Member Reviews

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

You never know what is happening behind closed doors, or in a small suburban area where it looks as though everyone has each others back. In this story, we soon find out that one particular family seems to have control over the whole city, the private school, the media, the police and so much more. However, when this family experiences a trauma, a grandchild gone missing, their world is rocked. We follow three mothers as well as the child missing, Emily and what lead up to the event and then work together to piece together the facts when there are many gaps. We learn how far a mother would go to protect her own, even if it means throwing innocent children into the fire. So many twists and turns, reminded me of big little lies, such a good read!

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The synopsis drew me in. The plot, location, and families involved had all the makings of an amazing read. You know who the culprit is pretty early on. What you don't know is how or why. Seeing it come together keeps you turning the pages. When it's finally revealed, it's a bit of a letdown. I would say this is a fun, suspenseful read, and would recommend.

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A small, close knit community in Texas is rocked when a young popular high school girl goes missing after a night partying with friends and classmates. In a place where these things don't happen it becomes quite a shock for everyone involved. No one is talking, but everyone has a suspect in mind!

The Night She Went Missing is a twisty little tale that is certain to keep you guessing until the last page comes! With constant doubt and everchanging personal theories riddling the pages it's hard to pinpoint who is to blame in this one. Three mothers take us on an unsettling journey and introduce us to the ways of small town living through their eyes. Each has a secret to keep buried, each has their own suspicions, and each is determined to keep the spotlight off of their family! It's a drama-filled page-turner that is certain to keep you on your toes from beginning to end!! Highly recommend!!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

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An intriguing suspense story that quickly loses steam.

Emily is a high school senior who comes from a family well known in their Texas community. One night, she goes missing after having a movie night with friends.

Her mom, Catherine, understandably freaks out. She thinks she knows who might’ve put Emily in harm. Two other women in town have their suspicions too.

Are any of them right?

I don’t have a lot to say about this one. The synopsis pulled me in, and I enjoyed the first half. I could just imagine all of the wicked directions the story might’ve gone.

Unfortunately, the second half is bogged down with terrible dialogue (huge pet peeve of mine). On top of that, The plot points and characters became tedious and extremely unrealistic. Nothing shocked me, and the ending left a lot (and I mean a lot) to be desired. Honestly, I couldn’t have cared less what happened to Emily.

To sum it up, I wouldn’t recommend this one. I hope other readers have better success with it.

Thank you to Mira and NetGalley for a widget of the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 2/8/22.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

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The Night She Went Missing is unlike any thriller I have read lately! The story line was creative and kept me on the edge of my seat. I wasn't sure where it was going early on, but got hooked quickly. The multiple POVs was fantastic and gave us information from different viewpoints. Overall, the ending just shocked me! It's not often that I don't guess the ending of a thriller, so this was exciting for me!

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WOW I LOVE DOMESTIC DRAMA!!!

every time I think I’m going to be bored by it, I’m immediately proved wrong. also, I definitely preordered a paper copy of this one because it’s that good.

emily, daughter of the karenest karen mom you’ll ever meet, has gone missing. the karen olympics of the neighborhood has gathered around to determine what may or may not have happened, on their judgment of course. but each mother is spinning their own truth in order to cover up all of the lies.

this gave me super big “the neighbor’s secret” vibe !!! like everyone pitted against each other, ready to politely smile while glaring through their eyes and gritting through their teeth.

the writing absolutely pulled me in almost immediately & made me connected to these mothers. I absolutely hated how I could picture each and every one of them.

I would highly recommend this one to anyone who also loves domestic and neighborhood thrillers!! and thank you to netgalley and harlequin trade for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: napa cabernet sauvignon

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This one, I had figured out relatively quickly, but still enjoyed it a ton! It was written very well, with phenomenal character development, which connected me to the story much more than even trying to figure out what the shock was going to be! I think as this author grows more and more, making the twists more complicated, she’ll be one of the bests! I read a ton of thrillers, which is why I likely figured the twists out early, but I do think others won’t figure it out as easily, but even they do, I know they enjoy! I highly, highly recommend!

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Everyone has secrets, everyone is lying and someone knows a lot more than they are saying about Emily and the night she went missing than they are willing to say....

Tight, taut and twisted, I couldn't put this down until I sped to the last page.

Thank you to Mira Books for gifting me a copy. It was my pleasure to write a review.

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While I figured out the person early on, I still enjoyed reading this and figuring out what actually happened to Emily the night she went missing.

The book starts with Emily being found alive, but she's not conscious. She can hear everything going on around her, but she has no idea what's happening to her. She can't remember anything recent.

The book then goes back in time a bit. Emily's family moved to Galveston during her senior year. Her mom had something happen back in Oregon and she was afraid it would affect her girls. Her husband's family basically runs Galveston. They have a private school that Emily will attend. She doesn't make many friends, just one boy, Alex. Alex was accused or raping a girl years earlier, but he swore he never touched her. His mom, Morgan, is another pov. She loves her son, but she sometimes doubts him. Morgan and Emily's mom, Catherine, become friends. Neither of them enjoy all the rich people parties and events they are forced to attend. Catherine's mother in law is in charge of everything, but she has a right hand woman, Leslie (another pov). Leslie has three children. Her husband had cancer and passed away. None of them have been the same since. Her one son moved away and never really sees them. Her other son is an intern with her brother in law at the hospital. Her daughter, Anna, is the queen bee at school. She isn't a fan of Emily who gets attention because of her last name. All the moms are dealing with things privately. When Emily goes missing after being at a party with Alex and Anna, Leslie is desperate to find her daughter. She doesn't know who she can trust and just wants the truth.

The pacing was good throughout the book and each woman had a very different voice. I enjoyed reading Emily's thoughts as a pov, too. The pieces all come together at the end of the book. In the end, it really does focus on family and what you would do to protect the ones you love.

I gave this book 4 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc.

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Book: The Night She Went Missing
Author: Kristen Bird
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Mira Books, for sending me an ARC.

I must say that I went into this one with no expectations and I’m learning that this is the best way to go about thrillers. I don’t know about anyone else, but domestic thrillers can go either way for me. Luckily, thought this one worked. It gave me Pretty Little Liars vibes. We have a small and close nit small town with secrets and secrets that they would really prefer stay hidden. Some of these secrets are even worth killing for. That alone is enough to make me want to keep reading. Give me a small town with secrets and you will have me hooked.

It all starts out with Emily, who is a popular and smart girl, goes missing. Right away, everyone in town starts looking right at each other. We see families start to wonder if their dark pasts are going to come out and see the measures that they take to make sure these secrets stay hidden. What makes this whole thing a bit unusual is the fact that everything is pretty much told from the mothers’ points of view. Instead of hearing about the events that happened on that fateful from the ones who were actually there, we get it from their mothers’ point of view. I thought this was a nice touch. Instead of having just the kids’ point of view, we are told the entire story from their mothers and get to see how the mothers view their children. It really adds to the layers and depth of the story. Plus, it makes it very difficult to figure out exactly what happened.

The writing is pretty solid. I will say that there is work to be done, but overall, it’s pretty solid. I did find myself being completely pulled in by both the plot and the characters. In case you haven’t realized by this point, I really do like the small town setting. I think that Kristen nails this part of the story and gives us all the vibes we need. We have the school and everything in town is centred about the school. We have families who have been living in the town for a very long time and have since became almost the town rulers. They have a lot of say in what actually happens here. We have the outsiders, who really aren’t welcomed into the inner circle. We have the kids who are going places and the ones who are not. Anyone who attempts to upset this balance will suffer the consequences. All of this just manages to leap off the page and leave you wanting more.

I think that is what made me enjoy this one so much. It was the need and desire to know more about what was going on. In each chapter, you are given just enough to make you want to keep reading. Enough is also withheld to make you want to keep reading. This is why I really do enjoy thrillers. I want to feel that sense of not knowing what is coming and the desire to find out.
This book comes out on February 8, 2022.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/QJuJrThwFpg

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This book was sent to me electronically for review by Netgalley...a story that the author has woven...a story that moves quickly...characters one likes and dislikes at the same time...mystery...intrigue...trust and distrust...the past...the present...the one part that was quite aggravating was the subject/verb tense...saying "me and someone"...no...that takes away from the story and is blatant...perhaps the author thought that was the way the characters would speak...even so...just should be changed...I don't usually add something like that in a review, but this one was so obvious...that being said...try this book for an enjoyable, informing read...

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This is an interesting and twisty tale told in multiple POVs, which I really enjoy. This is a story where not everything is as it seems, particularly in a small town. Everyone has secrets, and secrets always come out in the end! Bird's writing leaves readers turning the pages to find out what happened to Emily! A few plot points were a bit over the top, but this was an engaging read overall.

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I really enjoyed this book. It was a good story and a quick read. The story flowed fairly good. There were some points that I thought could have been left out but Over all this was good.

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This had all the makings for a really great book. That being said, there were way too many different POV and flip flops of timing. I only stuck with it because I wanted to see if I had figured it out.

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An interesting book surrounding a medical phenomenon I had not really heard. Actions from that night reverberate through a community, scarring the participants, but fraying edges. The author provides interesting contrasts and perspectives. Find out who went missing and why by reading it.

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Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down. It caught my attention from the very first page. It’s such a fast paced suspense thriller that will have you on edge the whole time! I loved the multiple character perspectives and the different timelines. So many secrets and cover ups. You’ll get all the answers to what really happened to Emily and you’ll never be able to guess how everything plays out! Highly recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing fir the advanced reader copy.

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The lives of a well-to-do Texas community residents are upended upon the disappearance of a high school student that throws everyone under suspicion since there is much going on behind the closed doors of these lovely houses… An intriguing and suspenseful novel!

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The Night she went missing is one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a while. Thrillers have the tendency to contain repeated storylines, and predictable endings, but not this one. Kristen Bird had all the elements right in this story. Emily a shy science loving, book worm senior moves from Oregon to Texas for her senior year of High school. She has a hard time settling in and making friends in her town, except for another senior named Alex. Alex is the only friend she has made, but her mother is disapproving of this friendship as Alex has been accused of a crime against another fellow classmate. One night Emily attends a party with some friends from school, and by the next morning she is missing. She is missing for several weeks, before she is found. Once she is found Emily’s mother Catherine, works with Alex’s mother Morgan, and another classmates mother Leslie to try and piece it all together. Told from alternating viewpoints from Emily, and all three mothers. The ending of the story was completely shocking, but was also wrapped up so perfectly; there were no questions left unanswered. This book gave me Big Little Lies southern Texas edition feels. I really hope there is a sequel to this story because I enjoyed her storytelling and style of writing!

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Emily is a popular and smart high school senior in a small, tight-knit community in Texas. After a night out with her friends, Emily suddenly goes missing. The last person who saw her was Alex, a high school football player with a questionable reputation. The problem is that no one is willing to talk about her disappearance so it remains a mystery. Three mothers in the community are forced to look at their children and ask the most difficult questions. Each mother has chosen a suspect, but each one is also spinning lies to protect themselves. Will the truth ever be revealed?

This was a very interesting domestic drama. Get ready for some big drama that stretches the limits of the genre. Some characters were definitely more likable than others, but we get some good insight into each one as the story is told in multiple points of view. If you are looking for high drama, you found it in THE NIGHT SHE WENT MISSING!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

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A wildly entertaining story about a once missing teenage girl, now found, trying to piece together what happened the night she disappeared. Reminiscent of Big Little Lies, the story is set on an island, where everyone knows everyone and all are hiding secrets. Could one of their own be responsible for this girl’s mysterious disappearance? Surprise twists and turns will keep you guessing, so don your detective hat. You’re in for a wild ride!

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