I wanted to like this but ultimately it was forgettable. Not much action and the back and forth was confusing. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book really took me by surprise. I loved everything about it- the story, the characters. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.

Interesting story with interesting characters. A bit slow and wordy. The reveal was a little a anticlimactic. On the fence on this book.

Where the Truth Lies is a slow burn mystery revolving around a local missing girl. It takes place in a small town in Colorado that is stuck in their ways and with townspeople filled with righteous hate for anyone that chooses a different path than the almighty.

At times it was hard to read especially when dealing with the homophobia, alcoholism, child and spousal abuse, and the drug use. It also went from past to present and then to different character viewpoints that got a smidge tough to keep track of at first.

I can definitely see this one being a popular slow burn mystery for people that can handle some hard themes. And of course it's going to grab a lot of attention because the cover is amazing.

This is a very well-written debut novel about a missing girl. I love to fund thrillers that are written well, and not just plot points thrown together for thrills. This book delivers on the writing, and Anna Bailey is a talent. The book is very atmospheric.

The book is more of a deep character study of a number of folks in a small town than a fast-paced thriller, so ultimately I found it a bit slow. Part of the problem is that most of the characters are pretty unlikeable. I actually love unlikeable characters, but in this case none of them drew me in enough to be interested in them as much as I would have liked. The moving timelines of the book also got a little hard for me to follow, because once I got somewhat invested in a character or situation, the scene would switch.

Though I really appreciated the writing and the issues the story touched upon, I found it a bit too slow and wished the characters were more compelling to me. I would definitely try this author again because I enjoy her writing. But this one just didn’t speak to me. As you’ll see, there are many people who loved this book so your mileage may vary, but I prefer a more plot-driven thriller or a book with at least one character I can either really love or love to hate.

Thanks to Atria Books, NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

Whistling Ridge is a small town with large secrets, including bigotry, homophobia, and an undying connection to God and their church. The character descriptions were done so well, as was the setting of the town, that it was not a struggle to picture in my mind. However, the dueling time lines of Then and Now, as well as dueling points of view from a few characters had me slightly confused and almost wanting to take notes of where I was in the story and who I was reading about.

Overall a very good debut that I would recommend reading in as few sittings as possible to keep it all sorted. I am glad I stuck with it and did not dnf it as the ending did wrap up how I wanted it to.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Publishing for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

This mystery was well-written and had a haunting type feel to it. It's a dark and depressing read as you try to figure out what happened to the teenage girl in the story who went missing. The author did a good job creating a setting of this dead end type town with misery and heartache surrounding it. The only thing I would consider the weak spot in the story is when you finally get some answers to the mystery.

Every town has its share of secrets and Whistling Ridge is no different. Seventeen year old Abigail is last seen at a party in the woods and then goes missing. Her best friend, Emma, is devastated because she left Abigail at the party. The story alternates between events before the disappearance as well as the present day and follows a cast of characters including Abigail's family members.

You really get a feel for the town because there are so many characters featured in the story. For the most part it isn't difficult to remember who is who. The story incorporates some heavy topics into the plot so it's probably best to determine if you are in the mindset to handle it before you pick up the book. You really do feel bad for certain characters and their situations. I wouldn't want to read this book if I needed to be in a cheerful mood because the vibe does bring you down.

It's a slow burn mystery and you do have to wait for everything to unfold. Given the setup, you will most likely have a ton of theories like I did but you can't be too sure until the author lays everything out on the table. That is a strength of the novel, the reader questioning everyone and everything. Unfortunately, while the build up was good, the payout when you get all your answers doesn't feel particular satisfying. I guess I was hoping for something different rather than kinda ordinary. With that being said, there was so much more substance to this mystery than most I have read so even with an average ending, it was a worthwhile read.

Thank you Atria Books, NetGalley and Anna Bailey. This book was well. written. I really liked it. The author surely knew how to write characters and keep you wanting more. I wanted to keep reading late into the night and that. is when I know it was a great book. The book has some horrible people in it which made me want to know what was going. on more. This book will keep your. attention so do not read it when you have too much going on but it was great.

Thanks again!

I had a hard time getting into this one. There is so much awful stuff going on in the small town that all of the other conflicts overshadow Abigail's disappearance.

I thought it was a good slow burner mystery. I was curious to see what happened to Abigail so I was invested. There were several characters that really got under my skin which shows the authors talent with writing. I was shocked by the ending even though I missed so many clues.

Overall it was a good slow burner that kept me curious. My only issue was that there were too many characters for my mind right now (almost time for school to reopen). So I had to write down their names to keep track.

I thought this was a really compelling read and written beautifully! I could feel the suffocation of the younger generation of characters in contrast to the small town views around them. This was a slow-burn mystery and I can’t say that any of the revelations rocked my world, but the route we took to get there was enjoyable! The way this author writes will sink a chill into your bones. Thanks to Netgalley and @atriabooks for this review copy!

This book was a tough read for me because it is set in a town filled with horrible people doing really horrible things: DV, sexual assault, homophobia, violence against POC, etc. Had I known of these triggers, I would not have started the book. It felt odd/unbelievable to have so much evil of so many forms in one small town. That said, the premise that a teenage girl is missing is, obviously, a compelling one. What happened to Abi drives the story, but what happened to her friends and family over the course of the past 20 years provides the impetus to understanding Abi’s disappearance. I cared about Abi and the people in her life who are searching for her, which did make me want to finish the book.
In terms of literary criticism, I did not have any; the writing was good. The author did a great job conveying the savagery of the violence that explodes in Abi’s family and town.

"Yeah, Its a no for me dawg"- Randy Jackson.
That quote just popped into my head and I had to share it. A little early American Idol nostalgia for those who are unfamiliar.

DNF at a third of the way through and I am so incredibly sad about it.

A huge thank you to Atria Books, NetGalley and the author for my advanced copies.

I was so excited for this book and it left me feeling - I don't even know how to describe it. It wasn't a good feeling. The tone of this book was just ughh.

There was not a single likeable character in this book.
I didn't appreciate the way it depicted Christians although I'm sure there are people out there like that.

My opinion of this book is my own and I won't discourage anyone from giving it a go. It was just not for me.

I will not be rating this book and my feelings and opinions are in no way a bad reflection of this author. I mean no disrespect.

Thanks to Netgalleyand Anna Bailey for an advanced copy of Where the Truth lies.

This is a beautifully written novel about a small town. I had seen a few booktubers recommend and I was happy to be selected for a review the book didnt disappoint.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel for my honest opinion.

A novel about the people in a small town that holds many secrets.

I liked the premise of this novel and I liked the ending. The multiple POV's and timeline shifting back and forth was a bit jarring for me. That kept the book from really clicking for me.

This book was full of unlikable characters which isn't a bad thing. I loved Rat and would love a book just about him and his story!

Overall a good read.

Where the Truth Lies is a very well written debut novel by Anna Bailey. She did a great job with the characters, the setting, and the mood of the town which was almost a character in and of itself because there is so much distrust among many community members.

The story is dark, but that's not a surprise. The mystery is well done and kept me wondering what had happened.

The reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is that the multiple viewpoints and timelines confused me somewhat. That said, I'd encourage people to give this one a try. I will be looking forward to reading whatever this author writes next.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for approving me for an ARC. My thoughts in this review are my own.

When seventeen-year-old Abigail goes missing, her best friend Emma, compelled by the guilt of leaving her alone at a party in the woods, sets out to discover the truth about what happened in this slice of small-town America.
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This is a nuanced and sophisticated psychological thriller that focuses on characters who feel isolated and misunderstood in a small logging town in Colorado. The setting of this insular town creates a feeling of claustrophobia - as if there is no escape for the characters or you, the reader. In this town, through some well-developed and heartbreaking characters, Bailey explores things such as racism, gender descrimination, domestic abuse and family trauma while pulling you along via an engaging mystery.

Don’t expect to feel comfortable reading this. It is dark and haunting, most especially for those in the U.S. - I think - because it forces us to focus on the things we feel better pretending don’t exist. But as someone who grew up in a very small town, here’s a hint: they do.

Are things in this story heightened? Yes, of course, to a degree. It’s a work of fiction. But the underlying divisions, traumas and lack of acceptance is VERY real. I only mention this because I’ve seen some readers being critical of this novel because of how ‘bad’ people are to each other, and I’d be willing to bet that those readers have never lived in small town America.

Over the last few years, many authors have taken the tact of creating a world - within their work - in which society is fully accepting of other races, genders and sexual preferences. I can appreciate that approach, as it sets a good example, but sadly, it is NOT a reflection of how things currently are in many areas of our country. I find it refreshing to see an author represent what IS instead of what SHOULD BE, and I hope we see more of this.

Last but not least, the prose here is really quite beautiful. I especially appreciated all of the unique and creative descriptions. This is a very strong debut, and I’m eager to read more by Bailey!

This is out now! Thank you Atria Books for the ARC!

I had a really difficult time with the format of this book. Frequent changes in time and POV really took me out of the story and unfortunately it's a DNF for me about 20% in. I think the story could have been really good and understand that a lot of people won't be as impacted by the format as I was so I'll give it a 3/5.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a slow story. I know it calls out that it's a slow burn, but it was really slow for me. There were a lot of difficult topics that were brought into the story, and I think it made for some thought-provoking reading, but I just couldn't enjoy this one the way I wanted to.

Oof. This book is well-written, but it is a major drag to read. Almost everyone is awful and they hate themselves and everyone else, so they're just awful to each other, too. It's just a really unbelievable account of a small town. I'm sitting here in a German-American farm community in northern Alabama that's about to host the orange one (in 2021!), but still. People here ain't [spoiler] because of religious fervor or whatever. It doesn't read as true, but it does read very slowly.