The story follows Lucy, who as a little girl escaped from a cult.
Blocking her childhood memories she moved on and we are introduced to her 20 years after the traumatic event. She is married to Marshall and has just discovered that she is pregnant. 
When her hidden identity as a cult member is broadcast on the news, she escapes to a remote cottage, where she finds herself visiting remains of the manor and figuring out what happened with the cult and its members.


I like plots involving cults, especially when they offer a good reasoning behind their choices. I did enjoy the cult aspect through the story but in this case to see from what and to where they come to was unrealistic.


I will be on the lookout for a new Goodwin's book.

Number 13, unlucky for some. Lucy was born on Friday the 13th and was the 13th girl living in the big house but she was actually the lucky one. The sole survivor of a horrific fire that ripped through the house one night. Twenty years later she is married and has a whole new life for herself, leaving behind the secrets of the past. But secrets have a way of coming back to bite us when we least expect it.

I’d enjoyed Sarah Goodwin’s debut novel, “Stranded”, which was why I requested this one from NetGalley after getting an email to say it was available and now after reading this second one I’ve definitely got a handle on Goodwin’s style.

She’s loves a bit of foreshadowing. In “Stranded” I felt there was a bit too much of it and at first I did wonder if this was going ti be more of the same but there was definitely less in this one. I also liked that she uses the split timeline to really good effect. We get part of the story coming from one of the characters in the past, showing was Lucy’s life was like as a child before the fire and then the present is told from Lucy’s point of view.

I really liked Lucy. I was not a fan of the way her husband treats her but I can see how she has ended up where she has.

Parts of the book were quite predictable but I don’t really think that’s a bad thing, it’s just the nature of books like this. I’d say the release date is really good timing as I could see it being a perfect holiday read. It’s gripping, there’s not a lot of plot threads going on that you have to keep track of and it would be easy to follow if you were reading it in small chunks here and there around entertaining the kids at the pool or something, although it is very difficult to put down once you get stuck in.

Goodwin’s writing is well suited to the thriller genre and there are plenty of little cliffhangers at the end of chapters to keep you wanting to read more. It held my attention and was a nice, easy read so I blasted through it in a couple of days.

Overall, a good, gripping read and I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5⭐️

I was excited to read this as I loved stranded.

It’s gets off to a good start. Lucy Townsend is newly married and happy, but she has a past trauma which she can’t remember.
Then her past is revealed by the press, and she is pushed into going into hiding by her husband and his wealthy family

I loved the first half of the book, giving it 4.5⭐️ but then it suddenly changed direction and I struggled to get onboard with the direction that it went in, as it lacked any excitement or tension for too long. It had a really good ending.

My conclusion it starts brilliantly, but fizzles out half way through, coming to a satisfying conclusion but leaving me disappointed overall with this one which is a shame as I loved Stranded.
I look forward to the next offering.

When Lucy was a child her mother joint a cult and took her with her. She remembers that all ended when a fire broke out and all members died except her. That’s at least what Lucy can remember. Now she is grown up and married to the son of a politician. She is deeply insecure after everything she went through with the cult and the rest of her childhood spending in foster care. Then suddenly her past is leaked to the press. Her husband and her father-in-law are not very pleased about that unwanted attention and the reporters waiting in front of their house. At the same time Lucy learns that she is pregnant. So she decides to hide in a remote cottage in Wale not far away from the place the cult lived. She wants to explore the place and see if she can remember more of what happened there.

This is a weird and not very realistic story. Lucy is like a mouse. Her husband is manipulative and treats her like a stupid child. Unfortunately Lucy acts like a stupid child most of the time. The second half of the book gets even more unbelievable. It turns out the cult is not dead but it is all very unlikely and weird. I like books about cults but I did not get this one and why those women kept clinging to it. Lucy grew some spine at the end to take finally her life into her own hands even if it means to make difficult decisions. But it did not save the story from being chaotic and average. I was impressed by the previous book from this author; it was a 5–star-rating for me. But this one felt flat for me and never reached the intensity of “Stranded”.

This was a very dark story! Lucy spent her early years in a cult, and has limited memories from that period of time. Her life today is very different, but when the media begins reporting more information on the cult, Lucy realizes she’s not completely out. Will she be able to truly break free? I enjoyed this book, even though the topic of cults is not one of my favorites. The author did a wonderful job of telling the story! The publisher gave me a complementary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was very good. Kept you hooked in and there were many twists and turns. I didn't quite expect the ending - but that's always good when it's unpredictable.

The synopsis of The Thirteenth Girl promised a totally gripping, edge of your seat thriller with twists and turns. Sadly for me it fell far short of the mark. It was far too slow in places and predictable on others. I would rate this book two stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author for the chance to review.

I have read a couple books by Sarah Goodwin and I absolutely love her books. And while I normally don't enjoy cult stories, I thought if anyone could change my mind, it would be her. Unfortunately that didn't happen.

Wow, thanks to Avon Books UK for the arc to read and review this The Thirteenth Girl by Sarah Goodwin.

This is the second book by Sarah Goodwin and having thoroughly enjoyed Stranded last year, I was hoping for something good, instead I got something even better with this very exciting psychological high octane thriller.

This book is about Lucy Townsend is the 13th girl living in the Manor and born on Friday the 13th. Luckily she was able to escape and the story takes us to now, 20 years after this event when she finds herself married and pregnant with her first child, through something has brought back memories of her childhood.

I initially didn't like the character of Lucy very much as she found herself bullied by her husband Marshal and didn't stick up for herself, but you soon understand it is due to earlier traumas. The story takes on a very different and sinister turn into the cult that she used to live with until she escaped aged seven. Slowly her memories begin to piece together and evolve and you really find yourself rooting for Lucy. So many unexpected twists, turns and changes of direction really make this very thought provoking book. Can she escape again?

Great descriptive writing flowed throughout and and the relationships are detailed and believable throughout the book. and I didn't want it to end. I hope this book gets made into a movie as with the great location and characters, would be amazing to watch.

Again, like Sarah's first book, my only complaint is that the blurb doesn't do the book enough justice.

I absolutely loved The 13th Girl and think this could be my book of the year!! I know we're barely half way through the year, but I have read or listened to 27 books so far this year and have read some really good contenders.

A slow burner to start with but I just had to keep on reading. This book was definitely not what I was expecting it was so much more. Gripping, intense and full of twists and turns. The storyline was compelling and the main characters were strong and so believable. A very happy reader.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a hard book to review. For most of the book, I found Lucy to be annoyingly dull & spineless, just going along with whatever her husband or his parents wanted. This opinion was not helped by the fact that I found this to be slow paced. There’s a lot about the cult that Lucy escaped from as a child - what she remembers, flashbacks (mostly with Lucy in them), Lucy’s nightmares, Lucy doing stupid things, and so on. It did feel that with all the focus on Lucy, there was a lack of time to build the suspense needed - when the reveal happened, it just felt a little lacklustre. However, I did find Lucy growing on me in the last quarter of the book. For someone who had been manipulated for most of her life, I think she was doing the best with the tools she had. I think she made the right decisions at the end.

I absolutely loved Stranded, so I was excited to read this book. Unfortunately, I had a hard time getting into the book. The story was OK and I would give it 2.5 stars. I didn't love any of the characters. I hated how Lucy kept apologizing to Marshal and his parents, like anything that was happening was her fault. She was seven years old when she was rescued from the cult. Marshal and his family were just as controlling as the cult. I'm pretty sure Lucy would have been able to be found. I enjoyed the beginning of the book more than the end. It was when Lucy was sent off to the cottage where the story lost me. It wasn't hard to figure out who was going to behind Nutrisoul or the truth about Ellie. The members of the Luna Vitae were CRAZY and definitely went to lengths after the fire to find the girl that Carlisle proclaimed to be the perfect vessel. Selene would never had won a Best Mother Award. She was terrible. Does Lucy make the best decision at the end? About her husband- DEFINITELY!!!! I would be afraid the baby would end up in the wrong hands. Those crazy cult members were everywhere.

Definitely give the book a try, it just wasn't what I was expecting. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

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

I loved Stranded so I had high hopes for this book. The synopsis sounds pretty amazing. Lucy grew up in a cult and didn’t remember what happened but she’s all grown now and in a high profile relationship. She goes away to a remote place and decides to start looking into her past. She’s near where everything began and it turns out that maybe the past isn’t as far back as she thinks.

The beginning is very fast paced and it does lag some throughout the middle with a little too much detail that isn’t needed about the cult etc, but it picks up for the end. Overall it was a fun read.

Lucy is married to Marshal. Lucy has no relatives, was brought up in foster homes and has hazy memories of her childhood. Marshal is privileged, spoilt and from a wealthy family. Lucy is in therapy, but despite the therapist’s best efforts, nothing seems to unlock Lucy’s repressed memories.

I really liked the start of this book, and enjoyed getting to know the characters. The plot was quite obvious from early on, but it was still interesting to see the story unravel. Another cult based book, of which there are quite a few, but nevertheless a good read. Some of the action is implausible, but stick with it, it does get better.

3:5* rounded up to 4*

Thank you NetGalley.

oh my gosh, this was so suspenseful and completely un-put-down-able. Definitely one to read with the lights on!!!

For me I did enjoy the first few chapters of this book and thought would be 5 stars but as I read on I found it go very slowly with too many details.

This book was a novel of so many things. I have so much to say about this book but it would be spoilers. I will just write that this is one hell of a novel. There were so many twists and turns that I could not stop reading until I finished. Read this book. It will stay with you for a long time.

Requested this book from Net Galley as was enticed by the reviews - unfortunately it did not hold my interest it was very slow and I felt bored apologies but it’s an honest review.

Very interesting read....a supposed cult.....an abandoned daughter.....a missing or dead Mother....a controlling husband...a strange best friend....and a woman who has found herself pregnant and does not understand how. Why hasn't her pill worked? How did she get caught up in a media storm? She only wants a quiet life but life has other plans.
I was rooting so much for Lucy from the get go and was wondering why there seemed to be so many forces against her. Gripping, I really enjoyed this book so much. Highly recommend!

so, this is a weird one. i liked this book a lot. it was enjoyable. i would read this author again. i just think this book needed some editing, there was so much extraneous info, it was overwhelming. there were a. few times i was just glossing over some parts because there was such a large info dump. but the solid framework of the book and writing are there, it just needs some polishing to become a better final piece. i did not find myself dreading reading this book, it was good. it just wasnt amazing, but i did like it. i think it would suit most thriller fans nonetheless.

thank you netgalley and bookouture for the digital review copy.