A college girl wakes with no memory of what happened to her the night before and must soon live with the consequences in this achingly realistic story. Claudia seems to have everything - wealth, a famous family and friends. But after a night out, she wakes with no memory of the night before - only a terrible injuries and a horrible feeling about what happened. She cuts off from friends and family and the only person she wants anything to do with is a boy that lives on her floor that she barely knows. As Claudia's family and sister try to make contact with her, the story of what happened comes out and will change everyone's lives involved.

This was a sad, hard book to read that painted a very realistic portrait of assault and how money and power can protect the predators, even against an equally wealthy and powerful victim. There is a bit of a revenge plot that I wish had went a bit further, but the ending was more realistic.

TW: Sexual Assault

The Missing Hours follows college student, Claudia, in the aftermath of a sexual assault. At first, she only remembers bits and pieces but once she sees proof of what happened to her, she enlists new friend Trevor to help exact her revenge on the perpetrators. This was a quick, thriller read for me that I really enjoyed. I enjoyed the relationship progression between Claudia and Trevor. I also liked that not everything was wrapped up in a bow at the end of the book, some aspects of the story were left up to interpretation. I would highly recommend picking up The Missing Hours by Julie Dahl when it is published in September.

At first glance, NYU freshman Claudia Castro appears to have it all. She's a member of the elite - a trust fund baby with a famous father enjoying social status with mega social media followers - the envy of her NYU peers. Take off the rose colored glasses, and you'll see a dysfunctional family in the process of disintegrating with devastating effects on Claudia leading to life altering bad decisions. After a night of heavy drinking at a college party, Claudia awakes from a blackout to find her clothes in bloody disarray and body severely battered - black eye, split lip, black and blue bruises all over with painful urination. Aching and limping, Claudia's mind is fuzzy and try as she may, she can't fill in the missing hours. While it's obvious she had rough sex, she's mortified at the realization she doesn't know if she participated freely or was raped. Shame and self-blame silence her, and she doesn't seek help or counseling. Sound familiar?

Just as Claudia settles back into a semi-normal routine interrupted by frequent fraught psychotic episodes, disastrous evidence of what happened that fateful night surfaces on cell phones and social media, spreading like wildfire. Shamed, taunted, and chastised as a slut, Claudia is forced into the limelight where even her friends doubt her innocence. Social media becomes judge and jury, convicting her without a trial. Life as Claudia knows it is over. And then . . . she disappears. Her family is frantic. What happened to her?

The Missing Hours is a dark, edgy story of obsession, entitlement and consequences. For every action, there is a reaction. But are consequences the same for the privileged? One of the perpetrators on the cell phone video is from a wealthy, powerful family and the other is on the verge of a record contract worth millions. The stakes are high for them and their families who secretly work to silence those who dare accuse the men of rape. What makes this case different is that Claudia's family also has the means to seek justice for their missing daughter, and it becomes a battle of the entitled.

Told from multiple points of view with short, choppy chapters that drive a frantic pace, this story is propelled forward with a dark atmosphere of malice. Bouncing from one narrator to the next, I burned through pages with trepidation trying to determine what really happened as Claudia herself still doesn't know. As the story unfolds, readers will feel the tone of the story shift from deep despondency to rabid, flaming rage fed by dark, convoluted thoughts of retaliation and revenge raising the question . . . if the court system fails you, do you have the right to sentence those who have wronged you? Is using wealth for retaliation any different than using it for privilege? Does seeking retaliation ever really right a wrong?

Dahl gives readers a lot to think about in this riveting, traumatic story of one woman's journey beyond assault, shame and self-blame to reclaim her life and mend ties with her family. It's a violent story with rippling effects that impact way more than the obvious so readers should be prepared to look deeper for hidden questions. Intense, gritty and quite graphic, The Missing Hours will appeal to fans of suspense and those who enjoy a dark, angsty story of obsession and revenge with a few surprises along the way. Clear your calendar as you'll want to read this book in one sitting.

After a night of drinking, Claudia doesn't remember what happened in the missing hours during that evening....then she disappears. This review will be short because I don't want to give anything away.

The dialogue & storyline moved so fast I felt like I was sitting in the theatre instead of reading a book. The book is told in multiple point of views which allows for the reader to get to know each characters.

Privilege, Class, power and revenge makes this story a teeth gritting jaw dropping fast read. Some of the themes is hard to get through but don't skip those parts because you might miss the cat and mouse game.

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for my thoughtful & honest review.

Claudia may be different from most of us because of her privilege of famous parents, wealth, a knowledge of a secure future. Nonetheless, her plight will resonate with many of us. She wakes up with no memory of how the night before ended, clearly beaten up and sexually abused. Her fast paced life in New York City has led her to a night of club-hopping and drinking, but then everything goes blank. Like many young women she is reluctant to report her assault, especially because she has a reputation on social media and among her friends for being wild. She realizes that she missed the birth of her niece and so feels alienated from her beloved sister, and does not feel that her parents will offer any comfort or solutions. Instead she befriends a fellow NYU student, who offers her a sounding board and unquestioning sympathy (as well as infatuation). The story that follows is quite different from Dahl's mysteries, but the focus on character development is just as strong. Even the more minor people in this novel show complexity, strengthening the power of the issues raised regarding friendship, loyalty, revenge, and entitlement.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to review, but unfortunately I gave up about 26% into the story. Content was too graphic and characters and their actions were more young adult for my taste

Claudia Castro awakens in her dorm room knowing something horrible had happened to her but having now memory of what happened. The Missing Hours is a difficult read as far as the subject matter is concerned but it is also a complicated page turner of violation and vengeance. The characters are complex, flawed, sometimes frightening but very compelling. The story sucks the reader into the book and doesn't let go until the end.

Ok this starts out with Claudia waking up in her NYU freshman dorm after a wild night where she has no idea what happened or how she got home. The only clues she has are that she looks like she got beat up and she definitely had sex but doesn’t know with who and if it was consensual since she can’t remember anything. She seems like she has it all a famous family, a trust fund and thousands of Instagram followers but look closer you can see the cracks with her parents separating, a sleazy documentary that showcased her as a slut and her sister married and having a baby with a guy she barely knows. Instead of going to her family after her night she ends up leaning on a fellow student and dorm mate to help her figure out what happened and what she needs to do next. This was really good and I couldn’t put it down and it dealt with privilege and the double standards of trying to report an assault but the victim being the one on trial not the rapist and that money gives you the advantages of just sweeping consequences to the side for both parties in this case.

Thanks to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

The book opens with a graphic, heart wrenching scene where a college student, Claudia Castro, wakes up and realizes that she has been sexually assaulted.

I FELT HER PAIN.

She doesn’t remember what happened in the “missing hours” between about 10 PM and the morning.
And, her phone is missing.

NOBODY who has consented to sex asks for a black eye or a split lip.

After some of the blanks in her memory, begin to get filled in, Claudia chooses to disappear for awhile.

Based on the opening chapters, I expected an eye opening story about rape, slut shaming, obsession and male privilege.

But, the book IS and ISN’T that.

As always, the rapists look to excuse and justify their behavior-and cover their tracks.

But, then the story becomes one of REVENGE-meant to empower our Victim.
Instead of the character driven story I expected, it became a cat and mouse game.

And, that trajectory TOOK AWAY the feels for me.

I attempted to read this book several times. The sex and brutality were too much for this reader. I'm sure that it will find it's audience.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This was a super enjoyable quick YA thriller. Full of twist and turns it kept me guessing until the very last pages.

I felt this book was trying to be two different things--a thriller (missing girl; jumping timelines; questionable character motives) and a low-key YA cautionary tale (party girl is assaulted; neighbor takes her to church with him; her family is too judgmental)--and succeeded at neither. While parts of the story had depth, it mostly felt watered-down because of this lack of focus. I also felt many of the characters needed to be more fully developed and less trope-y. We get a peek at the main character and her sister's inner lives, but the others felt cliche. In addition, the revenge plot in the final 1/3 of the book is a bit hard to believe, One redeeming quality: the ending is mostly satisfying.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for the ARC.

Most of us have had nights where the drinks were flowing and the next day, pieces of the night were missing. What if those missing hours had a direct impact on your lives and the lives
of others.
Claudia Castro seems to have it all. Her family is famous and wealthy, she has many friends, enrolled at NYU as a freshman , having the time of her life. That is until, one drunken night changes everything and shows the cracks in this seemingly perfect life. When Claudia wakes the morning after with no memory, her clothes are
in disarray, underwear is missing and her face is swollen and bruised. Hurt and struggling to find out what happened, she finds solace and a new friendship in one of her fellow dorm mates. Trevor brings her food and first aid supplies and soon begins to hang out with her. Soon after, a video surfaces of that night and Claudia disappears. Has she left if her own accord or is someone else involved in her disappearance. With her phone missing, there is no way to reach her and her family becomes increasingly worried. Their own secrets are spilled and they are left wondering 💭 if it is connected to the missing Claudia.
A story with tragedy, revenge and the love of a family! Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Claudia from all appearances looks to have it al. She is rich and is a freshman in college. One night she went out for drinks, and when she woke up the next morning she had no recollection of what happened or how she was injured. Claudia needs to piece together what happened. This book kept me guessing.

Well written, but I feel like I've read this story before. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Claudia Castro wakes-up beaten and nursing a hang-over from hell. She has no idea what happened to her. What she does know is that she does not feel comfortable facing her family. Instead, she accepts the help of a stranger from her dorm at NYU. Just as she begins picking up the pieces she receives a graphic video of her assault.

The remainder of the novel highlights the scrutiny that victims all too often go through. Justice often involves going through a process that is public and largely feels like a second assault on the individuals. But what happens when a victim takes justice into their own hands?

You’ll have to read to find out.

As a fictional story, this one kept me turning the pages (tapping that kindle). My only criticism is that as thriller that tackles a reality for so many, I felt it owed more to the real-life victims. Can I tell you what more it could have done? No. I have sat on this review for a couple of weeks trying to figure it out. I just know that as a woman who was assaulted at a campus bar during university (that’s me), I felt that the topic was tossed around somewhat brutally. Maybe that’s because of my experience (though it was truly very minor compared to Claudia’s), but even if it is because of where I am coming from – to me, that likely will inform that vicarial reaction of any victim reading this book.

1/3 Canadian women experience sexual assault. I’m no mathematician, in fact, I failed calculus with a 49% (Thanks, Ms. Clinton), but in Canada alone, that is 33.3 % of the population. Those are a lot of potential readers who will be left feeling like I was.

Dahl is undoubtedly a very talented author. I mean she was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author. And the Missing Hours was still a very worthy thriller. I’m just surprised it was written by a woman.

This book is set to hit the shelves on September 14, 2021.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. This book should have packed a punch. However, it is so cliched it is nearly insulting to everyone who has been the victim of a sexual crime. I rolled my eyes over and over as Claudia, Trevor, Chad and his father and a parade of characters entered the story. At no time does anyone seem to care about Claudia’s well being. Trevor? He probably wouldn’t have been so angry, worried and disgruntled if only Claudia had slept with him. To be clear, decisions made and actions taken by Claudia and Trevor are egregious. Chad is sub-human. Each reader will reach their own decision on how meaningful this book is in light of #metoo.

The story takes place over a very short period of time. The ending is excellent. I almost wish I had just read the summary of the book and the ending.

This book did a great job of putting the victim at the forefront in order to get the point across about what goes on in the victim’s mind. It was dark and salacious, but also intriguing and raw.

I loved the short chapters and that it’s told from different points of view.

What I didn’t love was that it was a bit “out there” in terms of what people did and how things were handled. I don’t want to spoil things, but if a victim has the chance to get the ultimate revenge on their attacker, there is no way THIS would be what they come up with. I audibly sighed at that part. Not only was it frustrating, but it was just… dumb. It made absolutely no sense. Every one of her other ideas were better than her solution. It kind of ruined her character for me and at that point, I just kind of gave up.

I did like that there were characters to love and characters to despise. This was a quick read, which is also nice!

Trigger warning: rape/sexual assault

I really enjoyed this book in spite of the very serious subject. Claudia Castro is a student at NYU, daughter in a very rich established NY family. She wakes up from a drunken night out and realizes that she can not remember what happened to her....but she has a bad feeling from the state she is in when she awakens. She befriends a somewhat geeky student up the hall from her and tries to figure out what happened to her, while she hides from her family and social media in an attempt to heal. Her family, especially her sister who has just given birth, are initially upset because they can't find her but slowly start putting the pieces together and realize that something bad has happened to Claudia. This is a book that I did not want to put to down because I really wanted to know what happened and I felt really bad for the main character. It is told from several different view points as the story evolves and each character contributes something to Claudia's story. Definitely an interesting and well-told, very relevant and timely story.

This is a unique and deeply felt book about sexual assault. A tough read at times. The book centers on Claudia Castro, a Paris Hilton-type heiress who wakes up bloodied, beaten and in pain and with no memory of what has happened to her. Over time, she comes to realize she was raped and that her rape was recorded on video. The book confronts a lot of important issues: Claudia has been painted as a “slut” in the press previously, and was very drunk at the time. Will people believe she was raped or think she was asking for it?

The book tackles a lot of rape myths and stereotypes and has great characters. I liked Claudia’s guy friend Trevor, who wants to help her but doesn’t quite get it. I also liked the other characters, including the jerk defense attorney father, and the main rapist (who was perfectly described). I thought a little more could have been said about the second rapist and felt a little dissatisfied about how his story ended.

This isn’t really a mystery (the rapists are revealed early on) but a story about dealing with sexual assault. In this endeavor, the book really succeeds. You can feel Claudia’s pain so clearly and many awful feelings and reactions are very eloquently put into words. The book also does a great job of demonstrating how differently men of privilege are treated from women of privilege, and how no victim really wins with the justice system. The ending of the book may not satisfy some, but I thought it was perfect.

A worthy read on a hard topic that kept me riveted. I’ll be looking forward to more books by this author.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for the ARC.