills, chills, and shocks. Not very fast paced to me, but could’ve been my mood. Overall, I did finish, so I would recommend, as I don’t usually finish ones that are not even a bit exciting. I think most teens and YA will enjoy more than the thriller junkies though!

A solid addition to the teen thriller genre. A recommended purchase for YA and HS collections where Karen McManus and Holly Jackson are popular.

Andrea lives "in a nice house with hardwood floors and...[eats] Cheerios every morning", but wakes up bloody and alone in a hotel room to find out that her father has been murdered, her mother is in critical condition in the hospital, and her younger brother Josh is missing. She is wanted by the police as a person of interest, but as time passes, she becomes a suspect. She finds an unlikely ally in Nate, the clerk at the hotel desk, whose mother abandoned him. Since he's 18 he's managed to work out a deal with the hotel owner to live on site, but he knows the trauma of uncertainty and neglect growing up. Andrea maintains that her family was loving and stable, but as more and more reports show up on the news, she learns some secrets about her past. She can't turn herself into the police, since they would never believe her innocence, so with Nate's help, starts to investigate on her own. She has other suspects in mind; an angry ex-boyfriend, a friend and neighbor who was loaned money by her father, and maybe even shady characters from her family's past. Will she be able to find Josh before harm comes to him, and prove her own innocence, even though she can't really remember what happened?
Strengths: Wow. This was a fantastic murder mystery. It starts with a stressful, suspenseful premise and builds from there. Nate as an ally makes perfect sense, and he is a steadying presence in the background. The contrast between Andrea's "perfect" family and his own troubled one is great, considering that Andrea is the one in trouble. The brushes with the police are a bit unlikely, but plausible, and add to the suspense. The key to the mystery is a twist I don't want to spoil. With a few tweaks, this would be great for all of my readers who crave murder mysteries.
Weaknesses: The blinding pain that Andrea experiences a couple of times isn't explained that well, and the cover isn't great.
What I really think: Too many f-bombs for a middle school library (and they weren't necessary at all), and this is available only in paperback and e book versions, although Follett does have a prebind. The language is a shame, because there's little violence, no sex, and would otherwise be exactly the sort of murder mystery my students want.

Super creepy and fun! Started off rough a few chapters in, but I loved the build up in the mystery plot. One thing that did annoy me a bit was the romance.

A good pacey thriller that has lots of similarities with other recent releases in the same genre. However, knowing how much my students devour books in this genre, I have no doubt this will be another smash hit!

I feel like I’ve read this book or a book very similar before, but it still wasn’t bad. I felt like the ending was very rushed after the build up that was created for it.

Thank you Sourcebooks for sending me an ARC of The Girl in the Headlines by Hannah Jayne. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

The Girl in the Headlines follows Andrea aka Andi McNulty, a high school senior who waves up in an empty motel room the day after her 18th birthday with no recollection of where she is and what happened. What soon fills her in? her wanted poster on television. With her parents attacked and in critical condition, her brother missing and Andrea the prime suspect, this isn't exactly how she expected her step into adulthood to go. With the help of Nate, the boy working the front desk, she sets out to clear her name, locate the real murderer and find her brother, even if it kills her.

Very rarely do we get to start off the book with a protagonist who has about as much clue to what's going on as we do. The entire prose for the novel was fascinating from the beginning and I flew through the book all in one sitting. Andi had such a drive in the books that in a way propels her throughout the novel and keeps the story fascinating. It was a bit of a short read in my opinion but again, realistically many crimes are solved (if solved) within the course of a few days so it makes sense to keep the timeline short, I just feel like there could have been some more scenes and in depth flashbacks to really cement the story. The relationship arc between Andi and Nate was so sweet and kind, between a girl who feels lost and a boy who in some ways never wants to be found. He helped her when those who knew her for her entire life turned away, it was so genuine and *soft boy moment*.

Aside from a mystery to be solved, we see a girl who feels so torn and conflicted with herself and her identity as her past comes to light in ways she never expected. My heart went out to her and her personal journey that it's hard to imagine that she even experienced this and kept her wits about her at all. What touched me the most was her relationship with her brother. It was such a beautiful and heart wrenching journey with her younger brother, as an older sister I couldn't imagine experiencing that with my brother.

Overall the story was quick paced and interesting, though there were definitely some times I felt had more potential. Another fantastic book from Sourcebooks.