**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

A story where teens are going missing and it’s possible its another teenager doing the killing… I am always down for. I love a good YA Fiction Thriller novel. I had high hopes for Missing Dead Girls for Sara Walters, but unfortunately this one fell a little short for me.


The story follows Tillie as she starts a new school after a tragedy at her last school that she was the focal point of and yet she dives right into new friendships only for her past to catch up. I love diversity in books, so I really enjoyed the LGBTQIA+ aspect of this book. Representation is important and I like seeing stories with more of this.

Unfortunately, the aspects I didn’t like outweighed those great aspects. I felt there was a huge focus on physical displays of affection that felt more like fillers than important aspects of the story. A few would have been fine and acceptable, but there were just so many and the first half of the book felt like this was the main focus. It just felt very forced to me. Secondly, I felt the story was a bit unrealistic towards the end and the actual ending felt too much of a reach. In the current day in age, I just do not see how the “bad guy” would have gotten away with what they did. It just did add up. That made it really hard to believe the story. And last, I really didn’t like the characters. There weren’t redeemable qualities about them. I felt their behaviours felt forced and their personalities were not ones that readers can really relate to or root for and I feel that is really important in a story. You want to like at least one character. I found most of them just really abnoxious in their behaviors and how they were portrayed.

These aspects really brought the rating of this book down. I will say, I got more into the story about 60% in and wanted to know what was going to happen. Unfortunately, it just felt too little, too late and it wasn’t enough to bring up the score. I would try out another book by Walters to see if I enjoyed it more and I always encourage you to check it out yourself and see what you think. You may love it! It just wasn’t for me.

This book left me feeling empty and answerless. Due to the fact that this book is only 220p long, we don’t get a lot of details for anything, which makes sense with the book length but it doesn’t make for a good story. So many important scenes were just brushed to the side and forgotten even though they could have elevated the story if they had just been explained more and idk mentioned more than just one time.

Overall, I’m really confused about this book and the way it was marketed. Although there were some aspects of it that I enjoyed like the writing and the queer love story, there was really nothing much going on until the last 20% of the book and it didn’t feel like a mystery or a thriller. It also felt super far fetched at times and I found myself so frustrated with the characters’ decisions. The writing was beautiful and I did enjoy the relationship between Tillie and Madison, but the rest wasn’t my cup of tea.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

This book was less thriller and more toxic relationships. While not bad, the synopsis was so misleading that it sort of sucked the joy out of the book. Interesting but as advertised.

I wanted to read this book for being a murder mystery, but sadly this isn't what this book turned out to be. It's more about toxic relationships than a thriller. I don't know why they market books in one way when they don't fit the genre they claim to be. Dissapointing.

I feel like I was lied too regarding this book. I didn't expect what I was expecting. I don't know how else to explain it but it just wasn't it at all.

I had hoped for this book but I had to DNF as it was just a mess for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review.

DNF.

Firstly, this is not a murder mystery. No clue why it was classified as such. The synopsis of the book is completely wrong. I do not now how this was allowed. It is extremely misleading. Very poor on the editors and publishers.

The grammar is awful (again, how did the editors not catch this?), the characters are bad, and there is no actual plot line.

I wish I could say more, but this was just terrible.

Missing Dead Girls was less of a murder mystery and more about what toxis relationships can do when being a teen and finding yourself is in the mix. It’s a slowed paced book and mostly about discovering the past of one character and about another character starting over only to pretty much find herself in the same predicament. The cover and title is very misleading but I still overall enjoyed the book. It’s sapphic and deals with some triggers that I’d definitely look up before hand and touches on some heavy topics for sure. Overall, some might really like this, especially if you love books on the shorter side. Just go in knowing it’s not actually a murder mystery and everything comes together only at the very end!

Missing Dead Girls" is a fast-paced psychological thriller that places a strong emphasis on the dynamics of friendship and raw human emotions. It's essentially a coming-of-age tale narrated from a single point of view, unfolding within a single timeline. The story is binge-worthy.

What sets this book apart is its timely exploration of themes like navigating clandestine love affairs and dealing with the aftermath of sexual assaults. The author's method of gradually revealing information about the main characters added depth and intrigue to the narrative. While the title hints at a focus on "Missing Dead Girls," the story primarily revolves around a group of enraged teenage girls who are grappling with love and secretly plotting their revenge against those who've wronged them. The characters may not be entirely likeable throughout the book, but that seems to be by design. Despite this, the book remains highly engaging and readable.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was way too much about the teenaged angst of some girl rather than getting into the deep plot of the book almost 1/4 of the way thru. I just didn’t want to finish it

Twisted mean girl behavior turns into deadly deception!
The book opens with a text accusation and a photo of a dead body that states, “Tillie Gray killed Madison Frank”. Time moves back to when 17yo Tillie moves to Willow Creek and she’s trying to find her place in this new town. For some reason that Tillie can’t comprehend, Madison befriends her and they become more than friends. Both girls have secrets that they’re keeping that could destroy their lives. Little by little, the secrets are revealed and they’ll need to decide how far they will go to keep their secrets hidden.

Likes/dislikes: A very ominous ending left me with a feeling of mean girls to the core in this book. The premise is creepy and disturbing. I like the author’s notes that state how important each of us are, and our experiences are valid, and we’re all deserving of respect and love.
Mature Content: R for detailed sex (violates Utah legislation HB-374), underage drinking, drug use.
Language: R for 77 swears and 79 f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death and murder suicide.
Ethnicity: Sienna has brown skin , Emma is white, Madison is white, Gigi is Korean American.

I found this book to be riveting and well written. Parts seemed a bit obvious to me, but the writing and characters kept me hooked. Highly recommend. 4/5 stars

⚠️trigger warning:⚠️ sexual assault


thank you to netgalley (@netgalley) and the publisher (@sourcebooksfire) for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review

once i started reading i was immediately hooked. each chapter had pieces to the mystery that i had to solve, which made it extremely hard to put down. i HAD to find out the answers to who killed madison and what lead to her death

the relationship between tillie and madison was so cute to read about.

i requested missing dead girls by sara walters (@saradoesthings) cause i loved her first book, the violent season, so i knew i would like this too

i highly recommend reading missing dead girls

one timeline and POV. A very binge-worthy novel! I was unable to put it down.

It took me two sittings to complete. Very current when it comes to dealing with uneasy public love and the fallout from sexual attacks.

Every chapter left me wanting more information, which is a great technique the author used to introduce us to the key characters.

Very similar to Pretty Little Liars (the television program; I've never read the books). Teen anguish and vengeance are a lethal combination.

This book was a definite DNF, could not finish this book, so many trigger warnings and I could not get into the story.

Tillie moves to escape a past that she doesn’t want to talk about and the. She meets Madison. But Madison goes missing and all things point to Tillie. With her past how can she prove her innocence and why does it seem like Madison is not the friend she showed herself to be. The depth and betrayal of friendships and obsession this book is one to read.

This one didn't stick out to me as much as I had hoped it would.

I found the beginning kind of dragged, and I tried my best to keep interested in Madison and Till, but ultimately I couldn't hold on.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What happens when you can’t escape your past?
🏊🏻
Tillie and her mom had to leave Philadelphia after an incident that traumatized her. Now living in the suburbs of Willow Creek she has a chance to start over, but what if she keeps making the same mistakes? When Tillie meets queen bee, Madison, she’s drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Madison is recently back from boarding school and also feels an instant connection to Tillie. When tragedy strikes her again, it’s Madison that helps Tillie pick up the pieces, but when they get vengeance on their minds, everyone needs to move out of the way.
🏊🏻
Eh. I loved the sapphic relationship between the two main characters, but that’s about it. Neither girl had any redeeming qualities and I found the ending twist not to be enough umph to end a YA book on in my opinion. The author’s first novel was a 3⭐️ read for me so maybe she’s just not for me. It’s a short read so give it a try and maybe you’ll feel differently.

CW: sexual assault, forced outing, homophobia, homophobic slurs, alcohol, drug use, kidnapping, gun, drowning, murder, violence