Holy Moly this was one heck of a story! I read “Don’t Forget the Girl” in less than a day and I couldn’t put it down if I tried. This is the story of how three young women in 2003, best friends, come of age and grow up much too fast when Abby disappears, and is presumed dead by a serial killer. In 2015, just weeks before Blue, the serial killer, is set to be executed we meet Bree and Chelsea, now estranged, who narrate their own stories as they come to terms with all that happened and where their lives are at now. Daily they deal with the pain of not knowing what happened to Abby and how she has become mostly forgotten while Blue becomes notorious. Interspersed in these narratives we learn the story of what happened to Abby as she narrates her life in 2003 right up until she disappears.

There is so much going on in this novel and all of it is perfectly paced and relevant to the plot with layer upon layer of plot and character development. A story of friendship, heartache, first loves, hiding part of yourself, grief, jealousy, fear, letting others in and holding yourself apart to preserve your sense of self. It’s about all the ways women are vulnerable with friends and family and strangers and weirdos and those who mean you harm. It’s about belonging and knowing who you are and it’s about overcoming grief and hurt and anger to find redemption and healing.

It’s rare that I’m surprised enough by a novel to gasp out loud, but I did not once, but twice. I’m sure my neighbours thought I was crazy as I was reading outside. Should you read this novel? Absolutely.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advance copy of this eARC. Preorder today so you can get your copy first on its June 20 pub day; you won’t be disappointed! I loved every moment of this psychological thriller.

Warning: Sexual Content.

#dontforgetthegirl #psychologicalthriller #suspensebooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksta #bookgeek #booknerd #rebeccamckanna #debutnovel #debutauthor #authortowatch #femaleauthor #femalewriter #youshouldreadthis #highlyrecommend #bookreview #bookrecommendations #thrillerbooks @bookmarked @netgalley @rebeccamckanna

Could it be true? Abby Hartman killed by Jon Allan Blue?
Really, that cut and dry...or is there something far more dangerous and alluring creeping in the bushes?
What's one to do but ponder the meaning of life, however, there's something up with the girl's group, this trio of sorts that seems elusive and yet, daring.
Blue after all was a teacher. A person that had gained the girl's trust and gain trust may be the key to unlocking this mystery.
Bree, Chelsea, Rachel are more than just friends and may have a secret or two hiding between them and it's up to the reader to discern the tale of the trio.
Thank you to Rebecca, the publisher, Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for this honest review

I LOVED this book! I loved the podcast element and the transcription of episodes! I loved the newspaper articles and t.v. transcripts included! The multiple POV was used masterfully, especially including the voice of the victim. The twists and turns I did not see coming. The characters were normal flawed individuals making mistakes, learning from them and trying to do better. I found myself routing for Bree and Chelsea the entire time, even when they were being horrible to each other or making horrible decisions. The setting was Iowa City, which living in Iowa is a place I know and the girls should be about my age. I could relate to the "rape whistles" we were handed when step on campus and the fear walking alone at night. The book wrapped everything up in a satisfying way! I cannot wait to recommend this to my friends!

I enjoyed this book, but not for the reasons I thought I might. I'm always a fan of thrillers and whodunits, which this is for sure, but what I really liked was the live story between Abby and Chelsea and the way it is told/elaborated on throughout the story. As for the twists I guessed the first one the first time we met the character so I was happy when the author made the decision to reveal this one pretty early in the book. The final one wasn't really a twist, it was more of an okay so that's that. However the best twist was one I'm not sure was meant to be or not and unfortunately without spoilers, there's not much more I can say on this. Overall a good story, one more about friendship and secrets and a little less thriller. I'd recommend this to anyone because of that though.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I was highly intrigued because I’m from Nebraska and liked all the Nebraska/Iowa references. I liked the multiple POVs but hated how Abby’s was wrote. The ending kinda confused me but overall I enjoyed the story.

I really enjoyed this book and felt like it provided a unique, fresh perspective on the thriller genre by taking a more character-driven view. The plot was well=paced and I enjoyed the slow unraveling of the mystery. It also managed to surprise me at a few points, which is always a win when you read a lot of thrillers. I highly recommend this one!

I was hooked from the very beginning of this book. “Don’t Forget The Girl” is told from three different perspectives, two women in the present and the third is their friend, the victim, from the time just before she’s killed. With true crime having its moment, the book reinforces what society should be focusing on, the victims, and not memorializing the killers. The book adds the humanity back to the victims and their loved ones which is often forgotten about when discussing true crime and serial killers. It’s a subject overlooked and even though it’s fiction the book has relevancy.

The killer, Jon Allen Blue, is definitely a caricature of Ted Bundy. The author describes him as good looking, killing across multiple states, and having a fetish for a particular hair color. Even his crimes and unwillingness to share information of supposed crimes are eerily similar to Bundy’s. I liked how the author subtlety points out how true crime books, shows and podcasts speak so deeply on a subject yet make the subject about themselves, disparage the victim’s or survivor’s actions and even cut to a sponsor trivializing the subject. “Don’t Forget the Girl” really puts our obsession with true crime into perspective and helps us to focus on who really matters and how the people left behind in the wake of this death move forward.

I genuinely found the story compelling and couldn’t put the book down. The author does an incredible job detailing the complexities of a trio of female friends. I loved the focus of the book and that each survivor had a different connection and journey with the victim which allowed the victim to be a more fledged out character. I left this story feeling satisfied with each plot point and each character’s development. I’m looking forward to the author’s second book because her first was fantastic.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I had trouble really getting into this book for a couple reasons:

1) I found all of the characters to be really annoying and that really took away my interest from reading the story. I couldn’t stand the relationships, cheating, pregnancy because they all just seemed to stem from terrible decisions.

2) The Abby POV chapters threw me for a mental loop. I felt like the content really helped keep me interested in the story and it filled in the gaps, but I could not stand that it was in second person. I found it incredibly annoying and didn’t see a single reason to be like that. Especially when Bree and Chelsea’s chapters were in third person. If they all would have been in third person this book would have been much better for me.

I did like how Bree was really focused on talking about the women who were attacked using their names and keeping them in the discussions. That seemed like one of the more important parts of the story to me.

I probably wouldn’t recommend it, but I wouldn’t stop anybody from reading it if they really wanted to.

💀 We never R E M E M B E R the dead girls. We never F O R G E T the killers🔪 - “Don’t Forget the Girl” by Rebecca McKanna

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Childhood best friends Chelsea, Abby and Bree embark on a huge milestone together … entering college at the University of Iowa! Their lives have always been intertwined in different ways, but as with many trios of best friends … 3️⃣ can sometimes be a crowd.

On Halloween night, the trio gets into an argument, and little do they know that this will the LAST TIME they are all together. Abby runs off alone from the party and is NEVER to be seen again 😶‍🌫️. It is suspected that she has fallen victim to a campus serial killer … and over time the memory of Abby is left in the shadows of a notorious serial killer😴.

12 years later, serial killer Jon Allen Blue is facing execution and Chelsea and Bree are desperate to find out the truth behind Abby’s disappearance before Blue is gone forever. Both girls completely lost touch after losing their bestfriend, and now it’s time to come together and face the shocking truth of what happened back then and expose the deepest darkest secrets of their pasts 👀

For fans of Pretty Little Liars, Big Little Lies and campus thrillers in general … you will devour this debut novel!

Thank you kindly to @rebeccamckanna @bookmarked @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on June 20, 2023!

Book : Dont Forget The Girl
Author : Rebecca McKanna
Pub Date: 20 June 2023

Thank you Net Galley, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and the author of this book for an opportunity to review this ARC.

This book was amazing. I LOVE LOVED the dual POV and the way it went back and forth between past and present. The story is told by three characters (Abby, Chelsea & Bree). The character development is superb and you get to really know them through this book and there’s a lot to get to know. It shows you how these situations affect those around and involved.

I gobbled up the suspense and the thriller/true crime aspect, I kept wanting to know what was happening next, I wanted to know all the things. I couldn’t set this book down.

This is quite possibly a top favorite true crime-murder-mystery-thriller of mine. If you are a fan of true crime and thriller/murder type of books this book will do you no wrong! It needs to be on your TBR.

Really good first book by McKanna. I enjoyed the mystery and the thrilling parts and how it went from one character chapter to the next. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Four stars.

Dare I say… my favorite thriller/murder-mystery of the year. Maybe it was because it was based at University of Iowa, a more close to home feel. Maybe it was the constant reminder that there are horrible people out there that do things to hurt others and they don’t even understand why.

Abby, Bree and Chelsea grew up together and went to university together. Abby goes missing after an argument among the three of them one late Halloween night. Her remains are found 12 years later. It’s a story of grief, heartache, guilt and ‘what if’s’ that haunt Bree and Chelsea as the years go by. While the accused, Jon Allan Blue, grows closer to his execution date Bree and Chelsea try so hard to get the final answers they hope will allow them some closure.
I truly LOVED Rebecca McKanna’s writing style. It alternated between many point of views and timelines which worked so well together. You would near the end of a chapter, to a climax of finding out a missing puzzle of the crime just for the chapter to switch to someone else’s POV. Almost like there was no interruption, you’d learn the twist that the chapter ended on in such a smooth way.
For this being McKanna’s debut novel, I can only imagine how amazing her next story will be.

My husband recently asked if I would go look for morel mushrooms for us on my day off while he was at work. I said absolutely not. He was so confused at my hard no. But it’s the hard truth. I’m a woman. I would never go into the woods alone. No matter where I lived. I don’t care how many years of karate (if you know me… can you picture me doing karate? I was badass), what kind of steps I take to feel safe against someone, it still doesn’t protect me from someone 100%. Dramatic? To some maybe it does sound dramatic, but this book was a cruel reminder of how fast things can be taken from you from the evil that is the world.

When Chelsea and Bree were in college, their friend Abby disappeared, presumed murdered by a serial killer. Twelve years later, the killer is days away from being executed and a podcast is digging into his crimes. An excellent debut with more nuanced characters than most thrillers; I tore through it in two days.

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

Just twelve years ago, Abby Hartmann was a freshman at her university when she goes missing. Jon Allan Blue is accused of her murder and is due for execution in a few days. Her best friends Bree and Chelsea, are estranged now but have no choice but to come together when a podcaster dedicates their next season to Blue’s murders. This book is all about secrets, friendship and murder.


I’m very torn as how to rate this book. I wasn’t totally invested at the beginning and was thrown off when Abby’s POV was told as it was in third person and didn’t match the rest of the book. Near the ending there were a few plot twists that I didn’t see coming. However, I was expecting another guilty party for Abby’s murder than who was responsible. Nevertheless, this book presses on relationships and secrets.

I do suggest you read this and share your thoughts! I might have been just a tad picky.

I overall thought it was more of 3.5-3.75 stars but decided to round up.


Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a DRC. Don’t Forget the Girl available June 20.

🌳DON’T FORGET THE GIRL by Rebecca McKanna🌳

📆Pub date: June 20th, 2023
➡️Swipe for synopsis
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: E-book
Read if you like:
👨‍👩‍👦‍👦Multiple POV
🎙️True crime podcasts
📖Thriller genre

Thank you so much @bookmarked for the advanced copy of Don’t Forget the Girl! This is an amazing debut thriller about a high profile podcast that dedicates a season to the murder of Abby Hartmann that occurred 12 years prior. I love everything about true crime podcasts and it’s one of my favorite elements in thrillers lately. There isn’t too much focus on the contents of the podcast; we’re mostly focusing on how the podcast impacts the victim’s best friends at the time. The accused murderer is also about to be executed, and it’s interesting to see how the public and the people close to the investigation react to this.

If you like more of a literary thriller, pick this one up. It was amazingly written, and the characters had depth along with a page-turning plot.

A slow burn. Dark and introspective.

Don’t Forget the Girl by Rebecca McKanna explores the complexities of friendship, and focuses on the lives of the victims, both direct and indirect—instead of the serial killers—who are often forgotten about. The premise was interesting and I enjoyed learning about the relationships between the three women across two timelines. The multiple POVs was engaging, and the suspense leading up to Abby’s death kept me turning the pages. It was very introspective and the use of the crime podcast, along with the online commentary, broke up the text making it easier to read. I enjoyed the online media snippets regarding the crimes and thought it was a nice creative touch, breaking up the structure of the novel, rather than through dialogue or character narration. The best part of the book (for me) was the friendship between Chelsea and Bree, and how it strengthened over the course of the story.

That being said, I definitely prefer more pulse pounding action, and I would have liked to learn about the other victims to fully understand the extent of Jon Allan Blue’s crimes without going into too much detail. An aspect of the book that didn’t work for me came at the end. After learning about Bree’s major character flaw early on—having a sexual relationship with her student—I think the final repercussions weren’t severe enough given the nature of the crime. It made for somewhat of a dissatisfying ending to her character arc.

3/5⭐️⭐️⭐️
For readers who enjoy complex characters, strong female protagonists, and dark topics.

I enjoyed the mystery, but it was a slow burn rather than page-turner. This book dealt with so many complicated & multilayered topics: faith & religion, the popularity of true crime as a form of entertainment, complex female friendships, discovering one’s sexuality, and taking responsibility for how your actions impact others.. It was thought-provoking, and with short chapters interspersed with social media threads, podcast transcripts, & news articles.

Thank you to NetGalley & Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Abby Hartmann disappeared from the University of Iowa one night, never to be seen again. There are strong suspicions that current death-row inmate Jon Allan Blue killed her, but Blue never confessed to his crimes and Abby's body was never found. Until twelve years later...

Chelsea and Bree were Abby's closest friends, and they have been estranged in the years preceding her disappearance. There are unvoiced secrets, misunderstandings, resentment, and identity crisis, all underlying the profound grief and guilt of losing Abby. Both have unknowingly grown in their grief and it has defined them in their roles as an Episcopalian minister and college professor. Until Chelsea reaches out to a popular podcaster to tell Abby's story, it feels like Abby's story will never be told and the reality of her death will be lost when Blue is executed in a few short days.

The shifting POV helps create a clear portrait of the three women. They are all selfish in the way that all college freshmen are but are beautifully flawed and self-aware. There were many twists and turns that truly surprised me, but everything truly fit in with the character's personalities and the overall plot.

Rebecca McKanna does not rely on cheap shock value or the glorified true crime genre to create a startling and profound book. She really wants us to evaluate whether we do forget the victims of crime and if we ever truly can know someone.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Don’t Forget The Girl releases June 20, 2023

<i>“Crime stories show the best and worst of humanity. There’s nothing more compelling than that.”</I>

Twelve years ago, the friend group between Bree, Chelsea, and Abby was torn apart when Abby went missing the night of Halloween. Not long after, a series of girls from their college sorority groups were murdered, and Abby and Bree’s acting teacher, Jay, was sentenced to prison as a serial killer. But was he the one responsible for Abby’s disappearance as well?

Bree and Chelsea’s story picks up just as there’s 25 days left until Jon Allen Blue’s execution.
This is told in triple pov, with Abby’s pov set in the past and written in second person narration.

The media is honed on to Jon Allen Blue — with books written about him, a new tv series in the works, and a podcast that will focus on him for their upcoming season.
Bree and Chelsea are determined to not let the public forget about Abby, who was a victim.
With 25 days to go, will they get the answers they’ve been searching for all these years?

This debut is definitely a one sitting read, with writing that is really fluid. There was just some content that wasn’t my cup of tea, like the teacher/student relationships, pregnancy, and multiple instances of cheating that prevented me from rating this any higher.
I thought the use of all three pov’s were done well and the diversity was interesting as I’ve never read about a woman priest who was bisexual before.

I like how the readers were given clarity from Abby’s pov, and although both of her friends were able to achieve some sort of closure in their own ways, I do wish they could have had that final piece of information as well.

The incorporation of mixed media was a nice touch, too!
One thing I think could have been developed a bit further was the red herring where Daniel had information about Abby’s case file stored in their attic.

Wow! I absolutely love anything with the true crime feel. I also enjoyed the aspects of the podcasts and interviews.

What really stood out for me was that this has underlined tones for the found friendships. Even in the wake of tragedy Chelsea and Bree were able to connect and share their past and make a future within themselves.