4.5 stars || A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

Wow, this was so much better than anticipated. I am not the most enthusiastic thriller/crime novel reader, mostly because many of them fall apart towards the end when it comes to tying lose ends together.

This book on the other hand had me glued until the end: the story about Olivia and how her friends disappeared after a car accident, never to be seen again. Was it supernatural as some believe? There also is a second, seemingly unrelated narrative which works so well together with the main narrative.

The book did end up taking an—albeit small—dip in the end when someone ends up spilling the beans just like that. At the same time, I couldn’t put the book down. Heads up the the book is written by a British author, using a number of UK words and phrases.

Thanks to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the copy of this book.

I love thrillers with dual narrators, and enjoyed the back and forth between Olivia, who was in a car accident in 1998 where the rest of the passengers mysteriously disappeared, and Jenna, a reporter with a podcast who is trying to figure out what happened 20 years later. There is a plethora of shady characters, lots of information thrown in for twists and potential red herrings, and an eerie setting. This book had really great potential, but in the end, I thougth there were too many attempts to create red herrings and twists, and way too many characters with similar names.

I'm so grateful for the kindle edition of this book! I listened The narration was difficult for me keep up with and the dual POV got confusing, and that's not usually the case with me and audiobooks. This story did not pick up for me until about 70% into the audiobook. I found myself rewinding and re-listening to entire chapters because I felt like I was missing pertinent information to the story, but that wasn't the case much of the time. I'd read this at a later date, but not as an audiobook. I was interested in the story, but I guess the execution just didn't hit right with me due to the narration.

However, once I realized the audiobook wasn't working for me, I switched to the e-arc and that was much better. The storyline and the many, many twists that I never saw coming, hit so much stronger with the e-book vs the audio. I would recommend this book to thriller lovers who enjoy a slower burn and big payoff! This is my first book by Claire Douglas and I will happily read more of work after The Girls Who Disappeared!

I am extremely appreciative of the opportunity to read to this arc. Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The book follows Jenna as she tries to figure out what happened to a car full of girls who seemingly disappeared 10 years ago. It starts with some creepy elements that are carried consistently throughout the story. The author introduces a milliard of characters who all seem to have a motive for the crime and the reader keeps guessing until the very end.
The book has a story-within-a-story happening that seems to be a popular trend at the moment. I was curious to know how the second story would coincide with the main story and was surprised with the way everything came together in the end. Although the book got a lot of elements right, it left me wanting something more.

This is moody, gothic, and sad. This a prime example of not trusting your passion and lust to guide you through life.
I loved this.
The setting was perfection. The characters were amazing. I loved the horses and the town too.

This was my first Claire Douglas book, and let me just say, I can’t wait to read more! I couldn’t put it down!

I was captivated immediately with the synopsis of this book. I had to know what happened to the girls who disappeared! Was it by the hands of someone in their small town or by a ghostly phenomenon? I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out the answer.

This had so much thought put into it, the authors note even explains her attention to detail to make this story work. And boy did she do an amazing job! Every time I thought I was even remotely starting to guess the plot twist, then Bam!, another twist, another plot.

I loved this writing style. I felt like I was in the town, driving along with Jenna the whole way, trying to solve the puzzle with her. Erie, thrilling, cold, wet, the whole enchilada.

You will not regret reading this one! A solid 5 stars from me!

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

This was my first Claire Douglas read and I am thoroughly surprised. I definitely did not anticipate liking this book as much as I did.

The story is told in 3 different points of view. One from Jenna a BBC podcaster coming to interview the people of Stafferbury about 3 girls who went missing 20 years ago for her podcast about them. While there she uncovers what is truly going on in this spooky town. The second point of view is Olivia who was the only girl in the car that night who survived the accident. When she woke her friends had vanished, leaving her trapped and in and out of consciousness. The third readers don't know until later in the story. And I refuse to spoil anything for you.

I really enjoyed the plot of this book. There was so much going on, so much depth that I appreciate! I really enjoyed the multiple POV and having to try and figure out how the third was connected to what happened to the girls. I had all kinds of theories and NONE of them ended up being correct. I was shocked. I'm usually pretty good about predicting. That is why I enjoyed this book so much. I couldn't figure out the mystery.

The only thing that took stars away was the use of the setting. It was vague and so important to the storyline. There were times when things and places felt so far away but in other chapters were just across the street. This made parts of the story pretty confusing. Because time and place were so integral to the story, I wish this would have been more fleshed out.

This definitely will not be my last Douglas read and I'm so glad it was my first!

Excellent book!! It kept me fully engaged the entire time I was reading it!
And those twists! I had absolutely no idea what was happening! I just hopped on and rode that crazy ride to the end!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher!
I've found a new favorite author!

This was a really good thriller! This one kept me on the edge of my seat and actually surprised me at the end.

This was good but not my favorite Claire Douglas book. The mystery held my attention through the entirety and there was an abundance of suspense but I wasn't totally sold on the ending. Claire Douglas still continues to be one of my favorite authors.

When I saw the cover of this book, something jumped out at me. The book was well written with great details making you almost feel immersed in the book. The pace is pretty fast and catches you right away. I loved the way this story unfolded. The characters are so well developed and almost all of them are likable. Throughout the story, I kept trying to guess what was happening and none of them were accurate.  
 
The story is mostly told from two perspectives (Olivia and Jenna). There is a third story occasionally thrown in of Stace and her friends that seems to not be connected at all to Olivia and Jenna. The connection doesn't come until about 3/4's through the book. In the past portions of the book, Olivia is a young woman out with her friends having the time of her life, on the way home with three of her besties in the car with her, she sees something in the road and gets into a horrible car crash. When she wakes up she is all alone in the car with no memories of what happened. In the present tense, Jenna is a journalist getting back in the game writing a podcast about what happened in Olivia's accident. She is trying to unravel the web to find the truth about what happened to Olivia and her friends. Stace's story is also told in the past. Her and her friends are visiting another friend (Derrick) in Thailand.  
 
This book was a fast paced easy read. I highly recommend it if you like thrillers. Thank you to Harper Paperbacks, Claire Douglas and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Twenty years ago, three nineteen-year old girls disappeared following a car crash driving through Devil’s Corridor, heading to Stafferbury during poor weather conditions. Only the driver, Olivia, appears to have survived. Twenty years later, journalist Jenna Halliday arrives in town to make a podcast about this unsolved mystery. It soon becomes apparent that there are long buried secrets that many locals do not want uncovered.

This book is right up my alley and I read a lot of mystery/suspense. This started out strong and the multiple POVs held my interest but ultimately fell a little flat for me. I had recently read a book with a similar "twist" re: names of characters, so figured some aspects out earlier than I otherwise would have. I didn't love the conclusion but didn't hate it either.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I adore Claire’s writing style! It draws you in from the beginning and definitely keeps your attention throughout the entire book! She also knows how to give you a twist that you don’t expect! She does give more of a slow burn of a thriller and the middle parts you could tell were definitely slower but she just has a way of slowly revealing the clues to keep the reader interested. The dual timeline was a great addition to the book, but it was definitely one that makes the reader pay a little bit more attention to make sure that you don’t get the timelines mixed up. But I love how it added to the storyline and the reader gets a more in depth understand of how it all works together. Overall, if you love a good slow burn of a thriller, you will enjoy this one!
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This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

L9ve Claire Douglas and this story didn't disappoint. Really enjoyed this book! The plot and storyline hooked me. I was constantly guessing and was literally wrong everytime. Loved the audiobook too. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

This book started off really strong for me!

Twenty years ago, Olivia is driving with her friends down Devils Corridor where they are involved in an accident. Olivia saw a man in the road and swerved to avoid hitting him. Olivia is rescued but her three friends who were passangers mysteriously disappeared and were never seen again. Where could they be?

Twenty years, Jenna, a podcaster, arrives around the anniversary of the accident and disappearance to investigate and get a story. She doesn't feel welcomed and there are clearly some that don't want her there. Strange things start to happen. Jenna is threatened and told to go home. What are the people hiding?

The second half of the book was not quite as engaging for me. It dragged on and I feel could have been shorter with the same impact.

I would definitely check out more books by this author. I had both the audio and ebook, and I found the audio more engaging.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Perennial and Haper Audio for my copies in exchange for my honest review.

I just couldn't get into this book. The writing was OK but the story was very slow. I also don't care for books about ghosts. I just don't believe in them .

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.
This book was just okay for me. It did keep me guessing and reading to find out who, etc. so I suppose that is a plus. I rate a three star read.

What a twisty, bumpy ride of a story! Olivia, Sally, Tamzin and Katie were out for a fun night on the town when a figure appears on the road and a crash occurs. When Olivia wakes up pinned in the car, the other girls are gone, no where to be found. What happened to the others? Jenna is researching the disappearance of the girls, 20 years later in order to produce a podcast. As Jenna digs deeper into the accident, weird things happen and underlying threats are made to her, what about the accident is so threatening 20 years later? What does a holiday taken years before have to do with the disappearance? Told in alternating voices between Olivia and Jenna, the story unfolds, flashing between then and now.

I really enjoyed this story, the author does a great job in slowly revealing the clues, the hints, the plot behind the accident and the disappearance. Each chapter works it way to the conclusion. I love a good mystery where I need to pay attention to figure out who the characters are, what they are revealing and what they are hiding. Well developed plot, characters and an overall engaging mystery. Don’t miss this one!

Huge thank you for my advanced copy of this one!
I was just starting to get into this one when Chapter 5 came out of nowhere with new characters and a new country. It really threw me off and I thought it was a chapter from another book inserted into this arc by mistake. It is not. Know that everything connects by the end and just enjoy the ride. The ending completely threw me for a loop, I was so far off in my guesses.
Highly recommend to all thriller fans.

Claire Douglas’s The Girls Who Disappeared is a labyrinthine tale of secrets and outright lies with a lot of moving parts. At the heart of the mystery is Olivia, a woman in her late 30s who was involved in a serious car accident in 1998 in which her 3 closest friends disappeared. Olivia bears permanent injuries and guilt from that night and lives a sheltered life caring for horses with her mother. She also maintains a strained and stunted relationship with her boyfriend, Wesley. But she cannot forget her friends and wonders what happened to them. On the 20th anniversary of this baffling accident, BBC journalist Jenna comes to town to produce a podcast detailing the events of that night in 1998. Jenna rents a secluded Airbnb in the forest nearby to the accident site and forms a shaky partnership with the lead detective, Dale. Almost everyone in this story has secrets, and it is hard to know who to trust.

I was immediately drawn to the plot and setting of this book. The rainy, autumn forest with a small town full of quirky characters is certainly interesting, and the mystery of the missing girls is intriguing. The plot is fast-paced and takes place over 5 days with interspersed flashbacks to an undisclosed time. However, I felt the character development fell flat. Jenna was not quite believable as a successful BBC reporter, and Dale did not come across as a particularly skilled detective. Neither of them asked many pertinent or in depth questions in their interviews. And although it worked for Jenna to have a “partner,” I just did not buy that Dale would really involve her as much as he did.

This is the third Claire Douglas novel I have read. I really like her plots, which are very interesting and current, however, her writing style is not for me. I like more character development and fluid writing. I still recommend this book for someone who favors a plot-driven story that is quickly paced.

Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Perennial for this ARC edition.