Based on a true story of kidnapping that occurred in Minnesota, The Quarry Girls follows the stories of 3 friends in the 70s. When one of them goes missing, along with another local girl, the remaining friends set out to try to find out what happened. What they discover on their way to the truth will tear apart many lives in town plus put their lives in danger.

References on this book are so good, a lot music, hair styles, food, tv shows references from the 70s. The author made the story come to life with all the realistic details, the town with its underground tunnels and the quarry nearby created such a creepy atmosphere that gives you goosebumps.

I really enjoyed the small town vibe and the creepiness factor with the tunnels and quarries.

A true-crime based thriller, set in a neighboring county to where I currently live & where I grew up?! Sign me up! I just may be retried to enter Stearns County again for a little bit 😉😂

Set in rural Minnesota, The Quarry Girls is the story of small-town secrets in 1977. A thriller that has one very clear plot line, while the other leaves you searching & wondering about answers to the who’s & why’s.

The book has all the good thriller elements - suspense, questioning, eerie settings, questionable characters & more! I was very drawn in by the different themes that were in this book - girls/women and their roles in society, family dynamics, corruption & all the secrets. It kept me on my toes and desiring to figure out who did what! So good! 😌

Jess Lourey is a local Minnesotan author who writes books based on true crimes that occurred in Minnesota. A big thanks to my friend Maddie for introducing me to Jess’ books - as it’s always great to support local authors, especially with books that have settings that you recognize & are familiar with! I was fortunate enough to meet Jess at my local indie bookstore in December which was such a fun time, getting to chat about her craft & she signed a few copies of her books for me 🙌🏼 She’s the sweetest & I am so glad I was able to attend that signing! 😌

I read The Quarry Girls in two days, it was difficult to stop reading as the story was so compelling and engaging that you just wanted to reach the end and understand what had happened. I was also very surprised by the author's notes at the beginning of the book. I've never really stopped to think why there seemed to have been found more serial killers in the US than elsewhere. As Ms.Lourey mentions the story happens in the late '70s when there was a lot of experimenting going on mainly among the younger people, it has a great plot, and although the main issue is about killing people it's done in a way that violence mingles with the youngsters naiveté.
I thank the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I really enjoy Lourey’s ability to immerse her readers in a time period. Every one of her books does this so well. I enjoyed this book, although it wasn’t my favorite of hers. The plot was well-paced and full of action, and her characters were all fleshed out really well. 4 solid stars.

What happens when your friends start to go missing and who can you trust? Heather and her friends are doing the things teenagers do: dabbling in partying, sex, and just having fun. But one night they see something they shouldn't, and everything in their seemingly perfect world starts to unravel. And the kicker is: the people who you should trust, might also be involved. I really enjoyed this book. It was a refreshing change of pace to the typical psychological thrillers I usually read. Highly recommended.

3.5 stars, rounded to 4.

The Quarry Girls is a thriller set in in the 1970s in Minnesota. While based on true crime, this book is fiction, and it follows a group of teenagers living in a suburb of Saint Cloud, Minnesota. The story starts with the abduction of a teenager from another school as she finishes her evening shift at a local diner. Complicated family dynamics and underground tunnels that link the basements of all of the houses in the town only add to the intrigue and mystery.

This book deals with a lot of heavy topics, including kidnapping, rape, and sex, though many of the scenes are not explicit. The writing was easy to read, and the plot kept me interested in the story, though I did find some of the plot points and reveals predictable.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Quarry Girls follows the stories of three friends in small-town Minnesota in the 70s. When one of them goes missing, along with another local girl, the two remaining friends set out to try to find out what happened. This is definitely one of those stories that had me guessing right up until the end.

While I found parts a bit slower than others, I still found the book gripping and hard to put down. I kept wanting to find out what was going to happen next. There are some major triggers here including sexual abuse, drugs, alcohol, kidnapping, mental illness, and more - all important aspects to know going into the book

Overall, a great read. Thanks, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the eARC!

The plot twists, the betrayal, the ending, the plot taking place in the 70s...need I say more! The Quarry Girls is definitely a fun bookthat will bring out all the feelings, especially if you grew up in the 70s. I did not grow up in the 70s, but this book brought the 70s to life for me.

Love Jess Lourey. As a resident of MN I really love that this is a theme in the setting of her books. The atmosphere Jess creates is what really makes this book shine. I felt like I was IN the story with the characters in places. This book also features good twists and turns and well developed characters. I have seen a lot of hype in the lead up to this book and it lives up to all the hype and then some!

The Quarry Girls takes place in a small town in Minnesota in the 70’s. At a time when there were no computers, no cellphones, and no 24 hour news cycle. Pantown is a seemingly idyllic and safe place, where teens have free reign of the town in the summertime. Heather, Brenda, and Maureen spent their nights partying and swimming at the quarry, hanging out in the tunnels beneath the town, and playing music at the county fair. It all seemed like quintessential Pantown summer fun until a girl went missing, and then an ominous air settled over the town and its residents. The girls don’t know who they can go to keep them safe.

In a small Minnesota town in the late 1970s, killers are hiding in plain sight. The girls of this town are prey, and they are on their own. In this town, the men are looking out for themselves.

Loosely based on a true crime, this dark and gritty story sucked me immediately. The story is well-paced and keeps you guessing. I wondered who the bad guy was or if they were somehow all bad guys. I'm constantly amazed by Jess Lourey's ability to combine coming-of-age nostalgia with a suspenseful thriller where you don't know who is trustworthy.

If you are looking for a page-turning mystery filled with secrets and betrayal, grab The Quarry Girls.

The story is a suspenseful and heart pounding journey, revealing the darkness that lies beneath the surface of seemingly normal individuals. The build up is superb, sometimes agonizing watching a young teen put things together.

Jess Lourey did an amazing job capturing the atmosphere of the 1970's! The cultural references to the simpler times are no less obscured by the dark tone of the book. The TV dinners, the clothing, the mood rings! The only thing that didn't ring true for me was the concept of party (phone) lines, which I believe went out of style long before the 70s. One of the "Pantown rules for girls" is that you follow the party line and no one talks about what goes on in Pantown, no matter what. And that includes on the telephone! So when Heather sees something she shouldn't have, she doesn't even reveal it to her father, the District Attorney.

The story is based on a true story of kidnapping that occurred in Minnesota, and the book opens with descriptions of several serial killer cases, and starts out with the kidnapping of Beth, a local waitress. If only Heather and her friends had known about those cases! There are a couple of bad boys, and a circus employee who are among the top suspects - "... they do terrible things in packs, boys-who-are-men, things they'd never have the hate to do alone." The story is further complicated by the tight-knit group of men in authority, who close ranks when Heather starts to investigate after being traumatized by what she sees after traveling through the series of inter-connected basements (trust me, I would have triple padlocked and nailed the door shut if this were my basement!). She's always been close with bandmates Brenda and Maureen, but she soon finds out they were engaged in activities behind her back.

The story is at times so sad that it tugs at your heartstrings. Almost every character is flawed, but full of hope for the future. Until that future is snatched away and what remains are scars. It borders on horror. And even though it was written for adults, it had the ring of a Young Adult novel. And it's a story that will stay with you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance reader's copy.

I enjoyed this book as it took me back to my own childhood. Heather is in that difficult age of growing into a teenager but wanting to hold onto the pleasures of being a carefree child. The atmoshphere and the friendship between her and her friends pulls you in and you want to know what happens. Heather doesnt give up on her quest but int he meantime she could destroy all she holds dear.

It’s the summer of 1977 and fifteen year old Heather and her besties, Maureen and Brenda, are living the typical life in a not so typical town. After all what other town has an underground tunnel system connecting the houses? It’s something they have never really thought of before as they have grown up playing in the tunnels, but this summer is different! When a young waitress goes missing after work, there’s a bit of unease, but she’s quickly chalked up as a runaway. When it hits closer to home and Maureen goes missing after their very first gig as a band, Heather won’t let it go. Getting very little help from the very adults she’s trusted, she delves in quick and what she uncovers is going to change the very life of their small town. With a very dark plot and filled with abuse and murder, the adults are despicable characters and have broken all trust in this creepy coming of age story. Heather shines throughout, but the story was just heartbreaking. Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This was a well written book that portrays exactly what it was like for kids growing up in the 70's
There was minimal supervision by adults and those that were in power abused there positions to get away with unspeakable things.
Brenda was a great character forced to grow up quickly and take charge of the household while trying to protect herself and younger sister.
I found this book disturbing and very atmospheric and it made me realise how far we have come as a society.

I grew up in the 70's so a lot of the things in this book hit home for me, like having a bike that took you anywhere you wanted to go and being out and about until dark and being pretty much safe. Well, except in this neighborhood in Minnesota. The book is supposed to be based on true events.

This neighborhood looks idyllic on the surface. But there's something rotten about it, and what's shocking is the people Heather and Brenda are supposed to be able to trust, might be part of it. It's telling that most of the adults are in some way unlikeable, even most of the male characters, and the girls are not.

Teenaged girls are disappearing. Two young girls see something and start investigating on their own, putting all of them in danger. Those they're supposed to trust don't seem trustworthy.

This book is creepy. It's sad. It's the kind of book you don't want to put down but if you're reading it at night, all the lights in the whole house are on. The book had strong characters, was easy to read, had good dialogue. The red herrings worked for me. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

An extra half star for mention of Suzi Quatro and Fanny. Those two names are a blast from the past. Rock on, ladies!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are mine, and freely expressed.

The year is 1977 in the sweltering heat of August where a small town in Minnesota is a place of safety and contentment and everyone knows almost all the people who live there since no-one ever leaves the town even after growing up except maybe going to college. The story centers around four young girls aging between twelve and sixteen years of age whose lives will never be the same after this confusing summer of growing-up. A local girl has gone missing although the police say she probably just ran away but this doesn't damper the spirits of Heather, Brenda, Maureen and Juni because they are oblivious to the news and the happiest they've ever been since they created their own girl's band and are scheduled to perform for two nights at the local yearly summer fair. The girls couldn't be more excited until two of them see something unbelievably bad that they can't tell anyone about until one of their own group goes missing. As the girls try to process the news their good friend is now a second girl to just suddenly disappear, one of them decides to play detective and what she discovers on her way to the truth will tear apart so many lives in this town plus put her own life in danger since her search had also unveiled there isn't anyone left she can trust to help her because she now understands that her town which once appeared safe, clean and tidy on the outside was just a facade because the inside is filled wth so much deceit, corruption and evil.

This story was so good that it was very difficult to stop reading. This was not a young adult book for teens even though it revolved around young teenagers. I loved how the author captured the atmosphere of what it must have been like growing up in the 70's. References are made throughout the story about music from that era, hair styles, food, tv shows etc. The author "Jess Lourey" just made this story come to life with all the realistic nuances and details that she wove into every page where the reader could visualize everything and everyone until the book's conclusion. Sometimes, I was just mesmerized by the storytelling and would try to imagine what the experiences were like that these girls were having. There were sweet, happy, loving and fun moments but then there were some very dark, ugly, disturbing, unsettling and so, so sad moments that just took my breath away. The writer uses many cliches throughout the book, sometimes a little overdone but I really didn't mind since it made the story more relatable for the reader no matter what decade one grew up in. "Jess Lourey" captured a picture of small town atmosphere and the emotions of characters better than if you were watching a movie! I will definitely be reading more books by this writer in the future.

I highly recommend this book to all readers unless you only enjoy light reading!

Trigger Warning: There is quite a bit of dark and disturbing subject matter throughout the story. Physical Violence, Sexual Abuse, Rape, Kidnapping,

I want to thank the publisher "Thomas & Mercer" for the opportunity to read this terrific and well-done novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!


I have given this book a rating of 4 1/2 ATMOSPHERIC AND REALISTIC 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!

Most my followers know that I love a genre mash that includes coming of age. This one was perfect. Jess Lourey is becoming one of my favorite authors. The main character is young, but forced to act as an adult. As she attempts to solve the mysteries going on in her town, she faces uncomfortable truths about her life and those around her. I enjoyed the small town vibe and the creepiness factor with the tunnels and quarries.

“That summer, the summer of ‘77, everything had edges. The sharpness took my friends, but it cut away the blinders too.”

The Quarry Girls comes out 11/1.

I have been wanting to read a Jess Lourey book for quite some time now and thankfully was approved for The Quarry Girls. Evidently, there is no doubt as to why she’s ruling the charts with the kind of creepy menace she has managed to bring forth in her novel

Small towns and big secrets always have a special flavor, it feels like the smaller the town, the worse the dangers hiding in plain sight. Alternating the storyline between the POV of Heather and then thru a girl kidnapped and tortured, Beth, the story grows in darkness with the kind of claustrophobia the author excellently creates in the unraveling. The town with its underground tunnels and the quarry nearby has an atmosphere that imbues the story with such terror that one can literally feel goosebumps on the skin.

The storyline had me worriedly chewing my nails as Beth narrates her side of the story, but I am thankful that the author never made it extremely gruesome for me to stomach. As Heather explores the skeletons in the closet so deeply embedded in the hands of their town’s powerholders, she also must grow up and face the immense challenge of facing the truth of her own family.

Extremely well written and oozing menace, The Quarry Girls is sure to be another winner for Jess Lourey. I am going with 4 stars only coz the culprits became evident from early on and I thought this story really deserved a shocking or surprising twist at the end.

Many thanks to Net Galley, Thomas & Mercer and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

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